List of Emperors of China (Zheng China)

War on the Horizon
By 1428, China had virtually monopoly over the South China Seas, thanks to the size of her fleet and the skills of Zheng He. With the eradication of the pirate bases, China began the next big step on her accension: colonization. Chinese settlers, mainly peasants and workers, were subsidized by the Emperor to settle in the new lands, setting up fishing and farming communities along the coasts, establishing permanent forts and ports from which to project China's might. Following their establishment, artisans, merchants, and missionaries soon followed, hoping to make their fortune or improve the quality of their lives. Within five years, new cities sprang up along the coasts of Borneo, Sulawesi, Taiwan, and Luzon.

The expansion of Chinese control, however, did not sit well with the Majapahit Empire, whose power was slowly waning as China's was growing. Wikramawardhana, the ruling king of Java and the empire, had taken power in a bloody civil war, which undermined the Empire's power over the more distant areas and forced them to withdraw, leaving Northern Borneo, Sulawesi, and New Guinea open to Chinese colonization. This gave the Chinese great control over the trade routes which were vital to the thalassocracy. This empowered local rulers and cities to the extent that they began behaving much more independently, cutting the empire's power even further. This combined with the expanding power of the Malacca Sultanate left the king, and his daughter and successor Suhita, in a very difficult position. To blooster his power, Wikramawardhana decided to consider an alliance with Malacca, considering the Sultan to be in a better position to help in case of a war due to logistics.

On route to commence negotiations, however, the king was attacked by pirates and died on the way back to Java, leaving Suhita on the throne. Hoping to recommence negotiations, she requested the Sultan, Muhammad Shah, to rein in the pirates. The Sultan promised to combat the pirate attacks, but despite waiting a year, the pirates continued unabatted, leaving Suhita suspicious of the Sultan's sincerity, as Orang laut were traditionally employed to control the strategic strait and sometimes turned to piracy. Hoping to increase her political chances, she decided to open negotiations with the Chinese, promising greater trade and official recognition of their colonies, effectively ceding North Borneo, Sulawesi, and New Guinea.

Word of this soon reached the Sultan, who decides the moment has come to invade and take over Sumatra, further crippling the waning thalassocracy. Taking the western cities and ports by surprise, the Sultan pushed forth and almost completely overran the island save the southeastern tip, placing Java at great risk. Realizing the need for allies, Suhita called upon the Chinese, promising control of the Maluku islands in exchange for their aid. Quickly reaching for the chance for greater wealth, the Emperor agreed and ordered Zheng He to set sail. The huge fleet, formerly anchored on the Borneo coast, set sail and reached the island of Java, just as the last of the Majapahit cities surrendered. As they approached, the Malaccan fleet formed up, and the Battle for Java began.

The Battle of the Java Sea
On August 14, 1430, the Chinese and Malaccan fleets met and fought off the Northwest coast of Java, where they fought for the future of Java. While the Chinese fleet outgunned the Malaccans, the shallow water and narrow geography kept them from fully utilizing their advantage, and the Malaccans managed to inflict heavy casualties, pushing the Chinese back.

However, unbeknowst to the Malaccans, Zheng He had laid a trap. He split his fleet into two groups, one with a slight headstart over the other, and selected the ships with the greatest maneuverability to get ahead. The other had the highest firerpower, with more advanced cannons and rocket batteries, which had tips that exploded upon contact. These ships arrived as the Chinese line broke and the Malaccans rushed through to surround them against the Sumatran and Java coasts, to minimize the effect of friendly fire. The Malaccan fleet was devastated, with virtually all her ships gone, while the Chinese lost barely one hundred ships, many of which were repaired after the battle.

Following the battle, Zheng He received reinforcements from the Majapahit fleet and sailed for Malacca, planning to lay siege to the capital and force the Sultan to submit. In the meantime, Majapahit troops landed on Sumatra and, with the help of Chinese engineers, began retaking the island. As the Chinese fleet moved its way into the strait, Orang laut launched guerrilla strikes against them, hoping to slow them down, but they were slowly driven back.

Within a month, the Chinese had arrived at Malacca, poised to attack. Zheng He, though, offered the Sultan to sue for peace, promising to mediate the dispute personally. While Muhammad was intrigued at the prospect, having learned of Zheng He's success in diplomacy in the Southeast Asian and Indian regions, he was under pressure from the court and declined the offer. Saddened, Zheng He prepared for battle.

Siege of Malacca
On September 30th, the Chinese fleet commenced its attack on Malacca, inflicting heavy damage. While initially it seemed a certain victory for China, it quickly turned into a bloody quaqmire, as Orang laut launched raids at night to throw the Chinese off balance, and the city dwellers repaired the damage in almost record time, dragging the siege out for months. Zheng He again offered Muhammad to sue for peace, but was again rebutted.

Facing a dreary siege, Zheng He decided to reorganize the fleet, sending most of the heavy gunners away, giving his ships extra room to maneuver. These ships were in turn divided into two fleets, one of which went south, between Sumatra and Java, and the other went north, along the Malaya coast, for reasons unknown.

In the meantime, Zheng He continued pounding the city, but the city refused to surrender. The Sultan, seeing the damage, wanted to sue for peace, but feared the harsh terms if he failed to secure at least one victory. While his capital remained under siege, he remained confident that he could at least achieve a stalemate. While the Chinese had a much larger fleet than he did, they were dependent on relatively weak allies for support, whereas his navy had a much shorter and more secure logistics train. Furthermore, when the war began, he ordered cities in north Malaya to begin building ships at record paces, knowing he would soon need them. Finally, he had managed to smuggle supplies and reinforcements down the coast and through the jungle, as the Chinese were focused on his capital.

On July 31, 1431, his reserve fleet in Malaya finally set sail, hoping to relieve their capital. About halfway through their journey, they were ambushed by Chinese ships, the first ships that broke off from the fleet. Taken off-guard, the reserve fleet was forced to withdraw; the Chinese pursued, who began attacking the coastal cities, to ensure the Malaccans could not resupply or repair their ships, and also preempting the Sultan from trying to build his fleet back up. The first major blow against Malacca had been struck.

The second came on October 5, when the second fleet that split off reappeared in the north of the Malacca Strait, bombarding cities and harbors, which had been havens for the Orang laut and the supply line for the city, severing the city's main lifeline. The fleet then began corraling the survivors toward the besieged city, where they were picked off one by one by the Chinese.

Realizing the situation was bleak, Muhammad contemplated fleeing the city to continue the struggle via guerrilla warfare, but decided against it. According to the sultan, he had a dream, in which the Prophet Muhammad said that if he dealt peace with a brother of the faith, his city and his kingdom would be spared; but if he dealt peace with a non-believer, his city would lies in ruins and his kingdom despoiled. Interpreting this dream to mean to sue for peace, as Zheng He was a Muslim, he agreed to enter negotiations, and a cease-fire ensued.

The Treaty of Malacca
Under Zheng He's mediation, Muhammad Shah and Suhita arrived in the city to talk peace. Over a long and often tense month of negotiations, it was agreed that both Malacca and Majapahit would retain their fleets, both commercial and military, though Malacca would limit theirs in comparison, by a ratio of 2:3. In addition, Malacca had to return the land they had annexed during the war and pay a large sum of money to Majapahit. Finally, China was allowed to occupy the Riau Islands for ten years, allowing the Chinese to accumulate huge amounts of money as well as establish economic bases. In exchange, Majapahit was required to cede half the Maluku Islands to China, though they retained the majority of trade in the region, so it was not a critical blow. Also, the Chinese were required to pay for the damage to the city of Malacca. The key to the treaty was to leave all comatants of equal strength, so trade would resume as soon as possible. On February 31, 1432, the treaty was signed.

For his role in the treaty, Zheng He was granted a particular favor from Muhammad: he would be able to conduct the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. Honored, Zheng He accepted and departed for the auspicious city, despite his poor health and old age.

Trouble in the North
Surprisingly, Zheng He made it to Mecca safely and managed to complete the hajj in September 1432. He also managed to secure trading rights for China in Arabia and Persia along the way. On the return journey, however, Zheng He died in his sleep, and was buried at sea, though he was secured a tomb in Nanjing. Upon the fleet's return to Nanjing, a new admiral, Yishiha, took over and oversaw China's colonization of the Maluku and Micronesian islands. Back home, a young officer named Zheng Enlai, the adopted son (and nephew) of Zheng He, rose to prominence as a skilled and fierce cavalry commander, and just in time, for new troubles began on the northern frontier.

The Mongols, who had been heavily divided since the disasterous defeat of Toytoy Burqa, found a new leader, Esen, and new allies, the Manchus. Seeing the Chinese preoccupied with the South, Esen prepared his forces to move south and reconquer China. Learning from his predecessor's mistakes, he waged a guerrilla war against the Chinese, refusing to be drawn into a full-scale battle or an ambush, while making his way east toward Beijing. The Emperor promotes Zheng Enlai to Commander-in-Chief of forces in the north and orders him to defeat Esen at all costs. Zheng Enlai immediately takes up the challenge and begins drawing plans to defeat Esen. Knowing the futility of bringing China's infantry to battle, he decides to fight fire with fire, using hit-and-run attacks to attack the Mongol herds, their key supply of nutrients. Over the next five years, Zheng Enlai continues to harass Esen in the north and west provinces, wearing him down while denying him th chance for victory, and hence the chance to show off.

The prolongation of the conflict forces Esen to take drastic action, he decides to attack the Grand Canal, the lifeblood of Beijing and the north. To divide the Chinese military, he orders raids against farms and roads and outposts, hoping to bring the Chinese army out into the open. The Chinese, tired of waiting, immediately take the bait, and an infantry force of 250,000 soldiers marches north to stop the Mongols, despite Zheng Enlai's vehement protests, for which he is demoted to cavalry commander. Deciding to take the initiative, Zheng Enlai rides to reinforce the Grand Canal, the one thing that could adequately supply all the troops in the north, and one of the few areas left untouched by the Mongols. In a furious race to reach the Canal, both Esen and Zheng Enlai force their troops to march double-time, knowing the outcome of the war depended on their confrontation. Wisely, Enlai sends a letter south warning that the Mongols are heading for Beijing and reinforcements are needed urgently.

On October 17, 1437, both Esen and Enlai reached the Canal, near the city of Canzhou exhausted but ready for battle. Esen plans to attack before dawn so the soldiers will be groggy and disorganized, then he would lure them out to eh north, while his main force took and destroyed the city, severing the canal. Enlai also plans his strategy, trying to decide whether to attack before Esen does, hoping to catch him by surprise, or after, hoping to catch him in a trap. Ultimately, he decides to attack concurrent to Esen, knowing that Esen will likely expect an ambush similar to the one used before on Toytoy, and decides to attack when before Esen reaches the city. Both sides settle in fo rthe deciding battle of the war.