Shame to returning players that this happened. You probably did recruit some new players or old veterans back to the game.
Its bound to fail when i see the HC`s you took onboard.
People have to understand one thing; If a said member says "Yes, i can join your alliance but only if i can be HC"
They dont want to actually do anything or help in any way, they only want to get enlargen their e-peniz!
This is why you see all these 16year olds as hc for 2-3 weeks here and there
Give them normal membership and go find ppl willing to invest time and effort into the game, and give them a chanse to lead.