Joenggwok

Joenggwok, officially the Kingdom of Itsijuataacha (:水山王國; Iréchecua Itsijuataacha) is a sovereign nation in eastern Yeongju bordering Nochtlico to the east and with an access to the Great Eastern Ocean to the west. It covers 830,000 km² of lands, for a population estimated at 71 millions inhabitants, 90% of which self-identify as "Irechekuiripu" or just "Kuiripucha", the old name for the.

While the territories occupied by the country were inhabited by since at least 31,000 BCE, the foundation of the current kingdom were laid by the mysterious Tsurukiri, who settled around lake Tzihuen during the 14th century CE. It was considered to be a distant but powerful rival to the Iztaccihuatl dynasty at least until the Rebellion of the Two Princes after which the two states became allies against Jeongmi. While the alliance did not last long, the opposition of the kingdom to Jeongmi would continue, first with the support of Meisaan then on its own. During the Great Eulhae War, Joenggwok saw an opportunity to fight back against Jeongmi once more and joined the war on the side of the Contingent Powers. Despite the defeat of their faction, the Fojan were absent from the peace negociations. Instead, the Fojan military would continue to fight, begrudgingly allying with the Communist Party of Nochtlico to do so. The Cazonci was one of the signatory of the Sinsa Treaty that ended 13 years of war for Joenggwok, and 217 years of colonial presence in Yeongju for Jeongmi. Instability struck the country after this long lasting conflict, which would end with the abandon of the in favour of a.

The current of the country is the  Cucumenthi II who succeeded his father on the throne in 1979. But the real, chosen by the Legislature, is the. The country is considered to be a regional power in Yeongju and a middle power in global affairs with a high level of human development and the second-largest economy in south-east Yeongju. Manufacturing and financial services are the leading sectors of the economy.

Etymology
The historical and official name of the country is "Itsijuataacha" in, written 水山 in. But internationaly, the name 陽國 ("Joenggwok" or any reading thereof) is most commonly used to speak of the country. This name refer to the perception of the first Meisaanese explorers that the were a very unbalanced people, more atuned with the Yáng than the Yīn. It has since then taken a more positive connotation and can be interpreted as meaning the "Rising" or "Active" country.

Tsurukiri
Little is known about the Tsurukiri, the name oral traditions have kept for the purposed ancestors of the moden. There is no trace or record left of their past before their arrival in Joenggwok, and the is a  with no obvious link to any other language in Yeongju. Less mysterious was their installation around Lake Tzihuen at the beginning of the 2nd millenium CE. At the time, the region was dominated by various city-states, as well as semi-nomads. The Tsurukiri founded one city, Tinditzio, and conquered two others: Cuecamaro and Itzuitsi. They were led, respectively, by the semi-mythological ruler Hirecuri and two of his nephews, Hirpan and Ticatame.

When Hirecuri died, his grandson Cuiratame took over the throne of Tinditzio under the regency of Hirecuri's nephews. Hirpan, the eldest of the two, became the dominant ruler and waged wars against the neighboring Nawas and Chichimecas so they would continue to pay the tributes his uncle had obtained of them during his conquests. Hirpan died after four years, leaving Ticatame as the sole regent. He is remembered for his institutionalisation of the tribute system, with the creation of a strong bureaucracy. When his cousin-once-removed reached adulthood, Ticatame continued to serve as the main minister of the court until his own death.

Cuiratame is remembered as a very war-like, repressing the Nawas revolts against the tributes and defeating in battle the semi-nomads and nomadic tribes on the edge of his territories. It's during one of these battle that he died, too young to have left an heir. The court then elected Sicarancha, Ticatame's son, as the new Cazonci. Sicarancha continued his father's work, reinforcing the administration of the kingdom, and moved the capital from Tinditzio to a city recently conquered by his predecessor: Uycameo. Uycameo had been an important religious site for the local populations of the lake since long before the arrival of the Tsurukiri, but Sicarancha destroyed all the temples and instead built a great round pyramid dedicated to, the "Original Fire" and patron deity of the Tsurukiri. The only other pre-Tsurukiri temple he left intact was the Pyramid of, the Moon Goddess of the Nawas, symbolically married to Cauricaueri during an important religious ceremony.

Kingdom of Itsijuataacha
Starting with Sicarancha's rule, oral traditions and historical texts no longer speek of the Tsurukiri or of the Nawas, but of the Irechekuiripu, "People of the Land". and Chichimecas languages dissapeared, replaced by. The Irechekuiripu and their kingdom, the Irechecua Itsijuataacha, would continue their expansion during the following centuries. Later, the capital would once again be moved, from Uycameo to Ts'intsunjuata.

The kingdom took control of the mountain passes linking Itsijuataacha to the core regions of Yahuimilco, securing for themselves important agricultural valleys and strategic points. This expansion led to frictions with a number of  and Chichimecas tribes under the protection of the Iztaccihuatl dynasty. Between 1430 and 1490, the two states wrestled for domination over the border regions, with the Irechekuiripu establishing fortress-colonies in strategic locations. To oppose the Iztaccihuas, the Irechekuiripu allied with the Chiyoca'nu.

During the 16th century, all three empires, the Iztaccihuas, the Chiyoca'nu, and the Irechekuiripu, obtained firearms and canons from Jungjueses traders. But the Irechekuiripu, already famed for their metalurgy, quickly established their own Royal Weapons Factories. War was waged against the that had resisted previously the attempts made by the Irechecua to conquer them. The aim was to take control of the mines of the areas. The re-organized and better equipped Irechekuiripu were able to defeat their Nawat neighbors and seize their ports and mines.

In 1603, Chiyoca'nu was defeated by the Iztaccihuas, leaving only the Irechekuiripu to oppose them. Between 1620 and 1633, the two empires waged a bitter war for the control of their border regions and of Yahuimilco Bay. The war ended without any clear victor and despite a peace treaty being signed, tensions would remain high between the two states.

The Irechecua took part in the Rebellion of the Two Princes on the side of the Northern Prince. This helped the Cazonci secure greater territories and influence at the Yahuimilcan court, leading to an official alliance. But a year later, Jeongmi would lay its to Yahuimilco. The Cazonci was among those who advised the Huehuetlatoani to fight on against the foreigners, and even prepared an army to help relieve the siege of Teotihuacan, but the treaty of Gyechuk was signed before the army crossed the border.

In reaction to the encroaching presence of Jeongmi in Yeongju, the Irechecua decided to expel all Jeongmi traders and began formalizing relations with Meisaan.

Government and politics
Joenggwok is an under a  since 1952. Cucumenthi II is the and head of state of the country. The Cazonci represent the unity of the nation and is mostly tasked with performing the "secular rites" associated with the country. For that he is still known by the title of "Vicar of the Fire" (火㞼). The Cazonci is not supposed to intervene in politics, even if he symbolically approve of and sign all legislations voted by the National Diet and all the decrees issued by the government.

The National Diet is divided into two houses: the Gallery and the Court. The Gallery is the upper house of the Diet and each Deputy is elected indirectly by the of the province they represent. Meanwhile, the Court's Delegates are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation. They serve for a mandate of 5 years while the Deputies are mandated for 7 years.

The President of the Diet is elected directly by the Fojan people in a two-turns election held every 5 years, a month before the election of the delegates. He is the and nominate the members of his Cabinet who are then formally appointed by the Diet. Deputies and Delegates can then contest or oppose, with a simple majority, the individual choices of the President or even refuse the Cabinet presented to them, forcing the President to compose a new list to present to the Diet. the President since 2017 is Kuhata Huri of the.

The three major parties in Joenggwok are the, the , and the. All three parties have identifiable and  wings. For example, the Meritocratic Movement is divided between the Examiners who wish for greater restrictions on direct democracy such as the adoption of a Voting Acquisition Exam, and the Lecturers who defend a plateform of to create a true democracy. Candidates associated to one party or another tend to have plateforms that are compromises of all the different wings of their movement but that is dependent of the internal balance of power.

Religion
The dominant form of belief in Joenggwok are the various forms of existing thourough the country. The dominant cult is the state sponsored worship of, the "Great Fire" of whom the is the "Vicar". Contacts with Jeongmi and Meisaan have greatly influenced religious practices, notably through the import of and.

Clear data on religious affiliation in Joenggwok are difficult to obtain, as there is no clear boundary in the mind of people between any of the major teachings. It's among the Mei living in Joenggwok that one can find clearcut adepts of Buddhism, the most popular religion in this community, while the has retain the worship of the traditional gods of their community, while also complying with national events dedicated to Cauricaueri and other Fojan gods.