The Monkey King Reborn as an Empress?! - China

[JaeChunDaeSung]

Ages ago, the king of monkeys also known as Sun Wukong (Monkey Aware of Vacuity) whimsically thought to rewrite human history for his own amusement, finding the lives of mortal humans so intriguing.

The heavens were not content with the monkey king, also known as the self-proclaimed Great Sage, Equal of Heaven trying to meddle in human affairs, so it was agreed by the Jade Emperor, the Buddha, and Lao Tsu that Sun Wukong would only be able to possess a leader in the Middle Kingdom's history that would be criticized in her time, as the only empress to rule China, Wu Zetian.

The Monkey King, though discontent with the conditions of his little game decided to accept the challenge to show that he could outsmart the heavens and lead the people through wise and prudent leadership, diplomacy, and war.

Thus...this unknown chapter in the mischievous acts of Sun Wukong can be told...

 

[JaeChunDaeSung]

The Monkey King awakened upon being reincarnated as Wu Zetian, but found the conditions of his game had been changed by the Heavens. With only a single tribe and its warriors, he was left with the task to start from the beginnings of human history.

Surveying the land around him, or her...the land was fertile to grow vast amounts of wheat, but was particularly enthusiastic to notice bananas as well. Determined to have his share, and yet be able to teach these mortals how to cultivate them would take time, he encouraged them to settle where had stopped from a seemingly endless journey until Sun Wukong's time as a future empress of China would begin...

 

[JaeChunDaeSung]

To the east, the warriors informed the empress of a separate tribe having settled downstream from the river where the Chinese had settled. Having the warriors serve as emissaries, he was informed that the people of the River of the First Moon (Rio de Janeiro) were hostile to outsiders.

Until more of the surrounding land would be surveyed, the Monkey King imparted judgment for the future empress to keep an eye on this separate city, to keep friends close, and enemies closer...

 

[JaeChunDaeSung]

Scouts sent by order of the Monkey King, fashionably referring to himself as an Empress was told of the abundant sea to the south, being only a few li (kilometers) away, with fish aplenty.

To the west, the scouts uncovered ruins containing scrolls of nearly forgotten legend, speaking of a monkey born from a rock. Nearly flushed with pride over having stories of him told in legends of long ago, the Monkey King maintained his resolve, realizing he could use the stories within the scrolls to encourage the people to better adapt to their environment by evolving into a civilized society.

For this, I am contemplating to choose Tradition for the Food bonus to further complement my TWO fields of Wheat. Having yet encountered Barbarians, I feel Honor is not quite necessary. Liberty would be too good to pass up this early as I can begin to settle near the abundant coast to the south...

 

[JaeChunDaeSung]

Stopping for rest near an oasis, the scouts discovered another independent settlement who were said to be peaceful in nature, seeking only wealth with anyone willing to reach out to them. Further east, the warriors found two more settlements; one whose people were warlike, yet friendly to outsiders (Belgrade), and another that was more focused on material goods and trade (Singapore).

Clearly, the diversity of these people who weren't Chinese fascinated the Monkey King, who implanted into the mind of the empress the idea of seeking relations in which to rule and watch over as many of these lesser settlements as possible, to mediate potential feuds and interact as peacefully as possible.

 

[JaeChunDaeSung]

Further along the southern coast were ruins inhabited by a once thriving settlement. When told of the benevolence of their empress, the survivors were encouraged to settle in Beijing. Further north, the scouts encountered warriors of a ruler named Suleiman. For once, Sun Wukong encountered a leader of people bold enough to strike out on their own and seek betterment for himself and his followers.

No sooner then they encountered the Turks, the scouts came upon another tribe, the Songhai. Their warlord leader Askia greeted them with tidings of peace, though Sun Wukong would have the empress Wu take the warlord's words at face value for now. Discovered in the area south of the Songhai tribe and the settlement of Singapore was a mountain of an exquisitely flat top. Was it coincidence that the ruins with the scrolls was not far near this mountain? Could it have been that the Heavens reshaped the world so as to further add to the immortal monkey's challenge?

 

[JaeChunDaeSung]

Just beyond the western sea, the scouts discovered a live volcano while further south on the coast was an encampment of hostile barbarians. Not wanting to take risk with such uncouth brutes, the Monkey King contemplated driving them out in time.

The Jade Emperor was thoroughly impressed that the purported "Great Sage, Equal of Heaven" was yet to let the world he descended upon become his own personal battleground. Particularly amusing was the fact Sun Wukong had mobilized the people to eventually labor in fields of wheat and eventually gather marble of which to build wondrous structures for personal glorification.

Adopted Aristocracy, researching Masonry

Askia eventually sent emissaries to request the empress agree to secretly keep deceptive eyes over Suleiman, who he yet to know where to find him and his people. As time passed, Empress Wu agreed to joint research efforts between both leaders. Settling at the base of Mt. Fuji, Shanghai became a major harvester of spices to eventually be traded.

To the south on the coast, Guangzhou was founded to mine vast Silver deposits and gather fish from the sea.

 

[ashmizen]

What difficulty are you playing on, what map/size?