Kulipiza kisasi (Touli Native war)

[Greywall]

--Central UST--

"They're everywhere!" said a UST soldier before having his head split open by a Kumo 7.7 round coming from the bush, several rounds from hidden positions were slaughtering the 6th Army's deployment. They had been sent to finish off the natives of Central South Touli, but were now meeting fierce resistance and extremely well-armed combatants. 

General Uduike was sweating back in his command tent, nearly all of his companies failed to accomplish their objectives in pushing the last vestige of the native tribes out of South Touli. His army unit was built similarly like the 5th, mostly light infantry and poorly trained riflemen that were sent to put down revolts and small uprisings, but in the countryside of Central Touli his troops were being butchered. "Goddamn, where did they get guns like this?" he was looking over one of the rifles they managed to capture, the strange writing on it wasn't recognizable but they determined it was at the least foreign. "Who sold them guns!? How did they get in our country?" The question was half serious Uduike knew how they got in, the corruption of the UST easily allowed something like weapons to slip in. 

"Pull back all companies, we need to rethink our strategy." Uduike ordered, he had lost nearly 3,000 men in the last week. He was nerve wracked, he was expected to put down the natives and end this uprising quickly, now he had his own war to fight. 


--Native Confederation--

Khoza Mambi did something he hadn't in almost a year, he smiled, his forces had repelled the UST for the first time in a year. The Kumosenkan weapons were making a difference and his forces using guerrilla tactics kept the UST thrown off. "We should press our advantage, we should attack!" said Asar, having come back from Kumosenkan a hero and high ranking official of the new Confederation. "Asar, while I appreciate what you've done. That is a piss poor strategy." Khoza said coldly. Asar tried but poorly hid his anger, "We need to maintain our advantage, they have to come to us. Once we break their next assault our goal is to move our people to the North where they will be safe." Khoza was speaking to a council of various tribal chiefs, leaders and elders. In the time of their genocide, they erased their old rivalries and established the Central Touli Confederation. They had to stand together or die. 

"Once our people are safe, we need to hit the UST where they'll be hurt the most, the mines of the central mountains. We march West to East, burning everything and kill their mining operations. Without their precious gold and silver, they'll break." Asar once again spoke up, "We also have to pay the Kumo sir" Khoza nodded, "I haven't forgotten our spider friends. We will pay them when we can, but for now I need women and children to not be raped and murdered. Til then they can wait." Khoza said again coldly. 


The CTC forces numbered in 220,000 against the 100,000 6th army deployment. Now armed with Kumosenkan weapons. 

[Greywall]

--UST--

In the thick jungles of Central Touli, gun shots continued to ring out disturbing the once peaceful setting. Union troops were attempting to halt CTC forces from advancing but were performing poorly. The 6th Army was simply trying to manage a battlefield that spread them far too thin, General Uduike was trying to apply pressure and retake the initiative, but the tribes simply knew the countryside better than his officers and entire companies were now bogged down in various firefights for their lives. 

He couldn't send his cavalry in, the enclosed jungles would be impossible to properly use them, and they better served to relay messages at this rate. Unlike the UST deployments in the North, he didn't have a major road to rely on for supplies and reinforcements, this was yet again supposed to be a quick putdown not a prolonged fight. 

Even his artillery crews couldn't be properly used as the trees implied, they didn't know where the enemy was. "This is madness, where did they get this fight from all of a sudden?" the General was lost at what to do, a UST officer walked into the tent saluting him "Sir, some of our companies think they're moving North." Uduike looked at the map confused, "North...why are the-" his eyes widened in fear, "they're moving toward" he turned to the officer "Have all our available units shift North!, send riders to the mining towns and tell them to expect an attack. Send riders South and tell them we need reinforcements!" the officer hurried out of the tent leaving Uduike in a near panicked state. "If they take those mines..." 


--CTC--

The diversion worked, using hit and run and taking cover from where they could before lobbing off rounds at the enemy. Getting all the people that couldn't fight to safety in the Northwest while sending most of their fighters toward the Mountain region. 

[Greywall]

Battle of Kaskazini

UST 6th Army

94,000 infantry

- 64,000 light infantry
- 30,000 standard
- 300 field guns
-20 mortars

CTC forces

-80,000 light infantry
-50,000 standard infantry
-100,000 tribal infantry


Khoza couldn't stop now, he didn't count on the 6th Army being able to read what they were doing so quickly but the battle was here and now. A large sprawl of jungle nestled to a green valley before the visage of the mountain range. Everything depended on now breaking the 6th Army from here if he wanted to seize the mines and stop the flow of gold and silver feeding the UST economy he had to win here. He knew of the war North of the Mountains and word from his hunters told him of uprisings in the South. If he could take these mines, it would be the death blow. But the 6th Army would be a tough opponent, this wasn't the usual hit and run strikes it would be a full on engagement. 

He ordered his scouts to observe the UST forces and what they were doing, General Uduike was committing his forces to a defensive position just East of them but was blocking the main path to the mines. His troops had dug in ditches, fixed gatling guns and field guns where there was open space. The General sacrificed holding his central position and putting himself at risk of being cut off to stop the tribal forces cold in their tracks. Khoza could try to cut them off but the path behind Uduike led to the mines and Juaz likely where he was already sending riders to gain support, as long as the North didn't take Juaz the UST could fight. 

"We have to attack, we fall back and run the risk of them regrouping with a larger force to put us right back where we were. If we try to besiege them, they'll just bypass it and wait us out. We don't have an option, we have to take their position." Khoza ordered his troops to slowly approach the UST lines, his scouts would test them firing rounds to entice the UST response. Khoza was wasting nothing as every single rifle they received from Kumosenkan would be put into the battle, he had to win here. Boxes would be brought up and opened with a crowbar unveiling several bolt action rifles that would be handed out, Khoza grabbed one rubbing his fingers against the engraved Kanji lettering and emblems "we need those mines too, to pay back for this". 


General Uduike heard the call he had been waiting for a couple days now for. "They're here sir." an officer informed him, Uduike gave a rare grin "then we destroy these insolent barbarians at last". Gunfire would erupt between both sides throughout the thicket of trees and brush, the battle between the UST and remaining tribals had begun.

[Greywall]

"Damn it"

Khoza's forces were bogged down, while in a straight fight they could win with their Kumo weapons the UST simply had better positioning and outnumbered them. But the issue came with the season change, winter was coming and launching an assault in the winter would be rough. He didn't have the initiative to push like he wanted, his forces were trying but the UST were simply dug in too deep. Losses were leveled between both sides but the battle was becoming a balancing act, on one hand keeping the 6th Army occupied and in a long fight meant them running the chance of the Coalition or Golden Turbans cutting off their supplies. But taking too long also mean running through most of the Kumo ammunition.

Some of his forces using bows, throwing spears and more traditional weapons were doing their best but modernity was a painful reminder of why the world was crushing the old ways. Khoza was beginning to think alot, about the future of his people, they had done everything to preserve and protect their way of life but here they fought a war of Armageddon. The UST had wiped out thousands of tribal communities before a proper alliance was made, he was commanding rival groups that would fight his own years ago without thought. "The old way is dead" he muttered.

[Greywall]

The sound of snow crunching under the feet of the CTC troops advancing, their hurried breathing would be cut short by the rapid fire of UST rifles from a tree line. For months the tribals fought in devastating fire fights with the 6th, the bitter cold was making things rough for both sides. Khoza and his core group of leaders were growing restless, the UST weren't budging, and his fighters were becoming exhausted from the fighting.

"We can't keep this up Khoza, we should pull back and attempt when the snow melts" a tribal elder spoke up trying to reason with the leader of the CTC, "No, we need to do this now. Cut the throat of their gold supply and it'll break their economy." Tribal forces continued to send themselves into the front in an effort to pressure and break the UST.

Meanwhile, the 6th army was miserable. Food supplies had come to a crawl from the North (Battle of Ferville) and supplies from the main road were nonexistent due to the ice and snow. "Goddamn, send more hunters. Scour the entire countryside for any meat." Uduike had grown stubble and dark circles under his eyes, the stress of holding the line was getting to him. Food, ammunition, cold weather equipment, and medicine was rapidly running out. His medical team now resorted to amputations and accepting some would just have to bleed out and die. Some officers caught their men boiling their leather belts and boots for food, the situation was dire and the lack of aid the 6th was getting was starting to drive Uduike insane. "Where is fucking Taronki? I sent riders weeks ago, months even. I can't send anymore because the horses can't make past the fucking snow. And I need them to hunt with." Uduike's officers remained quiet as he ranted, losses were stacking up and morale was bottomed out.

To make matters worse the spring brought mud season making the supply shipments even worse. Uduike couldn't stay here without supplies, "Go send some squads to the nearby towns and acquisition what we need. I don't care if they're loyal we need what they have." his officers gave a grave look "Sir some of those families would die without their stores." Uduike responded with a low and threatening tone, "I don't care, get it." UST infantry squads would go East into loyal UST towns and villages and plunder them for food, medicine and men they felt could fight or work at the entrenchment.

Protesting citizens would be met with violence as they left families foodless and even without some of the men and sons, loyal UST citizens felt the sting of the war and of their military's desperation.

[Greywall]

Khoza failed to break the 6th army, he was pulling his forces back West as the snow melted in a slow bitter march. Khoza took considerable losses and didn't accomplish any of his goals, the tribal forces were demoralized after the battle and began to settle back into their main encampment in the far West. Khoza was exhausted himself, he needed to rest and think on what to do next. At any rate, the UST wouldn't be able to attack them.

The 6th army wasn't much better off, they held off the assaults but were utterly starving and many of them were in poor condition. Some soldiers smuggled detached limbs from the medical tents after a round of amputations and cook the human meat to avoid starving. Uduike himself was a scrawny and hateful looking creature sulking about in his tent, the snow melt left them utterly isolated as the mud trapped them from sending supply convoys. "Where's our hunting party? They should be back by now!" Uduike was angry, he was out of his personal stores of food and was eating oats meant for the horses. They were hard and tasted awful, "We haven't heard back from them. And we think most of the wild life is still scattered from all the fighting." Uduike's eyes just fell back to the bowl of hard oats. "Goddammit" his stare was broken by a horrid sound of gunfire and the howl of an animal hollering in pain.

Uduike ran out of his tent as men were shouting in animal like rage at each other, "SILENCE!" Uduike roared, he noticed many of the men held their rifles and saw what made the howl. It was a horse having been shot, "that's a lot of meat damn you! I'm starving, we're going to cook these horses!" yelled a soldier, "You damn fool! we need those horses or we can't communicate with the rest of the army. And we need them to hunt with!" Uduike cried. But the soldiers were undeterred. "Fuck you! We're eating like kings today boys!" the men shouted like wild animals and surged into the area that kept the horses and the sounds of gunfire, bayonets entering flesh and the horrid cries of horses in pain and panic flooded the camp. Uduike stood there powerless as his men tore the animals apart and began building fires to cook them. His men weren't acting like humans anymore, months of fighting and dying in the cold, starving and losing limbs had finally driven them to the ends of madness.

Uduike retreated to his tent and the howling and celebrations of the wild men cooking the horsemeat carried on.

[Greywall]

"What do you mean they stopped!?" Uduike was trying to get his men back into formation when he received the news, the mines had stopped, the workers refused to enter them. Okeena had sent direct orders to him and the 6th to force them back to work, the sixth bemoaned but followed orders to march by foot to the mountain range. Across the mountains were various villages and towns dedicated to mining the mountains, they fed the UST economy with vital resources that were from raw materials, ores and most importantly gold and silver. But the miners refused to work, they were furious following the 6th's raids of their towns for food and supplies in the brutal winter. 

The mountaineers across the entire region were striking, many of them had lost loves ones to starvation and exposure due to the 6th Army taking what little they had. Uduike ordered his forces to spread across what they could while he assumed a command center the small town of Kathin Vindu. He himself had to travel on foot as his horse was eaten a few weeks earlier. When they arrived their disheveled appearance startled some, they were dirty, filthy, and reeked. Uduike ordered the mayor of the town to come forth and explain this disruption. But he was told the town no longer had a mayor, feeling like he was being pulled, Uduike declared the military was now in control. He demanded the workers return to the mines at once, when no one moved his soldiers began grabbing men of all ages and escorting them to mines. They began working at a poor pace despite the shouting threats from UST infantrymen.

Uduike brought a few of the town elders into the mayor's house which he set as his personal quarters, "Where are your provisions? my men need to eat!" they coldly told him, "You took them, a couple of months ago. We have no food to offer." Uduike shook his head, it hurt from the lack of food, he had been eating bone marrow from god knows what for the last few days. "Then get us something!" he shouted, they left and returned with some old, staled bread, greyish looking water and a small portion of peas. "This is all we have." one said as they left Uduike to his...feast.

After a few days his men became restless at the poor food and cold attitude of the locals. It didn't take long for them to take their frustrations out on the women of the town and sexual assaults increased. But so did missing patrols, random soldiers who vanished and to Uduike's frustration the mines simply didn't produce what they needed to pay Kumosenkan. 

Uduike was about to lay down for some sleep, his stomach was aching from eating the food given to him when shouting outside alerted him to something happening. "FIRE!" Uduike ran outside to see the main entrance to the mine in flames. Support struts, cranes and buildings were in absolute blaze. "Get those fires out!" Uduike cried out in a panic. Fear struck him deeply as losing the mine would result in failure to deliver the needed products. After a few hours of him and his soldiers putting the fire out he noticed none of the towns folk were helping them at all, "They started the fire...those bastards". 


--Khoza--

Khoza had to make a hard decision, his army was down to maybe 40,000 men who could fight. He had two decisions to make, attempt to cross the mountains and join the Northern war putting his people at risk crossing the dangerous mountains, or attempt to wage war in the South. He didn't have the manpower needed to do either, he would have to remain stationary in order for his people to survive. At least for now. 

[Greywall]

Khoza had one shot, his last one. It was risky but he had to take it. Marching what was left of his army South to hit the UST directly and hit them hard where he felt they could offer little resistance, Zhest Gav, a cold rocky port that saw little come to it. But it held an army base and supply depot. He would be able to resupply his forces, but he was running out of people to fight. But he had a new plan and those guns would be a part of his plan to continue his war against the UST.

Zhest Gav was a quiet city in the Southwest UST. It had a small garrison of 4-5,000 troops mainly to keep civil order and occupy the nearby military base. Zhest Gav was the location where many of the Southern army was trained but otherwise was a meager little fishing location for fishermen to brave the waters during the war to bring in valuable fish. The land was unsuitable for farming, so the only other thing that attracted people here were some of the factories. But they operated to a crawl with foreign goods needed to operate not coming in. The city was paralyzed by the war, its people stuck in place having to rely on the fishermen and shipments of Kumo food to survive.

The people lined up for their rations of food when the alarm was sounded, UST soldiers woke from their lazed stupor to the forward defenses and found themselves facing down a growing force of natives beyond the city. Khoza's forces placed their field guns in range and were prepared to launch an assault. But first he sent a rider to offer the city to surrender. The city commander not wanting to be placed at fault for losing the city refused but had little to no idea how to fight such a force. Khoza then ordered the attack, thus beginning the battle of Zhest Gav.

[Greywall]

Khoza stood before the mayor of Zhest Gav, the surrender finally came after weeks of besiegement, the Zhest Gav garrison suffered heavy losses and weren't willing to fight on much more. The mayor handed over control of the city to the high chieftain as Khoza's men celebrated. It was a huge victory for a people who had been beaten down hard during the war.

Khoza sat in the mayoral house surrounded by gawdy and lavish items bought from the main continent, most of it Lusatian and Roskana. "What do we do now my chieftain?" asked one of his best warriors, "Now we send messengers, tell those who fight the monster Okeena. We need to finish this war."