History of Great He Dynasty(Part I)

By the year of 1582, 2nd June, Akechi Mitsuhide(明智光秀, vassal of Oda Nobunaga, 織田信長) betrayed his master and attacked Temple Honno(本能寺, where Nobunaga lived) with 50,000 soldiers, but Nobunaga's son, Oda Nobutada(織田信忠) living in nearby temple, led 1,500 men to support his father, and Akechi noticed that his slot had been found by Nobunaga. The men of Akechi feared failure, fell into chaos, even some people surrendered to Nobunaga. The number of Oda's army prevailed, they surrounded Temple Honno and Nobunaga fought with Akechi by themselves. We only know that Nobunaga survived, but the body of Akechi has been never found until now. The temple was burning, and his mutiny was suppressed.

After years, while uniting Japan, Nobunaga gave up the idea of abdication of emperor and used him to control the warlords. In 1584, Oda Nobunaga accepted the title of "Seii Taishōgun" or "Shogun"(征夷大将軍と将軍), and he settled his shogunate in Nijo-jo(二条城) in Kyoto(京都), so-call Shogunate Oda or Shoguante Nijo(織田幕府、二条幕府).

After uniting Japan, Nobunaga decided to invade Korean Peninsula then conquered China via Korea. In the year of 1588, Nobunaga gathered Japanese army led by his five generals including Hashiba Hideyoshi(羽柴秀吉, his famous surname "豊臣" was given by emperor). Korea couldn't defend itself because of weak army and unstable politics and most of Korean territory was conquered by Japanese army. Korea sought help from Ming, and Ming sent 50,000 soldiers to help Korea. After one year's war, Ming and Japan couldn't defeat each other. During the secret negotiation of Ming and Japan, some Korean powerful men considered that the negotiation meant that Ming had given up. They started an unsuccessful coup d'état, which caused Ming to agree Japanese demand: Korea became Ming's and Japan's vassal respectively, and royal family of Japan and of Korea were united in marriage. In fact Korea was controlled by Japan.
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Oda Nobunaga passed away in 1590 and handed a victorious Japan to his son, Nobutada. Nobutada continued his father's policies: export silver and bronze to China, encourage trade with western merchants, learned foreign technology and suppress religious powers. Japan never suffered from Sakoku(鎖国, an isolationist foreign policy under rule of Tokugawa Shogunate for over 290 years in our timeline) and its westernization became faster.

From 1622, a series of peasants uprising commenced because of terrible natural disaster and social conflicts. In the year of 1644, Li Zicheng(李自成), former civil servant who lost his job in the financial "reform" of Zhu Youjian(朱由检, last emperor of Ming dynasty), claimed the foundation of Shun(大顺) in Shaanxi, then his army marched eastwards. Ming army couldn't defend the land, and the capital, Jingshi(京师, nowadays Beijing), was open to him. Quite different from our timeline, Zhu Youjian didn't choose stay in Beijing and suicide, in contrast, his fled to Nanjing and let his son, Zhu Cilang(朱慈烺) defend capital. The regime locating in southern China was called Southern Ming or "Nan Ming"(南明). Li sieged Beijing and captured Zhu Cilang, but Li's army fell into political chaos. At the same time, Manchu's army prepared to attack Beijing, the northern China became battlefield.

Surviving from war, Zhu Youjian's legitimacy was questioned by scholars and other noblemen: he could have stayed in Beijing and coexisted with his country, but he didn't; so he was a coward and he didn't have right to be emperor. Zhu noticed that his brothers would challenge his power and the peasants would also attack Nanking if he couldn't have enough army to defend Yangtse River. In 1645, he sent Zheng Zhilong(郑芝龙, son of Japanese wife and Chinese father, famous pirate) to Japan and requested Japan to send troops to help Souther Ming(this event was called “乞师日本” by Chinese famous scholar Huang Zongxi). When arriving at Nagasaki(長崎, famous port in western Japan), they were welcomed by Oda's envoys. Shogun agreed to send army to help Ming at the expense of some conditions that Ming recognized Japan's domain over Korea and Ryukyu. Zhu Youjian had to satisfy his demand. Some historical records tell us that Zheng Zhilong agreed Japanese demand and forced emperor to admit the facts, and that Zhu Youjian wanted to divided China with Japan and Manchu if they could help him to destroy peasants' uprising.

In 1646, Japan, Ming, Manchu with Mongolia and Portugal's mercenaries defeated peasants' army and recovered Beijing. Manchu demanded the territory nearby Beijing, but Ming betrayed their promise. Ming-Japanese army defeated Manchu in battle of Yipianshi(一片石, in the border of Hebei and Liaoning province). Manchu couldn't defeat its army armed with gunpower weapons.

In 1648, Zhu Youjian passed away and was honored as Sizong(思宗). His son was found dead in Mountain Mei(煤山). According to his suicide note, he was raped by peasants and was ashamed; he lost his dignity to become emperor. Without son, the succession of Chinese emperor became a great problem. At this time, Zheng Zhilong made an opinion that it was best that Japanese emperor become Chinese new emperor. It is said that when people was discussing with Zheng's opinion, a man with ancient hair style and in red, armed with a red bow, drove into the palace, took out an edict written in yellow silk, announced that Zhu Youjian had decided to transfer the throne to the emperor "from the place the sun rising"(日出处天子, and Japan called itself "The place where sun rises"). Later he disappeared, with blood in land and woman's cry in the air. Finally people agreed this opinion. In the end of 1648, Japanese 110th emperor, Go-Kōmyō(後光明天皇, Chinese call him "仁宗") claimed to be new emperor of China also first emperor of He dynasty(和朝, after modernisation, it was called in official files, Greater East Asian State, 大亜細亜國).
 
By the year of 1582, 2nd June, Akechi Mitsuhide(明智光秀, vassal of Oda Nobunaga, 織田信長) betrayed his master and attacked Temple Honno(本能寺, where Nobunaga lived) with 50,000 soldiers, but Nobunaga's son, Oda Nobutada(織田信忠) living in nearby temple, led 1,500 men to support his father, and Akechi noticed that his slot had been found by Nobunaga. The men of Akechi feared failure, fell into chaos, even some people surrendered to Nobunaga. The number of Oda's army prevailed, they surrounded Temple Honno and Nobunaga fought with Akechi by themselves. We only know that Nobunaga survived, but the body of Akechi has been never found until now. The temple was burning, and his mutiny was suppressed.

After years, while uniting Japan, Nobunaga gave up the idea of abdication of emperor and used him to control the warlords. In 1584, Oda Nobunaga accepted the title of "Seii Taishōgun" or "Shogun"(征夷大将軍と将軍), and he settled his shogunate in Nijo-jo(二条城) in Kyoto(京都), so-call Shogunate Oda or Shoguante Nijo(織田幕府、二条幕府).

After uniting Japan, Nobunaga decided to invade Korean Peninsula then conquered China via Korea. In the year of 1588, Nobunaga gathered Japanese army led by his five generals including Hashiba Hideyoshi(羽柴秀吉, his famous surname "豊臣" was given by emperor). Korea couldn't defend itself because of weak army and unstable politics and most of Korean territory was conquered by Japanese army. Korea sought help from Ming, and Ming sent 50,000 soldiers to help Korea. After one year's war, Ming and Japan couldn't defeat each other. During the secret negotiation of Ming and Japan, some Korean powerful men considered that the negotiation meant that Ming had given up. They started an unsuccessful coup d'état, which caused Ming to agree Japanese demand: Korea became Ming's and Japan's vassal respectively, and royal family of Japan and of Korea were united in marriage. In fact Korea was controlled by Japan.

Very Interesting premise, but I have to raise a few questions. Okay so Nobunaga survives Honnoji, how does Nobunaga unite Japan faster than Hideyoshi? Nobunaga would still have to conquer most of Chugoku from the Mori, the islands of Shikoku and Kyushu. Take the Kanto Plains and finally North Eastern Japan, they are not going to just simply submit The Hojo did not do the same against a stronger Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Even with Hideyoshi getting the Oda remnants under control it took till the later 1580s to unite Japan. I do not see Nobunaga gunning for the title of Shogun, or being able to invade Korea after unification, he would be busy trying to maintain order in Japan. Hideyoshi invaded Korea because he lacked legitimacy, this being a scheme of Nobunaga is uncertain for me, Nobunaga was a very iconoclastic man, but an invasion of China seems embellished about how out there he could be.

Still I do not believe the Wanli Emperor when he is still willing to be active in government affairs would throw Korea to the dogs, even when the Ryukyu's where a vassal to both Japan and China, the Japanese had to step lightly. Here the Ming are probably going to continue fighting, but also the reason why the Japanese invasions of Korea failed is that their ships were poor compared to the navies of Ming and Joseon.

Oda Nobunaga passed away in 1590 and handed a victorious Japan to his son, Nobutada. Nobutada continued his father's policies: export silver and bronze to China, encourage trade with western merchants, learned foreign technology and suppress religious powers. Japan never suffered from Sakoku(鎖国, an isolationist foreign policy under rule of Tokugawa Shogunate for over 290 years in our timeline) and its westernization became faster.

Why is Nobunaga dying in 1590, he wasn't that old as there many others who lived longer natural lives. There is the problem of the Japanese slave trade and the fact Nobunaga was very brutal towards his enemies I feel that western merchants are going to suffer if they think about spreading their faith, or if they think Nobunaga would accept the Japanese slave trade, there is little that Nobunaga would need from the Spanish and Portuguese, and the Dutch can take their place. Nobunaga had the temple of Mt Hiei burned with men and women still inside of it, so the Christians would have to walk on eggshells.

From 1622, a series of peasants uprising commenced because of terrible natural disaster and social conflicts. In the year of 1644, Li Zicheng(李自成), former civil servant who lost his job in the financial "reform" of Zhu Youjian(朱由检, last emperor of Ming dynasty), claimed the foundation of Shun(大顺) in Shaanxi, then his army marched eastwards. Ming army couldn't defend the land, and the capital, Jingshi(京师, nowadays Beijing), was open to him. Quite different from our timeline, Zhu Youjian didn't choose stay in Beijing and suicide, in contrast, his fled to Nanjing and let his son, Zhu Cilang(朱慈烺) defend capital. The regime locating in southern China was called Southern Ming or "Nan Ming"(南明). Li sieged Beijing and captured Zhu Cilang, but Li's army fell into political chaos. At the same time, Manchu's army prepared to attack Beijing, the northern China became battlefield.

Surviving from war, Zhu Youjian's legitimacy was questioned by scholars and other noblemen: he could have stayed in Beijing and coexisted with his country, but he didn't; so he was a coward and he didn't have right to be emperor. Zhu noticed that his brothers would challenge his power and the peasants would also attack Nanking if he couldn't have enough army to defend Yangtse River. In 1645, he sent Zheng Zhilong(郑芝龙, son of Japanese wife and Chinese father, famous pirate) to Japan and requested Japan to send troops to help Souther Ming(this event was called “乞师日本” by Chinese famous scholar Huang Zongxi). When arriving at Nagasaki(長崎, famous port in western Japan), they were welcomed by Oda's envoys. Shogun agreed to send army to help Ming at the expense of some conditions that Ming recognized Japan's domain over Korea and Ryukyu. Zhu Youjian had to satisfy his demand. Some historical records tell us that Zheng Zhilong agreed Japanese demand and forced emperor to admit the facts, and that Zhu Youjian wanted to divided China with Japan and Manchu if they could help him to destroy peasants' uprising.

In 1646, Japan, Ming, Manchu with Mongolia and Portugal's mercenaries defeated peasants' army and recovered Beijing. Manchu demanded the territory nearby Beijing, but Ming betrayed their promise. Ming-Japanese army defeated Manchu in battle of Yipianshi(一片石, in the border of Hebei and Liaoning province). Manchu couldn't defeat its army armed with gunpower weapons.

In 1648, Zhu Youjian passed away and was honored as Sizong(思宗). His son was found dead in Mountain Mei(煤山). According to his suicide note, he was raped by peasants and was ashamed; he lost his dignity to become emperor. Without son, the succession of Chinese emperor became a great problem. At this time, Zheng Zhilong made an opinion that it was best that Japanese emperor become Chinese new emperor. It is said that when people was discussing with Zheng's opinion, a man with ancient hair style and in red, armed with a red bow, drove into the palace, took out an edict written in yellow silk, announced that Zhu Youjian had decided to transfer the throne to the emperor "from the place the sun rising"(日出处天子, and Japan called itself "The place where sun rises"). Later he disappeared, with blood in land and woman's cry in the air. Finally people agreed this opinion. In the end of 1648, Japanese 110th emperor, Go-Kōmyō(後光明天皇, Chinese call him "仁宗") claimed to be new emperor of China also first emperor of He dynasty(和朝, after modernisation, it was called in official files, Greater East Asian State, 大亜細亜國).
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Two things, why is the Ming declining like in OTL? The Ming's participation in the Imjin War was costly, if this is much smaller than you said it was, the Ming should not be in such dire straits? The Wanli Emperor would have no reason to simply become idle since the threat of Japan would be a serious one, I do not think he or his successors could afford to rest on their laurens since Japan is a threat in this timeline. How in the nine circles and six realms of hell is a union of Imperial China and Shogunate era Japan going to work without serious changes? In Japan, the emperor was powerless and power was theoretically in the hands of the Shogun, provided the Shogunate was powerful enough, but the Sengoku period could devolve into figureheads all the way down. In contrast, with China, the Emperor was all-powerful, provided he actually cared to govern the state. You cannot have two such contradictions existing at the same time, Either Go-Komyo tries a Komyo restoration with disastrous results, or China becomes more like feudal Japan where presumably scholar-bureaucrats and administrators start to retain more power.
 
or China becomes more like feudal Japan where presumably scholar-bureaucrats and administrators start to retain more power.

Honestly I see this as a plausible way for the Japanese to assert any form of control over china. Provided they would have to reach a level of militarism that borders on the likes of ancient Sparta to actually keep an empire that big with such a relatively small Japanese population.

IMHO I think the Japanese could take Korea but not much else(provided they have a William Adams/Miura Anjin like figure to get them red seal ships earlier), they would also need a plausible reason for the Local Korean nobility to think maybe being under a Japanese Shogunate wouldn't be so bad; maybe increased threat from the Manchu?

While the idea of a Japanese Alexander-type that conquers all the way to India (as Hideyoshi envisioned; but hey it's not like he knew the exact distances) is entertaining it is hella implausible especially the closer to the modern period we get.
 
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