Allied Cities

Allied Cities of North Caxcana
Flag
Recognised national languages	English, French, Mandarin, Latin, German
Government	Federal presidential constitutional republic
Establishment
• Treaty of Biaking	August 18, 1905
• Allied Cities Union Charter enacted	November 1, 1954
Area
•	9,240,000 km2 (3,570,000 sq mi)
• Water (%)	8%
Population
• 2020 estimate	19,133,100
GDP (nominal)	estimate
• Total	NSD 137,000,000
Gini (2018)	46.7 high
HDI (2020)	0.820 very high
Currency	Allied Dollars
Date format	mm-dd-yyyy
Driving side	right

The Allied Cities of North Caxcana is an international mandate federation in Northern Caxcana. The Allied Cities was created in the aftermath of the Golden Flag Rebellion, of the indigenous Shao people against foreign settlers and traders. The 1905 Treaty of Biaking between the Shao kingdom and the Allied powers, or nations that had participated in putting down the rebellion, mandated that the decaying Shao Kingdom grant them legation cities and spheres of influence around those cities. Xianjiapo, Dugou, Jidu, Shizizhen, Gangkou, and Ziyou, became legation cities, granted on an lease of indefinite duration to the legation powers.

To better manage their new spheres of influence, the Allied Nations set up the Allied Council. Over the years the territory recognized the Allies' sphere of influence and slowly morphed into a nation, with the Council of Mayors electing a president to serve as head of state of the Allied cities. Although the council still exists and was expanded to include Xiomera, and local representation from the Allied cities itself, dysfunction has stripped the president and the Council of Mayors of much of its power, leaving the authorities of individual legation cities as the predominant governing body.

In the modern day, the Allied Cities is composed of seven separate legation or mandate city-states, six of which come under the authority of foreign powers and one of which, Fanzui, is independent. Roughly 20 million people, largely of Shao origin but including various immigrant populations as well as the indigenous Hani tribal people, live within the Allied Cities. Because of its central location near the Strait of Xuanhou, the port cities of the Allied Cities are highly developed and have become a thriving mercantile economy.

The Legation Cities

Laeral - Xianjiapo

Arcadia Dazeber- Dugou

Ecclesiastical Dominion- Jidu

Legionas- Shizizhen

Zamastan- Gangkou

Libertas Omnium Maximus- Zìyou

Allied Cities - Fanzui

Although Xiomera does not control any of the seven mandates that make up the Allied Cities, it has been granted representation on the Council of Mayors since 1954.

History

Early Age

Located on the northern regions of the Shao Kingdom, the area which is now the Allied Cities was largely inhabited by scattered groups of peoples largely subsisting on fishing and gathering. The Allied Cities, then referred to as "Taidao", were a relatively peaceful portion of the kingdom, avoiding much of the chaos and upheaval over the following centuries. During the centuries-long decline of the Shao Kingdom, foreign traders began to call at port cities across the modern Allied Cities in search of access to Shao markets. Per royal decree, merchants were forced to trade exclusively through the Taidao ports, notably Xianjiapo and Gangkou. By 1890, the cities of the region included thriving embassies and businesses of foreign nations such as Zamastan, Libertas Omnium Maximus, Legionas, and Laeral.

Golden Flag Rebellion

Depictions of Golden Flag rebels attacking foreigners, such as this 1904 depiction appearing in the Laeralian press, spurred calls for foreign intervention.

With the coming of foreign influence and ideologies threatening the entrenched structures of Shao society, Shao King Liu Changpu released the Ivy Courtyard Declaration in 1903, declaring that reform to the structure of the empire's society would be impossible as long as heavy foreign influence remained around the country. This aggravated existing tensions between the Shen people and foreigners, and sparked the Golden Flag Rebellion. Ordinary Shao citizens, largely peasants allied with the conservative ruling class, united behind the symbol of a golden flag with the goals of removing foreign influences from society. On New Years' Eve of 1903, Golden Flag rebels stormed the foreign quarter in the port city of Biaking, taking thousands of prisoners and destroying all markers of foreign influence. Mobs of Golden Flag rebels emulated this in the port cities of Taidao, notably in Gangkou and Xianjiapo.

Demographics

Although specific racial demographics vary based on the city, the Allied Cities is predominantly (around 70%) ethnically Shao and around 15% members of the Hani tribal group, with the remainder made up of various other ethnic groups in the cosmopolitan cities of the nation. Exact census data is difficult to ascertain, but the most popular religion in the Allied Cities is likely the Minjian Faith, introduced by missionaries around the 16th century, while Shao folk religion is also practiced by many citizens of the Allied Cities. Christianity and other foreign religions also have influenced society in the Allied Cities, due to the long history of foreign influence in the region.

Due to the varying citizenship and immigration rights given to citizens of the various legation cities, many inhabitants of the Allied Cities choose to emigrate, which has led to a substantial Shao diaspora across Caxcana and Hesperida.

Culture

The Allied Cities is known for its blend of Shao and foreign culture, creating successful Mandarin-language media products exported into the Shao market. The nation's characteristic pop music, with Mandarin lyrics and foreign-style production values, is known as "Tai-pop" - a portmanteau of Taidao and pop.

Government

The Allied Cities operates as a confederation of the seven legation territories, with central authority residing with the Council of Mayors, formerly known as the Allied Council. Each of the seven legation territories, as well as Xiomera, has a representative on the Council of Mayors. Decisions affecting the entire federation must be made with the assent of six of the eight powers, meaning that it is often difficult to enact legislation. By unanimous consensus, the Council of Mayors elects a President of the Allied Cities, who serves as head of state of the federation. The president may serve a single six-year term.

Economy

The Allied Cities has a capitalist free-market economy, dominated primarily by manufacturing.