Lian Dynasty

Founding
The Lian Dynasty was the last Chinese Dynasty ruled by Han Chinese. Also known as Great Lian, it was founded in 1301 following Hong Zujin's rebellion against the Yu Dynasty, and united China 1 year later. A brief interregnum followed the death of Emperor Hui, and Empress Cixi assumed control and established the Hui Dynasty. Emperor Guangli ascended the throne and restored the Lian 15 years later.

During Hong Kuaili, posthumously named Emperor Shengli, literally meaning "victorious ascension", the Lian Dynasty saw a prosperous time. Emperor Shengli would conquer more territory than any other Lian Emperor, excluding Emperor Yunzhen, Shengli would conquer Mongolia, and establish a protectorate by forcing the Eastern Chagatai Khante into submission. However, much like Emperor Wu of Han, these territorial expansions dried up the empire's coffers, and this would prove disastrous in the Oirat Rebellion of 1457.

Fall
Following the Manchu Qing Dynasty's invasion and the fall of Luoyang, the Southern Lian Dynasty was formed by Emperor Chongyu's third brother, Hong Kuolang, who proclaimed himself as Emperor Xingkui. Southern Lian fell 8 years later.

Founding
Hong Zujin, born to a peasant background during Emperor Tianling's reign, once saw the Yu as a means to drive the mongols out of China once and for all. Following the invasion of the mongols 2 decades earlier, the Qian Dynasty was one its last legs before Emperor Tianling rebelled and seized back Luoyang. He then served for Yu as a minor military advisor. After Emperor Tianling's death, his son, Zhao Jianyi, was a tyrant, and Hong quickly left the army for another profession. Initially, he went back to work in his family's farm, but after suffering abuse from the other villagers saying that he worked for the tyrant emperor, he was forced to leave. He eventually resorted to banditry and joined a loose confederation of bandits that aimed to restore peace to China. Hong then realised that the bandits were more savage and greedy than he thought, and he gathered enough followers until he overthrew the bandits and formally rebelled against the Yu.

Proclaiming the Great Lian
In the summer of 1301, Hong Zujin laid siege to Luoyang, the capital of Yu, and the city fell a month later. Hong then proclaimed himself Emperor of the Lian Dynasty. 1 year later, the Yu Dynasty surrenders as Emperor Gaotang commits suicide.

Campaigns against Mongols

The Mongol Khanate, once the strongest empire in the world, was reduced to a confederation of Mongolian tribes, with the Khan barely holding any actual power. Hong took the opportunity and attacked the mongols, annexing many tribes in the following years. Emperor Guanle would complete what Hong started. The Lian would then control two thirds of the historical Chinese territories controlled by the Jiong Dynasty 800 years earlier.

Lian De-vassalisation
After Emperor Guanle dies to illness, his third son, Emperor Quan, would ascend the throne and release many of Lian's vassals, which just happens to make up 50% of Lian's territory. This, although the Lian would lose a lot of control over central Asia, would be pivotal in the following century of peace and prosperity. In this period, the Lian economy boomed, the population exploded, and the Lian's military strengthened. This would greatly assist Emperor Shengli's 4 Great Campaigns a century later.

4 Great Campaigns
After the Lian De-vassalisation, the Lian Dynasty's control over central Asia was greatly reduced. Hong Kuaili (Emperor Shengli) wanted the Lian to exploit internal struggles between the Asian tribes and kingdoms, and seize back control over Asia. He launched 1 campaign against the Mongols, 1 against the Jurchens, and 2 against the Chagatai Khanate s, one of the last remaining remnants of the Mongol Empire. This would greatly increase Chinese authority over Asia, however, this would eventually be lost after his death, and the Oirat Rebellion would devastate the empire.

 Oirat Rebellion 

In 1470, the Oirats rebelled against the Lian, creating an independent mongol power. This hasn't been achieved since the Mongol Empire 300 years ago. They fought against the Lian for a decade, after Lian defeat at the Battle of the Raging Horses, the Lian Dynasty recognised their independence and signed a peace treaty. This greatly weakened Lian control and paved the way for the Manchu invasion a century later.

Empress Cixi's Interregnum
After reigning for only 1 year, Emperor Hu i was assassinated by his brother, the Gaoqi Emperor. This caused civil unrest, and allowed Empress Cixi to assume control and establish the Hui Dynasty. During her reign, she expanded China's territory by going to war with the Oirats after previously signing peace. She also sent expeditions to the European Powers, and after defeating a joint attack by the British and French fleets, they solidified their ocean rule, and their navy was the most formidable until Britain's Royal Navy. She expanded north east, and subjugated the Jurchens and the Lê Dynasty. She eventually died and all power fell to Emperor Hui's fourth son, Emperor Guangli. During her 14 year-long reign, the Lian Dynasty saw a gradual increase in economy and power.

Emperor Guangli Reclaiming the Throne
In 1497, Empress Cixi died, and Hong Kang, the Guangli Emperor, reclaimed the throne. After eliminating other Princes, he rebuilt the Lian economy by trading with Europe. This will prove crucial in the struggle against the Manchu invasion 60 years later. He eventually died in 1521 while fighting in the Battle of Jiaoding. His son Emperor Zhuling, was only 14 when he ascended the throne, allowing the Lian strength to diminish.

War of the Red Waters
In 1519, Spain declared war on the Lian by attacking a small port at Liaodong. However, the garrison managed to resist until reinforcements led by Li Anquan arrived and decisively defeated the Spanish forces. The Spanish later invaded the chinese coastline many times in the next 3 years. In 1520, Emperor Guangli led a mass inspection of the naval defences on the coastline, only to be surprise attacked by the Spanish at Jiaoding. He led his more insignificant forces to fight at sea, while leaving behind Fan Jing to protect the city. He died in the ensuing naval battle, however, his forces successfully defeated the Spanish and Portuguese. In the final months of the war, the Lian Dynasty suffered continuous attack by the mongols in the north, and for the first time, Lian troops under Pang Fusui, one of the 3 Great Generals of Guangli, sailed to Spain in the Hundred Waters Campaign, in an attempt to destroy the Spanish morale. This was successful, and the attack greatly reduced Spain's naval superiority and consolidated the Lian Dynasty's control over the seas.

Later Ming Rebellion
During the early 15th century, a devastating Later Ming Rebellion broke out in southern China. It was instigated by Zhu Liguang, who sought to reestablish the Ming Dynasty. His rebellion sparked the Oirats in the North to invade and inspired the Tsangpa to rebel a few years later. In its initial stages, Emperor Zhuling cared little as the armed rebellion was little and sent Fan Gui to suppress it. However, after Fan Gui's defeat at the Battle of Kailiang, many of the Lian troops surrendered to Zhu, establishing a clear threat to the Lian Dynasty. Eventually the rebellion was put down after the Battle of Yueliang, however, it greatly weakened the Lian's military to the point that out of the 640,000 troops it had before the rebellion, only a third survived. This third was not enough to govern and protect all the empire's vast regions, enabling many otherwise weak neighbours to attack.

Tsangpa Rebellion
The Tsangpa rebellion was the final straw that broke the camel's back. In this case, the Lian Dynasty. This 6 year-long rebellion continued to weaken the Lian Dynasty. After initial success in the Tarim Basin, Karma Tseten, the founder of Tsangpa, moved onto the main Chinese heartland, invading areas which was modern day Sichuan with little resistance. However, Li Anquan, a renowned general of the late Lian era, resisted his attempts to advance further and even repelled his attacks during the brutal Lian-Tsangpa Wars. Li managed to push Karma back to where they'd started, and after taking modern-day tibet, Karma sued for peace. The highly successful Tsangpa rebellion sparked major rebellions such as the Rebellion of Li Zhicheng and Xi Rebellion that continued to weaken the Lian until the Qing conquered Lian.

Manchu Invasion & Fall
In 1538, after witnessing a severely weakened Lian Dynasty, Nichiga, the head of the Aisin Gioro clan, rebelled against the Lian and established the Later Jin. Unable to stop it, the Lian Dynasty gathered its remaining forces at the Great Wall and Liaoning. Li Anquan protected the Lian for more than 5 years against almost-constant assaults and skirmishes made by Later Jin forces. However, after the execution of Li Anquan, the Shunzhi Emperor, saw the opportunity and invaded Lian with all they had. Now renamed to Qing, the Qing forces breezed through Luoyang, forcing Emperor Chongyu to commit suicide. This marked the end of the Lian Dynasty, and his nephew, Hong Min, established the Southern Lian and continued to resist the Qing invasion.

Military
The Lian Military was largely composed of one standing army, with smaller conscripted armies. This helped to improve the Lian's overall military might as it wasn't too harsh on the peasants, and only when they were needed, were the soldiers conscripted. This is evident in 1350, before Shengli's 4 Great Campaigns, the Lian Military was only 300,000, and at the start of the 4 Great Campaigns, the military boomed to almost 800,000. However, this system was deteriorated greatly following the years, as veterans died and younger soldiers didn't participate in as many wars, the Lian overall military strength began to weaken. This was also because later Emperors saw that overwhelming numbers would bring definite victory, however, after the Zhuling Emperor's reign, the Lian military would be heavily focused on quantity, not quality, and this would greatly reduce Lian's capabilities in warfare. This is evident at the Battle of Kailiang, where inexperienced Lian troops were decisively defeated by the Later Ming army.

Timeline (approx.):
1298: ~11,000

1301: ~193,000

1302: ~184,000

1329: ~280,000

1356: ~796,000

1435: ~420,000

1454: ~351,000

1477: ~320,000

1483: ~533,000

1497: ~592,000

1521: ~640,000

1527: ~210,000

1536: ~139,000

1545: ~235,000

1547: ~100,000

1554: ~28,000