Open up, Nöteborg. Let's trade!
The Van der Broeck Expedition to Dråkenland
January, 1138. City of Kalmar.
IT had been 20 long years since Dråkenland ended trade with all outside powers under King Håkan IV. The Månemän believed that inner enlightenment was the key to long term such, and as it turned out, were correct. The religious and army reforms were smashing hits nationally and the nation had recovered well by 1138 from the Great Pomeranian War.
However, appearances matter little on the global stage, and to one nation in particular, the isolation of the Månemän was insolence against their heavenly mandate. No, it wasn't the Pomeranians nor anyone in the Holy Iridisian Empire for that matter that would rudely interrupt their inner enlightenment. It was the Tsukinode Empire.
The Empire had asked several times for trade to be opened up with the Månemän in the past 20 years, even in 1131 having an audience with the King himself, but they had been rebuffed each time. For the mostly land based Kingdom, they didn't feel the need to open up trade to the Tsukijin.
Famous, Håkan IV himself told the delegation to him that:
So long as the Dragefjelle Mountains tower over our land, the fires heat our homes, our great hunts provide us with meat, and Selen herself is alive, you shall never be welcome to trade in our lands! You will sooner hunt down the white stag, find the lost treasure of Kjaellr and see the Sun itself leave the skies than have your fancy wares peddled in our markets!
However, with his death in 1137 and the coming of his son Erik V to the throne his words would prove to be filled with folly. Full of the energy of his father, and the wisdom of his uncle, the (in)famous Magnus the Bold: Erik was ready to finally return his nation to glory and most of all, get revenge against the hated Pomeranians. But only three months into his reign, Erik was confronted with something he truly never expected. It was the Tsukijin, ready to force open his nation to trade with the outside world with both big guns and bad omens...
February 14th. Aboard the HIMS Katrina. Off Nöteborg, Dråkenland
Vice Admiral Hieronymus van der Broeck stood aboard the bridge of his flagship, the HIMS Katrina holding a piece of parchment that had the very words of Håkan IV on them. The only real port of Dråkenland, Nöteborg, was over the horizon. Along with the words of the late King, he also had two other things in his hand. One of them was his orders to open up trade in Dråkenland and the other one was a forecast for a total Solar eclipse that was to happen soon directly over the Nöteborg area. He smiled as he checked the watch, before ordering his Frigates to begin make full sail towards the city.
Inside the Kungliga amiralitetsbyggnaden, Nöteborg
The Kungliga Dråkenland Marinen called Nöteborg its home, but it could hardly be called a force worthy of the word "Fleet" or "Navy" at all. It consisted of two old 40-gun Frigates that had been built some 40 years before named HDrMS Ember and HDrMS Drottning Victoria. Both of them had made a famous escape to Suzuhara during the Great Pomeranian War, avoiding destruction many years before. However, they were long past their prime and certainly were not close to capable of defending against the approaching squadron at all.
Neither were the four brigs: HDrMS Oscar Fleming, HDrMS Rjukan, HDrMS Innbyda, and the HDrMS Nöteborg nor the six galleys: HDrMS Sjölejon, HDrMS Hajar, HDrMS Ål, HDrMS Brunhilde, HDrMS Serenity, and the HDrMS Selenium. All of these smaller ships were "modern" in their own right but were practically worthless against the ITN squadron they would soon have to face.
Admiral Kjell Magnussen had heard of the approach of Van der Broeck's squadron but had assumed it was likely them headed towards the Imperial base at Tsingtao, a move that was rather typical. He was in the midst of enjoying the solar eclipse with his staff, thinking nothing of it. He sipped a cup of tea and puffed his cigar cheerfully, believing it was a fine day to relax. Just don't look into it, he ordered his men with a laugh.
But the Tsukijin ships, instead of continuing on their normal route, weren't breaking off at all. "What was their game?" Magnussen wonder and order the small cutter, the HDrMS Apex, to be sent to investigate. He looked out his spyglass at what was approaching with both fascination and fear. Ironically, Magnussen had been the captain of the Drottning Victoria many years before during their legendary escape and had loved his time in Suzuhara with the many impressive ships of the Imperial Navy captivating him. He drew many sketches of them and had even the honour of boarding some of them. "Maybe they are just stopping for a friendly visit?" he wondered but his anxiety was growing for reasons that he could not grasp. His gut was telling him that these ships weren't approaching for tea and to watch the eclipse with him at all, but rather for a much more hostile reason. A rather irrational thought, that was very much true.
Aboard the HIMS Katrina
Aboard the Katrina, Van der Broeck welcomed the messenger from the Apex. He was asked kindly by the young captain of the cutter, Kettil Amundssen, what his purpose was here, with a closing statement that came from Admiral Magnussen that asked if he wished to enjoy the solar eclipse with him. Van der Broeck smirked at the kid, and simply handed his demands to him that he asked him to read over and deliver to his superior immediately.
Amundssen started to sweat as he read the demands himself. He could hardly believe what he was reading! With fear, he saluted the Tsukijin Admiral and scurried off with great haste back to Magnussen.
As poor Kettil was delivering the demands to his superiors, Van der Broeck signaled for his ships to form up for a fight if needed. The 51-year-old had a powerful squadron at hand to accomplish his mission. His flagship, as mentioned, is the Katrina, a 58-gun Razee that could alone probably demolish the whole Månemänner fleet before him with its 32 pounders. But the Imperial Navy wasn't one to half-ass a mission like this and sent along with the Katrina 4 other powerful ships: Two 54-gun frigates, HIMS Eden and HIMS Valentine, and two 44-gun frigates HIMS Arisu and HIMS Serpent. The general thought that the ITN had about this whole endeavour was that the "We can either do this the easy way, or the hard way."
The easy way would entail trade being opened up without any other demands, without any death and destruction, and without any humiliation for the Månemän at all beyond the obvious fact that they would be bending the knee to a people their King had mocked. Van der Broeck hoped they would choose the easy way, because the alternative was not something he particularly wanted to do. It would involve the annihilation of the entire Månemänner fleet, and the bombardment of Nöteborg. He smoked a cigar, praying that by the Kami, this bloke in charge would have reason if nothing else. He ordered him to fire a green rocket if he agreed to the terms, to open fire on the Imperial Squadron if he refused, or to send a envoy back if he wished to negotiate terms.
Back at the Kungliga amiralitetsbyggnaden, Nöteborg
When Amundssen presented the demands to the old admiral, his worst fears were confirmed. He was given two hours to decide on the matter, but he knew immediately he would never be allowed to agree to these terms. This was a lose-lose situation for Magnussen and there was no real escape from this. His honour and knowledge of his men dictated that he had to refuse these terms because if he dared to agree, he would face execution and furthermore, he also doubted his own men would ever agree to these terms. The young guard that was part of the navy and the national conscience would rather die in fire and destruction than ever agree willingly to them. In their own national enlightenment, his own people had become ever more stubborn in their self-belief and isolation. "Selen help me and guide me." he thought as he prepared to present them to his officers before him. Though he knew it was futile, he would try his best to convince them this was the right course.
But it was no use. Not even Amundssen, who had saw how powerful these ships were up close and personal could seem to understand that "dying in glory" here to a clearly superior enemy was utterly hopeless. Some officers even believed that they could actually win this fight, because they truly believed that Selen would grant them victory due to their piety. But he was able to extract one concession from his men. That the civilians of Nöteborg would be evacuated from the city immediately. About an hour after the ultimatum was sent, the city was ordered to be evacuated of its civilians by the orders of the Kungliga Dråkenland Marinen, despite the protests from the mayor and its citizens.
He also sent Amundssen back to Van der Broeck asking for 4 hours to evacuate the city of it's civilians, and explaining why he had to refuse the demands. The old man, who just an hour before was jolly was now sullenly putting on his full dress uniform to do his duty... "Damn these fools! But I will die with honour if nothing else!" he thought.
Back aboard the Katrina
Van der Broeck received the message from Amundssen coldly but agreed to postpone it until the city was evacuated. He was utterly baffled at the moment. It was clear to him that the man in charge was no fool, in fact, he seemed to be wise, but rather that the nation before him was so stubborn and fanatical that they desired such a fate. At least the civilian losses would be minimised, he thought puffing his cigar as the time wore down.
It was about mid day and the totality of the solar eclipse was about to be realized when the Månemän opened fire at last. Reluctantly, Van der Broeck ordered fire to be returned and sail to be raised. "Damn it all!" he swore under his breath as he watched the harbour of Nöteborg turned into a boiling tempest from tons of iron shot that were now raining down on it. He watched as the galley, HDrMS Selenium, was hit hard and blew up within the first broadside fired by the guns of his squadron. He saw another galley, the HDrMS Ål get hit by a 32-pound cast iron ball from his own ship, and break-in two, while an inferno started aboard the HDrMS Nöteborg that would soon consume it much like its namesake.
Spray from Månemänner guns flew up around him, largely from Fort Skale, an extremely outdated fortification that had been largely ignored in the initial fire from the Tsukijin. Van der Broeck ordered fire to be concentrated on it immediately, and within 3 minutes of fire, its powder magazine was blown sky high by a 16-pound shell. It seemed like the Månemänners in a bit of shock from the first four minutes of fire that hit the harbour as they failed to fire on the Imperials during their exchange with the fort. The two elderly frigates were finally able to cast off from their moorings, and other ships were in disorder when the harbour started to boil again. The HDrMS Oscar Fleming was de-masted and began to list to port after being struck by around eight 24-pound balls, while the HDrMS Selenium had her bow blown off by a 32-pound shot. All other ships in the harbour by this point had been hit by something around four minutes into this renewed bombardment. The HDrMS Innbyda blew up in a mighty explosion that came from a 16-pound shell hitting her magazine. Her explosion set ablaze the HDrMS Serenity and the HDrMS Brunhilde. Men began to jump from these infernos into the water in hope of safety.
But one thing of note was that the two frigates, HDrMS Ember and HDrMS Drottning Victoria, were holding up strong despite the whithering fire. It seems that many shots that were intended for them hit the smaller ships, or struck the city itself. They also had managed to score several hits on HIMS Arisu, which proved to be the only ones from the Månemänners that connected on the Imperial Squadron. But their luck soon was about to run out. A broadside from Katrina connected in full force with the flagship of the Kingdom, the Ember. She shook violently from the weight of the shot from the 32 pounders from the former Ship of the Line turned Razee. Living up to her name, she soon became a fireball after another broadside connected and within moments blew sky high when the "ember" reached her powder storage. She snapped in two, and the mangled bodies of sailors, timbers, cannons, and all sorts of things poured down from the sky. Soon, the Drottning Victoria would join her after the whole Tsukijin squadron concentrated fired on her. After having a ton of iron balls and shells consume her, the hole filled hulk quickly began to capsize.
With her death, there was no more fleet left. The HDrMS Rjukan was a tattered wreckage of a ship, while the HDrMS Sjölejon and the HDrMS Hajar were resting at the bottom of the harbour. That's what Van der Broeck thought at least. There was one ship left, and she had somehow went unnoticed by the squadron as they ceased their fire for a moment to look over the carnage they inflicted. It was the HDrMS Apex and she was charging headlong as fast as she could towards the Katrina. Van der Broeck soon caught sight of her, and saw her young captain, Amundssen looking like a man possessed as he turned to unleash his mighty broadside of three 3-pounders onto the Katrina. The 3-pounders went off and found their target... only to bounce off the thick oak hull of her "victim". With a sigh, Van der Broeck watched as the poor little cutter was blown to bits within seconds of her heroic attempt. "May the Kami bless that crazy captain in the afterlife." he prayed watching it all.
It was over...
Van der Broeck, seeing little reason to at this point, declined to bombard the city as he had threatened. Instead he chose to send the ~500 marines he had under his command to land and "capture" the city. He would lead it himself. As they rowed towards the city, he could not help but cringe seeing the body parts, and wreckage floating around the harbour. It wasn't any better when he landed either. He now could see the full devastation he had unleashed on the Kingdom's fleet before him and how little better Nöteborg was faring itself. The fires he had seen in the city from his ship were much more intense than he first thought and was totally out of control. He quickly ordered his men to try to help the wounded as much as possible, as he took 12 others to look for survivors near the piers.
It wasn't long that he came upon a well-dressed man in charred clothes crying on the ground. Quickly rushing up to him, he shouted to the old man: "Are you okay? We come under the flag of truce." only to see the broken man before was clearly the man in charge of this whole mess: Admiral Magnussen. He had many burns on him, the result of him trying to save his men personally from the flames but none of them were life threatening. He quickly noticed that the man who offered him help was likely his opponent! He immediately stood up and offered him his sword in surrender. Van der Broeck accepted it, but immediately returned it as a sign of respect.
"'Tis not your fault that your nation's own foolishness caused this tragedy." said the second generation Syrenian expatriate. "And your men fought with valour and honour in any case Admiral!"
"With respect, Admiral van der Broeck, 'Valour' and 'Honour' are worthless when paired with foolishness, stubbornness and fanaticism!" remarked the broken Månemänner back.
Aftermath
When the King heard about what happened, he could hardly believe it. Along with the destruction of the fleet and much of Nöteborg, came news of great panic because what gripped that population was not a desire of revenge, but a feeling of the wrath of Selen herself upon their nation. It couldn't be a coincidence that this happened during a full solar eclipse, especially after King Häkan boasted about how there would never be trade with the Tsukijin unless among other things, "the Sun itself leave the skies"!
While his councillors begged him to declare war, Erik in his great wisdom realised how this foolishness could have been avoided and how it should have been avoided. His father's reign had indeed been a good one, but his father's reign engrained foolish beliefs in his people that would prevent the true prosperity of his nation in a geopolitical and economical sense. It was much better, he knew, for his nation to be friends with the Tsukijin, not enemies. Indeed, his father's fears about them polluting the spirit of the nation were utter nonsense in his opinion and proven to be as such by this humiliation. Furthermore, he also grasped that this current debacle was not punishment from Selen, but a blessing. He reasserted his authority as the head of the faith by pointing out this to the public and calming their fears.
He quickly made about opening trade with the Empire, and furthermore cunningly schmoozed them by insisting that they did nothing wrong and that it was his own mistake that led to this all. He requested that his only desire from this all was for the Empire to help him rebuild Nöteborg, and help establish a true navy for his Kingdom. His uncle Magnus, still living in exile in the Empire, was able to help seal this deal too.
As for Admiral Magnussen, he quickly was hailed as a national hero by the King for his bravery and wise leadership during the whole affair and became the first man to get the title "Grand Admiral" in the history of the Kingdom.
"Even in our great mistakes, we find greater solutions. Let that awful day be a reminder of that, and may it be held in great honour for all years to come!"- Grand Admiral Kjell Magnussen during his retirement speech, 1146 VTE.