THE LEGACY (FINALE)

Day 1,073, 05:12 • Published in Malaysia Malaysia • by Amli Nujhan

THE LEGACY (EPILOGUE)

Continued from THE LEGACY (PART 5b)

It’s the beginning of the end.

Hang Tuah just fed up with the politics. Everything was too much for him... Losing his lover and faithful friends in his own hands. He was just an ordinary human being with inner feelings.
Like my ancestors did, it was common practice for people of the palace to change their way of life to be just ordinary citizen… Just go far away and change their names, then start a new life.

It’s been a long road for the Malaccan Sultanate Empire to get established, yet as to compare with some other world civilizations and dynasties, we can say it is short lived.
The background the story that I present here was around mid 12th-13th century (1350-1450 AD) more or less.

That time Malacca was one of the biggest city in the world with a relatively big population for that time around. The Ming Dynasty of China made alliance with Malacca as to show a high standard of recognition.

Do not be fooled to think that in those days we were defending the nation with bamboo stick and some funny looking kris. In fact we had the most advance navy force of the entire world. You think that’s unbelievable?


Malay jongs(ships) was 4 to 5 times larger than European battle ships. The sail system of the Malay jong was so advance, that it revolutionized the modern sails. Very practical to withstand strong wind and sailing across wide ocean. It’d be too long if I want to explain all the technical and mechanical of the ship. So leave it. The Malays (including Indons) was renowned to be the best seafarer of the time. The historians just couldn’t understand that kind of art of navigation, being able to sail the from an island to another not by help of any device. They called it as “Psycho Navigation”. Similarly for building big ships without the need to use plan and drawings, they called “Psycho-Shipbuilding”.
Anything they just can’t understand,… they just call us psycho. LOL.

If the Malays just fought using kris and spears against the invading colonials, our fate would be similar to aborigines of Australia.
Kris is a very personal close combat weapon, and can be for ceremonial purpose. It is in dressing code etiquette of a man.
There were old written records stating Malacca had the best GUNS back then!
Firearms were available around since 13th century, even though were not so perfected till the 17th century. Malacca was the world leading trade centre, of course they had all these.


Pemuras dan Karga (Blunderbuss-and bullet case)


Terakul (‘Dragon’)


Istinggar (Musket)


Lela Rentaka (Small cannon, sometimes hand held like bazooka)


Lela (Big Cannon)



Malay Gunners


The background of Hang Tuah’s world should be pretty much like this.

Sadly, Malacca was invaded by the Portuguese in 1511.
Strangely, they did it with so little effort and without really fighting! …Why?
Because the Malaccan navy was doing some ‘out-station’ job. They were misled to go for a not so important mission, thus enabling the conspirators bringing the Portuguese in.
Tactically it was an advantage for the Portuguese too as their small vessel sailed faster than the huge Malay jongs. Those jongs just couldn’t reach home in time.
There were several ambitious politicians who chose to be corruptive for their own sake.
I’ve told you the scenario in THE LEGACY (PART 5b).

There were so much truth that purposely hidden by western historians.
The British lose badly in the Naning War to these Malay gunmen. None of the Malay States were won by the British through war, but all were done by cheating and bad diplomacy.

This is the end of THE LEGACY for this season.
Thank you for reading. It’s highly recommended that everybody should read the previous issues as well.
I’m not sure if I will continue THE LEGACY again next time.
A new hero maybe… how about Panglima Awang aka Enrique aka Henry the Black?...

-FIN-

THE LEGACY (PART 1)
THE LEGACY (PART 2)
THE LEGACY (PART 3)
THE LEGACY (PART 4)
THE LEGACY (PART 5a)
THE LEGACY (PART 5b)