Siege of Dun-Kurrengev
| Siege of Dun-Kurrengev | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Daxian Filibuster War | |||||||
 Kiravian artist's rendition of the siege | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Kiravia | Daxia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Commodore Prickus McDickus | Admiral Zhu Bolin | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
1200 men (garrison) 85 ships |
15,000 Daxians 120 ships | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 800 killed | thousands | ||||||
The siege of Dun-Kurrengev was a military confict in which Daxian forces besieged the Kiravian-ruled fortress of Dun Kurrengev on the island of Sarolasta. It ended in a Kiravian victory after the Daxians retreated. It is the first instance of the Daxian imperial fleet directly intervening in the Polynesian Sea, as opposed to South Seas Company privateer forces.
Background
In the 17th century, Daxia's Qian dynasty first came into contact with civilizations from beyond the Polynesian sea. The sudden appearance of these technologically advanced seafaring nations arose a great deal of suspicion in Daxian ruling circles who saw the waters of the Polynesian as a closed off pond for them to explore (and exploit). The colonization of Australis was well underway at this point and there were fears the project could be jeopardized by these ambitious outsiders. The discovery of Kiravian settlement on the island of Sarolasta thus came as a very unwelcome and galling surprise. This was compounded by the island's rise to prominence in the lucrative yam trade in a few short years, in direct competition with Australis's yam producers which represented a reliable source of income. Multiple attempts to bribe Sarolasta's governor to turn coat and surrender the island were rebuffed. In light of these 'provocations' and the possible damages to Daxian profits, the Xiaodan Emperor commanded that an expedition be mounted to seize Sarolasta from the Kiravians. The fortress of Dun-Kurrengev in the southern tip of the island was considered to be a vital fortification for its defense, therefore its capture was of the highest priority if a land campaign was to be mounted.
Daxian fleet
The Xiaodan Emperor elevated the dwarf eunuch Zhu Bolin to the rank of admiral and commanded him to personally organize and lead the imperial expedition to Sarolasta. Zhu Bolin then spent the period from May to early July 1664 gathering an impressive armada of one hundred and twenty ships; composed of 70 galleys, 30 galleons and other ships of various sizes. The South Seas Company also sent a small force of armed dhows crewed by Christians in support, commanded by Caphirian mercenary Enrico Dolomito. Additionally the ground contingent counted with four hundred cannons and 15,000 men between soldiers and ship crews. With the army were five thousand slave-soldiers sent by the sultan of Ghanim, a Daxian vassal. The ship crews included several thousand polynesian slaves who would be forced into trench work during the course of the siege and suffer almost complete losses. The armada left the port of Zong on July 25, calling at Zhijun before heading north to Sarolasta, arriving withing sight of Dun-Kurrengev on August 3.