Great Xia

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Great Xia (大夏)
Type	Centralized imperial dynasty of the Central Plains
Capital	Great Xia Imperial City
State ideology	Confucianism
Status	A millennium-old dynasty in decline; in a later era, its Imperial City is besieged by the allied armies of seven nations 1 1612
First Appearance	Chapter 1

History

Great Xia rose during an age of divided powers, subdued a hundred dynasties, and established an imperial authority that endured for a thousand years. At its height, its power shook the Divine Land; even the Eternal Night Divine Cult withdrew into hiding rather than confront it directly 1 9.

Its millennium of prosperity rested on generations of capable rulers, loyal ministers, Confucian governance, and Martial Marquises who defended the realm. Great Xia once prohibited martial arts across the Divine Land and maintained sufficient military supremacy to deter neighboring states for centuries 1 20 33.

By the opening of the story, decline had already set in. Competent officials had dwindled, enlightened rulers had ceased to emerge, the Northern Mongol Royal Court had grown stronger, and the Eternal Night Divine Cult had returned after a millennium of dormancy 1. The dynasty's weakening fortune made it vulnerable to both foreign aggression and long-suppressed internal ambitions 9 168.

Xia Rui's Reign and Succession Crisis

Under Emperor Xia Rui, Great Xia's response to the Northern Mongol threat was undermined by indecision, paranoia, and political manipulation. The omen Yinghuo Shouxin convinced him that raising troops could turn Great Xia into the target of the world and destroy its thousand-year foundation 6.

Xia Rui ultimately became increasingly tyrannical and personally controlled matters great and small, exhausting himself while alienating the court. His assassination by Consort Wan, Qing Wuhen, left no designated heir and triggered a bitter struggle among the imperial princes and their supporters 105 106.

Wars of Decline

The Northern Mongol Royal Court and Eternal Night Divine Cult invaded while rebellions erupted within Great Xia. Xiling City fell in the west, Yan Returning City was captured and massacred, and the dynasty's forces suffered severe losses across multiple fronts 71 72.

The Seven Cities Rebellion was temporarily crushed after Marquis Kaixuan and the Blackwater Army were deployed, but the crisis revealed the extent of Great Xia's internal instability 79. Northern Mongol strategist Fan Lingyue later exploited these weaknesses, coordinating external pressure with unrest among sects, aristocratic families, and rebel factions 168 184.

Great Xia survived the Northern Mongol campaign through prolonged resistance, strategic reforms, and the efforts of figures including Xia Ziyi, the Martial Marquises, Grandson, and Ning Chen. Ning Chen's campaign against the Buddhist Kingdom secured the southwestern frontier, and he was subsequently named the seventeen-year-old Martial Marquis of Knowing Fate 126 128.

Later Calamities

After the Northern Mongol era, Great Xia faced the Eternal Night Divine Cult's full-scale invasion and later the Four Extremes Realm's assault. Imperial Ancestor Xiaoyu emerged from beneath the Imperial City to defend the dynasty, eventually sacrificing himself to preserve the imperial bloodline's stability 262 263.

Great Xia endured further devastation during the Underworld King calamity, losing many of its peak cultivators. Internal rebellions followed, and the Northern Mongol and Barbarian armies again advanced on the Imperial City 398 399. Ning Chen intervened when the city faced final collapse, forbidding further warfare with a single sword strike 400.

In a subsequent period of recovery, Great Xia regained prosperity and maintained a hard-won peace with Northern Mongol and the Barbarian Dynasty 499. In its later years, however, it again entered decline as foreign armies converged on the Imperial City 1611 1612.

Government and Society

• Xia Emperor — The dynasty's sovereign, seated in the Heavenly Edict Hall within the Imperial Palace. The emperor holds civil and military authority, though the effectiveness of rule has varied sharply between reigns 28 105.
• Grandson — A central imperial authority who managed palace affairs and state crises during periods of succession instability 106 112.
• Three Grand Ministers — Senior officials whose collective approval is vital in major matters such as imperial succession. Their tradition of limited interference in politics was established by the Master, Great Xia's first Imperial Tutor and the founder of Confucianism 98 112.
• Confucianism — The ideological foundation of Great Xia's governance. Its contributions were essential to the dynasty's thousand-year prosperity, although its institutions later became corrupted by power 24 98.
• Suppression of sects — Great Xia restricted the development of major sects and aristocratic martial families for centuries, regarding them as potential sources of instability. This policy later encouraged several such powers to support Northern Mongol against the dynasty 184.

Military

Martial Marquises

The Martial Marquises are Great Xia's highest military authorities, renowned for both strategic command and martial strength. Their existence serves as a symbol of the dynasty's security and suppresses its national destiny 33.

• Great Xia traditionally has no more than ten Martial Marquises at one time 33.
• Eight of the ten were ordinarily stationed outside the capital; Marquis Taiping and Marquis Kaixuan were historical exceptions 33.
• Marquis Kaixuan, the “God of War,” commanded the Blackwater Army and was regarded as the foremost among the Ten Martial Marquises 33 80.
• Martial Marquises bear immense karmic burdens from warfare, making advancement into the Xiantian Realm exceptionally difficult 181.
• The Northern Martial Marquis, Xiao Wanhua, became the only known Martial Marquis in Great Xia's millennium to betray the dynasty 181.
• Later generations continued the tradition of defending Great Xia despite the expectation that Martial Marquises would die in battle 1609.

Major Forces

• Blackwater Army — Marquis Kaixuan's elite army; its deployment crushed the Seven Cities Rebellion and checked the Eternal Night Divine Cult's heavy cavalry 79 80.
• Imperial Guards — The Imperial City's principal military force, organized into multiple camps including the Divine Wind, Azure Sparrow, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Red Serpent Camps 161.
• Dragon Guard Army — An elite force tasked with palace and imperial defense; its commanders are capable cultivators and participate in activating Great Xia's national defenses 262.
• Great Xia heavy cavalry — A comparatively small but strategically important cavalry force, deployed alongside light-cavalry raids against Northern Mongol 208 209.

Imperial Defenses

• Nation-protecting artifact — A powerful treasure beneath the Imperial Palace that helps suppress Great Xia's national destiny. It aided Marquis Kaixuan's breakthrough into the Xiantian Realm and could be activated to summon or support imperial defenders 181 262.
• Palace artifacts — Concealed heavenly phenomena, including the breakthroughs of Eunuch Pei and Emperor Xia Rui's hidden martial cultivation 105.

Major Conflicts

Conflict	Great Xia's position	Outcome / significance
Seven Cities Rebellion	Faced 250,000 rebels led by Prince Yue.	Marquis Kaixuan's Blackwater Army and Eunuch Pei crushed the rebellion within days, but it exposed deep internal unrest 79.
Northern Mongol War	Defended against Fan Lingyue's invasion, Northern Mongol heavy cavalry, and iron cavalry.	Great Xia lost major cities and suffered enormous casualties, but ultimately endured the campaign through prolonged resistance and tactical victories 72 166 209.
Eternal Night Divine Cult War	Resisted invasions on western and northwestern fronts.	The conflict drew multiple neighboring dynasties into war and forced the concentration of nearly all Martial Marquises 261 262.
Four Extremes Realm Invasion	Defended against an invading force led by the Calamity King and Xiantian experts.	Peerless City fell, while Xia Ziyi and Ning Chen became central to the defense of the Imperial City and the wider dynasty 287 288 292.
Imperial City Siege	Besieged by rebel armies, Northern Mongol cavalry, and Barbarian forces.	The city's defenders held through a day and night of fighting until Ning Chen halted the conflict 399 400.
Later Seven-Nation Siege	The last Martial Marquis defended the Imperial City as seven surrounding nations attacked.	Great Xia entered another period of apparent terminal decline, with its survival left to Marquis Kaixuan and the imperial defenders 1611 1612.

Notable Figures

• Xia Rui — Emperor whose paranoia and autocratic rule contributed to the first major collapse of the dynasty's stability; assassinated by Qing Wuhen 105.
• Xia Mingri — Emperor who took the throne after the succession crisis and relied heavily on Ning Chen's strategic counsel during the Northern Mongol war 160 167.
• Xia Ziyi — Prince Haowu and later emperor; an exceptionally gifted swordsman who repeatedly defended Great Xia against the Eternal Night Divine Cult and Four Extremes Realm 262 287.
• Ning Chen — The Marquis of Knowing Fate, later a living legend and guardian figure whose actions repeatedly preserved Great Xia from destruction 128 400 766.
• Marquis Kaixuan — Great Xia's God of War and foremost Martial Marquis; commander of the Blackwater Army 33 80.
• Grandson — Imperial authority who managed state affairs during succession crises and sought to preserve Great Xia through its darkest wars 106 112.
• Imperial Ancestor Xiaoyu — A peak Three Calamities expert who emerged to defend the Imperial City and later sacrificed himself for the dynasty 262 263.