Zuo

Zuo

Flag of Zuo
Motto: The Dragon Awakes!
[ ]
Region	Region The Holy Empire
Capital	GuangZhou, Sydney
Official Language(s)	Zuoese
Leader	Zuo Chaoshun
Population	1,300,000,000
Currency	Imperial Credit
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History of Zuo

The history of Zuo is long and filled with interesting historical events. Modern day historians divide Zuo's history up into four main sections

• Ancient History
• Medieval History
• The Empire
• Modern Day

The beginnings of Zuo. Circa 700BC

Ancient History

The period of Ancient History is from 1000 BC to 250 BC. Northern Zuo, in the Guangzhou region, was first populated in 1000 BC by a nomatic people. They settled down on Zuo after years of expulsion. They settled down and made a simple lifestyle there. In Southern Zuo, first traces of man were found in 2000 BC, but the first trace of civilization was developed at around 850 BC in northern part of the island of Australia. No one knows how they got there, and theories are still being debated.

During the next 200 years, both civilizations made rapid advancements. In 500 BC, the southern Zuoians, spread to the rest of the island, conquering the native peoples and ruling with great pride. Their most famous leader was, Aktac Niktac, who conquered the region now surrounding Sydney. He was able to bring Southern Zuo to its height. In northern Zuo, the Guangzhou people have pushed back their northern oppressors, and had a powerful military. They then further went on to conquer the region of Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. These two kingdoms will soon collide.

Aktac Niktac

His actual date of birth is not known, but he was believed to be born on the day when a meteor was seen crashing into the ground. Aktac Niktac was no different then an ordinary child. He was average size and height. History records that he was about 5'6" which was normal for Southern Zuoians. Aktac Niktac, at age 15, first joined the army in the invasion against the Yewhis, a rival of the Southern Zuoians. He proved worthy and saved his commander's life. He was greaty rewarded and promoted to be a aid to the commander. When the commander died in battle, Niktac took his place. Niktac further showed his abilities by capturing several cities. Rewarded by the King, Niktac then went on to conquer the Sydney region. Granted the title "Commander of The Army," Niktac went on to suppress many revolts. He died in 699 BC of illness.

Medieval History

Both Northern Zuo and Southern Zuo had established themselves as a powerful force in each of their regions, but these two countries will soon collide. By 473BC, both Northern Zuo and Southern Zuo have developed sea worthy ships, and both were sailing from island to island, conquering and trading with the island natives. By 458BC, the first contact between the two nations were reached. Northern Zuo and Southern Zuo both displayed distain at each other. They did not believe that the other was equal to their strength, and so both did not bother much with the other. This caused great disent among the other nation, who themselves thought of themselves as superior. Thing got heated further when Southern Zuoian troops accidently killed an entire squad of Northern Zuoian troops because in a skirmish when each thought the other as hostile forces. Things began to get hostile as both sides demanded to know what happened. Northern Zuo, who had suffered more, delcared war on Southern Zuo. The war raged on and off for almost 1,000 years. Northern Zuo was known as Tianguo in history, and Southern Zuo was known as Diguo.

The war, called "The Great War" is split up into 5 sections

• First Mistaken War
• Second Mistaken War
• The Unending War
• The War of The Colours
• The Unification War

First Mistaken War

A relativly short war in comparison with the others, lasting 50 years, with neither side doing much to each other. The war started in 459BC after Diguo troops accidently killed Tianguo troops in a skirmish. Tianguo immedietly declared war. At first, Tianguo was poorly equipted for this, having only 10,000 men in combat while Diguo had 20,000. However, due to the genius of a commander named Wei Nian, Tianguo inflicted serious casualties on Diguo until both sides evened out at around 9,000 troops each. Tianguo then went on to capture some of Diguo's Northern colonies, but they were all taken back. Colonies on both sides switched hands constantly until in 409BC, both sides sued for peace.

Second Mistaken War

Both sides were greatly humbled in this war. Tianguo, realizing that naval power is very important against Diguo, built up an immensly powerful navy, using the plentiful supplies of wood avaliable. Diguo, where wood was scarce, concentrated instead on her military. This will be a deciding factor in the futures of the war. Tianguo, with a large navy, could harass Diguo however they wished, while Diguo, with a small navy, could only defend. Diguo's main source of wood came from the jungle regions it conquered, far away from the Australian islands, and thus, when Tianguo troops attacked and took these islands, Diguo's strength became weaker and weaker.

The next clash came in 368BC when merchant ships from Tianguo, trading with Diguo, came under attack when they were mistaken as pirates. Tianguo responded quickly, attacking and capturing several important Diguo islands. Diguo responded with their navy and attempted to reconquer the lost lands. Thus, the first instance of amphibious warfare begun. Diguo attempted an assault on the island Kankok. Troops landed on the island after being rowed ashore. They would clambor up the beach under heavy archer fire which came from the nearby jungles. As the Diguo troops got close, Tianguo troops rushed out, taking the enemy by surprise, and killed much of the invasion froce. Diguo had no choice but to retreat. Unfortunatly, Tianguo navy blockaded the Diguo navy, and using superior firepower, destroyed all ships. Diguo troops were slaughtered to the man. This was recourded as the Battle of Kankok, which took place in 359BC.

Diguo, realizing that her Northern islands were lost and to prevent further loss to the nation, sued for peace. Unfortunately for her, Tianguo refused to accept. Diguo thus had no choice but to fight a desperate few battles. Tianguo launched a massive attack of around 50,000-80,000 troops and almost 900 ships to destroy Diguo. Yet, luck was with Diguo troops. As Tianguo troops pushed into Austrilia itself by 353BC, Diguo ships were able to draw many unwary Tianguo ships into coral reefs and sand bars, damaging and destroying around 70 ships. Tianguo troops, however, remained unwavered and prepared to launch an attack on Australia, hoping to land on the island and take the capital. Yet, days before the invasion was schedualed, a massive wind at night blew around 50 of them into the rocks while the rest were all blown far off course. The massive winds continued for 5 days, leaving Tianguo troops scattered around the Australian shorelines. Many fell to illness and were killed off quickly. The remainer of the forces, around 20,000 now, tried to retreat, but the remoralized Diguo navy chased them down and send several small fire boatss among the dense mass of Tianguo ships and managed to burn out another few boats. A recorded number of 8,000 troops and 50 ships returned, the majority of which were wounded. Tianguo's might was shattered. But Diguo, also made weak, could not sieze this moment to strike. Both sides agreed to a peace.

The Unending War

As Diguo and Tianguo picked themselves back up from the ruins of the Second Mistaken War, they begin to realize that no longer were each nation special. The other nation was their equal, and the world will have to be shared between the two. Tianguo's naval might quickly raised her economy and brought her peace again. Diguo stragled along. Tianguo once again looked South at their poorer neighbors. Around 300 BC, the Tianguo King, Shansha, gathered together around 50,000 troops and 2,000 ships, ready to take any sight of weakness in Diguo to attack. Diguo looked at the growing military power of Tianguo warily, but was unable to counter it. In 298BC, Shansha could wait no longer and his forces were launched. Diguo, by now, retook their island possessions, but had no abilites to defend it. Most of these were pitifully protected. Tianguo troops did not have any problems taking these. At the same time, Diguo troops, aware of the danger Tianguo showed to their homes, and memory of their grandfatheres freash in their minds, gathered together large bands of militias to defend. The government also issued a draft, calling together around 30,000 troops and militia men. Tianguo, by now, asured of their victory, let down their guards. Diguo at this time was froming a powerful shore defense with dirt, sand, wood, and anything else they could get their hands on. By the time Tianguo troops arrived, the defenses were impenitrable. Tianguo started the invasion at around 6:00 AM in the morning. By 7:00 PM, no only has no progress been made, but many Tianguo troops were slaughtered in ambushes laid throughout the shores. Tianguo pulled back, but stayed near shore. Diguo gathered together more troops and maintained a firm ground. Later that night, several fire boats were sent to the Tianguo fleet in hopes of burning it, but nothing came of that attempt. The next day, nothing happened. That night though, Tianguo once again landed to attack. This was around 11:00 PM-12:00 AM. Tianguo troops, catching Diguo by suprise, was able to capture the beach head. By the time Diguo had time to react, it was too late. Tianguo, riding on their victory, pushed as far as 50 miles inland before finally getting turned back by local militias.

Diguo by this time was at a panick. The enitre army numbered at less then 15,000 while Tianguo had 55,000 after getting reinforced. As things looked bleak, a military genius came around, named Sonoup Ayouafe.

Sonoup Ayouafe

Sonoup Ayouafe's early life is not known. He first appeared in military records at age 25, where he was made a commander of about 100 troops. The reason was unclear. At the sight of the Tianguo invasion, Sonoup Ayouafe gathered around 500 soldiers and militia. He sent them in constant raids against Tianguo troops. He slowed down their advance considerably. The Diguo king heard of this and promoted him to General, giving him 2,000 troops. Although the forces he had were tiny, he still made brilliant use of them. Hours after gaining control of the forces, he lured a detachment of about 500 Tianguo troops after about 50 diversion troops. The Tianguo troops pursued to a ambush, where they were slaughtered. The Tianguo troops lacked knowledge of the land around Diguo. The best sources they had were almost 50 years old and were incomplete and inaccurate. Sonoup Ayouafe knew this and exploited it to his advantage. Tianguo troops were lured into deserts and pits, where they were killed off easily. In total, Sonoup Ayouafe claimed over 3,400 heads. Tianguo was desperate. Orders came down never to chase fleeing Diguo troops. This allowed most Diguo armies great movement, giving them the chance to strike wherever they wanted and fall back without fear of pursuit. Sonoup Ayouafe died in battle, but his legacy was famous, and he was able to bring victory to Diguo after the invasion.

Tianguo was pestered with Sonoup Ayouafe and his compainions. Furthermore, rebellion sprung up everywhere, and so eventually, they retreated. Diguo regained their national pride and rebuilt after the invasion. Their spirit allowed them to colonize lost islands, boosting up their economy once more. This war, however, is not considered finished. Although Tianguo was once again, beaten back, they could still protect their colonies. Upon seeing Diguo rising up again, Tianguo's government commissioned around 500-1,000 pirates. Their task was to harass and destroy enemy forces. Diguo's national army had troubles fending off these well trained and equipped pirates. In the end, Diguo had no choice but to return the favor. Pirates commissioned by the governments of both countries was rampant in their plundering. Sometimes, if the pay or loot wasn't enough, the pirates would turn against their own masters. This period was known as the Age of Pirates, where neither nation could gain the upperhand.

This silent war continued into around 0AD. Diguo by then had profited a bit from her pirate raids. Tianguo had given up and was rebuilding her navy and her army. Diguo knew that the time to kill Tianguo was now, otherwise there might be no other chance. Diguo gathered together a record number of 100,000 troops and a 5,4000 ship navy. They set sail against Tianguo. Tianguo was suffering from Northern barbarian attacks at that time, and did not notice the military build up in Diguo until Diguo was at their doorstep. Tianguo had to react quickly, which they did. The Northern barbarians brought with them horses, and horses proved to be a very important help to the Tianguo military. Diguo troops have never seen horses before, and the sight of them was frightening. Not only that, but Tianguo had allies to the West with elephants. Diguo, at the sight of these, fled in terror back to their ships. In total, Tianguo had only gathered together, 10,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry and 12 war elephants. Diguo troops quickly got past their fear though, and another assault on the Tianguo mainland was launched. Tianguo used many new cavalry tactics and killed off thousands of Diguo troops, pushing them all back to where they were. Diguo, losing around 23,000 men, retreated. This invasion was not considered a total loss however, for Diguo was able to gain 350 horses. Tianguo and Diguo leaders then both gathered together and signed a peace treaty for 100 years. The year then was 12AD.

The War of Colours

The final war before the reunification, this lasted 2 years. Diguo and Tianguo were on very good terms until that point. Tianguo and Diguo s' kings both died on the same year, and their two young sons took their place. Each hated the other, and thought of ways to kill each other. It was inevitable that the two will declare war. By then, Tianguo has established their primary colour as Red, and all their flags were red. Diguo did the same, only with yellow. The argument started with a "my flag is prettier then your flag" argument. It erupted into a fight, in which both sides declared war on each other. There was a few small battles, but nothing came of it. To prevent any damage, the court officials in both countries agreed to kill their kings and install another one in their place. This was done quickly and the war ended.

The Unification War

This was the final war between the two countries. By 300AD, the kings of Tianguo and Diguo were both incompetent and useless. Rebellion was bound to occur. It did in Tianguo. A noble family called the Zuo family, rose up in rebellion, killing the king of Tianguo. The head of the family, Zuo Shunzhi, proclaimed himself king and renamed Tianguo Zuoguo. He gathered together a force of 200,000 Zuo troops and another 100,000 allied troops. He then sent them over to Diguo and killed the useless Diguo king. Zuo Shunzhi then proclaimed himself to be Emperor and combined the two royal colours, Red and Yellow for the flag. In the center, he wrote his family name, Zuo. This is why the nation is still named Zuo, after the surname of the ruling family. Zuo Shunzhi proclaimed a general amnesty to all the people and reduced taxes. Thus, was the creation of the Empire.

The Empire

While the Middle Ages was characterized by warfare, The Empire was characterized by Scientific developement. Zuo Shunzhi was a great sponseror of the arts. His death marked the rise of Zuo's Golden Age.

Zuo Shunzhi's son, Zuo Wu, followed in his father's footsteps. He gave money to scientists and artisans. However, he was addicted to finding a way for immortality, and was killed from Mercury poisoning which, at that time, was believed to be a drink fo the Gods. The result of his great sponsership also ment a bankrupt country, especially right after a millenia long war. His son, Zuo Wen focused on the well-being of the people, giving them tax cuts, improving roads, and carving out a powerful beaurocracy system. Under Zuo Wen, the Empire flourished.

By 800 AD however, the Empire was in decline. The Emperor, Zuo Ai, loved wine and women, neglecting state affairs. Famine had caused great anger among the populace. The Empire did nothing to help, and the people rose in revolt. Zuo Tai, a cousin of Zuo Ai, saw this as a chance to take the throne and killed him. He then personally lead an army to crush the rebels. This was a reminder to all future Zuoian Emperors, and there will be no more civil wars even to the modern era.

Under this period, two great inventions came into the world, gunpowder and paper. Gunpowder first appeared in Zuoian military manuals in 1044AD. Paper was hammered out to its modern day form around 1100AD.

The creation of gunpowder was a boon for Zuo. This ment that Zuo had technology that no other nation in the world had. Zuo experimented for 200 years with gunpowder, inventing the first gun in 1223AD. Zuo's navy had also improved, and contact with the nations of Lektavia and Bezhou has also been made. The first cannons were mounted on Zuo's ships in the mid 1300s. This was a time of peace and strength for the Empire once again.

In 1530AD, Zuo came in contact with Clarksingtonland. Clarksingtonland's methods were crude and primitive to the well developed Zuo. Zuo showed great distain for Clarksingtonland, seeing it as no more then a flea in a flea circus. At that time, was the Italian Wars. Zuo saw the Italian nations squabbling over each other like Zuo had done millenias ago. Zuo knew that Italy was ripe for the picking. 3,000 troops with muskets, 100 cannon ships, and 300 cavalry took over the entire Italian Penninsula. Yet, no benifit came of it, and in 1533AD, Zuo troops left. There were no resources Zuo didn't have, nor any luxury that attracted Zuo.

The following 100 years then suddenly erupted into civil wars. Three straight years of famine caused great disconsent among the general populace. Zuo's government was also suffering. The people rose up in revolt. One revolt leader, Zhang Liao, grew so powerful that government troops shook at the sound of his name. He lead hundreds of thousands of peasant troops into battle, throwing them against the vastly outnumbered government troops. He won purely through numerical advantage. Soon, the capitals of Sydney and Guangzhou were both being threatened. Zuo Xiao, the Emperor, quickly surrendered. The Emperor was then lead out to a platform and executed. Zhang Liao then established himself as supreme dictator and killed all resistors. Soon, he died from an assassin's blade. Zuo fell back into chaos for 20 years, until finally, the ruling family of Zuo and the family of Li emerged as the contestors for the throne. The Li family was able to take over the throne for 70 years, establishing the Li dynasty. Peace reigned for 50 of those years until the Li emperors grew incompetent. The Zuo family regained their status, and took back over the throne under the leadership of Zuo Ci, ending the civil wars.

The civil war ended officially in 1642AD. The new Zuo dynasty rebuilt Zuo's strength and a time of peace continued. Outside nations showed interest in Zuo. Zuo established good relations with them that lasted almost 100 years.

Zuo continued contact until 1734AD, when she shut herself from the outside world, going on her own course. In 1792AD however, Zuo reopened herself to the world, finding many changes to it. Slowly, the world and Zuo was entering the Modern Age.

The Modern Age

From 1850AD to the present day, Zuo's military strength had weakened during her period of seclusion. To regain a supremacy in the world, Zuo sent scientists around the world, seeking new ways of war and life. Clarksingtonland had grown a bit stronger then, and Zuo found her to be actually worth considering. When Zuo's scientists came back, there came news of great new war machines. Zuo quickly adapted to these, and by 1901, was back as a leader of the world. Lektavia and Bezhou have risen up as challenges to Zuo's power, but nothing has ever really erupted among the three, except one war between Bezhou and Zuo.

In 1923, a revolt towards Communism was crushed by the Imperial Guards. The revolt lasted 104 days, and was considered insignificant in Zuo.

By 1956, Zuo launched an aggressive campaign against the Middle East to conquer the oil lands. Bezhou followed suit, and the two armies faced each other. However, Bezhou quickly lost interest and left the continent, leaving all for Zuo.

In 1970, Zuo launched an attack on North China, capturing the metal and coal mines without much resistance, forming what is modern Zuo.

Government of Zuo

Zuo has only one branch, and that is the Throne. The Throne belongs to the Emperor, and the Emperor is the sole power in the land. Zuo continues her government process much as she did when Zuo was first founded after The Great War. The Emperor has a court of 50 officials, 25 military, 25 civil. Each civil official was promoted through the ranks. However, an official might take an Imperial Examination to see if he can skip some ranks. At times, over 5,000 exams are given. The highest scores recives a provincial governor office. Other scores recieve other, lower positions. Later, if his conduct is good, he might be promoted to one of the 25 civil officials. The 25 military officals operate in basicly the same way, except experience counts more then a high scoring exam. These 50 officials advise the Emperor and they are at his will.

The heir to the throne is a complicated process. Of the Emperor's sons, each must take five exams. They are as follows, in order of importance, Military Exam, Civil Exam, Benevolince Exam, Martial Exam, and the Debate Exam. The military exam is a test of the prince's leadership skills. The Civil Exam is a test of how the prince rules. The Benevolince Exam is a test on how caring of the people the prince is. The martial exam is a test of the prince's martial arts abilities. The final exam, the debate exam is a test of the prince's oration skills. The winner of each exam wins 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 points, according to the importance of the exam. Nothing else is released by the throne. Even the princes who are about to be examed do not know beyond the above information. This is to prevent cheating.

As mentioned above, each province has a governor. Below the governor is the provincial military commander and the provincial civil advisor. Below them are county magistrates and city officials. The military structure of Zuo is kept secret to protect the Zuoian military.

Military of Zuo

Zuo has one of the world's most powerful military. Details are kept hysterically secret to protect Zuo's military supremacy.

Zuo divides her military into 4 branches:

Imperial Guards Army Navy Airforce

The Imperial Guards are the elite troops of the Army, Navy, Airforce. This branch is the most prestigious, and little Zuoian children dream to be part of the Imperial Guard. The Imperial guards have soldiers, saliors, pilots, and other men. This makes the Imperial Guard the most flexable of all of Zuo's military branches

The Army is the backbone of Zuo's military. In the early stages of Zuo, the Army protected against invasions and participated in invasions. The army is massive, and continues to grow this day.

The Navy is another power in Zuo's mlitary. The island nations of Zuo make it impossible to control and protect without a strong navy. Zuo's navy is equpited to land troops on any of Zuo's islands under the stealth of night. Any captured island in case of an invasion can be quickly repopulated overnight with Zuoian forces.

The Airforce is the least prestigious of Zuo's military. Zuo has developed many technologies to counter-act enemy aircraft, and fighters are not considered that important. However, bombers are extremely important because of Zuo's infamous napalm bombing of any city or obsticle which blocks Zuo's advance.