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Tolu Manatu Incident: Difference between revisions
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| conflict = Tolu Manatu Incident | | conflict = Tolu Manatu Incident | ||
| width = | | width = | ||
| partof = | | partof = [[Daxian Polynesian Wars]] | ||
| image = | | image = File:Huang Mao.jpg | ||
| image_size = | | image_size = | ||
| alt = | | alt = | ||
| caption = Painting of Huang Mao dressed in court official garb | | caption = Painting of Huang Mao dressed in court official garb | ||
| date = 16 April | | date = 16-22 April 1661 | ||
| place = [[Lotoa]] | | place = [[Lotoa]] | ||
| coordinates = <!--Use the {{coord}} template --> | | coordinates = <!--Use the {{coord}} template --> | ||
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| result = [[Lotoa|Tolu Manatu]] victory | | result = [[Lotoa|Tolu Manatu]] victory | ||
*The Queendom of [[Lotoa|Tolu Manatu]] retains its independence | *The Queendom of [[Lotoa|Tolu Manatu]] retains its independence | ||
* | *Daxian expedition is decimated | ||
| status = | | status = | ||
| combatants_header = | | combatants_header = | ||
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| campaignbox = | | campaignbox = | ||
}} | }} | ||
The '''Tolu Manatu Incident''' was a short armed conflict between the Queendom of [[Lotoa|Tolu Manatu]] and an expedition of [[Daxia]]n adventurers led by Captain Huang Mao that took place in 1661. The increasingly frequent encounters between [[Daxia]]n and [[Sarpedon]]ian vessels in the [[Polynesian Sea]] in the aftermath of [[Pelaxian discovery of the sea route to Alshar|Gabo de Pogiano's voyage]] set off a race between the various powers to secure an advantage against the others by seizing the local islands and atolls. After the seizure of [[Zhijun]] in 1593 the [[Daxia]]n court was focused on; through its [[South Seas Development Company|South Seas Trading Company]] proxy, expanding and securing its hold over modern day [[Stenza|Australis]] but would also act opportunistically to seize other islands given the chance. | The '''Tolu Manatu Incident''' was a short armed conflict between the Queendom of [[Lotoa|Tolu Manatu]] and an expedition of [[Daxia]]n adventurers led by Captain Huang Mao that took place in 1661. An ambitious official, Huang Mao set up a private expedition to seize the island of [[Lotoa]], which ended in total disaster and the violent death of most of those involved in the scheme. The increasingly frequent encounters between [[Daxia]]n and [[Sarpedon]]ian vessels in the [[Polynesian Sea]] in the aftermath of [[Pelaxian discovery of the sea route to Alshar|Gabo de Pogiano's voyage]] set off a race between the various powers to secure an advantage against the others by seizing the local islands and atolls. After the seizure of [[Zhijun]] in 1593 the [[Daxia]]n court was focused on; through its [[South Seas Development Company|South Seas Trading Company]] proxy, expanding and securing its hold over modern day [[Stenza|Australis]] but would also act opportunistically to seize other islands given the chance. | ||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
A company captain by the name of Huang Mao had received credible reports from fishermen of sighting of a number of islands not far north of [[Zhijun]], in a then unexplored stretch of sea. Huang Mao attempted to convince his superiors at the company to fund the outfitting of an exploration party to corroborate the reports, but his request was denied on grounds of cost and lack of available manpower. He was also warned not to attempt to circumvent the company and go directly to court with his proposal, he would be forfeiting his employment and captain's license. Huang Mao was not deterred by this and decided then to carry out an unsanctioned expedition with his own ship, equipped at his own expense. In addition to his present crew, he recruited sixty men from his hometown and male members of his extended family. His group had forty muskets available to them, half of which were taken from a government armory after he bribed the quartermaster. Huang Mao's plan was simple: to sail north guided by the fishermen and claim the islands for [[Daxia]] and the governorship for himself (as was the custom of the time); should the islands be inhabited the locals would be enjoined to submit to his authority, or be destroyed if they refused. While Huang Mao lured a sizable complement of men with promises of riches, he did not disclose that in the case of returning empty handed, his insubordinate actions would likely see them all clapped in irons at best or facing a hangman's noose at worst. | A company captain by the name of Huang Mao had received credible reports from fishermen of sighting of a number of islands not far north of [[Zhijun]], in a then unexplored stretch of sea. Huang Mao attempted to convince his superiors at the company to fund the outfitting of an exploration party to corroborate the reports, but his request was denied on grounds of cost and lack of available manpower. He was also warned not to attempt to circumvent the company and go directly to court with his proposal, he would be forfeiting his employment and captain's license. Huang Mao was not deterred by this and decided then to carry out an unsanctioned expedition with his own ship, equipped at his own expense. In addition to his present crew, he recruited sixty men from his hometown and male members of his extended family. His group had forty muskets available to them, half of which were taken from a government armory after he bribed the quartermaster. Huang Mao's plan was simple: to sail north guided by the fishermen and claim the islands for [[Daxia]] and the governorship for himself (as was the custom of the time); should the islands be inhabited the locals would be enjoined to submit to his authority, or be destroyed if they refused. While Huang Mao lured a sizable complement of men with promises of riches, he did not disclose that in the case of returning empty handed, his insubordinate actions would likely see them all clapped in irons at best or facing a hangman's noose at worst. | ||
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On the morning as the Daxians prepared to leave the village a dispute arose over the apparent rape of a local woman, a thing of no great consecuence for sailors at sea. The Daxians refused to hand over the culprit and a fight ensued, all previous good will forgotten. The musquets and scale armor of the newcomers were used to great effect, leaving dozens of natives dead or dying. Unbeknownst to Huang Mao a few of the survivors had fled into the jungle to call for aid from a local chieftain subordinate to Tola Manatu. Huang Mao had his men hang a Qian banner from the tallest hut in the fishing village, claiming it for Daxia and then had his men put the survivors in manacles. The Daxians began the march up the coast back to their fortified camp with their prisoners in tow, stopping mid afternoon to eat their rations at the beach. Suddenly scores of tribesmen emerged from the treeline and began throwing missiles at the Daxian party including arrows, javelins and bolas. Under fire the Daxians formed a crescent formation with those with shields at the front and muskets and crossbows behind them. The skirmish and exchange of missile fire went on for a few minutes before the natives retreated into the trees, leaving two Daxians dead to six natives. The incident shook the Daxian confidence and they hastened back to their camp but not before executing their prisoners and mutilating the bodies(by cutting off their ears) in retaliation. Back in camp, Huang Mao ordered that the trees around the radius of the camp be cleared out and more wooden stakes be added to the perimeter. He also ordered the construction of an observation tower to give them advance warning of enemy parties. | On the morning as the Daxians prepared to leave the village a dispute arose over the apparent rape of a local woman, a thing of no great consecuence for sailors at sea. The Daxians refused to hand over the culprit and a fight ensued, all previous good will forgotten. The musquets and scale armor of the newcomers were used to great effect, leaving dozens of natives dead or dying. Unbeknownst to Huang Mao a few of the survivors had fled into the jungle to call for aid from a local chieftain subordinate to Tola Manatu. Huang Mao had his men hang a Qian banner from the tallest hut in the fishing village, claiming it for Daxia and then had his men put the survivors in manacles. The Daxians began the march up the coast back to their fortified camp with their prisoners in tow, stopping mid afternoon to eat their rations at the beach. Suddenly scores of tribesmen emerged from the treeline and began throwing missiles at the Daxian party including arrows, javelins and bolas. Under fire the Daxians formed a crescent formation with those with shields at the front and muskets and crossbows behind them. The skirmish and exchange of missile fire went on for a few minutes before the natives retreated into the trees, leaving two Daxians dead to six natives. The incident shook the Daxian confidence and they hastened back to their camp but not before executing their prisoners and mutilating the bodies(by cutting off their ears) in retaliation. Back in camp, Huang Mao ordered that the trees around the radius of the camp be cleared out and more wooden stakes be added to the perimeter. He also ordered the construction of an observation tower to give them advance warning of enemy parties. | ||
Sporadic sightings on what appeared to be native scouts were reported during the following days and foraging parties were shadowed from a distance; overall the majority of the Haiwang's crew were now uneasy and wanted to leave but Huang Mao insisted they could still talk their way out of hostilities. On the night of the 20th of April a force of natives possibly numbering on the thousands set up camp a few hundred meters from the walls of the Daxian camp. In case the camp was attacked and could not be held, escape would only be possibly by rowboat back to the Haiwang which was anchored some hundred meters away, and then some men would have to wait ashore as the number of boats limited a full evacuation. Huang Mao resolved to attempt to dialogue with the native host and get it to retreat. As he walked towards them away from the camp he was hit with darts, with one getting lodged in his neck and two on his right arm. As he was dragged back inside the palisade, the natives surged forward to attack. The fight raged for hours as the natives tried to climb the palisade walls or hacked at the gate with stone hatchets and the greatly outnumbered Daxians desperately tried to repel them. The darts that Huang Mao had been struck with were poisoned and his wounds soon went began to become necrotic. Seeing the situation all but lost, the crew abandoned the defense and their dying captain and made for the boats. Only around forty men made it back to the Haiwang, the rest being killed on the shore or drowning as they tried to swim back to the ship. | Sporadic sightings on what appeared to be native scouts were reported during the following days and foraging parties were shadowed from a distance; overall the majority of the Haiwang's crew were now uneasy and wanted to leave but Huang Mao insisted they could still talk their way out of hostilities. On the night of the 20th of April a force of natives possibly numbering on the thousands set up camp a few hundred meters from the walls of the Daxian camp. In case the camp was attacked and could not be held, escape would only be possibly by rowboat back to the Haiwang which was anchored some hundred meters away, and then some men would have to wait ashore as the number of boats limited a full evacuation. Huang Mao resolved to attempt to dialogue with the native host and get it to retreat. As he walked towards them away from the camp he was hit with darts, with one getting lodged in his neck and two on his right arm. As he was dragged back inside the palisade, the natives surged forward to attack. The fight raged for hours as the natives tried to climb the palisade walls or hacked at the gate with stone hatchets and the greatly outnumbered Daxians desperately tried to repel them. The darts that Huang Mao had been struck with were poisoned and his wounds soon went began to become necrotic. Seeing the situation all but lost, the crew abandoned the defense and their dying captain and made for the boats. Only around forty men made it back to the Haiwang, the rest presumably being killed on the shore or drowning as they tried to swim back to the ship. | ||
==Aftermath== | ==Aftermath== | ||
The starving survivors of the expedition managed to sail the Haiwang back to [[Zhijun]], with a dozen more dead from the original forty that survived the island. They were interrogated for their accounts of the trip before being summarily fired by the company and then imprisoned for theft and misuse of company assets, namely the ship. Despite the grievous consecuences for the participants of the expedition ultimately it was a mere blip in relation to [[Daxia]]n endeavours around the [[Polynesian Sea|Polynesian]] and was not seen as a factor in favor of a policy of caution. Only three years later a [[Daxia]]n attack on [[Kiravia]]n [[Sarolasta]] known as the [[Siege of Dun-Kurrengev]] would end in another military setback. | |||
==See Also== | ==See Also== | ||
* [[Sudmoll Expedition]] | * [[Sudmoll Expedition]] | ||
* [[Capture of Truk]] | * [[Capture of Truk]] | ||
* [[ | * [[Siege of Dun-Kurrengev]] | ||
* [[The Southern Route]] | |||
[[Category:Daxia]] | [[Category:Daxia]] | ||
[[Category:Colonization]] | |||
{{Template:Award winning article}} | {{Template:Award winning article}} | ||
[[Category:2023 Award winning pages]] | [[Category:2023 Award winning pages]] | ||
[[Category:IXWB]] | [[Category:IXWB]] | ||