Tianjing

Tianjing is the capital of Songguo. The city was constructed beginning in 1935, following the end of the War of Nematsujin Aggression, and its original layout was completed in 1956. In 1984 Tianjing was extensively damaged during the chaos and fighting of the 6-6 Crisis, in which it played a central role. Following the end of the crisis with the December 12th Restoration, the city was rebuilt and modernized heavily. It is located in the Capital Zone, near the holy site of Stone Drum Mountain, and is located around eighty miles northeast of Dongjing, the previous capital which still is the center of the imperial demesne.

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Etymology

Tianjing translates literally to "Heavenly Capital", and as a purely artificial city this name was partly chosen to hint at the new government's continued possession of the Mandate of Heaven, a political idea which has never entirely vanished in Songguo.

History

Tianjing was originally conceived at the Dongjing Convention following the end of the Nihon war, when the various factions could not agree on a capital city for the new government. It was decided that a location near the imperial capital would be best for convenience's sake, but the Buddhist monk and militia leader Tanluan was the one who suggested placing it near Stone Drum Mountain would be sensible. The city would be laid out along the River Lai, which would make bringing construction materials in quite easy, and planning commenced immediately. In the interim, Dongjing was grudgingly made the provisional capital, a role it would later revert to during the 6-6 Crisis.

Initial construction

Tianjing was to be laid out in a radiating grid pattern on a region of gently rolling plains along the Lai, about twenty miles south of Stone Drum Mountain. There were several large parks and artificial lakes built in the city, most notably the Field of Heroes around the Palace of the Grand Assembly. Government ministries and military and intelligence headquarters were centered around the Palace of the Grand Assembly, and formed the core of the city, split from the outer districts by the 1st Ring Road and a greenbelt. Embassies were all located near the Foreign Ministry on Embassy Row in the inner district, and a number of monuments and smaller parks were also included in this inner zone. Tianjing Station, the largest rail station in the country and the hub for the city's underground lines, as well as for rail travel to other cities and regions, was also positioned strategically in the city center, as was the City Hospital.

By 1940, the inner district was essentially complete except for some landscaping work and the construction of the transit system, and with the first tower blocks up, essential personnel could move in and begin working.

The second zone, the area between the 1st Ring Road and the 2nd Ring Road, was residential and commercial areas. The residential buildings built from 1935 to 1956 were mainly tower blocks, which were outfitted with all manner of modern accouterments, but a few smaller private compounds were built for wealthy individuals and families and top leadership. All of the tower blocks were arranged in groups of between 12 and 20 and the buildings themselves slightly varied, though in terms of design they were extremely similar. Each group of 12 to 20 apartment complexes centered around a metro station and a commercial area with storefronts for various businesses to fill in. They were also connected by roads. Each of these small neighborhoods were comfortably within walking distance of each other, and the initial plan to build 100 such groups was increased to 200 in 1949.

The second zone is separated by the 2nd Ring Road and another belt of parks. Within the 2nd Ring Road Park, however, Tianjing's planners also positioned extensive anti-air defenses and several radar towers, which were coordinated directly by a section of the Central Military Commission in the inner district. Some light fortifications and artillery were also built in the 2nd Ring Road Park.

The outer zone consisted of the industrial areas. Several steel plants, brick factories, airplane plants, munitions factories, and factories for the production of sensitive or strategic equipment and materials were initially built here, along with a few food processing plants and a number of power stations. Further outside of the city, near Stone Drum Mountain, was the airport, which was connected to the city center by both a special train line and a medium-sized road. The airport had its own air defenses in addition to the 2nd Ring Road Park's. Beyond the outer zone was the 3rd Ring Road, which was essentially a collector and feeder for highways that ran to the city. The 3rd Ring Road then branched four highways off heading into the city, which came in in such a fashion as to divide Tianjing into four quadrants. The Metropolitan Guard was also established as an elite defensive force for the capital, serving as both a garrison and gendarme force.

Throughout the subsequent decades, the city would see periodic updates to improve infrastructure. Most notable of these update projects was the 1960-1965 construction of the Tiger Lake Dam upriver on the Lai, one of the world's largest hydroelectric power stations, which led to the shutdown of the coal-fired power plants in the outer zone that had previously powered the city. Tianjing grew rapidly, but its growth was carefully planned, and became a large and prosperous city and a critical nerve center for civilian and military transportation, for intelligence work and foreign affairs, for business, and for politics.

The 6-6 Crisis

The 6-6 Crisis took a heavy toll on Tianjing. The city saw widespread fighting during the June 6th Uprising, in which the Palace of the Grand Assembly was shelled and set on fire. The Central Military Commission was also heavily damaged, as were a number of other government buildings. The city's defensive positions held out for some time, but the rebels were able to enter the city by forcing through the four main highways that led from the 3rd Ring Road inwards, which were not heavily defended, and by the betrayal of some units of the Metropolitan Guard. Eventually, however, most of the city's anti-aircraft defenses were captured intact. Fighting also grew fierce around sensitive industrial sites producing strategic equipment or materials, and in the airport and the train station. Shells intended for the train station also ended up damaging the City Hospital. A large number of residential districts also saw some level of fighting.

Tianjing was hit even harder several months later in the December 12th Restoration. The city was cleared of rebel troops street by street in many places, and little thought was given to the collateral damage caused by artillery fire and airstrikes on either side. After the harsh battle to retake the city ended, it suffered even more as bands of Red Bird Guards marauded across the country, especially in Tianjing (which, once the tracks to the bombed-out train station were cleared, was still a major transportation hub).