Chaos Period (Zhi)

Chaos Period

Date	1784 - 1926
Type	Civil War
Cause	Decentralisation of Imperial holdings Extensive provincial autonomy Ethnic tension Corruption

The Chaos Period was an era of strife within the Great Zhi Empire, during which the authority of the Emperor fell to its absolute lowest, the empire fragmented and a variety of innovations in philosophy, industrialisation and society, and remained in consistent strife until the Yueyang Restoration, which restored and enhanced imperial authority. In historiography, the start of the Chaos Period is contested, with the Imperial official history suggesting that it began with the Shuaifeng Emperor's reforms aimed at eliminating the power of local aristocracies in Imperial territories. While politically convienent, this date is generally regarded as arbitrary, as the Empire functioned peacefully until 1802, and the authority of the central government did not collapse until 1825. Open rebellion against the Emperor was not seen at a widespread level until 1836.

The Chaos Period formally ended in 1926, following the collapse of the Concert of Michu at the hands of the Celesterran Empire, the rise of various factions to dominate the political scene, and the restoration of the Yueyang Emperor in Zhijing. Following the Grand Push Campaigns, the Imperial government was formally united, though it would not reach its pre-Chaos Period territory until the end of the Great War.

Origins

The 17 - 18th centuries had been an era of steady economic and cultural growth within the Great Zhi Empire, as successive rulers had pacified the various nomadic tribes, imposed the Imperial Tributary System upon their neighbors, and dramatically increased Imperial territory at home and overseas. During this time, the Empire reached a size unrivaled in prior-history. This period of economic success, hid growing institutional problems within the Empire, as the rising power of the provinces, combined with the scale of Imperial domains, ensured that local governors reigned as petty tyrants, under loose Imperial supervision. The late Zhi era was especially dominated by the Zheng politicians, language, and officials, leading to a decline in regional languages, to the detriment of the standard Imperial Bulwark strategy. Even the Weishun, the traditional rulers of Michu, suffered lingustic degredation. The dominance of the Zheng was so great, that the Emperor Shuaifen (1757 - 1783) was fully incapable of speaking Weishun, and instead held all meetings in Zheng. His successors would similarly refuse or be incapable of learning. Government corruption greatly increased in this time, as buying positions and titles became not only widespread, but legally encouraged as a form of social mobility. By 1790, the practice of 'Blending into Gold' was formally permitted, with Zheng servants and labourers accumulating enough wealth to buy their way into Weishun families.

Although the military was competent, it was greatly overstretched, underfunded and unsupported. Local infrastructure in the recently acquired territory was plagued with banditry, raids and corruption, with prominent military offiers paid through looting of rebellious areas. This system was formalised through the 'Loot and tell' program, wherein promotions, decorations and positions would be offered by local government officials to soldiers who looted and shared their spoils with said officials.

Chaotic Political System

The political structure of the various governors was generally consistent, though the inter-warlord norms shifted as the conflict entered different phases, or when political realities demanded. When open warfare began, military commanders initially worked together to form power blocs, while the civilian officials worked to replace prominent commanders under their rule with family members loyal to them. This led to a period known as the 'Armed Respite' wherein the most powerful early warlords would be defeated by military commanders, who enriched themselves by looting from the peasentry. This led to the collapse of military support, as remaining civilian authorities gradually eroded the military's unity and imposed anarchy. The Concert of Michu was founded by prominent statesmen within the nation, to stabilise, protect the country from outside, and settle disputes with the eventual goal of peaceful reunification. The Concert's true goal, however, was the neutralisation of powerful warlords, who threatened the status quo. Due to the extensive length of the war, and the promulgation of railways under several different guages throughout Michu during this time, trade and communication between provinces gradually declined, and regional identies became more expressed. By the 1870s, it was observed by foreign observers that two provinces of Michu acted almost completely different, as if they were utterly different nations. While most statesmen throughout 1836 - 1860 remained notionally loyal to the Imperial Court, the warlords would frequently take action against Imperial decrees, overrun the capital of Zhijing, and put themselves above the country. The Xinsheng Emperor was enthroned eight times, due to each new ascendant warlord asserting that the former's were inadequate and not lavish enough. It became very fashionable for warlords to take Weishun wives, an offense worthy of the death penalty by Imperial law. These wives were usually local women trafficked through people smugglers with or without the backing of provincial governors. However, several high profile cases existed wherein governors took former Imperial Maids, notionally extremely powerful officials with the Emperor's favour, as their unwilling spouses. High profile warlords also took to speaking Weishun among themselves, though this declined dramatically after 1890.

Innovations