Sungh
The Sungh (宋) was a state situated in modern-day Themiclesia. It overthrew the Tsjinh in 420 and was itself overthrown by the Rjang in 489. Inheriting Tsjinh's territories, it expanded upon it to cover most of southern Themiclesia and into Maverica. The Sungh asserted its power over the four states in the mid-400s but never successfully established a unitary government over them. While the state's name was Sungh, contemporaries typically referred to land it ruled as Tsjinh, and canonically it is remembered as the second dynasty of a united Themiclesia.
History
Rise
Despite subjugating the states through the Treaty of Five Kings (256) and thereby ending the Hexarchy, the Tsjinh never achieved political unity of the states that gave rise to Themiclesia. Instead, it utilized marriage alliances, commercial exploits, and appointment of sympathetic ministers in peer courts to advance its own interests, only twice using military power to uphold its influence. In 318, the senior line of the royal house went extinct, and the court dissolved into factions supporting various contenders; a series of rulers came and went, vying for influence and legitimacy. The Sungh house was one such faction that initially supported the three final kings of Tsjinh but became gradually turned into the power behind the throne. Having acquired sufficient clout amongst the courtiers, the Lord of Sungh deposed the final Tsjinh king and declared himself ruler in 420. With the four princes eager to renege on the Treaty of Five Kings, courtiers feared that warfare may again arise and threaten their properties; thus, they endorsed a non-royal line that they believed could provide superior leadership in a particularly challenging environment, after the royal house had proven impotent over the last century.
Peak
As the Sungh was founded by an experienced administrator that had consolidated influence for years and with the concurrence of influential courtiers, royal power was stable at the beginning of the dynasty. Yet as it was feared at the Tsjinh court, the four states rose up in arms and declared they would remove the Sungh king as a usurper and restore a Tsjinh prince. Envoys were dispatched to argue that the transition of power had been voluntary and done with the assent of the aristocracy; however, all rejected this and averred the peace treaty was only valid with a Tsjinh king on the throne. In May 422, Pjang was the first to invade, followed by Sjing in July. To prevent Sjing from interfering with defending Pjang, the Sungh king ceded Gwin prefecture to Dem, which turned to ally with Sungh instead. [...]
Having secured the alliance of Tengh and Dem, Pjang was persuaded to withdraw from Sungh in 425. This war would set the course for the 5th century in Themiclesia, as it allowed the Sungh king to re-issue the Treaty of Five Kings.
Overthrow
Government
The Sungh government