Kuehong

Kuehong (Kuehongese: 家乡 Quê Hương pronounced [kweˈhɔŋ]), officially the Federal Republic of Kuehong (Kuehongese: 共和联邦家乡 Cộng hòa liên bang Quê Hương), is a republic in northern Archanta located on the Muinon Peninsula. To its north it is Fayaan, while to its southwest it borders with Cinasia. Kuehong has a population of 32 million, out of which 72% are native Kue, with the rest mainly immigrants, particularly Babelic (Bai) people from Orano, who settled there during Bai's colonisation. The capital is Bakdep (北叶 Bắc-đẹp), while Namthinhvuong (南盛旺 Nam Thịnh Vượng) is the largest city in the country.

The area of Kuehong was inhabited from as early as the 7000 BC, settled by what will be known as the Kue people. The Kingdom of Kue was formed in the 7th century AD. In the 15th to 16th century, the kingdom was defeated in an invasion by the Bai Empire (then Suo Empire) and become part of the empire for the next 300 years. In the 17th to 18th centuries, Ulethan powers briefly administered the ports on the west side through various treaties. After Bai's collapse in the 20th century, the Republic of Kuehong was formed under Phạm Thơ Lanh (范初灵) as its first president, and later merged with Fayaan to form a federation on the peninsula. However, over ethnic tensions, the peninsula was split. Following several political changes in Western Kuehong and northern Cinasia, Kuehong was united in the 1950s under a democracy. In 1967, however, after a political crisis, the military came to power through a coup d'etat. Under the military government, Kuehong was developed rapidly due to its stability. Industrial reforms began in 1982, and later social reforms began after that. In response to calls for democracy, the government have gone through a series of changes allowing greater democracy within its ranks.

Till today, Kuehong is still embroiled in rampant ethnic strifes, though largely peaceful around developed areas. Being a stratocracy, it has a strong military force consisting entirely of the population. Although there are large improvements in the quality of education, healthcare, life expectancy, personal safety and housing, it continues to face challenges including poverty, corruption and inadequate social welfare, alongside allegations of human rights abuses against ethnic minorities.

Etymology
Kuehong is an Ingerish transliteration of "Quê Hương" (家乡), which means "homeland". How the name came about is actually unrelated to how the Kue people came to call themselves "Quê", which also means 'family'. (They have been using it since the 3rd century BC) Instead, "Quê Hương" is believed to have been adopted since the establishment of the Kue Kingdom in the 7th century AD, through an edict by the king calling to refer to their new kingdom as their 'homeland'. In the 17th century, an Ingerish explorer came to the Bai colony and misspelt the name as "Kwehong", which appeared on maps published by Uletha in the subsequent centuries. Another spelling, "Kuehong", emerged later in the 19th century, and is widely used today. Other spelling variants, such as "Kue-hong", "Que Hong", "Quehong" or "Kue Hong", have also been used by other nations to refer to the state.

Geography
Kuehong lies above the Tropic of Cancer and is located between the 27N and 30N latitude. The country is rather temperate. Kuehong also experiences hot, humid weather from June through September, while typhoons are relatively common.

Kuehong has two mountain ranges generally from northeast to southwest, in contrast to the flat to gently rolling plains of the coastal areas, where most of the population generally reside.

Colonisation
The Bai explorers first arrived in Kuehong during their first expedition across the Ardentic in 1348. The Vua of Kue welcomed the Bai explorers and has generously given them gifts of spices and gold. The Bai (Suo) Empire and the Kue Kingdom formally signed an alliance in 1412. Over time, however, Kue became economically overreliant on Bai, with controversially increasingly close cooperation between the Kue rulers and the Bai. On Bai's encouragement, the Kue Kingdom launched a mass massacre of the Neegs in 1445, burning villages and their temples for the settlement of the Bai immigrants coming over to the peninsula with their slaves. The massacre has fuelled worries about the negative impacts of Bai's influence in the region. The remaining Neegs which survived later regrouped themselves and allied with those against Bai's presence.

In 1543, a group of Neeg lords launched a coup against the Giac Dynasty, entering the brief Trần Dynasty, which was claimed later to have fallen into infighting between the rulers, making it necessary for Bai to intervene. The Bai sent ships and troops to the Muinon Peninsula which saw the defeat of the short-lived Tran Dynasty. The Bai managed to fully annex the Muinon Peninsula on 8 December 1577, after the signing of the Treaty of Công Bằng, when all self-proclaimed local rulers on the peninsula surrendered to the Bai. Bai established an overseas government— the Royal Muinon Bai Administration— to control the peninsula and also set up a military fortress from which Bai will launch further military conquests in the region. The Administration, while in its initial years largely effective, later lacked resources to govern itself. An economic crisis on the Bai Empire forced the Bai settlers to look after themselves, and they have to work with former prominent locals to govern the peninsula.

At the same time, the Bai administration also looked to other colonial powers to help preserve the stability of the peninsula. This was seen as an effort to ease the issues the Administration has to face in governing the region. In 1589, Karolian merchants landed on what will be today's Phong Thinh and managed to negotiate with the Bai administration to allow Karolia to set up its trading post in the area. (Karolia also planned to take over the island of Vang Ngat, but that was rejected by the Bai administration). Meanwhile, Castellan and Dutch forces have been laying claims over the poorly-administered Fayaan through early expeditions during the late 16th century without Bai's awareness. When reports of Dutch and Castellan forces being sighted on Fayaan cane to light, Bai immediately tried to launch an attack to push them out, which failed largely due to the complex defence systems set up by the colonists and their merchants. With no other choice, Bai reluctantly agreed to let Castellan and Dutch take the land, later reaffirmed with later agreements, with many Kues and other natives migrating to Bai's side. The controversial decision to hand over parts of the peninsula to other powers was seen as controversial by the Empire, but as the Suo Dynasty began to crumble, little action was taken to reverse the Administration's policies and the Administration remains able to do what it saw fit.

During the 17th century, a new governor Wai Yu-Hing (淮禺興) began to reform the Administration and made efforts to further modernised the region and developed new ports on the peninsula for trade. A system of paved roads was built to connect the various towns. As more Bai merchants started to settle on the peninsula, Bai culture slowly began to dominate in the area, heavily influencing the local cultures (such as the adoption of Bai characters for Kuehongese). At the turn of the 18th century, being in need of funds, the Bai Administration, with the approval of the Lin, decided to lease a few ports to its ally Ingerland, which later formed the Ingerish Ardentic Settlements. The Ingerish managed to become the dominant power in the region, later defeating the Castellan forces in Fayaan in 1690 in the Sea Battle of Selva with assistance from their Florescentan allies. After pushing out the Castellan, however, Ingerland wanted to take over the Fayaan region while giving Floresecnta its former ports in the Kuehong region. The Bai, which does not trust Floresecenta, also objected to this arrangement. These disputes were later resolved through the Muinon Treaty in 1712 which allowed Bai to retain its control of the rural areas of southern Muinon while Ingerland continues to occupy its ports in Kuehong and the former Castellan ports. Florescenta is able to retain its influence by setting up outposts in Fayaan. During Bai's interactions with Ulethan powers, more Ulethans came and settle in the region.

The Karolians later withdrew from Phong Thinh in 1742, handing over the port to the Ingerish. Meanwhile, the Dutch KKAM, having not fully driven out but still operating in some of the various Fayaan ports, have been taking advantage of the worsening conditions under the Ingerish-Floresecentan controlled Union of Fayaan Colonies. In the Ingerish-protected (occupied) regions, farmers started forming militias to protect themselves from looting by gangs and corrupted officials. Many militias were financially supported by the KKAM and local KKAM estate holders were often the first to strive for political reforms - historians are still debating if this was an intentional move of KKAM to weaken Ingerish and Florescentan power or not. On July 11th 1757, KKAM announced the Free Port Law (Vrijhaven Wet) which allowed farmers and merchants in all of Munion to sell their goods in KKAM harbours (i.e. Witzandmond) at the 'domestic tax' rate. With KKAM taxes less than half of Ingerish and Florescentan taxes, many farmers all over northern Fayaan (and to a more limited scale also in the south and some other Munion regions) decided to ship their goods through Witzandmond, illegally avoiding the ports dominated by the Ingerish and Florescentans. Floresecnta later abandoned its control over Fayaan, later followed by the Ingerish. The Bai also attempted to retake Fayaan in the 18th century but saw that there is little value in taking control of the area, especially when a famine just broke out in the area.

Differences between the ports and rural areas later became rather apparent, with the ports better developed under the Ulethan rule as compared to the inland areas. Under the Middle Bai Dynasty, the Bai Administration decided to impose stricter restrictions over the Ulethans' control of their ports. Higher taxes were imposed and certain goods were not allowed to be bought and sold in their ports, especially slaves and opium. This was part of Bai's efforts to undermine Ulethan influence in the region. Meanwhile, the Bai agreed to cooperate with the Ingerish on building a regional rail and road network and industrialised certain towns in the rural areas. A plan for a canal along what will be the Cinasian-Kuehong border never materialised. The modernisation programmes initially drew some support from the previously neglected locals, as such programmes promised better job prospects and economic benefits. However, there was an increase in the number of large-scale famines, and, despite the risks of infrastructure development borne by taxpayers, little industrial employment was generated for the locals. The locals later saw themselves being exploited and hence began to call for independence from colonial rule.

The 19th century saw the Ulethan powers withdrawing from its ports after their leases expired which Bai refuses to renew. The Bai saw that it has problems trying to control the ports left by Uletha, especially when the Kue adopted more liberal beliefs and values, alongside the rise of Kue nationalism which leads to frequent rebellion by the Kue. Fayaan, meanwhile, was granted independence when discussions on incorporating the region under Bai rule failed. The incompetent Bai Administration decided to make preparations for self-governance for the peninsula and enacted slow legislative reforms. The various local rulers decided to form various political parties, the most dominant of which is the Muinon National Alliance. While the alliance had much support among the locals, especially the ethnic Kue, the Bai supported the progressive Congress for the Development of Muinon. It was suspected that later local elections for the Muinon autonomous government were rigged in favour of the congress, but this was never proven. Nevertheless, the Alliance began to boycott the elections and refused to cooperate with the Bai. The agitations, mass strikes, demonstrations and consequently support for an independent Muinon further eroded Bai's control over the region. However, it was only when the Middle Bai Dynasty collapsed due to a fascist coup that the peninsula became fully independent.

Independence and Partition
The collapse of the Middle Bai Dynasty led to the independence of the Federated Bai Territory of Muinon on 2 July 1922 as the Union of Muinon. Under emergency preparations, the Congress for the Development of Muinon (CDM) remained in power with Fascist Bai's assistance led by an unpopular Bai politician Wen Zhuxing. Fayaan later briefly joined the union in hopes of a better economy under a larger market. However, soon after, the Kue people revolted against the CDM administration, and the Kue Muinon National Alliance (later Kuehongese National Alliance (KNA)) came to power, bringing instability on the peninsula. Under the new administration through the 30s, pro-Kue policies were enacted that marginalised the Bai immigrants on the peninsula. Further hardliners in the government have sparked unrest in the eastern and southern regions that are Bai-dominated. Various militias were formed in opposition to the government after further measures were made to eventually remove the Bai and Ulethans altogether from the peninsula. Tensions soared which resulted in a bloody war in the next half of the decade, leading to an intervention by external forces which quickly mediated the situation. The war ended with the partitioning of the already unstable Muinon Peninsula into today's Bai-majority Cinasia, Kue-majority western Kuehong and Ulethan-majority Fayaan on 12 August 1938. The KNA remained in power at the Kue side. However, internal divisions saw the KNA being overthrown by a communist uprising on 2 March 1942. Meanwhile, the Cinasian side remained unstable, due to the socio-economic gap between today's Cinasians and the descendants of Bai merchants who settled on the peninsula and frequent rebellions by the Neegs who failed to create a state for themselves. Corruption remains rampant as the richer Bai remains influential over the Cinasian government. In 1945, after formally taking charge after a show election, the communists in West Kuehong enacted a series of socialist policies. The policies were successful in garnering the support of the masses in the West, with better healthcare and housing policies than Cinasia. Hence, due to the political instability in Cinasia, many chose to emigrate to the West but soon saw that marginalisation against the Bai community remained, resulting in double defections. Nevertheless, failing to develop the economy, instead of relying mainly on agricultural produce, saw the successes of such policies to be rather short-lived.

The years leading up to the 50s saw a rise in border skirmishes between the communists and the Bai. The Bai began a campaign against communism in response to the incursions and defections and the increasing communist threat within Cinasia itself. It attempted to reform the economy by nationalising the economy but failed, largely due to corruption and threats by foreign corporations to pull out all of its operations which the economy is dependent on. Cinasia later made a controversial defence pact with the Federal States in 1951, leading to Cinasia's split as the lower classes of Bai revolted against such 'foreign interference' and led to the brief Cinasian civil war, ending with the split of Cinasia between Bai Kuehong and Cinasia. The communists in Kuehong decided to intervene in the war, but its involvement costs its control over West Kuehong. Frustration with what was perceived as government mismanagement and tax collection abuses led to riots in several towns in West Kuehong. After months of social unrest, with the failure of the government to address it, a military coup took place in 1954 supported by Bai Kuehong, ousting the communist government from power. Meanwhile, Bai Kuehong remains strong due to the wealth it has accumulated and the wealth has been used to greatly develop eastern Kuehong.

Reunification and military rule
In the later decade of the 50s, the new administrations on both sides decided to push for efforts for potential reunification, starting a series of secret talks between both sides. For the military in the West, it is to gain stability in the region and legitimacy to its rule and to counter the remaining socialist and communist threats more effectively. Additionally, there were calls by the civilian population in the West for the military to step down for a new civilian government. In the East, the government hopes to gain more control on the undeveloped ports in the West for further trade prospects, after a pull-out by some foreign companies over a controversial policy enacted in 1957 that saw the increase in tariffs on foreign goods. With the communists weakened, the East began to be more willing to engage with the government in the West. Kuehong was reunified on 31 January 1960, after a series of talks and agreements and overwhelming support for the merger, under a transitional government which will lead to the nation's first national elections. The new economic and modernisation policies brought further stability in the region. However, while national sentiments were high, tensions still remained between the Kue and Bai people, resulting in riots in a few cities. In response, a curfew was imposed, with freedom of speech and movement heavily curtailed. The new government formally declared on 9 May 1961 that 'all indigenous groups are equal under the law', and pursued a programme of 'Kuehongese Kuehong' to encourage racial harmony in the region. The programme stressed an acceptance attitude within the multi-racial society, where a race/ethnic accept the racial differences of others in order for all to live together by respecting each other as a citizen in one country.

The lockdown ended in 1962 to pave way for general elections in 1964, resulting in a landslide win for the United Democratic Kuehong Union, a coalition of rightist party led by the Kue Conservative Party. The leftist coalition, however, dismissed the elections as rigged and refused to acknowledge the results, triggering conflict in the region. Despite efforts in mediating the situation, the unrest led to the assassination of the rightist leader by some radicals in March 1967. In light of the assassination, the military took action by staging a coup in August and launched a crackdown against the leftist activists. Even after peace was restored after the crackdown, the military refused to cede power back to the already weakened rightist coalition and banned all political parties and activities. On 13 July 1968, the military formally took power with the swearing-in of the then defence minister Trần Chí Duệ (陈志睿) as the Chairman of the Security and Stability Congress, replacing the vacant posts of the prime minister and president, starting military rule over the country.

The military banked on their broad appeal to the population, by continuing policies promised by the rightist government, which has not been implemented due to the unrest. Due to the policies, the nation recovered economically from the series of political instability beforehand. Massive development took place in the western regions, which saw little development under communist rule. However, the military was criticized for its emphasis on developing large-scale infrastructure projects. Many felt the millions of dollars spent on building new motorways and a rail network wasted, especially since deaths of the villagers were reported to make way for the motorways, with a death toll amounting to around 500; others supported Tran's vision to develop a centre for peace, education, and religion in the heart of the country.

To solidify military rule, the military started the nationalisation of corporations and businesses in the country all under a new trade union indirectly controlled by the military. In 1974, the new constitution was put in place formalising military rule over the country, which also declares all citizens of Kuehong to be part of the military, hence formally turning Kuehong into a stratocracy. A year after, National Service was implemented in light of confrontations with other nations especially in the Sound of Pa and the Belphenian Sea, though many claimed the move is to ensure the military rule involves everyone.

Reforms
In 1979, Tran dies, with a new leader Vũ Tuấn Hưng (武俊兴) taking over, beginning a series of social reforms by loosening restrictions and control over the populace. The new leader went on to build new schools and public services funded by the military. The military went on to encourage start-ups in the country, encouraging military-trained officials to also engage in business activities as well. He eventually made his controversial move to allow immigrants in the country. However, his economic policies also saw the rise of 'undesirable elements' in the government, such as illicit drug trade and corruption in the country. While initially, the government denied such charges, the trade was eventually exposed by the leader's own opponents who were pushing for the 'cleansing' of the military government, leading to a series of resignations of prominent officials including Vu himself in 1984. He was replaced by colonel Trần Tu Tín, who continued such reforms, though he was criticised for being slow on implementing his promises of a better Kuehong. Nevertheless, he is known for his efforts in revising the education and healthcare system in Kuehong. He was forced to resign in 1990 due to his failing health.

The new leader, Lý Duc An (李德恩), took a bold step in the reformation of the government itself. To enhance the credibility of the government, he implemented a system of checks and balances, introducing the two four-year term limits for the chairman post and the formal establishment of the legislature - the National Council - led by a Chief Counsellor. In 1992, after the implementation of the new constitution, he launched the first nationwide elections for the new legislature in Kuehong. However, the 1993 elections, initially hailed as Kuehong's first step to democracy, was quickly dismissed as a sham. Half of the 360 seats in the Council were already earlier appointed by the Congress, while the rest were nominated by the Congress for voters to pick. Some of the defeated candidates revealed that they were paid or intimidated to lose. The number of voters was relatively low (of about 120 000) since those eligible to vote comprises of those who ranks are higher than Major.

In 1994, Ly Duc An, despite his promise not to continue for another term, was controversially re-elected as Chairman by the Congress after he arrested his supposed successor for conspiracy and plotting to overthrow him. With no one able to succeed him and his reluctance to delay elections for Chairman, he continued on as Chairman. This sparked a demonstration in Vang Ngat in September that was immediately put down by the military. Nevertheless, Ly was later overthrown in a coup on 29 April 1996 when the military turned against him after Ly attempted to pass a law to extend his term limit. He was replaced by Colonel Diep Duy Tam, who led the bloodless coup. Diep's verbal attacks on corruption earned him much-needed initial support among the populace. Now-Chairman Diep, in response to mounting pressure for political reform, set up a constitutional review commission, including a team of advisors from the AN, to review the 1974 constitution. The recommendations include allowing direct elections by all ranks of the military (i.e. the whole population above the age of 18) to vote, no interference by the Congress in the nomination of the Chief Counselor, increasing the portion of seats for the national elections, and the right of the Council to impeach the Chairman if he/she abuses his/her power. The recommendations were largely accepted. Hence, the constitution was revised and approved with a majority vote in the council and became effective on 1 January 1997. Meanwhile, Diep established and normalised relations with other nations and signed various trade pacts to allow more overseas companies to operate in Kuehong. This has helped significantly improve the nation's economy. Soon after, the military in agreed to lease an army base in Vang Ngat for AN peacekeeping missions for 50 years over political unrest in the region.

21st century
After the 1998 national elections, regarded as 'fair and free', Diep stepped down as chairman to make way for his brother Diep Quang Nhan. Under his tenure, he has to face several crises, such as the Neeg Rebellion in 2001 and further tensions with Belphenia over its military activities in the Belphenian Sea. He also made the controversial decision to dismiss and arrest the then Chief of the Assembly Những Bất Đồng (formerly Chief Counsellor) and 15 other counsellors over 'deep disagreements' in certain policies, especially his decision to embark on numerous mega-projects and his dealings with the rebellion. In response to growing government opposition, Diep's government disbanded several non-governmental organisations (NGOs), considering them 'a threat to national security'. In 2003, however, Diep made the decision to pardon and release the political prisoners on the condition they will not contest in that year's elections. In response, the candidates which supported the pro-democracy movement boycotted the elections, hence the elections were won largely by those supportive of the military. 2003 also saw the first state elections after the decentralisation of power, allowing states to have more autonomy over their own affairs. Diep was then re-elected for another term as chairman. In 2004, the government also made a surprise reduction of national service duration from three years to two and a half years for males and from two and a half years to two years for women. Later that year, the government also legalised of casino gambling, to increase its attractiveness as a tourist destination.



In 2009, eastern Kuehong was hit by a severe typhoon, followed by an earthquake. Despite measures put in place to combat the typhoon, there was severe damage to the nation's infrastructure and resulted in deaths estimated from 80,000 to 200,000. The damage from these events resulted in the delays in elections as recovery efforts were made in the low-laying eastern regions which were negatively affected. In 2011, Dipe stepped down and the military committee voted in favour of Vu Yền Lực. The Vu administration took steps to redevelop the damaged areas. Vu, thanks to his efforts to redevelop the damaged areas and social reforms to help the growing elderly population, has gained the support of the majority and was re-elected for another term. In 2018, Vu has floated proposals for further political reforms, including the possibility of a direct election for the Chairman.

Government and politics
Kuehong is a federal parliamentary republic ruled by a military junta. The constitution declares the rule of the military legitimate since 1974 and hence it is a stratocracy, one of the few nations under the system, with the population of Kuehong all considered part of the military under the constitution. It is an executive-led governing system, with the National Security and Stability Committee as the executive branch. The head of state is the Chairman of the Committee, while the head of government is the Chief of the National Advisory Assembly (Chief of the Assembly), the leader of the federal legislative branch.

Political divisions
Kuehong is a federation of nine states and one federal territory. Governance of the states is officially divided between the federal and the state governments, with different powers reserved for each, ever since the 2003 decentralisation of power. However, many said that Federal government, while it has direct administration of the federal territories, remains to have huge control over the states as well.

The states, in turn, are further divided into prefectures or districts.

States

 * Kuehong flag.png Vang Ngat
 * Kuehongese_state_flag_8.png Loi Xo
 * Kuehongese state flag 2.png Trac Ke
 * Kuehongese state flag 4.png Bo Sinh
 * Kuehongese state flag 3.png Phuong Lam
 * Kuehongese state flag 5.png Chien Linh
 * Kuehongese state flag 1.png Thai Bau
 * Kuehongese state flag 6.png Dau Ho
 * Kuehongese state flag 7.png Da Ma

Language
Kuehong has three official languages - Kuehongese (also its national language), Babelic (Bai) and Ingerish. Kuehongese is spoken by the majority of the population, while Bai is generally spoken by the ethnic Bai population in Kuehong. There is an increasing number of Ingerish speakers in Kuehong after Ingerish language lessons were made compulsory since 2001 when it became the official language.

Kuehongese is one of the few languages with active digraphia. Officially, it uses both Xinbaizi (simplified Bai characters) and Mautu (modified Romantian). Xinbaizi is used in the majority of textbooks, novels, road signs, official documents and newspapers. Sometimes, and increasingly, Mautu is used alongside Xinbaizi, especially since Mautu has become more popular and widely used by the younger generation. In 2017, it is found that Kuehongese speakers are able to read Mautu but a significant portion (at 28%) are unable to read Xinbaizi. There have also been calls to abolish Xinbaizi, especially during a mass rally in Vang Ngat in 2016 which led to violent clashes after radical protestors defaced road signs using Xinbaizi.