The Rukai Dynasty: How Taiwan was Unified
Even though today it stands that Taiwan is a unified island filled with potential, fewer than 200 years ago the island was a divided hotbed of warfare, hatred, and strife. The island was ruled by 12 factions, all from the highlands other than the Amis and parts of the Atayal tribe. This was due to the highlands knowledge of war. They quickly used this to thier advantage and were able to subjugate the "lowlanders" rather quickly, demanding tribute to fund thier wars with the other factions of the island. Those factions were:
Atayal- The Atayal sphere of influence stretched from the northern tip of island, taking about 1/3 of the island under its wing. This, of course, made it the largest faction. The people were skilled at war, perhaps a little to skilled, as they constantly fought with the Bunun faction to thier south.
Bunun- Victim of a Atayalian war of aggression, this faction was almost swallowed up early on. Fortunately for them, they were able to forge alliances with the Amis and Thao, pushing the Atayalians back. Now they remain at war with Atayal, always trying to gain the advantage in the war of the 2 strongest factions on the island.
Amis & Kuvalan & Taroka- These tribes are much like each other, and share a non-official alliance with one another. More culturally adept than the Bununs and Atayalians, these tribes will often supply the weaker of the two factions during thier inevitable wars, in order to keep the balance of power. Also, they have exploited trade on the island rather than war, and were the richest of any of the factions.
Tsou & Thao- Much like the tribes written about above, these two tribes share an alliance of sorts. Thier armies are small by themselves, but together they can atleast defend thier territory. Most of thier income comes from the tribute of the lowlander tribes. Thier culture is backwards, as they still hold many old customs long forgotten in other factions such as sacrifice and even...cannibalism.
Saisiat- A secluded tribe that keeps to itself. They are surrounded on half of thier borders by the warlike Atayalans, but rather than fight them they pay a mixed tribute of sending warriors to help thier wars, and paying them in valuable resources. These people have even built a wall, in an attempt to become even more isolated.
Paiwan- A mix of the attitudes of the Atayalans and the Amisians. They like to trade with thier neighbors, and have made religion a focal point of thier culture with a temple to be found in almost every village. Still, they have no qualms with subjugating the lowly lowlanders, and taking pieces of the Rukai faction whenever it pleases them.
Rukai & Puyuma- These two tribes are often considered just 1 faction, the Rukai. This is because so much of the culture of the Puyuma is similar or exactly the same as the Rukai. They also have allied, for they have enemies on every side. For many years they were the trampling ground for the more powerful Paiwanese, but they will soon change that.
Yami- Completely unknown to the islanders until a Paiwan fishing expedition that went slightly off course. They are considered far more primitive then the Taiwanese factions, hardly having any structure. The Paiwanese and Amisians have set up a small trade with the Yamis, but try to stray away from long visits.
So you might be wondering if youve been reading this, how in the world was this mess of an island unified? Well, most Taiwanese historians point to a certain point at the year those descriptions are for. That point is the date of the birth of the "Great Unifier", or Cheng Yi.
Born in a small, poor village in the mountains of the Rukai faction, a war soon swept through the region as the Paiwans decided thier peace with Rukai had lasted to long for thier liking. The baby was swept aswell, by its fleeing parents who fled all the way to the highest peaks of the island.
As he came of age, Yi became bored of his isolated mountain life. He often read any kind of script he could get his hands on, and became an expert on the local languages of Taiwan and the religions. He also trained tirelessly, another side effect of his boredom. When he reached the age of 17, he requested from his parents that he be able to leave. Granting that, as a parent of that time should, 17 being the age a son or daughter leaves on thier own, Yi trekked to the Rukai capital village. And asked to join the army.
Skipping training, he was quickly thrown into the fire as the Paiwans invaded once again. Part of a leaderless battalion of warriors, Yi quickly took command and was credited with the counterattack that broke the Paiwanese line of supply and forced a retreat. Thus, Yi quickly rose through the ranks and when the old general died, Yi was chosen as his successor. Unfortunately for the Chief that chose him, Yi decided that the reign of the weak leader should end. Backed by the people, and the army, Yi deposed the Chief citing his concessions to the other factions of the region and the reluctance of him to tax the lowlanders. Cheng Yi, at the age of 20 at that time, now ruled the entire faction.
And he did not unify the island of Taiwan with chocolate and sweet talk. He showed this by launching a pre-emptive campaign on the hated Paiwans. Sending in virtually his entire army in one chunk, he soon showed off some strategy. He recieved word from scouts several miles south, that the Paiwans were sending a larger army to counter. Yi decided then, to split his army in three...one to meet the other army, and the other two to come from the side and surprise attack them. Archers were placed in the trees, as to snipe enemy soldiers and not be attacked back. The plan worked to perfection, as the Paiwans feel right into the trap. In less than an hour, the main army of the Paiwans had been decimated, and retreated to the capital. With this victory, the Rukai forces soon swept through and annexed the faction.
The next few steps are a boring mix of, Yi gaining the partnership of half the islands lowlanders, as he promised them entrance into the Rukai tribe as equals...as in, not having to pay tribute. He also allied with the Amis, for his next campaign, a quick taking of the Bunun. This campaign alarmed the other islanders, who now allied in an effort to keep the Rukai from overtaking the entire island. The Amisians and thier allies were convinced to unite under the banner of unifying the island. One final push against the Atayalans would likely catipulate the other smaller factions to Rukai rule, but it would have to be successful.
And successful it was, as a combined Rukai-Amis army came from the south and defeated with thier newly gained bronze weapons, any Atayalan that dared to defy them. A rebellion also erupted in the Atayalans tribute lands, who were supplied weapons by the Rukai. Surrounded and facing annihilation, the Atayalan chief surrendered. Shortly afterward, as Yi predicted, the smaller states also surrendered. Taiwan was finally unified, after an expedition to the Yami island resulted in them surrending aswell, after some bitter fighting.
There were hard feelings at first, but after centuries of assimilation, there isnt a Atayalan or Rukai culture, but a recognizable Taiwanese culture. Old warlines have vanished, under the united banner of the island.
Note: The flag used is the one proposed by the Taiwanese independance movement, I didnt want to use the other one because it doesnt really fit with my view of how Taiwan will develop. That other flag is basically saying Taiwan is an offshoot of China, which it isnt in this NES.
Even though today it stands that Taiwan is a unified island filled with potential, fewer than 200 years ago the island was a divided hotbed of warfare, hatred, and strife. The island was ruled by 12 factions, all from the highlands other than the Amis and parts of the Atayal tribe. This was due to the highlands knowledge of war. They quickly used this to thier advantage and were able to subjugate the "lowlanders" rather quickly, demanding tribute to fund thier wars with the other factions of the island. Those factions were:
Atayal- The Atayal sphere of influence stretched from the northern tip of island, taking about 1/3 of the island under its wing. This, of course, made it the largest faction. The people were skilled at war, perhaps a little to skilled, as they constantly fought with the Bunun faction to thier south.
Bunun- Victim of a Atayalian war of aggression, this faction was almost swallowed up early on. Fortunately for them, they were able to forge alliances with the Amis and Thao, pushing the Atayalians back. Now they remain at war with Atayal, always trying to gain the advantage in the war of the 2 strongest factions on the island.
Amis & Kuvalan & Taroka- These tribes are much like each other, and share a non-official alliance with one another. More culturally adept than the Bununs and Atayalians, these tribes will often supply the weaker of the two factions during thier inevitable wars, in order to keep the balance of power. Also, they have exploited trade on the island rather than war, and were the richest of any of the factions.
Tsou & Thao- Much like the tribes written about above, these two tribes share an alliance of sorts. Thier armies are small by themselves, but together they can atleast defend thier territory. Most of thier income comes from the tribute of the lowlander tribes. Thier culture is backwards, as they still hold many old customs long forgotten in other factions such as sacrifice and even...cannibalism.
Saisiat- A secluded tribe that keeps to itself. They are surrounded on half of thier borders by the warlike Atayalans, but rather than fight them they pay a mixed tribute of sending warriors to help thier wars, and paying them in valuable resources. These people have even built a wall, in an attempt to become even more isolated.
Paiwan- A mix of the attitudes of the Atayalans and the Amisians. They like to trade with thier neighbors, and have made religion a focal point of thier culture with a temple to be found in almost every village. Still, they have no qualms with subjugating the lowly lowlanders, and taking pieces of the Rukai faction whenever it pleases them.
Rukai & Puyuma- These two tribes are often considered just 1 faction, the Rukai. This is because so much of the culture of the Puyuma is similar or exactly the same as the Rukai. They also have allied, for they have enemies on every side. For many years they were the trampling ground for the more powerful Paiwanese, but they will soon change that.
Yami- Completely unknown to the islanders until a Paiwan fishing expedition that went slightly off course. They are considered far more primitive then the Taiwanese factions, hardly having any structure. The Paiwanese and Amisians have set up a small trade with the Yamis, but try to stray away from long visits.
So you might be wondering if youve been reading this, how in the world was this mess of an island unified? Well, most Taiwanese historians point to a certain point at the year those descriptions are for. That point is the date of the birth of the "Great Unifier", or Cheng Yi.
Born in a small, poor village in the mountains of the Rukai faction, a war soon swept through the region as the Paiwans decided thier peace with Rukai had lasted to long for thier liking. The baby was swept aswell, by its fleeing parents who fled all the way to the highest peaks of the island.
As he came of age, Yi became bored of his isolated mountain life. He often read any kind of script he could get his hands on, and became an expert on the local languages of Taiwan and the religions. He also trained tirelessly, another side effect of his boredom. When he reached the age of 17, he requested from his parents that he be able to leave. Granting that, as a parent of that time should, 17 being the age a son or daughter leaves on thier own, Yi trekked to the Rukai capital village. And asked to join the army.
Skipping training, he was quickly thrown into the fire as the Paiwans invaded once again. Part of a leaderless battalion of warriors, Yi quickly took command and was credited with the counterattack that broke the Paiwanese line of supply and forced a retreat. Thus, Yi quickly rose through the ranks and when the old general died, Yi was chosen as his successor. Unfortunately for the Chief that chose him, Yi decided that the reign of the weak leader should end. Backed by the people, and the army, Yi deposed the Chief citing his concessions to the other factions of the region and the reluctance of him to tax the lowlanders. Cheng Yi, at the age of 20 at that time, now ruled the entire faction.
And he did not unify the island of Taiwan with chocolate and sweet talk. He showed this by launching a pre-emptive campaign on the hated Paiwans. Sending in virtually his entire army in one chunk, he soon showed off some strategy. He recieved word from scouts several miles south, that the Paiwans were sending a larger army to counter. Yi decided then, to split his army in three...one to meet the other army, and the other two to come from the side and surprise attack them. Archers were placed in the trees, as to snipe enemy soldiers and not be attacked back. The plan worked to perfection, as the Paiwans feel right into the trap. In less than an hour, the main army of the Paiwans had been decimated, and retreated to the capital. With this victory, the Rukai forces soon swept through and annexed the faction.
The next few steps are a boring mix of, Yi gaining the partnership of half the islands lowlanders, as he promised them entrance into the Rukai tribe as equals...as in, not having to pay tribute. He also allied with the Amis, for his next campaign, a quick taking of the Bunun. This campaign alarmed the other islanders, who now allied in an effort to keep the Rukai from overtaking the entire island. The Amisians and thier allies were convinced to unite under the banner of unifying the island. One final push against the Atayalans would likely catipulate the other smaller factions to Rukai rule, but it would have to be successful.
And successful it was, as a combined Rukai-Amis army came from the south and defeated with thier newly gained bronze weapons, any Atayalan that dared to defy them. A rebellion also erupted in the Atayalans tribute lands, who were supplied weapons by the Rukai. Surrounded and facing annihilation, the Atayalan chief surrendered. Shortly afterward, as Yi predicted, the smaller states also surrendered. Taiwan was finally unified, after an expedition to the Yami island resulted in them surrending aswell, after some bitter fighting.
There were hard feelings at first, but after centuries of assimilation, there isnt a Atayalan or Rukai culture, but a recognizable Taiwanese culture. Old warlines have vanished, under the united banner of the island.
Note: The flag used is the one proposed by the Taiwanese independance movement, I didnt want to use the other one because it doesnt really fit with my view of how Taiwan will develop. That other flag is basically saying Taiwan is an offshoot of China, which it isnt in this NES.
Either that or you could hope your expansion/trade will pay for that. 
