A settling reality (Seleucidenia-Galra)

[Greywall]

The Shah had made his decree loud and clear, every available man was to be sent to the front. Millions of Ykna were signed off to force factories to create materials for the war, the massive size of his army was not going to stop Galra alone, with Lusatia and Ulster-Gaelia dealing with their own fronts and now reports of FCA troops supplementing the Galran invasion of Seleucidenia he needed to make things happen quickly. Domestic tank production, aircraft, small arms, munitions, everything that was needed was being pulled out of his own private coffers to pay for it. 

But it could be too late. 


At the center of the country was the broken Shah's army, the desperate defense during the summer weather was creating the largest deployment of troops in the entire war. 

9,000,000 troops total for Seleucidenia 

5 million of them hastily drafted conscripts, the rest standard infantry. 
9,000 field guns
1,000 howitzers,
3,500 mortars
5 tankettes
the entire Sele air force

Galra had deployed 

1.9 million troops

But had the advantage of tanks, mechanized units, a far superior and larger airforce and to top it all off better infantry weapons. 

The fighting stretched for hundreds of miles as Seleucidenia desperately tried to stop the Galran invasion. 

It centered on the city of Dovikeskt, a large industrial center for the Shahdom, here Selecudenian conscripts from all over were forced into service with little to no training in a desperate move to fill in holes at the front. They even went into prisons and pulled able bodied men out. That's where we meet, Yamir Zhakev, a political prisoner of the Shahdom for speaking on the evils of Communism against the governance of the Shah. Zhakev was given a poorly made uniform and stuffed onto a train that led into the city. 

"GET OUT YOU PIGS!!!" cried out an officer, "Get to the front go go go" 

Zhakev stumbled out of the train and watched as if herds of animals to be slaughtered he and his fellow men ushered to a group of trucks, men were given rifles as a instructor bellowed into a air horn. 

"First man get a rifle! Second man get the ammunition!" 

The next phrase compeltely shook Zhakev and made him realize what hell he was in. 

"When the first man is killed. The Second takes the rifle and shoots!" 

His head felt like it was swimming, his body light, what in the world was happening. He was shoved a clip of ammo and shoved forward. He stumbled around looking at several men with machine guns facing the rear of the massing horde, "Those aren't for the attack" he muttered. A strong hand grasped him, an older man, "Listen little sagaka, you follow me. OK? You'll be alright." The man had grey hair, he was clearly in his early 50's and the only one who knew what was happening. "When it starts, you stay on my ass." He held his hand out, "Give me your ammo." Zhakev wanted to say no, but the old man gave some warm reassurance that he would not betray him. He handed the clip and the old man laoded the rifle with ease, "I am Viktor, Viktor Massanni, you?" he asked with actual care in his voice. "Yamir...Yamir Zhakev". Viktor nodded, "Well Yamir...pray to our god Ux Voshoz...we are not going anywhere good today." 

An officer then climbed onto a platform and began bellowing out his own airhorn. 

"You men are to seize the central square of the city back from the enemy! DEFEND YOUR MOTHERLAND! IF YOU TURN BACK YOU WILL BE EXECUTED FOR TREASON!" He lifted a revolver and fired into the air "CHARGE" the mass of bodies surged ahead and Viktor grabbed Ymir to make him follow diagonally across the mass. Machine gun fire could be heard as dozens of Seleucidenians were cut down. Viktor took Ymir to some old buildings as the mass wave was brutally slaughtered, some men terrified fell back and good on their word the Shah's officers cut them down. The officer simply called up, "next wave!" more men came off the train. Viktor snapped his fingers pulling Ymir from the carnage, "Look at me, we're going around lets go take that stretch of buildings. You find a weapon you get it and use it!" 

They waited til the next wave attacked, moving along the buildings they found themselves over the Galran position firing into the horde of bodies, filling the streets with corpses. Viktor had five rounds, he aimed down his sights and said "As soon as I drop that first one, run and grab his rifle." Ymir nodded, CRACK, the sharp sound of the rifle firing was covered by the sheer volume of machine gun fire at the poor men rushing the Galran position. Ymir charged and grabbed the dead Galran's weapon as Viktor killed two more. Ymir in a panic fired and missed alerting the Galrans to them, "shit" he said desperately pulling the bolt but failing to chamber his round. Viktor fired the last of his shots killing two of the alarmed Galrans before grabbing a Galran rifle and killing the rest. Ymir was shocked at how efficient the old man was. "Watch me" he pulled the bolt showing how the Galran rifle worked. "You gotta reload it like this in the bucket on the side." He grabbed some ammo and the two slowly cleared the Galran position allowing the Selecudenians to take the bloc. 

"They're going this way, come on." Viktor ordered. The two slowly worked around using cover hearing the larger battle all around them as Sele forces clashed with entrenched Galrans. "Here right here" Viktor had found several Galrans in an open position and began firing, Ymir joined him finally hitting targets. The Galrans became aware quickly but having to deal with the large surge of enemy infantry at them they were quickly overwhelmed. A shrill voice cried out, "Victory!" the two looked and saw the Shah's officer, the same one who ordered any man retreating to be brutally killed. Viktor rolled his eyes, "He will get the credit, come the Galrans are pulling back". 

The Galrans retreated to a higher ground within the city, facing directly down where the Selecudenians would be at, Viktor reloaded his stolen rifle wondering how on ouhiri they planned to take the high rise of buildings and elevation. It did't take long. The officer began shouting to his voice's determents. 

"FORWARD!!!! DEFEND YOUR MOTHERLAND! DEATH TO THE GALRAN INVADER!" he fired his revolver sending the men into another suicide charge as Galran machine guns tore them apart. "That's insane, you follow me." Viktor instructed, they again went around using the buildings as cover. Viktor looked with hate at the officer who stayed behind as all those poor conscripts were being cut down. "In here!" Viktor shouted and they entered an apartment connected to the section of buildings being used by the Galrans. 

The two men found themselves able to flank the enemy and began firing rapidly pulling their attention from the charging mass. "don't stop, gotta give our lads a chance!" Viktor shouted, the two riflemen forced the Galrans to retreat again allowing the mass to finally reach the high rise. "Good work little sagaka, you are better than you think" Viktor smiled warmly as he pulled himself up. The men were exhausted and shaken but celebrated at Viktor and Ymir's efforts, it was cut off by the officer "You two, cowards, that is not what I ordered. And all of you, prepare to charge again."

"NO." Viktor bellowed. 
The officer looked stunned, "Excuse me sheep fucker what did you say? You could be-" 
A sharp slap across the face by Viktor sent the man to the ground, "I said no. No more for today. These men are tired and need rest and food. You will do this yea?" the men all looked at the officer who stumbled to get up, "You bastard I am a son of Gorban Omar! You can't" SLAP
"And me and my friend here? We are heroes. Saved your ass. Tell us thank you and tell you superiors we eat meat today." 

"What the fuck do you-"
SLAP
"I like pork." Viktor turned to Ymir, "Pork?" Ymri stunned at what he was watching unfold just nodded. "Pork is good"

"I will have you hanged...you fuckin peasant." 
Viktor sighed, "Damn...and here I thought you to be smart." He raised his rifle, "This is Galran Telbh rifle, .30-40 rounds not our shit 7.62 or even the Gaelic errr Lusatian .30-06...this poor rifle fired from some religious freak...killed you yea?" 

The officer's eyes widened..."You...now wait a minute." 
Viktor continued, "imagine if anyone cared, they could tell the truth...but you have no been a nice man today. Maybe they get confused and agree with me....A Galran shot you dead." He chambered a round, "Now...I like Pork but I also like bean. A good bean is good yea?" The men all began to smile, they agreed with Viktor as the officer shouted, "Pork, beans and we're done today got it..." Viktor chambered the round out popping it and catching it midair, "Good boy, now run along." The officer began walking to the rear as Viktor shouted orders, "Prep a line there at the rear buildings, put riflemen at the rooftops I won't want our dinner disrupted." 

Ymir spoke up, "That was incredible, he's a noble he could hang you." Viktor shrugged "In peace he could have...but we have a war to win. And besides. They only have what power we allow them to have." 

[Greywall]

The Galran advance into Seleucidenia had slowed, giving much needed reprieve for the Shah's forces, but not due to an increase in competency or new weapons from the Shah's but the sheer scope of the countryside and amount of men being thrown at Galra had slowed them down considerably. The Galran invasion force was nearly 2 million strong, the largest land deployment for the Imperial State in the war with hundreds of tanks, thousands of armored trucks, aircraft and billions of tons of supplies. And even then the monumental task of invading Seleucidenia was still a tough and tall order. No nation had ever conquered the North, its vast population and massive tracs of land had made it nigh impossible for any nation to invade. 

The Shah's neglect however nearly made it possible. 

Zhakev was now a hardened man in the makeshift 66th rifle regiment. Many of them in his unit had survived the brutal onslaught of the war by avoiding orders from the nobility assigned officers and listening to their own ranks. To many in the 66, Viktor Massanni was the real command, a man in his late 50's drafted from his dairy farm in Central Seleucidenia to fight the war. A man with clear combat experience. He took young Yamir under his wing, teaching him how to fight the Galrans, an enemy with superior technology and better equipment. 

They watched now numb to the utter sacrifice of thousands of young men to the brutal frontal assaults ordered by the army. "Never let yourself be one of them, Yamir, they have never valued us poor folk. So hold none for them." Viktor didn't know it at the time, but he was becoming a legend. The men called him, "Volbiter" the Sele word for old wolf, even among the massive ranks of the Shah's army his actions against the Imperial State became known. Not for blind loyalty to orders but in getting the job done and keeping as many of his men alive as possible. 

A legend that annoyed and even to some extent, seemed to threaten the high command of Seleucidenia. 

"Here they come!" 

A massive ground of Sele soldiers rushed to the rear, many of them shouting in glee. Zhakev and Massanni both walked to see them, a column of newly made armored tanks from the Northern foundries of the urban cities. "They look rough." Zhakev commented, "They are" Massanni replied. 

Sele light tank Judezun



Kharsoo medium tank


Sele heavy tank "Boris"

The first Sele tanks were hopelessly rushed in both design and construction. None of them really made the two veterans feel like they could match what Galra had sent at them in the past year and a half. They also noticed the sound of several aircraft roar above, more Sele biplanes. Many of the newer conscripts cheered and yelled as they flew by, Massanni scoffed. "They're either rejecting allied aircraft and tanks or we can't get them." he had told Zhakev and some of the men he trusted of the Shah and how he wanted to display the Shahdom's power on its own with domestic might. How rejecting the Entente standardization utterly fucked them in getting enough rifles and ammo for the massive army, why they used different scale locomotives and even lacked real technology to match the rest of the world. Seleucidenia had fallen behind the world, and the old man made it clear it was all the Shah's fault. "One day it'll be different." he always told them. 


And today saw the order come down once more, another massive assault. This time with their new armor and aircraft. A combined arms assault on the Galran line, 2 million men, all their tanks, all their armored cars and the entire Sele airforce were to move in and break the enemy front. "We shall break the enemy! Win this war and march right onto Columbia!" shouted the officer, making the newer inexperienced troops shout and yell in unison while the 66 remained silent. Massanni just kept the word low to his trusted few, "This is a suicide charge." 


Seleucidenian artillery began firing rapidly at the Galran line as Massanni and the 66 prepared to charge with two new medium tanks, Kharsoo models. They had impressive 42mm main guns but were oddly built. A Sele auto company had been tasked with its build and had made a long bodied tank that was slim. Zhakev could swear he could hear the men swearing inside the cramp vehicle. The whistle was blown sending the massive of men and armor forward meeting an immediate Galran artillery barrage, "Scatter! Don't trust the tanks!" Massanni ordered. 

A well placed Galran artillery shot destroyed a Kharsoo instantly. "Dear Voshoz, those things have almost no armor at all!" Massanni exclaimed. The infantry got in range of the Galran line where small arms and machine guns pinned the 66th down. Luckily they found some depressions made from artillery fire for cover, Massanni looked right and left as less experienced regiments were utterly wiped out. "This is typical! They're sending all those men to die, lay down cover fire and see if they can breach the line!" the 66th began firing at the Galrans, many of their shots hitting dirt or the defenses built up along the line. Steady shots kept the Galrans busy and focused on the 66th until- "HOLY VOSHOZ LOOK OUT! GODS DAM-" a Kharsoo, the very one they ran away from at the beginning of the charge came lumbering right into their position and ran over four men "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGG" the horrific screams of men being crushed alive startled the veteran unit. The tank simply didn't know they were even there as it hulked forward firing at the line. "My gods. That was Ulta, he's-" Zhakev couldn't finish as he saw the young man's body mangled into crushed bloodied meat clothed by what remained of his uniforms. What remained of his head disturbed Zhakev until Massanni slapped him, "He's gone Sagaka! Focus on me! We have to live! We have to make it out of here alive!" Zhakev nodded fighting tears, he could barely stop shaking. 

"Men!" Massanni roared, his voice heard even in the mass of warfare around them. "We're going to charge them! Go behind the tank, arm your bayonets! Once the tank clears the entry of the trench spread and take it! When you charge out, YELL LIKE FURIES!" The men without question fixed their bayonets, preparing to charge as the tank slowly moved ahead of them, "Are you ready?" Massanni shouted to Zhakev, the man's hand still shook but he fixed the bayonet and nodded. "CHARGE!" Massanni yelled, and the 66th went over the top. 

[Greywall]

The Seleucidenian counter assault was slightly successful in overrunning Galran positions in Central Seleucidenia, but largely left the enemy force intact and still within a good defensive posture. 

Making matters worse the Galrans were receiving reinforcements, better tanks and more air support. The battlefield was slowly going back to a one sided nightmare where the nobility once again prepared the sacrifice a mountain of people below their station for the survival of the nation. 

Massanni's influence was growing in the ranks of the Shah's army, his heroics in the last battle made him a clear champion of the Shahdom, so much so he was awarded the oval of the Shah. A green and nickel medal that adorned its wearer as a hero of the Shah. All the soldiers looked up to him now, he was beyond legend, an icon. A hunted icon. 

The Galrans took note of an older Seleucidenian leading the charge against them, and placed a bounty for their snipers to kill him. Zhakev worried if Massanni was killed, the unit would fall into despair and likely face extermination like so many other units. The death toll was skyrocketing, Seleucidenia had lost nearly 200,000 men in its reckless assaults on the Galrans with the spring breaking out. Mutinies were rumored to be breaking out across the massive battleline across the country, murmors of revolt and entire battalions refusing to assault the enemy. 

Worst yet, the Shah still refused to reach out to Lusatia for aid, seeing this as his personal challenge to remove the Galrans alone the Shah even ignored the call to join the CN. It all seemed to be hopeless, the leadership of the country refused to reach out for help and simply sent millions to die on the warfront. 

"It will never improve, not with the Shah, the man does not view us as people. Just livestock to exchange in a brutal transaction for victory." Massanni spoke to several now, openly now, loudly now. He was the speaker of them all. More tanks and equipment came from the North, more tanks and firepower that helped a little but didn't shift the tide much. 

Chaimir Omar approached the large grouping of soldiers all listening, he was adorned in finer cloth and a proper cape showing his rise to station in the army. "Massanni...tell your men we're assaulting the Balgu creek in 8 hours, the 923rd armored division is joining us." 
Massanni didn't look up at him, he just stared at the fire. "12 hours. And we need food." The officer swung his head around, nervous if any of his peers heard that. "8 hours. It's an order. And you lot had rice milk soup for lunch." Omar wasn't confident anymore, all of his success was Massanni's and even among these men who were assigned to him, all the old wolf had to do, was snap his fingers and they'd snap his neck. "My men need real food, some need more rest. 12 hours, and some fucking chickens." Massanni's eyes rose to meet the nobles, a deathly piercing gaze speared right into Omar. "There's a farm, turkeys, I can see what I can-" Omar was cut off by the old man, "That will do. Go get it." Massanni muttered quietly to his comrades on what was to come next, plans to survive the next assault. Omar was left to stand there before he finally turned to tell his logistics officer to commandeer the turkey farm nearby. It was being saved for the officers but a false report of the turkeys being stolen would wash away any issues. 

The Seleucidenian army was rife with corruption, and Massanni figured why not play the game for his men. "Balgu...that's been rough on the other lads. That's why we're going, I want you boys to run low like we practiced at Dovikeskt. Don't make them an easy target." 

"Do you think this offensive will work Massanni?" Zhakev asked, "No. It won't" the old man replied. 

[Greywall]

You haven't experienced cold, like Seleucidenian winters, the cold vortex of wind barreling down from the artic pole froze everything in the Central North of Reseria, right where the Shahdom rested. Typically the Shahdom relied heavily on UKUG food imports from the Toulian colonies to feed the nation during these brutal cold winters. But the war cut off those supply lines, leading to the very dangerous possibility of famine inflicting the Shahdom. 

This supply deficiency reached the front, food was being strictly rationed with little more than some rice, hard tack bread and wheat gravy. What made things even worse, most of the soldiers didn't have proper winter gear. Coats and warm clothing barely made their way South to the warfronts as snow blanketed the entire nation. A winter wonderland for some, for the Sele, winter was always called Medreh Shamol, "The Dead wind". But regardless of the brutal weather, Sele command wanted to continue their attempts to push Galra out of the Shahdom. 

"Lusatia won? That is good for most, for us, it might be bad." Massanni was tired, he hadn't slept in days, Galra had been launching near constant assaults on the Sele line and got close to breaking the Shah's forces. Now the Shah wanted his own major victory, he ordered for a major assault to begin. 

The last few weeks to a month the Sele attacked the Galrans on a massive hundred mile battlefront, Massanni's forces were stuck trying to take a destroyed village. Whether you looked East or West you saw smoke and heard fighting of two large armies. "This is fucking ridiculous. We can't take this place." Massanni relayed to his men, the Seleucidinian assault was petering out. Thousands of men were dying alone in the cold as Galra held bitterly to their frontline gains. 


Meanwhile in the Shahdom's capital, the Shah finally capitulated and began sending manpower to Lusatia in exchange for weapons and ammo. 

The Shah also relented and decided to join the CN, in exchange for receiving Gaelic armored technology and aerial advancements the Shahdom would send troops to help sustain other fronts. 

Over 3,400,000 troops would be sent to Lusatia as part of the Shah's Western Lusatian Expedition. Lusatia would have to feed and arm most of them, but gaining a massive amount of troops would help them greatly in holding the battlefronts. The Shah would relay this support to other CN nations but would want something in return first.