The Thousand Mask Warrior

Nio Hongko

Five Mataram warriors with long spears in their right hand, a small shield made of rattan woven with a strong but light buffalo skin on the left hand and swords and keris sticking out at their left and right waists, now ready to attack. The oversized clothes they wore showed that they were special warriors of a high level.

They wear trousers to the feet that have buttons, where on the outside is still covered with kathok, which are shorter pants. Both types of pants are made of fine fabric, namely silk. The soldiers' bellies and chests were also wrapped in amben, a silk cloth that surrounded the body eight times. Its use as a kind of defense that protects the body from the stab of enemy weapons.

Two of them added vests from iron chains while the rest were wearing horny or tight vests without buttons. Outside the vest, all the soldiers wore longer vests that were buttoned from neck to abdomen and then covered with a sikepan, a long-sleeved shirt that covered the entire upper body.

Unlike the Tartar troops from China at the time of the attack on the kingdom of Singasari hundreds of years ago, or the Walanda company troops who wear protective clothing from iron, the, the armies of the kingdoms in Java will feel more free to move without the heavy and hot iron clothes. Most of them choose to be bare-chested.

Fashion soldiers made of soft silk material makes the silat movement of Javanese soldiers become faster and faster. The land of Java is hilly and mountainous, making warfare often a battleground for agility and ingenuity of the government's combat cavities. Not to mention that the war in Sukadana occurred in the muddy and watery flat grassland or in the middle of the forest with tight trees, tendrils and plant roots that can trouble the foot steps of the soldiers.

In war, various weapons are used to kill the enemy. Main weapons such as spears are used for initial attacks, but when circumstances are not possible and urgent, soldiers must be able to reach a variety of other weapons they prepare such as swords or kris.

A Mataram soldier usually has three kris tucked in the right left and the back of the waist of the soldiers. The three blades consisted of a personal keris, an ancestral keris, and a keris given by the father-in-law when the soldier married. Being a Mataram warrior is one of the pride of the Javanese Mataram people.

Although life is at stake, filial devotion to the state and the king as a panatagama is a pride that cannot be rooted. Not to mention the results obtained, such as payment for the soldier and his family, or a position in the kingdom if the soldier has an extraordinary degree of military achievement.

For that reason, too, not a few of the special soldiers wear jewelry in the form of rings or gold necklaces that make the soldier proud and confident in the war and show authority to ordinary people or their enemies who could have seen the splendor of the soldiers.

Soon a loud screech broke the sky when the five ponggawa stormed toward three other soldiers, who, although clearly an opponent who was also ready to fight, had been seen seriously injured. These three opposing warriors were wearing white buttoned-down cocoa clothes without blood-stained collars, their long swords called unsheathed dao.

One of them held a jian, a Chinese sword, in his right hand and a long dagger in his left. Their skin, which was basically pure white, was now shabby all the clothes they were wearing by splashes of blood, sweat, and dust. The attack of the five Mataram forces forced the three wounded men to raise their swords high again, bracing their horses and fending off any spear thrusts that pointed at their bodies.

The defense forces of Sunan Giri Prapen have been scattered by an attack by Surabaya troops accompanied by Mataram forces on the orders of the then ruling king of Mataram, Prabu Pandhita Hanyakrakusuma. Even these three people no longer know what happened to their colleagues, namely two hundred Muslim Chinese soldiers led by Endrasena aka Ki China who had fought fiercely with hundreds of soldiers santri Giris.

In recorded history there is indeed a very close relationship between the palace of Giri which is located on a hill in Gresik and China. From time immemorial, Gresik is a port city famous for its location protected the Madura Strait and turned its back on the very fertile land in the Bengawan Solo river.

It was founded as a port city in the mid-14th century. The early inhabitants were sailors and merchants from China who lived for about a hundred years, creating a new area that became a thriving and prosperous settlement.

One of the rulers in the early Gresik area in 1411 AD who was Chinese even sent envoys to deliver letters and tributes to the kingdoms in China to show that there were many Chinese who were lived in Gresik and was expected to be noteworthy by the emperor. Shipping and trade relations with foreign countries are indeed very crowded. In addition to China, Gresik also covered ships from Gujarat, Calicut, Bengalen, Siam and Liu Kiu.

The Chinese group that has been living in Gresik for a long time also turned out to be a Chinese group that is Muslim. In addition, in many records, many of them have a qualified science and have a culture of shortness.

In 1535 AD, when Gresik was attacked by the ruler of Sengguruh who had not yet converted to Islam, a group of Chinese Islamic forces under the leadership of Panji Laras and Panji Liris fought these invaders although they were defeated in the area near Lamongan.

In the case of a hundred years later, they were originally Muslim Chinese soldiers with extraordinary strength, waving long swords and their jian slashing out Surabaya troops. Endrasena the leader swirled in an agile way to cut down the opposing forces like a Jesus wind. The enemy force shield could not resist the bending but firm and sharp jian Endrasena's contusion.

Most people misunderstand that weapons are an extension of the hands and feet in a martial arts order. Many think that the most important thing is actually the shrewdness of bare hands and the level of superiority of a swordsman. In reality, weapons are an absolute requirement of a silat fight. A fighter in a fight must be able to solve it immediately because it involves life and death.

In a variety of styles of silat and its styles, almost always accompany the science of the use of weapons. Empty hands are only used when forced, for example, weapons are seized by the enemy or released from the hand. While the science of internal energy tends to be owned by a handful of warriors who are already experienced and really powerful mandraguna.

In a fight, especially in a big war like this where life is really at stake, weapons become a necessary tool. The soldiers would attack with a brawl instead of a one-on-one fight. Their attacks were also rampaged. Strike up their weapons to really kill.

Animals have weapons naturally in their bodies to hunt or survive. A tiger with its hooves and fangs, an eagle with its beak and claws, even a hedgehog has feathers of its durians. Humans do not have natural weapons.

Therefore, man uses a variety of weapons to injure and kill his enemies. Even bare-handed silat also mimics the use of this weapon. The edge of the palm was trained in such a way as to be as sharp as a sword, splitting the wooden beams with a single buzz.

The fist was trained to be as strong as a mace breaking into a stone wall. Or legs that are trained as fast and as strong as a toya. Not only that, silat moves also imitate natural weapons belonging to animals. Fingers that form the claws of eagles and tigers, fingertips that mimic the pats of snakes and elbows that mimic the power of rhino horn.

A Surabaya soldier attacked directly at Endrasena by thrusting his spear into the stomach. Endrasena twitched while thrusting a keris in his left hand that hit the rattan shield of the soldier, but the jian in his right hand pierced through the neck of the poor soldier. Not yet he was aware of what happened one wide incision crossed tore his back from a dao or a large machete of one of the Chinese Endrasena troops. He fell to the ground, dead.

A few more pricks pecked like snakes attacking their prey. Endrasena then shifted slightly making one spear attack escape then advanced very quickly to kick the attacker's foot, making the attacker look and end with a dagger that stuck deep in his chest.

Another attacker tried to endure the pain because in less than a single breath he did not see his hand holding the spear intact again, cut by jian who then also cut his chest and neck. He fell to the ground with blood bubbling out of his body.

It is obvious that the use of weapons in this war. Sabetan by sabetan ended with a loud cry followed by blood pouring and lives being lost. This temporary superiority is clearly visible to the Endrasena with his deadly sharp weapon.

In Endrasena attack moves there must be a gap that makes jian can enter, injure and even kill Surabaya and Mataram soldiers. The long spears of the Mataram warriors became difficult on their own when Endrasena managed to get closer, turning and thrusting her long dagger that she held in her other hand. As the fallen grass was cut down, so did the soldiers.

But things changed completely when the Srikandi, Queen Pandhansari of Mataram fired his rifle to paralyze the leader of the Muslim Chinese duaratus army. As noted in the Centhini Fiber later in life, “Maksih pangah ngamuk, mbijig, njejeg, ndhupak, angemah-kemah ears, Ratu Pandhan sigra pistulira winawas, Endrasena keni tribe, sakala rebah, warrior Surawesthi.”

And there was a second eruption, hitting the left arm of Senapati Giri Kedaton the Endrasena. Keris is thrown, but Endrasena can still go berserk with her foot kick, her head header, by all means, including her jian with increasingly becoming. The soldiers of his attack held Endrasena dead with their shields or retreated away.

The blood poured more and more from the right and left arms of Endrasena which felt more paralyzed. Queen Pandhansari felt unable to stay still and immediately opened fire on her leg, the third shot hit her thigh, and Endrasena fell. Jian was thrown away along with the last breath still stuck in his throat.

The Chinese troops were suddenly stunned and discouraged to see their leader had been killed. Similarly, the warrior santri Giri who also relied on the excitement of Endrasena and his Chinese troops. In contrast, Surabaya troops chanted victory while continuing to pound Sunan Giri's army and the rest of the Chinese troops. Circumstances turn.

Massacres are inevitable.

Mataram troops sent to accompany Surabaya troops in this attack are special forces who are the best male soldiers. They are very skilled at using spears, swords, and short-range combat using keris.

It was this Mataram army that had previously managed to subdue almost all kingdoms on the island of Java, including Surabaya itself. While Surabaya troops also could not doubt their courage and disruption in fighting considering Mataram alone took years to be able to conquer Surabaya.

These three Chinese warriors from the divided duaratus were pressed to keep retreating all the way to the forest, away from the slaughter fields. Their intent was not to run away but to find a better place to fight, exhausting their last breath, he said, looking for a more spacious place to attract the Surabaya and Mataram forces and kill them as much as possible after Endrasena the leader has been killed. However, what power, it turns out Surabaya and Mataram forces are indeed more formidable.

Shortly a stifled cry broke out when the spear of one of the Mataram soldiers managed to penetrate the chest of one of the three Chinese soldiers and took his life instantly. Soon, another Chinese soldier's body fell. Two punctures on his neck and stomach spouted fresh blood which then covered his entire white shirt.

Energy and life have been cut off from their bodies. In order to see his two friends had died, Nio Hongko instead of being scared, he attacked blindly. He was a soldier who held a keris in one of his hands. He was still able to survive until now when his two friends died.

While shouting he jumped, throwing his jian so as to injure one of the soldiers on his shoulder. Although the soldier had a chance to twitch when Nio Hongko's Chinese sword was thrown at him, the, unfortunately his life could not be helped because Nio Hongko immediately managed to seize the opponent's long spear when he was careless by sticking his long dagger around the waist of the soldier and let it embedded there. A short suffocating cry sounded before the lifeless body fell thumping to the earth.

Hongko understood that the spear he seized had special properties. The wood is heavy and the three-pointed spear eyes are similar in keris showing the level of the ability of the user. With this spear he rotated it like a toya, not just thrust it like a spear.

Along with the Chinese soldiers, he was more exposed to the use of a lighter and pliable Chinese spear, which was not only used for stabbing, but also chopping. With the spear of this heavier Mataram army, it requires greater energy as well. Thankfully, the damage was just as great.

Two more Mataram troops were wounded. Hongko Raging. Spear stabs flat or upward, toward the opponent's head. As a result, maybe one of the two Mataram soldiers he managed to hurt also managed to kill. The other two Mataram soldiers did not seem to be affected by this. They keep pushing forward, perhaps convinced that this resistance will not last long.

Indeed Hongko looked stronger than his comrades. Since the war, Hongko has indeed stood out. In addition to Endrasena and several other Chinese soldiers, Hongko was among the soldiers who killed many Surabaya troops and had just dropped three Mataram special forces who chased them into the forest and also killed two friends of his Chinese troops.

Puncture after stab tried to touch Hongko's body. With the energy running out and the breath that seemed to want to leave his body, however, Hongko finally stumbled. His horses were falling apart as his legs seemed to be unable to support his body anymore. As a result, one of the opponent's spear eyes tore through his right arm. This made his grip on the spear relax.

Before long the thrust of the base of the spear in the opposite blunt part hit his chest, his foot tripped over the roots of the tree and made him bounce off due to the weakness of his leg muscles due to fatigue. Blood was pouring from his arm. Chest pain. Yet it was all nothing compared to his spirit that had been exhausted along with his breath and energy.

He's still lying down. I don't feel like waking up anymore.

The two Mataram soldiers approached. They're breathing. Between relief and lust to finish off this very strong enemy. They approached Nio Hongko who was sprawled on the ground quickly. They looked at each other and prepared their two spears to hit the enemy who was now lying on the ground, completing their tasks.