The Golden Regency

## Early History

The Golden Regency originated out of the several systems colonized by colonists originally from Qinyue on Tiandi. Previously under the rule of the Qian Directorate, the Golden Regency, like all other human colonies, lost contact with the homeworld and a good deal of its administration in the Great Silence. With the apparent fall of the Directorate and the fact that Tiandi had already been deteriorating due to pollution, overpopulation, and political friction, the systems that had been under Qian rule were cast adrift. However, as the saying goes, "nature abhors a vacuum"- and so someone stepped in to fill this vacuum of power. In this case, it was Li Yiqin, a descendant of the Li dynasty, who proclaimed he had the Mandate of Heaven and was the Emperor, calling the new state Xingguo or Star Kingdom (similar to how Qinyue had been called the Middle Kingdom or Zhongguo). He proclaimed the Later Li in 2150, with himself as the Shuntian Emperor, and swiftly unified the Regency's five systems.

Towards the end of the Shuntian Emperor's reign, colonists were sent to the modern Aixiang System. A shipful of colonists going to this area would end up being the first humans to make contact with an extraterrestrial civilization, the Shanhe Kurun, in the 2500s.

The Shuntian Emperor's successor, his son the Taizu Emperor of Later Li, unfortunately proved incompetent. After just two years on the throne, in 2211, the Emperor Taizu was overthrown by one of his generals, An Liu, who proclaimed the Yin dynasty with himself as the Hongwu Emperor. The Yin were short-lived as well, with the Qilin system rising in rebellion against the new dynasty, and An Liu's own son had him assassinated to try and take the throne. An Aiguo was then murdered by several of his own generals, who had secretly negotiated with the Later Li in their distant bastion in Aixiang for peace. The Taizu Emperor of Later Li was poisoned, and a regency was declared.

## Later History

By 2213, the Golden Regency had secured itself as a stable government, run by a mixture of a junta and bureaucracy quite similar to the government of the late Zhen dynasty regency in ancient Tiandian Qinyue. The Regency was a great power among the human star-states, but it was open to trade and interaction and generally friendly towards its neighbors.

The following four hundred years saw peace, stability, and prosperity for the people living in the Regency's six systems. Much of the population lived on far-flung space habitats or asteroid terrariums, but faster-than-light communication let society still interact closely.

## First Contact

In 2559, a mission of colonists heading to build a new space habitat in the Aixiang system made contact with an exploration vessel of the Shanhe Kurun. Evidently, the ship had been mining some fuel and minerals in the outer belt, and had not detected or been looking for habitation. This momentous event spurred full diplomatic exchanges and an explosion of trade and learning.

However, the humans and the aliens quickly found a divisive matter that would eventually prove to be the downfall of their friendly relations. At the time, it was glossed over as a minor affair. A border system, the modern Shahsen system, had been explored by both states and both considered them their exclusive territory, with mining operations and even a few very small habitat-borne colonies present.

## Shan-Regency Wars

### Shahsen War

In 2601, after 42 years of peace and trade (and rising tensions), the Shan decided to resolve the situation in Shahsen, where they had an increasing colonial presence, with military force. On January 18th, 2601, ships of the Shan Black Banner launched a surprise attack on Regency military units in the system, almost completely destroying the fairly small defense force there. The Regency struck back, but the Shan fleet proved far superior, and Shan forces moved to occupy Aixiang and threaten Lijin and Qilin. After several further defeats, orbital bombardment of several moons and planets in Lijin, ground fighting there, and the defeat of a further Regency attack on Shahsen by a newly-built surnar, the Regency surrendered in 2603. Shahsen went to the Shan and the Regency paid significant reparations, as well as making political concessions.

### Aixiang War

The following decades saw the Regency move to strengthen its military and try to build an alliance with other human nations against the Shan. Their alliance-building efforts largely failed, but they also tried to rebuild trade relations with the Shan to make war a more costly proposition.

Meanwhile, the Shan Supreme Directorate had decided that expanding the empire into the valuable human core systems could be a good move, and was certain that it at least wanted the Aixiang system. The Shan used their SQD to turn some military and government officials in the Regency, and when they struck for a second time, into Aixiang in 2639, the *jiedushi* (military governor) of Tianhai also rose up against the Regency in a military rebellion. The Shan swiftly defeated the Regency's fleet in Aixiang and bloodily repulsed a number of counterattacks. The Supreme Directorate authorized approval for a plan to take over the remaining systems, and the Shan officially claimed the Regency core systems just before a major attack against Qilin and Lijin. Both campaigns were difficult, but with the Regency occupied with putting down the Tianhai Rebellion (which it did in 2641), the Shan managed to break through. By mid-2643, the last organized human resistance was over.

## Current Situation

The area formerly ruled by the Golden Regency is still populated mainly by humans. It is controlled by the Shan, but small rebellions are frequent and Shan control of the territory is sometimes poor, due to its size and population. It is mainly populated by descendants of people who originated in Qinyue, as well as a small number of Shan (mainly soldiers and government workers, although some colonists have moved in mainly to Aixiang). The region is known as the Shahsen Viceroyalty, and is considered a dominion of the Kurun.