Oorah! (UST Marine Actions)

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium would continue to move, attempting to contain as much of the UST as they could, and using their artillery to bombard positions they could identify before they would storm them with overwhelming numbers, crushing the UST's troops between the Franerri and themselves.

[Greywall]

Battle for Eastern Razu casualties

UST 78
Frannerre 171

Kithium invasion

Kithium losses 67
UST losses 201

Kithium siege of Mwamdan

Kithium 0
UST 45

Countryside fighting

Kithium 56
UST 45

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium continued their assault agains Mwamdan, artillery striking the defenses of the city constantly, while Kiithid ground forces began to mass for an assault against the city, whilst as well launching probing attacks during brief luls in the artillery's barrage to weaken the defenses and test how strong they truly were.

In the countryside, the Kithium continued to hunt down the UST's soldiers, sending Dragoons after them with orders to kill on sight after a point, refusing to take prisoners after a point.
On the other front heading east, the invasion continued, the tide rolling in that direction with marines and dragoons to lead the way and their artillery not far behind them.

[Greywall]

The battle for Mwamdan was utter chaos. UST soldiers fought bitterly against the assault while trying to find suitable ships or boats to evacuate with. Three sets of defensive lines were established to hold off the Kithium, the first line being the largest broad line with most of the UST's remaining Gatling guns. Kithium infantry would find themselves facing down a wall of bullets should they attempt to storm it directly.

Kithium artillery pulverized the town inflicting losses and destroying buildings. The UST had little to fire back with until a roar of gunfire from the bay surged artillery fire back at the advancing Kithium, the 12 caravels left by Admiral Vokoyo began to open fire to assist the UST defense. They rapidly emptied their salvos to give some relief to the ground troops and give the Kithium a nasty surprise.

In the countryside with death coming regardless, fierce insurgency broke out as UST infantry ambushed and used hit and run tactics they ironically learned from the first war with the Kithium. Sharpshooters would hide to take pot shots before moving away to hide. The countryside of Razu was now a complicated warfront as the UST organized an underground resistance against the Kithium.


---Eastern battle---

The UST ambushers kept opening fire at the Frannerri charge attempting to draw the Frannerre into a more open fight.

[Greywall]

Casualties

Mwamdan

UST 102
Kithium 323

Countryside

UST 74
Kithium 103

Battle of Eastern Razu

UST 34
Frannerre 51

[callmedelta]

--Eastern Razu--

The well-disciplined Marines kept up their charge until they were able to close into melee range against their numerically inferior foe. Armed with repeating rifles, they should be able to make short work of the UST forces in the ambush. Back with the main force, enough order had been restored that the Standard Infantry began to take up defensive positions and begin assembling their artillery for fear of further ambush.

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium were ruthless, and they were determined. They didn't stop trying to push, regardless how slow it had to be, and how much ammo they had to use to do it. Artillery rained on that forward trenchline from mortars and field gun positions, while Kithium troops crawled and tore their way through snow and dirt to stay below the firing arcs of their enemy's weapons to the best of their ability, while firing back at them with their rifles and their own gattling guns, being rolled up to the front with their metal plates to act as shields against the bullets.

They would start rolling field guns with metal shields to protect them from rifle fire up to the line itself, using them in a direct-fire roll and actively blasting holes in the UST's trenches where possible, targeting their heavy weapons while the infantry surged up to support the artillery in its attempt to break the enemy's line, sacrificng their lives at the raging urges of their officers and pride. If they could get to those trenches, they'd start using their bayonets, gladius blades and iron maces to brutally beat the UST's infantry to death or stab them in their abdomens, to disembowel them.

The Kithium poured more soldiers into the countryside, with orders to butcher and kill. No prisoners, no survivors.
They used their numbers to their advantage, trying to actively isolate pockets of UST soldiers and kill them en masse, while others would burn down every building they found, every potential place of warmth and safety so that if they didn't kill them, they'd have damn-near nowhere to hide to escape the murderous cold.

[Greywall]

The first Mwamdan line had to be abandoned, they couldn't hold falling back into the town proper. The naval guns from their ships gave them the best cover to fall back but they suffered heavy casualties. They needed to avoid a melee engagement at all costs with thier smaller sized force. Wounded were being loaded onto fishing boats and anything they could find but civilians were already ahead of them taking whatever could float and making a break for the Southern coast.

In the countryside the Kithium ruthlessly were hunting down the insurgency. It became less about Union patriotism and more about race politics between humans and non humans. Leaders in the insurgency convinced human locals that the Kithium were simply mindless animals here to slaughter and kill, letting the actions of their enemy speak for themselves.

They continued to raid and ambush Kithium, but they had to slowly pull back southward as operations in the central territories became more and more difficult.

--Eastern battle--

"Withdraw! Fall back!" The Franch assault was too costly to keep fighting off, UST artillery would loaded up and sent Southward and infantry laid down covering fire and pulling back into the Southern countryside. They gave the fight to the Frannerre but thought reinforcements would come Westward, they had no idea that the rest of the island was being overrun by the Kithium.

[Greywall]

Casualties

UST: 732
Kithium: 693
Frannerre: 342

[VoxApocrypha]

Field guns on land began to target the UST's ships and launch massive salvos together, blasting at the ships to force them to move further away and limit their support, or to try and outright sink the damn things if they could.

On land, the next line was immediately under attack as the first collapsed, the Kithium storming ahead with rage and murderous intent, their ranks collectively screaming a raging "ULAAAAA!". Many of the fleeing soldiers were gunned down, but in many cases, someone caught up to them and stabbed them in the spine, the upper back, or in one case, grabbed them by the shirt and yanked them back, turning them over before they grabbed them by the head and began to slam the back of their skull into a rock beneath it.

When they hit that second line, they wouldn't allow themselves to be bogged down, their numbers enough they felt confident they could overrun the line with sheer weight of their bodies, tearing into their opposition with feral rage and bloodlust, and in many cases it was near literal - Festria and Kithium launching into bloodsoaked fist fights and maulings, some digging their teeth into the necks of their opposition, their arms, their legs, tearing them off of them in showers of gore.

[callmedelta]

With the UST ambush beaten back, General Lumine decided it would be best to continue with their initial plan and advance to Bantari. They didn't have the time or men to try and flush the Union out of the countryside; with any luck, they'd be able to request more men from Pareau soon, but for the time being the march would go on.

[Greywall]

Mwamdan

The second line barely held on as Kithium shelling and bullets rained down on them. When the melee began the UST had no choice but to withdraw, the bloodied melee left several companies stuck in a brutal fight to the death. Despite being fired upon the Caravels had no choice but to take a shot and lay down fire directly on the second line to sacrifice those left in the melee so the remains could make it to the final line.

The UST final line had the best defenses of the three, using barricades, buildings and the last of their gatling guns and field guns. It would be here they would make their last stand, evacuating what was left of their forces now onto the Caravels but most of them would not be able to leave. It would be their final hour.


Countryside

UST insurgents continued to launch raids on Kithium positions when possible. Their efforts mild in making results, their ranks were bolstered when members of the Eastern UST forces appeared with field guns and fresh soldiers. It was here they informed them of the island invasion by the Kithium. The UST officers were stunned at the recent development that left them isolated from their homeland and stuck with two hostile factions.

[Greywall]

Casualties

UST: 834
Kithium: 762
Frannerre: None

[VoxApocrypha]

Mwamdan

The Kithium would shift their attacks to the town itself, pushing for it hard and using what field artillery they had that wasn't tied up brutalizing the Caravels to attack the small port with shells, blasting into it while their infantry tried relentlessly to beat through those defenses, into the town, and to make it to the port so they could slaughter every last invader, the raging mix of humans, felines, festria and others firing almost indiscriminately into the town and its defenses with everything they could possibly use.

Countryside

The Kithium would continue to consolidate their units into various areas of which they'd fortify and turn into what amounted to FOBs, spreading the foritfications out but arranging them in a manner that would allow for them to be able to fire in support of each other, linking some of their killing-fields and creating overlapping fields of fire. They used their artillery to start targeting any identified pockets of UST soldiers that they'd first try to pin down with rifle fire.

[callmedelta]

Bantari

The Franerri army encamped just outside of view from the city. Sentries were posted, artillery guns assembled and manned, prepared for another ambush. Meanwhile, General Lumine sent a few scouts on foot towards the city of Bantari. With any luck, the Union would be focused on the threat of Kithium in the north, and the city would only have a small garrison, or even better, be abandoned. Until that information could be discerned, the army would have to hold in place.