Emperor Jiang Yuntian
江健
Emperor Kang Jiang (a.k.a. Yuntian)
The emperor with the mandate of Heaven and the hordes of man for his army.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
A soldier, Emperor Jiang Yuntian was throughout his life fit and healthy.
Body Features
Pale brown skin, long hair
Identifying Characteristics
A deep scar cuts through his left eyebrow which broke the bone.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Born to well-to-do parents, he spend his childhood working on his parents' land. He helped to tend to crops and animals. It was during this time that his father encouraged in him a love for fishing and hunting. However, despite his skill, and against the expectations and hopes of his family, and the wife he was recently married to, he signed on to the military at sixteen.
It was a great honour to be there, and he often found easy camaraderie with his soldiers but his stubborn and willful nature set him at odds with his superiors from time to time. This wouldn't often be a problem, however, as he knew the cohesion of the unit was of most importance. He proved himself a diligent worker with quick wits, and, as he rose through the relatively few ranks, he was found to be skilled in strategy. This led to his rapid advancement in the last year of the He Dynasty and while the collapse and absence of the monarchy resulted in the crumbling and dissolution of most of the military, Jiang Kang refused to be cowed by what he saw as revolting peasants.
He held the warlords and self-appointed kings that scrambled for power in contempt. They were upstarts in his eyes who needed to be returned to their place by an iron fist. Gathering what remaining troops he could, he made it clear that he would return peace and order to the country no matter the cost. Despite this, and his conquering of territories formerly united under the He Dynasty, he had no intention of giving up rule to another. Those whom he faced quickly discovered that he was merciless in battle and soon the mere suggestion that he was near would cause disturbances in the ranks of his enemies.
Despite this, however, he also felt a sense of responsibility for those he conquered. He gathered intellects to his campaign as well and with their aid he worked to unify - language, laws, the military, customs, coinage, etc. However his wilfulness was at all times apparent with every decision resulting from his final say. All who served on his councils and in his army reported to him. And it was in this way that he had settled many laws before he had reclaimed the territories that had been unified under the He Dynasty. His coronation was almost an afterthought to his ruling but he again demonstrated his intelligence by crafting a delicate balance between frugality in the aftermath of conflict and making a show of his power. Even so, there were many who found his refusal to return power to the He family treason and he garnered many enemies in this way.
For several years he ruled in relative peace time, spending his time settling disputes. However, his ambition was unquenchable. Having lived so long on the battlefield the first years of this peace was concerning for his ministers as he refused most offered concubines. During this time he only accepted two - the first from the former Kingdom of Yueshan and the State of Bai, and only after several years so they were not an appeasement. Despite their concerns about his lack of women, it was the announcement that he would marry the daughter of a minor king to the south that sparked terror in his ministers and court officials. She was a princess of the Kingdom of Xia, whose country was a worrying distance from their Jiangshan empire with several other minor kingdoms and states between them.
Though a political decision, his relationship with the princess, who would eventually become the Empress Lingyue, proved to be true. She quickly proved herself to be of a capable mind, too, and he came to trust her as an adviser and confidante. His first child with her, his third in all, second to live, was born within the year but he didn't let it postpone his decision to invade the neighbouring State of Baili, a country as small as its namesake. To the surprise of all, he took his wife along with him, continuing to rely on her judgement despite her fervent disapproval.
The State of Baili fell within the month, the might of Emperor Jiang Yuntian's army too great and his tactical strategies too well organised. For the next few months he settled in its capital city to oversee its conquer and the changes he had imposed on his claimed territories. He met with envoys and emissaries of the other kingdoms to negotiate or threaten. His wife was beside him throughout all of these assemblies and he even eventually summoned his for son as well before moving on.
This brought him into direct conflict with the Kingdom of Xia, however. The king, afraid that his kingdom would be subsumed into the empire, chose to retaliate and allied with another kingdom to force Emperor Jiang Yuntian back. This only made him covet the territories more and he called upon his best and worst and led them ahead of the gathering army to strike a terrible blow at the border between two kingdoms he hadn't yet claimed. The army made quick work of conquering the state that stood between them and the Kingdom of Xia with the help of the emperor's small group choking off enemy forces.
However, despite being on the verge of victory, Emperor Jiang Yuntian left the battlefield in search of Empress Liyue, who was resting after an assault on both she and their son. His chance for a decisive victory lost, the battle for control of the Kingdom of Xia would wage for generations.
In the wake of the attack the military was under constant deployment to the border of the Kingdom of Xia. Elsewhere, however, in the original territory of the Jiangshan that he had conquered there was relative peace and stability for the remainder of his reign. Few threats lingered for more than a few months at a time due to his heavy reforms of the military and continued efforts at expansion were largely successful.
He reigned until his death in 104 under suspicious circumstances which many consider to have been poisoning caused by Empress Liyue.
Gender Identity
He / Him
Intellectual Characteristics
Logical, pragmatic
Morality & Philosophy
An ambitious and controlling man, he favoured the philosophy of Legalism.
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
He is driven by a desire for control and to sate his unending ambitions.
Virtues & Personality perks
Pragmatic, strategically minded, cunning, patient
Vices & Personality flaws
Controlling, covetous
Personality Quirks
The fingers of his left hand fidget when he's aggravated
Hygiene
He cares greatly for his personal hygiene, bathing several times a week when in the palace. Likewise he bathes whenever possible when on a campaign though he isn't adverse to filth. He holds the same strict standards for his palace and those servants who fail to meet them are whipped.
Social
Religious Views
Athiest
Relationships
History
Empress Liyue arrived at the palace at nineteen to be his concubine. He determined to treat her well, to maintain the political alliance, but soon fell in love with her. Within her first year at the palace she fell pregnant and was promoted from concubine to his wife and empress. In her second she had already become so invaluable to him that she joined him on his campaigns despite her disapproval of conquest. This disapproval only grew as he turned his attention to claiming her homeland, the Kingdom of Xia, and though he continued to favour her for the rest of his life their relationship was not without tension. Together they had three children, including his successor Emperor Qingtian.
Nicknames & Petnames
The empress' courtesy name, Liyue, was given to her by her husband.
Relationship Reasoning
The princess of a small kingdom, Emperor Jiang Yuntian proposed a marriage alliance in a bid to expand his empire.
Species
Honorary & Occupational Titles
Emperor
Life
40
104
Circumstances of Death
Unconfirmed
Spouses
Siblings
Children
Gender
Male
Eyes
Black eyes
Hair
Long, black with slight curls
Height
5'6
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