Longshan
Great Longshan
Structure
The Nine Ministers:
The Nine Ministers are the nine highest ranking officials within Great Longshan. They are appointed for life, or until dismissal / resignation, by the king of Longshan.
While the king is formally the ruler of Longshan and has veto power over the Nine Ministers, the de facto power lies with the Nine Ministers, since from the start of the Long dynasty of Longshan, permission from the king is not necessary for any matter.
The king has the authority to appoint anyone he sees fit to one of the posts of the Nine Ministers, even if they have no prior qualifications. However, for most of the system’s history, ministers have been appointed from the pool of officials, assuring some level of competency within the relevant fields. The first minister to be appointed who was not primarily of Long descent was the current Grand Artisan, Thiri Khway, a Hsipese woman who is also the founder and current chairwoman of the International Fair Trading Association (IFTA).
The amount of positions and their authorities have changed many times throughout Longshan’s history, with the highest known amount of individuals at this rank at a single time being 13, and the lowest being 5. Currently, the nine titles within the Nine Ministers are:
Title: | Holder: | Authority: |
Grand Guard | Chiyou Han | Oversees the military and the internal stability of the nation. |
Grand Arbiter | Xueyin Wei | Monitors, alters and enforces the law, and acts as Longshan's supreme judge. |
Grand Diviner | Minli Zhao | Handles divinatory, religious, occult and celebratory matter. |
Grand Treasurer | Thiri Khway | Creates the national budget and monitors Longshan's currency. |
Grand Artisan | Shihou Zheng | Controls domestic production and development of technology. |
Grand Overseer | Zifu Song | Oversees the nine provinces and monitors education and disaster relief. |
Grand Farmer | Lu Yun | Oversees Longshan's land, infrastructure and biological diversity. |
Grand Envoy | Wenbo Xue | Represents Longshan on the global stage, and controls trade across the nation's borders. |
Grand Physician | Qiang Teng | Monitors the Long people's welfare, healthcare and anything immortality related. |
The Nine Provinces:
Longshan's territory is split into nine provinces, and one federal territory (Shenzhou) containing the capital Shengmu. In order from east to west, the nine provinces are: Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Yuzhou, Jizhou, Yongzhou, Liangzhou and Xuzhou.
The nine provinces are subordinate to the Grand Overseer of Longshan, and each have a governor official appointed by the Grand Overseer for 3-year terms, though they may be dismissed at any time.
The bordering nations of Toghrul, Hsipaw and Bayon (mainland) are considered to constitute the three unofficial provinces of Bingzhou, Youzhou and Yingzhou respectively due to their historical ties to the Long civilization. Though the countries have official names in the Long language as Wanghan, Xibo and Barong, the unofficial province names are used colloquially to refer to them.
History
Pre-Dynastic Era
The Long civilization dates back many millenia, with the earliest traces dating to 4000 BS. The first settlements cropped up along the Kunlun and Xing'an rivers.
During this time, two hypostatic entities called Nüwa and Fuxi, who have been determined as hosts of the hypostases of Towers and Aeons respectively, were present in the region.
It is from these two entities that many of Longshan's early technologies came. Nüwa is credited as the creator of the many inhuman construct races inhabiting the region to the modern day, including the nian, the huli, the xiezhi and the draconic humanoids, among others.
The first major city was constructed west of the modern Lingyan metro area, just across the provincial border of Xuzhou. This ancient metropolis was the largest settlement within the region, and thought to only be second in the world behind the capital city of the Abdju civilization.
Pottery and metallurgy appear to have been major facets of Long culture during this era, as bronze artifacts and ceramics are common finds within structures from the era.
Early Dynastic Longshan
During the Catastrophe of the Third Sunwheel, the firmament megastructure above the Far East collapsed. Nüwa performed reparations on the firmament, preventing falling debris from devastating the Long plains, but expiring in the process, turning into a rain of golden dust that can be found within many structures of the era.
What became of Nüwa's hypostasis is unknown, as even though a being named "Shennong" was created to inherit it, they did not. Shortly after Nüwa's death, Fuxi appears to have become inactive
Shortly after the end of the catastrophe, the first dynasty of Longshan was established, the Peng dynasty. This was the first time up to this point a unified Longshan had been ruled without intervention of the two hypostatic entities that inhabited Longshan prior to the Catastrophe of the Third Sunwheel.
The first king of Peng swore the oath of eternity which has been passed down through Longshan's rulers to the present day. This oath is a promise to the twin hypostatic entities to keep a Long state existing in perpetuity.
The Peng dynasty came to an end in 989 when the country broke out in a civil war as the kings had become ineffective. During this civil war, the capital was razed to the ground, and the lavish royal palace complex was destroyed, and all the officials, courtesans and royals residing within were massacred. According to the annals, the entire event was orchestrated by one of Nüwa's creations named "Daji", as a display of disapproval of humans being allowed to lead Longshan. As punishment, they were exiled from the nation to the Wa islands.
Middle Dynastic Longshan
After the collapse of the Kua dynasty in 1143, Longshan was embroiled in a gigantic civil war between a myriad small states, each led by a warlord that had assumed great power under the decentralized and weak rule of the Kua dynasty. This period of instability lasted nearly 80 years until the state of Xin from the north emerged victorious.
The Xin dynasty moved the capital to the city of Qixia, located in the house of Xin's ancestal home land of Jizhou.
The Xin dynasty lasted for two centuries, before falling in a civil war similar to that which ended the Kua dynasty. The following Zhao dynasty was very similar to the Xin dynasty in governing, and kept the capital in Qixia.
During the Zhao dynasty, and the following Yang and Song dynasties, the Xin dynasty lived on in the province of Bingzhou, which had been added to the Long realm during their reign. This rump state, known as Western Xin, is the reason for the Long minority within Toghrul existing to this day.
The Zhao dynasty was followed by the Yang dynasty, who moved the capital back to Lingyan, enacted many reforms to the Long state, and used the Hypostasis of Aeons to construct the first version of the Matrix of Heavenly Foresight. However, the dynasty didn't survive even a century before it was conquered by the Song.
The last two dynasties of the period, the Song and Liang, heavily expanded Longshan's borders, waging many wars against the Hsipese kingdoms in the south to conquer the provinces of Jingzhou and Youzhou. Additionally, they funded lavish construction projects, among which included a new imperial palace complex, nearly 40% larger than the previous in Lingyan, and founding the cities of Jiuhua, Tianmen and Luofu.
Late Dynastic Longshan
Towards the end of the Liang dynasty, the house of Long amassed great power in the eastern provinces, allowing them to influence the central government. Additionally, many of the Nine Ministers, whose modern roles had been set during the Liang dynasty, were from the east and had favorable views of the Long. Combined with the increasing unpopularity of the Liang due to their immense spending and a recent streak of famines that were not aided by the king due to financial problems, the house of Long became the de-facto rulers by 2074.
When the Long dynasty was officially declared with the Liang dynasty still existing, Longshan was split into two dynasties. The Early Long, as the dynasty is called during the period, had much less resources and population, as their lands included the Xwmkab Highlands. Their first major victory was at the battle of the Wang River in 2086, where dams were destroyed and the Liang forces were drowned in their camps.
During the end phases of the war between the Liang and the Long, the Youzhou province broke free again with support from the Long, and some land in the east was ceded to Bayon in exchange for a non-aggression pact.
The imperial capital of Lingyan was seized in 2119, ending the Liang dynasty. The imperial capital was moved much further east to the small city of Dingjun, near the Kunlun river's delta. This region was the homeland of the house of Long, and where their power was the strongest. The city was renamed to Shengmu the year after.
During the second century of the Long dynasty, a string of child kings led to the Nine Ministers gaining much more power than they had in previous dynasties. It was during this period that the country was officially renamed to Longshan to reflect the king's diminished autocratic power.
In the late 2530s, the Xwmkab Independence War broke out in the Xwmkab region, starting from the city of Danxia. The war lasted for 17 years, and began due to a desire among Xwmkab radicalists for the Xwmkab to have their own state. Longshan, Hsipaw and Bayon were all affected by the crisis, and the region was heavily depopulated afterward due to the large amount of inhabitants fleeing, as the war devolved into long, bloody guerilla warfare, leaving much of the area littered with mines and other traces of war. The city of Danxia has yet to recover to pre-war population, and many areas are still on lockdown due to the immense danger of unexploded mines.
Demography and Population
Longshan has a very high population, as the nation is built around the very farmable Long plains, which has resulted in a food surplus for most of the nation's existence.
Longshan's population is relatively evenly divided between the major cities and the countryside, due to farming still being a common occupation for families.
There are not very many foreigners in Longshan, but a multi-cultural community has sprung up in Luofu due to it being the most common way for both immigrants and cargo to enter Longshan.
Longshan's population is relatively evenly divided between the major cities and the countryside, due to farming still being a common occupation for families.
There are not very many foreigners in Longshan, but a multi-cultural community has sprung up in Luofu due to it being the most common way for both immigrants and cargo to enter Longshan.
Military
Longshan has a very large military, pulling upon their large population base. However, Longshan has not been in any major wars outside of the Xwmkab Independence War for the last 200 years, leaving the army mostly without use.
Due to reforms by Grand Guard Chiyou Han, some of the military has been diverted into the Unrest Prevention Division (UPD). The UPD serves as law enforcement officers, and are called in for various other matters that would traditionally be too minor for the military.
Despite their long streaks of peace-time, Longshan invests a lot into researching technology that could benefit the military. The army possesses a state-of-the-art fleet of air carriers, with 88 individual ships, the largest in the world.
Due to reforms by Grand Guard Chiyou Han, some of the military has been diverted into the Unrest Prevention Division (UPD). The UPD serves as law enforcement officers, and are called in for various other matters that would traditionally be too minor for the military.
Despite their long streaks of peace-time, Longshan invests a lot into researching technology that could benefit the military. The army possesses a state-of-the-art fleet of air carriers, with 88 individual ships, the largest in the world.
Religion
Longshan does not have an official state religion, however, worship of the twin deities that inhabited Longshan before the Catastrophe of the Third Sunwheel is very common. Additionally, veneration of ancestors is a major part of Long culture.
Agriculture & Industry
Longshan has one of the largest industrial and agricultural bases in the world, due to their fertile and flat land. Yuzhou province in particular is the bread-basket of Longshan. The most common crops are rice, wheat, sorghum and corn.
On the other hand, Longshan's industrial heartland is split between Jizhou and Qingzhou. Jizhou has historically had a large population of craftsmen, dating back to Qixia's time as capital under the Xin dynasty. Qingzhou's industrial sector is much more recent however, and has emerged as a result of the immense amount of raw materials flowing in through Luofu Port.
Machinery and weapons, primarily meant for military use, are the most produced wares.
On the other hand, Longshan's industrial heartland is split between Jizhou and Qingzhou. Jizhou has historically had a large population of craftsmen, dating back to Qixia's time as capital under the Xin dynasty. Qingzhou's industrial sector is much more recent however, and has emerged as a result of the immense amount of raw materials flowing in through Luofu Port.
Machinery and weapons, primarily meant for military use, are the most produced wares.
Trade & Transport
Longshan's biggest exports are food and machinery, due to the surplus the immense industrial and agricultural base generates.
Luofu Port is the second largest cargo port in the world, only behind Hardeol Port in Gandhara. It is through it that Longshan sends over 60% of its exports, and is also where the majority of the country's imports arrive. The Trans-Desher Highway, which was extended from Khüiten to Shengmu during the 2550s, is the second largest outlet for goods, making up 25% of Longshan's total exports.
The biggest trading partners of Longshan are Pardez, Oued, Hsipaw and Wakoku. Hsipaw, Longshan, Wakoku and Bayon have a free trade agreement, first established at the end of the Xwmkab Independence War to promote unity in the region.
Luofu Port is the second largest cargo port in the world, only behind Hardeol Port in Gandhara. It is through it that Longshan sends over 60% of its exports, and is also where the majority of the country's imports arrive. The Trans-Desher Highway, which was extended from Khüiten to Shengmu during the 2550s, is the second largest outlet for goods, making up 25% of Longshan's total exports.
The biggest trading partners of Longshan are Pardez, Oued, Hsipaw and Wakoku. Hsipaw, Longshan, Wakoku and Bayon have a free trade agreement, first established at the end of the Xwmkab Independence War to promote unity in the region.

Capital
Alternative Names
Long Dynasty
Demonym
Long
Leader
Leader Title
Government System
Oligarchy
Power Structure
Unitary state
Economic System
Market economy
Currency
Yuanbao
Related Ethnicities
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