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The House of Li
The House of Li, 1958
The House of Li has been the ruling family of China ever since Li Zicheng, the Dashing King, the Yongchang Emperor, overthrew the Ming Dynasty in the 17th century. The House of Li is revered by the Chinese people as they are seen as having strengthened their Mandate of Heaven by strengthening China and turning it into one of the world’s main powers. During the Great Asian War, the House of Li were one of the rallying points for Chinese propaganda as Chinese propagandists called upon people to fight not only for China but for the Shun Dynastyas well.
The Imperial Family:
The Chunhua Empress: Li Wei is the first Empress of China since Wu Zeitan in the Middle Ages. Having acceeded to the throne in 1952, she has been pivotal in rallying the Chinese people behind the cause of the war effort with her “Darkest Hour” speech and other speeches made to rally the Chinese people. However, her main interest is in ornithology with the Empress spending most of her time studying birds in an aviary in the Forbidden City. While in earlier times, this would hamper the ruling of the Middle Kingdom, the Great Shun is nowadays a (semi-)constitutional monarchy and so this has little impact on the Middle Kingdom.
Prince Consort Li Wuhan: Li Wuhan was the son of the Governor of Yunnan who fell in love with the then-Crown Princess while they were studying in the University of Suzhou, seen as one of the best universities in China and they married in 1934 with them having two sons and one daughter. Li Wuhan is also quietly supportive of the moderate Protectionists in the Constitutional Protection Alliance unlike his wife, who supports the ruling Progressive Union Party. In addition, he is also an accomplished poet, having written many poems on nature and has tried painting some landscape paintings as well.
Crown Prince Li Bao: Crown Prince Li Bao is the oldest son and heir to the Chunhua Empress, being born in October 1934. He has a reputation as a prince who is handsome and charming, being described by his friends as charismatic as well. In addition, he is also well-known as a wise, kind, scholarly, and cultured man well-known for his compassion towards others and for his skills at music as well. In addition, despite being a war hero of the Chinese Army during the Great Asian War after volunteering to join the army after the nuclear attack on Changsha, he personally prefers singing over fighting and killing as well. However, he is also known for having some melancholy aspects in his personality as well. In addition, he read Yang Xiao Long’s book and is well-known for being one of the first prominent adherents to her ideology as well.
Princess Marcella de Medici: Princess Marcella de Medici is Prince Li Bao’s Italian-born wife from the ruling family of Tuscany, the Medici family, who he married just before signing up for the Chinese military after the nuclear attack on Changsha after they fell in love when Prince Li Bao was studying at Italy. She takes after her British-born mother in her physical appearance, having her green eyes and long curly blonde hair as well. In addition, she is well-known for being kind-hearted and sweet but is also intelligent, strong-willed, and brave as well. She also read Yang Xiao Long’s book and supports aspects of her Yangist ideology as well. In addition, she also is a bit of an academic and historian as well, studying history in her spare time from her obligations as an Imperial Princess.
Prince Li Zheng: Prince Li Zheng is the younger brother of Prince Li Bao and was born in 1936. Like his older brother, he has signed up for the Imperial Military for the Great Asian War but he has joined the Imperial Navy instead and currently serves on the aircraft carrier Li Shimin as a carrier pilot and has distinguished himself in the attack which sealed the fate of the Indian super-Magenta Bright Tomorrow, which was finished off by the Chinese super-Magenta Guangdong and two Liaoning-class Magentas with their 18.1 inch guns after it was crippled by air attacks from the Li Shimin by dropping the bomb which damaged the engines of the ship, forcing her to slow down. Li Zheng is far more Protectionist-minded than his older brother but isn’t fond of Zhengism, seeking a more moderate form of Protectionism. While single, reports indicate he has been flirting with one Princess Fatima, the granddaughter of a Mughal princeling who had been ambassador to China when the Indian Revolution struck and was unable to return to his homeland as well.
Princess Li Xuefang: Princess Li Xuefang is the youngest of all of the children of the Chunhua Empress, being born in 1939. She is currently studying at the University of Xi’an as well. As for her personality, she’s quite coldly formal at times but could be described as polite as well. In addition, she is fairly ambitious in her outlook as well, with dreams of marrying a prominent political figure and being a “power behind the scenes”. Ideologically, she’s closer in line with Li Bao than with Li Zheng but has some reservations with the Yangist Ideology as well.
Other Prominent Members of the House of Li:
Prince Li Yazhu: Prince Li Yazhu, a descendant of the Shangwu Emperor through Prince Li Yu, is the current commander of the 14th Army, which is currently stationed in Guizhou. He has gained a reputation as a competent defensive commander and is seen by many as the best commander to maintain a defensive line.
Prince Li Zhenya: Prince Li Zhenya is a distant relation of the current Shun Empress, being descended from the Chuangzhi Emperor’s second son. He is currently the Foreign Minister of the Empire of the Great Shun and a loyal ally of Xiao Xuegang. He has also been heavilly involved in the diplomacy which resulted in the creation of the United States and has some ambitious plans for the post-war order in East Asia as well. In addition, he has been one of the voices most prominent in calling for a “second front” against the UIS, calling it a “necessity” to “ease the strain on Chinese forces” as well.
Princess Li Shufan: Princess Li Shufan is one of the daughters of Prince Li Shuren. She is just 29 but is seen by many as one of the “rising stars” of Chinese politics, having been appointed by the Chunhua Empress to the Council of Mandarins in 1957. In addition, she is one of the main Protectionist members of the House of Li and a supporter of some Zhengist ideas as well with more progressive-minded members of the Imperial Family worried about her political views, especially Crown Prince Li Bao.
Prince Li Yating: Prince Li Yating is a descendant of the Yongwu Emperor and is currently an Admiral and commander of the 5th Fleet, which is the main fleet unit of the Shun Navy, comprising 3 of it’s remaining carriers and 4 Magentas (a Guangdong-class Magenta, 2 Liaoning-class Magentas, and a Fujian-class Magenta). He is considered to be one of China’s best admirals, having presided over one of China’s biggest naval victories in the Great Asian War, the Battle of the Nansha Islands, which saw the destruction of the Bright Tomorrow, one of the five Indian super-Magentas. In addition, he has called for a daring naval operation using China’s remaining S-300s, calling for them to be modified to fire missiles and launch them on a mission against Sanjay.
Princess Li Da: Princess Li Da, a descendant of the Tianchang (“Heavenly Prosperity”) Emperor, who ruled Shun China during the War of the East China Sea, is currently Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Spain, a position she recieved in 1954. The neutral Federal Republic of Spain has been a center of espionage games between the Empire of the Great Shun and the Unified Indian State as Spanish neutrality has been exploited by both sides for their respective embassies to gather information on the “enemy” ever since the start of the Great Asian War, a process which only escalated with the entry of the United States into the war. In addition, Princess Li Da is a ruthless political operator and spymaster who has managed a network of spies in Spain ready to collect espionage on the Indians ever since the start of the Great Asian War.
Prince Li Jian: Prince Li Jian is a descendant of the Yongwu Emperor through his third son, Li Wen, and is currently commander of the 3rd Armored Army, which is comprised of the legendary 2nd Armored Corps, the 5th Armored Corps, and the 27th Corps. The 3rd Armored Army is the main armored force in the Guangxi Front but it has been reconstructed virtually from scratch after the Battle of Guangxi as the 5th Armored Corps was virtually wiped out in the fighting and the 2nd Armored Corps suffered intense losses. Personally, he is a cold, hard, and serious man, albeit one with a sense of duty, honor, and justice, albeit a harsh one. In his politics, he is fairly apolitical but personally supports the government out of a sense of supporting the country may it be right or wrong.