Scathing of South [UST - Kithium League]

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Casualties

UST: 9,021
Kithium: 1,942

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium continued to fanatically resist every attempt to push. They did not give the UST any inch that wasn't taken with an ocean of blood, and so far they hadn't had to surrender any real ground yet. This was to them, a overall net-gain. The Kithium's artillery continued to rain hellfire down onto the UST's own, sending every shell they had at the enemy's own batteries - their mission was to ensure the USTs own artillery could not adequately support their infantry, making it markedly easier for their own soldiers to effectively slaughter the USTs troops before they reached the actually important trenches.

More Kithium units started to appear, from the north, and the East. A couple thousand from the north, given how sparsely populated the entire region really was the small numbers were the entire northern border patrol. From the East, was coming a substantially larger force of about ten thousand, of which struck at the flanks, while the northern one tried to harrass their supplies.

The Dragoons as well came back, riding hard and furiously to try to break into the backline of the UST, and to disrupt their supplies.

[Greywall]

What followed was a brutal fight, UST soldiers for hours pushed against the kithium line. Artillery fire went back and forth, and the fields were covered in death.

As UST soldiers powered to the trench lines creating a ensuing melee it was still all too much. Despite what officers bellowed out the UST infantry began to falter back to their lines. After a few hours they were now firing at the kithium to cover a full withdrawal back to friendly lines.

UST command watched as wounded and beaten infantry poured back in after hours of fighting, one officer alone came into the command tent. “Colonel, where is your battalion?” The colonel looked up to simply say, “I have no battalion”.

The assault was a brutal failure, UST forces began to pull back west out of range of the kithium artillery to regroup and refocus their campaign here.

[Greywall]

Casualties

Ust 18,342
Kithium 7,983

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium artillery bombardment continued for hours, as another train would arrive from the south, riding along the line that had been used previously to evacuate civilians out of the city. This train had one thing, and one thing only on it - Kithium Marines. Almost four thousand of them. The forces already present attachment of about 50,000 marines represented the lineshare of Kithium specialist infantry - soldiers meant to break lines and exploit breakthroughs. Or at the least, to savagely maraude into them.

Come the night, another train arrived, carrying another hundred and five field guns and the crews to operate them, quickling being rushed to the front to add their fire to the constant barrage. Crews were switching out with new ones to facilitate them getting some actual rest and medical care, many had been forced to operate the weapons near non-stop, and as night fell fully, fire as well came to a lul, as the guns only fired answering barrages or supporting strikes. They replaced their barrels, got new ammunition, and prepared for what was to be the next days affairs.

In the night however, more Kithium formations were still arriving, by foot and some by wagons and trucks, arriving in large numbers from across the country, mostly from the south but with large numebrs of them coming in from the east as well, either going into the city and adding hundreds and thousands to the defenders numbers, or gathering up about thirty kilometers south, with Kithium couriers racing back and forth from the city to these forming formations.

But when dawn came, the Kithium guns were quick to open up again, this time launching a hail of fire against the USTs own lines, slamming them with artillery shells while Kithium soldiers filtered back into the trenches. Sharpshooters and snipers as well took up positions now, and more specialist units began to take up position, having rebuilt some of their fortifications using sandbags, shoveled dirt and wooden logs. If there was an answering barrage, the guns immediately shifted fire to suppress the UST's artillery.

[Greywall]

The order was given to fall back from enemy artillery ranges, UST battalions began to dig in the open fields west of the city. Some were sent to harass and finally put an end to the dragoons attempting to hurt their supply lines.

Union commanders had the manpower to attempt another assault but morale was low. For now they would await the kithium to make the next move.

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Casualties

UST 835
Kithium 321

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium would take this respite to start to further fortify the city, adding to their defenses and repairing those that had been previously destroyed or partially demolished in the fighting. Some soldiers were sent out to check the carnage and to figure out just how well some of their stuff had worked, and how well some of it hadn't, performing as well battlefield procurement - taking rifles and ammo off of bodies, salvaging artillery and shells from the UST's old line if there was anything to take, and then starting to set fire to the punji pits to burn the bodies inside, so that the ashes would go up to god and their souls could rest.

More Kithium soldiers began to arrive by train, and by foot. Rapidly, the Kithium army swelled to almost 450,000 troops. Roughly equal to the UST's remaining strength overall, but now far more concentrated.
The Dragoons were meanwhile continuing to play hard to get, often using their cavalry to bypass the opposition or to avoid contact. Though, by now most of them were gone - having returned to the city or other places to get ammo and food, their days of harrassment having taken a toll in exhaustion, hunger and ammunition shortages. By and large they'd be relieved for rest, with the Kithium now gathering their strength.

They did not however make it too obvious how strong they were, instead the focus was on making the city virtually untakable. Their orders similarly were 'Hold at all costs, do not allow the UST to take the city, and bleed them for every centimeter of frosty-dirt.'

The Field Marshal who had commanded the defense of the city left south on a train to another town along its length, responsible for maintaining the rail lines and being basically a half-way point between the only two major cities in the north.

Stepping off of the train, the glowing red eyes of a almost 135 year old Festria woman were unmistakable and eerie under her cap, her clothing decorated with honors and medals, but as well with sewing lines and stitches from wounds and damage, part of her facial fur missing and repalced by scar tissue. She had come to the town of Isha'Maralsha to marshal more forces, for an assault from the south, to encircle the UST. And so, as she would stop forces from proceeding north, instead gathering them into an army that was rapidly increasing in size in the town, she began to send units to the west, directly south of the UST's lines by about 50 kilometers, and have them establish a staging point nearby the border of the UST.

This army would be only about 5000 strong at first, composed of infantry and a few dozen field guns and about 120 mortars, but it began to grow in size, as more and more soldiers filled it out, growing from 5k, to 10k, to 25k over the course of the next couple of days as more and more soldiers were redirected into this new assault force.

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The UST forces had built a large base of operations in the west, they faced a difficult situation in either taking the city or returning to veneshy. The latter being a direct act of insubordination toward president Okeena.

They knew the city was heavily fortified but decided one more assault was needed. They sent the bulk of their forces back toward the city forming this time a symmetrical line and would wage the battle as a single prolonged campaign to push their way into the kithium city.

As infantry advanced artillery situated themselves once more to open fire on the kithium. Hoping to soften the front blow of what the men were about to face.

UST cavalry had in vain tried to pursue the dragoons and we’re kept in the vanguard with a couple 10,000 troops to man the base and keep the supply lines open. They conducted regular patrols in the area in the event the dragoons attempted another assault.

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Casualties

UST 874
Kithium 742

[VoxApocrypha]

What they would find was that the Kithium dragoons had by and large, regrouped and moved south, swinging to the east and south to then follow the rail lines to Isha'Maralsha. They'd then spend the night riding to join up with the Field Marshal's growing army, having reached a size of about 86,000 soldiers by the upper end of the build up. However, as couriers continued sending messages back and forth, even with the lag they would be able to get the general gist of the situation. The Field Marshal, deciding that this was the time, began to lay out a plan.

Couriers would form a line, left with a small team each time as they went, to guide new units to the battlefield, and to relay messages back. The Field Marshal took her force of 86,000, and began the march north, to assault the backline of the UST's forces, to cut off their supply, bringing with them about 450 field guns, 800 mortars, and a lot of gattling guns they'd pulled out of storage and fitted with wheels and metal shields. Trucks and wagons carried the heavy stuff.

Come the day of the next assault, this new Kithium army had reached its last staging point, and was gathering more strength, being filled up with more infantry following the courier path to the staging ground. Once the field marshal had 130,000, or at the least 90,000, she would launch her assault and attack the backline to establish a blockade, and to allow for the defenders in the city to push out - with the aim of sandwiching and slaughtering the UST army.

--

Meanwhile, the forces in the city were still receiving reinforcements, but not in as much volume, the Field Marshal having siphoned off the rail-way transportation to bring troops that way instead, leaving them to rely on forces coming in by foot, wagon train or truck convoy.

In the city itself, the Kithium would brace for this next wave.
Immediately they laid into the UST's assaulting forces with mortars, gattling guns and maxims, while their field guns again raged against their counterparts with counter-battery artillery fire, sending shells downrange against their opposite number in the Union army. The Kithium forces had mostly cleared the trenches used as traps, but rather than lay new Punjis, had instead left bombs inside of them. If the UST got into them, the buried explosives would be set off by demolitions teams back at the Kithium line, and they'd obliterate the trench in its entirety, puffing a cloud of dirt and ash into the air so high it partially obscured the battlefield wherever it happened.

[Greywall]

The second assault was a brutal disaster, scores of men sent to their death as they pushed as hard as possible against the kithium line.

They were simply not equipped to take the city, after several hours of advancing and finding bomb riddled trenches the UST soldiers were finally given the order to pull back to the rear base once more. Their artillery firing in quick succession to provide cover.

The assault proved the force could not take the city with the armament the kithium boasted. UST command ordered their beaten and battered forces back to regroup and cease further strikes against the city. Okeena wouldn’t be happy, but the loss of life was a horrendous disaster for the Union.

[Greywall]

Casualties:

UST 21,492
Kithium: 7,352

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium army in the city knew the next step of the plan.
As the union began to retreat, the Kithium began to dismantle a lot of their defenses, pulling their heavy weapons out and moving them into a staging ground just outside the city to the west.
They moved their artillery forward, and they began to chase the UST back to the border, their infantry and the cavalry assisting in quickly moving a lot of their heavy weapons into position too.

Meanwhile, the Field Marshal had received further reinforcements in the midst of the fighting up north, pushing her force to 132,000, with almsot now 800 field guns and 1000 mortars, and a lot of the heavy equipment she'd need to affect a proper blockade.

Amd with that, the order was given - the assault was launched, the Kithium army racing north to slam into the rear lines of the UST, first attacking out in three prongs that'd then swing into a solid line facing East, to block the USTs retreat back to the UST proper.

The army in the city was soon moving, harrassing the retreating UST but not committing to any big assaults. More units from the south were as well coming up and encountering the USTs formations, sparking low intensity firefights across their southern and eastern perimeters, as the second smaller Kithium hit from the west. As the garrison that'd left the city of Ishu'Kaalak'shi pursued the UST, their dragoons charged out ahead of them, to start an All-out attack against their retreating enemy's rear guard formations, the remaining 30,000 or so dragoons pouring into the assault with Kithium marines as well racing ahead to catch up to the USTs rear guard, to maul and savage them as their artillery got into position, being moved quickly by trucks and horse drawn wagons.

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The kithium assault made the commanders minds up, a full retreat to Veneshy was called. Vanguard lines of artillery and riflemen would attempt to stave the massive kithium assault off to buy time.

Morale was utterly gone at this point with soldiers lying which company they were in to avoid vanguard assignments. The best fall line we’re the trenches west that provided cover using Gatling guns and field guns.

If the guards held maybe the majority force could reach veneshy punching through. But the sheer will of the force was broken at this point by the horrendous losses.