Hengdu Republic

The Hengdu Republic (琼珠民国), also known in the Bai Empire as the Qiongzhu Republic, was a self-proclaimed independent entity that existed on the Qiongzhu Islets during the Warlord Era from 1943 to 1964. The republic was dissolved through the Siege of Qiongzhu, as the newly-established New Bai Empire forcibly annexed the islets in 1964.

In the aftermath of the War of Fellow Brothers, the islands were briefly occupied by the reinstated Kaoshan Republic, before administrative responsibility was transferred to local rulers in 1943. On that year on 1 May, local rulers proclaimed independence from the Central Clique. With the support of Kaosha and Cinasia, the republic managed to fend off numerous incursions by fascist remnants and repealed a communist uprising in 1944. Qiongzhu remained effectively independent from other forces although the Republic was not formally recognized by any other state.

The Republic eventually collapsed during the Siege. In the waning days of the Republic, Qiongzhu suffered political and civil unrest, with a worsening economic situation. The Republic eventually surrendered to the Empire on 4 January 1964. Most of the Republic leadership was executed for treason, and martial law was imposed on the islands until 1985.

Qiongzhu under Middle Bai and Fascist rule
Qiongzhu became a Bai province in 1865 following the Treaty of Sanping, when Bai businessmen on the island sought annexation under Bai rather than remain as part of Kalm. As per the treaty, Qiongzhu remained outside of the Middle Bai government control and largely self-governed, given de facto status as a "special province". The Middle Bai government sought to use this autonomy model for the other Kaoshan provinces, though the people of Kaoshan proper had less desire to join the Bai Empire.

Its status as a "special province" ended with the Fascist coup in 1922. The new fascist regime sought to centralise control over its provinces and sent a legion of forces on the islands. Mining operations and plantations were nationalised under Fascist rule, and political prisoners were sent to the islets as slave labour for mining and harvesting. The State Security Bureau in Qiongzhu committed numerous atrocities towards the common people, with systematic purges and executions of the locals perceived to resist the new regime. An alleged assassination attempt on Yu Shanliu's son, Yu Zeming, further tightened security on the islands.

Fascist rule had fermented locals' resentment and resulted in the establishment of the Free Qiongzhu Movement led by Tao Ming and Lin Sengjing. The Movement became an official part of the larger Alliance to Restore the Empire, though it continued its activities independent of the Alliance. The local resistance facilitated many operations smuggling escaped political prisoners out of the islands.

Near the end of the War of Fellow Brothers, Qiongzhu was liberated by Kaosha and placed under its military occupation.