The 1913 Kaijan Revolt

The 1913 Kaijan Revolt
Date June 8th, 1913 - November 2nd, 1914 Location North Kaijan, Slokais Islands Result Federal victory
Belligerents
Federal Forces Slokais Islands Kaijan Govermeant United Sugar and Coffee Company	Rebels Free Kaijan Union of Industrial Workers Manahara Tribal Mitita
Commanders and leaders
Government Alexander Lin James Mott United Sugar and Coffee Company Josuha Adams	Rebels Mohammed Manaho Edwin Maruhombsar
Units involved
Kaijanese Federal Company	Yellow Cats Militia
Strength
45,000	3,500
Casualties and losses
8,700	2,100

The 1913 Kaijan Revolt was a conflict between Federal forces supporting the United Sugar and Coffee Company and militia groups supporting workers of the Free Kaijan Union of Industrial Workers. Much of the conflict involved Mohammed Manaho raiding several farms and settlements to spark a greater conflict for Kaijanese independence. Although sometimes classified as a sperate conflict, the 1913 Revolt was the igniting event of the First Kaijan War which lasted through the decade across Kaijan Island

Background

The United Sugar and Coffee Company was founded in 1854, to unite Sugar and Coffee plantations, specifically in the Kaijanese market. During the 1870s and 1880s, both industries grew immensely with the industrialization of farming, with smaller farms being absorbed into company settlements. Additionally, the USCC set up small businesses directly controlled by corporate management to get revenue from their worker's purchases. The USCC also prevented its workers from unionizing, often using police to arrest union leadership on charges of political disruption. In 1905, workers of the USCC made appeals to the federal government, as workers did not receive wages for certain weeks of work. As a result, the USCC was the subject of a federal investigation, which declared that workers had to be paid in standard currency instead of corporate meal tickets, which was commonplace in USCC settlements. In 1912, the Free Kaijan Union of Industrial was founded with sugar and coffee workers being key supporters. Despite these developments, fraud and corruption occurred in individual farms. The inciting incident was when a 17-year-old worker was subject to corporal punishment by a company boss. As a result on June 1st, 10,000 workers went on strike.

Conflict

Federal Invention

Immediately, the USCC sent its private military force made of around 200 or so former military and police officers to deal with the most troublesome settlement of Summer's Town. In Summer's Town, workers had raided the armory and storehouse and prepared to face off with the USCC Brigade. At a point known as Twin Hills, the Brigade was stopped by a barricade stationed by a dozen armed workers. When they refused to let the unit pass, Joshua Adam's ordered his men to open fire. The USCC Brigade then marched unopposed to Summerstown, however, workers had positioned themselves deep within the field's. Adams unit was completely defeated with few survivors. This event known as the Summerstown Massacre was widely reported in newspapers and led to President Lin and the appointed governor of North Kaijan, James Mott deployed a combined force of 10,000 to deploy across Manharga Township, the center of coffee production. Mohammed Manaho who had taken control of Free Kaijan Union redistributed captured weapons to a small force of around 500 workers.

The 12th Division quickly captured Summerstown with very little resistance as Manaho had fled town. Governor James Mott in a letter to President Lin as the time claimed that "The fires of brutality have been blown out, the countryside shall soon be quiet". However, the Federal position was soon assaulted by nighttime raids often stealing supplies and weapons. Unsure of the size of the assaulting force, the 12th Division waited a week for the 16th Division to arrive from Kaijan City. Manaho soon released a list of demands, stating he would rally thousands of troops if they were not met by August 1st. Included in these demands were the release of prisoners, charges leveled against the USCC and independent and collective control of all coffee farms within the Township. James Mott rejected the demands and ordered the 12th to divide there forces and take control of the 4 major USCC company towns. On August 2nd, the FKIW in association with Manahara ingenious forces began there attack on various patrols. While achieving some success, the FKIW were often outnumbered and were forced to retreat with defeated numbers.

The Yellow Cats

Manaho with a force with less then 250 committed fighters commitment to a strategy of disruption. When the USCC resumed normal working operations on August 15th, Manaho personally raided the company office in Belemonghgara, releasing the office's vault and executing the surviving employees. In response, the USCC cracked down on workers across there farms and factories, with punishments for collaborating and non-productivity being branded by a hot iron. Over the next several weeks attack's grew as both North and South Kaijan become embroiled in conflict with the separated Kaijanese Republic Movement. Manaho rejected the Republic's support claiming they would "fail to serve the workers by continuing the power of elites". By October there were around 20,000 troops from both North Kaijan and from Federal forces tasked with capturing Manaho and eliminating the FKIW threat. It was at this time, the song "Yellow Cats of Kaijan" was written to antagonize USCC and military forces. Soon Manaho would enter battle signing the infamous song, adopting the status of the Brave Mouse standing up the "Yellow fat cat's". On November 1st, Manaho would attempt his most ambitious assault on Gerong, a town of 55,000 located along the north coast. However Federal forces were tipped off and managed to surround Manaho and some of his most loyal soldiers in the Bank of Kaijan Building. After failing to convince Manaho to surrender, an assault was ordered with some forces forcing there way inside. In the chaos of combat, Manaho escaped on horseback leaving his forces behind. His escape didn't last long as he was captured the next day in the coastal village of Labu.

Impact

The 1913 Kaijan Revolt is considered one of causes of the First Kaijan War as his capture of weapons helped arm the Republic of Kaijan movement which had been primarily peaceful and consisting of political thinkers. Mohamed Manaho would gone on to be a considered a key figure in both the Kaijanese and left-wing movements as he blended socialism, Islam and political action. Despite the complete collapse of the FKIW movement the USCC would scale back operations over the coming decade to high costs before returning the 1950s as the state funded management company for the region. Today, Manaho remains a legendary figure in his home townships, with informal monuments in the places he did battle. Today, the branch of the the Bank of Kaijan contains a small museum focused on the 1913 Revolt.