u/GameCraze3

In the 1800s, Britain imported enormous quantities of Chinese tea, silk, and porcelain but struggled to pay for them because China had little interest in British goods. To reverse this trade imbalance, British merchants exported opium grown in India into China. Despite repeated imperial bans, millions became addicted, prompting the Qing government under Imperial Commissioner Lin Zexu to confiscate and destroy over 20,000 chests of opium at Canton in 1839. Britain responded with military force, arguing that British property had been unlawfully seized and demanding expanded trade rights.

The war quickly very clearly demonstrated the technological gap between the two empires. British steamships, modern artillery, disciplined infantry, and naval mobility consistently defeated larger Qing armies (whom were often equipped with outdated weapons and command structures) with often minimal casualties. By 1842, British forces were advancing steadily up China's eastern coast toward the Yangtze River, capturing key ports to force the Qing government into negotiations.

The Battle of Chapu was one of the major coastal engagements during the final British campaign of the war. The fortified port of Chapu (modern Zhapu), located on Hangzhou Bay, protected the approaches to some of China's richest and most strategically important regions. British commanders Hugh Gough and William Parker landed approximately 2,200 troops while warships bombarded the city's defenses. Gough divided his army into multiple columns, allowing British troops to outflank the Qing defenders and cut off their retreat instead of attacking solely from the front.

The initial Qing defenses collapsed under the coordinated assault, but one group of roughly 300 Manchu Banner soldiers refused to retreat. Taking refuge inside a Buddhist temple (described in British accounts as a "joss house"), they fought with remarkable determination despite being surrounded. British troops launched repeated assaults before finally overrunning the position after fierce hand-to-hand combat. Even General Gough, who was leading the British army, praised their "indomitable" resistance. The fighting was costly enough that the British lost one of their senior officers, Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Tomlinson, while leading an assault.

After capturing the city, the British destroyed its military stores and seized its artillery before continuing their campaign toward the mouth of the Yangtze, bringing increasing pressure on the Qing government.

Artist: Malcolm Greensmith

After destroying the Khwarazmian Empire, the Mongol generals Subutai and Jebe led a long reconnaissance campaign through the Caucasus. There they defeated several regional powers before turning their attention to the Cumans, a nomadic people who fled west and appealed to their Rus' allies for assistance. In response, numerous Rus' princes, including Mstislav III of Kiev and Mstislav the Bold, assembled a large coalition army to confront the invaders. Before hostilities began, the Mongols attempted diplomacy, claiming they sought only to punish the Cumans and had no quarrel with the Rus'. Their envoys were reportedly executed, eliminating any chance of peace and convincing the Mongols to wage war without mercy.

Rather than immediately offering battle, Subutai and Jebe conducted a carefully planned feigned retreat, drawing the Rus' coalition farther into the open steppe. The pursuing princes failed to maintain a unified command, and their forces gradually became scattered over several days of pursuit. When the Mongols finally halted on the banks of the Kalka River, Mstislav the Bold attacked with his own contingent and Cuman allies without waiting for the rest of the coalition to arrive. The Mongols exploited this mistake, crushing the isolated force before turning against the remaining Rus' armies one by one. As panic spread, the retreating Cumans collided with other Rus' formations, creating confusion that the disciplined Mongol cavalry quickly exploited. The coalition collapsed, suffering catastrophic losses while only a handful of leaders managed to escape. Contemporary chronicles suggest that only a small fraction of the army returned home.

Among the few forces that initially remained intact was the army of Mstislav III of Kiev. Retreating to a fortified camp, he successfully resisted Mongol assaults for three days. Eventually, however, he accepted an offer of safe passage after being persuaded to surrender. The promise proved to be a deception. Once the camp was opened, the Mongols massacred many of the surviving soldiers and took Mstislav III along with several other princes and nobles prisoner.

Allegedly, following Mongol custom that royal blood was not to be shed outside of battle, instead of beheading or stabbing their noble prisoners the Mongols bound Mstislav III and several other captured princes, placed wooden boards over them, and held a victory feast atop the platform. The immense weight slowly crushed and suffocated the captives beneath without spilling their blood. Although the Mongols did not immediately invade the Rus' lands after their victory, instead turning east to rejoin the main Mongol army, the Battle of the Kalka River had profound long-term consequences. It destroyed much of the military strength of several Rus' principalities and revealed the devastating effectiveness of Mongol strategy, discipline, and mobility. Fourteen years later, when the Mongols returned under Batu Khan and Subutai during the full-scale Mongol invasion of Rus', many of the princes who might have organized resistance were gone, and the memory of Kalka foreshadowed the catastrophe that would soon engulf Eastern Europe.

Painting by Pavel Ryzhenko

The Battle of Bennington, fought on August 16th 1777, was an important American victory of the American War of Independence. Although named for the town of Bennington in present day Vermont, the battle actually took place near Walloomsac, New York. The engagement stemmed from British General John Burgoyne's growing logistical problems as his army advanced south from Canada toward Albany. With supplies running dangerously low, Burgoyne detached approximately 800 German (Hessian and Brunswick), British, Loyalist, Canadian, and Native American troops under Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum to seize horses, cattle, wagons, and provisions believed to be stored at Bennington.

Burgoyne mistakenly believed the town was lightly defended, unaware that thousands of Patriot militia had gathered in the area. The American defenders were commanded by General John Stark of New Hampshire, whose force consisted primarily of New Hampshire and Massachusetts militia, supported by Colonel Seth Warner and the Green Mountain Boys. Heavy rain delayed the fighting for a day, giving both sides time to strengthen their positions. On August 16th, the weather clear. Stark rallied his men and said “There are your enemies, the Red Coats and the Tories. They are ours, or this night Molly Stark (his wife) sleeps a widow.” Stark launched an attack that surrounded Baum's defensive works from multiple directions in what he called "the hottest engagement I have ever witnessed, resembling a continual clap of thunder." The militia advanced through forests and fields to strike the British force from the front, flanks, and rear simultaneously. After several hours of fierce fighting, Baum's men were overwhelmed, and Baum himself was mortally wounded while leading a desperate defense. Hundreds of his soldiers surrendered as the Americans captured the position.

Soon afterward, a second British-led force under Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich von Breymann arrived to reinforce Baum. The exhausted American militia initially gave ground, but Warner's Green Mountain Boys arrived just in time to stabilize the line. Together, Stark and Warner rallied their troops and launched another determined assault that drove Breymann's force from the battlefield before nightfall. The Americans had transformed what could have become a costly stalemate into a complete victory.

The results were devastating for Burgoyne's campaign. His army suffered over 900 casualties while failing to obtain the desperately needed supplies. The defeat also shattered the confidence of many of Burgoyne's Native American allies, many of whom abandoned the campaign afterward. Combined with already strained supply lines, these losses severely weakened the British advance toward Albany. Only two months later, Burgoyne's isolated army surrendered after the two Battles of Saratoga, which convinced France to formally enter the war as an ally of the United States.

In modern day America, August 16th is a legal holiday in Vermont known as Bennington Battle Day

Artist of the painting is Don Troiani

- Makoto and Nameless Bard both embody ideals Venti and Ei would come to embrace. For Venti, Nameless bard directly inspired his love for freedom. For Ei, Makoto’s vision of Eternity through Transience was initially rejected by Ei before eventually coming to understand, embrace, and adopt it by the end of her second story quest

- Both Nameless Bard and Makoto died as a result of war. Nameless Bard died in the rebellion against Decarabin and Makoto died during the cataclysm

- Istaroth was involved in both deaths in some way. Nameless Bard played a song belonging to Istaroth in order to protect the people in the aftermath of Decarabin’s death, which resulted in him dying and his name being removed from time. With Makoto, it’s a bit more ambiguous at the moment but it appears that before she died Istaroth helped her preserve a piece of her soul in the Musou Isshin and gave her the seed to plant the Sacred Sakura.

- While Venti and Ei are no longer consumed by grief, the losses do still bring them sadness when they recall them

- An interesting thing is how they both reacted to their losses. Makoto’s death (along with all of the other deaths during the cataclysm) left Ei deeply traumatized. This eventually resulted in her enforcing the vision hunt decree. The reason being is that she came to associate mortal ambition with death, this is rooted in the cataclysm as she appears to have initially believed ambition is what caused the cataclysm and invoked Celestia’s wrath. Visions are granted through great mortal ambition, so, in her eyes, if she removed visions people would be less inclined to pursue their ambitions and thus nobody would die. She would of course later come to see the error of her ways. Venti’s reaction was almost the exact opposite, instead of letting grief consume him he carried on the nameless bard’s will and made Mondstadt the land of freedom it is today.

- Most people don’t know Makoto and Nameless Bard existed. Nameless Bard’s name and memory were wiped from time with Venti being the only one to remember. As for Makoto, most Inazumans believed there has only ever been one Raiden Shogun, they don’t know that Makoto was a different goddess and died

Throughout the famous 53-day siege, Constantine XI Palaiologos personally inspected the defenses, encouraged the garrison, directed repairs to the shattered Theodosian Walls, and worked closely with the Genoese commander Giovanni Giustiniani to organize the defense of the most threatened sections of the walls. Despite being heavily outnumbered by the forces of Mehmed II, Constantine refused repeated opportunities to abandon the city or surrender it, declaring that it was his duty to share the fate of Constantinople and its people.

On the night of May 28-29, 1453, as the Ottomans launched their final assault, Constantine discarded the imperial regalia so he would fight as an ordinary soldier rather than be singled out. When Giustiniani was seriously wounded and withdrawn from the walls, morale among the defenders faltered, but Constantine remained at the breached defenses near the Gate of St. Romanos. As Ottoman troops poured through the opening, he led a desperate counterattack with his remaining guards and refused to retreat. Contemporary and near-contemporary sources agree that he died fighting hand-to-hand in the chaos, though the exact circumstances of his death remain unknown because no reliable eyewitness survived to record his final moments. His body was later believed to have been identified by the imperial purple boots bearing golden eagles, though some details remain uncertain.

As the last Byzantine emperor, he chose to die defending Constantinople rather than survive its fall, bringing an end to the Byzantine Empire after more than a thousand years of history.

Artist is Giuseppe Rava

More Venti x Ei content at r/VenEi

The Second Anglo-Powhatan War (1622–1632) was a decade-long conflict between the English colonists of the Virginia Colony and the Powhatan Confederacy, led by the influential chief Opechancanough. It erupted after years of mounting tension as English tobacco plantations expanded onto Powhatan lands, despite the temporary peace established after the First Anglo-Powhatan War through the marriage of Pocahontas and John Rolfe. Tobacco is a "heavy feeder" that rapidly depletes nutrients from the soil. In the 17th century, a single plot of land could typically only support a few growing seasons before needing to lie fallow for several years. Since demand for tobacco in Europe was high, and it was the cash crop of the colony, there was a constant, often aggressive need for fresh land.

On March 22nd 1622, Opechancanough launched a carefully coordinated surprise attack on English settlements throughout Virginia. Powhatan warriors entered many settlements under the guise of peaceful trade before suddenly attacking, killing hundreds of men, women, and children (nearly one-third of the colony’s population). The attack devastated outlying settlements, although Jamestown itself was spared after receiving advance warning.

The English responded with a prolonged campaign of retaliation. Over the next ten years they repeatedly raided Powhatan villages, burned crops, destroyed food supplies, and sought to weaken the confederacy through attrition (marking a shift toward what historians often describe as "total war" at a frontier scale, an aim to break an entire society, not just defeat warriors). The conflict was marked by brutal violence on both sides, including the English poisoning Powhatan leaders during what was presented as a peace negotiation in 1623. Meanwhile, the growing stream of immigrants and the expansion of tobacco cultivation steadily strengthened the colony's position.

The war ended in 1632 with a peace agreement that recognized English control over additional territory, particularly the peninsula between the James and York Rivers. Although the Powhatan Confederacy survived, it emerged significantly weakened, while the English colony continued to expand. The conflict convinced many that coexistence was impossible, setting the stage for the Third Anglo-Powhatan War (1644–1646)

Painting by Marco Capparoni

The Siege of Port Arthur (August 1904–January 1905) was one of the defining battles of the Russo-Japanese War and marked the emergence of modern industrial warfare. After surrounding the heavily fortified Russian naval base at Port Arthur on the Liaodong Peninsula, the Japanese army, commanded by Nogi Maresuke, sought to eliminate Russia's most important Pacific stronghold. Although many believed the fortress would fall quickly, the Russian defenders resisted fiercely from an extensive network of forts, trenches, and artillery positions, turning the campaign into a brutal five-month siege.

The Japanese launched repeated frontal assaults against the Russian defenses, suffering enormous casualties from machine guns, barbed wire, and well-positioned artillery. As direct attacks failed, the Japanese increasingly relied on siege tactics, constructing trenches, digging mines beneath enemy fortifications, and deploying massive 280 mm siege howitzers. The decisive moment came with the capture of 203 Meter Hill in December 1904, which overlooked the harbor. From this commanding position, Japanese artillery observers directed accurate fire onto the trapped Russian Pacific Fleet, sinking or disabling nearly every major warship in the harbor.

With the fleet destroyed, the defenses steadily collapsing, and no realistic hope of relief, the Russian commander, Anatoly Stoessel, surrendered Port Arthur on January 2nd, 1905 (January 5 under the Gregorian calendar). The victory gave Japan control of one of East Asia's most important naval bases and freed Japanese forces to participate in later campaigns, including the Battle of Mukden. The defeat was a severe blow to Russian prestige and contributed to the political unrest that culminated in the Russian Revolution of 1905. During the siege, the Japanese suffered around 91,000 casualties while the Russians suffered 55,000.

Extensive trench systems, machine guns, heavy siege artillery, barbed wire, hand grenades, searchlights, radio communications, and even early radio jamming were employed on a large scale during the siege. As a result, the Siege of Port Arthur is widely regarded as one of the first truly modern sieges in military history.

Artist is Steve Noon

Original found here: https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/110186284

The Battle of Wavre, fought from June 18-19 1815, was the final major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars and occurred simultaneously with the more famous Battle of Waterloo. After defeating the Prussians at the Battle of Ligny, Napoleon ordered Marshal Emmanuel de Grouchy to pursue the retreating Prussian army and prevent it from joining the forces of Wellington. Grouchy's force of roughly 33,000 men eventually encountered the Prussian III Corps, commanded by Johann von Thielmann, near the town of Wavre.

The battle centered on crossings of the Dyle River, where the outnumbered Prussians fought a determined defensive action. Thielmann's objective was not to defeat the French but to delay them long enough for the main Prussian army under Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher to march toward Waterloo and support Wellington. Fierce fighting took place around bridges, villages, and river crossings as Grouchy attempted to force his way through the Prussian defenses.

Although the French ultimately drove the Prussians from their positions and won a tactical victory, the battle had little strategic value. While Grouchy was engaged at Wavre, the bulk of the Prussian army successfully marched to Waterloo, where its arrival played a crucial role in Napoleon's defeat. Thus, Wavre became a classic example of a commander winning the battle before him while failing to influence the larger campaign. Grouchy's victory came too late to save Napoleon, whose defeat at Waterloo ended the Hundred Days and brought the Napoleonic Wars to a close.

The defense of Omori Castle in 1599 was one of the final significant parts of the decline of the Onodera clan during Japan's Sengoku period. Although often overshadowed by larger conflicts such as the Siege of Fushimi Castle and the Battle of Sekigahara, the siege of Omori Castle illustrates the struggle of regional lords to maintain their independence in the face of the growing authority of the Toyotomi government.

Onodera Yoshimichi ruled a domain in Dewa Province and had long been a rival of the powerful Mogami clan. During the late sixteenth century, however, the political landscape of Japan was changing rapidly. Following the unification campaigns of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, regional daimyō were increasingly expected to submit to centralized authority, accept official land surveys, and comply with administrative reforms. Yoshimichi resisted some of these efforts, particularly attempts by Ōtani Yoshitsugu to conduct land surveys within his territory. Such surveys were important tools of Toyotomi administration because they allowed the government to measure wealth, determine taxation, and strengthen control over local domains. Yoshimichi's resistance placed him at odds with the Toyotomi regime and contributed directly to the events that followed.

The Onodera clan entered this crisis in a weakened state. Several years earlier, Mogami Yoshiaki had successfully manipulated Yoshimichi into punishing one of his most important retainers, damaging unity within the clan and creating internal divisions. As a result, when pressure from the Toyotomi government increased, the Onodera were less capable of presenting a united front. Nevertheless, Yoshimichi chose to resist rather than submit completely to outside interference.

In 1599, Omori Castle was besieged. The castle served as the principal stronghold of the Onodera clan and occupied a defensible position typical of many Sengoku-era mountain fortresses. Although detailed records of the siege have not survived, historical accounts indicate that Yoshimichi successfully held the castle against the besieging forces.

Despite this tactical success, the defense of Omori Castle failed to alter the broader political situation. The Onodera clan remained isolated and vulnerable. When the struggle between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari erupted into the Sekigahara Campaign in 1600, Yoshimichi sided with Uesugi Kagekatsu and the Western coalition. Following Tokugawa victory at Sekigahara, the consequences for the Onodera were severe. Yoshimichi was stripped of his lands and exiled in 1601, bringing an end to the clan's position as a significant regional power.

Painting by Giuseppe Rava

The War in the Vendée was one of the French Revolution’s most violent internal conflicts, a royalist and Catholic uprising that broke out in western France in 1793 after resentment over conscription and hostility to the Revolution’s anti-clerical direction. What started as a regional peasant revolt quickly became a serious civil war.

The Battle of Fougères was one of the most successful operations of the Royalist and Catholic rebels during the war. After suffering a major defeat at Cholet in October 1793, the main Vendéan army crossed the Loire River in what became known as the Virée de Galerne. Seeking to gain support in Brittany and possibly establish contact with British forces on the Channel coast, the rebels marched on the town of Fougères. The Republican garrison, numbering roughly 6,000 men, was outmatched by a Vendéan force of around 30,000 fighters supported by artillery. The attack overwhelmed the defenders, and the Republicans abandoned the town after suffering heavy losses and hundreds of prisoners. The victory gave the rebels valuable supplies, recruits, and renewed morale. However, despite this success, the hoped for British assistance never materialized.

After several more victories and defeats, the Vendéan army was eventually destroyed later that year at Savenay. The war dragged on in smaller forms until 1796, leaving western France devastated and the conflict remembered as one of the French Revolution’s most brutal episodes

Painting by Julien Le Blant

The Battle of Monroe's Crossroads was fought on March 10th 1865, near Fayetteville, North Carolina, during the final weeks of the American Civil War. As part of General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Carolinas Campaign, Union cavalry under General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick advanced toward Fayetteville in an effort to support Sherman’s march through North Carolina. Confederate commanders Wade Hampton III and Joseph Wheeler sought to delay this advance and protect the retreat of Confederate forces crossing the Cape Fear River.

As Sherman's army advanced through North Carolina, Union cavalry under Brigadier General Kilpatrick camped near Monroe's Crossroads. Before dawn, Confederate cavalry launched a surprise attack against Kilpatrick’s poorly guarded camp. The sleeping Union soldiers were caught off guard and many fled in confusion. Kilpatrick himself narrowly escaped capture, reportedly fleeing in his nightshirt before rallying his troops. Despite the initial Confederate success, many Union cavalrymen regrouped, recovered their weapons and artillery, and launched a determined counterattack. Fierce fighting followed around the camp and surrounding swampy terrain.

By mid-morning, the Confederates withdrew in good order after achieving their primary objective of delaying the Union advance. Although both sides claimed victory, the battle is generally considered tactically inconclusive. The Confederates gained valuable time for their forces to cross the Cape Fear River and continue concentrating for future operations, while the Union cavalry ultimately held the battlefield and resumed its advance toward Fayetteville.

Monroe’s Crossroads is remembered as one of the last major cavalry engagements of the American Civil War.

The Battle of Sanhe was one of the most important battles of the Taiping Rebellion and one of the worst defeats suffered by the Qing dynasty's elite forces during the war.

By 1858, the Qing government had begun to recover from earlier setbacks through the efforts of regional armies, particularly the Xiang Army organized by Zeng Guofan. One of Zeng's most talented commanders, Li Xubin, led a successful campaign through Anhui, recapturing several towns from the Taiping rebels. His advance threatened the strategically important city of Luzhou (modern Hefei), and Sanhe stood directly in the path of the Qing offensive. Recognizing the danger, Taiping leaders Chen Yucheng and Li Xiucheng rushed to reinforce the town. They were joined by forces from the Nian Rebellion, creating a large concentration of rebel troops.

The battle began when Li Xubin attacked Sanhe's defensive positions with roughly 6,000 veteran soldiers. Although the Qing forces initially captured several outer forts, they faced fierce resistance and suffered heavy casualties. As the fighting intensified, large Taiping relief armies arrived and launched coordinated counterattacks. The Qing army found itself increasingly isolated, especially after expected reinforcements from the Green Standard Army failed to arrive in time. Surrounded by vastly superior numbers, Li Xubin's troops fought desperately but were gradually overwhelmed.

The climax came when the Taiping forces encircled the remaining Qing positions. Li Xubin was killed during the final fighting, as was Zeng Guohua, Zeng Guofan's younger brother. The entire Qing force was effectively destroyed. Of the 6,000 elite soldiers who had formed the spearhead of the campaign, few escaped. The loss was particularly severe because these troops represented some of the Qing dynasty's best-trained and most experienced soldiers.

Although the Qing dynasty would ultimately defeat the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom a few years later, the Battle of Sanhe stands as one of the rebellion's greatest battlefield successes.