Yu Dynasty Yingdala (4338-4636)

[Wu Han]

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1 APRIL 4311

Republican Leader and Three Term Grand Chancellor Zhang Zemin To Resign
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Three term Grand Chancellor's career was full of achievement and tragedy.

TIAN'AN, HAN
ex-Grand Chancellor and leader of the Republicans Zhang Zemin has announced that he will be resigning as leader of the Republicans as soon as his replacement is selected at the Republican Convention in 4312. The announcement comes after a disappointing election where he placed a distant second to current Phoenix Party Grand Chancellor Lo Zongru. Despite his failure to win the Chancellery, his party managed to gain back much of the 50+ seats it had lost over the past decade. The positive result for the Republicans points towards a bright future for the party even without Zhang Zemin at the helm.

LEGACY
Zhang Zemin is a well traveled politician in Indralan politics. His career started when he successfully ousted former Republican Chancellor Xuan Shuren amidst the Xiandai Revelations. From that moment, he continued to build the Republican brand and had famously worked night and day to fix the party's image. He was famously quoted saying

Thank you for your trust. I have only this to say: It is time for us to be humble. We will not celebrate or toast to our future until our party is rebuilt and retooled. It is time for a rebirth of this party. From her ashes, Song Yi will be born again through each and every one of us. We will never lose our compassion again.

After this moment, Zhang Zemin became a rising star. He sacrificed his life saving a baby during Typhoon Yutu and despite falling ill, managed to lead the Republicans to impressive election showings. His chancellery began in 4296 and was spread over the course of 9 years. He is most known for bolstering Indrala's international reputation and carrying the legacy of Lotus Party Chancellor Huang Zitao after his premature death. Zhang Zemin's bi-partisan cooperation stirred controversy within the Republican ranks, however he persisted and managed to maintain a stable government for nearly a decade. All eyes point to the future however, as the Republicans must choose a new leader to wrangle their base and look towards winning the hearts and minds of Indralans in the next election.

CHOICES
There are only three candidates who have thrown their hats into the leadership ring so far: ex-Internal Affairs minister Chang Ruogang, disgruntled farmer Ren Zedong and, and potentially the biggest name in the hat: Xiandai CFO Wang Junpyo. The three candidates will face off in debate within the next few months, hoping to win the minds of enough delegates to secure a victory.

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Xiandai CFO Wang Junpyo and ex-Foreign Affairs minister Chang Ruogang

While many look to the leadership election as an indication of the direction of the Republicans moving forward, there are rumours surfacing that Zhang Zemin has already lost hope in his party and its brand. A recent vote in the National Conference saw Zhang Zemin defy his party and vote in favour of recognizing the heirs of Choeson V (ex. Princess/Prince of Dankuk) to recognized as legitimate by the Republic of Indrala. The Republicans, having been founded on the principles of the republic, have been staunchly fighting the recent royal fascination of Indralans. It is Zhang Zemin's defiance, however, which signals the beginning of the end for the Republicans. They will never be able to achieve the same bi-partisan cooperation as they once did the Mr. Zhang at the helm as long as they oppose the romantic return of the monarchy...

Ex-Grand Chancellor Xuan Shuren Found Guilty in Indralair Flight 692 Investigation
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Xuan Shuren pictured in 4278

HAZHOU, SHU
In a dramatic turn of events, the Indralair Flight 692 accident investigation has come to a close following the arrest of former Republican Chancellor Xuan Shuren. Mr. Xuan is guilty on 144 counts of murder, 2 counts of bribery, 5 counts of corruption, 16 counts of soliciting prostitution from a minor and a single count of treason. The charges amount to 275 years behind bars. Supreme Prosecutor Yuan Zeng Guang laid out the offences during Xuan Shuren's private trial:

SUPREME PROSECUTOR YUAN ZENG GUANG: Mr. Xuan. You are responsible for the deaths of all 144 passengers of Indralair flight 692. You are guilty of one-hundred-and-forty-four counts of murder through pursing personal accumulation of wealth through stocks held by your family in Xiandai Corporation by forcing unrealistic deadlines on the production of the X400 jet during it's development which sacrificed the safety of the entire X400 program - which subsequently caused this crash.

You have been found guilty of two counts of bribing Xiandai officials with tax incentives and senior advisor positions in order to make a profit on the production and sale of X400 jet that your government invested in.

You are guilty on five counts of corruption for: seeking personal profit through government means, seeking profit for your family through government means, seeking wealth for your political allies, including former chair of the Republican Party Lao My, Soliciting prostituiton while holding a government position, and soliciting prostitution on the taxpayer's dime.

You are also guilty of sixteen counts of soliciting prostitution from minors, including 4 specific accounts found through investigation which detail your use of government planes as a personal pleasure craft for illegal sex with minors and prostitutes.

You Mr. Xuan, are guilty and are hereby sentenced to 275 years with no chance for parole.

The Prosecutor mentioned former Republican Party President Liao My, who was previously arrested for numerous charges of perjury, bribery, coercion, leaking government secrets, failing to appear in court, resisting arrest and embezzlement. Liao My is long dead.

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Indralair flight 692 wreckage on the slopes of Mount Gao, Anle

The seemingly endless list of charges come years after the Indralair Flight 692 incident happened. SPS agents have been working for nearly a decade to get to the bottom of the crash, and were speculated to have found the culprit during a SPS raid on the Xiandai Commercial Jet Manufacturing Centre in Shu all the way back in 4306. It is now known that what investigators found at Xiandai HQ was far reaching and beyond the scope of Xiandai themselves. The investigation into Indralair 692 connects many dots, and closes many doors, as the Xiandai Revelations scandal which had brought down the former Chancellor in 4283 are now finally over. Xiandai is curiously innocent in these revelations, and have not been charged in the conclusion of the investigation. Some spectators point to the possibiltiy of a deal made between Xiandai and the SPS to expose Xuan Shuren in change for immunity, but only time will tell what else lies beyond the veil of the unknown.

More to come...

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Originally posted by TreeHugger on 4 December 2017.