Jinto Period

The Jinto Period was a time in Jiaozese history in which Jiaozi was governed by several warring states which fought to assume sublime auhtority over Jiaozese civilisation and establish a new dynasty. The period was preceded by the Red Horde Khanate and succeeded by the Tàndōng Dynasty. 
The period began with public a series of public disobedience against the Khitan-led Red Horde Khanate, which escalated into the dynasty's collapse and the subsuquent struggle for supremacy. The period concluded with the formation of the Tàndōng dynasty when Gǔ Jīn Wú was proclaimed Emperor.
== Early Jinto Period ==
The start of the Jinto Period was characterized by fire. With the end of the rule of the Red Horde Khanate, decades of Khitan Oppression came to an end. With it, Like rats to a carcass, came the warring states. In time, amongst the burning ashes of the Red Horde hundreds of individual governments would arise. They each sought the same goal, the reunification of the territory under their own rule. In time 5 states would distinguish themselves as contenders from within the bloody melee.
First, the Feng. Though much of the information on the Feng have been lost along with the the other 5 states, it is known that they represented many of the displaced peasants desperate to gain more political leverage over their typical overlords. These peasants rallied under the Feng, with the promise that farmers would enjoy less steep taxes as well as a larger say in politics. There are many rumors to the origins of their founders. Some claim that they were former bandits that terrorized the eastern villages. Others claim that they themselves were particularly successful farmers that leveraged their relative wealth to gain support. Regardless of their origins, their unification of the lower class gave them a much larger population and military.
The 2nd clan were known as the Weo. Their ranks were filled by the disgraced nobility of the Dynasty previous to the Red Horde. Eager to regain their prestige, they rallied against a puppet emperor. A 8 year old boy named Ying Wei. Who had been the bastard child of the son of the Emperor who had ruled the Wei Dynasty. This gave the Wei a powerful claim to the throne, and the backing of the nobility gave the clan money, prestige, and a large army.
The 3rd clan were the Tian. Founded by a disgraced, but popular general who had returned from exile after failing to defend against the invasion of the Red Horde, would become one of the strongest militaries within the warring states. Though disgraced, the Tian General was seen as a savior that was key to fighting back the Khitan, and was thus quite popular amongst the territories as a whole.
The 4th clan were known as the Kishnu. The Kishnu were unique in the fact that they were not native to the territory at all. Their origins were from the Kish Merchants that prowled the coasts Catheranis. They were known for their light weight, maneuverable ships that could sail using the monsoons. This gave them control of the Peninsula, and allowed them to take control of Shizen early in the war. Their navy allowed them to trade goods at exorbitant rates, and their position as the dominant mercantile power meant that others had no choice but to accept.
The 5th clan and final clan whose names are still known to time were known as the Dorben. Their origins were from the fallen khanate, yet they managed to avoid the brunt of the losses the other Khitan tribes suffered. Their Khitan skills and equipment made them one of the most powerful armies within the war, yet they were despised by the populace and local lords would often prefer to burn their crops and poison their water supplies rather than secede them to the Dorben. Those conquered bby the Dorben often did everything in their power to undermine their regime. Stealing from stores and withholding taxes. The Dorben's low popularity meant that compared to their counterparts, their coffers were much lower than expected as very few were willing to trade with the Dorben.
== Fall of the Red Horde ==
The Red Horde had been made out of many Khitan Clans and ancient resentments still ran deep. With the Death of Khan Batu in 450 CE the fickle balance the Clans had been held in broke apart. They began to unite under 2 rival War Lords. The War Lords had been the sons of 2 of the Khan's favored concubines, and bitterly fought for their fathers throne. In this bloody melee, only one major clan managed to escape. The Dorben. Though they were seen as cowards for doing so, the Dorben refused to assist either of the sons, and instead stuck to the territory bestowed upon them by the previous Khan. Waiting for the right moment to strike. Soon that moment would arrive. In 451 CE the Sons would march to face each other in combat. Both were evenly matched in prowess and when the battle commenced, both struggled to gain the upper hand. For every loss one side sustained, another they had inflicted, yet in the throes of battle, a third variable approached. The Dorben, assembling their own powerful force marched upon the battlefield and joined one of the sons in combat. Together they overpowered the other son and shattered his army, with a particularly tenacious warrior taking his head, yet in the chaos the second Son was shot off his horse as well. No one knows how the second son died, perhaps a lucky archer shot him off his horse, but some say the arrow had a poisoned tip. In other words, a Dorben arrow.
With the battle finished and the clans severely weakened, all that remained were forced to pledge themselves to the Dorben or be eradicated. Some fled back to the steppe the Horde and originated from, others fought valiantly against the Dorben but were ultimately slew, yet eventually, only the Dorben stood in the rubble of the Red Horde. Yet their absolute dominance would not last. During the Civil War of the Red Horde, the inhabitants of the fallen empire began to rise up against their foreign captors. Though the Dorben had managed to avoid many casualties, they were still woefully unprepared to deal with so many new enemies, and were quickly pushed back to a much smaller territory.
== Establishment of the states ==
With the Red Horde gone and the Dorben weakened, the Kishnu quickly sensed an opportunity. Uniting their fleets and bolstering their forces with mercenaries, they quickly sailed to Shizen and broke in within the city. With the garrison near non existent, they snuck into the city under the guise of trading and took control of the gate at the dead of night. They marched their forces through the gate, taking control of the city in 452 CE.
The Wei also sensing opportunity, began their plan that had been decades in the making. The disgraced noble houses would unite and prop up the former heir as a puppet. They would spread quickly, reclaiming old territory, and yet they too would face adversity. The Feng, representing the interests of the lower class rose up, unwilling to let Nobles dominate them again. They soon would wage bloody skirmishes for dominance.
One more state would make itself known during this time. General Tian Shen, who had fought for the Wei Dynasty against the Red Horde. While he was hated and disgraced by the nobles he was worshiped by much of the common people for his valiant acts during the war. It had been Wei Dynasty policy to execute generals who failed to achieve victory. When the Horde had invaded, many of the generals knowing that they could not win would surrender, hoping that pledging their allegiance with the Khitan would allow them to preserve the lives and titles. General Tian however, would refuse to defect, fighting the Khitan and delaying their advance for 7 months. However eventually he would be pushed back. The Wei would spare his life as a "mercy" for his loyalty, however they would still strip him of his titles and banish him form the land. Even when the Wei fell, Tian Shen would stay in hiding due to the hatred harbored against him by the Red Horde, yet with the Horde gone, he returned, set on uniting Catheramis.
== War of the states ==
Just one year after the complete collapse of the Red Horde's influence, with the exception of the Dorben, the Empire plunged into total war. The Kishnu, being the only faction with any significant naval presence, would began to capitalize on their position. Establishing lucrative trade deals for themselves, and growing their military through the usage of mercenaries who would keep their strangle hold on trade. Though Initially they would skirmish with the Wei, both sides quickly realized that an alliance would benefit them far more. Not only would the Kishnu get more trading partners, but the Wei would assist them in their efforts to protect their caravans that could trade within land. The Wei in turn, would get better access to supplies and weapons, and could deprive their rivals the Feng of supplies. Meanwhile, the Tian and the Dorben were locked in combat. With rivalries stemming from previous wars leading to bitter hatred. The Dorben, outnumbered and with poor infrastructure, struggled to keep themselves supplied, yet their inherent combat prowess meant that engagements with the Tian were difficult for the Tian to win.
Category:Jiaozi