Summer, Nineteenth Year of the Xin Zhuo Emperor

Daylight revealed a scene of utter devastation upon the estuary of Gugang. The brackish bay was filled with the debris of battle, fallen masts and timber floating in the water with banners, shields, and bodies. In the distance, the burning hulks of the great war junks and Atakebune crackled through the dawn, broken wreckage of more ships drifting with the currents, many with sailors clinging to them. Among them was the sad remnants of the Panokseon Magnolia, demasted, command post and forecastle obliterated and oars broken, slowly taking on water and thus abandoned. Uncontrolled, the vessel bobbed among the estuary waters with the dead.

Then suddenly with a gasp Morha burst out from the waters. Having discarded her armor the mušḫuššu fumbled blindly in the waters before finding a broken mast and clinging onto it for dear life.

Coughing, hacking up seawater, Morha shook the water out from her snout, and finally looked around.

How long had she been out?

What happened?

Did they win or lose?

The only response she heard was the cry of gulls and the gentle lap of the tide.

For hours it seemed the dragon floated, too battered and tired to even attempt to fly. As the sun rose higher Morha noticed other survivors swimming or clinging to flotsam. Some attempted to cling to the mušḫuššu. The purple dragon hated those little pink things clambering atop her, but was too exhausted to shake them off and simply, if grumpily, accepted their latching on like a bunch of parasites.

Eventually a large sailing raft floated by, its crew picking up shipwrecked sailors from the waters. A long was hovering through the air, searching for survivors.

Morha squinted in the bright morning sun.

That dragon looked familiar.

*Hey Ying!* She called out.

The good-natured golden dragon shimmered down. *Ho, Lady Morha! I see you looking like a wet pile of rags!*

*We won then.*

*Damn right we did!*

*Is everyone safe?*

The golden long lowered his head. *It was a brutal one, my lady. A lot of people died in the fighting. But your friend Qing survived, as did Admiral Yi, Mengho, Touba, Chi, Ashank, and that cyno pirate.*

*I guess that's good enough. Help me get to shore, and tell me how things went.*

*I obey, my lady.*

***

The Battle of Gugang was a great victory for the National Union coalition, though one that came at high cost. Of the nearly 800 Imperial vessels of the combined Beiyang and Nanyang Fleets, perhaps 150 remained- of which only a dozen were capital ships- holding about 16000 sailors total. Another 200 odd vessels including a score of capital ships had been captured with 64000 prisoners. The rest of the 341000 strong force sent South by the Celestial Empire were presumed killed or drowned. Though the much smaller Coalition Navy had won, of some 210 vessels including 55 capital ships and 60000 troops, about a third of the vessels and crew were also lost, including 18 capital ships. Even with victory, there was much to do. Locals were paid to fish the bodies out for a proper burial, and wreckage was combed over and collected for anything that could be salvaged. Wounded were treated. Prisoners integrated into the army or hostage situations sorted out. New strategies needed to be outlined and planned for. It was time for everyone to rest and regroup.

Or at least it was supposed to be.

---

The Highwaymen - Michael, Row The Boat Ashore

From  Chickenzaur!