1880's Anphilos War

The Rising of Aztlán

Emperor:

General Mejía:

General Alonzo:

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The Emperor looked at a map of Anphilos. Analyzing Aztlán’s position. He read over several reports his Imperial Cabinet had delivered to him concerning Aztlán & the other Nations on Anphilos. The Emperor focused on Thenegach, specifically. Many people in his Cabinet had stressed the growing fears over Thenegach’s growing power in Anphilos. Several of his advisors believed that if Aztlán did nothing, Thenegach would overtake the Nation & possibly invade it with overwhelming force.

As the Emperor looked over Aztlán. His two Confidantes & greatest generals came into the room. General Mejía, an Aztlani of Asutekan descent & General Alonzo, a biracial Isatoshian & Asutekan, both strutted confidently into the room. They were both renowned generals within Aztlán. Having studied & graduated from Aztlán’s top schools. The Emperor often consulted them on military matters. In addition, the two generals were devoted to the Emperor. Their families being devoted servants of the Emperor.

Thus when they walked in, they both bowed in respect to the Emperor. Greeting the Emperor before joining him at his table. They looked at the map of Anphilos. Mejía spoke up first, “Your Divine Majesty, you have requested us?” The Emperor nodded as he shifted his attention to his generals. He smiled as he spoke, “Yes, I wish to consult with you both on the concerns raised by my council over Thenegach. The Council believes that Thenegach may soon come to surpass Aztlán technologically, economically, & thus militarily. They believe that Thenegach may then invade Aztlán with overwhelming force & overtake our Nation with ease. Hence why they support an early invasion before they can achieve this. What are your thoughts?”

Alonzo looked at Thenegach before turning his attention to the Emperor, “Your Divine Majesty, I believe the council is correct in their assumptions. The Nieuwe Flondarians have always represented a major rival for Aztlán in the Anphilos continent. Not to mention, I hear they have made great progress on them shiny railroads in their country. Aztlán is a magnificent country. But we are struggling with industrialization. At this rate, Thenegach could quickly come to overtake us. If we invade now, we can hit them where it hurts. Stop them before they snowball.” Alonzo paused to judge the Emperor’s reaction. However, Mejía spoke up before the Emperor could come to a decision, “While I do believe a war against the Nieuwe Flondarians would be beneficial for Aztlán. I believe that we should focus simply on small raids into the territory. Harass their people. This way we do not need to commit large forces to the invasion. What would happen should the war turn on us? We must keep a large force in reserve to defend our people!”

The Emperor considered the words of both generals before delivering his own thoughts, “While I see the concern. I believe a major war against the Nieuwe Flondarians would prove beneficial for Aztlán. It would allow us the opportunity to distract our people from our current troubles. Not to mention, anything we can take or secure during the invasion would be very beneficial to our country. Now, if we were to invade. How should we go about it?” The Emperor observed his generals as they pondered the logistics & capabilities of Aztlán. Mejía pointed toward the network of forts that had been established to Thenegach in the days of old, “Using these forts, we could establish a line of travel & supply for our troops. Beforehand, we should try to stock up the forts with supplies & men. The Thenegach have powerful allies. An extended war would not favor us. We need to either intimidate them into submission or we need to destroy any chance of real opposition as quickly as possible.” Alonzo nodded in agreement, “Yes, the Nieuwe Flondarians must be crushed. With our current numbers & strength, we are fairly certain to overwhelm their army if our reports are still correct. Navally it may be more difficult. But on land we will hold the upper hand.”

Once more, the Emperor considered what his generals had said before he offered his opinion on it, “Indeed. But the Nieuwe Flondarians are known for their focus on their Cavalry. Initially, we would be best suited to utilize Cavalry. We may experience defeat at the hands of their Cavalry. How would you propose we deal with this?” Mejía & Alonzo looked at each other before Mejía spoke, “Your Divine Majesty, our cavalry will invade first. Catching the Nieuwe Flondarians off guard. Once their Cavalry reacts, we should simply hold them off until our infantry can to bolster them. Not to mention, Cavalry are no match for artillery. Once we import our bigger guns, we can easily put down their little ponies.”

The Emperor chuckled at Mejía’s comment, but as he considered the implications of his statement. He looked at Aztlán, “Then we have the homefront. Aztlán is still struggling. The peasantry is getting restless, would they really support a new war? Not to mention, would the Parties follow our lead? There may be disagreement amongst the politicians.” The Generals laughed, this time Alonzo spoke, “Your Divine Majesty, you always held a high regard for the thoughts of others. But you are the Divine Ruler of Aztlán. Your subjects will follow you into Death. For the peasantry, a new war will represent an opportunity for many of the unemployed men to find new adventure & riches in the land of Thenegach.”

The Emperor still felt unease at the prospect of the war. Would the Nation really be ready to go to war? Should Aztlán wait & continue to focus on internal development? Would his reign be stained by bloodshed & destruction? The Emperor pondered all of this for a time, his generals waiting patiently for the Emperor to deliver his opinion once more. Eventually, the Emperor gritted his teeth as he slammed his fist down on the table, “I will do it. I will lead this Nation into a righteous war against the Nieuwe Flondarians! Our Nation will not simply wait for our neighbors to surpass us & eventually overtake us! We will inflict the first blow & secure our future!”

Mejía & Alonzo clapped at the Emperor’s small speech. Mejía’s voice boomed, “We will follow you proudly, your Divine Majesty!  It will be my honor to lead our courageous troops into war! The Nieuwe Flondarians will taste the steel of the Aztlani & come to regret their traitorous actions against Aztlán & Ninhundland.” Alonzo agreed as he spoke with a large smile transplanted on his face, “The drum of war beats & it will be my honor to answer it’s call. For Aztlán, God & you, your Divine Majesty!” The two generals unsheathed their scabers from their holsters & raised them high in the air in unison. Clanging the swords against each other to form an X in the air.

The Emperor grinned as he motioned for the two men to follow him. They would celebrate at his private winery. For better or worse, Aztlán would begin heading towards war. A frightening yet exciting prospect all the same. How would the war turnout? No fortune teller or fate predictor could provide an accurate reading. But one thing was for sure, Aztlán would once more taste the flames of war soon enough.

Captain Eðvald Rósinkarsson
Imperial Kanadorikan Navy
Captain of the HKS Heroic
Colony of Shaoliang, Kanadorikan Empire: 1881

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HKS Heroic:

Captain Eðvald:

"Captain, we've spotted two vessels at 10,00 yards due 13 degrees."

"What nationality?" I asked, grabbing a pair of binoculars.

"Eladistani. An armed frigate escorting a brigantine. Might be slavers sir."

I walked outside to the bridge wing, being greeted with the slight spray of salty misted air. The ships in question were across the horizon, entering the bay from the western river that ran through Michu. The Eladistanis were notorious for using this river to gain access into Michu, where they lured and kidnapped young girls on the false premise of a better life within Eladistan. In reality these women became sex slaves for the Eladistani elite.

I raised the binoculars to my eyes to gain a better view of the two ships. The frigate was combination steam and sail powered and armed with a broadside of medium caliber breech loading rifles; too small to pose any threat to a heavily armored ironclad like our HKS Heroic. The Heroic was a full on line-of-battleship designed to slug it out with the heaviest of warships in a battleline. The frigate by comparison was but a toy, however its speed in comparison to the Heroic meant it had a good chance of escaping.

"Run some flags ordering the vessels to halt. We will board and inspect them for human contraband," I ordered the Officer of the Watch, recognizing that the time to act was limited if we were to intercept the Eladistani ships before they sailed away.

"Aye Captain."

Curiously, the Eladistani ships turned toward our position as if they didn't see the 11,000 ton iron monster laying a thick cloud of coal smoke as it ploughed through the water at full speed. This sudden turn made me more confident in our ability to catch up to the two foreign ships. While it was possible to slightly increase our speed by unfurling our sails, I found the masts to be little more than a waste of space, preferring to utilize steam power than to rely on obsolete auxiliary sails that were nothing more than a vestige of earlier times. Thus they sat relatively unused aboard the ship, despite my petitions to the Admiralty to have the blasted obstructions removed.

With the Eladistanis approaching ever closer I contemplated the thought that perhaps they wanted to be inspected, as if they had nothing to hide. Surely a ship transporting slaves wouldn't sail towards the ironclad ship they could easily outrun, especially when the cruisers and other fast vessels stationed in Shaoliang were outside of the harbor conducting an exercise. Policy dictated that any Eladistani ship could pass through the harbor while in route to their port up the river within Michu. In turn those ships were subject to search by Her Majesty's Navy. The latter part was poorly enforced over the last year and it is suspected that hundreds, if not thousands of Michise women were snuck through the harbor to be made into sex slaves in Eladistan. The Governor of Shaoliang, Elís Nennasson, petitioned the Imperial Navy to increase its resources here to stop the slave trade.

I had a personal burning hatred of slavers. My mother, who was a native Fanuaian, was enslaved by the Ninhundish as a teenager and forced to do housework for a Ninhundish colonist. Once the Kanadorikans arrived and kicked the Ninhundish out, she was freed and would end up marrying a Hvidovian colonist, giving birth to me a year later in 1846 . I spent my childhood staring at her scars, wondering how my mother was injured in such a way as to leave several permanent marks on her skin. She never told me of her sordid past but as I grew older I was able to piece it together myself. I was shipped off to the Navy at age 12 and spent my first years in the service at the height of the slave wars against the Ninhundish. As the years wore on and the Ninhundish gradually disavowed the institution of slavery, it was thought that the slave trade was over. Yet Eladistan's unquenchable lust for foreign concubines proved otherwise.

Another crewmate approached me. It was the Chief Boarding Officer of the ship's complement of Marines. "Captain, the Eladistanis are approaching closer. Should I prepare my men for boarding and inspection?"

I continued my fixation on the two vessels in the distance, growing from the mere specks they were minutes ago to recognizable blobs. "Yes Lieutenant. Get your men ready."

"Yes Captain, we'll board on your orders."

The Eladistani frigate began a gradual turn starboard into a line parallel to us. The brigantine broke away and sailed opposite, sandwiching the HKS Heroic in the center.  With the frigate closer I was able to more thoroughly study the vessel with the aid of the binoculars. She was a wooden hulled ship, 20 years old at least, and equipped with full rigging. Her weaponry, while small, did appear to be modern 7" rifles. Yet I grew increasingly unnerved with the maneuvers of those ships. Armed confrontation between a frigate and a battleship was a silly thing to do but the frigate appeared to be lining up to do just that. I went with my gut instinct and stepped inside the bridge to voice an order to the crew via voicetube.

"Captain Eðvald on deck. Man your quarters and prepare for possible engagement!"

Almost immediately a flurry of activity consumed the ship as sailors ran up and down the deck to man their respective stations. I focusing my attention back on the frigate when observed puffs of black smoke emanating from the barrels of the ship's broadside rifles.

Nearly in disbelief that a frigate was picking a fight with a battleship, I once again barked an order through the voicetube. The roar of multiple guns firing in salvo as well as the shrieking of shells flying clear over the ship was audible in the background.

"Captain Eðvald on deck. Weapons free. Engage target ship due starboard!"

The frigate fired off another salvo, this time the shells splashing in the water closer to the ship as opposed to sailing over it. From the bridge window I could see the starboard turret slowly rotate into position, its guns elevating to throw shells at the Eladistani ship. The smaller 20 pounder rifles opened fire in a ripple, their retorts causing every surface of the ship to vibrate. The shells missed the ship entirely, splashing around wildly while the frigate fired a third salvo. A smashing metallic sound indicated that the frigate had scored a hit on the belt, but the shell merely shattered on the belt armor and was unable to inflict any damage. The deafening boom of Heroic's main 16" guns finally rang out, the mighty ironclad shuddering from the sheer power of the big guns. As the early salvo had done, the 16" shells missed their target and the turret's two guns had to depress so that they could be reloaded by ramming a shell up their muzzles, a slow process which took the guns out of service for several minutes. The 20 pounders fired again, utilizing high explosive shells against the unarmored wooden hull of the Eladistani frigate.

An explosion rocked the mast above the bridge, shattering the wooden beams and raining splinters down on the iron roof above me. The damage was insignificant to the ship as a whole, but I admittedly felt joyous that the Eladistanis blew up the entirely unnecessary fore rigging that I had been trying to get rid of since I took command of this ship. The black coal smoke and gunpowder began to create a general haze in the immediate vicinity, blocking out the sun and casting a shadow inside the bridge. I switched on the interior electric arc light to ensure that the bridge crew had adequate light for charting.

"What's our damage status?" I asked the Deck Chief, who appeared out of breath from running up and down the ship.

"We've recorded several hits. One on the belt with no penetration, one on the face of starboard turret with no penetration, and a hit to the fore mast, knocking the rigging out of service."

"Thank you, that is all," I replied to the exhausted man, "Our belt and turrets are immune to their gunfire, but alert me if any further auxiliary systems are disabled."

"Aye Captain, I'm on it."

The starboard turret began once more rotating in the direction of frigate, which at this time was only approximately a mile away. The big guns roared to life again, one shell missing, but the other tearing its way through the frigate's hull and ripping a massive hole through the side of the ship with the shell's detonation. The explosion ignited the wooden structure into flames, throwing even more smoke into the atmosphere. Those remaining guns on the frigate continued firing on the Heroic to little avail, though it did appear that a shell penetrated the unarmored bow plating.

It would be a mere 20 pounder that would put the frigate out of commission. The shell smashed through the aft hull of the ship and detonated near the waterline. After a momentary pause, a column of flame erupted from the crater the shell created. In a blinding flash, the ship exploded into a massive fireball, breaking it in two. The magazine detonated. Truly the power of a modern warship against a wooden frigate was something to be reckoned with.

Yet I did not lose sight of our mission. The frigate was merely a distraction so that the brigantine could escape unnoticed. While I doubt the Eladistanis expected for their warship to completely explode, the brigantine and its human cargo was their priority. I thus ordered the helmsman to bear on the brigantine's position. We would board and punish the slavers.

Tenochtitlán, Aztlán
1882
Ohtli Winter

Portrait:

I looked at my new uniform. It looked real nice. As I looked at it, I thought back to the moment when I decided to enlist. It is crazy to think that I got to follow in my father’s footsteps. Just as he had defended the fatherland, I would too. Although my path would be a bit different. I had been assigned to the newly created “Kaiserliche Fremdenlegion die Aztlán” or “Imperial Foreign Legion of Aztlán”. It was a new service branch that was supposed to be inspired by the historical Aztlani Spießs. For this branch, only top trainees were being pooled for potential to be recruited. Thankfully, I was able to get a spot as a trainee due to my fathers service. Although in the training, there was no nepotism. It didn’t matter if you were even a general's son. If you could not cut the training, then you were not allowed in. His Divine Imperial Majesty routinely sent officials to inspect the training to make sure there was no corruption occurring. After all, we were supposed to be one of the Army’s best branches.

The original idea behind the branch was to incorporate the foreign elements of Aztlán into a professional unit of the military. As Aztlán had some foreigners here by now. Mostly Ninhundish & the very small Trekkish community. Then, of course, you had us natives. I was an almost pureblood Asutekan myself. Although I had a Ninhundish grandfather. Which is how I got my last name. Anyways, that is why I wanted to join the Legion. Show that us Asutekans still embody our warrior spirit from old. Thus while the original goal was to have the corp be composed of foreigners. It was mostly composed of Aztlani citizens from varying ethnic backgrounds. Nonetheless, it did have a portion of foreigners such as the aforementioned Ninhundish or Trekkish along with the Kuratans. But what united us all was undying loyalty to the Heiliger Kaiser, exceptional skills, & personal courage. We had been taught that we were the Talons of the Empire. We were the spear that would carry Aztlán forward in conquests. Even the Spieß motto, “Always Loyal. Always Ready. Always Deadly” carried over to us. The Legion also came with substantial rewards. Service could translate into a fast track to citizenship. You also got a nice pension in the event you were wounded or miraculously completed years of service. While the Army had a similar pension system, ours was higher due to the expectation that we would have a high fatality rate. Grim, I know but that was the world we were in.

So that is how I got here. Now I was being prepared for a deployment to the border with Thenegach. The Nation was being prepared for war. His Divine Imperial Majesty had made it clear that Aztlán would once more engage itself in conflict with the disgusting Southern Flondarians. I had read up on some local pamphlets handed out by the officials who worked in my village. Truly, the Southern Flondarians were animals. Taking our roads & depriving us of our share. I would not doubt it if they were simply waiting for the opportunity to defile our Nation. Well, now we would take up arms & prove that we will not sit back & let our Nation be corrupted by the Southern Flondarians.

Anyways, I was going to be deployed to a fort that was close to the Thenegach border. According to our Commanding Officer, we were going to be one of the first units to attack Thenegach once hostilities were officially declared. First, the Cavalry would strike. They would harass Flondarian border units & open the way for us infantry to begin pouring in. The Legion’s job would be to fully penetrate Flondarian defenses & make sure that the rest of our soldiers could reinforce us with ease. With any luck, we would be able to overwhelm the Flondarian defenses & secure an easy surrender. It was made clear to us that we needed to conclude this war quickly. A protracted war could see other powers intervene & our initiative lost. Thus it was imperative that we quickly end this war & put the Southern Flondarians to shame.

As I finished my thought, I came to think of my father. I wonder if this was how he felt when he joined the Army. Although he had not fought in any major war. But he did serve under the former Heiliger Kaiser. He witnessed when the Army forced the Kaiser out of his throne, & even when the Old Guard tried to coup His Divine Imperial Majesty. Maybe this was why he did not necessarily support me enlisting. But he was not completely opposed to it. Neither was my mother. They did not want me to be in the Army, but the pay & adventure was far better than anything my village could promise. Besides, I was honoring our ancestors this way.  Not to mention, I got an opportunity to fight against the Southern Flondarians. What more do I need to say?

Well, I should get going. I cannot be late to my duties. Adventure & fortune awaits & I surely was not going to miss it!

Mei and Hua, Part One. (1879-1880)

The Rebellion's End, the World's End.

My sister Hua and I were merely peasant, commoner girls, living in Xitong village, Husheng before the great trials of war. Our father joined the heroic order of Emperor Zhuling, the liberator of all peoples of Michu, to fight against the Zhi oppressors. The entire family cheered, as he answered the call to arms and joined the heroic crusade to free Michu, he beamed with joy as he put on the signature uniform of the Husheng Provincial Army, the pride of the Rebellion. It stuck out for it’s unique and impressive blue uniform, and peculiar headwear. The headwear covered the hair of the user, and provided a symbol of resistance, the foreign traders refer to them as ‘turbans’. Whatever their name, I was able to try it on myself once, providing my father with the last laugh we experienced as a united family. Not long after, in the third month of the Emperor Zhuling Era, a revolutionary courier named Xu Tangfu, who was a family friend for over ten years, and a fellow local of Husheng. His face, once beautiful and without blemish, now was stained by a large scar along his cheek. His Husheng Provincial Army uniform was immaculate, without any of the dirt and filth we would see on the standard soldiers. He delivered a letter that would redefine the lives of our entire family. Father’s death came as a great shock, he fell in battle against the Zhi’s ruthless Gujun Army, during the Imperial push to Husheng. According to Xu, father perished heroically defending fleeing revolutionary civilians from ‘horrendous reprisals’ of Zhi, which all in the nation are well aware of. Ten Familial Executions for betrayal, Nine further for defiance. Xu made a great show of his sorrows, lamenting like a sick rodent. He interlaced his mourning with revolutionary sentiment, and promised to carry on father’s fight, even as the Zhi’s Gujun continued to wipe out Revolutionary forces on an endless bloody march to Husheng. The illusion of victory, and even the war’s goal, evaporated. Mother, already in a state of deep depression and shock from father’s death, never recovered. Either through delusion, hopelessness or indignation with the Revolutionary cause, she refused to abandon Xitong. She insisted that she be allowed to stay and pray for father’s soul in the afterlife, and to atone for her sins until the Imperial forces reached Xitong. She became decrepit and hostile in her final months, as Hua and I began raising money to evacuate Husheng further south. This necessitated working additional hours on the Xitong farms, which was entirely welcomed by the local Lord and Governor, Xin Chutang, who was a strong representative of the Ji administration. When he assumed the burden of ruling Husheng in the name of the Zhaoxin Emperor, there was an outpouring of optimism and joy. There was an abundance of food yields, unspoiled by Zhi thievery, corruption and tithes. Entire families came together in ancient Zheng clothes, and embraced our heritage through cultural festivals, fully subsidised by Xin Chutang himself, who attended and promised the world to all subjects. As the war progressed, the festivities gradually decreased in splendor and frequency, instead, rampant indoctrination and drafting took place, when there was prior only a volunteer militia. In the last year of the Zhaoxin Emperor’s reign, a strict system of rationing was installed by Imperial Edict, and my family started to eat less food than we did even under the Zhi. We were told by Chutang, that these measures were temporary, and the people of Husheng would eat like kings once the accursed Shaozi Palace was righteously burnt to a sunder. The entire family started to work the farms on a limited scale to provide food for the front, with father taking the brunt of the labour. With his death, myself and Hua approached the tyrannical Chutang with our situation, to which he callously showed no sympathy. We asked if we could take father’s more intensive shifts for extra pay, to which he accepted, after haggling our wages down to the bare minimum. We began toiling over the next few months, barely saying a word to mother, who had abandoned the revolutionary cause, and even her faith in the Red Dragon. Instead, she prayed only to her ancestors, and begged her father’s family to forgive her from beyond the grave, with huge tears in her eyes each day when we returned. Each day, we would almost break our backs, and our necks from the labour, and if either Hua or I fell down and cut myself, we would need to spend hours nursing the wound, prompting Chutang to beat us for missing our quota. The pain of his whips would stay in our minds until they were eclipsed by far greater suffering and humiliation we were destined to endure.

At the end of the third month of the Emperor Zhuling Era, we could accumulate wealth no longer. The dreaded Zhi artillery fire, dramatically innovated and refurbished during the rebellion, could be heard from the frontlines as an endless hellfire blasting over the sky. Foreign preachers had long been present in Husheng, sponsored by foreign regimes under the Zhi’s nose, and welcomed by the early Ji, chanted in their own unholy languages that no Michise understood. When they did speak, they spoke of hell, of how with our lack of faith, we had brought hell to ourselves and that the devil shall reign over our land. By this point, the spell was broken, and I no longer cared for doomsayers, though Hua continued to weep. Convoys of injured militiamen took priority in the great withdrawal, as Ji militiamen who were blessed with remaining to ‘protect the civilians’ and facilitating the military withdrawal regularly engaged in beating and extorting the people, relieving them of their wealth and dignity. The corrupt militiamen saw themselves as above the people, and prioritised getting their brethren to safety before the common person got even a slice of bread. The deep, black smoke filled our eyes and our skies, the shrill sounds of gunfire and screaming filled our ears, and the pungent stench of our burning comrades filled our nostrils. The merchants, citizens, and even the rats, began to flee Xitong for the southern bastion in Jingfen. No one who could move wished to suffer the indignities and torment that the Zhi army would impose. All of our family could be expected to be put to death for betrayal, if not torture first, and property desecration by the underpaid Imperial forces. At this point, we assumed mother was dead. With weeks worth of money, supplanted by scavenge and stockpiling resources, we fled with the huddles of bodies to the south. The great sea of people slogged through the rain, over the mud and the once fertile farmland, long destroyed in resource denial tactics by the Ji Army. Many times, during the deep rain, did the sick or the feeble fall, and be trampled or abandoned by the fleeing mob. The cries of these souls would be heard only by the mob, in blood curling, repetitive screams that etched inside my soul. No one bothered to help, less they get trampled or left to face the raged filled Zhi armies. Many times, did we witness mothers strangling their own kin to stop the tears, preserving their own food and energy. We became dull to sensations of pity or sadness by this point, our minds were collectively full of terror. No matter the injustice committed, or the lives wasted, as long as the Zhi army was pursuing us, we could not slow down. We could not waste time eating or sleeping excessively. Along the perilous journey, we encountered a man who would forever change our lives, once more, providing us a hope spot. When we reached the ruins of Jingxia, one of the former cities of South Husheng, placed close to the river, we encountered a man in familiar attire. He dressed in black, in a style alien to Michu itself, rather, he wore a western styled suit and queue-like appendage around his neck and over his chest. Below that, was a white, collared shirt that was more recognisable for Michise people. He was in his thirties, and wore a charismatic smile. He stood on a raised platform, and spoke to the oncoming crowd.

“We come to protect the women, the children. The defenseless and the weak. My company offers you a chance, one chance, for freedom and survival. A one way trip to a land of wonders, of opportunity! To a new life! To Eladistan!”

Outskirts of Balgoy, Thenegach
1883
Herwig Haas
4th Fliegende Schlange Division or 4th Flying Serpent Division

Unit Officer:

I looked upon the city of Balgoy as it came into the view of my Division. I am certain the local garrison is perplexed due to our presence. They are likely scrambling right now to figure out a course of action. Of course, the inferior Southern Flondarians would never expect us to attack. Foolish beasts are too busy plying themselves with money. But it is fine, today we begin to correct this wrong. Today, Aztlán will see the beginning of it’s ascent to complete greatness. Whereas the Southern Flondarian will see his descent into the filthy pit he belongs.

Anyways, I looked back to my Division. I do admit, I feel a bit nervous about all of this. It is not everyday you are suddenly marching into battle where your death may be at hand. But I cannot think of such unnerving things! Let me go back over the plan to refresh my memory. Firstly, the horse-artillery would quickly rush forward & begin firing shots at any incoming Flondarian skirmishers. This was to ensure they would not be given any time to coordinate themselves into a proper formation. Secondly, the main Cuirassier unit (all cavalry in this mission were designated as Cuirassiers unless roles dictated otherwise such as horse-artillery.) would perform a traditional Caracole maneuver. They would ride up to the skirmishers, turn, & discharge a volley of bullets upon them from their sidearms. They would then turn as they drew their swords, rushing into a frontal assault. Naturally, on its own this maneuver would be costly, foolish, & utterly moronic. However, with the skirmishers disorganized by the horse-artillery. Two divisions would break off from the main unit & these divisions would perform a flanking maneuver before the main unit begins to execute its tactic. Thus three maneuvers would need to be executed simultaneously to ensure we capitalize on the disorganization & fear of the skirmishers. Once the outer defenses were broken, the Foreign Legion unit would arrive to penetrate the inner city. They would soon be followed by regular infantrymen. At least, this was, in theory, how it was supposed to go according to our battle plans. Well, military thinkers believe that cavalry is outdated, but we will show them! No Flondarian peasant is a match for a proper aristocrat on a horse!

So as we began to see a Flondarian skirmisher unit come out from the city to meet us, we began to execute our respective tactics. At first, everything went well. We seemed to be acting in unison. Personally, I enjoyed the wind in my face. A refreshing breath of air as I felt my blood begin to pulsate. However, as the horse-artillery got into position & began firing. I saw that they began to receive counter-fire. I gritted my teeth, we did not expect the Southern Flondarians to be able to match us in range during battle with their artillery pieces. But no matter. We would improvise as necessary.

I began to prepare my division for our maneuver. Once the horse-artillery withdrew, I saw the main unit begin enacting their tactic. I immediately put my unit into action. We began to break off into our maneuver. I saw the skirmishers, they were disorganized. Worse even, they looked quite unprofessional & ill-prepared! It would seem this was going perfectly aside from the Flondarian artillery. Well, as we began to close the distance between us & the Flondarians. The main unit performed its Caracole tactic. I grimaced slightly, we were supposed to be closer but it is fine. I began to spur my horse to move faster. I could feel it, the rush of oncoming battle. I felt a mix of emotions but primarily I felt pure excitement at finally getting to forge my skills in the heat of combat. I will prevail!

These three words dominated my mind as I pulled out my sidearm. The horsemen at the front had already begun to engage the enemy. Several Flondarians were mowed down effortlessly. The battle began to devolve into a mess as we all engaged different targets. Personally, I moved into what seemed to me to be an effective range & I discharged my weapon. I quickly prepared a second shot, not wasting time. However, as I began to aim it I saw it. Suddenly, without warning, a group of horsemen off to a distance had been shredded by a volley from the Flondarian artillery. I saw the cloud of smoke rise up through the air. It is unreal. I felt a wave of fear zap through me. But I shook my head. There was no space for fear…

I focused on doing all I could to cut down the skirmishers. But I kept hearing it, the sound of the Flondarian artillery. Each time I winced as I felt the fear rise through me. I could meet my end here. On this god forsaken land. I began to feel doubts enter my mind… was it truly worth it to give my life here? But I kept trying to distract my mind with the enemy. I couldn’t compromise my unit. If they saw the commander break, how would the common horseman react? If I failed, my men would be at greater risk. I could not have that. Eventually, the skirmisher force was decimated. I began motioning for my unit to begin withdrawing. I turned my horse & began to ride away. I simply wanted to get away fro-

An explosion rang out on the field. Claiming several more Cuirassiers & the life of Herwig Haas.

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Alfred Dassler
Rank: General of Cavalry Corps III
Objective: Overseeing the breakthrough of Balgoy defenses to make way for the Legion & infantry

I smiled as I saw my Cuirassiers destroy the Flondarian skirmishers. The horse-artillery soon destroyed the city defenses as well. Without any real enemy to confront them on the field, the horse-artillery was free to outmaneuver the Flondarian gun pieces as our guns poured hellfire on them. Well, we did it. I heard the Legion marching our way. Soon, the city of Balgoy would fall & Aztlán would be victorious in striking the first blow on the decadent Nation of Thenegach. The pathetic Flondarians were no match for Aztlani superiority indeed. At this rate, we should have declared war sooner!