Interesting Times (Map Game)

In 771 BCE, the Quanrong barbarians of the west destroy the old Zhou capital of Haojing, forcing the Zhou court to move their capital east to Luoyi. This sudden tragedy destabilized the Zhou Empire and led to its collapse, with the Zhou rulers reduced to figureheads whose rule only extended to the capital and some surrounding land. A year later, the east has completely devolved into anarchy. Warlords battle to expand their realms, and chaos reigns supreme in the decaying empire. Interesting times, indeed.

GAME IS ON HOLD FOR NOW, WE GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE - MODS

Rules

This is a list of rules and laws for the map game Interesting Times. If you refuse to follow them, you will be listed as a traitor and thrown into the dungeon! Mark my words, or you will Pei... (sorry, not sorry)

• Metagaming is not allowed in any case. Metagaming is when you incorporate real-life love or hatred into your in-game actions, and it is highly unrealistic and biased. Avoid it at any and all costs.
• Please stay as realistic and plausible as possible throughout the game. We are trying to make a working map game that doesn't devolve into utter ASB, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take this off track.
• No bullying. I repeat, bullying is not and will not be allowed on the wiki or on the Discord about something that occurred in this game. It ruins the fun and doesn't do any good. If you are caught or accused of bullying, you will be permanently banned from the game.
• Follow both Wikia guidelines and the Alternate History Wiki guidelines.
• Wars are decided through a simple algorithm. Each time a battle occurs, enter it in a _____.
• Most importantly, have fun!

Moderators and bans

Imperial Court

• Emperor of the Middle Kingdom(s): Emperorkangxi
• The Emperor's Assistant: Oh, I didn't mean to push that button! † Oh, well leave a message I guess
• Imperial Cartographer: General534 (talk)

Traitors

Permanently banned

None yet

Temporarily banned

None yet

Plausibility strikes

None yet

Map

Signup list

Feel free to add any missing states or tribes.

Huaxia (Chinese):

• Qin:
• Jin:
• Yan: Tashaci
• Qi: Fallacyman (talk)
• Wey:
• Song: Nerdyboi
• Yun:
• Chen:
• Cai:
• Wey:
• Dong Guo:
• Xi Guo:
• Quan:
• Cao: Random Althist (talk)
• Zou:
• Zhou:
• Chu: Oh, I didn't mean to push that button! † Oh, well leave a message I guess 15:49, November 4, 2018 (UTC)
• Liang:
• Rui:
• Gui:
• Guan:
• You Shen:
• Huan:
• Liu:
• Zhai:
• Ge:
• Yi:
• Ji:
• Jie:
• Sui:
• Zhuo Yu:
• Deng:
• Er:
• Liao:
• Lue:
• Shen:
• Shao:
• Mou:
• Teng:
• Zhu:
• Su:
• Dao:
• Tang:
• Tao:
• Xi:
• Geng:
• Xun:
• Xing:
• Jiao:
• Li:
• Lu:
• Xian:
• Yang:
• Wen:
• Huang:
• Ying:
• Xiang:
• Kui:
• Jiang:
• Gu:
• Jun:
• Ruo:
• Chong:
• Hu:
• Xiao:
• Zheng: Bel of the illusions 18:59, May 19, 2019 (UTC)
• Fu Yang:
• Shi:
• Mao: Jefferson - no signature
• Fan:
• Feng:
• Nan Yan:
• Bo:
• Fei:
• Su:
• Chao:
• Tong:
• Dun:
• Yan Bo:
• Tan:
• Mi:
• Jia Fu:
• Pei:
• Ren:
• Xie:
• Xu Gou:
• Yu:
• Luo: DaJovannicEmpire

Barbarian Nations:

• Shu: Emperorkangxi
• Ba:
• Dali Rong:
• Yun Rong:
• Mi:
• Lai:
• Cheng:
• Ji:
• Ju:
• Xu:
• Shu Chang Cheng:
• Shu Jiu:
• Shu Liao:
• Shu Yong:
• Yong:
• Wu: Ahoys123 06:25, November 28, 2018 (UTC)
• Sou Man:
• Yue: DRAFIGO13 (talk) 02:04, November 5, 2018 (UTC)
• Gojoseon: Ismael Perez Ψ (talk • contribs • blog)

Barbarian Tribes:

• Quanrong:
• Shanrong:
• Donghu:
• Xianyun:
• Guifang: Poofoster (talk) 12:05, May, 19, 2019 (UTC)
• Yiqu:
• Loufan:
• Qiang:
• Linhu:
• Baidi:
• Chidi:
• Miao:
• Nanman:
• Baipu:
• Yangyue:
• Ouyue:

Game

770-765 BCE

The Quanrong barbarians sack the city of Haojing in 771 BCE, killing the king, capturing his favorite concubine, and stealing the Nine Tripod Cauldrons. The king's son, Ping, is crowned as the king of Zhou in the new capital, Luoyi. However, his rule is reduced to that of a mere figurehead, and his control reduced to a small fiefdom around his capital.

Viscount Ruo'ao of Chu rules over the powerful southern state of Chu. He is in his last years, however.

Duke Wu begins his reign in Zheng. Zheng is both one of the strongest and wealthiest states, wielding large amounts of influence over the Huaxia states.

King Kelu rises to power in the state of Wu. Wu, a barbarian state, wields considerable power, though it is overshadowed by its northern neighbor, Xu.

The budding state of Yue is much smaller than its northern neighbor, Wu. The Yue are also a barbarian peoples.

King Duyu rises to power in Shu, taking the title of Wangdi. Shu, a barbarian state, is relatively isolated from the Huaxia states. However, it is a regional power, even having aided the Zhou in their conquest of the Shang.

Marquis Wen rules in Jin. Jin is a quickly growing state located on the northern periphery of the Huaxia civilization.

At the western edge of the former Zhou Empire, Duke Xiang rules Qin. Qin's interaction with the other Huaxia states remains minimal, but it maintains good diplomatic relations with Jin.

In 767 BCE, Duke Ai of Yan rises to power after the death of his father, Duke Qing. Yan, the northernmost of the Huaxia states, borders the Shanrong and Guifang tribes.

Duke Huan rules in Qi. Under his rule, Qi has become one of the strongest polities of China. However, it must contend with the Dongyi polities of Lai to the east and Xu, which it does not directly border, to the south.

The Duchy of Mao is a small statelet within the Zhou dynasty. It is bordered by the larger state of Song and many other statelets.

The Guifang are a collection of barbarian tribes not consolidated into a singular nation. They have been known to frequently antagonize the Huaxia states, even as far back as the Shang dynasty.

• Mao: After secretly arming most of our working-age adults with up-to-date military equipment, we start a rebellion against the weakened Zhou dynasty.

• Yan: The Son of Heaven’s power has been diminishing for many years now, and is now reduced to almost nothing following the attacks of the Quanrong. With the nine cauldrons stolen, there technically is no one who has a claim to the Mandate. However, the further reaches of China have long been forgotten by the Zhou, so we are not impacted too much by the recent events. Duke Aihou orders the construction of  forts in passes that lie in the mountains in our northwestern lands. To further secure our borders, we offer the most powerful Guifang tribe located in the Taihang mountains an alliance (Guifang Player). To legitimize the offer, we give the chieftain of the Guifang tribe previously mentioned a wife from the lower aristocracy. (GUIFANG PLAYER RESPONSE NEEDED). The offer is kept very secret, and it is made clear to those who know that if they tell anyone, they shall be executed without exception. The new forts in the north require a constant military presence in the region, though the way the forts are designed makes it so that a small amount of soldiers can defend the area.

• Chu: The Viscount Ruo'ao of Chu constructs higher walls and fortifications around the capital city of Danyang. The society of Chu for many ages have been highly militarized, owing to a strong culture inherited from the Yue people of southern Huaxia. The Viscount orders every able-bodied family of Chu to spend some time in military training, and the available retainers of the nation swells to over 30,000 men. These are primarily sent toward the north to guard against any of the growing states of central Huaxia, as well as defending from the barbarian kingdoms of Wu to the east and Shu to the west. Military equipment is fairly light, utilizing rice and bay spice as the main sources of food. But not everything in the kingdom is so focused on their military capability. From the capital of Danyang, the Viscount also patronizes many great works of literature and poetry, as the songs of Chu are well known across Huaxia. In order to ease tensions of our future expansion, the Viscount reaches out to form an alliance with the Kingdom of Yue (YUE PLAYER RESPONSE). An alliance is also sent to the King of Shu (SHU PLAYER RESPONSE).

• Qi: The Duke Zhuang of Qi begins encouraging economic activity and a focus upon agriculture and animal husbandry within Qi. Efforts are made to cultivate and developing new land, especially the wetlands of the province of Qing (OTL Shandong).

• Shu: King Duyu is crowned the king of Shu. He seeks to consolidate the Shu realm. As such, he begins expanding south toward the Yangtze River, seeking to gain access to a major waterway. He also expands into the rest of the Sichuan Basin, that is, the unclaimed land in the Sichuan Basin. Meanwhile, the capital is moved from the current city of Jinsha to the ancient Shu capital of Sanxingdui, since the latter is situated along a larger river. The city of Sanxingdui is rebuilt and expanded. The walls of Sanxingdui are rebuilt, and the city is expanded in all directions to account for the larger population. An inland port is built in Sanxingdui for trade with foreign nations, and the residential area is expanded. Farmland in the vicinity of the city is expanded. Although Sanxingdui is now once again the capital of Shu, Jinsha remains an important city. Walls are built around Jinsha. King Duyu adopts the seal script of the nearby Huaxia nations as a writing system for the Shu language. To guard the border with the warlike Ba people, fortresses are built in the border areas of OTL Neijiang and Fushun. In Zigong and Neijiang, salt production is increased. More land is developed economically and agriculturally in Shu, as economic prosperity is prioritized. Silk production is also improved upon, with influences from Ba-style embroidery. King Duyu gladly accepts the alliance offer from Chu. He also offers to trade with Chu, wishing to import products not found in Shu and gain an outlet to export Shu's riches for economic benefit. (CHU RESPONSE NEEDED)
  • We accept the trade offer - Chu

• Wu: To combat the Chu, the Chao nation is requested to become a tributary state of the Wu, in exchange for combating Chu hegemony over the region Mod Response Requested. The capital of Gusu continues to grow in size. The Qi are offered an alliance to combat the Xu Qi Response Requested.

• Zheng: Duke Wu of Zheng continues his magnanimous rule over the Duchy of Zheng. However, the consolidation of power among the greater hegemons of the middle Kingdom worries his grace as the grasping commoners threaten the rightful power of the Ji family as granted to them by the heavens. The faltering power of his relatives who sit upon the throne of the heavens only serves to further exasperate these worries. It is obvious that these times require the Duke Wu to take matters into his own hands to continue the glory of the Ji. It is thus evident to the duke that the borders of the realm of Zheng must be secured, and the status of the duchy must be enriched. In order to do so the expansion of trade is encouraged with the building of roads between the cities. Along with this, Duke Wu realizes the necessity of expanding the Duchy of Zheng, and thus utilizing the influence he holds over the various states, and some "gifts" to leaders and court ministers, along with "ancient" documents pertaining to the governance of the ten cities that were granted to Wu's father by his relative the former Wang including the lands of Guan who hold the lesser title of Baron, thus should be beholden to the Duke of Zheng. In order to "convince" the Baron of Guan to his rightful fealty, he moves his army of 5,000 men into the Baron of Guan hoping to "feast" at the capital and show him the "wisdom" of accepting this new status.
• Cao: Ignoring the chaos of Southern China, the Duchy of Cao remains a refuge for political refugees, secretly learning ideas of how to exploit her weaker neighbors. The benevolent Duke Tianjian of the ruling Wang Dynasty grows the Army of the Duchy of Cao. With her eyes set on the smaller neighbor of Tao, her army masses on the border ready for an impending annexation to grow the influence of Cao in northern China, near the Shandong Peninsula.

765-760 BCE

You can still post in the previous turn.

The state of Qi faces constant raids by Lai, with many border cities despoiled by the Lai.

Yan is suddenly attacked by Shi, another state to the south.

The Mao rebellion is militarily a success, with Mao cementing not only de facto, but de jure independence from Zhou. However, due to the excessively large amount of men sent to fight the Zhou, widespread famine and economic crisis breaks out in Mao and there is a minor peasant revolt. (OOC: Next time you do a war, provide army size and amount in your turn, and try not to send so many men into battle.)

The State of Chao accepts the offer by Xu to become a tributary of the Xu. However, they request high autonomy from the Xu.

The invasion of Guan by Zheng results in a Zheng victory. The state of Guan is fully annexed by Zheng.

The state of Tao prepares its military to defend from the coming Cao invasion.

King Ping of Zhou attempts to centralize his rule by conquering surrounding states. However, many of the surrounding states form a coalition against the Zhou.

• Mao: We try to negotiate with the rebels the end of their revolt in exchange of us establishing equal food quotas to everyone on our realm. We start doing it in our controlled realms. We also send diplomats to nearby Chinese nations.

• Great Celestial Dominion of Yan: The attack by the Shi is a surprise for sure, but we have a significant advantage as the Shi are attacking across a major river. All troops in the southern region of our nation will be relocated to the area where the Shi are trying to cross. Some troops with no assignment in the north will also be sent to the south, though it will take slightly longer for them to arrive. Archers will be put on elevated places along the river bank to impede any attempt to cross the river by the Shi. The camps of our troops will be organized so that in the event of a crossing by the Shi, we will be able to meet them at the riverbank before they are organized. If the Shi force manages to cross without being defeated at the Riverbank and is able to move inland, then we are to cut their supply lines off first, and then send most of our forces stationed in the area to surround them (a small number of troops will stay near the riverbank to prevent another Shi force from attacking).

• State of Chu: The Viscount Ruo'ao dies at a ripe old age, and is succeeded by his son Xiao'ao. Xiao is determined to lead the first great wave of expansion for the state of Chu, with his ultimate dream of dominating the entire Yangzi River. He establishes Danyang, the capital, as the military headquarters of the campaign, as well as setting up a series of military encampments farther north toward the front lines. His main military camp houses a court of advisers to help conduct the logistics of his campaign: Sheng Yu, the chief strategist, Dong Lu, the chief doctor, Zimo Yan, the chief musician, and the chief mathematician Xinlan Liu. Raising a full military force of 45,000 troops, the Viscount personally leads his armies north to conquer multiple states (Kui, Quan, Yun, Chen, Sui, Lai and Er). At the end of the campaign, Xiao returned to the capital where a further set of battle poems and ballads were compiled. He intended to create a new tradition of the state, to go on campaigns against the rivals every year, but unfortunately his health was failing too much to keep up with that ambition. 
• Shu: The trade exchange with Chu results in a cultural and technological exchange between Chu and Shu. Archery is introduced to the Shu from trade with Chu, as Shu had been lacking in archery due to isolation from the steppe nomads of the north. Other technology from the Huaxia states is also introduced to Shu, including cast iron. With the Shu realm expanded down to the Yangtze River, trade with Chu and other Huaxia states is made somewhat easier. A Yangtze port city is developed in OTL Yibin to facilitate trade along the Yangtze River. The military is also restructured to be as efficient as possible, with Chu elements added. King Duyu decrees that all able-bodied men of Shu spend some time in military training, and with this policy, is able to raise the reserves of men able to join the military from 15,000 troops to 23,000 troops. Defenses along the Ba border are increased. 
• Wu: An invasion of 20,000 men occurs across the border of the Sou Man to take the shrimpy border state, using the best of cast iron swords, a Wu specialty, with intentions to annex the state (War Algorithm Requested). Seeking to encourage relations with the state of Chao, a marriage is proposed to the Chao, which would produce a heir to both nations' thrones (Mod Response Requested). The city of Gusu continues to grow, expanding down the river. Cultivation of northern lands begins, with farmers being encouraged to settle in the northern part of Wu.

• Qi: The Duke Zhuang of Qi continues encouraging economic activity and a focus upon agriculture and animal husbandry within Qi. Efforts are made to cultivate and developing new land, especially the wetlands of the province of Qing (OTL Shandong). The army is placed along the Eastern border, striking against Lai raids. Walled villages are constructed, as Qi settlers and soldiers (numbering 10,000 in total) slowly pushes the border against the Lai eastward. The Palace guards are expanded and trained to become the core of a professional force. Offers are also extended to other Huaxia states threatened by the Lai for coordinated action.

• Zheng: It is said that the Duke of Zheng can be considered a wise man, this is true by the victory over the Guan extending the reaches of the realm of Zheng, and granting them a pivotal point of control over the Yellow river and the trade it holds. Duke Wu continues his wisdom by moving the armies into the city of the Guan establishing control over the people, he appoints a local magistrate to oversee his matters of governance. With the new hold over the Yellow River the trade and wealth of the Zheng increases. However, the matter of the King of Zhou brings much contentions toward the Duke Wu. The King is a member of the Duke's family and clan as such he is bound by traditional Chinese values to aid him in these endeavors. However, the matter could challenge the duke of Zheng's political power, and his ambitions. But the matter is viewed by many to be inconsequential at the moment and is thus relegated for more important matters. However, he begins to send out feelers toward other Huaxia states to find out the feelings toward the Zhou King's expansion into the land and discuss the possibility of alliances. He also begins to fortify the eastern border with Zhou in preparation for a possible invasion. However in this moment, Duke Wu focuses on another war(s) entirely, utilizing various documents surrounding traditional Chinese governance, he claims fealty of the states of Gui and You Shen, marching his armies into both of them to bring 'wisdom' to their leader the army invading You Shen numbering 6,000 and the one invading Gui 8,000. However, in order to make sure that the other Huaxia states do not decide to support the Gui and You Shen, he sends "gifts" to the top officials and leaders within their various governments and military, imploring them to leave the matter of You Shen and Gui to Zheng.
• Cao: The time is now. He who hesitates is lost! The Tianjian Duke asks Tao for vassalization to become a puppet of the Cao Duchy. However, the overconfident Jialian of Tao, the current archduke, begs to differ. Jialian offers to become partners but Cao refuses. Thus the 3rd Cao Army under the noble Xi Huifeng enters into Tao core territory. Tao's army were not ready for this invasion and struggles to put up a fight. In the Battle of The Green Ford, Tao's army are decisively encircled by the Huifeng offensive forces. The decisive battles saw 2,000 Cao deaths and 12,000 Tao deaths, leading into a peace offer by the Archduke Jialian.

GAME IS ON HOLD FOR NOW - MODS