Battle of Ten Thousand Martyrs

The Battle of Twin Forks City marked the stalemate of the Mantis-Crane War in the Colonies, as it ended with no clear resolution due to the intervention of the mad dragon P'an Ku.

Preambles
The Mantis Clan fleet in the Colonies, led by Yoritomo Emoto, broken through the ports of the Aerie and Twin Forks City, moving upriver. This ships attacked Twin Forks City from the water, moving into the channels that split the city, and then withdrawing.

Crane Tactic
The Crane commander, Daidoji Tametaka would goad the Mantis in a naval assault, with his ships under the command of Daidoji Tobei, while Tametaka's vessel and several other disembarked on the docks. He expected the Mantis to split their forces, part of them trying to catch him on the land, and the rest engaging Tobei on the river. Tametaka expected to catch the enemy unprepared for the big amount of warriors he had arosen onboard his fleet. Additionally, his gaijin ally Jahan had prepared explosives to be used against the enemy.

Mantis Tactic
Initially the Mantis suffered a surprising number of losses from the Crane initial volley, as their enemies had learned how to hit the Mantis kobune. Mantis forces under the command of Tsuruchi Tomaru landed on the docks to chase and kill Daidoji Tametaka. Saboteurs were sent to the Mantis commander's vessel to strike down Emoto. Yoritomo Hiromi's fleet had moved up the river from the Ivory Coast and the Crane forces on the water found themselves on two fronts.

Madness
Samurai of both sides were under thrall of the mad dragon P'an Ku. Daidoji Saboteurs had planted explosives in the Mantis commander's ship, the Third Kama, adn while the vessel was leading a charage against the Crane fleet and ramming the enemy commander's vessel, the Bladed Wing, a flaming arrow fired by Tsuruchi Gombei provoked an explosion which destroyed Mantis and Crane ships alike. The Crane fleet was practically wiped out, and only the few Mantis ships that had remained behind the charge survived.

End of the Fight
The personal duel between Tametaka and Yoritomo Hiromi was stopped by the explosion. The Mantis Clan Champion allowed the Crane to keep the city, and reparations would be requested. The Crane were beaten, but the Mantis Champion knew he had been betrayed.