Hou Mian
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| Flag of Hou Mian | |
| Motto: We know who scratches our backs. | |
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| Region | The Carabellian Alliance |
|---|---|
| Capital | Guanxi |
| Official Language(s) | Language(s) Putonghua, Carabellian |
| Leader | Fu Huangdi |
| Population | 400M |
| Currency | Quid Pro Quo |
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Brief
The Nomadic Peoples of Hou Mian is a huge, economically powerful nation, notable for its barren, inhospitable landscape. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of roughly four million are ruled by a mostly-benevolent dictator, Fu Huangdi, who grants the populace the freedom to live their own lives but watches carefully for anyone to slip up.
It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Education, and Healthcare. Citizens pay a flat income tax of 36%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Uranium Mining industry, followed by Pizza Delivery and Gambling.
Hou Mian's national animal is the weasel, which teeters on the brink of extinction due to widespread deforestation, and its currency is the Quid Pro Quo.
The Nomadic Peoples of Hou Mian live on the edges of The Carabellian Alliance, on what could be loosely called an archipelago. This nation is made up of several, often bickering tribes, loosely held together under the dictatorial hand of Fu Huangdi.
History
History is itself a bit of a contentious subject for the differeing tribes of Hou Mian. However, it is known that they arrived on the archipelago sometime between one and two thousand years ago. Well versed in the naval arts, they quickly expanded to cover the entire archipelago, which was previously uninhabited.
The tribes settled into a semi-peaceful coexistance with each other. Every so often, the chiefs of the tribes would meet, and discuss matters of inter-tribal importance. In times of emergency, or when one leader was charismatic enough to convince others, a khagan could be appointed. The exploits of the great khaghans can be found in the classic of Mianish literature, the Hounogian Chronicles.
The chiefs of the tribes of Hou Mian have long held a reputation as sharp businessman and hard nosed negotiators. The lack of resources within the Hou Mian archipelago led the present Khagan, Fu Huangdi to cement an alliance with both Agnaricia and Carabell. They often provide Hou Mian with raw materials and military protection, with Hou Mian providing intelligence, a diplomatic front for the rest of the Carabellian Alliance, and much needed uranium.
Society
Hou Mian has a tribal, nomadic society. This should not be confused with a primitive society--many Mianers travel on luxury houseboats. Traditionally, the different tribes of Hou Mian followed the migration routes of different forms of sea-life. These days, only about 25% of the population is still engaged in this traditional lifestyle, and that number is dwindling. At least 50% of the population works in the service industries, with the rest finding work in the Uranium mines or other industrial work.
There are nine recognized tribes, each with several clans. Occasionally, some clans or group of clans will attempt to break off and found their own tribe. The current government looks down on this, but leaves it up to the Council of Tribes to determine what is and is not a tribe.
Few people feel strong loyalty to their government, though Fu Huangdi has sought to change this. Instead, most Mianers feel a stronger connection to their individual tribes, or in some cases, their smaller clans. The largest, and most influential, tribe is that of Fubai. Indeed, many observers have noted that the Fubai Tribe seems to have a virtual lock on influential government jobs; Khaghan Fu Huangdi, though, says such claims are baseless. However, it does add to the feeling of alienation within the country.
Government
Traditionally, Hou Mian is ruled by a council of chieftans, who handled foreign affairs and intra-tribal disputes. However, this council had to rule by consensus, often leaving them weak and divided in the face of threats. In such a situation, they could appoint a Khaghan for a period of two years to handle an emergency. Twenty years ago, they did so, and chose Fu Huangdi, chief of the Fubai tribe.
In the last twenty years, Fu Huangdi has embarked on a radical modernization plan. The first thing he did was to proclaim himself Khaghan for life, and he appointed a circle of advisors to help him. He was careful to pick his advisors from all of the different tribes, to appease those chiefs who were upset by his usurpation. He then appealed for foreign aid to help him draft a constitution and investment for modern business. Early on, oil was found within the territorial waters of Hou Mian, and the profits from the oil were put into building the infrastructure of the nation. Currently, uranium is being used for the same purposes.
Hou Mian is technically an oligarchy; the tribal chiefs are constitutionally in charge. Every tribe has its own method of choosing its chief, some old and ritualistic, some new and democratic. These chiefs, in theory, have the ability to recall Khaghan Fu or to block any move of his. In practice, every chief bows to the whims of Fu, or else soon find themselves removed. Some government positions are chosen by general election; however, Fu is careful to make sure that only candidates he approves are on the ballot.
Within the past year, Hou Mian began to realize that there were many nations within the area that could want access to its uranium or oil, and so Fu Huangdi began to search for a strong alliance to join. In that Hou Mian's islands were close to the large island nation of Carabell, and that as island nations they had similar needs, Fu Huangdi joined in the Carabellian Alliance.
Geography
Hou Mian is a large archipelago. These islands range is size from small rocks to the island of Fubai, at 4,967 square miles. Every storm that rages through tends to destroy some of the smaller islands, and create new ones. For this reason and the nomadic nature of the people, attempts at dividing the nation into administrative regions have tended to fail. Currently, there is an attempt to grid the nation, so that at least some things can be more efficiently administered, particularly oil drilling and uranium mining.
The capital, Guanxi, is on the island of Guanxi, near the center of the archipelago. Guanxi was only recently constructed, and is the only true city in the nation. It has also been officially declared non-tribal land, and under the direct control of the Khaghan.
Tribes
The nine tribes of Hou Mian are as follows:
The Fubai is the largest and most populous tribe, and the one that many in the higher echelons of government are drawn from. Recently, however, many members of the Fubai tribe have been demoted or fired on charges of bribery.
The Gongchan, Fubai's closest ally, make up many of the middle ranks of the national government. Prior to Khagan Fu's modernization drive, they were already the most organized and bureaucratic of the tribes.
The Tuokupi are often looked down upon as frivolous. However, they are invaluable for their clear understanding of protocol, which they sometimes take to levels the other tribes see as insane.
The Wufa are considered the most rebellious tribe. In fact, many of their chiefs refused to recognize the authority of the Khaghan. However, Fu has managed to calm their ruffled feathers, for now, and while they often make a large show of being independent, they tend to follow his lead.
The Minzhu include many of the factory and mine workers. They are bitter enemies of the Gonghe.
The Gonghe include most of the big corporation owners and other influential rich people. If it wasn't for their own internecine fighting, and their long-standing feud with the Minzhu, they could pose a threat to Fu Huangdi's reign.
From the ranks of the Shejiao came Hou Mian's most reknowned poet, She Sima. It is he who wrote the the Hounogian Chronicles
The Jiandie tribe is a small tribe, but one that is often sought for council. Their chief's son is Hou Mian's Minister of Intelligence.
The Koule tribe is also involved in business, which often brings them in conflict with the Gonghe tribe.
Lastly, the Baijiu tribe is best known for its elaborate rituals and ceremonies.
