It was a sunny morning when General Cao Guang’s vanguard fleet reached a few nautical miles near the newly discovered islands. His fleet was made up 20 Baochuans (lit. “Gem Ships”) and 8 Tienbaochuans (Sky Gem Ships) armed with 30 crystal cannons each. With him was the enchantress Lady Lie Yi, the keeper of the mass teleportation gem and the fleet’s psychic navigator.

Behind his fleet was the Grand Golden Fleet under Marshal Sima Liang which is flanked by General Zhongqing and General Xuan Wugui’s fleets. At the rear, Lady General Meng Hua’s fleet followed closely. Each of the escort fleets had 10 Baochuans and 4 Tienbaochuans.

“Lady Lie Yi, send the enchanted bird and scout the nearing the area.”

Lady Yi dutifully complied as her fowl flew into the azure sky. She then moved her arms into some gestures reminiscent of what characters in Chinese Fantasy Kung Fu movies often do. No sooner. her senses were linked to that of her fowl. She could see what the bird can see and hear what the creature can hear.

“There are people… no. There is a strange civilization on that island. I could see houses seemingly made of stone and roads that looked like carved grey rocks. There are also forests and beaches and…”

“Oy, unsa na pre?”

“Murag banog siguro pero murag dili.”

“Pusilon nato. Himoon nato pulutan unya.”

“Ayos. Ako bahala sa pantulak unya.”

Suddenly, the man raised something that looked like a stringless crossbow and aimed at the bird. Before Lady Yi could command her fowl to retreat, fire and thunder came out of the weapon in united harmony. In an instant, Lady Yi collapsed as her fowl dropped lifeless and fated for side dish.

Seeing Lady Yi dropping almost lifeless, General Cao Guang reactively called his shamanic priests to aid the distressed sorceress. The priests rushed to her aid and used their chi manipulation to restore the woman’s health. The young General then gently shook the woman.

“Lady Yi, are you alright?”, General Cao Guang asked with concern in his voice. Lady Lie Yi then opened her eyes weakly as she beheld the young warrior who was holding her in his arms. She struggled from the pain and concussion caused by the remote sensory link with her hapless fowl.

“The natives… they use gunpowder…”

“Lady Yi, you have to rest. You did well.”

General Cao Guang then summoned the eunuchs to carry Lady Yi into her bed chamber. He then took his communication crystal and called his senior.

“Jiangjun, I have something to report…”

*******************

The Philippine Coast Guard has detected the presence of boogeymen near Samal Island. Captain Gerardo Gomez immediately commanded a number of drones to scout the incoming ships. While it seems that the ships looked ancient and primitive, Captain Gomez had a gut feeling that those vessels were more than meets the eye despite being almost certain that they were not capable of transforming into sentient robots… or can they? More amazing were the 24 flying ships floating above the larger naval fleet below.

Nonetheless, it is better to be safe than sorry considering the fact that the State, formerly the Region, of Davao has been suffering record low military and security budget due to the dismal revenue resulting from being cut off from its foreign business partners since the isekai event. Worse, the Current PYap Administration has become paranoid to the possibility of the LGU’s (Local Government Unit) collusion with the Chinese Communist Party prior to World War 3, no small thanks to Senator Troy Albarracin’s doomsaying. Hence, the supermajority Senate and Congress passed a law that limits all LGUs budget, including its share from the National Budget, for military and security at ridiculously low percentages unless the LGUs would first pass a bill (actually, beg) to tap the Special Defense Fund for reasonable and urgent purposes. Until now, the Congressmen of the State of Davao failed to have their bill approved with their pleas falling on deaf ears despite four terror attacks shattering the region.

Hence, Captain Gomez surmised that if the boogeys would turn out to be hostile and invasive, it would be best to neutralize them before they would reach even the Island Garden City of Samal or else damage to life and property would be unacceptable to his native State. He quickly commanded his subordinates to have PCG’s spy drones take closer pictures of the incoming fleet as he made contact with his superiors.

“This is Captain Gomez. Over. We have a situation here. Our fleet has detected 84 boogeys at 12:00. We are requesting for immediate reinforcement ASAP.”

“Captain Gomez, this is General Ramirez. Over. Where is your current location?”

“Sir, we are 2 kilometers south off Talikud Island. Over.”

“We will be sending reinforcements at T-minus 30 minutes. Over. Establish contact with the boogeys but don’t engage unless provoked.”

“Copy, Sir.”

Receiving orders, Captain Gomez sent another drone, this time one equipped with megaphones, in an attempt to contact with the enigmatic fleet.

“This is the Philippine Coast Guard. You are entering the Federal Republic of the Philippines’ territorial waters. If you are able to remotely respond, we urge you to state the purpose of your intrusion…”

BOOM!!!

Suddenly, the aircraft crashed into what appeared to be a magical barrier. The explosion broke the field, shattering it as if it were glass. It was then when he realized that he screwed up…

**********************************

BOOM!!!

“Take evasive maneuvers!”

“Those barbarians! They attacked us without provocation!”

“Prepare for counterattack! Charge the Crystal Cannons! Full Speed Ahead!”

The Caihong Diguo’s fleet began to take battle formations as they prepared to retaliate. Knowing that the “iron birds” the natives possess are capable of shattering their “invisible walls”, the Caihongese spared no time to engage their enemies.

“It seems the barbarians are not willing to talk this down…” Marshal Sima Liang muttered in tranquil fury, “Then, so be it. They shall pay for their arrogance and defiance! Destroy them all!”

Voices of warriors echoed in full harmony as their hearts burn with the desire of combat and conquest. In unison, their roars reverberated as if they were the waves of Celebes Sea. The first arrow has been shot against the emperor’s fleet. There is no turning back but to move forward towards the inevitable war.

***********************************

Captain Gomez sorrowfully mused the situation he is in. He accidentally disobeyed a direct order as his attempt to peacefully warn the invaders quickly became a beacon of conflict. With a silent prayer, he picked up the phone and called his superior.

“Sir, I have made a miscalculation. The drone crashed at one of the boogeys…”

“What the hell, soldier! I ordered you to stand down!”

“It’s too late. I take responsibility for this blunder.”

“Indeed, you will face Court Mart…”

“Please tell my wife and kids I love them…”

“Captain!”

Captain Gomez dropped the phone as he turned towards his men. He knew he was out of luck. With a forlorn voice, he spoke to his men.

“Men, from here I shall face the final curtain with shame and dishonor. You are hereby dismissed from your stations. Feel free to abandon ship.”

To his surprise, his subordinates refused to abandon ship. Determined to defend the Philippine territorial waters, the soldiers remained loyal despite the blunder the captain committed. With his subordinates unwilling to back down and without any better choices, the Filipino officer ordered his men to man the battle stations and prepare for engagement.

****************************

The Filipino ships, despite outnumbered with only a Jose Rizal-class Missile Frigate (BRP Datu Bago), two experimental Drone Carriers hastily converted from a couple of second-hand cargo ships, six lightly armed patrol crafts and eighteen high speed interceptor crafts, stood still against an armada of magical ships. It was as if the start of the naval version of the Battle of Thermopylae. Then, the battle began.

Strike drones launched from the Drone Carrier quickly scrambled as “Helong” (“Crane Dragon” lit. Quetzalcoatlus) Riders from the Caihong vessels sortied. No sooner, blood, gore, and metal rained upon the sea below as 7.62mm machine guns roared upon the flying beasts and their riders. Caihongese Generals stood aghast as warriors were dropped en masse by the Philippine UAVs. Some of the UAVs managed to come close to the Tienbaochuans and unleashed AIM-9 Sidewinders upon their respective targets. While the flying ships have barriers that can nullify an ATA missile attack, they break upon impact and leave the ships vulnerable to a second strike. General Cao Guang’s fleet suffered severed blows and losing two of the Tienbaochuans. General Zhongqing and General Xuan Wugui’s fleets lost one ship each while Lady General Meng Hua and Marshal Sima Liang’s fleets remained intact.

At the sea, torpedoes from BRP Datu Bago quickly sank five of General Cao Guang’s Baochuans before they could even get into fighting distance. The Caihongese ships attempted to maneuver their ships in vain as the Filipino ships bombarded them with a plethora of solid ammunition. However, it was only a matter of time before all of the Filipino vessels’ ammunition were spent.

Despite the losses, the Caihongese ships pushed forward towards the enemy fleet as the outer ships gradually and masterfully steered counterclockwise to replace the sunk ships. Soon, it was General Xuan Wugui’s fleet which was facing the brunt of the naval assault. With skillful manoeuvring, the ships aimed their crystal cannons and fired a volley of beams towards the Filipino fleet, destroying and incinerating three interceptors.

The Filipino seacrafts countered, firing their heavy machine guns, M-203 grenade launchers and RPG-7s while outranging and outmaneuvering the Caihongese archers on board their ships. One soldier with a Javelin missile managed to score a direct hit on a Baochuan and sank it. It was then that the Philippine Coastguards surmised that while the Caihongese ships were armed with fearsome weapons, the crystal cannons themselves have abysmal rate of fire that can be exploited.

Caihongese warriors attempted to jump as well towards the Filipino interceptor crafts , gliding in ways resembling Chinese wuxia films, but 5.56mm rounds from M16s and M4s ripped through them. It was as if their defeat was at hand. However, it seemed that the Goddess of Mercy smiled upon the Caihongese fleet as a whirlwind of magical energy surrounded the Caihongese fleet…

*********************************

Groggily, Lady Yi recovered her consciousness as explosions rocked the Caihongese fleet. She struggled to leave her bed where the eunuchs laid her, but a handmaiden prevented the sorceress.

‘Lady Yi, please don’t go. The battle has began. Its…”

“General… Where is General Ziying!?”

“He is currently engaging the enemy…

Lady Yi hastened and left her bed as the handmaiden futilely tried to stop her.

“Lady Yi, wait!”

“I will not allow any harm fall upon General Ziying!”

Despite the handmaiden’s protest, Lady Yi managed to reach the deck and witnessed the raging battle. General Cao Guang struggled to maintain his troops morale as several were wounded by shrapnel and bullets. The Caihongese general nonetheless valiantly stood as a hero of legend as he grabbed a spear and threw it with great force, homing towards the chest of a hapless Filipino coast guard.

“General Ziying!” Lady Ying called upon Cao Guang and caught his attention.

“Lady Yi, you shouldn’t be here!”

“Marshal Sima Liang… He must know I have awakened and is now ready to cast the Heaven’s Gate spell.”

General Ziying knew how dire the situation is. Despite the fear of Lady Yi risking her own life force, he knew it he had to decisively act to lessen the casualties. Without further delay, the young general made contact with his superior with his Echo Crystal and informed the marshal of the situation. It was then that Marshal Sima Liang gave the go signal to use the ‘Heaven’s Gate’in hopes of turning the tide against the Filipinos. With spellcasting gestures, Lady Yi summoned the energies of the Four Celestial Signs as aurora-like lights engulfed the Caihongese fleet.

In the blink of an eye, the whole fleet found itself in surrounding and above the Filipino vessels, startling the defenders of the sudden teleportation spell. Marshal Sima Liang quickly took advantage of the situation as his ships formed into the shape of a Bagua, as if the remaining fleet became the naval version of the Stone Sentinel Maze. The Baochuans then charged their crystal cannons and bombarded the BRP Datu Bago and its support ships. Outflanked and trapped, the missile frigate and her escorts were sitting ducks facing a school of piranhas. In his last moments, Captain Gomez muttered:

“I am sorry, Isabel my beloved. I’m sorry Faith and Grace… Your father won’t be able to attend your graduation….”

Fire engulfed BRP Datu Bago’s bridge as an explosion knocked down the doomed captain, hitting his head on the ship’s panels. He then began to hallucinate being with his wife, son and daughter happily celebrating the kids’ graduation before fading into nothingness….

******************************

General Gardo Buencamino sat quietly in his office at Camp Crame. He gently massaged his brow as stress from work has started to overwhelm him. When he thought he could rest, a knock to the door caught his attention and prompted him to give permission to enter his room. A young officer entered into the room, snappily saluted with a stern visage facing him.

“Sir, we have a situation near Davao Gulf. According to our latest intel, an invasion fleet from an unknown country is currently engaging the local Philippine Coast Guard. They are requesting for backup.”

The report piqued General Buencamino’s interest.

“Captain, tell me more about the details.”

The inferior officer submitted an envelope containing images of the naval battle between the Caihongese fleet and the Philippine Coast Guard. Looking at the images, General Buencamino barely could hide his amusement.

“So, a fantasy counterpart of ancient China is currently engaging those traitors and actually beating them? Serves them right. I call that karma!”

“Sir?”

“Our hands are currently full with the current resurgence of communist and Moro rebel factions. We cannot commit more troops to another front. If anyone would ask, just tell them that what happened to Davao Gulf is but a simple pirate raid.”

“But Sir…”

“Do what I say. That’s an order!”

The captain was puzzled by the general’s apathetic words. It was it seems that the general himself would rather let the region burn than to send reinforcements. He had no choice but to follow his superior’s orders. However, he hid his dismay in a snappy salute and then left General Buencamino alone.

As the young soldier left, General Buencamino took and opened a bottle of non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice from his refrigerator. He then sat comfortably on his chair and pour its contents on a wine glass.

“Good riddance, Ex-Pwesident Domingo. May your beloved state burn into ashes.”

The officer raised the wine glass in celebration and soon drank the liquid in sheer delight.