Conquered provinces

In the Treaty of Natrix which ended the latest military conflict between the two kingdoms, Long handed over four provinces in the southeast to rule by Hu. Included within the territory of these provinces are the Cetacian city states.

The administration of the newly conquered provinces (referred to as the "Conquered Continent", the "Mainland Provinces" or "Continental Provinces") was one of the biggest issues Hu faced after the Treaty of Natrix. In the wake of the peace treaty (before the waves it caused died down) the entire "occupied" area was under the management of a Protectorate General.

The Minister of the Left and the Prince Regent wanted Hu to maintain its hold of this area and make its intention to stay known. The Minister proposed dividing the territory into several duchies and granting parcels of state-owned conquered land (e.g. land seized from displaced Long barons) to "heroes" of the recent war: landless members of the nobility and petty nobility who fought in the war and even commoners who distinguished themselves.

The Minster of the Left noted that the people of the free cities were generally neutral/favorable to Hu rule while Long subjects in the interior viewed Hu as an invader. His "long-term" plan was to change the demographics of the conquered provinces over the next 20-50 years through settlement of Hu loyalists in the region and inevitable intermarriage between Hu veterans and native Long women.

Politics and land grants

The Duke of Ursidia's son Ailurus was created Duke of Cameleonia which was the largest and most important of the new duchies under Hu rule. The second largest duchy, Tropodurida, was granted to Lord Rattus, younger brother of the Duke of Muridia.Military and political situation

During the early period of administration, the new provinces were in a difficult position: they relied on support from the free cities and from the newly landed Hu veterans. Meanwhile Long subjects under Hu rule engaged in intermittent acts of resistance such as farmers boycotting markets, agricultural workers "strikes" and localized insurrections. Animosity towards Hu rule also rose up outside the conquered provinces with a strong native general moving to organize a reconquest/liberation. Under the terms of the Treaty, the King of Long committed to providing troops to quell the rebellion and maintain the status quo which would be an unpopular move with his subjects and his vassals. Failing to do so however might result in renewed hostilities with Hu while the Kingdom of Long was still recovering from its defeat and replenishing its manpower and supplies.

Strategic importance

Establishment of the conquered provinces was important for the Kingdom of Hu as it could create a base and a source of supplies on the continent for future military campaigns. Given the uncooperative nature of the Long peasants in the hinterland and the fact it would take years to once again make this productive territory: the Duke of Chameleonia and other Hu leaders leaned on the free cities for economic support, which including imposition of taxes. This led to a pushback from the Merchants League: the Cetacian colonists might celebrate their Hu ancestry but they were more concerned about taxes, economics and autonomy than they were about the new Hu administration replacing control by the King of Long.