United Cities

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United Cities

联合城市
Flag of UC
Flag
Motto: 钱使世界运转
Capital
and largest city
Heng
Official languagesCorummese
GovernmentPlutocracy
LegislatureCouncil of Cities
Establishment
• Establishment
915
• First Zhong Invasion
938
• Second Zhong Invasion
1125
• Third Zhong Invasion and dissolution
1215

The United Cities was a state that existed in northwestern Corumm and parts of Canpei from 915 to 1215. Emerging during the death throes of the Chen dynasty and the Four Great Impostors crisis, it was originally created as a confederation of city states, the main aim of which was mutual protection, eliminating bad governance, promoting the slave trade and evading imperial taxation. The original members were the cities of Heng, Sho Battai, Brink, Heft and Stoat. The economy of the United Cities was powered and heavily dominated by the practice of , only a few decades after its founding did its political system come to be dominated by powerful slaver interests, effectively creating a highly corrrupt and despotic plutocracy. The United Cities would fall to Corummese Zhong dynasty armies in 1215 but many of its trade and societal practices would continue in the territories that it had ruled.

History

The reigning Chen dynasty of Corumm saw a succession of revolts and uprisings starting in 877. The rise of the Four Great Impostors who sought to claim the imperial throne posed an existential threat to it. The second of these pretenders, Tengu Peg Leg, first rose in the city of Heng in 881. Claiming descent from the last Shang emperor, he and his supporters took over the city administration by force and gained the support of its citizens by abolishing taxes for three years and promising to give every citizen five slaves from towns he conquered. Other cities in the region expelled their imperial garrisons and approached Tengu for protection and relief from imperial taxation . With these defections the territory controlled by Tengu's loyalists grew to cover all of the Corummese northwest. He declared himsef emperor with Heng as his capital and styled his domain as Northern Shang. The loss of important economic centers like Heng and control of important trade routes to the north represented a heavy blow to the Chen dynasty's finances and hobbled its capacity to respond quickly.

A depiction of slaves building fortifications. Slaves were the main workforce on all major construction projects

Alarmed by the rapid rise of Tengu and the rapid defection of the northwest provinces to him, the weakening Chen dynasty appointed a certain nobleman named Da Beipan, who would later found the Zhong dynasty, to the post of Supreme Captain of the West to deal with the rebellion. Da Baipan mustered and trained his imperial forces of roughly 130,000 men for six months before moving his army into Tengu's territory. Da Baipan proceeded to invest the walled city of Sho Battai, attempting to storm the city twice but being repulsed. Settling on starving the city out, he was confident that Tengu's army was smaller than his own and would not approach to give him battle. This would prove to be a mistaken assumption as Tengu's 200,000 strong army force marched its way towards Sho Battai barely two months into the siege. Outnumbered and with the possibility of being pinned against Sho Battai's walls, Da Baipan abandoned the siege and began making his way back to Zhong territory.

Overtaken at the Catun Fields, the vanguard of Tengu's army clashed with the imperial force, badly mauling it and sending it running from the field. After this defeat, Da Baipan offered a ten year truce with Tengu, swearing that the Chen dynasty would pay indemnities to him. More concerned at the time with consolidating his rule than territorial expansion, Tengu accepted the truce and allowed Baipan's army to leave unmolested. Knowing his failure would cost him his life and even after the Catun Fields defeat, in posession of one of the largest imperial field armies, Da Baipan turned traitor and began marching his army to the imperial capital to overthrow the Chen dynasty.

Geography

Climate

The predominant climate of the area covered by the United Cities is cold semi-arid, featuring warm, dry summers and freezing winters with temperatures dropping below zero. Winters usually see light to moderate snowfall.

Government

The United Cities was ruled by the Council of Cities, a collection of the wealthiest and most influential men of each city. Only the richest ten citizens from each city were allowed to take part in the council. The choosing was not through election but by a tallying of the monetary worth of the aspirant, usually carried out by Traders Guild accountants. Every ten years a member of the council would be elected by simple majority to serve as Grand Secretary of the United Cities. The Grand Secretary had powers to represent the United Cities in foreign matters and trade negotiations. For the United Cities entire three hundred year existence the position was typically rotated, with no one city ever holding on to the position for consecutive terms.

Military

The United Cities kept a unified standing army known as the Iron Legion, composed of twenty thousand men in lamellar armor, divided into footmen, cavalry and artillery corps. It was augmented by city self-defense forces and private militias composed of slaves as needed. The Iron Legion was able to repel the numerically superior armies of the Zhong for many years until funding cutbacks, corruption and the intake of slaves into its ranks drastically reduced its combat effectiveness.

Foreign Relations

Economy

The United Cities economy was heavily reliant on slave labor for its agricultural and industrial manpower. Slavers would undertake great raids into Rusana, Duamacia and the rest of Zhong dominated Corumm to procure slaves for both internal use and for export. It would also acquire Audonian slaves through intermediaries since the United Cities never had direct access to the sea. The semiarid climate made for poor agricultural output, crops that required little water like cactus were favored. The rare alcoholic Cactus Rum has its origins in the United Cities and was also a big earner. Another source of revenue was taxation of caravans traversing through its territory. Most trade in and out of the United Cities was overseen by an institution known as the United Traders Guild.

Culture

Hunting was an important aspect of upper class culture in the United Cities. The nobles of the United Cities were avid participants of numerous hunts in the deserts were they hunted great beasts such as sand elephants and the great Krayt dragons of old while at the same time socializing and bonding. Once a year the slaver houses would release hundreds of slaves into the deserts and hunt them down for sport, they called this the Desert Lottery. Those that made it outside the territory of the United Cities would gain their freedom. Template:Alshar topics