Jiong Dynasty

The Jiong Dynasty was the ruling dynasty of China from 251-569. It was founded by Zi Xiang (Emperor Gaoshun), and united China in 275 under Emperor Gaoshun's son, Zi Hui (Emperor Yuzhen). The Jiong Dynasty was arguably one of the most important dynasties in Chinese history, and even world history, as its vast territorial extent brought Chinese culture all across Asia. At its height, it covered modern Russia, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar, Mongolia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan and more.

It eventually fell after the Lu Jing Rebellion greatly weakened the empire, and the Song Emperor would eventually depose Emperor Yu, last emperor of the Jiong Dynasty. Li Shimin, son of Li Yuan, would then reunite China under the Tang Dynasty.

Founding
It was founded by Zi Xiang, a military official of the Shu-Han dynasty. He was the son of Xi Xian, a pivotal figure in history, as he helped Zhuge Liang and eventually Jiang Wei in the Northern Campaigns. Due to his efforts in transporting grain and persuading Sun Quan, ruler of Eastern Wu, in sending reinforcements when he faked a letter of the Cao Wei emperor informing a spy within Eastern Wu to incite a civil war by assassinating Sun Quan. This overwhelmed Cao Wei, and with Zi Feng's elite Changlin Troops, they ambushed all the retreating Wei armies.

In 277, the last emperor of Shu-Han, Liu Kun, died, and You Ji usurped the throne as Emperor Kang of Ling. Zi Xian persuaded his sons, Zi Xiang and Zi Feng to stay loyal, as the Dizhi Emperor (Liu Kun) knew that his empire would most likely fall after his death. Although Zi Xiang stayed loyal, You Ji suspected them of rebelling, so he wanted a show of force. He removed Zi Xiang and Zi Feng of their military tallies, and forced the 62 year old Zi Xian to suppress the Qiang Rebellion. However, he was unsuccessful, and history long debated whether this was on purpose. Nevertheless, You Ji had him imprisoned and eventually he died of illness a few days later. His sons, Zi Xiang and Zi Feng, were outraged. They assembled the remaining elite units, their Changlin Units, and rebelled.

At the start, they were separated, but eventually conjoined their forces. They inflicted a devastating defeat at the Battle of Luoyang. By that time, the Qiang Dynasty under Emperor Qian had united all of northern Asia, a feat never done until the Russian Empire. Kuo Lang's Chu Dynasty also posed a threat. However, many of Ling's troops, who was previously under the command of the Zi family and Shu-Han, surrendered, further boosting Zi Xiang's power. The Ling dynasty retreated to southern Asia, where they kept power until the Lu family usurped power and established the Jing Dynasty.

Uniting the Chu and Qiang Dynasties
After Ling's retreat into southern Asia, Zi Xiang focused on the north. After subjugating nearby rebellions, he started to assault Qiang territory in the north-east. Following various victories and seizing much of Qiang's territory, the Chu and Qiang signed a mutual defence pact, and sent an ultimatum for Zi Xiang, asking for mutual peace. Zi Xiang, who knew that the peace wouldn't last, and would only bring corruption and internal instability, he declined and sent the messenger back without even giving a second thought. The Qiang and Chu would subsequently attack the Jiong. Although they were defeated in the Battle of Jiefeng, it was a pyrrhic victory.

Military Success
Its military success came because of China's advanced technology compared to the rest of the world. The 5 Great Campaigns of Emperor Yongqing, Zi Shu, established the Jiong Dynasty as the most powerful empire until the Lu Jing Rebellion of 537, more than 200 years later. However, during the early days of the dynasty, the Jiong came under fire from all of its neighbours, including many yet minor rebellions that eventually weakened the empire during the middle reign of Emperor Kang.

The Dynasty greatly weakened during the reign of Emperor Jing, whose corruption led to the eventual Rebellion of the 2 Dynasties, in which the Later Shu and Yan dynasties brought the Jiong to its knees. Due to the rebellion being an external one, meaning that no internal officers rebelled, Emperor Jian was eventually able to reunite China by manipulating the two dynasties to fight each other.

Emperor Jian's two sons, Zi You and Zi Xi, Emperor Liang and Lun, reformed the empire and eventually brought its economy to a stable state, by mostly coercing nearby nations and empires into a tributary state. This laid the path for Emperor Kang to conquer the nearby nations and bring the Jiong back to its former glory.