Taesu's Reconquest of the Xuzou Dynasty

"We are the Divine Lancers of His Glory's Most Radiant Light, and by His will are we set to the task of reforging the ancient Taesuxuzou Empire. Do not resist."

"There were many thousands of Xuzouans who welcomed the Taesunese to their shores; and, of course, there were many thousands who did not, the Queen-Empress and her legions of Gogayes included. The Taesunese had deluded themselves into believing their holy mission was perceived the same by the recipients of their crusade, and were thus surprised when what was meant to be a quick show of force and abdication of the Xuzou Dynasty became instead a five-year war with thousands of deaths." - Taesuxuzouan historian.

Known by modern Taesuxuzouans as "The Reunification of Brother and Sister," Taesu's Reconquest of the Xuzou Dynasty was a five-year war fought between the Taesu Empire and the Xuzou Dynasty. It was initially sparked by the devastation and unrest caused by the War of the Greatwyrms. Taesu was by no means the worst affected region, but they bore scars from the conflict and, like much of Emaxus, feared what the new Age of Ancients would bring. Thus, they turned to their neighbor and long-time peaceful rival, the Xuzou Dynasty.
The destruction of the Taesuxuzou Empire some two-hundred and forty years prior had always loomed large on the minds of the Taesunese and Xuzouan people who were sundered by its fall. While many people---especially among the nobility of each kingdom---had always dreamt of a reunification, they had also never wanted to abdicate their respective thrones. They had also never sought war with their former siblings, so they merely licked their wounds separately but peacefully.
The Age of Ancients changed that. The Taesunese people were fearful of what had happened in the decades prior and what the future held, and thus, the Taesunese royalty sought to capitalize on and assuage that fear. In conquering Xuzou and recreating ancient Taesuxuzou, they believed they would not only bring peace and unity to the land, but also secure their power for the future.

There were factions within Taesunese nobility---especially among the samurai clans who would lead this invasion---who believed that the rebirth of Taesuxuzou could bring a golden age of peace and prosperity to all Taesunese and Xuzouan peoples. Emperor Urakami saw an opportunity to secure his realm's future and his line's nobility through the new age. This unique alignment of interests meant an invasion of Xuzou was all but assured.

On the Day of Moon and Storm---Arlayna 19, Engarthiel---in 428 AR, Emperor Urakami sent the Proclamation of Reunification to Queen-Empress Songjok of Xuzou, offering her to abdicate her throne and cede Xuzou to Taesu and reforge the old empire. She declined, and a war declaration followed the same day. Before the An'liceth-focused celebrations of the Day of Moon and Storm had even begun, ships of Taesu Lancers and their samurai commanders departed for Xuzou's shores.

A long and brutal war began, as Queen-Empress Songjok and her Gogayes fought to defend her throne, beset by Taesunese invaders and Xuzouan rebels who believed a new Taesuxuzouan empire would ensure their survival in the Age of Ancients. Many brutal battles were fought, but two are the most important, and are thus chronicled here.

Conflict Type

War

Start Date

Arlayna 19, Engarthiel, 428 AR

Ending Date

Taeral 16, Neldreth, 433 AR

Conflict Result

Taesu conquered Xuzou and the Ni-Taesuxuzou Empire was formed.

Belligerents

Taesunese Army of Lancing Light

Xuzouan Loyalists

Strength

25,000 Taesunese Imperial Lancers, led by 500 samurai. Unknown thousands of Xuzouan rebels.

12000 members of the Xuzouan Gogayes. At least 10000 Xuzouan peasants conscripted or volunteered into service.

Casualties

Approximately 6,000 Taesunese warriors and Xuzouan rebels died, with another 5,000 wounded. Over half of the samurai nobles died, with most casualties coming from the Deception Beneath the Rising Moon.

Half of the Gogayes were slain or wounded, while the rest were press-ganged into the pit mines of Dongje. 3000 of the conscripted peasants were slain or wounded. The Queen-Empress Songyok was slain in her palace in Nayeong.

Objectives

Wipe out the Xuzouan loyalists and reunite the old Taesuxuzou Empire. Retake the economic hotspots of Jeoncheok and Nayeong.

Protect the Xuzouan throne and prevent the conquest of the Xuzou Dynasty.

Deception Beneath the Rising Moon

On Elendiir 30, Camirth, 431 AR, three thousand Lancers and three hundred samurai of Taesu's invasion force defeated four thousand Gogayes in the Siege of Dongje. In their newly-captured city, the Taesunese celebrated and made merry, hoping to rest and raise morale before setting off to besiege Jeoncheok. Unbeknownst to the Taesunese, the defeat of Dongje's defenders had been planned for by Queen-Empress Songyok.
As they partied and rested, Xuzouan loyalists made moves through the city. The next night, on the evening of Miirphys 1, Cael, 431 AR, these loyalists set off a string of bombs that claimed the lives of a thousand Lancers and over two hundred samurai. The conquered city was decimated, as were its conquerors, but the willingness of the Queen-Empress to bomb her own city galvanized the rebels who sought to see her dethroned.

Setting Sun Over the Broken Siblings

After a month-long siege of Nayeong, Taesu at last broke through the walls of Xuzou's Divine Palace. Within, they fought through the Queen-Empress's most devoted defenders, until they came to Songjok herself in her throne hall. Songjok was a powerful follower of Isael, and so she fought vehemently against the attackers.
Regardless of her personal strength, Songjok could not defend against an army. On Uldreyin 15, Neldreth, 433 AR, then-samurai Amano Toku struck down Songjok. On Taeral 16, Neldreth, 433 AR, the rest of the Xuzou Dynasty abdicated their nobility and their holdings to Emperor Urakami and the Taesu Empire. Although the Ni-Taesuxuzou Empire would not be legally reformed for several months, modern Taesuxuzouans look back on the fall of the "Great Deceiver" Queen-Empress Songjok as the true birth of the reformed empire.
Songjok is remembered as a vile and brutish politician, bent only on holding her own power. Meanwhile, Emperor Urakami's line holds the throne in Ni-Taesuxuzou to this day. Whether or not Urakami was right conquering Xuzou, the fact of the matter is that, despite the bloodshed of this war, the Ni-Taesuxuzou Empire is far more powerful than the sum of its parts.