March 4th, 2019
The Isles Need to Remember the Battle of Gatadpatigan Sea to Avoid Future Wars: Magaratis
Victorious Dormill-Stiuraian ships returning home
NEW LIBANG
160 years ago, on this day, a man named Narayan Murmu was promoted to the Admiral of the Gatadpatigan Fleet of Hangate of Jaring's navy. Born in a rural fishing village that is now in
San Montagna, Murmu was a diplomatic man of patience and restraint. However, his character would be forever tarnished by the event that would take place just seven days later after his promotion.
On 11th March of the year 1859, Muru's fleet of 7 frigates, 3 corvettes and 2 steamers spotted three Dormill-Stiuraian second-class ships of the line (the
Constitution, the
Golden Shield and the
Union) and the 84-gun Dormill-Stiuraian ship of the line
Kapitein Aric Vroomen while on routine patrol of the Gatadpatigan Sea. Dormill-Stiuraian Vice-Admiral Arnaud Hendry insisted that they were on trail of a pirate fleet but were politely told to leave "Santhali waters under Khas-Kirat Empire". Murmu assured that the pirates would be dealt by the Santhali navy. The Dormill-Stiuraians would have likely left Gatadpatigan Sea if not for what was to happen mere moments later.
As late as 17th Century, modern-day
Dormill and Stiura's population lived under constant fear of raiders to their north - the Sunuwar Hangate. Since 13th Century till the end of their hangate, the Sunuwars raided Baimjeidian towns every month to capture the natives for the highly profitable North Argus Slave Trade. The Gaelitic hangate relied heavily on this slave trade and its power diminished as nations around the Isles changed their views on human slavery. The Sunuwar Hangate ceased to exist after Dormill and Stiura emerged as a nation-state. To the rapidly growing Dormill-Stiuraians, the Khas-Kirat Empire was reminiscent of their vanquished enemy in every manner. Unlike the Noronnicans who remembered Hangate of Arun Valley as their oldest ally or the Vancouvians who remembered Khas-Kiratis as the people who brought advances in medicine, mathematics, shipbuilding, astronomy and gunpowder; the Dormill-Stiuraian national collective only had images of dreaded Sunuwar raiders, a constituent state of the Khas-Kirat Empire, taking away their family members to be sold as slaves. Relations between these two empires were hostile from the very beginning.
On the other hand, the Khas-Kirat Empire was in practice a loose confederation of various hangates who were always fighting between themselves or against foreign powers. After multiple treaties in the 16th and the 17th Century imposed upon the 12 hangates of mainland Magarat that they could no longer engage in territorial wars, the hangates fought wars for even more petty reasons. When Chatha and Jaring were not fighting against the
San Montagnans, they were at each other's throats. Jaring had just been out of yet another war against Chatha. This southeastern hangate prided itself for having the strongest within the Khas-Kirat Empire. They, like most other hangates, saw the Dormill-Stiuraians as an untrustworthy enemy who had annexed Sunuwar Hangate during the turmoil of the Heavenly War of Hangates. An untrustworthy enemy who was now eyeing South Kachee in Charbagnia and neighboring Torom; all the while violating the 1857 Argean Seas Treaty several times in the name of "hunting pirates".
When Murmu offered Hendry's squadron to leave without any incident, the captains under the Santhali admiral were incensed. Captain Sabin Manjhi of the
Marang Buru outright labeled his superior a coward who bowed down to untrustworthy Dormill-Stiuraians. The
Marang Buru, being the fastest ship present there at that time, advanced quickly within close range of the Dormill-Stiuraian squadron and opened fire on the
Constitution, which was near the starboard end of the formation. When the three Dormill-Stuiraian ships returned fire on the
Marang Buru, the rest of the Santhali vessels including Murmu's flagship
Karma, had no choice but to came to their comrade's aid.
Nearly half an hour later, the Santhalis were in for a surprise when three more Dormill-Stiuraian ships of the line, 2 frigates and 3 steamers entered the battle from the northeast in a triangular formation. Dormill-Stiuraian gunners began to score hits on all Santhali targets. The shells fired by Dormill-Stiuraian guns began setting Santhali ships on fire. Panic-stricken Santhali sailors found firefighting efforts difficult amidst continued fire and almost constant shrapnel. After about 30 minutes of combat, the Santhali frigate
Bonga was shot full of holes. The Dormill-Stiuraian ship
Rene Perrot then attacked the 44-gun frigate
Jaher, which caught fire. Meanwhile, three other Dormill-Stiuraian ships engaged the Santhali frigates
Sohrai and
Baha, both of which were soon boarded by Dormill-Stiuraian forces. Murmu's flagship
Karma exploded and sank along with the corvette Tamak.
By the time the battle came to an end, only the 12-gun steamer
Chandra Bahadur, managed to escape while the entire Santhali navy was non-existent due to being either sunk or captured by the Dormill-Stiuraians. Her crew informed the entire Khas-Kirat Empire of the defeat at Gatadpatigan Sea. During the fighting, 370 Dormill-Stiurains were killed and 200 were wounded while three ships the
Union, the
Golden Shield and the
Kapolder were destroyed. The Santhali navy lost about 2,000 men killed and 150 were taken prisoner.
It was a small battle but the consequences were disastrous. The political landscape of the entire Isles was changed forever. Millions of lives were lost and nations destroyed. The naval battle was the immediate cause of the First Central Argus War as the 12 hangates and their allies such as
Belle Ilse en Terre and Viceroyality of Rio de Ouro (
New Totzka) united as the First Central Argus Coalition to fight the Dormill-Stiuraians and their Triumvirate allies. The Triumvirate's victory in the First Central Argus War led to the Coalition seeking for revenge in the second one. When the third one started, the belligerents were no longer limited to just the Khas-Kirat Empire and Dormill and Stiura or their respective allies. As technology progressed at a rate faster than many could imagine, a new kind of warfare made its way to the Isles. Trenches, automatic guns, total war, were all being invented, theorized, or tested in many nations. Battlefields were littered with the corpses of millions of men, women, and children. And still, the Isles did not learn from the mistakes of the three Great Argus Wars for the Imperial War took place. And even the Imperial War was the not the war that ended all wars in the Isles. The 30th Parallel War and countless other conflicts still happened. Wars still plague the Isles and nothing much has changed.
At the night Admiral Murmu failed to prevent the naval battle at Gatadpatigan Sea from happening, the population of mainland Magarat was roughly around 11 million. Two centuries of multiple wars later today, it is half of that and the Athara Magarati Federation of Hangates is still plagued by them. Perhaps it is wrong to blame one man for failing to stop his subordinate from blindly charging at the enemy and triggering the war and reasons for more wars that haunt the Isles forever. One can only wonder if Captain Majhi had been a diplomatic man like his admiral, would the Isles have conflicts wars today? Probably not, for the reasons for the wars were always there and what happened at Gatadpatigan sea that day was just the trigger. But still, one can imagine and hope for a better world.
As days progress, the Athara Magarati Federation of Hangates and the Sultanate of Kachee grow more eager to have the latter join the French Republic of Charbagnia. Magaratis today want to atone for their past and seek the best alternative that would be win-win scenario for all. The French Republic of Charbagnia is rapidly militarizing and are supported by Dormill and Stiura, still one of the largest military in the Isles. Athara Magarat as a nation should not envy the military might of the Dormill-Stiuraians or even the Charbagnians. The federation of hangates should not be ashamed that they are handing over Kachee. Instead, Athara Magaratis should be proud that their nation has turned a new leaf and is not repeating what Admiral Murmu failed to do or what Captain Majhi rashly did 160 years ago. Athara Magaratis can only hope that the rest of the Isles also take their lessons from history and try not to repeat those mistakes.