The Srivijaya Empire

The Srivijaya Empire

Posted By Drs. Mutawalli,M.Pd.I

The western portion of the Second Srivijaya Empire

Caricatures of the Southern Alliance had been circulating and they were called the “Second Srivijaya Empire” in reference to the predecessor to most of those nations. The Alliance was not managed by a leadership structure and operated with the consent and acceptance of the individual governments. It was not an Empire but this characterization led to changes in the public discourse of the alliance. The Kings and other leaders of the nations were calling for a stronger government to manage their vast amount of affairs and to show the rest of the world that their nations were not to be discounted from the political stage. These feelings of nationalism when combined with the desire for unity and power made the nations for what they named the Second Srivijaya Empire. This nation, formed in 1363 (610 AD) under the leadership of Emperor Phaektra of the Khmer Kingdom, demanded

The Eastern Portion of the Second Srivijaya Empire

that their portion of the new world colony be separated from the Sinica portion to the south. They demanded independence that the Sinicans were reluctant to grant but did so anyway. The Eunuchs and the leaders of Sinica bustled together to put their secret plans into action and were intending to be ruthless in their execution.

The Eunuchs

The Eunuchs originally intended to use the allies to the south to mount another Sino-Japanese war and they would get the Japanese to capitulate their mainland territories or their colonies. The Japanese and the Sinican colony had grown to clash with each other in small areas but never on a full scale. With the growth of nationalism for the Second Srivijaya the eunuchs decided that their best position would be to give in to the small demands of their allies in order to pursue their larger goals and expect that the allied nations would support the war effort. The Sinicans moved into Hainan in 1365 (612 AD) and this was the start of the War.

The Fourth Sino-Japanese WarEdit

The Battle for Hainan which began in 1365 (612 AD) was intended to secure an early victory and morale booster for the troops of Sinica. Moving into the island from the southern shore, under the leadership of one of the highest

Siege in Hainan during the Fourth Sino-Japanese War

eunuchs, was a new tactic unexpected by the Japanese on the island. That being said the fortifications on that island were more than impressive. They seemed nearly impregnable. Since the Japanese had gained it they had built shelters for the residents and walls and barracks around the island.Regiments quickly move to the area of battle but were surprised at a new invention that the Sinicans had made. They had combined the missile and the grenade into the rudimentary rocket propelled grenade. It was not as powerful as OTL conceptions but it was impressive in fighting against the high walls of Hainan. Within less than two weeks the Sinicans took Hainan and with that they could mount a much more successful campaign through Asia. The Sinicans quickly regained their losses in the south western coast and reversed the large gains made by Japan after the Third Sino-Japanese War. The Second Srivijaya were now faced with a decision to side with the SInicans or the Japanese. The clear choice of the Emperor elected after the reunification of he south east Asian nations was to Sinica but he had fallen ill and died childless in the year 1368 (615 AD) son after the gains of Sinica had been fortified in a new treaty with the Japanese.

The War of Srivijayan Succession

Sinica, Japan, and the Srivijaya Empire were once again the largest powers in Asia. With the rivalry between the Sinicans and the Japanese reignited by the Fourth Sino-Japanese War the Srivijaya were left in the position to

A depiction of the amount of force the Srivijaya were expecting.

found an alliance with either power and thus determine the fate of Asia. The Srivijaya had long been partners of Sinica but with recent tensions they began to reconsider whether the partnership was truly fair. The Srivijaya had decided to hold elections for the new Emperor but the problem with this was that each candidate had different opinions on how to proceed. The Srivijaya had remained neutral for five years from 1368-1373 (615-620 AD) but the Sinicans and Japanese were tired of placating either side with gifts or offers and it became clear that neither side could gain a clear victory through elections. The democratic process broke down in the Second Srivijaya Empire and the two sides used the wealth of their respective allied constituencies to raise an army. The powers also solicited aid from the Sinican and the Japanese Empires but the results of their intervention were completely unintended.

The Divide

King Bisaya

The Japanese, having a strong and well-founded Alliance with the Kingdom of Sulawesi near the center of the Second Srivijaya Empire, used this Kingdom as a base to split the two sides of the War of Succession. The Japanese Ally, King Bisaya of Borneo, was pushing to become Emperor with the support of the smaller islands. Borneo had always been a religious Kingdom and remained the only area in Asia with a majority Thenmobist population, the religion of the first Srivijaya Empire. King Bisaya had the support of the smaller and less developed regions of the Empire. Out in the Lapita Admiraty, the Commonwealth Republic of Vanuatu, The Motu Kingdom and the Tanimbar Kingdom the other candidate was seen as an aristocrat. King Trieu Minh Vuong of the United Kingdom of Lao-Cham was very fond of the SInicans and had developed a very Sinican looking system of government. The nobility of his kingdom as well as the Thai Kingdom, Khmer Kingdom and Java Republic became very aristocratic and opposed to the issues of the farmers throughout their own kingdoms. This divide was very exploitative for the Japanese and Borneo already had at least half of the Srivijaya Empire protected by the Japanese Navy.

King Trieu Minh Vuong

The Sinicans, who were now only ostensibly led by the Empress Wenxian 文獻 but actually led by her eunuch advisers, in support of King Trieu Minh Vuong planned to move into the Borneo Kingdom and attack their opponent directly but were surprised when they needed to fight the Japanese once again. Because of this it is often disputed whether the War of Srivijaya Succession was separate or part of the Fourth Sino-Japanese War.

The Battle of Java

Java was one of the larger islands of the Second Srivijaya Empire and the Japanese supported King Bisaya was moving in from the southern tip of the island with reinforcements of Japanese ships behind him. In less than three months more than half of the island was under the control of Bisaya. Within less than 2 weeks the Japanese forces and King Bisaya had taken the island of Java.

The Khmer-Sinica Campaign

The Khmer Kingdom remained the most populous part of the Second Srivijaya Empire and following the loss of Java, the Khmer began using this strength. The Khmer had often been an ennobled people. They reluctantly joined the second Empire but knew they could thrive alone and separate. The Khmer were a large part of the new world colony and fought for independence so they would dominate that area rather than Sinica. The Khmer knew the same would be the fate of the Srivijaya Empire, no matter what the outcome, allowing them to force whichever outcome they wanted. Already having a group of treaties giving the Khmer the power they wanted from Sinica, the Khmer mobilized their powerful armies alongside Sinica to take back the new Empire.

A relief of the War of Srivijayan Succession

The Khmer and Sinicans had another benefit coming to them as they moved against Bisaya and the Japanese forces. The Japanese military leaders and the leaders under King Bisaya bickered constantly about how to proceed after the capture of Java. Th Japanese, who became very indignant during these arguments, often said that King Bisaya would be nothing without the Japanese and that they demanded his full yield if he wanted Japanese assistance. The southeast Asian leadership would reply that this was their land and that they knew the area better than the Japanese and that if the Japanese wanted an ally in this region then they ought to treat them with respect. The Japanese sometimes joked that it would be easier to just conquer these islands outright and this caused more than a few examples of tension between the soldiers of Japan and King Bisaya. The Japanese leaders knew better and never expressed these opinions openly but be that s it may the two armies were stuck on the island of Java until a strategy could be worked out.

This delay gave the Khmer and the SInicans the best possible chance to regain a foothold in this area. The Khmer worked out their policy and the SInicans would pursue a separate one as well as reinforce the Khmer. The Khmer would move into Java from the south, the least defended portion of the island. The Sinicans would move around into the island of Borneo and attempt to set up a fort of some kind there so that they could attack Bisaya himself. The Sinicans feared that if they killed Bisaya before attacking the Japanese and making some victory then the Japanese would find some other leader to take his place. Despite this the Sinicans and Khmer continued.

The Battle of Borneo and the End of the War

The Sinicans moved onto Borneo where the intended to take as many of the large coastal cities until they found King Bisaya. The southern cities of Banjarmasin, Pontianak, and Balikpapan fell first but all sources pointed to the

Cities of Borneo

northern cities. By the end of 1376 (623 AD) the Sinicans had taken Tawau, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and the largest city in Borneo, Sarawak. By the time Sarawak had been taken the Bisaya supporters were believed to have fled to the Philippines. The Japanese Navy believed that the war was now too expensive to purse. Despite their capitulation, the resulting treaty provided that the new Srivijaya give no trade restrictions to Japanese businesses. This provision would prove crucial in the years to come.