Scathing of South [UST - Kithium League]

[Greywall]

Casualties

UST: 3,984
Kithium: 4,034

Pozhal

Bian: 349
UST: 102

[VoxApocrypha]

Veneshy

The Kithium forces continued their assault against the city's defenses, using their field guns to dismantle the wall bit by bit, targeting sections with entire batteries so that they could bring down entire sections of the wall and allow for their forces to start firing into the city proper with the field artillery, their infantry as well beginning to mass again, in greater numebrs than the prior pushes. The regular infantry and remaining marines gathered in full to launch an assault to break into the city proper, and to slaughter the rest of the UST defenders.

Come mid-day, the assault would be launched, with mortars brought up as well to start attacking other sections of the walls alongside machine guns and gattling guns, to keep the defenders suppressed as effectively as possible while the infantry rushed for any openings in the city's walls to fight their way inside, at their forefront being Festria and Festria-Kithium hybrid specialists holding large steel plates that'd been forged into ballistic shields, so that they could bring cover with them and support the attack from the front.

--------

Pozhal

The Kithium gathered their strength behind the Bian, though what was sent ahead were the Marines, of whom were more than content to run with the Bian's approach to the problem.
About 50,000 soldiers, 20,000 marines and 30,000 regular infantry, with some support from gattling guns and maxim teams would move to support the attack and to throw their weight in behind the Bian, to break the last of the USTs defenders. The Kithium as well made to block all retreat out of Pozhal, almost an additional sixty thousand swinging around pozhal just as the attack began, most of that being Dragoons and quick moving raider units from the marines as well.

[Greywall]

—Veneshy—

The full kithium assault was met with hardened resistance. If anything knowing surrender led to death anyway the Union fought on in a brutal urban fight for the city.

In the Ux Voshoz church the priest was sermoning the civilians hiding, the church was packed full of women and children, young boys and wheedle men at the door to keep Union soldiers out.

“It was in those dark days, the lord said unto man that your greed, your desire for power, your tenacity for evil shall darken the lands with the disease that is war. The lord blesses the man who stands tall for peace and love and smites the crooked back men of war and bloodshed. In his forgiving light all are welcomed, but heed to this, bringer of war, saturator of blood and hate you shall find no place in the garden of heaven and shall be cast into the fires of hell!”

The church rocked from the sounds of artillery striking it, “besiege ye oh lord, protect these innocent souls and let them graze in your benevolence. Smite those who brought this terror before us and spare the ones who chose your path in peace.”

Union soldiers outside fought hard and bitterly, the central square was all that remained as Union commanders prepared for the final defense. They inflicted horrid losses on their enemy but lost just as many men. The Union commander ordered a white flag be flown for parlay.

—pozhal—

The assault on the west began, Bian soldiers with kithium support easily rattled the Union forces. They held ground lightly before falling back. These were not the soldiers in the north but drafted conscripts who didn’t want to fight. A long hard push was all that was needed to force them out but even then they found themselves unable to retreat. Many began surrendering in mass. Bian soldiers took them and ordered restraints placed on them. The train station was just ahead, but the sounds of a locomotive attempting to leave could be heard, “double time it! Seize that train” yelled zhang.

[Greywall]

Casualties

UST: 45,500
Kithium: 60,000


Pozhal

Bian: 4,800
Kithium: 1,739
UST: 6,900 (20,000 surrendering )

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium attack continued for a time, though the raising of the flag would eventually see that the assault would come to a halt, with no more artillery being fired, and the Kithium no longer advancing against the positions of the USTs remaining forces, even if now they likely could not only do so, but wouldn't have to worry about the losses because they'd be able to drown the defenders in bodies.

After a time, an officer made there way to the city for parlay, and entered through one of the gaps they'd blown in the walls, making her way towards the USTs positions with no weapon in hand, though she was shadowed by a lot of guards and some specialists with shields.

----

The Kithium began to process the prisoners, while their marines moved to take the train. Rather than going through the terminal, the Kithium went right for the rails and followed them to the train, where they'd jump aboard to seize it and to either kill or capture the conductors and force them the vehicle to a halt.

[Greywall]

The commander of the Union forces, or what remained met the kithium beyond their barricade. A row of riflemen could be seen watching from a distance.

“Well fought, but we would like to discuss terms.” He had a battered and torn appearance, clearly having fought in the battle with kithium claw marks on his uniform and bandages tied to his left leg showing blood.

[VoxApocrypha]

"The terms are simple. You and the garrison surrender the city and lay down your arms, and you will be taken to prison camps outside the city. We won't kill you or the civilians, but if you provoke us we will destroy the city and everything in it. You will surrender your weapons and munitions, and in exchange for all of this you'll get medical aid, food and taken out of the fighting until the war is over. And then we will return you to the UST.. or whatever successor state there is after." She'd say.

"If you say no, then hostilities will resume. And despite the reputation, I'd rather not have to watch people get senselessly slaughtered twice in the span of a month."
She'd say, crossing her arms.

[Greywall]

The commander laughed showing bloodied teeth, “that’s acceptable. You can have whatever is left.”

He jested but told the truth there wasn’t much left, battered and bloodied men flooded the streets of the city. Clerics and priests from the Ux Voshoz church were hard at work tending to the people and wounded. Father Soyko was overwhelmed and praying for help, he never saw such carnage but by some miracle his church was spared and the people inside were safe.

“Tend to those we can save, the rest make them comfortable and pray for them.” He told one cleric.

The UST soldiers that could move filed out broken and beat to kithium forces leaving behind what few weapons and ammunition they had left.

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium focused more so on recovering the field guns, mortars and other artillery pieces, as well as specialized equipment. More Kithium were entering the city before long, and they began to gather the remaining UST soldiers into large columns of prisoners, and marched them out of the city. There was no effort made at humiliation or so, and they otherwise began to bring in their own medics and medical supplies, beginning to set up the occupation. By and large the Kithium were rather attentive if distant, and they kept civilians away from them with the threat of force unless it was medics or Cult medicaes doing the work, to which they were more so actively protecting.

They as well would go around and start putting out fires and clearing rubble from the street. Some would start collecting discarded weapons, ammunition, and other things of which might be of value for the warchest back home.

[Greywall]

Father Soyko requested to meet with the cult of mars leadership to get medical supplies and if food could be distributed to the civilian population. Veneshy was practically destroyed, not a building stood without damage and bodies were still being dragged from the rubble. Civilians losses were staggering.

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium themselves were by and large not massively invested in the suffering.
Some clearly regretted the death and destructions, others were unphased. Some were kept quiet out of fear of reprimand, which usually came with a flogging for disobeying an order of such a nature.
They didn't care greatly for the harm they'd done. In truth a lot of them didn't. The UST had started this war, and the suffering left by their actions had only barely been mended when the Kithium had continued the war by capitalizing on their foes weakness. They remembered the pain of having their own homeland invaded - and they inversely cared little for the pain they'd inflicted.

Had it been up to some of the other officers, in all likelihood, everyone in Veneshy would be dead.
But they were blessed with someone of whom saw reason and had a inkling of mercy to show.

The Cult would send some representatives, though most of them clearly were more so acting as duel arms of both the League and the Cult, liasons and coordinators.
They'd come willing to talk and to discuss getting more aid to the city, but a lot of that was simply something they'd have to pass on to the League itself because they didn't have the resources on their own to treat such a staggering level of devastation, at least immediately on hand.

[Greywall]

Pozhal

With the Kithium the Bian seized the train, any UST forces left behind surrendered quickly. The Bian wasted little time arming the train and placing metal plates onto it. Zhang set up a command center at the terminal and began running the plan over with his officers and any Kithium that chose to attend, "A frontal assault will be suicide. The Mayor of Novya Buhkta is a rather paranoid man and has been preparing for this for some time, we drive the train straight past their forward defenses and use mounted guns on the train to do as much damage as possible. Once we have their attention our main forces will launch an assault. If we're lucky the train will have done enough damage to puncture enough of a hole to allow our forces in without much resistance."

[VoxApocrypha]

The Kithium didn't seem massively enthused at the Idea, but they'd go along with it, preparing their forces for a massive assault against the city alongside the Bian, and sending some of their best onto the train.