Battle of Ferville

[Greywall]

Ferville had long declared itself neutral in the outbreak of the war, it had a small militia force of 5,000 armed volunteers who protected the city the best they could. Ferville was interconnected to several farming towns, villages and communities that made the heart of Tafatu. The breadbasket of the region it sold to both sides and had made considerable profit, the war stayed far away as they allowed both sides to traverse through at the one threat they held, destruction of the farming fields. Farmers would burn their fields and leave both sides in a considerable famine. 

Any attempt to take the city would be risky and would have to be handled with a careful hand. The UST 12th Army was already on the outskirts of the city's eastern region, negotiating with the mayor to have them join the UST outright. The large deployment made them nervous that the UST wouldn't take no for an answer, so the mayor was buying time. Even with their large deployment the commander of the 12th Army knew not to move on the city, wagons full of food would steadily pass through the encampment for Juaz and Southern Touli where it was desperately needed with the oncoming winter. 

"This damn blockade has complicated this situation, even if the fields are frosted over the farmers will burn the silos and warehouses that are full of grain and produce." Commander Genta had spent days trying to convince the mayor to give into UST demands to join them properly and cease food shipments to the Tafatu. More importantly he needed to build a proper defensive line if the coalition attempted to move East. 

The 12th Army had most of the UST's cavalry units.

25,000 Dragoons
80,000 infantry
120 field guns 

Riders kept going back and forth to Juaz and the encampment to relay information, Genta feeling he wasn't getting anywhere ordered his men to set up some defenses but he was restricted by the Ferville militia who insisted he move further East away from the city. "Damn farmers" he bemoaned. 

[aimway921]

Captain Dirka's Company has returned to the main army. With him they brought a concerning report. A large UST army, roughly the same size as they defeated at Le Troi almost a year prior, has been spotted on the East side of the city. The fact the the enemy was behind the city, not in front of it, meant that Ferville was still neutral. There was still hopes of settling matters with the town peacefully, having to fight only the UST force.

General Lishenko, one of the 3 Coalition Army commanders, offered his Franerri and Tafatu counterparts - Tauroneo and Kendaya - to join him on an attempt to settle matters with the town's government diplomatically.

Several guards would accompany Lishenko (and Tauroneo and Kendaya if they join him) as they rode towards Ferville under white flags, requesting a parley with Ferville's highest government authority.

For the Ashinaran part of the Coalition, Major General Yaremenko, who arrived with the second wave at the Battle of Le Troi, would be left in charge while Lishenko is gone - and, Spirits forbid - if Lishenko doesn't return.

[Greywall]

Several riders from the city would ride out meeting the Coalition leaders, General Omani filled in for Kendaya as the rebel leader was still in Le Troi. As the riders met the head city guard captain would speak, "Welcome to Ferville, the Mayor wishes to speak with you all immediately."

[aimway921]

"Excellent," Lishenko replied. "We happen to want to speak to him as well. Lead us to him."

[Greywall]

The Coalition leadership would be taken into the city, it was rather tense as people were preparing to barricade themselves inside their homes. City watchmen were all over trying to prepare defenses, they would be taken to a central building surrounded by a roundabout. Inside they would find a Tafatu man well dressed and speaking to several members of the watch, as the Coalition entered the room he would dismiss the watchmen. "Welcome to Ferville, typically i'd be telling you to please vacate yourselves from here. But it would appear we're out of time, the UST has deployed an army to the East and while some of my people would entertain joining them over you, we cannot."

The city captain would hand over a manilla folder to General Omani, as Omani opened it his eyes would widened, "Well shit...Yeeda is dead".

The Mayor nodded, "This complicates things for us..."

[callmedelta]

“With all due respect, Mayor, Captain,” General Tauroneo began, nodding to both in turn, “You have to make a choice here. Ferville is the only defensible terrain around. If the battle - and there will be a battle - turns against the Union, I have no doubt the Union would attempt to break into the city, if they didn’t begin by trying to take it. Your city watch is outnumbered and outgunned. But even if all of that weren’t true, I’d still be giving you the offer I’m about to give you, because the Coalition wants to work with you. We are willing to offer you 150% the value of any food you were selling to the Union so long as you don’t sell to them anymore.”

[Greywall]

Both the Mayor and Captain looked to one another, "The moment your forces enter this city the battle will start, I need to get the people to safety before that happens, the nearby towns and villages can take them in. But we agree to those terms."

Omani handed the folder back to the Captain mumbling still, "We'll get prepared, we should begin forming defensive measures on the West region of the city. But the moment we can enter we should do so hastily." He would turn to Tauroneo and Lishenko "we should help evacuate however we can and cut the time down." With that agreement the Tafatu forces would begin assisting in the evacuation.

--UST--

Reinforcements arrived from Do'rville at last, the UST deployment now swelled on the East digging in trenches and placing their guns within range of the city. The combined force under Commander Genta were getting restless, the bitter cold winter had now come in full force and wagon shipments of winter gear was coming in too slowly.

"What's the word from the Mayor now!?" Genta complained, one of his officers chimed in "No word yet, but the Coalition are now on the Western side of the city. They easily outnumber us right now." Genta was getting paranoid, what if the Mayor was talking to them, what if he...no he couldn't let that happen. Losing Ferville would devastate UST supplies in the North, they needed this food. "Send word to Taronki to send what he can spare. And order the batteries to begin opening salvo, demand the city surrenders now."

Within hours UST artillery would begin opening fire with reckless abandon into the city, ruthlessly striking innocent civilians and non military buildings. The message was now clear, surrender now or be destroyed.

UST deployment East of the city

25,000 Dragoons
200,000 infantry
620 field guns

[callmedelta]

The Franerri forces had just begun assisting in the evacuation when the bombardment began. “We’re out of time,” General Tauroneo said, “We need to act now. I propose we split our army by nation: we can take the north flank of the city, the Ashinarans can take the south, and the Tafatu can take up the defense of the city. It’s hard to fire artillery from a city, and cavalry are near useless in there. Since the Tafatu are mostly infantry, they wouldn’t be limited like the Ashinarans and us would be.”

[Greywall]

Tafatu forces poured into the city as artillery shells struck into the buildings. "Get to the front!" Omani called helping a young woman to her feet as she tried to escape. Thousands of Tafatu troops made their way to the Eastern section of the city which was being shelled, helping anyone to get to safety they came across. Unfortunately, some would fall to the blasts themselves.


UST forces remained stationary firing relentlessly into the city, but their infantry and cavalry units were preparing for engagement.

[Artsy Astra]

Marrlan Army and Marine forces would follow behind the Tafatu to the eastern side of the city. They wheeled their fieldguns into the city, hastily setting them up in chokepoints on streets. The Beast Hunters would be held deeper into the city in case of a line break and rear guard to assist in the remainder of evacuation effort.

[callmedelta]

The Franerri Army would race around the city's northern flank: cavalry would take a longer route around the city and harass the Union's flanks with hit and run attacks, searching for any opening they could get to attack the Union's guns. The Artillery would set up at roughly 8000 meters from the Union's forces and begin firing into them, while the Infantry would begin to try and dig in before the Union could shift their artillery away from the city and onto themselves.

[aimway921]

Lishenko was glad he won't have to protest to anything. After the encirclement at Le Troi's central plaza, he wanted to avoid urban combat for his own troops as much as possible. The almost half million strong army of infantry began stretching out to the South of the city. Their goal was to use their numerical advantage to envelop the enemy from the side, forcing them to fight on multiple flanks.

Meanwhile several hundred Carabineers were sent out as Scouts to find where the enemy artillery was, with the intention of relaying that information to the Franerri who had majorly superior artillery to both Ashinara and UST, with the intention of the Franerri conducting a counterbattery operation to shut the enemy guns up.

While the enemy artillery was still active, General Yarimenko, who was put in charge of the first Ashinaran unit of Tankettes, was holding them back, but they were already unloaded from the transport carriages and ready for battle.

Ashinara's own artillery, meanwhile, mainly the mortars, began shelling UST infantry positions, in order to give Ashinara's own infantry covering fire as they deployed into an extensive battle line.

Cavalry would, for the most part, be kept with the tankettes. Colonel Mahno decided that they, together with the tankettes, shall be the spearhead that shall exploit a weakspot in the enemy line, as soon as the infantry finds it.

All in all, Ashinaran commanders were hoping to use their superior numbers to stretch the Union troops thin, after which they can be engaged in multiple sections of the frontline simultaneously.

[Greywall]

The UST's large dragoon force would begin moving to secure the flanks already engaging enemy carabineers and Franch cavalry. UST artillery would shift their focus on returning fire back at the Frannerre and advancing Ashinara forces, infantry companies engage anything that came within range of their firing line. Infantry companies began spreading to meet the large Ashinara deployment, supplementing weaker gaps with gatling guns. Genta now made it an urgent decision to demand Taronki send reinforcements now, given his force was now cornered up and likely would fight within their entrenched position for most of the battle.



--Tafatu--

Omani's forces swiftly took the city's Eastern edge, with the General at their back he ordered them to begin a slow march forward to assist in the attack. Tafatu forces began marching into the open field taking enemy fire that wasn't focused on the Ashinara or Frannerre. As Omani sent the first wave, Kendaya and the first army arrived. "What's the status General?" Omani trying to contain how happy he was to see Kendaya stated "They started shelling the city, and we're advancing on them now" Kendaya nodded, "we'll form your vanguard then, secure the rear."

A large line of rebel men and women slowly advanced to the UST line down the center but they would quickly drop to the frigid ground for cover as UST gatling guns began tearing into them. The central section was heavily defended.

[Greywall]

UST losses 49

Tafatu losses 78

Frannerre losses 21

Ashinara losses 56

The harsh winter is now in full swing, troops will be exposed to it and likely be miserable in combat. It has begun to snow. 

[Artsy Astra]

Marine shocktroops supported the Tafatu advance, grenadiers attempting to toss smoke grenades to obscure the Gatling guns lines of fire. The platoons up split and took to alleyways in an attempt to close the distance and close in for the kill with their shotgunners.

The Army bolstered the advance directly partially feeding men to the Gatling guns before the grenades smoke properly bloomed in the process. The Shazzak among the Marrlan forces remained sluggish due to the colder weather and were much more easily picked off.

Army weapons teams would begin bringing their 50mm mortars up from the back line though they had yet to be setup. The machine gun teams however would be brought in and quickly find purchase in buildings returning fire between frequent jams, the “POS” showing why it earned its nickname.