Sun Yuting
Sūn Yùtíng | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 孙玉婷 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Official Portrait of Sun Yuting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th First Minister of Xiaodong | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 31st March 1972 – 17th January 1984 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Lu Dejiang Sun Zhukang Yuan Jiaxiang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Qian Xingwen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lu Fangliang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Qian Xingwen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman of the Xiaodong Regeneration Society | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 31st March 1972 – 17th January 1984 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Qian Xingwen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lu Fangliang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Qian Xingwen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 22, 1910 File:Flag of Xiaodong (1876-1951).png Shenkong, Taixin Prefecture, Xiaodong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | January 17, 1984 (aged 73) Kuoqing, Dongtou Prefecture, Xiaodong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Xiaodong Regeneration Society | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Cai Qichun | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Military Academy of Xiaodong | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | File:Flag of Xiaodong (1876-1951).png Heavenly State of Xiaodong (1928-1933) Xiaodong (1933-1984) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | File:Flag of Xiaodong (1876-1951).png Heavenly Army of Xiaodong (1928-1933) Xiaodongese Army (1933-1984) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Brigadier general | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battles/wars | Senrian-Xiaodongese War, Xiaodongese Civil War Corrective Revolution | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
- This is a Xiaodongese name; the family name is Sun (孙).
Sun Yuting (Xiaodongese: 孙玉婷; Sūn Yùtíng; 22nd November 1910 - 17th January 1984, aged 73) was a Xiaodongese politician and military officer who served as First Minister of Xiaodong and Chairman of the Xiaodong Regeneration Society from 1972 to his assassination in 1984. Sun also served as Second Minister from 1970 to 1972, Director of the Public Security Secretariat (Shujichu) from 1957-70 and a brigadier general. He is the only Xiaodongese First Minister to be assassinated and the longest serving in the role.
Born in 1910 as part of a military family, Sun joined the army in 1929 serving in the Senrian-Xiaodongese War. In 1933 he became a member of the clandestine Xiaodong Regeneration Society and in 1936 was one of those who led the Corrective Revolution. Rising in the ranks of the army rapidly becoming Xiaodong's youngest brigadier general in 1954 at the age of 44, becoming the Director of the secret police, the Shujichu, in 1957 and entering the State Presidium two years. Sun became Vice-Chairman of the Regeneration Society in 1970 being appointed by Lu Fangliang to shore up her support in the military. After dissatisfaction with Lu Sun with military backing removed her from office and appointing himself as First Minister and Regeneration Society Chairman.
Sun, a conservative, continued the policy framework established by Lu Keqian in 1934, maintaining harsh dictatorial rule and state control of the economy. Under Sun Xiaodong stagnated as the regime became increasingly repressive, restricting personal liberties. As First Minister Sun led ambitious infrastructure projects with the intention of making Xiaodong self-sufficient, especially in the realm of energy, although the economy remained largely agricultural. In 1970 a series of disputes over maritime borders between Xiaodong and Senria led to the Coastal Crisis, an armed confrontation between the Xiaodongese and Senrian navies that saw Xiaodong and Senria fire missiles at each other and several naval battles, with full scale war only narrowly averted. The dissident Xiaodongese Labour Union of Free Workers' in 1977 staged a strike in protest of poor working conditions, with expanded into a general pro-democracy movement - in response to this Sun led the Kuoqing Massacre murdering pro-democracy activists and trade unionists. In 1984, Sun was assassinated by a Senrian spy for his role in the Coastal Crisis, and was succeeded by Qian Xingwen as First Minister.
Sun's repressive regime, weak economic growth and role in the Kuoqing Massacre have generally meant that Sun is ranked poorly amongst Xiaodongese leaders. However, he has gained some credit mostly regarding his work in infrastructure projects and his promotion of Xiaodongese interests abroad, setting up the International Forum for Xiaodongese Affairs which serves as a coordinated lobby for the Xiaodongese diaspora. Whilst been previously praised for his image as clean, morally upstanding leader Sun's reputation has been damaged in recent years due to revelations of extramarital affairs and corruption, and allegations of sexual deviancy and connections with Tuthinian brothels, although these have been subject to criticism as being baseless political attacks. His death to has been subject to conspiracy theories.
Early life and education
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Sun Yuting was born in the city of Shenkong in the Heavenly State of Xiaodong on the 22 November 1910. His family was mainly made up of career soldiers related to the Xiaodongese aristocracy with his father Sun Yaoshan being a Grand Field Officer in the Heavenly Army of Xiaodong. Sun had three brothers (two older and one younger) and four sisters, all but one younger than Sun.
Sun was sent to military school as a young child, being described as being a "quiet, hardworking student with impeccable loyalty". In 1916 Sun moved from Shenkong to the then-capital of Tiandufeng (now known as Baiqiao) and enrolled into the Military Academy of Xiaodong, the main training ground for officers in Xiaodong. During his time in the military academy Sun became associated with the Xiaodong National Restoration Group (晓东国家复辟小组; Xiǎodōng Guójiā Fùbì Xiǎozǔ), a socialist nationalist group within the military. Sun graduated from the Academy in 1929 with the position of second lieutenant.
In 1927 Sun married Cai Qichun, the daughter of a minor aristocrat, in an arranged marriage.
Career
After graduating from the Military Academy, Sun was assigned to serve in occupied Senria in the city of Sakata during Senrian-Xiaodongese War as a deputy within the military administration that ruled the province, led by general Li Qingyang. The Li military government failed to suppress the Senrian guerrilla forces in Sakata, meaning that in 1930, Sakata was put under the command of Lu Keqian. Under Lu's rule Xiaodong held onto parts of northern Senria, but by December 1931 had entered a stalemate as Lu's tactics became increasingly brutal towards rebels. Sun as a member of the military administration in Sakata became a loyal ally to Lu and an ardent nationalist. In December 1931, the Sakata garrison was replaced with Qiu Hanjie and the Peace Preservation direct control with Sun sent back to Xiaodong.
In 1933 the March 8 Coup d'état saw a group of military officers remove the Shanrong Emperor and Prime Minister Ren Xilian from power and seek a peace accord with Senria. The decision to end the war angered many Xiaodongese nationalists, especially those in the military, with Lu Keqian creating the Xiaodong Regeneration Society, an ultranationalist revolutionary socialist group that aimed to overthrow the "old order" of Xiaodong and overturn the "national humiliation" of the capitulation to both Senria and Tinzhan. Sun, a staunch loyalist to Lu, was one of the founders of the Xiaodong Revolutionary Society which soon became an influential clandestine group within the military and state bureaucracy. In 1933 the Xiaodongese Civil War broke out when the Socialist Republic of Xiaodong was declared. Sun stayed loyal to the army and was stationed in East Thianchin where he participated in the successful reclamation of Minqin in 1935 that saw the war dramatically turn in favour of the government.
Following the creation of the Xiaodong Regeneration Society Lu and his associates planned to overthrow the regime and replace it with a single-party socialist republic. In 1936 as the end of the civil war was in sight members of the Xiaodong Regeneration Society were strategically deployed across the major cities in Xiaodong with the purpose of retaking them in a coordinated coup d'état that would see Lu Keqian take control of the country. Sun was deployed to the city of Shenkong with the coup scheduled to the 20th September. On the 20th the Corrective Revolution was
launched, with the Xiaodong Regeneration Society taking control of Xiaodong, with the Heavenly State dismantled and the Auspicious Republic of Xiaodong declared with Lu Keqian as First Minister, State Chairman and Grand Marshal. In Shenkong, the putsch was mostly bloodless with minimal casualties. Subsequently after the takeover of Xiaodong by the Xiaodong Revolutionary Society (renamed the Xiaodong Regeneration Society) Sun became part of the Xiaodongese Army. In an effort to cement power over the military Lu Keqian ordered for purges to be undertaken within the armed forces to quell the chance of a coup against his own government. Sun due to his perceived loyalty and involvement in the Corrective Revolution was involved in many of the purgings, using the removal of many high ranking Xiaodongese officers to advance his own career. Sun continued to rise in the military during the 1940's and 1950's. In 1954 Sun at the age of 44 was promoted to the position of brigadier general - his promotion at a young age to a high post was partly due to successful manoeuvring for promotion and Lu's purge of the armed forces resulting in a shortage of military officers. In 1957 he was given the post of Director of the secret police, the Shujichu, which was then a branch of the military. As Shujichu head he expanded the powers of the secret police and became infamous for his advocacy of torture by Shujichu officers against suspected spies. In 1964 the Senrian Prime Minister Tokiyasu Kitamura was assassinated by Mao Shunguo, a member of the Xiaodognese Shujichu. Initially Mao was suspected to be a lone Xiaodongese ultranationalist, but it became apparent that Mao had acted on the orders of Sun Yuting as Shujichu head at the time.
In 1961 Sun was successfully picked to be a member of the State Presidium, with First Minister Li Zhaozheng ensuring he as Shujichu Director became part of his core support group. Sun subsequently rose rapidly within the Xiaodong Regeneration Society partly due to backing by powerful military and intelligence cliques and partly because of Li's personal patronage.
Following the ascension of Lu Fangliang to First Minister and Lu Dejiang to State Chairman tensions emerged between the Shujichu and the government. Both were the children of Lu Keqian with Lu Fangliang being the wife of Li, leading to many in the military to worry that Xiaodong was becoming a family dictatorship under the Lu family. Sun in particular despised Lu Fangliang who he saw as a decadent playgirl who exerted to much influence on Li. In 1970 Lu to shore up her support in the military appointed Sun as Second Minister and Vice-Chairman of the Regeneration Society.
Tensions between Lu and Sun worsened during 1971-2 as Lu was implicated in embezzlement as the economy continued to worsen. Lu and her brother saw their support evaporate from within the military and the Shujichu, leading to Lu to consider launching an auto-coup that would allow her to purge the military and reassert control. Fearing this outcome Sun and his colleagues launched a "soft coup" forcing Lu to resign from her positions with Sun taking her place.
First Minister
Consolidating power
Sun's predecessors as First Minister - Ma Renzhong, Chen Xuechang, Li Zhaozheng and Lu Fangliang - had operated on the principles of consensus government and prioritising economic growth above all else. This had led to the regime to soften during the 1950's and 1960's in the name of economic development, much to the ire of conservatives within the regime who saw Xiaodong in the 1950's and 1960's
becoming decadent and abandoning its traditional culture in the name of consensus and economic development. In particular, foreign influence from Tuthina and Senria which had proved crucial in shoring up foreign investment into Xiaodong alarmed conservatives who wished to maintain national sovereignty and were afraid of the dilution of Xiaodongese culture.
Sun supported the conservatives within the regime and was sympathetic to concerns of government complacency, growing corruption and creeping foreign influence in Xiaodong. Shortly after coming to power he asserted an autocratic style of leadership, ending the technocratic consensus established under Ma and promoting his own aides. In June 1972 he launched a series of purges with the support of the regimes secret police, the Shujichu, after promoting his own right-hand man Xi Rongguo as the Shujichu's new Director. In the Autumn of 1972 Sun had his principal opponent, Ren Jiangji who led the technocratic party faction, removed from his party positions and exiled to the post of Ambassador to Lyonsland.
On the 5th October 1973 Sun convened a meeting of 123 senior bureaucrats, politicians, military officers and corporate heads ostensibly to come to a consensus on a "National Programme of Revitalisation". At the meeting Sun accused some of the attendees for harbouring "reactionary, anti-Xiaodongese sympathies" and that there was a Tuthinian-Senrian-Tinzan plot to take over the Xiaodongese government "supported by reactionary elements in Xiaodongese society". Sun then drew up a list of officials accused of being part of this plot and ordered for their immediate trial - over 57 of the attendees were arrested by Shujichu agents loyal to Sun. The 1973 meeting was seen subsequently as the "defining moment" in cementing the power of Sun over his potential rivals.
In March 1974 Sun announced a referendum that would see the promulgation of a new constitution that shifted more power into the hands of the Council of Ministers and by extension the First Minister and away from the State Presidium. Whilst the State Presidium was a rubber stamping body, it had served as a launching pad for party factions to enter the Council of Ministers and encourage a more consensus based government. The new constitution would strengthen the power of the executive, thus effectively shifting Xiaodong away from a one-party system where party organs determined policy to an totalitarian autocracy based around the leadership of the Xiaodong Regeneration Society's Chairman. The constitution passed with 98% of the vote in a rigged election thus confirming Sun's position. The Constitution would remain in effect until 1988.
Economic Policy
Sun was a supporter of Xiaodong's semi-state owned command economy, and during his term baulked at attempts to liberalise the Xiaodongese economy. His government continued publishing three-year plans with the intention of guiding the economy via nationalised industry and private conglomerates. Sun's first three year plan saw much tighter restrictions placed on industry and the small private sector as well as more state intervention championed in stark contrast to Ma and Li who preferred to guide economic developments rather than initiate them. Sun saw greater state control of the economy as not only key to economic development but also in nationalist terms, deeming private finance as being inadequately committed to national development. Sun also saw economic controls as being necessary to protect the economy from foreign influence. As such after coming to power Sun implemented protectionist policies, banning foreign ownership in Xiaodong, nationalising foreign assets and putting tariffs on foreign products. The Renjin was also rendered nonconvertible on foreign financial markets, a process that had started under Lu Fangliang.
When Sun came to power the economy was suffering from stagflation with both inflation and unemployment rising rapidly. As First Minister, Sun Yuting attempted to make Xiaodong self-sufficient in its energy needs, launching a massive infrastructure projects with the intention of mining for more coal and creating hydroelectric dams. To pay for these projects in the short term the Xiaodongese government borrowed billions from overseas, leading to extremely high budget deficits. The government in 1976 implemented emergency austerity measures, cutting government expenditure and raising taxes on land with angered the predominantly agricultural population of Xiaodong. His government encountered further troubles in 1978 when there was a collapse in rice prices, causing the regime to tighten the austerity programme. Sun however, intent of securing energy independence continued on ambitious infrastructure projects, the most famous of which was the Fushang Dam and the Ku'ang coal mining complex.
The Sun government's heavy handed regulations and recession caused the government to borrow billions from overseas to prop up both the Renjin and the increasingly common "zombie industry. In June 1980 this high rate of public borrowing came to a head as the government had difficulties with high inflation, strong stagflation and the possibility of default - Sun's economic advisers told him to devalue the Renjin, cut wages and deregulate sectors of the economy. Sun refused, instead ordering a freeze on prices and wages.
The freeze resulted in the government to restore some stability but even more relient of borrowing from overseas. Throughout the freeze the government faced the ever-present prospect of a balance of payments crisis to maintain the overvalued exchange rate. In 1982 Sun's advisers recommend he reverse course and liberalise the economy, with Sun again refusing to do so commenting his policies were "was fundamentally ensuring the stability of the economy". In 1983 the government announced it would implement a rationing programme which resulted in riots in several urban centres, although this did little to abate the crisis.
By 1984, the economy was in a seriously precarious situation - inflation was very high at 800%, unemployment stood at 1 million people and foreign reserves were quickly being depleted. In 1987 Finance Minister Mao Zhongchen stated that by March 1984 (the month the Economic Reorganising Programme was introduced) three months after Sun's death that the Xiaodongese government only had "three or four months left wherein it could finance imports with foreign reserves".
Foreign Policy
Upon coming to power, Sun attempted to make Xiaodong self-sufficient but continue amicable relations with its traditional ally Ankoren in the Estaban-Rongzhuo Axis, retaining the "Three Fundelmentals" foreign policy set out by Ma Renzhong (isolation of Senria, maintenance of Xiaodong as a regional power and containment of communism). However, his anti-Senrian and anti-Tuthinian
rhetoric killed any chances of a Monic alliance. Sun took foreign policy into his own hands, taking the Minister of International Relations portfolio for himself but was subsequently criticised for alienating foreign leaders. Abroad Xiaodong's repressive regime was rejected by large parts of the international community, rendering Xiaodong a pariah state.
When Sun had been the head of the Shujichu, Senrian Prime Minister Tokiyasu Kitamura had been assassinated under his orders, a fact known to the Senrians. The incident resulted in a notable hardening of Senrian-Xiaodongese relations, with Sun calling Senria a "barbarian country" (野蛮的 国家; yěmán de guójiā). a term not commonly used in Xiaodong since the Senrian-Xiaodongese War.
Nevertheless, Sun encountered some success in foreign policy. In 1974 Sun oversaw the creation of the International Forum for Xiaodongese Affairs (IFXA) an organisation which represents and lobbies for the interests of the Xiaodongese diaspora. The IFXA during the 1970's promoted the rights of ethnic Xiaodongese in many countries were ethnic Xiaodongese had faced persecution, under-representation or were ignored, as well as promoting pan-Xiaodongese unity and cultural awareness amongst the Xiaodongese diaspora. Sun also saw a historical high in Ankoreni-Xiaodongese relations cultivating a close relationship with Hakim Ali Ghaddar and furthering Xiaodongese-Ankoreni relations.
Defence Policy
During his time as First Minister Sun launched a comprehensive re-organisation and modernisation of the Xiaodongese Defence Force which in 1972 was seen by Sun as being corrupt, ineffective and archaic both in its training strategy and equipment. Most pressing was the system of institutionalised rivalry between the different branches of the armed forces - this measure had been implemented in 1953 to prevent coup d'état's but had hindered the cohesion of the armed forces. Sun's view was shared by Minister of Defence and Military Planning Chen Yuanchao and Vice-Chief of Staff Fang Zhengao. The support of these two men was crucial in Sun's drive to pursue unorthodox reforms to the Defence Force without alienating senior military commanders.
On the 13th June 1974 the Joint Command of the Defence Force alongside the Ministry of Defence and Military Planning sent a report to the First Minister's office that called for an overhaul of the Defence Force, including a reduction in the number of officers, centralising military decisions into the Ministry of Defence and Military Planning, creating a Joint Command that would end the institutionalised rivalry, reducing the 10 military regions to five, redirecting military spending to weapons research over officer pay and launching research into the acquisition of tactical nuclear weapons. Sun's policies led to an increase in military spending, especially in the airforce which benefited greatly due to massive investment into military research.
In 1974 Xiaodong began construction of the first plutonium-producing nuclear reactor in the Fengjiazhi prefecture under the supervision of the Department of Scientific and Human Progress. The program was reportedly divided into research wings dedicated to the development of nuclear weapons and another wing dedicated to creating medium-range missiles. By the late 1970's and early 1980's uranium enrichment and plutonium production was well underway. Sun also initiated Xiaodong's policy of deliberate ambiguity that would remain in place until 2009 when Yuan Xinnain launched Xiaodong's first nuclear test.
Social policy
Sun's government was most known outside Xiaodong for its repression and lack of civil liberties. Sun believed that under Ma Xiaodong had become morally and culturally decadent, and believed that a lack of societal order and discipline had led to a complacent, westernised population. As such upon coming to power Sun launched a moral crusade against "decadence, westernism and moral failings". Strict censorship was applied to books, radio and film, whilst certain forms of music (such as jazz and rock music) banned. Every citizens was requiered to attend Patriotic Cultural Festivals which celebrated traditional Xiaodongese culture. In 1974 the government passed several laws which variously banned facial hair, tattoo's, and piercings and set strict regulations on clothing and hairstyles. Women were not allowed to wear short skirts, visible cleavage and trousers with traditional dress championed instead. Long hair on men was banned, with those who wore it subject to mandatory haircuts by the police, and in 1977 men were limited to only being allowed 8 hairstyles and women 12. These restrictions were done in the name of "protecting Xiaodong from foreign fashions and protecting Xiaodongese culture " and also applied to tourists.
Under Sun's predecessors Li Zhaozheng and Lu Fangliang there was a push to increase the population to be double that of Senria, with an over 10 million increase in the total population under his rule. However by the mid 1970's there was a concern that the rapid growth of the population could not be sustained especially as the government expanded housing and fuel subsidies, leading to Sun to approve of a two-child policy in 1978. The policy was enforced by local governments who fined or withdrew subsidies for families who had more than two children after 1978, with the government also performing forced abortions to those who were carrying third children. The policy was met with limited protest and was unpopular, but resulted in the birthrate to stabilise during the early 1980's.
Sun's regime also banned gambling and most recreational drugs, with casino's and opium dens quickly raided and closed down under his rule. Sun also made prostitution punishable by death deeming it alien to Xiaodong and brought over by Tuthinians. Sun decreed in 1970 that smoking, drunkenness and idleness were "not befitting of the Xiaodongese nation" and called for either death or a sentence in a re-education camp for those who committed those crimes. In 1973 Sun extended compulsory military service from 24 months to 28 and reintroducing internal passports, which had previously been abolished in 1955.
Coastal Crisis
Since the Corrective Revolution the Xiaodongese government had rejected calls by Senria to adhere to the Treaty of Keishi, whilst Senrian leaders continually called for Xiaodong to abide by the treaty's terms. Worsening tensions between Keishi and Rongzhuo under Sun had led to a hardening of Xiaodongese policy amongst Senrian leaders, who became more bullish in their demands that Xiaodong should honour the agreements of the Treaty. On the 14th June, hardline Senrian Prime Minister Takesi Takahata ordered two fleets of the Senrian Republican Navy to enter Xiaodongese territorial waters with the intention of forcing Xiaodong to pay reparations demanded by the Treaty.
Upon hearing of Takahata's actions, Sun called an emergency meeting of the Joint Security Council, where it was decided that the Xiaodongese navy would be deployed to escort the Senrian ships out of Xiaodongese waters. However, Senria refused to comply with Xiaodongese orders, and on the 17th June a skirmish off the coast of Baiqiao broke out, with four Xiaodongese ships and three Senrian ones being sunk. According to Xiaodongese reports, a Senrian warning shot was purposefully targeted and hit a Xiaodongese ship starting the skirmish, whilst Senrian maintains Xiaodongese ships rammed one of Senria's.
Following the sinking of the ships, another Joint Security Council was convened where the Xiaodongese government ordered for a mobilisation of its troops and began to draft a declaration of war against Senria. However, Tuthinia's ambassadors to Xiaodong and Senria were able to convene emergency peace talks in the Samtoy attempting to defuse tensions between the two sides. Sun's deputy, Qian Xingwen, was pro-Tuthinian and worked closely with Tuthina throughout the crisis to convince Sun to back down and accept truce with Senria in return for Senria to leave Xiaodongese waters. After two weeks of talks, Sun agreed to the Tuthinian proposal, narrowly averting another Senrian-Xiaodongese war.
Kuoqing Massacre
During the 1970's a repression became harsher and more intrusive the reform movement became increasingly inclined towards radical and violent solutions, often revolutionary in nature. Student groups had often formed the backbone of reformist and anti-government movements, and became influenced by radicalism, anarchism and direct democracy as reformism and gradualism became impossible. This radicalism spread to other underground organisations such as religious groups, trade unions and overseas movements opposed to Xiaodongese government policy. In March 1973 the Xiaodongese Labour Union of Free Workers' was created calling for workers' self-management, better working conditions, higher wages and more workplace democracy - however over the year the XLUFW became increasingly radical, campaigning for an end to single party rule, free elections and a radical restructuring of society into cooperatives. The XLUFW enlarged, with some its members simply wanting better working conditions, others liberal democracy and others revolutionary action.
On the 3rd May 1977 the local government of Kuoqing announced it would close over 8 industrial plants and relocate its workers' to work in the newly created Ku'ang coal mining complex within a month or leave them unemployed. Mine work was at the time notorious for being dangerous and unemployment equally risky with no welfare state supporting the unemployed. As such following the announcement workers' set to be relocated who were part of the XLUFW staged a strike in protest of the decision. Soon, the XLUFW and its associated societies staged a general strike and numerous protests, calling for greater protection of workers' and more broadly democratic reform.
When the central government in Rongzhuo heard of the general strike and pro-democracy protests Sun ordered for martial law to be imposed in Kuoqing and all "dissidents to the socialist nationalist cause" were to be crushed. The regime sent the army and the secret police, the Shujichu, into Kuoqing, gunning down pro-democracy protesters and members of the XLUFW and arresting thousands on suspicion on being affiliated with democrats. Around 2,000 people were gunned down by military and Shujichu forces as Sun announced a national emergency. Following the massacre, the regime launched reprisals on those associated with the reformist, democracy and revolutionary movements. The Xiaodong Regeneration Society was purged of moderates, all forms of organisation banned, and an expansive crackdown overseen. Between May 1977-July 1978 over 500,000 people were sent to re-education camps or sentenced to death by the regime whilst a further 800,000 were stripped of their jobs.
Assassination
Following the Kuoqing Massacre and rising unemployment the Sun regime became increasingly unpopular, whilst its forced seizures of foreign assets leading to increasing isolation. Since the assassination of Tokiyasu Kitamura and the Coastal Crisis the Senrian government under both Takeshi Takahata and later Kichirō Imahara had begun to see Sun as pushing both countries towards another Senrian-Xiaodongese War. As well as this, Sun's personal popularity with Xiaodongese people had plummeted as the economy deteriorated after facing massive growth in the 1940's-1950's and government corruption became more endemic alongside the increasing repression. Senior officials with the ruling party who identified with the pro-Tuthinian faction had begun to actively push for Sun's removal from office, producing serious divisions within the regime. By the end of 1983 Sun's position in the party was the weakest it had seen since 1962.
On the 17th January 1984 Sun attended a parade in Baiqiao celebrating the 115th anniversary of the surrender of the Kuoshun Dominion during the Baiqiao Revolution in the city of Kuoqing. Sun due to his regime's absolute control over the populace forwent wearing a bullet proof vest, reasoning that the populations fear of the iron fist of the regime would blunt any threat to him.
A Senrian agent, Itoyama Seiji, had infiltrated the parade by impersonating one of Sun's own body doubles whom always accompanied the leader with the order to kill Sun. At 12 o'clock as Sun addressed crowds of people during the celebration Itoyama shot Sun twice in the back, before be seized and killed by Sun's own bodyguards. Sun was rushed to hospital before dying seven hours later.
Assessment
Sun is often ranked lowly in regards to Xiaodongese First Ministers thanks to his poor economic management and overseeing the most repressive era in Xiaodongese politics. Under Sun, the Xiaodongese economy was severely damaged by several economic crisis's and crashes leading to a massive fall in living standards and severe poverty in many regions, and by the time of his death was suffering from stagnation and decline. His regime's repression also led to "cultural stagnation" during his premiership as well as a huge expansion of the secret police and prison camp system led to "the most brutal repression in Xiaodong since the Senrian-Xiaodongese Incident".
Historian Zhu Lin stated Sun was "thuggish and unimaginative...a military man at heart, Sun valued stability, but believed that only the imposition of brute force and state control could lead to long lasting stability. Any attempt at liberalisation - whether in the political, economic or social sphere - would in Sun's mind lead to a loss of control over the populace, and thus breed instability and chaos, as had happened when control was removed in the period between 1933-1934 following the March 8 coup. In that context, the heavy handedness of the Sun government can be understood as the reaction of Xiadongese leaders who truly believed their tight control over the Xiaodongese people would lead to Xiaodong to avoid the mistakes it made in the 1930's."
Some have praised Sun for beginning Xiaodong's nuclear weapons programme which is considered indispensable in modern Xiaodongese defence policy.
Controversies
In 2007, leaked documents allegedly revealed that during his lifetime Sun had often slept with prostitutes abroad, with said prostitutes mostly being from Senria and Tuthina. Such documents were considered extremely controversial when released, as the Sun government had mandated the death penalty for prostitution, and he had commonly used anti-Senrian rhetoric. The documents also tarnished the image held of Sun as morally clean. Sun's son, who was at the time serving as Deputy Minister of Energy resigned from his seat in the State Presidium. Sun's family disputes the claims of the document, saying it was most likely fabricated, with his daughter saying "my father was quite unlike his colleagues...he did not have a single concubine and detested infidelity.".
Conspiracy theories
Sun's assassination has been linked to various conspiracy theories. Due to Sun's anti-Tuthinian views, and his successor Qian Xingwen's pro-Tuthinian stance, many have speculated that Sun's assassination was at least partly orchestrated by Tuthina. Several members of the Xiaodong Regeneration Society have stated that Tuthina was behind the assassination, with Qian Xingwen once remarking in 1990 that "without Tuthina...modernisation and the escape from ideological dogma would have been impossible". Former leader of the opposition Ye Jingyo commented that, whilst not defending the legacy of Sun, that there was a "compelling case" that Tuthina organised Sun's assassination, pointing to Sun's foreign policy (namely, antagonising Senria) as being detrimental to Tuthinian interests and Sun's nationalisation of Tuthinian assets in Xiaodong. The Tuthinian, Xiaodongese and Senrian government have long denied Tuthinian involvement in Sun's death.
Family
Template:First Ministers of Xiaodong Template:Xiaodong Regeneration Society