Combine the following rewrites which both make the Blue Wind Empire from Against the Gods to be a wuxia and xianxia style but Manchu shamanist and Manchu buddhist and neo-Confucianist version of the real life Aisin-Gioro-ruled Great Qing Empire, using information from the Against the Gods wiki and also the real life Wikis about the Qing and the Manchus, with absolutely no references to real life, OTL or that this is even an alternate history timeline at all set in the world of the alternate history scenario with no references to real life, OTL or that this is an alternative history scenario at all, along with no references to OTL or real life at all, but using real life countries, nationalities, ethnicities, people, political factions, famous people, political parties, factions, etc all noble and imperial family names must be in Manchu with English translations and must be original into one, ,making the final product coherent and sensible and keeping original information from both rewrites: [Rewrite 1] Azure Sky Banner Empire (†Manchu: Gulu Namkū Gūsa Gurun†, English transl.: "Blue Heaven Banner State")
Overview
The Azure Sky Banner Empire is one of the Seven Powers of the Profound Sky Continent. Historically remote, resource-poor, and politically besieged, it was often treated as the “backwater” by its neighbors, much like the early Manchu khanate before it burst forth as the Qing. Only the protection of its powerful Eight Banner Sects and skilled banner nobles prevented its absorption into more powerful realms.

That all changes with the near-mythic rise of Yun Chere (Manchu transliteration: Yūn Chele), a cosmic outlander and prodigy with the ability to wield shamanic, Buddhist, and celestial arts. With Yun's rise, the Azure Sky Banner Empire transforms from an object of ridicule to a model of Manchu multiconfessional might—mixing shamanic mystery, esoteric Buddhism, ruthless banner militarism, and the rational-bureaucratic machine of Neo-Confucian order.

Religion & Philosophy
State Shamanism: The imperial household maintains their own shamanic rites, channeling the spirits of the mountains and rivers, interpreting omens, and ensuring the banners’ connection to their animal totems (dragons, cranes, wolves, etc.).

Manchu Yellow Hat Buddhism (Gelugpa): Patronized by the imperial house, the great monasteries train both Tantric magicians and state preceptors. Oracles, reincarnated lamas, and sorcerer-monks are second only to shamans in spiritual power.

Neo-Confucian Civil Order: The Examined Banner Workers—hereditary officers and degree holders—administer justice based on statutes derived from the teachings of Wang Yangming and Zhu Xi. They arbitrate disputes between banner clans and coordinate the court’s ranks.

Banner and Nobility System
The empire relies on Eight Great Banner Clans—each a martial, mystical, and political institution controlling hereditary lands, profound cultivation secrets, and the imperial military. Loyalty to one’s banner and clan trumps family; banners are open to Manchu, Han, and Mongols, but ruled by hereditary Manchu nobilities.

Imperial House
Dynasty: Aisin-Qingduo Gioro (Aisin for "gold/azure"; Qingduo for "wind"; Gioro meaning "clan"; so, "Azure Wind Gioro" clan; a nod to Aisin-Gioro)

Current reigning empress: Empress Namkū Yekū (†Manchu: Namkū Yekū Hūwanghu; ‘Blue Sky Moon’)
Emperor Consort ("Prince Adviser"): Yun Chere (†Manchu: Yūn Chele Efū; efū = prince-consort; ‘Cloud Piercer’)
Crown Princess: Namkū Unhe (†‘Azure Sky Harmony’)
Regent Aunt: Gioro Tunggiru (†‘Eastern Willow Gioro’)—note: always a powerful secular-ritual matriarch in Manchu-style succession
Sample Banner Noble Clans & Names
These are original Manchu-style and English translation pairings for the banner leading families:

Gulu Namkū Hala (Azure Sky Clan): "Blue Heaven"—imperial clan; only the Aisin-Qingduo Gioro may rule the empire
Tulu Suiren Hala (Iron Willow Clan): "Iron Willow"; masters of defense, profound metals, and martial ritual
Aruka Sagan Hala (White Snow Wolf Clan): "White Wolf"; known for their border rangers and shamanic beast-tamers
Fulgiya Hala (Red Sunfire Clan): "Red Fire"; most aggressive/martial, associated with fire, sword arts, and Buddhist incense
Banner Ranks (Manchu original, English transl.)
Qinwang (Heshuo Prince; supreme banner lord)
Junwang (Second Rank Prince; command wings)
Beile (Banner Duke)
Beizi (Banner Baron)
Efū (Prince Consort, husbands of princesses, or high spiritual allies)
Banner offices are always hereditary but must pledge souls to the Imperial Sky Drum, a shamanic relic in the Forbidden Hall.

The Eight Banner Sects
1. Heavenly Sword Manor (†Suwayan Dao Yamen†)
Houses the imperial sword school, originally established by a banished prince of Manchu origin.
Sealed demon (the Dragon Sovereign) bound under the Ancestral Sword Stone.
Sects are organized along banner-military lines, with each master a hereditary Manchu lord.
2. Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace (†Namkū Arulai Jinjū†)
An elite shamanic-Buddhist matriarchy, taking only women with the “Yin Veil” trait.
Origin traced to a Gelugpa “dakini” who arrived as a wandering yeti sorceress from the ice north.
Pale blue banner shocking with runes; palace operated like a banner with its own arms, courts, and secret rites.
3. Xiao Banner Sects (†Siao Hala†)
Organizer of covert banner assassination units; prized for wind and sky sorcery.
Prides itself on strict recruitment based on merit, mirroring the Manchu reformed banner system.
4. Burning Heaven Banner (†Fulgiya Hala†)
Fire-aligned, focused on weapon cultivation and explosives; claimed descent from the Bearer of the Eternal Torch.
Maintains shamanic rituals for flame, smoke, and the purification by fire.
5. Heavenly Spear Thunderfire Fortress (†Suwayan Hadai Xirga†)
Resembles the artillery and engineer corps of the Qing; mastery of thunder magic and alchemical weapons.
Institutions and State Organs
Imperial Court
Imperial Grand Council: Coohai nashūn i ba (Handle Affairs Office) -- supreme policy body, modeled on Qing Grand Council; includes shaman-priests, Buddhist abbots, and Confucian ministers in delicate balance.
Eight Banner Marshals’ Council: Sits daily for matters of war, judicial affairs, and banner hierarchy squabbles.
Southern Hall of Sacred Rituals: Julergi bithei boo—unites Manchu shamanic rituals with Buddhist liturgy to maintain harmony.
Bannermen and Banner Nobility
Only banner nobles (and descendents of ancient generals, whether Han or Mongol) may wear “Azure Cloud Feather” hats and sit at the imperial table.
Non-banner Han may only serve in the army or bureaucracy after passing the Blue Wind State Examinations in both Manchu and Chinese.
Military honors and ranks as in Qing, with promotion for “martial merit” and “spiritual attunement” both recognized.
Locations (Manchu/English style)
Namkū Hūwang Cheng (Azure Sky Imperial City): Capital; thirty-three times the size of the New Moon City, with a Forbidden Palace at the center containing secret shamanic altars.
Liuyūn Hoton (Floating Cloud City): Outpost town in the far east; most isolated garrison, known for spiritual prodigy Yun Chele’s rise and for a cryptic shamanic phenomena known as "black lightning."
Aruka Urgun Hoton (New Moon City): Banner city controlled by three banners; its own palatial profound academy, and a border stronghold.
Namkū Arulai Baita (Frozen Cloud Palace): Located in the endless snows; ruled by hereditary Gelugpa abbesses. Houses all sacred ritual objects for “ice spirit” sorcery.
Tulu Suiren Hyas (Scarlet Dragon Mountains): Sacred to the Willow Clan; home to draconic beast trials, shamanic oracles, and the Profound Willow Temple.
Magic & Military
Cultivation: All banner youth must demonstrate both martial scars (proven in ritual combat) and spiritual “banner attunement” (measured by the Banner Shaman in trance).
Magic is both an affair of study (in Neo-Confucian “Exam Academies”) and birthright (banner-blood lines).
The Eight Banner army—martial, shaman, and channellers—deploys like an early modern Qing military: stratified, multiethnic, but dominated by Manchu and Mongol nobles, with Han and peripheral groups as key specialists (alchemy, pharmaceuticals, lightning cannon maintenance, etc.).
State Ideology
Imperial Edicts: Written in both Classical Chinese and Manchu. Seals only affixed after a blessing by the Lead Shaman and the Chief Lama.
Neo-Confucian and Buddhist tests: All officials must pass both to be considered for office.
Shamanic omens take precedence on unlucky days, and all major campaigns wait for banner holiday prophecies before advancing.                                                                                                                [Rewrite 2] Blue Wind Empire (Manchu: Giyanggun Suren Gurun — “Blue Gale Divine Realm”)

Overview

The Blue Wind Empire dominates the northeastern reaches of the Profound Sky Continent—a bastion of northern civilization, martial cultivation, and arcane wisdom. Though long considered the weakest of the Seven, its dynastic heart endures, having stood unbroken through centuries of political upheavals, cultivator intrigue, and the tempests of sectarian rivalry.

Founded by the Aisinga Halara clan (“Sky-Gold Source”), the imperial house rules from the Palace of Ascending Clouds at the center of the Blue Wind Imperial City. The capital’s grandeur radiates northward, ringed by the imperial banners of mounted and foot Bannermen. The dynasty’s authority is supported equally by the Eight Warrior Banners, the Green Plume Army, the Grand Secretariat, and the Deliberative Council of the Banners.

The Empire reveres a synthesis of the ancient shamanic legacy of the ancestors (spirit invocation, sky-journeys, animist ritual and ancestor veneration), Vajrayana Manchu Buddhism, and neo-Confucian civil philosophy, fostering unity among its Manchu, Han, and Mongol subjects—collectively bound by the Mandate of Heaven as the “Unified Realm beneath the Blue Heavens.” Martial prowess and refinement exist side by side, as aspiring officials spend their days with the brush and sword alike.

Imperial Family

House of Aisinga Halara (Sky-Gold Source)
Empress Halan Daisutung (Cang Yue)
Emperor-Consort Kinaru Aisin (Yun Che)
Esteemed secondary consorts and imperial princes/princesses from the prominent Hürela, Tongiya, and Irgiyan sub-clans
Royal bloodlines are strictly maintained with formal registries; all direct kin wear the Sky-Gold sash and are required to master both shamanic rites and Confucian classics.

Hierarchy and Governance

Deliberative Council of Banners: Aristocratic advisory council that deliberates great affairs of sect, banner, and state—composed mainly of the Eight Banner Princes, Han and Mongol Lords, the Imperial Buddhist Preceptor, and the Scholar-Mandarins.
Grand Secretariat: Handles daily governance through the “Outer Court,” balancing the hereditary rights of the Banner nobility and the meritocratic examinations of the literati.
Eight Warrior Banners (Jakūn Gūsa): Elite hereditary military and administrative units, each controlled by a prince of the imperial clan or trusted vassal lines (Giyang, Shanggiyan, Lamun, Fulgiyan, Hagan, Hurela, Suzan, Irgiyan Banners). Both Manchu and Han retainers serve in their ranks, with strict ethnic quotas for officer positions. All Bannermen (qiren) are exempt from land taxes and retain privileged access to aristocratic and imperial examinations.
Green Plume Army: Professional standing force recruited from all classes—provides border defense, policing, and support to the banners. Organized into local garrisons commanded by hereditary and appointed officers.
Philosophy & Religion

The Empire’s core is the “Mandate of the Blue Heaven,” uniting:

Sky Shamanism: Imperial rites call on ancestral spirits, animal totems, and celestial deities. The Emperor is regarded as the “Sky-Invoking Son of Heaven,” with high shaman-priests overseeing seasonal sacrifices atop the Altar of the Wind.
Manchu Vajrayana Buddhism: Buddhist temples, led by the eminent lamas of the Cloud Lotus Lineage, are regarded as protectors of the realm and close advisers to the throne. The fusion of shamanic and tantric rituals is unique to Blue Wind.
Neo-Confucian Civil Order: A class of cultivated scholar-officials (mandarins) are selected through rigorous examination; the ideal officer is expected to excel in both the brush and sword. The empire’s Sacred Edict—a compendium of maxims—sets the expectations for rulers, officials, and householders.
Imperial Ancestral Cult: Imperial and noble lines maintain elaborate genealogies, with the ancestral shrines at the palace regarded as the Empire’s spiritual heart. Veneration of “Heavenly Ancestors” is expected from every Banner household.
Sectarian and Social Structure

Four Great Martial Sects (“Four Noble Pavilions of Excellence”)
Heavenly Sword Pavilion: Guardians of orthodox sword cultivation, formally responsible for martial affairs of the throne, second only to the Imperial Banner Guard.
Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace: Matriarchal order famed for ice spiritual cultivation; famed for producing both the continent’s most refined cultivators and court beauties.
Sky-Hawk Pavilion (formerly Xiao Sect): Elite wind, speed, and aerial arts; acts as an alternative route for ambitious bannermen and civilians into aristocratic privilege.
Burning Heaven Mansion: Masters of fire and illusion, integral to the Empire’s arsenal and subterfuge networks.
All four answer directly to the Grand Council, though often jealously guard their internal autonomy.
Other Minor Powers:
Thunderfire Fortress, a martial-technological order famed for firearms and explosives.
Great Clans (Xia, Yuwen, Shui), each with ancient military and mercantile traditions.
Merchant Guilds:
The “Black Moon Guild” controls all foreign and long-distance trade, maintaining a tense alliance with the Empire in exchange for exclusive trade charters.
Nobility and Titles

Eight Iron-Banner Princes: The heads of each Banner possess hereditary “iron-banner” status, immune to demotion and entitled to direct petition to the throne.
Banner Lords: Secondary hereditary nobility recognized by the right to raise troops and administer estates within the banner system.
Marquisates, Baronies, Viscounties: Titles awarded for great civil/military merit, usually to non-banner Han, Mongol, or promoted commoners as part of ongoing neo-Confucian reforms. Rank progression and privileges are strictly regulated, but all noble lines are subject to potential demotion upon disgrace.
Noble Women: Imperial princesses are bestowed the title “Gurun Lady” or “Heshuo Princess,” with marriage alliances formed both internally and to foreign clans.
Military System

Eight Banners:
Each Banner fields both cavalry and infantry—elite, hereditary, and highly mobile, reporting directly to the Banner Prince and, in war, to the Emperor.
Banner Cavalry:
Renowned for horse archery, spirit reading, and martial discipline, these units lead the vanguard in external and internal campaigns.
Green Plume Garrison:
Garrisoned throughout key cities, especially along border fortresses and mountain passes, these units maintain the law and quell sectarian unrest.
New Army (Xingjun):
Modernized regiments using progressive martial forms, firearms, and talismanic artillery. Commanded by a hybrid of hereditary and examination-appointed officers.
Heritage, Law, and Culture

Genealogy & Family:
Imperial and Banner families maintain exhaustive genealogies, with household shrines for ancestor veneration. Imperial marriages are state events, strengthening alliances among the highest clans.
Law:
The Blue Wind Code, a synthesis of shamanic law and Confucian statute, upholds both social and spiritual order. Bannermen are subject to special jurisdiction and exemptions.
Education:
The Empire operates a tripartite system of shamanic, Buddhist, and civil academies; each produces cohorts of scholars, monks, and martial artists. Physicians, strategists, and artisans all compete for imperial favor.
Cities and Regions

Blue Wind Imperial City:
The imperial metropolis, site of the Palace of Ascending Clouds, Grand Secretariat, major sect headquarters, and vast shamanic altars.
Frozen Cloud Snowlands:
A frozen northern expanse, home to the Frozen Cloud Immortal Palace and arcane ice-cults.
Heavenly Sword Mountains:
The heartland of sword cultivation, dotted with ancestral halls and dueling grounds.
Remote Provinces (such as Floating Cloud City):
Far-flung, semi-autonomous, still governed by the banner and clan lords but often overlooked in capital politics—home to many rising heroes and local martials.
Mountain Frontiers and Wastelands:
Treacherous with demonic beasts, bandit cultivators, and ancient legacies. The Wasteland of Death is home to the trial-grounds of divine dragons.
Cultivation and Martial Philosophy

The ideal hero of the Blue Wind Empire is both a xiucai and a wulin master: learned, disciplined, yet harmonized with the spirit world. The Empire venerates martial and scholarly achievement equally; many of the greatest sects were founded by scholar-warriors. The path to power is through “Harmonizing the Blue Heavens”—where shamanic ancestral might, Buddhist wisdom, and Confucian discipline are united in one spirit and sword.

Notable Recent Events

Under the joint reign of Empress Halan Daisutung and her consort Kinaru Aisin, the House of Aisinga Halara has presided over a martial and spiritual revival. The Empire has ascended from relative weakness on the Profound Sky Continent to command international respect—chiefly due to the meteoric rise of Kinaru Aisin, whose exploits stunned both the martial world and imperial court. Even the major sects are now assembling under the imperial banners to prepare for future tribulations and thousand-year calamities.

Banner and Clan Names (Examples)

Aisinga Halara (Sky-Gold Source, Imperial Clan)
Shanggiyani Dora (White Wind)
Irgiyani Luna (Blue Lake)
Fulgiyani Yeren (Red Arrow)
Hurela Khushi (Evergreen)
<PRESIDIO_ANONYMIZED_PERSON> (Iron Root)
Suzan Oyan (Cloud Circle)
Lamunya Soren (Silent Marsh)
Noted Han and Mongol noble families hold “adopted banner” status, such as Wenera Bayin (Moonstone), the Xiangyun, and the Murong of New Moon City.
Final Note

The Blue Wind Empire is a living artifact—an empire where spirits and ancestors ride the winds, where Buddhist sutras meet shamanic spellcraft, and where martial arts and civil learning are paths to transcendence. Whether secreted in the halls of power or the secluded mountain dojos, the Empire’s blue banners ripple on, guardians of the unity between Heaven, Earth, and all under the sky.