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Makassarese Prince Semerluki raiding expedition into the

Malay Kingdoms

In the far east of the Archipelago, in the land of Makassar, there lies the kingdom of Balului/Meluluki.
Her king is called Keraeng Majiko/Mejokok and he had married seven sisters, the daughters of Keraeng
Di Tandering Jikinik/Jikamak. The youngest of the seven is considered to be the most fairest of them all.

The eldest of the seven sisters had give birth to a son, named Keraeng Semerluki by his father (Majiko).
When Semerluki grew up to adulthood, he happened to see the youngest of his stepmothers and lusted
after her.

His father knew of his longing, but did not wish to accede to it. He told Semerluki, if he (Semerluki)
wanted a woman as fair as his youngest stepmother, then he had travel to Hujung Tanah (Land’s End),
which is located in the Empire of Melaka, and find there a woman similar in beauty to that of his
youngest stepmother.

Therefore Semerluki equipped himself with 200 ships. When he is ready, he set sail to the west,
intending to defeat all the western coastal kingdoms that lie along his journey.

He first went to Java. His fleet despoiled all the northern coastal Javanese kingdoms. Not one Javanese
kingdom had managed to defeat his fleet. After that he sailed to Land’s End. He raided the Empire of
Melaka’s dependencies.

News of Semerluki’s depredations soon reached the ears of Melaka’s reigning Sultan, Mansur Syah. He
ordered his Laksamana (Admiral), Hang Tuah, to find and defeat Semerluki and his fleet.

Hang Tuah gathered and prepared the Melakan warfleet. He waited for Semerluki ‘s fleet to reach
Melaka city waters . When Semerluki and his fleet arrived, Hang Tuah went forth to meet them with the
Melakan fleet. Both fleets closed in on each other and battle began. Arrows and blowpipe darts fell on
each fleet like rain.

Soon Semerluki’s ship met Hang Tuah’s ship. Semerluki’s ship crew threw a grappling hook at Hang
Tuah’s ship, intending to sail alongside and board her. Hang Tuah ordered his crew to cut the grappling
hook’s rope, disengaging the two ships.

In the course of the naval battle, Hang Tuah’s fleet soon began to slowly win the battle, although a
sizable number of men from his fleet died from being hit by the opposing fleet’s blowpipe darts, which
was coated with the poisonous sap of the Ipoh tree (Scientific Name: Antiaris toxicaria).

The remaining ships of Semerluki’s fleet managed to conduct a retreat by sailing northwards along the
Straits of Melaka and they soon reached the waters of the Malay Kingdom of Pasai (located at the
northern east coast of Sumatra). Semerluki’s fleet raided Pasai’s dependencies, causing a lot of damage
and loss of lives. The Sultan of Pasai ordered his chief minister, the Orang Kaya (Nobleman) Raja
Kenayan to find and defeat Semerluki and his fleet.

Raja Kenayan gathered the Pasai warfleet and set sailed against the enemy. They met each other at
Teluk Terli/Nerli (Terli/Nerli Bay). When Semerluki’s ship met Raja Kenayan’s ship, he ordered his crew
to throw a grappling hook at Raja Kenayan’s ship. Once successful, he ordered his crew to sail alongside
and prepared to board Raja Kenayan’s ship.

Raja Kenayan was calm on hearing that Semerluki intended to board his ship. He raised his voice calmly
and informed Semerluki across the space between the two ships that are getting nearer to each other
that once both ships are alongside, he would instead board Semerluki’s ship and run amok with his
jenawi bertumit (the ‘heel’ longsword).

Hearing the explicit threat from Raja Kenayan, Semerluki ordered his crew to cut the grappling hook
rope and the two ships soon sailed away from each other.

Semerluki expressed his admiration for Raja Kenayan, saying that Raja Kenayan is far more fearless than
Hang Tuah.

Sailing south from Pasai waters along the Straits of Melaka, Semerluki’s fleet reentered the Melakan
Empire waters, where Hang Tuah and his fleet lies await. Hang Tuah’s fleet destroyed the damaged ships
of Semerluki’s fleet that are struggling to keep up with the rest.

Semerluki’s fleet soon reached the Ungaran Straits (what is now between Kundur Island and Ungar
Island in Riau archipelago, Indonesia). Semerluki raised a ballast stone and threw it overboard his ship.
He swore an oath that only when the ballast stone floated back up the water, can he then return to the
Land’s End waters once more.

The place where Semerluki threw the ballast stone is soon known as Tanjung Batu (the Stone Cape). It is
rumoured that the sunken ballast stone could still be seen there.

Semerluki and the remnant of his wearied fleet sailed back to the land of Makassar. Having confirmed
that Semerluki and his fleet had indeed left Melakan Empire territorial waters and went back to
Makassar, Hang Tuah sailed back to Melaka city and return to report news of his victory over Semerluki.
The Sultan, Mansur Syah, rejoiced to hear that the Macassarese raiders had been expelled from
Melakan waters and rewarded Hang Tuah and his men for their victory.

-- From Chapter XII of the Sulalatus Salatin (Genealogy of Kings), also known as the Sejarah Melayu (the
Malay Annals).

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Most people who read this episode in the Sulalatus Salatin and expressed shock and derision that Hang
Tuah seemed fearful of Semerluki boarding his (Hang Tuah) ship in the first naval battle between the
Makassarese and the Melakan Malays.

They made the same mistaken impression that Semerluki had.

Although it is not said so, it is clear that the Hang Tuah’s fleet outnumbered Semerluki’s fleet (which is
comprised of 200 ships). With the advantage of numbers and fighting in home waters, why would the
Melakan Laksamana (Admiral) wastes his time and energy on a personal combat with Semerluki and his
crew? All he needs to do was to wait for his fleet to slowly destroy Semerluki’s fleet ship by ship, which
it did successfully. Semerluki’s fleet had to retreat from that first naval battle and sailed to northwards
to Pasai.

Once Semerluki’s fleet sailed limpingly back south along the Straits of Melaka from Pasai waters (after
being mauled by the Pasai warfleet) and reentered Melaka waters, the Hang Tuah’s waiting fleet
pounced on the individual laggard ships of Semerluki’s fleet that cannot keep up with the rest.

Without needing an all-out battle in the second round, Hang Tuah’s fleet decimated the remnants of
Semerluki’s original fleet (already heavily mauled by Raja Kenayan’s fleet) and also ensure that
Semerluki’s fleet was given a clear sea passage back to Makassar to avoid wasting his (Hang Tuah’s)
resources on an already defeated enemy fleet which just wanted to return home.

Out of a total of 200 ships, Semerluki had probably lost at least half in his naval battles against Hang
Tuah and Raja Kenayan.

This shows that the Laksamana’s tactics are spot on and Hang Tuah, the first Laksamana, is indeed a
Malay Admiral of the First Class.

Hidup Hang Tuah. Hidup Laksamana. (Long live Hang Tuah. Long live the Admiral).

As for Semerluki, the act of throwing overboard the ballast stone from his ship at the Stone Cape is a
way to ensure that he will never return at all to the places where he suffered two great defeats, at the
hands of Hang Tuah and Raja Kenayan. He did not wish to avenge his defeats, period.

Note: Some had said that Semerluki is from the Bugis ethnic group. I believed that he is not a Bugis, but
a Makassarese. In South Sulawesi, there is a distinction between Bugis, Makassarese and Mandar ethnic
groups. But outside of South Sulawesi, the distiction is considered small and all three ethnic group are
known just as ‘Bugis’. Also to note that in the 15th century and earlier, ‘Keraeng’ is a Makassarese title
and is seldom used by the Bugis.

-- By Anderiguru Bugis

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