Bakfong

Beifang (: 北統, tr. Bakfong, [ˈbæk fɔŋ]; : Bắc Thống), officially known as the The Imperial State of Beifang (Bakanese: 大北統, tr. [bak7][fong1][daai6][dai3][gwok3]; Yuenese: Đại đế Bắc Quốc), is an    on Kesh bordering Alvakalia to the south, Guurdalai to the east, Tolima to the northeast, Poja to the north, and Kodeshia to the southeast. Comprising of 8 provinces and 3 direct-administration zones, the nation covers an area of 1,001,402 km2 and hosts a population of 116.5 million people. Beifang's capital, Taywu, sits west of the Wu Lake on the northern coast. Other major metropolises include Dong Kinh, Quang Chau, Lim-Chow and Kowhai. Minority cultural centers include the former colony of Tsih-Pa Ra and  Tan-Fo Han.

The country has its origins in the eight tribes of the Yue, Ou, Nan, Yang, Min, Yelang, Shan, and Luo. Before the Gwok-Min War, the area around the Wu Lake was the center of warfare between the 8 proto-kingdoms for a millenium. Various invasions from Kodeshia in the 2nd century CE led to the intense of the Nan and Yang tribes while the remaining kingdoms were made vassals of the XXXn Dynasty for over 200 years before the Invasion of the Gwokyang Peoples in 475 CE. Considered to be a catalyst for Beifang's creation, the Min and Yue tribes unified to become the Minyue Kingdom, defeating the Gwokyang in a 12-year war before emerging as the strongest Kingdom in northern Kesh for a century. With unparalleled military strength, King Sagong waged annexation wars known as the Unification Wars (491 CE-528 CE), culminating in the founding of the Confederation of Bakfong and later the Imperial State of Beifang. The founding of the country was a direct challenge to Kodeshian hegemony and a war of independence was fought against Kodeshian garrisons in southern deserts of Sik Wa.

Beifang and Kodeshia fought several wars throughout subsequent centuries, many of them over control of the ludicrous trade route between the not/Himalayan mountains. In the 9th century CE, Emperor Kway Tsing declared that it was Heaven's will for Beifang to conquer its neighbors and expand further inland, culminating into the Ngoi Hay March (Outwards March). Over the next 600 years, Bakanese borders gradually expanded far into the Sik Wa Desert away from the vital rivers flowing from the not/Himalayas. With the destruction of various desert confederacies and the annexation of the Southern Iron Hills (formerly Alvakalian territory), the Ngoi Hay March ended with the Decree of Troi Đuc that saw the official incorporation of conquered lands into the Imperial State.

In the modern era, the country enjoys substantial economic affluence and political stability. Business-friendly policies and reliable government bureaucracy created one of the largest markets in the world. The Taywu Stock Exchange boasts over 2,142 companies worth a combined total of $4.1 trillion.

Etymology
"Beifang" is the name first recorded in the 3rd century CE to refer to the confederation of lake tribes in the north. Beifang has two root words:
 * The word Bei, meaning "North".
 * The Kodeshian word fang meaning "united."

Bakfong - meaning "northern kingdom" - was originally used by the various lake tribes to refer to the proto-kingdom of Minyue after the Gwok-Min War. Upon establishing relations with the Kodeshian empire, XXXn officials recorded the name of the nation as "Beifang" in their chronicles. During the Kodeshian Domination era from the 3rd century to 5th century CE, sinification of the river settlements and cross-cultural exchanges led to the adoption of the Kodeshian written language and subsequently the Kodeshian name in exchange for profitable trade benefits. During the early 9th century, King Kway Tsing (Quay Sinh), an ethnic Nan, began a process of sinification across the country. Kodeshian clothing was imported and the modified customs of the already-sinified Nan and Yang peoples were brought all the way to Wu. Hence, the official name of the country was changed to the Kodeshian name "Beifang", though "Bakfong" remained common usage among the people.

In the Yue language, the country is called "Bắc Thống", a naturalisation of the Bakanese name.

Prehistory and antiquity
According to archaeologists, the Wu Lake had been inhabited by modern homo sapiens for about 11,000 years. It is believed that the predecessors to the 8 tribes were migrants from the notHimilayan mountains, coming down in search of food after the last ice age had melted and water was plentiful across the area.

The first written records of the Wu tribes dates from the 9th century BCE, apparently detailing a barter trade with rice. Historians believe that the document belongs to a larger proto-civilisation with advanced agricultural practices and metalworking. Invasions of the Gwokyang (Guurdalai) peoples caused a rapid shift in culture from a solitary agricultural one to an urban, military society. By the 3rd century BCE, the Wu tribes were collectively known in early Kodeshian as "Ba Liang". The period of the 2nd century BCE to 5th century CE were considered the Fractured Period of Beifang, which each tribe fighting for dominance of the lake early on and later fighting as Kodeshian vassals. The Gwokyang migrations in the 4th century CE led to a political union between the Yue and Min peoples, being the first tribes to take the brunt of the invasion.

Modernisation and Fu Gwok Movement (1852-1915)
Despite economic reforms passed in the early 18th century to adapt to rising Artemian dominance, Beifang gradually fell behind due to conservative attitudes towards modernisation by the emperor. Legislative vetoes of imperial decrees had already reduced the power of the throne, but with the arrival of Teuton colony ships to Kesh, many in the Siwu and Si-ga houses saw the looming threat of Artemian colonisation. A skirmish with a Teutonian warship saw the loss of 4 Gwan Fat - class warships.



The Grand Campaigns (1915-1926)

 * See more: The Grand Campaigns

Beifang participated in the Grand Campaigns on the side of Teutonia and Kodeshia via its historical alliance with Mero-Curgovina. Entering the war in 1919, the Siwa legislature issued a formal declaration of war on Tiperyn and its allies while supporting Kodeshia in its land reclamations against Artemian imperialism. Upon the entry of the Caliphate and Guurdalai into the war, Beifang launched a massive invasion of west Guurdalai and sent expeditionary forces to Alvakalia to combat the Caliphate. Additional troops were also deployed to Mero-Curgovina to fight Tiperyn and Republican forces in Artemia. The initial stages of Bakanese entry were lackluster, as fighting on the Kesh front ended in brutal stalemates. Guurdalaian troops had effectively locked down defensive borders utilising trench warfare tactics and machine guns of Tiperyn origin. The Kesh front did see the first extensive use of Beifang's air force and would mark the expansion of an official air corps. The gradual defeat of Guurdalai led to peace treatises and concessions to Kodeshia and Beifang, the latter both of whom supported Alvakalian independence against a crumbling Teutonic Empire.

Demography
Beifang had an estimated population of 116,560,000 as of 25 June 2018.

Language


95% of Beifang's population can speak Standard Bakanese or Min Bakanese, as it is considered the lingua franca, while 52% of the population either speaks a dialect of Bakanese or knows a second regional language. Historians believe that the 8 tribes of Wu had their own languages with unique dialects of ancient Bakanese. Studies of old records have proven for example, that Yang Bakanese was mutually unintelligible with Yelang Bakanese. After the Unification Wars, it is believed that the Min dialect became more prominent around the Wu area and the old proto-languages either adopted Min words or merged with Min. During the time of the Kodeshian domination, Bakanese was exposed to the Kodeshian language and consequently absorbed many loanwords; up to an estimated 15% of Standard Bakanese is intelligible with Kodeshian with an additional 45% of the vocabulary consisting of loanwords. Regional dialects are still highly reminiscent of the original languages once spoken by the other tribes. The Bakanese script is a modified form of Kodeshian calligraphy, though characters are not mutually understandable between the two.



On the other hand, Yue is often classified as its own language group due to its geographic isolation away from the other tribes as well as its linguistic preservation since the days of the Minyue. Yuenese and Bakanese share many common words with each other; the former often containing many naturalised words and phrases from Bakanese and Kodeshian. Yuenese also has considerable foreign influence such as borrowed vocabulary from Mero-Curgovina and Anglic traders. An estimated 41% of Bakanese people can speak Yuenese despite ethnic Yue making up only 27% of the population. Contrastly to Bakanese, Yuenese utilises a Latin alphabet instead of Kodeshian characters due to more exposure and influence to Artemian traders in the neo-classical era. However, linguists have confirmed that Yuenese once used form of calligraphy with roots in Kodeshian, though character designs and script look nothing alike.

Beifang also contains fusion languages, resulting from the Artemian colonial era. The special port of Tsih-Pa Ra was a former Mero-Curgovinian trade outpost that grew into a bustling economic hub in the late 19th century. The majority of the population there speak Meronese, a unique dialect of Bakanese with over 85% of its vocabulary consisting of loanwords from Mero-Curgovinian.

Considered a universal language, Anglic is spoken primarily in urban areas of the country. Places with a large number of expatriates or foreigners often have signs and demarcations in Anglic. The language is also the official international business language of the nation, learned by students all throughout their years of schooling. It is believed that Anglic was first introduced to Beifang in the early 19th century when Tiperyn traders arrived to the Far East and established commercial relations.

Government
Beifang is ruled by an   lasting over 1500 years, making it one of the oldest modern nations on Anterra. The Upper Legislature, the Siwu House of Nobility, is comprised of noble lords that descend from the feudal lords of medieval Beifang. The Lower Si-Ga House of Proletariats represents the interests of the common people and is a democratic element heavily influenced by Artemian Enlightenment ideas. The Emerald Throne is the seat of power for the emperor, who has limited but considerable powers over the legislature.

Monarch

 * See: List of Bakanese Dynasties and Monarchs

Provinces and Territories
The Wu Megapolis Area is the most populous province in Beifang and is the cultural, political, and economic center of the country. Originally 4 separate prefectures, the province was formed in 1981 with the Zan Hing Hing economic reforms. By combining the 4 prefectures, companies and economic factors were now centered around one dense area in the country. With a staggering population of 55.7 million people living in a metropolitan area about 39,380 km2 (15,200 sq mi) large, the province has one of the largest concentrations of people in the world with about 1415 people per/km2. The area has a well-established reputation as a world-class city while dominating geo-economics in East Kesh with a rich history dating back nearly two millennia.

Military

 * See more: Bakanese Navy

The Imperial Armed Forces is the military of the Imperial State of Beifang. Formally established in 503 CE, its modern iteration was formed in 1856 with the formal restructuring of military services and doctrine. With the help of Mero-Curgovinian and Teutonian advisors, Beifang had transformed its feudalistic levy armies into a rustic, modern power.

Economy
One of the largest economies on Kesh and in the world, Beifang has stood as a bastion of pro-entrepreneurial policies and a business-friendly market. For most of its history, the country relied heavily on the fertile lands and natural harbours around the lake, with economic activity mainly centered around the cities of Quang Chau and Taywu. It wasn't until the establishment of the Mero-Curgovinian trade outpost of Tsih-Pa Ra (Scipara in Mero-Curgovinian) that the nation began to undergo gradual economic reforms in order to adapt to the rising globalised trade system and the growing power of the Artemian nations. In the latter half of the 18th century, Beifang fought a brief naval skirmish against the early Teutonian fleets that colonised the nearby lands of later Alvakalia. Upon seeing the strength and importance of a modern navy, the Siwu Council of Nobility forced the conservative Emperor Yue Kong (Viet Cuong) to sign the 100 Compromises Treaty, which limited the authority of the Emperor and placed matters of the economy and legislature into the hands of the Siwu and Si-Ga legislative houses. The opportunistic noblemen opened the country to Artemian influences and immediately witnessed an influx of new technologies and ideas brought in by western traders. The Fu Gwok Koeng Gwan (Nước Giàu Quân đội Mạnh) or Fu Gwok (Phú Quốc) Movement in 1852 saw the rise of a new class of entrepreneurs, industrialists, and the implementation of laissez-faire government economic policies whilst a growing middle class developed a large, favourable market for foreign companies to invest in the country throughout the 19th century. Young students were often sent abroad primarily to Teutonia and Mero-Curgovina to study western economic theories and law. In modern times, the shipping sector accounts for 7% percent of the GDP while the manufacturing sector accounts for 29%. Private enterprise makes up an astonishing 82% of the country's economic output with the public sector holding only 9%. The economy is dominated by service industries, although shipbuilding, shipping, transportation, and biotech make up large shares. The Taywu Stock Exchange is one of the largest on Kesh, listing 2,142 companies as of 2018 worth a combined total of $4.1 trillion. As such, Beifang can be considered one of the maturest and most westernised economies in Kesh.

Economic system
The Commission of Trade and Commerce has strict guidelines and standards that pervades all levels of economic activity in the country. Beifang implements a unique variation of the system known as, in which the means of production are owned privately, but the state has considerable control over the allocation of credit and investment as well as intervening in the economy to protect and advance the interests of businesses. The central government invests heavily in its private sector with often lavish to a level dubbed "" by many business-goers. Ironically despite Beifang's for big corporations, many upstart small businesses find success in the country due to the  managed by the government and a large pool of skilled human capital to grow a small company.

Foreign investment is also a key factor in Beifang's development sector, as it drives private land owners outside of the Wu megacity area to usher in, where barren land is reclaimed as fertile and habitable soil. Since 2000, approximately 82,000 km2 has been reclaimed from the desert sands and developed as either human dwellings or agricultural and manufacturing plots. However, economic consequences have resulted in the migration of businesses out of the condensed and competitive megacity area in favour of more open, cheaper land out in the green Sik Wa areas. Subsequently, the economic importance of the Wu megacity has waned in the last few years but remains the powerhouse of Beifang's economy.