Empire of Meisaan

The Empire of Meisaan (: 美山帝國, Meisaan Daigwok, : Miyama Teikoku) was an Akitsukunese puppet state in Meisaan, primarily controlling south Meisaan and the north-east of Meisaan, though it officially controlled the entire nation. It was governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. From 1898 Akitsukuni had colonised the south-east of Meisaan in the New Territories of the Empire of Akitsukuni. In 1935, Akitsukuni launched a full-scale invasion of Meisaan, and in one month succeeded in forcing the civilian government to surrender. On June 27 of the same year, occupied Meisaan and the New Territories were reorganised into the Empire of Meisaan following the Declaration of the New Order, with a pro-Akitsukunese government installed with Leung Mi II, a collaborationist Meisaani royal, as the nominal regent and Empress. The Empire of Meisaan's government was abolished in 1941 after the defeat of Akitsukuni at the end of the Eulhae War. The territories claimed by the puppet state were immediately reclaimed by the Meisaani military dictatorship under Sun-Tak Wah, and the Meisaani monarchy was re-established under Leung Gai.

It is debated how much control the collaborationist government actually had over their own nation, with Akitsukunese military commanders often directly governing their assigned areas directly and the original New Territories still under the rule of Akitsukunese mid-level leaders. The nominal national military, the Miyama Army, was also under the direct command of the Imperial Akitsukunese Army Meisaan Area Headquarters.

Background
Upon the outbreak of hostilities between Meisaan and Akitsukuni in the early Spring of 1935, Leung Mi II fled to Akitsukuni and denounced Meisaan's democratic government. The absence of a monarch severely destabilized the country and hurt the legitimacy of Prime Minister Jeong Sin-Feng. In the immediate onset of war, several tactical blunders along with organization inferiority resulted in a national catastrophe. By December of 1935 Akitsukuni was advancing rapidly upon Minghoi. Thousand of civilians clogged roadways leading to the capital, hindering Meisaani Imperial Army forces and adding to an atmosphere of chaos. Several terror-bombing campaigns in Ho'ngon, Daamsi, and Taisung intensified the already dire situation.

Meisaan's civilian government capitulated on January 16th, 1936.

Politics
The Empire of Meisaan is often considered a puppet state of Akitsukuni because of the Akitsukuni military's strong presence and strict control of the government administration. Meisaan historians generally refer to the state as the 'false state of Meisaan'. It is often agreed that the Empire of Meisaan was mainly an attempt to maintain the Akitsukunese leadership's ideology that they were in the process of liberating Meisaan and aiding reforms to preserve its culture and traditions from Jeongmi-led global modernisation.

The 'liberation' of Meisaan was proclaimed on 27 June 1935 with the Declaration of the New Order, and the nation was renamed the Empire of Meisaan, comprising the New Territories and the area conquered by the Imperial Akitsukunese Army, consisting of much of south Meisaan and the north-east part of Meisaan, though the Empire officially controlled the entire nation. The Akitsukunese governor of the New Territories appointed Leung Mi II as regent for a period of three weeks before her coronation as the Empress of Meisaan as a nominally executive monarch. Her Imperial era was named after a plant in the same fashion as that of Akitsukuni, with her reign known as the Era of Golden Magnolias. Leung Mi was assisted in her executive duties by an Imperial Court, comprising of numerous collaborationist Meisaani nobles and royals, and a General Affairs State Council. This State Council was the center of political power, and consisted of several cabinet ministers, each assisted by an Akitsukunese vice-minister.

In addition, the Akitsukunese ambassador to Meisaan had the power to veto decisions by the Empress, and the nominal state military force, the Miyama Army, was wholly commanded by the Imperial Akitsukunese Army Meisaan Area Headquarters. By 1940 numerous Meisaani members of government had fled or were captured by the loyalist forces, and the void was either filled by Imperial Akitsukunese Army personnel or the post was left empty.

The Legislative Council was largely a ceremonial body, existing to rubber-stamp decisions issued by the State Council. The only authorized political party was the government-sponsored Cultural Preservation Union, although various groups were permitted their own political associations.

When Meisaan was liberated in January 1941, Leung Mi II was asked to abdicate but refused until her throne was abolished by Leung Gai.

Monarch
The monarch of the Empire of Meisaan was Empress Leung Mi II, the former crown princess and a collaborationist Meisaan royal who supported the Akitsukunese occupation. She was one of the leaders of a faction of Meisaani royals who admired the Akitsukunese monarchy's absolute control over their nation and were unhappy with Meisaan's constitutional monarchy, which removed them of their governmental powers. Following the Eulhae War, Leung Mi II was exiled and would later live in Akitsukuni before being shot in what is believed to be an assassination or an assisted suicide.

Military
Main article: Miyama Army

The Miyama Army was initially a volunteer force of collaborationist Meisaani troops roughly 6,000 strong under Lieutenant-General Lee Shi Tian, or Ri-Ishiten. The goal behind its inception by the Imperial Army was to create a strong, loyal local army for propaganda purposes and to eventually allow the locals to defend themselves while the Imperial Army carried out other activities elsewhere. Upon the outbreak of the 3rd Akitsu-Meisaan War, the Miyama Army was rapidly expanded with forced conscription that did not end until 1940.

Once the Empire of Meisaan was established, control of the Miyama Army was officially handed to the new collaborationist government, though command of the entire force still fell under the Imperial Akitsukunese Army Meisaan Area Headquarters, which the Meisaani leadership had no say in. The Miyama Army was plagued by substandard equipment and rations, poor morale and ineffective leadership, often confused by struggles between Meisaain and Akitsukunese officers. Despite the removal of the restrictions on attainable ranks for ethnic Meisaanis after 1935, many high-ranking and mid-level officers were still Akitsukunese. Due to wartime attrition, the Miyama Army soon became the bulk of the Imperial Army's forces in Meisaan after the Jeongmian invasion in late 1939. Incidents of mass desertions and troops being sent into combat with bamboo spears were not uncommon. Miyama Army troops were also subject to numerous mass executions, both by loyalist Meisaanis and the Akitsukunese leadership.

After the war, numerous ethnic Meisaani Miyama Army leaders were persecuted by the Meisaani government and many fled to Akitsukuni.