Battle of the Strait of Malacca
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I wanted to ask you something. Which is... what's your name? This article title is conjecture. Although the article subject is canon, no official name for it has been given. |
The Battle of the Strait of Malacca was a naval clash in 1725 between the Zhang Wei Union, the East India Company, and, eventually, Admiral Zheng's fleet and the Dutch East India Company.
The battle was initially fought between the Union and the Templar-affiliated East India Company, the former of which sought to recover a lantern-shaped Piece of Eden that had been stolen by the Templar spy John Young. The Fenghuang's crew, aided by their mercenary allies, succeeded in boarding the ship carrying John, but were forced to retreat following the arrival of a Company fleet commanded by Grand Master Alan Jacob.
As the Fenghuang and its allies fled the battle, a Qing fleet under the command of Admiral Zheng joined the engagement, intending to take advantage of the chaos to eliminate both the Union and the East India Company. The Union members were saved by the timely arrival of Jan van Aert, who led a fleet composed of both Dutch East India Company and privateer ships. Outnumbered, Alan and Zheng ordered their respective forces to retreat, ending the battle in a stalemate.
Prelude[edit | edit source]
After Edward Kenway and Shimazu Saito retrieved the Shwedagon Pagoda's Piece of Eden, John Young betrayed them, stole the artifact, and revealed himself as a Templar double agent. Blaming Edward for the death of his fiancée, Xialun Qing, John revealed that the Templars had promised him a way to resurrect Qing in exchange for helping them acquire all three Pieces of Eden in Southeast Asia.[1]
Meanwhile, three East India Company ships arrived to pick up John and attacked the Zhang Wei Union's flagship, the Fenghuang, which was waiting for Edward, Saito, John, and Yun Pyeong-Gyu's return. One of the Company ships sank the boat carrying the group, allowing John to escape during the confusion and board the Man O' War.[1] With the Piece of Eden in the Templars' possession, the ship's captain ordered a retreat while the other two Men O' War were left to finish off the Fenghuang.[2]
However, the Men O' War were attacked by the Union's ally Nagamasa and a group of mercenaries from the Ayutthaya Kingdom that had been recruited by his crew. Using their boats equipped with harpoons, the Ayutthayan warriors boarded the Men O' War and eliminated their crews while Nagamasa picked up Edward, Saito, and Yun from the water. After returning to the Fenghuang, Edward informed Captain Rupiya of John's betrayal and gave the order to chase the ship carrying him in order to recover the stolen Piece of Eden.[2]
The battle[edit | edit source]
Initial pursuit[edit | edit source]
The Fenghuang, Nagamasa's ship, and the Ayutthayan boats pursued the East India Company ship carrying John and the Piece of Eden to the Strait of Malacca, where the Zhang Wei Union commenced their assault. The Fenghuang opened fire on the enemy vessel, damaging its stern and forcing it to stop and return fire. This allowed Nagamasa's ship and the Ayutthayan boats to close the distance and ambush the Man O' War from the opposite side. After using their harpoons to immobilize the Man O' War, Saito and the mercenaries boarded the ship and began killing its crew.[3]
Spotting John, Saito viciously attacked him for his betrayal, but the Templar was able to defend himself using a musket. He then claimed that Saito should understand his position better than anyone else, as she would also use the Pieces of Eden's powers to resurrect her deceased friends if given the chance. With the samurai's guard lowered, John seized the opportunity to push her back before pulling out the bag containing the Piece of Eden and threatening to drop it overboard. Saito fell for the bluff and, unwilling to risk losing the artifact, she and John were left at an impasse.[3]
Meanwhile, the Fenghuang also managed to reach the Man O' War, but before it could engage it, Edward and Rupiya witnessed the arrival of a sizeable East India Company fleet.[3] Commanded by Alan Jacob, the fleet opened fire on the Fenghuang and the other ships, forcing them to retreat.[4]
During the confusion, John dropped the bag he was holding and Saito caught it, only to discover that it was empty and that John had the Piece of Eden on his person. John then kicked Saito overboard, leaving her hanging from a rope. After Nagamasa arrived and informed her of the East India Company fleet's attack, Saito reluctantly decided to abandon the pursuit of the Piece of Eden and ordered her allies to return to their ships and flee to safety.[4]
The Zhang Wei Union's retreat[edit | edit source]
Despite the Zhang Wei Union abandoning the battle, Alan did not want to leave any "loose ends" and ordered his men to chase the Fenghuang. As the ship was surrounded by a number of East India Company frigates, the enemy vessels were suddenly sunk by Admiral Zheng's fleet. Having stumbled upon the engagement by chance, the admiral nonetheless wished to seize this opportunity to eliminate both the Union and the East India Company, to serve the interests of her employer, Madam Lee.[4]
Alan ordered his fleet to return fire, and the Union members took advantage of the unexpected distraction to sail away from the battle. However, both Alan and Zheng eventually took notice of the Fenghuang's attempted escape and ended their fight to give chase. As their enemies closed the distance, the Union members were again saved, this time by the arrival of a Dutch East India Company fleet commanded by Jan van Aert.[4]
Having been contacted by Zhang, Jan came to the Union's rescue after assembling an armada of Dutch and privateer ships, which outnumbered both the East India Company's and Zheng's fleets. Realizing this, Alan reluctantly ordered his men to retreat, having achieved their primary objective of securing the Piece of Eden in John's possession. Meanwhile, Zheng required some convincing from her lieutenant, but in the end she also gave the order to retreat, to avoid being killed by the superior enemy force.[5]
Aftermath[edit | edit source]
- "Once you lost the two artifacts you had in your possession, Kenway... I fear you inadvertently pushed the British East India Company and Madam Lee into this little game of ours. And now that we no longer hold the Sultanate of Sulu in our hand, we had only one place to turn to."
- ―Jan van Aert explaining his reason for coming to the Zhang Wei Union's rescue, 1725.[src]-[m]
The Zhang Wei Union members ultimately failed in their goal to capture John Young and recover the Piece of Eden he had stolen, but the timely arrival of Jan van Aert and Zhang allowed them to escape the battle with their lives. After sailing to Batavia, Edward Kenway spoke with both Jan and Zhang, and the former informed him that he had decided to resume his partnership with the Union despite their previous falling out in the Sultanate of Sulu.[5]
Jan explained that, with their enemies in possession of two Pieces of Eden, he had no choice but to turn to Edward for help in order to retrieve the artifacts and restore the balance of power in Southeast Asia. The Assassin agreed to work alongside Jan and the Dutch East India Company once more, while his crew also decided to trust Jan despite some of their misgivings. The group then began making preparations for a final expedition to recover the Piece of Eden housed in Angkor ahead of their enemies.[5]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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The East India Company ship retreating after picking up John -
The Fenghuang being saved from the Company's attack -
The Fenghuang attacking John's ship -
Nagamasa's ship and the Ayutthayan boats intercepting John's ship -
John's ship immobilized by the harpoons -
Saito and the mercenaries boarding the Company ship -
Saito fighting John -
Edward witnessing the arrival of the East India Company's fleet -
The frigates attempting to intercept the Fenghuang -
Jan van Aert's fleet coming to the Fenghuang's rescue -
Zheng's fleet surrounded from two sides -
Zheng's fleet retreating -
The East India Company's fleet retreating -
The Fenghuang sailing to Batavia alongside Jan's fleet
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 106
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 107
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 108
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 109
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 110
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