Wars of Zhenian Transition

The Wars of Zhenian Transition (Seomun: 秦國轉換大戰, Jinmun: 진국전환대전), alternately the Wars of Zhenian Unification (Seomun: 秦國統一戰爭, Jinmun: 진국통일전쟁) in Zhenia, refers to a series of conflicts stretching from 1368 to 1438, in present-day Zhenia and Yinguo. Spanning over 70 years, it is a continuous collection of military conflicts that led to the unification of Zhenia in 1438 under the Empire of Zhenia: thus, it consists of multiple phases each characterized by different military conflicts with different belligerents. It began as a series of military Some historians consider the wars a fought between Shindan-led states in the east and mainland factions led by the Zhu dynasty and its successors in the west. Under such contexts, it is also sometimes referred to as the First Zhenian Civil War (Zhenian: 제1차 진국내전), in relation to the Second Zhenian Civil War leading to the Third Republic more than a century later.

The war ended with a Shindanese victory, which, after seizing almost all of Zhenia north of the Chang River, established the Empire of Zhenia on June 4, 1438. Surviving factions and loyalists of the Zhu dynasty fled south of the Chang River and established the Great Yin in 1425, following the Treaty of Zhuhae. The century following the end of the unification wars saw an intense and lasting political and military standoff between the two nations, both of which laid claims to the entirety of the two nations' territories until the end of the Second Great War. While the two nations have entered a with one another, tensions between the two nations remain precariously to this day.

Changes in Shindan's political circumstances
Under such circumstances in the mainland, shortly after his coronation in 1363, King Jeongjo, at age 16, declared the end of the regional hegemony dominated by the Zhu dynasty - an action that was seen as insanity by many state officials and families in power within the central government. The declaration, however, marked a turning point for local elites and scholars away from the central government, with hopes that Shindan will see its resurgence. With such high expectations, several petitions calling for a Shindanese imperial proclamation and the naming of the era - both actions only allowed to the Zhu dynasty's emperor at the time - were made to the royal court.

After the fall of Zhu dynasty
Following the surrender of the Zhu dynasty's last formal emperor after the Siege of Junggyeong, Shindan initially assumed direct control over its territories, establishing the Jinwon Protectorate-General led by Shindanese general Han Jaehwan. Territories under Shindanese control were reorganized into eight feudatories, each led by Shindanese royal court officials, military leaders and former Zhu military leaders that had defected to Shindan earlier in the war.

Aftermath
The end of the Shindan conquest of the Zhu marked the unification of Zhenia, permanently achieved for the first time since the demise of the Zhen dynasty.