Daxian Polynesian Wars

The Daxian Polynesian Wars (Daxian:潮汐之战) were a series of maritime conflicts centered on the Ocean of Cathay and the Polynesian Sea between various western colonial powers, local independent states and the Qian dynasty. The main reason for the start of the conflict was the discovery and colonization of Peratra by the Qian dynasty and its desire to forestall the expansion of other sea faring powers into the western Cathay area. The war soon transitioned into a Daxian effort to outright expel other powers from various possessions; the Harmonious Flotilla Invincible nicknamed the Left Trident of the Qian and Zhu Bolin's Fleet of the Southern Waste, nicknamed the Right Trident of the Qian were the empire's main military forces engaged in battle. Peace and trade normality would start to return to the area with the signing of several peace agreements with Kiravia and Burgundie in 1721 and in 1728 with the signing of the Truce of Caserges with the Imperium. The Qian dynasty had failed in the most important goal of its sea campaigns and the truce cemented the status quo antebellum; nonetheless the dynasty and its proxies remained dominant in the western end of the southern route.

During the course of the conflict several independent polities were snuffed out by Daxia or had their populations supplanted by settlers from the mainland in behavior similar to western colonizers. The ultimate failure of the campaign would become the historical justification cited one hundred and fifty years later to commence building the Great Arsenal; a large and modernized war fleet to secure Daxia's dominion in the high seas.

Background
The start of Qian dynasty expansion on the seas began with Xi Haifong's discovery of Peratra in the late 16th century. Successive emperors dreamt of building an empire across the seas much as the Bergendii were doing in western Audonia, and use the resources garnered to push back against the latter. Even as Emperor Yuanjian was pushing for the rapid subjugation of the tribes of Peratra, he and his court planned for more expansion. The encounter in 1615 with Gabo de Pogiano was an entirely unwelcome development, men wearing clothing and sailing vessels not altogether dissimilar to the hated Bergendii themselves. This initial contact ignited fierce debates between court officials, eventually two factions coalesced: a hardline faction advocating destroying the Pelaxian expedition and a cautious faction counseling restraint. In this initial debate, the emperor sided with the cautious courtiers and Pogiano was received and promises of peaceful trade exchanged; an expedition of Qian ships would even be guided back to Pelaxian shores. As more foreign merchants and embassies from powers further away, Qian paranoia flared again; the budding South seas trading company was ordered to being outfitting warships in preparation of a confrontation, imperial forces did the same. The recently appointed Admiral-eunuch Zhu Bolin built a large armada of one hundred and twenty ships; composed of 70 galleys, 30 galleons and other smaller ships. Zhu Bolin's force was named the Right Trident of the Qian and the Fleet of the Eastern Tides. A premature attempt at securing extra positions on the Polynesian Sea by over eager and uprepared elements resulted in the Tolu Manatu Incident but ultimately this fiasco did nothing to deter the court from its decided course of action. Qian military planners decided to attack Kiravian Sarolasta first, its position in the northern Polynesian would serve as the northern anchor for a 'naval net' blocking access to the Ocean of Cathay; the second anchor would be Zhijun which was already under Daxian control.

Kiro-Daxian clashes
Zhu Bolin's fleet descended on the fortress of Dun-Kurrengev in southern Sarolasta during August 1664 and, investing the fortress from land and sea for over a year and sending raiding parties to sack coastal villages and distract relief efforts. Despite intense bombardment from the fleet and the cannons on land, the defenders repelled all attacks. Beset by disease and mounting casualties and with news of a large Kiravian relief fleet on the way, the Daxians mounted a last ditch attempt to storm the fortress. Finally cracking open a breach in the curtain walls, the Daxians poured in and a three day battle for the breach ensued in which the assault was finally repulsed with grievous losses on both sides.

Following the lifting of the siege a low intensity conflict would follow consisting mostly of raids on trade convoys of both sides, scattered and indecisive naval skirmishes south and west of Sarolasta against the fleet of Alcibiades Verramar and a daring surprise attack on Zhijun by a small Kiravian squadron. With mounting costs for the Qian due to the interruption of trade and Kiravian need to reposition Verramar's fleet to more vital theaters, a treaty of eternal peace was signed in 1670 when the Qian accepted they would not be able to capture Sarolasta any time soon. The treaty also included a provision for the establishment of permanent embassies, the Kiravians sent the dwarf Tomtor Maneski as their high representative as a nod to the Qian appreciation of size challenged people.

Capture of Truk
The adverse effect of Kiravian raids on the trade route to Sarpedon before peace was agreed upon had forced the Qian navy to send protective vessels further away from its points of ressuply and repair in Peratra. To address this issue the Qian court dispatched envoys to the Emirate of Truk, an independent Muslim island state located near the midpoint of the southern route. The emirate had long served as an unaligned port of call for all of the nations operating in the area. The Qian envoys, employing bribes and threats of force on the elderly emir Mahmud Tidore II secured an agreement for Truk to shut out all military vessels from other powers from its ports. This deal gave Daxia a commanding position on the southern Polynesian sea and put its forces in position to interfere with travel to the Okatian sea. Dropping Truk's neutrality proved controversial at th court of the emir, his own son and heir Akhmat raging against the decision. Mahmud fell gravely ill during the winter of 1674; prompting the prince to launch a coup. Akhmat and his loyalists in the royal guard seized the palace complex and produced a fatwa by the Grand Mufti deposing Mahmud in favor of his son, Mahmud was confined to his sick room. When he got wind of the events taking place, the Daxian representative marched to the palace and demanded an audience with Akhmat only to be slapped by the guards and threatened into leaving. A passing Daxian merchant took an account of what transpired with him back to the port of Rakin (present-day Rakahanga). The insult to their envoy and the overthrow of a sympathetic ruler would prompt a heavy handed response from the Qian court in the form of a large force commanded by the governor of Australis, Marquis Shenbao.

An eight month campaign involving ten thousand men, fifty ships, war elephants and Caphirian mercenaries was mounted that toppled the usurper emir and then chased him around the islands until he was betrayed by his own men to the Qian. With the return of Mahmud to his throne but now without an heir available, he was convinced to name the Emperor of Daxia as his heir after solemn promises to respect the customs and religious feelings of the populace was made. Two years later upon the emir's death, the emirate passed into formal possession of the Qian although they had ruling the island in practice through their envoys in Mahmud's court. With Truk as a base the Daxians had a strong base to regulate passage to the west and also began bypassing Caphirian middlemen and dealing directly with the nations of Vallos such as the Loa Empire and the Kingdom of Septemontes.

Sudmoll expedition
The island of Sudmoll was mapped by surveyors of the South seas trading company around the year 1634, marked down as a possible point of resupply for further exploration in the Okatian but otherwise was noted as unremarkable and of small importance. In 1701 a small fleet of trading ships from the Bourgondii Royal Trading Company taking a southernmost approach across the Polynesian Sea arrived near the island after losing a pursuing Daxian fleet. After going back to Sarpedon to resupply, they returned within four months with settlers and built the Fort St. Matius and dockyard. The settling of an island by their traditional competitors at sea so close to the Daxian center of power in Peratra was considered a dire provocation.