The flag of the National Protection Army.
The Yunnan Province is a Chinese warlord state, that is a member of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere and is a de jure region of the Republic of China, but is de facto independent. They border Xikang to the north, Tibet to the north-west, Guizhou to the north-east, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam to the south, Guangxi to the east and Burma to the west.
History
General Lu Han made a secret agreement with the Japanese towards the end of the war and defected. After taking over the province, Lu Han was a good puppet of the Japanese… for a while. After all, Japan could easily invade Yunnan through the many paths it could take from foreign countries and other provinces. Yunnan starts in a rather precarious position. Sandwiched between Sphere members and with the Burma Road and the Kunming-Haiphong Railway controlled by the Japanese, Yunnan’s main source of trade is the Sphere. And that’s how Japan sees Yunnan as a good trading partner. Yunnan is rich in natural resources like Tin, and the Zaibatsus see valuable business in the mines of Yunnan. But, that is all Japan cares about, which allows Yunnan to do some interesting things.
Behind the facade Yunnan puts on for Japan as a loyal member of the Sphere, trouble is brewing. Yunnan will start to gain momentum, and Lu Han will start supporting the Viet Cong with his own funds. Lu Han will make an agreement with the Qian Clique in Guizhou to unite their two provinces in a semi-coalition of sorts, with the governor of Guizhou staying as the civilian governor but with Lu as the military governor, similar to Tang Jiyao’s rule over the province decades ago.
When the situation is favorable, Yunnan will become more assertive and start to push their luck. With the Japanese distracted, they will be able to build up their forces and their factories and negotiate with Nanjing, becoming more and more pro-Chinese.
In-game
At the start of the game, Lu Han will be in control. Shortly after the game begins, Long Yun and the National Protection Army will take over and begin a war of liberation against the collaborationist Republic of China. Long can attempt to invite other Chinese warlords (except Tibet) to his United Front, in the process also bolstering his own legitimacy. If the Republic of China is defeated, Japan can offer to recognise the NPA's state, though Guangdong, Manchuria and Mengjiang remain independent. The NPA can either accept this offer or refuse and continue to try to liberate Manchuria and Mengjiang; if this is successful, Japan makes another offer, returning all Chinese territories except Taiwan. Refusing this second offer and marching to Korea will lead to global thermonuclear war.
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The Flag of the Republic of China if Long Yun wins and has high legitimacy
After the NPA's victory, Long Yun dies. If the state had high legitimacy, Sun Fo is invited back home from the United States of America to serve as the Republic of China's new president. Otherwise, the NPA's junta remains in place.