Reformed Government of Senria

Reformed Government of Senria 千龙国維新政府 千龍國維新政府
1927–1932
Flag Seal
Anthem: Ready to fall like ten thousand sakura blossoms
Maximum extent of the Reformed Government shown in red. Maximum extent of the Reformed Government shown in red.
Status	Administratively autonomous component of the Heavenly Xiaodongese Empire
Capital	Sakata
Government	Provisional government under military dictatorship
Emperor
• 1927-1933	Shanrong Emperor
Chief Minister
• 1927-32	Yosito Otuzi
History
• Invasion of Senria	April 7 1927
• Disestablished	1932
Currency	Kuai (块)
Preceded by Succeeded by Senria Senria
Today part of	Senria

The Reformed Government of Senria (Xiaodongese: 千龙国維新政府; Qiānlóngguó wéixīn zhèngfǔ; Senrian: 千龍國維新政府; Senryuukoku Ishin Seifu) was the official name of the areas of Senria occupied by the Heavenly Xiaodongese Empire during the Senrian-Xiaodongese War from 1927 to its collapse in 1932. Throughout its history the Reformed Government controlled most of the island of Kitasuu, with its headquarters being in Bantian (named Sakata in Senria).

The Reformed Government was created on the basis that Xiaodong, which had rapidly industrialised during the late 1800's and enjoyed political stability, was destined to lead southern Coius invading Senria in 1927 partly due to the political instability following the Senrian Revolution and also due to the Senrian annexation of the Xiaodongese concession of Sakata. The political future of Senria was initially uncertain - initial occupation authorities where made up of a joint Senrian-Xiaodongese government, which aimed for the new state to be part of a Xiaodongese bloc that would see the restoration of order in Senria. However, in the later months of 1927 the government became increasingly dominated by Xiaodongese officials under Qiu Hanjie who proposed to divide Senria into two zones, one to be deported of ethnic Senrians and replaced with ethnic Xiaodongese and the other to be a rump puppet state.

Under the Reformed Government the Senrian Genocide was carried out. However, the war turned for the worse for Xiaodong in 1931 and by 1932 the majority of the territory of the Reformed Government was annexed by Senria. The Reformed Government was officially dissolved in April 1933, but had de facto been in Senrian hands since June 16 1932.

History

Qiu Hanjie, Liao Yinzhi and Ren Xilian following the fall of Sakata

The Reformed Government was created by an imperial decree the day after the Heavenly Xiaodongese Empire invaded the city of Sakata on May 2 1927 which started the Great War. Xiaodong had been able to capture the city due to it being weakly defended under the forces of Lu Keqian. Within the month, larges areas of the Sakata and Misaki prefectures, as well as much of Mutumura prefecture and some areas of Sueoka and Sekiguti prefectures were occupied by Xiaodongese troops.

Sakata was designated as the provisional capital, with Lu commissioning a government to be created consisting of Xiaodongese military officers and Senrian collaborators. Xiaodong at this point had framed the invasion in its propaganda as a measure to impose order over Senria in the aftermath of the Senrian Revolution, and had attempted to incorporate ethnic Senrians into the regime by promising them a "strong Senria in a Greater Xiaodongese Order" warning against the dangers of Senria descending further into republicanism, liberalism and socialism. The "Charter on the Development of Senria" was issued in early June 1927 which promised to create an independent Senrian state under Xiaodongese protection, with a government being created headed by Yosito Otuzi as Chief Minister. The government consisted of Senrian collaborators (monarchists from the Black Ocean Association, anti-republicans in the True New Dawn Society and functionalists in the Party of National Reconstruction) who formed the pro-Xiaodongese Sintaiseikai (New Order Society) and Xiaodongese military officers who oversaw them.

In June 1927 Qiu Hanjie took over from Lu as Commanding Officer of the Xiaodongese Expeditionary Force, where his government explicitly promoted Xiaodongese supremicism. Qiu divided the areas under the Reform Government's control into Control Zones (which were under the control of Otuzi's puppet government) and Extermination Zones under the direct control of Qiu and the Peace Preservation Brigades who were tasked with conducting the Senrian Genocide.

Xiaodongese intentions regarding the territory

Pre-war plans

Prior to the Senrian Revolution Xiaodong aimed to align Senria as a vassal state of the Xiaodongese monarchy. Senria's strategic location and the memories of Euclean imperialism in Xiaodong meant that Xiaodong saw Senria as a vital buffer state. The signing of an alliance with Gaullica did not completely allay Xiaodongese concerns, who feared Gaullica would take advantage of the alliance to annex Senria into the Gaullican Empire and thus maintain Xiaodong as a powerful but truncated ally. Following the seizure of Sakata in 1909 the first governor-general of the new territory, Jiang Dongbiao, stated that the seizure was the "first and most decisive step" into "economically, politically and military penetrating Senria and as such giving Xiaodong an early advantage in aligning Senria into our sphere".

During the Senrian revolution Xiaodong alongside Gaullica supported the Senrian monarchy, with Xiaodongese leaders seeing the monarchy as more amenable to Xiaodongese influence. Support was limited under the Jiayin Restoration in 1922 saw the Shanrong Emperor cement himself as an absolute monarchy and promote the militaristic Great Harmony Association to power. The Shanrong Emperor approved of a 70,000 men expeditionary force to be sent to Senria in order to prop up the monarchy, led by Zhang Haodong. Zhang's forces however refused to be put under the authority of the Senrian monarchy and operated largely autonomously on the island of Kitasuu, hampering their effectiveness. In 1925 the expeditionary force was withdrawn, with Zhang stating to the government that the Senrian republican forces were likely to win but that Senria would be militarily "incapable for the foreseeable future" and recommended a policy of maximum pressure to cause the collapse of new government that would allow Xiaodong to extract considerable concessions from the collapsed Senrian state.

Yao Fuzhang (left) promoted the creation of a Senrian satellite state whilst Ren Xilian (right) proposed annexing Senria into Xiaodong.

During the revolution an influential Xiaodongese figure writing about Senria became Chen Guanbiao, a radical socialist theorist who called for a new society in a Xiaodongese dominated Senria that would be pan-Coian in character, with harmony between the people of Senria and Xiaodong. Chen originally a supporter of the Senrian Revolution became disillusioned with what he saw as the chaos it had unleashed - Chen blamed the revolution's failure to achieve social reform in real terms on the fact that it embraced liberal and nationalist ideology. Chen called on the Coian nations to reject barbaric nationalism and to submit to Xiaodong which would liberate the Coian world of reactionary practice and promote peace between people's. These ideas were later adapted by right-wing theorists. These rightists promoted Chen's analysis that liberalism and "barbaric nationalism" had destroyed Senria and that a new society in Senria needed to be built, but rather than promote an anti-nationalist, utopian pan-Coianism instead called for Xiaodong to subjugate and destroy Senrian society in its entirety.

Radical socialist followers of Chen advocated for Xiaodong to intervene in Senria and influenced war planners. Yao Fuzhang, the Chief of Staff of the Xiaodongese military, was convinced that a war with Senria to contain the "republican experiment" was imminent but that a pro-Xiaodongese, monarchist Senria was still possible to restore. Yao submitted to the Emperor a proposal that in the event hostilities with Senria broke out Xiaodong would not push for concessions with Senria but instead aim for full blown regime change and the re-orientation of Senrian politics and its economy to Xiaodong. Yao's plan was opposed by those of the extreme right of the government such as Ren Xilian, who called for "the orderly and complete dismantlement of Senria and the elimination of is people's" but was widely accepted by most political factions, despite concerns that regime change would be a costly endeavour doe Xiaodong. The Emperor was also friendly with the exiled Senrian Prince xxx who heavily advocated for a Xiaodongese invasion that would restore his family to the throne. Following the annexation of Sakata by Senria, Xiaodongese officials crafted an ultimatum to be given to Senria or face. The ultimatum was designed to be politically unacceptable to Senria to they would reject it and as such its six points were designed to move Senria into the direction of a vassal state, with these being -

1. Senria will recognise the authority of the Son of Heaven and pay tribute.
2. Senria will relinquish all claims to Sakata and return the territory to Xiaodong.
3. Senria will halt all anti-Xiaodongese agitation and cease all anti-Xiaodongese propaganda.
4. Senria will remove all officials who express views demeaning and insulting the Xiaodongese nation.
5. Senria will allow representatives of Xiaodong to supervise the affairs of the Senrian state in the interests of collective security and mutual friendship.
6. Senria will present all those with civil and military posts in Senria to be examined and approved by representatives of the Xiaodongese state.

The final push for Xiaodong to adopt a strategy of regime change came after Senria rejected Xiaodong's ultimatum - with this rejection the Shanrong Emperor labelled the Senrian government as being "completely impossible to reason or negotiate with" and that a "responsible government is needed to end the anarchy on these islands".

Proposals for a monarchy

Senrian Prince xxx lobbied for his family to be returned to throne, but the idea faded from prominence after he was killed by Senrian guerrillas in 1928.

When Xiaodong declared war on Senria in 1927 there was still debate within the government over the future setup of the new Senrian state. Although the initial propaganda highlighted that the main aim would be the implementation of the Six Points in full - which Gaullica believed to be the only aim of Xiaodongese forces - the Shanrong Emperor had informed the military almost immediately that the main priority was regime change and the destruction of republicanism in Senria.

Following the invasion various collaborationist parties emerged - these included the monarchist Black Ocean Association, the ultranationalist, anti-Euclean True New Dawn Society and the functionalist Party of National Reconstruction. All those whose supported the new Xiaodongese regime were based in the traditionalist, anti-republican right of Senrian politics albeit not all of them - particularly the Party of National Reconstruction - supported monarchism. An important collaborationist early on, influential former republican Yosito Otuzi, was particularly vocal in his opposition to a monarchical restoration supporting instead the creation of a new state based on national functionalism. This contrasted to prince xxx who despised modernisation and wished to restore Senria to a semi-feudal, authoritarian monarchy that would restore the "samurai spirit".

Following the invasion general Lu Keqian announced the creation of a provisional government in Sakata choosing Otuzi as Chief Minister of the Reformed Government. Lu was a republican and personally despised Prince xxx who he saw as a "epitome of the gutless character of the Senrian people, whose deception is not even marked by any finesse" and worked to prevent a restoration of the Senrian monarchy to the islands. Lu's appointment of Otuzi was approved by his superior Qiu Hanjie who whilst not being a republican distrusted the Black Ocean Association as being comprised of opportunists, instead promoting Otuzi loyalists in the Party of National Reconstruction to lead the collaborationist government. Qiu sponsored the creation of the Sintaiseikai, an alliance of the three collaborationist parties and other independent collaborationists with the hope it could form the nucleus of a single-party state.

The Shanrong Emperor remained supportive of the restoration of some form of Senrian monarchy, but had become increasingly drawn to annexing sections of northern Senria in order to ensure Keisi was "always in range of our artillery" as well as being a "fine prize for the men we have lost". Prince xxx increasingly came to oppose the annexation of such large swathes of northern Senria and the Black Ocean Association became far more marginalised as the Shanrong Emperor became far less supportive of a Senrian monarchist restoration, although was still opposed to the radical functionalists in Senria supported by occupation authorities. The Shanrong Emperor tapped his sister, Princess Wenzhuang who spoke Senrian, as a potential candidate for ruling over a southern Senrian state.

Princess Wenzhuang was considered as the Xiaodongese candidate for the Senrian throne, but was vetoed by Qiu Hanjie.

In January 1928 Senrian guerrillas were able to assassinate prince xxx which led to Senrian monarchist collaborationists to lose their primary advocate - the Shanrong Emperor however was still unsure of a non-monarchist government. Princess Wenzhuang soon became the Xiaodongese government's choice for a Senrian monarch and in March 1928 she was sent to Sakata ostensibly as the imperial representative to the reformed government. Princess Wenzhuang was chosen partly due to her fluency in the Senrian language but also due to her lack of political ties with established Xiaodongese or Senrian political factions.

Princess Wenzhuang's proposal to become monarch was opposed by Qiu Hanjie and other military leaders in the occupation authorities after Wenzhuang criticised some of the conditions Senrians faced in the occupation zones. At a meeting with Qiu in June 1928 Qiu was reported to continually shout at Wenzhuang that Senrians were "dogs" and that she would become a traitor to the country if she continued to argue with the occupation authorities over the status of Senrians in the occupation zones.

By 1929 as the Senrian genocide started in full the Shanrong Emperor delayed the plan coronation of Wenzhuang until after the war. In 1931 Wenzhuang was found to be passing information to the Senrian resistance, some of which was blamed for helping the Ukyou uprising; as a result of this but to avoid embarrassment for the imperial family the Shanrong Emperor demanded she return to Baiqiao where she placed under house arrest, dying shortly afterwards of what was suspected to be a poisoning. With Wenzhuang's withdrawal the Shanrong Emperor lost interest in restoring a monarchy for Senria with the idea rarely being proposed afterwards.

Plans for partition

Although some plans early on had envisioned maintaining Senria as a united state, following the invasion quickly it became popular within Xiaodongese government circles to eventually partition Senria following the war's end and the annexation of Senrian territory into Xiaodong directly. The reasoning for a partition was coached in various ways; military planners saw control of the strait between Xiaodong and Senria as vital for Xiaodong to maintain naval supremacy and that by moving the Xiaodongese border to be near Keisi that they would be able to permanently be in a position to strike at the Senrian capital at a moments notice. Demographers also wanted to move a large amount of rural unemployed Xiaodongese into new areas to create settler colonies, with a transfer of parts of the population into Senria being similar to moves into Duljun and Tinza. Ideologues also believed that Xiaodong had a natural right to expand its borders and that Senria as a nation that had defied the more powerful Xiaodong deserved punishment through loss of land.

Partition plans from the very start saw to divide Senria into areas designated for Xiaodong to be depopulated of Senrians, repopulated with ethnic Xiaodongese and absorbed as integral provinces of Xiaodong and areas to make up a rump Senrian state. Usually these plans roughly saw northern Senria including the island of Tousuu absorbed into Xiaodong and southern provinces remaining an independent Senrian state. A minority, mainly based around Ren Xilian, wanted to annex the entirety of Senria but this idea was rejected by the Shanrong Emperor after Chief of Staff Yao Fuzhang called such a move logistically impossible.

General Li Yongjin formulated the Yasuoka Plan that called for the complete partition of Senria.

In April 1927 the Shanrong Emperor appointed General Li Yongjin, based in the newly-created Yasuoka military district, to devise a series of recommendations regarding the future territorial boundaries of Senria. Li was a protégé of Qiu Hanjie and believed that Xiaodong had an inalienable right to expand into and annex large sections of Senria. Li observed that as a bastion of republicanism northern Senria should be depopulated as its citizens were already less likely to accept Xiaodongese rule and thus the most surefire way to pacify them would be to remove them completely; Li also stated that by moving such a large amount of Senrians that it was inevitable that their population would enter rapid decline and thus reverse the increasing tend of Senria's population "catching up" to Xiaodong, thereby allowing Xiaodong to retain an overwhelming demographic advantage over Senria.

Li recommended that the Ontoudou, Tousandou, Onkugodou, Tintoudou, Toukukodou, Hokkaidou, Hokusandou, Kennandou, Tuukaidou and Sanyoudou regions of Senria should be annexed into Xiaodong and depopulated of their Senrian inhabitants to be replaced with Xiaodongese. Depopulation was either to be done via Senrians to be imported into Xiaodong as slave labour and to force the remaining Senrians to undergo cultural "Xiaodongisation" or for the physical removal and genocide of the Senrian people as a whole. Although Li was a staunch advocate for the latter substantial parts of the military advocated the former who feared more radical measures would redirect vital supplies from the front lines.

Administration

Otuzi Yosito, Chief Minister of the Imperial Authority

The Decree on the Imposition of Imperial Authority of Senrian Territories within the Heavenly Xiaodongese Empire laid out the basic administrative structure of the Imperial Authority. The Emperor of Xiaodong was the nominal head of state of the territory and was given the right to appoint a Viceroy to "oversee the affairs of state and command the Heavenly Army". An executive known as the State Council was created headed by a Chief Minister, whilst a legislature was due to be created at an undefined date. A single political party, the National Association for a New Senria, existed.

The centre of political power however was in the hands of the Commanding Officer of the Xiaodongese forces in Xiaodong, who was co-currently the Viceroy. The State Council and Chief Minister were little more than rubber stamping bodies as the military appointed ministers and ran local government. The National Association for a New Senria and its associated militias, served only as a conduit for the mass mobilisation of the Senrian population in Xiaodongese occupied territory rather than a genuine political party. This meant that effectively the Imperial Authority was a military dictatorship ruled by the Commanding Officer. Two men served as Viceroy/Commanding Officer - Lu Keqian from May to June 1927 and Qiu Hanjie from June 1927 to his capture in July 1932.

Judicial system

The Imperial Authority was under a state of martial law throughout its existence, meaning military courts determined the justice of those within the Authorities borders.

Militias

File:Senrian militia Bantian.jpg

Xiaodongese troops with a Senrian girls volunteer militia in Sakata, 1930

To encourage local support for the new regime, volunteer militias were created by occupation authorities that aimed to incorporate Senrians into the new regime and defend against resistance groups. The largest of these was the Army for the National Defence of Senria which was created to root out anti-Xiaodongese Senrian resistance groups. Other militia's included the All-Womens Defence Corps and the Youth Brigades, both of which were the military arms of the Senrian Womens League and the Youth for the Restoration of Senria, mass organisations created by occupation forces to shore up support for the regime from all sectors of society. All militia groups were nominally voluntary, but in reality Senrian citizens were pressured into joining them; Xiaodongese commanders frequently used kidnapping and impressment to recruit. Milita members were deemed more expendable than Xiaodongese troops and as a result were frequently denied supplies and intentionally sent on suicide missions by Xiaodongese commanders. The vast majority were not loyal to occupation forces, with many aiding and abetting guerrilla forces and Senrian espionage activities, and large numbers of Senrian milita members defected or surrendered to Senrian troops when given the opportunity.

The militia groups were dissolved in November 1930 when all Senrian citizens in occupied territory were designated to be deported into extermination zones, although militia groups had been used in the genocide prior to their dissolution.

Demographics

Over the course of the war, the Xiaodongese state aimed to fundamentally reconfigure the entire ethnic makeup of Senria, beginning its conversion from a homogeneous Senrian to a homogeneous Xiaodongese state. At the eve of the invasion the vast majority of the population within what would become the Imperial Authority where ethnic Senrians, with a small population of Xiaodongese people mainly in Sakata where under Xiaodongese rule the city had begun to have a ethnic majority of Xiaodongese.

Under the occupation Xiaodong divided the population along socio-ethnic lines. Ethnic Xiaodongese were afforded the highest privileges, followed by honorary Xiaodongese (Senrians who cooperated with Xiaodongese authorities), Senrians and burakumin. All aspects of life were segregated on these grounds within the Imperial Authority - the best housing was redistributed to ethnic Xiaodongese whilst burakumin and later Senrians were deported to ghettos to eventually be shipped off to Extermination Zones.