Shortly after Second Impact, geological damage as well as timed revolts saw the Chinese central government lose contact with most of the country. In fact, its authority was more or less reduced to Beijing and the immediate environs. It was this confusion that led to a nuclear strike on Japan- the central government had apparently been led to falsely believe that Japan was mobilizing to invade China in its hour of weakness. However, with catastrophes and lawlessness now the norm over most of China, and local governments buckling under the strain, it fell to local military forces to assert control over their regions. Whatever their long-term intentions (whether to reunify with the central government or not), the most successful and powerful of these forces came to be known as the 'Warlord States'.
China played host to six major Warlord States in this era.
The south saw the formation of Sun Manzheng's Shanghai Clique, centered around Shanghai, and Li Zangran's Guangxi Clique, centered around Guangxi and Guangzhou. The Shanghai Clique, with the help of Manzheng's brilliant mistress Cao Linmei, expand to control most of Jiangsu, whilst Zangran controlled Liangguang.
In the north, a Manchurian independence movement- the Manchu Republic, led by Jurgen Ma Shao- took root, and quickly expanded to control Dongbei. Meanwhile, Inner Mongolia became the domain of the Mengjiang State, ruled by the aggressive Zhu Luang.
In the southwest, the Chengdu District, led by Wu Zhangyuan, quickly took over the Sichuan province.
Finally, the country's centre saw the Jinan Military District, led by Liu Lin, take control of Shandong and, shortly thereafter, all of Zhongyuan south of the Yellow River.
The countries of Mongolia and Korea would also play a part in the coming struggle.
Although both Koreas were devastated by Second Impact, South Korea was nevertheless a wealthy, powerful first-world industrial state with large stores of supplies and resources. North Korea, however, already impoverished from the misrule of its leaders, was completely overwhelmed by the event. When South Korea invaded North Korea in October 2000, the vaunted North Korean army, the largest in the world through sheer numbers, melted away. Its soldiers deserted en masse and its weapons stores soon ran dry. Within a week the entire state had collapsed. Korea had been reunited.
But the rulers of North Korea escaped, and fled across the ocean, where they came to the Chinese territory of Shandong, controlled by the warlord Liu Lin. The dictator-in-exile, Kim Jong-Il, offered Liu what resources he had left, as well as the expertise of his generals, if she'd take them in. Kim Dae-jung's Republic of Korea, however, sent envoys soon after, telling Liu in no uncertain terms that they wanted Kim to return to Korea, where he and his government would face justice for their crimes. For Liu Lin, it was no choice at all- forming a makeshift alliance with Korea was worth more to her than Kim's meagre resources. Kim and his entourage were extradited to Korea, where they were tried, sentenced and executed.
In mid-October 2000, Zhu Luang, the power-hungry warlord of the Mengjiang State, drove his considerable military forces south towards Beijing. Although local loyalist forces tried their hardest, Zhu Luang's military, especially his tanks and infantry vehicles, overwhelmed the defenders. The 'October Coup' marks in many books the definitive end of the People's Republic of China.
At the same time, Liu Lin would recruit a talented general to help lead her armies- Zhuge Minglei, a skilled artillerist, tactician and spymaster. Much like Liu Lin herself, Minglei was a woman, and had masqueraded as a man in order to rise to high station in the military. Her gender had been exposed in 1999, seeing her disgraced; curiously, many of those responsible for the revelation of her gender would find their own careers ruined in a series of incidents over the next year or so. It was this, more than anything, that earned the devious Minglei the sobriquet 'The Witch of Henan'.
Before Impact, Wu Yuanzhang was an ambitious and extremely talented Chinese officer. Gentle and faithful to his men, respectful yet firm to his equals, he was considered to be destined for greatness. When Impact came, Wu Yuanzhang was in Chengdu, and saw the chaos surrounding the territory. He secured it quickly, stamping out bandits and turning the Chengdu Military District into his private army.
But when the central government fell in the October Coup, Wu Yuanzhang revealed his incredible ambition. In possession of a mighty territory around Sichuan, beloved by the people and possessing a fortified military, he took the astonishing step of declaring himself Emperor. From that point on he was now known as Shu Qianwu Huangdi, the Emperor of Heavenly Might, ruler of the Empire of Shu.
This astounding turn of events was compounded by the fact that shortly after, Qianwu sent emissaries to the other warlords, requesting that they recognise Shu as an independent state, and Qianwu as a legitimate Emperor, albeit not their Emperor. Most of them did, grudgingly- the only exception being Zhu Luang, who had his own imperial ambitions.
In November 2000, Emperor Qianwu invited the three major warlord states of central China- the Jinan District, the Shanghai Clique and the Guangxi Clique- to a congress in Chongqing. This regional summit was intended to discuss regional matters and settle disputes in a civilized fashion. Dignitaries from all three states attended- cunning Zhuge Minglei from Jinan, beautiful and dangerous Cao Linmei from Shanghai and greying Li Zangran from Guangxi. Presiding over the event was Qianwu himself, wearing ceremonial robes.
There were several items on the agenda. The first was the Treaty of Recognition, which would establish each state's territorial sovereignty. Forwarded by Qianwu, accepting it would see each state recognise every other attendant's states base territories as belonging to them- Shu in the Shu region, Guangxi in Liangguang, Shanghai in Jiangdong, and Jinan in Zhongyuan.
Secondly was the issue of the Mengjiang State. It was the sole state that refused to accept Shu's existence, and furthermore it controlled the capital region. This Congress wished to formulate a general attitude towards the State.
Thirdly was the contentious issue of the Jiangnan Region. A rich region of the Southlands that lay squarely in the middle of all four powers. Shu, Shanghai and Guangxi all claimed it.
Fourthly was the issue of Shaanxi. This was a developed territory that lay between Shu and Jinan. A worthy prize for either State, the question was whether to declare it a neutral zone between Shu and Jinan or not.
Despite the lofty goals of the Congress, in retrospect it is widely considered to be a failure. Although the Congress's members all signed the Treaty of Recognition, and they agreed to condemn Mengjiang State's actions, the third and fourth issues failed to reach consensus. These failures would directly lead to many conflicts later on.
With the central government gone, the southern regions calm (for now) and the Warlords having condemned Mengjiang, Liu Lin felt secure enough in her territories to take the next step. Following in Qianwu's footsteps, she reorganized her regions, laying down the foundations of a bureaucracy and legal system. She called her new state the 'New Republic of China'- her vision of China's future, much like Qianwu's own, except whereas his was imperial, Liu Lin's was democratic. The capital was established at Jinan.
With all of the Chinese warlords having condemned Mengjiang, Zhu Luang knew it was only a matter of time before they tried to move against him. Instead, he attempted to consolidate his control by expanding south. By the end of November, his fast forces had taken complete control of Hebei, the region north of the Yellow River. This act saw his borders meet with Liu Lin's own.
In late November, Emperor Qianwu moved into the western parts of the Jiangnan region, control of which had been discussed during the Chongqing Congress. However, his move did not go unopposed, and Shanghai rapidly moved its forces in order to secure the eastern half of the region. Tensions skyrocketed, with Shanghai claiming the entire region, much to Qianwu's chagrin. Any attempt to soothe the situations collapsed, and in next to no time, the two states were at war.
Shanghai's land forces were weak, but it was not alone in this endeavour. Within hours of the declaration of war, the Guangxi Clique intervened on Shanghai's side! Unlike Shanghai, the Guangxi Army was very powerful. Shanghai had promised Guangxi financial and territorial concessions in exchange for its allegiance, and the greedy Li Zangran had agreed. Emperor Qianwu's situation seemed precarious, his forces outnumbered and in danger of attack from two sides. This would all come to a head during the Battle of Ji'an.
The Battle of Ji'an was waged from the 10th to the 16th of December, and took place near the city of Ji'an, although the actual battle line stretched for many kilometres to the north. Qianwu knew he was outnumbered, but he also knew that if it came down to a fight between his superior forces and the forces of either one of his foes, it would be a win for him. Thus, he knew that if he could fight the enemy forces one at a time, he could win. He knew the Southlands Alliance intended to rendezvous near the town of Xinyu, north of Ji'an and southwest of the city of Nancheng. Qianwu thus decided to move his forces south, through mountainous and forested terrain. He would attack and destroy the Guangxi Army first before wheeling around to destroy the Shanghai force.
Li Zangran's plan, on the other hand, was to try to lure Qianwu's forces towards Nancheng. The region around Nancheng was open and flat, which meant that it was perfect for tank combat. Li Zangran's forces had a huge superiority in tanks over Qianwu's primarily infantry and artillery force. If the Imperial Army could be lured into the open, the Southlands Alliance could encircle it, destroy it, and then wipe out the exposed Imperial Artillery.
Everything failed. Shu's infantry, full of spirit and well-led, cut the Guangxi forces off near Ji'an. Qianwu's elite Imperial Guard, armed with anti-tank weapons, launched ambushes against vulnerable Guangxi armor, destroying them quickly. Guangxi infantry attempts to dislodge the Guard failed, with massive casualties on behalf of the Guangxi. Meanwhile, Qianwu sent his only tank unit, the First Imperial Armoured Division, against the Shanghai army's Armored Forces. The Shanghai Forces suffered a massive setback- the First Imperial Armoured delayed them long enough for Imperial artillery to scatter a full half of the Shanghai army, practically deciding its fate.
Desperately, Sun Manzheng launched a surprise attack on exposed artillery positions, committing all of his forces to it, but it was too little too late. The forces were pinned down and destroyed. The artillery was then free to pound Guangxi positions, and the Alliance was forced to quit the field.
The battle had been a decisive victory for the Shu Empire. The riverlands of Jiangnan had been secured by the Empire, and their rivals in the South lay scattered and broken. Casualties amongst the Empire were so light, and Alliance casualties so heavy, that with all of his forces to bear, Qianwu could easily march south and wipe out the Guangxi Clique; or swivel about and crush Shanghai.
With this in mind, the much-humbled forces begged for peace. The Emperor was willing, but at harsh terms. Both warlord states would become subservient to the Emperor in Chengdu, their armies to hear his command when he called for it. Although they would maintain most power and day-to-day affairs in their domains, it was only at the behest of Qianwu.
With this, the Alliance officially ended, and the now-vassals turned to their own affairs. Guangxi licked its wounds, and turned its greedy eyes southwards, to Vietnam. Shanghai, meanwhile, threw itself into a massive industrialization effort, intending to supplement its weaknesses by building up a huge air and naval force, its eyes on Taiwan… And maybe even Korea.
With the Southlands now pacified under Qianwu, Shu and the Republic began looking northwards towards the dangerous Mengjiang State. They knew it was only a matter of time before Mengjiang's expansion brought it into more direct conflict with the other Warlords. Indeed, by late December, Liu Lin had already begun mobilizing her forces in order to prepare for a pre-emptive strike. As part of this initiative, she began restoring what aircraft she could find and started bolstering her Republic's armoured forces. On the 25th of December, Liu Lin's forces crossed the Yellow River into Mengjiang territory.
However, the battle nearly turned into a disaster right away. The open, flat plains of Hebei were perfect for executing tank maneuvers and, despite her preparations, Zhu Luang was still the best tank general in all of China. Liu Lin nevertheless managed to blunt Zhu Luang's counter-attack long enough to pull her forces back towards Jinan. Zhu Luang, believing he had the advantage, pursued. However, the terrain around Jinan was much rougher and gave Liu Lin's large infantry corps a great opportunity to launch ambushes and raids. Zhu Luang's spearhead was destroyed some fifteen kilometres from Jinan, and he was forced to retreat back over the Yellow River.
Following these hostilities, Emperor Qianwu turned his forces north- not to invade Liu Lin's republic, but to aid it. Supplemented with forces from Guangxi and Shanghai, Qianwu and Liu Lin formed the 'Coalition to destroy the Mengjiang', or the Mengjiang Coalition for short.
The Coalition crossed the Yellow River on the 2nd of January and aimed north towards the industrial port city of Tianjin. Zhu Luang arrayed his forces, primarily tank forces with some artillery support. He, too, had been building up his own air forces, and the skies above the battlefield were filled with dogfights and aerial combat between Coalition and Mengjiang aircraft.
Zhu Luang would not go down without a fight. He still had a sizable tank corps, the expertise to use them, and the perfect terrain.
The Coalition, meanwhile, was divided into three wings. The central wing was made up of Imperial and Republic armour, supported by their best infantry, with their artillery to the rear. The western ring was made up primarily of infantry with some armoured support, whilst the eastern wing was made up of front-line Shanghai forces- predominantly infantry- supported by Guangxi armour. Liu Lin hoped that Zhu Luang would strike at the weak Shanghai force first. When the Shanghai forces scattered, the Guangxi armour would blunt Zhu Luang's momentum, allowing for the other two wings to wheel around and trap Zhu Luang between them and the coast.
And indeed, this is exactly what happened- at first. Zhu Luang threw his spearhead into the Shanghai forces and sent them running… But the Guangxi forces didn't move to intercept. Instead, the Guangxi forces held back and let Zhu Luang run rampant. Zhu Luang broke through and began encircling the Coalition's central wing, bypassing their armoured screen. At first, it was thought that this was pure miscommunication on the part of the Guangxi Clique, but as it turned out, it was far more sinister. During this critical moment, Guangxi forces wheeled around and attacked the Coalition artillery, scattering it! This was treachery!
The Coalition army was in a precarious situation. Their artillery support was gone, and their forces were being encircled. The fate of the Coalition hung in the balance.
In the end, it was Liu Lin who tipped the scales. Although the combat on the ground was turning against her, the war in the air was being won by superior Coalition air forces. She devoted as much of her air power as she could spare to launching air strikes on Mengjiang armour, and although this didn't manage to stop them by itself, it slowed them, which was all she needed. She deliberately spared one Mengjiang unit- Zhu Luang's own command unit- from attack, and retreated any forces engaging him. In this critical moment, Zhu Luang's own unit pushed forward unimpeded… But the rest of his forces did not, since Liu Lin had redoubled her attacks against those. For a small, crucial period of time, Zhu Luang's command unit was unsupported, which is when Liu Lin struck. Personally leading a crack commando unit, Liu Lin ambushed his unit, causing mayhem and managed to wound and incapacitate Zhu Luang himself. Without his leadership and expertise, the rest of his forces fell into disarray, and a powerful counter-attack drove Zhu Luang's forces away for just long enough to allow the Coalition army to reform its lines. Bereft of its leader and already bloodied, the Mengjiang forces retreated north whilst the Guangxi fled south.
The Coalition army, battered and bloodied, occupied Tianjin on the 11th of January. There it would remain for a week to rebuild its forces before pushing on to Beijing.
Zhu Luang was still unable to lead, however. Furthermore, the core of the Mengjiang army had yet to recover. Beijing seemed indefensible. But rather than just let the enemy have the city freely, Zhu Luang retreated his forces- then left behind a nuclear bomb. As Coalition forces entered the city, the bomb exploded, destroying a large portion of the Coalition as well as practically wiping the city off the map.
Mengjiang had been humbled and driven out of the capital, but the Coalition was in no fit state to continue the fight north to Inner Mongolia. With time desperately needed to consolidate, and the Guangxi Clique's treachery causing mayhem in the south, Liu Lin and Qianwu declared the Coalition dissolved and returned to their states in order to rebuild.
In the end, the Guangxi's treachery hadn't been enough to destroy the Coalition. It had, nevertheless, infuriated Shanghai and Shu both, and the two states came down on their recalcitrant neighbour hard. Shanghai's navy occupied the coastline, shelling and bombarding coastal forces, whilst Qianwu reorganized his forces and drove his diminished but still powerful army into Guangxi itself. Li Zangran wasn't half the general Qianwu was, and in the end, Qianwu was quite capable of destroying the Guangxi army piecemeal. By January 24th, the Guangxi had been destroyed and Li Zangran arrested.
It was around this time that the people of southern China were forced to take stock of their situation. Impact had caused the area to flood violently, but now the opposite was happening. Soaring temperatures and zero rainfall baked the earth, drained the rivers and lakes, and destroyed the crops on which the people relied. The region was becoming inhospitable, and millions began to flee the area en masse.
The consequences were catastrophic. The Southlands fell into chaos, and the Shanghai Clique collapsed under the strain of trying to help its people. Qianwu, too, now had a great deal of territory in the affected area- territory that was rapidly turning into the whitest of elephants. It began to bleed Shu white.
It was during this time that Liu Lin, sensing that any threat from the south had subsided for awhile, focused on consolidating her strength to the north. Utilizing all of her forces, she pushed past Beijing and into Inner Mongolia, where she scattered the broken remnants of the Mengjiang. She signed formal alliances with Mongolia and Korea before moving northeast to crush the Manchurian secessionists in Dongbei. With them pacified, Liu consolidated her strength, then struck westward and southward at the same time, bringing her into direct conflict with Emperor Qianwu. In the south, Liu's army quickly overran Shanghai but failed to progress much farther before being halted by Qianwu's army- which was the point. Liu had no intention of incorporating the rough, dry famine-stricken Southlands into her domain yet; her attack to the south had been a feint. Her westward armies quickly overran the independent city of Xian before striking southwards into Sichuan itself. Liu's progress was slow, however, as Sichuan was ringed by mountains and the Shu army there, although depleted, was intending to delay Liu and buy time for the Emperor's main forces to return.
In the end, the Republic carried the day. Imperial air forces had been split between Shanghai and Sichuan, whereas Liu had concentrated her forces- including most of her aircraft- on her attack into Sichuan. Her force, balanced perfectly, aided by crack commando units and powerful aircraft, were able to launch a narrow, deep spearhead through the defenders' lines, spilling out into the flat plateau of Sichuan itself. If Qianwu had been there, he would've known how to seal the breach and trap the Republican army… But lesser men had been left to protect Sichuan, and Liu Lin had exploited their inexperience and hesitation. By the end of it, Liu Lin had triumphed not through some great or ingenious ploy, but because she knew her adversaries better than they knew themselves.
The Republican Army quickly widened the breach, crushed the Imperial defenders, then spread like wildfire throughout Sichuan. by the time Qianwu returned, he found himself faced with the prospect of invading his own empire over the same mountains he'd once used as a wall.
The final straw came on the 18th of February. Other great powers had come together, under the aegis of the United Nations, to create a united military force subject to UN control- the treaty, signed on the 14th of February, was referred to as the Valentine's Day Treaty. UN representatives offered the Republic an opportunity to join- a tacit sign from the UN that it considered the Republic to be the legitimate incarnation of Chinese authority. Liu Lin agreed to the provisions, and a few days later, Qianwu surrendered- although he and his close confidants make an escape shortly after.
The war in China was over, and now the task turned to rebuilding.