the southern campaign in the civil war
The Conflict
Conditions
the southern continent is covered in deserts.
only the coast line has any kind of greenery
going further south the deserts turn to savannas and green farm land occupied by tribal lords.
The Engagement
as the castilan army marched on the duchy of losotia the the Castilian colonial army marched from there fortresses and invaded the rest of the southern continent. the loyal coastal garrisons had few numbers to resist the colonial army.
word soon reached the hjez capital. the lord displached and army of 30000 lead by his son in law prince mihailo. it marched through the the great cannal and made defensive preparations. prince mihailos army was made up of a corp of 500 vicroys guards the rest was a mix of irregular infantry men mounted rifle and swords men which used both camels and horses. he also had a small corp of hjez regular troops and he took some men from the fortresses at the great canal.
the two force met first at al'caser a small coastal town. the Hjez army had occupied the town and dug in. the Castilian marched dug in on the west side of the town and used what little artillery they had to bombard the town. knowing that they couldn't hold in defiantly mihalio ordered his cavalry to travel east and call for reinforcements from the great canal. for another 2 week the battle continued with infantry making small probing attacks. while mihialos army was holding casualty were mounting he could hold on for long until one day while under heavy bombardment cavalry came from the east accompanied by 20000 professional imperial army troops from the canal fortresses. the days dragged with no clear victor in sight. the prince decided he couldn't stay in the town for much longer. he ordered his cavalry to go into the great desert and flank the Castilian from the south and he order his infarty to engage the enemy line head on. this resulted in a bloody line battle which turned to a savage melee. soon the loyalist cavalry joined the battle. the battle lasted into the night resulted in hundreds dead or wounded. the two army returned to there starting positions.
the battle was left with no clear victor. neither side could continue without reinforcements or supply's.
the next battle at semasha oasis ended in a costly rebel victory and forced prince mihailo to take his army to the canal taking all the men and supply he could.
victory then stalemate
prince mihailo made his stand at the canal. he had 37000 men to defend against an attacking force of around 500000 which had artillery.
he made the necessary preparations. he filled the moat with tar. readied the canons and there crew and made sure that at least half the garrison was awake and on alert. by late summer the Castilian army had arrived and had lay siege to the walls of the fortresses. the siege lasted for 4 mouths. the prince knew he could hold for much longer when word came from the Mohammad the great naval base. the navy would send there gun to help in the siege and 15000 marines would be dispatched to help the garrison with this ope alone the prince held out. another mouth past and twice the garrison had to force the attackers from the walls. but as promised the navy arrived and there big guns and there naval infantry arrived to help the garrison. the Castilian to tired to keep attacking retreated. with this victory the prince lead his army out of the fortress and chased the rebels. but soon this devolved into a series of stalemates his army having over stretched there recourse and supply lines.
when word reach the prince that the war on the line had it self ground into a slugging match the prince decided to dig in a wait for the war on the line to be won.
the axis changes
seeing that the campaign for the cannal was getting no wear the Castilian colonial commanders changed there axis of attack. they knew that the cape mohammabad railway was supplying the loyalists with food weapons and other supply. leaving 17000 troops on the line to fight prince mihailo. they then sent the majority of the army and march to the rail way to cut the link between the two allies. on the way the bribed local tribal lords for there help which bolstered there forces. mihailo decided to march most of his army south and also recruited local lords to help him. he knew that he and the colonial army could only fight only a sort time under there own supply and soon they would have to either live or one side would have to relent. mihailo sent a report to mohammabad
"the castilan colonial forces are advancing with great speed towards the cape mohamabad rail way. i have taken all the supply i can and taken the majority of my forces and march to meat the colonial army. however if i fail in my job the trade link between our allies the kingdom of Riebeeck and our selves will be severed!"
when mihailo reach the railway they found they were the first there and dug in along the line. to his horror he found that his forces were massively out number. one of the tribes that the Castilian had brought to there side was omonga and they brought there army of golden sword. this met the Castilian had around 100000 men to bring down on mihailos 75000 strong army. he made his command post at the train station near a small village called kazwonga. he sent another message via telegraph to the high commanded in mohamambad.
"i have dug in my forces along the section of the line the enemy is advancing towards. however my forces are greatly out numbered and we cannot sustain a defensive battle along the line. i wish to say to high command that we could hold the line indefiantly but without sufficient supply or men me and by general staff calculate we can only fight for about a month under our own supply's. also if we are defeated hear the 12000 strong froce i left to defend the road to the great cannal will be exposed from attack from the south and west. i suggest we abandon the railway and ask for further reinforcements from our allies in the south to help.
the high command gave the message to Johann and then Milan. Milan said to try and gain more troops from the kingdom of Riebeeck but prince mihailo would have to hold out. Milan order Johann to send a message to the embassy in the kingdom of Riebeeck he asked for the king to send 20000 troops to help prince mihailo and his struggling army.
battle for the railway started a week after mihailo sent his message to the capital. rebel artillery bombarded the loyalist defensive line. then on the southern wing the colonial army made its attack. the Castilian used there infantry to storm trench these first attack were pushed back but more and more attacks forced the first line of trenches to be abandoned. the cavalry and artillery were then brought up in numbers. seeing his forces were know out flanked mihailo order a general withdrew along the defenses bringing there enemy closer to the railway. the next week saw the golden swords make there attack in the center and south of the defenses. unlike the Castilian the swords attacked with there cavalry and the elephants. the war elephants had cannons mounted on them and they smashed there way through the defensive line in several places. however this time mihailo made a counter attack. he launch 30000 men at the breach. a savage 4 day battle raged out side the small savanna village of cotoga. at it end mihalios forces plunged the gap and the golden sword withdrew. however they had dented the line. another attack was made in the north but it was repulsed. a two day lul decended over the battlefield then the storm broke. on both flanks bombarded the second defensive line killing hundreds. then the colonial and golden sward army made there attacks. without sufficient reverses mihailo ordered another retreat. the line was centered on the important train station small village called kazwonga if these station fell then the supply link was doomed. luckily for him however help was on the way 25000 royal riebeeck troops arrived to help him. mihailo made a counter attack against the colonial army. 50000 troops of mihailos army of which 15000 were from riebeeck broke though the enemy lines and captured 6000 men. this forced the colonial general to then order a retreat of both there armys and then force march them north.
the offensive
prince mihailo knowing that Milan 2nd prince of Setercha regent of the two crowns needed help to win the war while he fought against the Castilian on the Castilian defensive line. so he came up with his own offensive. he planed to use his weaker position on the canal in his favor. he requested that all troops coming from the kingdom of Riebeeck and Hjez be sent to him instead of the front. soon he had around 30000 more troops.
his offensive began shortly after the disaster against the Castilian with shazanr pasha. he fainted an attack with his forces in the great cannal sending them south. this tricked the colonial forces facing them to move south which promoted the imperial navy marines and he new troops to attack crushing the Castilian in a vices. the with the bulk of his army prince mihailo and attack under a preemptive artillery bombardment. the original commander of the Castilian colonial army he died of old age and his young successor panicked ordering a retreat back to Castilian territory in the southern contient. the army of the golden sword and it commander seeing the way the wind was blowing went home and prepared for a war in there home land.
the war in omonga
the army of the golden sword had made its way back home and had occupied defensive position across there country. prince mihailo ordered major general Edward van henberg to take all of the troops from the kingdom of Riebeeck and attack the army of the golden sword while prince mihailo took his army and attack the Castilian colonial army in the Castilian colony. Edward had a difficult task ahead. his forces were out numbered and out gunned. So he decided to try and wait out his enemy. He would attack small settlements with mounted rifle troops and local tribes men to try and draw men out. This however never worked. so edward took a different stance. he gathered all of his army together. then he took them along the signal road which lead straight to omonga capital. the chief of omonga ordered his army back to a defensive line. by the time The royal Riebeeck army arrived army of the golden sword was waiting. a protracted 2 week battle resulted in bad calculates. however edwards superiority in artillery forced the army if the golden sword to there capital. Edward arrived to find the city heavily fortified. he had lost half of his army and couldn't conduct a siege so he sent request that the city be blockaded by the twin sultanates navy. he got his answer a month later when elements of the imperial navy and his home nations navy arrived out side kasaka. a siege lasted another month but surrender was forced. the first of the Castilian ally was taken out of the war. the loyalist took 30000 prisoners along with massive stocks of weapons and supply.
invasion of the Castilian colony
prince mihailo began his invasion of the Castilian colony as Milan was taking control of the offensive in the sultanate of Castilian. mihailo planned a southern attack up the main spice road between omonga and the colony. his army marched stright up the road stopping at the village of curunba. The regent francisco pasha had ordered all reaminning rebel force out of the interior and were ordered to defend the coastal cities and trading points where were supplying the main Castilian army in the homelands. Colonial command had a different idea. They decided to attack. decides the oasis village of curunba the main road link north would be a good place to attack as mihilos armies would need to first and that they did. Just as milans first in counter offensive to smooth out his front line in Castilian began the sleeping loyalist army was attacked in the dead of night at the end of summer. Mihialo ordered his army out of there quarters and they countered. This however was to late and the loyalist army was pushed back. Mihialo moved his men 10 miles south and drew up defensive position. 1000 men were dead over all and 600 were prisoners. It was a victory by the colonials. This showed the loyalist that the Castilian still had plenty of fight left in them. But the colonial army retreated to the coast. this stopped mihalos advance he decided to wait for edwards forces to link up with him and march with a larger force.
Included under Conflict
Conflict Type
War, Theatre
Battlefield Type
Land
Belligerents
Castilian
the loylasits
Led by
Strength
unknown no larger than 100000 castialn colonail solider
60000 men of the army of golden sword
no larger than 100000 men however most of the army were irregulars
Casualties
Objectives
capture the great cannal and march to akrat
hold the line against the Castilian colonial army and if possible capture the Castilian colony.
Comments