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VPRB · 12-14-2018, 01:04 PM

In light of the recent treaty of alliance stipulated with Bruuma, we begin with the first of a serie of installments on the history of Kai Fa

History of Kai Fa: the Five States (676 – 1271)
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Burial urn and monument, Kong Bao, IX century

The Founders period (676 – 918)
The first inhabitants of Kai Fa arrived by sea in 676 and landed at Ko Fun, bringing with them and already developed and distinct culture. Traditional sources make no mention of the land being already inhabited at the time, and modern historians have been so far unable to prove otherwise. The first settlers, reached by further waves of seafaring immigrants in the following decades, built independent villages and cities where the most powerful clans ruled. Through the first three centuries, five cities emerged among the others and conquered their surrounding territories, forming the Five States of Tom Yam, Chau Fan, Ba Bao, Kong Bao and Tou Fu. The States were organized in a highly hierarchical and stratified society with an economy based on agriculture and rearing. The courts were imbued with Confucianism, while the commoners usually followed folk religions, Buddhism or both. The balance of power between the States meant that the occasional wars usually ended with a return to the status quo.

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Scene of battle, XI century

The Upheaval period (918 – 1216)
In 918 catastrophic floods swept across Kai Fa, destroying the fields and causing widespread famine. They signalled the beginning of an era of social and economic instability, marred by wars, revolts and disasters. In years of waning state power, bandits held sway on large swaths of territory, while many Buddhist monastery turned into independent local rulers. Society militarized, and those troubled centuries areregarded as the first golden era of martial arts in the country.

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Portrait of Emperor Lo Char (detail), late XIII century

The Unification period (1216 – 1271)
In 1216, the Tom Yam State had regained stability and prosperity and the ambitious ruling Lo dynasty set to exploit the weakness of its rivals. With a disciplined army, renowned for its archers, crossbowmen and siege engines, they expanded southward either by war or marriage, until in 1271 Lo Char was crowned Emperor of Kai Fa in Tom Yam after defeating the last resistance by warlord Za Chai in the Battle of Yuan Yang.

(This post was last modified: 12-26-2018, 12:30 PM by VPRB.)