Mengtian
| Mengtian Province | ||
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They [The Silver Yak Horde] attacked our border provinces during the Jierdai Dynasty, where they made great havoc, destroying cities and fortresses and slaughtering men and children, while raping our women; and they laid siege to Yuncenglou (in the Yuning District, Xianbei Province); after they had besieged the city for a long time, they took it and put the inhabitants to death. When one was journeying through that land they would come across countless skulls and bones of dead men lying about on the ground. It was only under the protection and through action of the Haigui Emperor that the pillagers were repelled from our lands. It was eventually 50 years later - under the Chidao Emperor - that their own homeland was integrated into the Great Jing Empire, with which the threat was brought to a grinding halt.—Anon., "The Ups and Downs during the Jierdai Dynasty" (1662 AN)
Mengtian is a province in Jingdao. It's home to the remnants of the Silver Yak Horde, which united several of the more important tribes on the Apollonian plains between 1582 and 1587 AN under the reign of the Guyuk Khagan. Infighting led to the westward emigration of the Golden Dragon Clan and White Wolf Clan. Around 1624 it ended up in what's now Mengtian. Confronted with increasing aggressiveness of the inland tribes, the Mengtian tribes swore loyalty to the Heavenly Light. Infighting between the clans continues even now.
Most cities and towns within the province are sparsely populated, as the tribal people have retained their traditional way of living through shepherding their cattle. Only in winter periods, all people assemble at the same time in the cities, during which large feasts are organised. Each year, the most important tribal and village chiefs offer their prayers to the Heavenly Light at the Temple of Yingzhang in the presence of representatives of the Heavenly Light. Afterwards, a tribute is sent to Daocheng.
The annual tribal tribute was interrupted between 1695 and 1698 AN, when the Seishi Clique demanded the tribes to send their tribute to their own imperial court. After the region's liberation, the practice was revived.
