Timeline 2/Manacua Ephi States United

M.E.S.U., officially the Manacua Ephi States United, is a country located in Central Meozuria. With a land area of 13.4 million square kilometers and a population of 92 million, it is the 12th largest country in the world by population and the 11th largest by Area.

Early history
The history of human civilization in the areas that make up the Manacua Ephi States United today can be dated back to the year 800 BE. The earliest people to inhabit these areas were the Tusi and Measaph tribes. The Tusi tribes were concentrated in their territory around the river 'Efarteh' in the north. The Mesaph people are known as the direct ancestors of the present-day Ephi people, their demonym, Mephani represents that.

The political and military dynamics of M.E.S.U. around 700-500 BE can be described as the peak of the domination of the Tusi tribes in the region. During this period, as a result of twelve recorded wars with an estimated average death toll of 4,000 the Tusi Tribes were able to subjugate the Mesaph people which were then concentrated in the border forest regions of the present M.E.S.U.

During this time, albeit due to being separated by the 'Blue Rose' desert, the people of the area, who were now ruled under the 'Tuseh Ehsamanet' continued to maintain strong cultural and political ties with the Aeci Monarchy in the south. According to genealogists, Apart from cultural ties both the Mesaph and Tusi peoples are said to have strong genetic similarities with the people of the Ancient Aeci Empire, as well as with those people of the Kazaki and Afa areas.

Under Tusi rule the areas that make up the M.E.S.U. today went through a brief period of Stability, and due to the relatively isolationist nature of their governance, apart from a deep interest in all matters of commerce, the Tusi Ehsaman would rarely look to expand the influence of his rule outside of his realm.

A great change would occur that is often described as being comparable to that of the rise of the Aeci Empire by historians, due to a series of events including a political marriage between the Ehsaman of the time, Uvdegar Kosret I and a prominent Mesaph noblewoman let to the formation of the Tusi-Mesaph Ehsamanate. It should be noted that this series of events not only led to the promotion of the Mesaph people within the Ehsamanate to a status at par with the Tusis, but it also lead to a much-increased degree of interaction and political involvement by them, who had been previously forced to remain as only vassals to the state and the monarchy dominated by the Tusis.

The general military strength of the Tusi-Mesaph Ehsamanate at this time was generally considered to be consisting of '5,000-15,000 levies and a retinue of 400 bowmen specialized to fight in deeply forested terrain' as indicated by historian Rehbenaz Vevanit in his book 'Military History of Manacua' Such strength however would not see much use till the year 40 BE, with the arrival of nomadic tribes from the northwest (present-day territory of the Republic of New Libertasia) specifically the Qesh Tribes, which were in a most embarrassing series of defeats, completely expunged by the Tusi-Mesaph forces in the war of 13 BE. Their success during said war is largely attributed to the effective use of ambush tactics in the dense forest terrain, to which their forces were well equipped for as well as well acquainted. The Qesh tribes on the other hand were actually armed with handcrafted equipment tailored to combat in plain terrain or at least clearings, the limited vision allowed their armour worsened their already limited chances of survival in terrain which requires full situational awareness.