From Alternative History

History of Rome-After Ætas ab Brian

Nations to speak of

Heian Era 1691(938)-2067(1314)

Contents 1 Beginning 1.1 Cultural Influences 2 Imperial Expansion 3 World War I

[edit] Beginning

Nihhon's empire first began in the early 17th century with the arrival of the Miasmata in Sinica. Nihonia had been kept fractious by Sinican influence for decades, and with Sinica's decline, Nihonian Shoguns began fighting for total control of the country. Yamada Kazunari became shogun of the Heian faction centred in Cynoto(Kyoto) in 1691(938) and he successfully united Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu by 1711(958), making the state religion Shinto-Buddhism. The Heian's success was notable for its heavy use of niter weapons/rockets, alesalitis and vapscurr. The Heians were the first on the Islands to use these. Their adoption of the Futura Egi (calling it Sue-karihijo) from Rome in the 1780's(1027+) also greatly aided their nation's economic progress from rice barter to coin and papper.

During the 20 years of unification, an OTL equivalent to the ninja emerged. The Heians considered assassination a viable alternative to the battlefield, but the other clans, being at a technological disadvantage, used their services far more frequently, both against the Heians and eachother. Fear and distrust was exceedingly high such that once unification was acheived, Yamada (who had manged to survive numberless close calls) outlawed the arts of assassination and strictly enforced it.

From there, the Heian Dynasty began its initiative for oversea expansion.

Numerous attempts to gain a foothold in Sinica during its fractured era failed and efforts were eventually abandoned in 1881(1128) with the ascension of Emperor Sutoku.

[edit] Cultural Influences

The Heians' culture was heavily inspired by the Tang, and, after the Sinican Collapse in the 1850's(1097+) and the subsequent predominance of the heavily Roman-influenced Nanchao, many could argue that Nihhon was more Sinican than Sinica.

[edit] Imperial Expansion

Nihhon's expansion temporarily languished in the 1970's(1220+) as forces and supplies were moved to the Asian Mainland to prevent the Menguren's from capturing ports and ships on the Nihonian Sea and staging an invasion of the home islands. Nihhon's navy (Dai Nippon Teikoku Kaigun) played a vital role in preventing the Menguren from developing a respectable navy by continuously bombarding their cities and harbours on the Yellow and Abashiri(Okhotsk) Seas.

Until the end of the Amplus Arma, Nihhon had the only navy capable of contending Rome.

During 1909-12(1156-9) The Vijava(Champa) Confederacy just south of Dai Viet was conquered to solidify desireable trade routes to the west. At the time the Champa had been weakened by the Khmer Empire's failed attempts at invasion in (1898(1145)-1904(1151)) and were suffering revolts. The confederacy was not difficult for the Nohonians to take.

In 1942 the Buhali(Wehali) Kingdom and other small kingdoms on the Nonoya(Lesser Sunda) Islands were invaded by Nihonia.

[edit] World War I

Nihonia was the undisputed inciter of the Nihonian War (called Sensou Yodailiu by Nihhon), focused in South Terranova, and is also almost without exception blamed for the war's escalation to the Amplus Arma. Grouped together, the whole conflict was called the World War, and after the start of the Coldwar, pessimism changed it into WWI (Arma Mundi Primus). Later, however, all evidence supported that Nihhon had wanted the conflict to remain isolated to Terranova just as much as Rome did, including the absence of military efforts in Nupiatica prior to the Amplus Arma.

The crux moment of the Amplus Arma's outbreak was the single mersable (or possibly a group) that attacked Asia Australis in 2058(1305). The mersable was never identified or destroyed and many Nihhonian war records and high officers had been shredded before the Empire of Nihhon surrendered, preventing any public knowledege whether the attack was sanctioned by Nihhon or if the mersable was even Nihonian in the first place.

Without much information, many conspiracy theorists planted the blame on Srivijava as it had the navy capable of the action and was ambitious for expansion. Khmer and Po-ri technically could have done it, but it is unlikely that with their technological level and navy sizes at the time, as well as their sea borders, that they would have. That's just the most popular theory though, such a war was probably inevitable even though everyone saw it coming.

Although Nihhon's navy was largly undefeated, following its reduction from the Imperial Navy to the National Defence Coast Guard (Engan Keibi Jieitai), most of its ships were destroyed, recycled, or reassigned by Rome to the new nations (only corvettes were reassigned). With that naval power gone, Rome's monopoly over the seas continued even after the formation of the PAB.

See Nihonia