The Final Setpiece

As chaos spread throughout the Shung Empire and freed the smaller nations to the south, the Hai could have just ran away and hid in their own hole.

But they didn't.

The Great Hai Order had a great chance now, and they were going to make the most use out of it. Reports had shown a huge conflict brewing with the Yuulatai Khan and the Shung Dynasty, and the Hai were going to make the most out of it.

And so, the Hai Order was ready to begin the total subjugation of the Shung.

One cold winter night, many of the major commanders under the Great Khan suddenly died. Strangled to death by rope. Seemingly immediately after that, the Yuulatai attacked.

It was devastating. The Shung Dynasty suffered humongous losses: nearly 50,000 dead, and many, many more injured. The Yuulatai had achieved a blistering victory, but of course, the Hai Order wasn't done yet. When the Yuulatai were about to put up their final push, their leader, the Bashimur Khan, died. He was the centerpiece in all of their operations. When this happened, the Shung managed to put up a good fight, and pushed back the Yuulatai a bit. This finally ended in a stalemate, as casualties stacked up on both sides. Once the Aruci invaded from the West, the Shung were completely doomed. As the Shung Dynasty crumbled, all the Khans who had pledged their alliance to the Great Khan turned on him, squabbling over the remains of the kingdom.

The Aruci were insanely powerful, no doubt about that. They would wipe the floor with the Yuulatai, no doubt. So, the Hai Order's few members stationed in Aruci murdered the Generals mere days before the big invasion. When the Aruci didn't attack, the Yuulatai realised that something might have happened. Spurred on by his Zhixulian advisor, the new Tebengri Khan invaded immediately. The ensuing battle was massive, extremely costly, but resulted in a victory all the same. The Aruci, after this huge defeat, lost a lot of support, and many minor Khans began to stop pledging allegiance. Soon, the north was a steaming soup, a hot mess that could never be fixed.

But with the Tebengri Khan's newfound power, his next goal was something far greater and far deadlier: the Great Hai Kingdom. The army was rallied, and the invasion was, after a long, drawn out series of battles, finally suppressed. Retreating with their tails between their legs, the Tebengri's subservient Khans all abandoned ship, fighting over the realms.

Now, the Shung threat was well and truly over. The Great Hai Kingdom declared independence, and began to rebuild.