Muinon War

The Muinon War, also known in Kuehong as the Kue Liberation War, was a conflict on the Muinon Peninsula from 1928 to 1938. Fought largely between Kue rebels and Cinasian troops, both sides were supported by various parties. Cinasia was assisted by Fascist Bai, the Federal States and Fayaan, while the rebels were supported by Suria and other communist and socialist allies. The war ended with a peace treaty ratified in 1938.

The conflict began after a decade of racial tensions between the Kue and the Cinasians. In protest against Ho Ling Wha's passing of the Denaturalisation Law, Kue rebels proclaimed their own government in Phong Thinh in 1928. Cinasia proceeded to intervene, initially aided by its ally the Bai Fascists and later Fayaan as the conflict spilled over along the border region. Suria and other communist forces in the region sent support in Kuehong's defence, which included the Fayaan's People Army and the Bai Socialist Volunteer Corps. More than 500,000 died in the war, out of which about 20,000 to 10,000 were soldiers. With the high casualty rate and Ho's growing unpopularity, various sides began to sue for peace. The peace treaty signed in Fayaan City outlined terms that included Kuehong's official independence, the withdrawal of Cinasian troops and the end of the Bai Fascist's involvement in the war.

The war has been considered a pivotal moment in the modern history of the peninsula and the region. Several communist forces in the region, emboldened by their involvement in the war, rebelled against their respective governments. Ho's sudden death sparked the Cinasian Civil War in which Cinasian communists attempted to take over the country. In Kuehong, the Kue communists overthrew the greatly weakened Free State government on 31 October 1942. In Bai, the war has been widely considered a minor theatre in the War of Fellow Brothers, which in turn was one of the early conflicts during the Revolutionary Era of the 20th century.

Kuehong Independence Movement
Ever since the end of the last independent Kue Kingdom in the 13th century, many Bai came to settle on the peninsula during the period the Kue called the "Bai Occupation". The Bai people began to outnumber the Kue and other natives, heavily influencing local culture and customs. Despite resistance, the Kue people were forced to move to around today's eastern Kuehong, which became one of the few Kue-majority areas on the peninsula.

Under the Yuet Kingdom, restrictions on the Kue's rights were relaxed. This, however, resulted in more competition for land and resources and sectarian violence between the Kue and Bai. In response to the many rebellions during the 17th century, the Yuet began to revoke their rights and reinstated segregation between the Kue and Bai communities. This changed in the 19th century, with the Yuet Emperor officially eliminating official discrimination against the Kue and ethnic minorities on the peninsula.

With the rise of Kue scholars educated abroad in the latter half of the 19th century, the idea of a Kue-led state began to gain traction. The writings by key "founders" of the Kue Independence Movement (崔益铉 Thoi ích Huyễn and 安偿拮 An Cất Gặt) has inspired many segments of the Kue population to rebel against the Yuet. Attempts to suppress the "Kue Awakening", such as imposing restrictions for the Kue to further their studies, only brought more resentment and only intensified the movement. Hence, during the 20th century, the Yuet implemented gradual political reforms to allow several Kue nationalist parties to allow Kue representation in the Advisory Council.

Many of the Kue parties merged into the Kuehong National Alliance (KNA), pursuing strategies of cooperation with the Yuet government for more rights for the Kue. On the other hand, radical groups, which included the communists, have taken a non-cooperative strategy demanding the "immediate independence of the Kue people" and has resorted to terrorist attacks. The KNA subsequently lost support over the lack of progress for Kue rights. The radical nationalists went on to form guerilla groups that waged a low-scale insurgency against the new Cinasian Republic.

Rise of Ho Ling Wha
The Yuet Kingdom was dissolved through the Five Powered Revolution on 2 July 1912 and was succeeded by the Cinasian Republic. The early republic was fraught with political strife, especially among Yuet royalists, supporters of the new republic and hardline socialists and fascists. After two successive presidents, Ho Ling Wha came to power in 1920 due to widespread support of his vision to establish order and stability in the new republic. Upon taking power, Ho secured its alliance with the Bai Fascists and has hosted Fascist leader Yu Shanliu multiple times.

Ho pinned the economic crisis and political instability on the Kue populace and has accused the Kue for being Yuet royalists. As Ho amassed power for himself and purged potential political opponents, he enacted numerous anti-Kue legislation to deal with ethnic violence. This, however, only intensified the Kue civil rights movement, with many Kue uprisings to challenge the inequality and discrimination against them. The early attempts by the KNA to rein Ho in was futile, and alongside the other political parties, Ho had the KNA disbanded. With the instigation of the Muinion War, Ho invoked emergency powers and had the Cinasian legislature dissolved, effectively becoming the absolute ruler of Cinasia.

Prelude to war
With the KNA was disbanded, the organisation went underground. 金相玉 Kim Tương Ngọc took over as KNA leader in 1925 and expanded the KNA to include Kue communists and other parties which previously split away due to various differences. Kim went on to reorganised the guerillas who pledged themselves to the KNA, and issued orders to halt their activities in 1926 as Ho continued to crack down on Kue insurgents.

At the same time, Kim went abroad for support of the creation of the Kue government. However, his trips to Fayaan City and Huntington were unsuccessful, and the Cinasian authorities attempted to arrest or assassinate him. He subsequently met representatives of Suria in Drull. Suria promised to send economic and military aid but declined to send troops to help. Suria went on to suggest that the Kue engage with the Bai socialists for support and arranged meetings between the Kue leaders and Bai resistance leaders. The Bai Alliance to Restore the Empire agreed to dispatch troops to aid Kuehong if necessary.

Ho caught wind of these plans and made efforts to send more troops in the Kue region while breaking off ties with Suria. Planning to exclude Kue from full citizenship rights in the republic, Ho had the Denaturalisation Act passed in 1928 that stripped many Kue of their citizenship. The law triggered the Phang Tin Uprising, which saw the deadliest crackdowns during the Ho era as 1,300 Kue were killed in the Uprising. The crackdown on the uprising united the KNA leaders, who issued the Vang Ngat Declaration vowing "revenge" against the Ho regime. Plans to establish an independent government were accelerated, with Kim hosting various secret meetings and negotiations in 1927 and 1928.

Phong Thinh Revolution
On 1 August 1928, Kue militia began to position themselves at strategic locations across the country, which included the Cinasian military bases and broadcasting centres. In the afternoon, the Kue protestors began to position themselves at key Kue monuments in the major Kue cities. A prominent Kue writer, 房薛醒 Phòng Tuyết Tỉnh, read a manifesto to a crowd at Phong Thinh Railway Station. Phòng demanded the repulsion of the Denaturalisation Law, the withdrawal of Cinasian troops in Kue territory, freedom and political rights for the Kue people, the establishment of an autonomous democratic Kue government elected by the Kue people and the resignation of Ho. The protestors then marched to join a growing crowd protesting outside the Phong Thinh governor's office.

Meanwhile, other protestors began to gather around the headquarters of Cinasian Central Radio. Shortly afterwards, at 16:00, the protestors, along with the militia, stormed into their targets, overwhelmed the poorly-equipped Cinasian troops and seized control of key infrastructure across the region. The various Cinasian governors and their workers were rounded up and transported to a militia camp. At 16:30, Kim Tương Ngọc proclaimed the establishment of the Kuehong Free State.

Shortly after the proclamation, Ho Ling Wha condemned the "Kue rebellion" and declared the establishment of the "Kue state" as void. At the same time, Ho issued an order to implement his contingency plan which he prepared several months earlier should the Kue rebellion "spiral out of control". During the night, Cinasian tanks stationed themselves at the border regions of the Kue state and a battalion was assembled to prepare for the intervention.

Loang Khuech Offensive
At dawn, the Cinasian troops launched their assault with a skirmish in Loang Kheuch. With the Kue militias dealing with the skirmish, other Cinasian units began to attack other parts of the border. Despite having captured tanks and heavy artillery, the Kue militias, who were focused on stopping the offensive in the south, were unable to deal with the other Cinasian units.

As Cinasian units surrounded Phong Thinh, the Free State government evacuated to Kiet Tai and made plans to reorganise their defences. On 4 August, the militias that remained in the annexed regions began to launch their operation to cut off the Cinasian supply lines, by sabotaging the rail lines and roads. At this time, the Kue government began to request help from Suria, who agreed to dispatch planes and other equipment to help counter the assault.