NationStates Jolt Archive

ooc: the events described here in take place three months before the assassination of the kaiser.

"Minister Thomias, this body requests, and would demand were it allowed, that you detail the events that lead to the current state of affairs in Osteia, and any RES involvement in the same."

Albert Lux, Reichgone and head of state of the Anj Reich, did not like having his plans disrupted in ways that required them to be reformed. both he and his parliament did not like losing an ally while the German threat still existed. the could ill afford such a lose.

"you have the floor."

"thank you, Sir. i shall begin by stating absolutely that, to the best of my knowledge, the RES had absolutely no part in this debacle. " those members of the parliament who were willing to take him at his word on this issue were visibly relieved. the rest at least relaxed a little, having official denial of involvement... helped... wither it were true or not.

" according to reports from the RES and our ambassador to Osteia, two weeks ago, during a gathering of the Kingdom of Osteia's royal family and chief beurocrats to celebrate the prince's majority, three separate dissident groups struck, attempting to topple the monarchy.

so far, an anarchist group, calls it's slef "Ostein Freedom Militia", another group spouting the ideals of the Italian Social Republic and calling it's self the "Osteian Liberation Army", or OLA, and an odd collection of southern separatists and rebels of the Lyon and Immyr persuasion, who haven't named themselves beyond "dissatisfied and unwilling citizens" have claimed responsibility, thus three.

during the incident, the three factions, who were not working together, managed to confuse the Ostian palace guard and other security sufficiently that somebody from one of them managed to get in with a bomb.

while one faction somehow acquired a machine gun and was dealing with the security in a rather brute force manner, the bomb, or possibly bombs, was set in an unfortunate location. upon detonation, the entire palace exploded spectacularly, taking all within with it.

the falling debris, caused significant damage to the surrounding area, and it is unknown how many of the actual assailants escaped, or were even present to begin with. it has been identified that the royal family of Osteia, in it's entirety, was wiped out, along with the national government almost to a man, and the primary copies of all national records. those records with secondary copies stored elsewhere are salvageable. anything overly trivial or significant will not be, most likely.

the reactions came in waves. for the first day, everyone was too stunned to do anything. no one knew anything except that the palace had exploded. however, various factions reacted as best they could, and by the second day most of the cities had been plunged into some mix of rioting and civil war.

this situation has been developing up until now, with most parts of the nation being under various sorts of martial law.

the separatists currently control the southern quarter of Osteia, for the most part. the OLA controls or has significant support along the eastern half of Osteia, the west seems to have fallen to the OFM. about half of the Osteian military has stayed out of it, and they've pulled back to the area directly across from our border, and are mostly trying to stay out of it, beyond holding a line.

it is the considered opinion of the RES that the anarchist OFM will be little more than a series of road bumps for any organized armed force, and possibly a perpetual nuisance there after. the other two are more problematic. between them they have control of roughly half the old Osteian armed forces, and solid support in the areas they occupy.

were we to intervene, we have been promised the support of the remaining Osteian military, including the Osteian navy which is currently docked in one of our own ports. all five ships of it, Anj made, they didn't finish anything they'd started work on before this. two light cruisers and three destroyers.

that's all we know for now."

Thomias took his seat once more, and the Reichgone stood "so, this situation is not of our making. but we can profit from it. i request that this body vote on the following proposal, " he was breaking tradition and rule, to an extent, by actually proposing legislation in the first place, but this at least would happen regardless, and parliamentary support would make it look more legitimate "we shall move to restore order in Osteia. working with the Osteian military, we shall send troops into Osteia to deal with this fragmentary rabble. the goal is to restore peace and order, and bring prosperity. what say you?"

the parliament was well aware that what they said didn't matter much, on issues such as these the Reichgone had final say regardless. none the less, he was unlikely to take such an action without heavy revision if enough voted against it.... but Osteia had long been an ally, with a full alliance... the closest between any two nations in Europe.... to leave them in such a state...

one by one, the members of the Anj parliament placed their voting blocks upon their desks. by the time they were done, a full three quarters had placed them with the green, affirmative, sides facing the Reichgone. of those who had not, most had placed an orange and abstained. the few who had placed reds were mostly known to be pacifists or isolationists, or both.

"it is decided." the Reichgone spoke once the last block had been placed. "as soon as the army is ready, we move. i shall give a formal speach to the public later today."


outside of parliament house, broadcast over the radio

"the Reichgone's speech today on the Osteian civil war was met with great support...
My people, Osteia has long been our friend and ally. now, in their time of need, we go to their aid. as i speak, the second cavalry division, fourth infantry division, and elements of the first artillery division move to join up with their armed forces and restore order.

let it be known that the Reich honours it's agreements.

let it be known that the Reich wishes only that which is best for all people

let it be known that the Reich is more than capable on the field of battle

and to all the ordinary people in Osteia, let it be known, the Anj Reich, the" (here he shifted briefly to German,) "KINGDOM OF THE ANGELS" before reverting back to ouhAnj " SHALL COME TO THEIR AID, SHALL RESTORE THE PROSPERITY THEY WERE SO CLOSE TO ATTAINING, AND SHALL NOT WITHDRAW ONE STEP UNTIL THAT TASK IS COMPLETE!"


this speech was greeted with rousing cheers from the crowed gathered to hear it, though most analysts take a more neutral stance, siting Germany and other issues. "

"Chaos and confusion in Europe, no?"
"True...this will keep the Anj somewhat occupied, at a critical time...let us hope they can reach a final solution as swiftly as possible."
"Let it be known that we support the restoration of order to Osteia, and hope that a peaceful solution may be found."

Government Statement
Incognitia fully supports the actions of the Anj Reich in assisting their long-time friends in Osteia.
We hope that a solution which will be peaceful in the long-term can be swiftly achieved, and call upon Lyon and Immyr to assist Osteia in this noble cause.
None of us wants or needs chaos on our borders.

ooc: well, no one said anything that actually affects the action, so... away we go.

IC:

it was unfortunate, Marshal Zephisan thought to himself, that it had to be Osteia where this war was fought. unfortunate, yes... but that it was fought at all, such a small thing, That was fortunate indeed. all the doctrinal developments that had been bounced around by the command staff could be tested. what did and didn't work could be seen. all could be practiced.

and the result would be a more powerful Reich.

shortly he would meet with the Osteian Lieutenant general, one Antony Bugatt, who had under his command two divisions of infantry, each larger than the Marshal's own, but ultimately inferior troops. they were demoralized, for the most part, and still fought in the old ways, which worked well enough right up until the enemy decided to defend a position and make a fight of it with modern weaponry.

unfortunately, the enemy, or in this case enemies, were doing just that thanks to something on the order of half the Osteian military taking sides within days of the conflict coming about.

the anarchists were something of an exception, getting their weaponry primarily from the black market, and as a result having nothing in the way of modern artillery. they still had machine guns though, which made any assault a recipe for disaster.

there was a rustling as the tent flap was moved aside "ahh, General come in, I'd been waiting for you. "

"well sir, as you see, here i am." the Osteian waited expectantly.

"yes, well... sit, have a drink" Zephisan passed the relevant items across as he spoke. " now, we are to discuss how to go about sorting out this mess you have here. at our disposal are your own divisions, an Anj cavalry division with attached artillery brigade, and an Anj infantry division with attached artillery brigade. tell me about the situation?"

"well, sir, we control everything within two days march of the Anj border, then if you follow the coastline you get to anarchist territory. we could deal with that, but it would leave what we have unprotected, and to the south are the ... i don't know what to call them beyond crazy and dangerous."

"ahh yes, the OLA"

"with all due respect sir, it might be best not to call them that in front of the men."

"right, right, noted. carry on."

"the communists have approximately four infantry divisions, organized along fairly normal Osteian military lines. they're understrength, mostly conscripts and militia. good enough for holding ground and defending against the other factions, but poor troops. with one... fairly notable exception. what's been labeled the 'hand of liberation' division. it's comprised mostly of what appear to be fanatics, and lead by defectors from our own military, for the most part. they concentrated every artillery piece they could get their hands on in that unit, it seems. a whole brigade of them, really. and it has a fair number of armored cars, which are a nuisance."

"and this one division prevented any advance?"

"to be fair, sir, they are in a prepared position, our own units' moral is badly damaged by this whole thing, and the anarchists are constantly raiding from the west. also our supplies and so on have been extremely limited until now."

"right then. here's what we'll do..."

two days later, front lines

the men of the Hand of Liberation division of the Osteian Liberation Army did not understand what they were seeing. over night, small wooden forts had sprung up all around their positions and were now firing a constant bombardment of artillery shells at them. there were no trenches, so the third battalion had been ordered to make a break between two of them so as to hit one in the rear. the result had proved the small structures more dangerous than they looked. mortar and machine gun fire had wiped the unprepared unit out to a man. had they been willing to go back, they might have survived, but their leaders said forward, so forward they went.

their own artillery did very little unless they concentrated it on one fort at a time, and even then it was hard to tell exactly how much damage it did, as it appeared that most of the soldiers in them evacuated to the rear during any particularly heavy bombardment, then came back and began firing again if it stopped.

then a new report came "Comrade! there are cavalry behind us! from the Reich!"

"damn them! what are they doing?"

"they caught one of our supply convoys. reports indicate that they appear to have captured most of it and destroyed the rest. the convoy is now moving under guard around us and back towards the enemy lines."

"damn it! send the armor after them! I'll have no imperialist HORSEMEN defeating the Hand of Liberation!"

"at once, Comrade!"

*****

the men of the second cavalry division's first brigade knew full well that horsemen lost to armored cars, every time. they also knew that infantry, especially when equipped with land mines, light artillery, and grenades, did a lot better. so it was that the first and third battalions, each of which had an armored company of their own, immediately dismounted and sent their horses to the rear at the threat of armored cars.

taking what cover there was to be had, which often consisted of their own cars parked to form barricades, and they deployed a hasty defensive line. the OLA's armored cars did better than their earlier infantry attack, in that they actually caused appreciable casualties, and some survived to withdraw. however, as an effective fighting unit they were broken and repulsed.

the cavalry, still in possession of their enemies supplies, withdrew.

*****

"no! NO NO NO! are these men or demons we fight?"

"Men, Comrade. it's the only thing the armored unit was sure of. they bleed and die just as we do."

"ugh. those forts have all but destroyed the outer works. we withdraw. send a request for another division to meet us at the next defensive point."

"yes, Comrade"

*****

to the west, the rest of the cavalry division, with it's attached artillery and the more mobile elements of the Osteian military, were breaking anarchist strong points. it wasn't hard. race forward, encircle them, destroy bridges and burn fields. the first few they'd had to bombard the towns where the anarchists usually made their stands. in time though, the word spread. only the stronger positions failed to surrender after the initial encirclement. those, the Osteian infantry was called in to besiege. the strongest held out three weeks.

casualties for the coalition were light.

second month of conflict

the OLA was greatly reduced in strength. it's popular support for it was waning. the last of the anarchists had fallen to the separatist forces, who were also attacking the OLA, though with much less success.

unlike the other two, the separatist leadership was willing to talk terms with the Reich and the Osteian military. for now, the nation was split roughly in half. the coalition to the north, and the two remaining rebel groups to the south.

while the both sides assaulted the OLA positions [concentrated as they now were, there were far fewer gaps, but the OLA had eroded too] a truce was called between the separatists and the coalition.

representatives of those nations the separatists wished to join were called to the peace talks that were arranged, as well as representatives of the regular Osteian armed forces.

ooc: and this is where i need Immyr and Lyon to actually participate a bit, as it's this point that results in them gaining territory. possibly Germany also, to justify that buffer zone.

Head Of Government --Lyon--

Alain-René had heard the calls for a peace conference, and had noticed over the last few months that war was going on in their neighbour’s territory. He had wished to remain neutral, but under advice from the man who ruled over him, despite him being Prime Minister, Jean Saint-Pierre, he had agreed to enter peace talks in order to bring stability to the region and hopefully acquire more lands in the form of terrorized Osteian ones.

- Official Communiqué To Anj Reich

We admire the fact you have come to save your neighbour, and we wish to restore peace and stability in this terrorized country as much as you do. Therefore, we will enter any peace talks that are opened, with our Deputy Prime Minister attending.

Alain-René,
Prime Minister of the Republic Of Lyonnais

The Kingdom of Immyr had been content to simply wait and watch and while army positions along the Osteian border had been reinforced further, no Immyrian unit had crossed into Osteian territory. The same could not be said however, of Immyrian arms and munitions.

The Kingdom had actually been providing weapons to the seperatists for some time now. Nothing large and nothing that could be traced back to the Kingdom with any ease. Hundreds of Berthier rifles and Chauchat light machine guns along with thousands of rounds of ammunition had found their way over the border.

When conflict within Osteia had finally broken out, Immyrian governmental apparatus had made the usual diplomatic noise; calling for peace, condemning civilian casualties, and so forth but had not moved to intervene. The Kingdom did not want to seem over eager. All of that was about to change. Conflict was winding down and the previous Osteian government had, for all intents and purposes, been removed.

In the interest of "restoring peace", elements of the 14th Guards Rifles (roughly 700 soldiers and support personnel) crossed the border in trucks and on foot and linked up with Immyrian backed seperatists. Together, they began securing those regions that had fallen under seperatist control. Food and medical supplies were sent in by truck in so as to help alleviate any shortages that may have been in existence.

When the message calling for peace talks amongst the various factions finally arrived at the Foreign Ministry, it was with some relief that the Foreign Minister placed call to the Prime Minister and was immediately instructed to attend those talks in person. He was also instructed to head off any conversation regarding the Immyrian military presence in southern Osteia and keep the talk focused squarely on restoring the peace and supporting the seperatists claims. The OLA and OFM would have to fend for themselves.

OOC: Just my long winded way of announcing that Immyr will be represented at the talks by the Foreign Minister. This has been great by the way. Well written by all involved. :)

ooc: how detailed do you guys want these negotiations to be? the resulting map changes are pretty much decided already, near enough.

after some deliberation, it was decided that the peace talks would take place in Plasmet, capital of the Anj province of Ostmarc, which was also one of the Reich's two international air-ports. airships would be sent to Immyr and Leonnais to collect their delegates, and also that of the separatist leadership.



*****



meanwhile, pressed from both sides, the OLA's forces had condensed. over fifty percent had been lost during the fighting, but that still left them two divisions, including a depleted Hand of Liberation division, partially reinforced from the remains of the two lost units. they were making a hard fight of things, but between the constant artillery bombardments, the Osteian Regular Army having been somewhat revitalized by the string of victories the Riech provided them, the Separatists in the south attempting fairly typical massed assaults, and the Anj cavalry exploiting every opening to ravage their rear areas before withdrawing again to avoid being cut off, it was only a matter of time before they fell.

a truce was in place between the separatist factions and the Anj Reich, for the moment, and eventually the OLA's last stronghold fell.

the cavalry of the third brigade of the second division finally tipped the balance when, on one of their regular raids through the various holes in the OLA's front lines, they stayed to long and finally Were cut off. behind their own lines, the decision was made to continue operations and leave them to their own devices.

the third brigade's commander, one Leutenant General Hovar Port, proved very wily. he deployed the brigade in a typical temporary defensive order, dismounted and with light works for protection. then, they held for eight hours. this was not such an amazing feat, as the OLA was content to let them sit there as long as they didn't Do anything. Anj cavalry had been significant in every defeat the OLA had suffered in the north.

so it was that a relatively unmolested third brigade stood ready, and when the next break in the front lines opened up, and the first and second cavalry brigades came through to begin raiding, the third made it's bid for freedom. straight through the still intact portion of the OLA lines between the breaks.

the OLA infantry in that section were, for the most part, still set up to protect against their front, so as to at least keep any enemy infantry from advancing and actually securing the area, 'knowing' that the Anj cavalry would withdraw rather than become trapped.

as a result, the third brigade's mounted charge from their rear took them completely by surprise. their defenses had been dug, not as proper trenches, but as slopes, so as to more easily maneuver heavier equipment into or out of them. mortars and artillery had been fired from within the works as a result, and been left far less vulnerable to returning fire. third brigade took full advantage of this fact in it's attack.

OLA casualties were immense, and with that a large enough gap was opened up that the entire OLA line began to collapse.

Leutenant General Hovar Port ended up not gaining a single award or promotion as a result, though many of his men did. it was viewed as the right move at the right time in a poor situation. given, however, that the aforementioned move was to initiate a saber charge against a prepared infantry position, it was also seen as absolute stupidity and not something that was to be encouraged.

as the northern lines collapsed, the OLA was forced to withdraw it's southern forces and close up. this allowed the separatists to advance as well. during the withdrawal, the bulk of the OLA's conscript troopers were either killed, surrendered, or deserted, no longer interested in anything but their homes, families, and survival. those who remained were attached to the Hand of Liberation division, which now, along with some upper level command staff and a few support elements, composed the entire OLA.

***
one week later, peace talks:


the Anj delegation consisted of two ministers, minister of defense Darthenj
and minister of foreign affairs Pemji, as well as Marshal Zephisan. Osteia, or at least what remained of the old Osteia, was represented soley by Lieutenant General Antony Bugatti.

the Temporary Union of Separatists (they'd finally decided on a name for themselves during the fighting) were represented by their own leader*

the Lyonnais and Immyr delegates were also present, and RES and regular Anj military provided the primary security force for the occasion.

"Well, gentlemen, the OLA is all but crushed, the anarchist instigators and most of their leadership have been caught or confirmed to have perished in the fighting, all that remains is a little tidying up and an agreement on what happens to Osteia next." Pemji was calm as he got the meting moving "the Reich has a general plan that should satisfy all present here, or failing that, at least be seen to be the most over all workable and beneficial option. but there is some room in it for adjustments based on your concerns. so, before i outline the plan and it gets argued over, perhaps it would be best if each party present outlined what they want to get out of this?"

the separatist leader* spoke first "the people of the Temporary Union of Separatists are not Osteians. most are, by decent, of Immyr and Lyon. the old government was harsh and cared nothing for us, while our ancestral homelands are more free, and generally safer. we wish to be allowed to rejoin those nations, but we do not wish to have to give up our homes to do so."

"most of your people live here in the south, do they not?" Pemji inquired

"indeed."

"in that case, the Reich has no problem with it. our Osteian friend might though. "

"if it brings an end to this strife, i have no complaints, and those from within the rest of Osteia will be few, and based more on pride than on sanity." Bugatti responded. "for our own part, we wish safety and prosperity for the Osteian people. almost anything that achieves that would be agreed to, with but minor quibbles over details."

"good, good." Pemji smiled "this is going to be easier than i thought. what of our western friends?" he looked at the Lyon and Immyr delegates as he asked this. "what do you seek to gain?"

ooc: the leader* needs a name. that little * is because there should be a name there. hehe. it probably won't matter TOO much.

The Lyon delegate, a tall imposing and unshaven man named Delmont Chalmers, the Deputy Prime Minister, stood up to voice his views "We only wish for peace in the lands of France, and stable relations between our neighbouring nations. We are willing to allow these people back into our nation, though they will be observed by our Police Force - we are a free nation, but we can simply not trust any person fully who has risen up like this against there own nation.

We will also help with the 'cleanup' of the country, and will not request any major reward. One thing Lyon really needs is land - though this is the last thing on our mind, and we do not wish to exploit the nation at hand. We are a small nation and in times of war despite our high military power for our size we are still too small to actually put up a decent fight against world powers - though the Reich deserves the areas of Osteia for it's work in saving it, and we do not wish to be rude, and therefore will only officially ask for this favour of more land if the nation of Immyr does. We thank the Reich for it's quick removal of all threats from France, and we have little more to say on the subject unless further issues are brought up we did not think about."

ooc: lack of posting and a desire to see this done result in the following. i think it's fairly safe to say that all would agree with the following terms [which, despite my not having stated, they have read by this point.

IC:
the next day, after what limited debate there was to be had, and a good lunch, the treaty was finally completed in detail.

"very well, gentlemen, if there are no further complaints or objections, i believe that this treaty is ready to be signed." so saying, Pemji put pen to paper and, in his official capacity as minister of foreign affairs for the Anj Reich, signed on behalf of the Reichgone and his nation.

the details of the treaty were very simple. those anarchists responsible for their attack on the Osteian monarchy who still lived were to be rounded up and hung in what was left of the Osteian capital. upon their eventual surrender or utter defeat, the self styled socialists of the OLA were to be dealt with as the Reich saw fit, so long as it did not, at any point, violate the law of the Anj Reich at the time of the initial attack.

the separatists were to get what they wanted. on paper, those members of the TLS who had been responsible for their were to be 'dealt with suitably' by their new governments. in reality, it was unlikely they'd get anything more than a note on their record and a lack of victory parade and hero status. Pemji, and for that matter Reichgone Lux, knew it would be so and were perfectly willing to accept that.

as for the territorial division, the Reich was to annex the northern half of Osteia in it's entirety, save for a 'demilitarized' and 'neutral' strip along the border of Germany, which would be left to it's own devices. no on was sure if it would achieve anything, but a longer border on that front was not desired.

the south was cut roughly in quarters. the western quarter went to Immyr, the southern to Leonnais[sp] the northern to the Reich, and the eastern was split between the Reich and a continuation of the demilitarized strip.

also in the treaty was the acceptance of the Osteian government, such as it was, to the terms, under the condition that it's citizens be made full legal citizens of the nation who's rule they now found themselves under, with all rights and representation that entitled them to.

additionally, all involved agreed to recognize the new territories as rightfully part of the nations annexing them under the agreement, in as much as their original lands were. for good measure the treaty then defined the exact location of each nation's resulting borders in Europe in their entirety.

after it was signed, copys would be sent to Illar, Incognitia, Germany, and any other nation who requested them upon the announcement that the situation was over and dealt with.
********



as the peace conference was winding up, so to was the OLA's resistance. 8 days after it's last defensive line broke, it's leadership finally surrendered, on the condition that they be deported to the Italian Socialist Republic rather than executed.

the Reich held a summery trial, hunted down those responsible for the initial attack, and hung them. the rest were granted the terms they requested.

once more, the Reichgone spoke to his people on the radio.

"with this unfortunate incident behind us, it is time for the Reich, larger and, in time, stronger for this sorrowful event, to move forward. Ostiea is no more, but her people shall not suffer. homes and factories shall be rebuilt. families shall reunited, and, where possible, life shall carry on as before.

those two Osteian divisions that remained loyal to their government, their oaths, and their responsibility in the face of adversity shall remain intact. their dead shall be recorded in the official military records of the Reich, and a memorial built as is right and fitting. these two divisions, alone amongst the Osteian army, stayed true. as such, they shall be listed in the military records as the Osteian Corps, and while they will change their uniforms for those of the Reich, their Osteian awards shall still be available to their members, from now until the Reich it's self is no longer in a position to see it done. long may that day be from now.

and now i say, to the nations and people of the world; Let This be a reminder of what the Reich stands for. Let any who would be foolish enough to attack our friends know that we shall be their by their side as fast as horse, as wheel, as boot, as ship, as Aeroz Krapht can take us!

let the world see the prosperity we shall bring to these war torn lands in years to come. and let them marvel.

and to anarchists, to socialists, to communists, to republicans, to revolutionaries of all stripe, let it be known that the Reich DOES NOT, and CANNOT stand for such acts as lead to the Osteian war.

we shall have Peace. we shall have Prosperity. we shall have Safety. we shall have Secuirty. we shall have Life

FOR WE ARE, ONE AND ALL, THE ANJ REICH, THE KINGDOM OF THE ANGELS!

once more the crowed were moved to ongoing cheers. it took a good ten minutes for them to settle sufficiently for the police to see about disbursing them in an orderly manner and re-opening the road outside the government buildings.

ooc: and that Should be the end of that.

Incognitia felt they should respond to this.

We congratulate the Anj Reich on a remarkably successfl conclusion to a highly difficult situation. We fully recognise the new borders of Immyr, Lyon and the Anj Reich, and call upon all nations to recognise the will of the Osteian people in this.

OOC: I apologize for my slow response. Busy weekend.

IC:

Minister Bouchard was grateful that the conference had ended almost as quickly as it had started. Immyrian army deployments into what had been south-western Osteia had been fully legitimized by the signing of the treaty and Immyr had gained in land, population, and prestige. It wasn't every day that you were on the winning end of a local conflict.

At any rate, Bouchard mused as his airship plied the airways between nations, he had had a change to meet with his counterpart in the Reich and get a full measure of the man. Clever and forward thinking was how Bouchard would describe Monsieur Pemji. A man to be watched.

All in all, it had been a good few days. He cringed though, to think what mess he might be coming home to.

Delmont Chalmers, the Deputy Prime Minister, was pleased with the results of the meeting. The Republic Of Lyonnais now owned more of France than before, and would only increase in it's wealth, population and reputation hopefully because of this - plus France, a much divided country, had shown it was stable a united in it's goals for peace in the area. He return home happy with want he could tell the Prime Minister.