Dagan Dynasty

Biodata

Background / History

The Dagan Dynasty was once powerful enough to pressure all surrounding states. Even amid its perceived decline, it remained known beyond the Wild Mountains as the Celestial Dynasty, a state whose cultivation system and high-level experts far surpassed Midgard’s knight-based powers 268 294.

Its apparent decline became a central concern for neighboring rulers. The Southern Expedition Army and Silver Armor Army were destroyed by the Wei State Duke Mansion, while later turmoil struck the Eastern and Northern Territories. Foreign courts consequently viewed Dagan as weakened and began considering invasions or coalitions against it 277 363.

That assessment proved unreliable. Dagan’s noble houses, imperial legions, regional armies, and defensive positions retained enough strength to pressure several neighboring states simultaneously. The dynasty’s campaigns against Zhou Kingdom, Southern Song, and the Han-Zhao-Qi Allied Forces forced its enemies from plans of conquest toward preparations for survival 414 419 505.

Government and Internal Authority

Territorial Situation

• Eastern Territory — Historically Dagan’s strongest region due to its numerical advantage in experts, though its noble houses have displayed ambitions of separating and crowning themselves kings 292.
• Western Territory — Resource-rich but less prosperous and less unified than the Eastern Territory; it faces repeated pressure from Zhou Kingdom 367.
• Southern Frontier — Hosts the Southern Conquest Legion and a large garrison force; it became the launching point for the conquest of Southern Song 318 415.
• Northern Frontier — Suffered a major upheaval that damaged the Wei State Duke Mansion and encouraged foreign states to challenge Dagan 365.

Armed Forces

Regional Armies and Imperial Legions

• Southern Conquest Legion — A five-million-strong force stationed at the Southern Frontier; it was regarded as comparable to, or stronger than, the former Southern Expedition Army 318 416.
• Southern Frontier Garrison Army — A ten-million-strong garrison force supporting the Southern Conquest Legion 318.
• Pacifying Distant Legion — One million troops under Li Tieniu. At one point, 400,000 soldiers had reached the Nascent Soul Realm, while the remainder had approached the Golden Core Realm 266.
• Pacifying Distant Legion officers — Most officers are reported to be Nascent Soul Realm, with Golden Core Realm officers a minority; its commander is suspected to be close to the Mahayana Realm 505.
• White Tiger Legion — Considered the strongest of the imperial family’s five legions and composed of Dagan’s elite warriors 431.
• Black Tortoise Legion — Deployed with the White Tiger Legion to assume control of the Allied Army’s main camp in the Western Territory 431.
• Noble and aristocratic forces — City guards, household troops, deathsworn, and private armies controlled by Dagan’s noble houses can be assembled into independent coalition forces 414.

Experts and Cultivation Scale

Defensive Warfare and Equipment

• Warships — Used in large-scale assaults, including repeated attacks against rebel defensive formations 517.
• Defensive formations — Border cities and military camps rely on formations capable of resisting sustained attacks, though their energy reserves can be exhausted 414 517.
• Explosive Packs — Supplied through Imperial Guard Commander Duan Wenhu; concentrated use destroyed a Void Refinement Realm Peak military-formation giant and repelled the Han-Zhao-Qi Allied Forces 427.
• Imperial City Imperial Guard — Maintains an Imperial City station and fields distinctive heavy armor 4 281.

Foreign Relations

• Zhou Kingdom — Dagan’s southwestern neighbor. Their conflict escalated into open war, followed by imperial-clan assassinations of Zhou city lords that pushed Zhou toward another invasion attempt 268 392 434 450.
• Southern Song — Fought Dagan along the Southern Frontier for roughly a year before Dagan’s Southern Conquest Legion and allied forces invaded. Southern Song later surrendered, though its restoration was reported afterward 264 415 431 496.
• Han, Zhao, and Qi Kingdoms — Formed an allied force that invaded Dagan’s Eastern Territory. Their assaults stalled against fortified positions and Explosive Packs 419 427.
• Midgard Region — Separated from Dagan by the Wild Mountains and connected chiefly through the southern coast. Midgard nobles planned an “Eastern Expedition,” despite the severe military disparity between the regions 294.
• Holy Blazing Sun Kingdom — Its rulers considered seeking Dagan as a patron, while later preparing for Dagan’s anticipated expansion toward Midgard 375 446.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Apparent Decline and Foreign Opportunism

• The dynasty experienced a period of peace when the Wei State Duke Mansion went silent, while the Southern Frontier remained locked in low-intensity conflict with Southern Song 264.
• Neighboring rulers interpreted Dagan’s weak performance in the Southern Frontier war as evidence of national decline, though some suspected that its weakness concealed a larger scheme 268.
• The destruction of Harmony Spring City and its three-million-strong army renewed fears that Dagan was rebuilding its military strength through external plunder 289 290.

Multi-Front War

• Dagan entered war with Zhou Kingdom while also launching a major invasion of Southern Song through the Southern Conquest Legion and Southern Frontier Garrison Army 392 415.
• The simultaneous campaigns compelled Han, Zhao, and Qi to intervene, creating a broad conflict between Dagan and the surrounding states 419.
• Southern Song surrendered after Dagan rapidly seized cities and territory, with the Southern Conquest Legion and Pacifying Distant Legion overseeing the transition of power 429 431 436.

Destabilization of Zhou Kingdom

• Ji Yangyan and Ji Kai dispatched imperial experts into Zhou Kingdom to assassinate border city lords and destroy several City Lord’s Mansions with their associated families 434.
• The killings caused panic, weakened Zhou’s noble support, and contributed to Zhou Kingdom’s decision to mobilize for another attack on Dagan 434 450.
• Dagan’s Western Territory activated defenses, evacuated civilians from border cities, and intercepted Zhou scouts as Zhou’s forces approached Luofeng City 451.

Eastern Front and Rebellion

• The Han-Zhao-Qi Allied Forces failed to breach Eastern Territory fortifications, especially after Explosive Packs destroyed one of their military-formation giants 427.
• Aristocrats in formerly conquered Southern Song later discussed overthrowing Dagan’s rule, believing that elite Dagan legions had been transferred to the Western Territory 468.
• Rebel forces under Li Yu prepared for a Dagan offensive, but their defensive formation was progressively depleted by attacks from Dagan Warships 502 514 517.