Battle of Bellpoint

Military: Battle

With new allies from Tathune, Gastone Rohr invades the Duchy of Traeburg, wishing to negotiate with Duke Ansgar of House Kobur. Ansgar refuses to bend the knee to Mehrklav. He and his army are destroyed in a decisive victory.

Not wishing to suscept his capital city and people to a lengthy drawn out siege, Duke Ansgar of House Kobur met with Lord General Gaston Rohr on the field outside Bellpoint. Rohr admired Duke Ansgar (as many did) and tried to persuade him to join Mehrklav's side and support King Justus IV's claim in becoming Palatine Emperor. Ansgar explained how he understood the king's frustration, as many have been disgruntled with Vilstatt rule for over 800 years, but that without his honor and oath, he is no more than a traitor. Negotiations were over.
  Duke Ansgar situated his 7,000 soldiers near the forest with the trees at their rear to provide cover. He laid his riflemen out front with pikement protecting the flanks with the several canons they had on an elevated level to provide cover. Gaston Rohr led an army of roughly 18,500. 15,000 from Mehrklav itself and the other 3,500 from the Duchy of Tathune. Rohr sets his army in a similar formation with riflemen at his center and pikemen along the flanks. He kept his cavalry in reserve, not wanting to depelte them by charging Kobur's line. Gaston Rohr also set his aritllery up front to soften the duke's soldiers before advancing. Unbeknowns to Duke Ansgar, the 3,500 Tathune soldiers had snuck through the woods to ambush them from the rear.
  The battle opened with canon fire from Mehrklav. Duke Ansgar and his Traeburg soldiers tried to answer back with artillery of their own, but it wasn't enough as Mehrklav's canons tore through the duke's soldiers. Rohr sent his soldiers in a slow advance. He was waiting for Tathune's signal. Once they would engage the duke's forces from the rear, the rest of his army would charge. Ansgar didn't realize Tathune was upon him until it was too late. The signal was given and his forces were overrun. Duke Ansgar died in the fighting.
  Ansgar's son, Tristan, would escape with ther supporters would wage guerilla warfare against Mehrklav in the region for the remainder of the war.