Second Kildarian Revolution
| Second Kildarian Revolution | |||||||
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.png) Liberation of Port Nevermore (11.IV.1704 AN). The local garrison joins the strikers in their occupation of the Provincial Parliament Building and proclaim a Kildarian people's republic. |
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 Democratic Apollonian Republic of Kildare
|  Great Apollonian Empire |
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The Second Kildarian Revolution, or Revolution of 1704, was a conflict which erupted within the western and central states of the Great Apollonian Empire. It's commonly agreed that the revolution is a culmination of several different factors, ranging from dissatisfaction among the old guard with the growing power base of Diwang Hon Ben Erasmus and his attempts to transform the nation into his personal dictatorship, a military reform which unintentionally strengthened local Provincial Assemblies grasp over local military units and a crushed hope among the empire's several ethnicities for a better and more equal life. The influx of cheap goods on the market further worsened the stagnated economy and raised the fears of many farmers and labourers. Where in the past the authority of the Heavenly Light kept dissident voices quiet, it had now been shoved at the side. By 1704 AN, the Xinshi Emperor had withdrawn to Imperial Guang Palace and kept herself aloof from politics.
Pro-federalist (Greater Apollonian) and pro-empire factions quickly lost support among the classes and ethnicities of the nations during the late 1703's and early 1704's. Among those who revolted one could find dissatisfied Kildari whom had hoped that Great Apollonia would have brought more equality, military officers who had been dismayed over attempts from Agra to centralise power in hands of their Emperor, farmers and labourers who were afraid of the tax-free imports of cheap goods from the east.
It eventually resulted in the collapse of the short-lived, but largest empire of Micras and the establishment of the Democratic Apollonian Republic of Kildare, the Qyzyl People's Republic and Alrig Autonomous Republic. The eastern part of the empire continued as the Çakar Empire.
The revolution started of with a revolt from the workers and labour unions within the Empire, but was soon supported and hijacked by the Kakumei Society, which had retreated to Arboria in the aftermath of the Post-Chidao Troubles. Cooperation between its two rivalling factions was shaky at best during the early days of the revolution, but turned worse when Marius Gallo blamed Wang Wei to be influenced by honeyed words of the Tegong chief Shi Pupei.
The unnatural manner through which the Tegong seduced Wang Wei into an alliance between the Syndicalist wing of the Society for the Revolution and the dissident factions of the Jing military caused the Humanist faction based in Arboria to declare the "Realm of Kildare" and commence its own attack on the revolutionaries. Infighting ensued, with both sides fighting for the overthrow of each other and the federal authorities. However, after a few weeks of indecisive skirmishing, the Humanist faction deemed their involvement in the conflict to be futile and, encouraged by their sponsors in Arboria and the Benacian Union, withdrew back northwards across the border - preserving the Talons of the Archon as a force in being that would remain ready for future eventualities including the inevitable failure of the degenerate egalitarian ideology now being propagated.
During the Second Kildarian Revolution, the Alriggian Autonomous Zone, which had been in a political crisis since 1703 re-emerged as the, formally, independent nation Alrig. Alrig joined the side of the Apollonian democrats.
Causes
Timeline
1704
- I.1704
- 1: Diwang Hon Ben Erasmus praises in his New Year's speech on the Union Jing Broadcast the Tobu Emperor and the Greater Apollonian Empire. During the broadcast he announces that, in an effort to further unite the people and the nation's market, taxes between provinces and states will be lowered significantly, granting the Jingdaoese cheap access to goods fabricated in the east. The 'good' news immediately backlashes when farmers and labourers start protesting the lower taxes.
- 5: With the holidays over, minor protests start to spread across the northern provinces. Announced strikes in Dalmacija are quelled before they can even start.
- 15: Despite Hon Ben Erasmus's control over the Grand Secretariat, a report of the Secretariat of Revenue reaches the Gong Suweiai and warns them for worsening budget deficits. Plans of cutting in the pensions of veterans and limiting military investments anger the officer corps.
- II.1704
- 8: A soldier strike erupts at the military base of Yuncenglou.
- IV.1704:
- 7:
- The storming of Sheng Garden begins, under influence and with support of the Kakumei Society. A mob of dissatisfied peasants and labourers gather in Daocheng and march towards Sheng Garden. Police officers are overwhelmed, while the military refuses to intervene on behalf of the Diwang. The mob eventually reach Changgong Headquarters, which they invade. A group of revolutionaries proclaim the capital and its surrounding lands under martial law and. Several important government officials are captured and some, after a show trial, executed on charges of corruption and treason to the Jingdaoese and Kildarian state a few hours later by the newly established people's council.
- Hon Ben Erasmus regroups with his supporters and loyal army officers at the town of Dasha, near the capital. An ultimatum is sent to the rebels, but a shelling of the capital is made more difficult due to the presence of the Heavenly Light at Her palace.
- 8: Worker councils are established countrywide. Most influential ones are located in the north of the country, where the old Nokarodo Faction held most influence. Government officials
- 11: Soldiers of the local garrison join the protestors in Xianbeicheng, which is renamed to its old name Port Nevermore and storm the Provincial Parliament. A Kildarian people's republic is proclaimed, which rallies both Jingdaoese and Kildari into its ranks.
- 12: The Gongheguo Clique, an influential group of rebels whom hope to end the civil war by capturing Xinshi, launch an attack on her imperial palace in Daocheng. Their leadership, while splintered and in turmoil, loudly confirms that they seek not to harm their Heavenly Light, but merely want to free Her from Her bad advisors. Its attacks are thwarted by the valiant sacrifices of the Imperial Whites, from whom over two hundred die during the suicidal wave attacks from their enemies. The number of killed citizens ranged over thousand. The attacks continue, but less severe than before.
- 15: Rumours about an attempted and failed coup against the Heavenly Light, reach the outskirts of Daocheng. Several officers of the Tegong and Kaiser Gaelen IV's Apollonian Guard seemingly conspired to stop the Heavenly Light from communicating with Her people. The eruption of a fire near the broadcasting station of the palace are seen as proof of those claims. Persisting rumours about a surrender to the rebels are widespread, but the increasing death toll tells another story.
- 7:
- 21:
- After several nights of unrest in the capital and a new series of attacks on the palace, the Xinshi Emperor is heard in radio broadcast. In it, She announces Hon Ben Erasmus' early retirement, blaming him for his inability to stabilise the country. Through decree, she recognizes the wishes of Her people and announces Her intent to step down as Head of State and remain as a religious and spiritual guiding figure.
- Hon Ben Erasmus is rapidly losing support among his own men after the radio message spreads across his troops. Feeling betrayed by his own niece, Hon starts gathering the remaining gold reserves (worth 2 billion Golden Kala) and charters a train towards Jiangtian, where he can take a ship to Tiegang.
- V.1704:
- 11: After much discontent among the revolutionary groups, the government of worker and soldier councils in Port Nevermore is seen as best organised to tackle the reorganisation of the Empire.
- VI.1704
- 1: During the Convention of Port Nevermore, a large and diverse number of representatives gather at the Provincial Parliament to discuss the creation of a new, free Kildarian republic. Jingdaoese monarchists, while present, are often ignored when voicing their opinion. The Heavenly Light sends Tegong chief Shi Pupei, who immediately cozies up with Wang Wei.
- 9: Syndicalists gradually but successfully push out the Humanists from the most important discussions and people councils. Protests among other contestants are limited, as most representatives seem scared of a foreign invasion (either from the east, or the north) or the powerbase of the syndicalists have built in the city in a matter of months.
- XII
- 24: The Tobu Emperor is assassinated by a disgruntled Jingdaoese, Tsun Katei, a purist lieutenant of the Jingdaoese Mandate Regiment who had been in capital on furlough. He blamed the loss of his motherland on the Cakari and their Great Apollonian dream. Even under the most severe torture he never revealed the name of the "ardent preacher" in Tiegang who had so successfully inflamed his patriotic resolve.
Port Nevermore: insurrection and infighting
International response
Arboria: The unofficial position of the Principality of Arboria was one of quiet satisfaction at the ruination of the fleeting "Great Apollonian Empire", as well as at the humbling of the Jing which this upheaval had entailed. The Democratic Apollonian Republic of Kildare was looked upon with distinct disfavour, but this translated into minimal support for the opponents of the revolution, who the Court of the Princess preferred to preserve as a force in being rather than get embroiled in yet another ill-fated "March on Daocheng".
Talons of the Archon: Whilst remaining above the fray for the most part, the Humanist exiles who had been granted sanctuary on the Mirkdale Peninsula continually sought licence to conduct cross-border incursions against their leftist foes. This was occasionally granted, usually in the form of tip and run air raids, where the aircraft would approach the frontier at low altitude before popping up to release their bombs against enemy targets in the border region from inside Arboreal territory, and the infiltration of eight-man sabotage teams into the territory of the River Warriors with the intent of targeting the railway lines connecting Port Nevermore to the rest of Kildare. As the Jing menace faltered the ire of these exiles began to focus more upon the false-egalitarianism of the Syndicalist faction which had claimed ascendancy during the revolution. These efforts would continue during, and long after the Revolution.
