1702 Mondo Cibolan offensive
| 1702 Mondoist offensive in Cibola | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Cibolan Mondoists | Anti-Mondoists | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Mondo Etzeterra Helmut Drosselmeyer Sylvester Schlumpf (WIA) Verena Treuenfeld
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| Units involved | |||||||
Mondoist forces
| Anti-Mondoist forces
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| Strength | |||||||
| unknown | unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| light | light | ||||||
The 1702 Mondoist offensive in Cibola was a brief military campaign by Cibolan Saxon forces loyal to Mondo Etzeterra that led to the establishment of the Mondostate of Etzeland.
Background
The House of Rossheim had been associated with southern Cibola since the 16th century AN, establishing a series of states in the area. In the aftermath of the fall of Minarboria, the Rossheimers' former lands fell to the Grand Duchy of Helderbourgh, which was subsequently subsumed within the Kingdom of Batavia in 1673 AN. Batavian rule proved relatively short lived, with the kingdom withdrawing from Cibola in 1685 AN, after which the local Cibolan Saxon communities were left to fend for themselves.
On 20.II.1720 AN, the enigmatic ruler of Northbloom, Mondo Etzeterra, who claimed descent from the Rossheimers, unexpectedly asserted his rights to the former Rossheim bailiwicks of Leichenberg, Leichenhafen, Neumarket, Neurossheim, Oberwald, and Oeschental in the Cibolan Cake Declaration. Although many commentators remained sceptical of Etzeterra's ability to make good on his claims, his announcement found a welcome ear among the Cibolan Saxon elites of the city of Neurossheim, many of whom were descended from retainers of the Rossheim family.
Timeline
7.III.1702
The mayor of Neurossheim, Helmut Drosselmeyer, declares the city for Etzeterra and orders the local Heimwehr (home guard) to raise the Mondo Flag over the Stadtschloss. Although calculated to rally pro-Mondoist support across the region, Drosselmeyer's subsequent overtures are rejected by the civic authorities in the cities of Leichenberg and Leichenhafen, who suspect his ambitions; as the former capital of Rossheim Cibola and site of the family mausoleum, the city of Leichenberg is particularly hostile.
The Mondoists find a more favourable reception from the strategic town of Oesch, some 300 kilometres to the north-west, where after some initial hesitation, the local authorities finally pledge their support later that evening. Located at the confluence of the two valleys in which the cities of Leichenberg and Neurossheim are situated, Oesch is a key communication centre linking them to Leichenhafen.
8.III.1702
Mondoist forces spent most of the day consolidating control over the Oeschental and marshalling their strength to challenge the anti-Mondoist regimes in Leichenberg and Leichenhafen. In Oesch, the governing council voted to rename the town Mondoesch, while that afternoon, elements of the local Selbschutz (self protection volunteers) mounted a disorganised advance on the neighbouring town of Neumarkt to the north, which controlled the main road and railway to Leichenhafen. The advance was quickly abandoned after a key bridge was found to be guarded by hostile local militia.
9.III.1702
The following morning, the Oeschental Selbschutz launched a renewed offensive towards Neumarkt. An attempt to surprise the anti-Mondoist garrison at the bridge failed, as overnight the original defenders had been substantially reinforced by the Neumarkt Selbschutz. Although low-level skirmishing continuing for the rest of the day, the Mondoists failed to make any significant headway.
To the south, the Heimwehr Neurossheim began an advance on Leichenberg, after authorities in the latter firmly rebuffed further overtures from Mayor Drosselmeyer. Despite initial progress, the operation was subsequently abandoned after the commander, Sylvester Schlumpf, was seriously injured when his staff car swerved to avoid a Siebenbergen goat and collided with a tree. Morale among the Mondoists briefly slumped, but was later revived by a surprise broadcast from Fort Ermingander, in which Mondo explained a new recipe for a layered chocolate cake, specially created to "bring joy to his many new friends in Cibola".
10.III.1702
The frustrations of the previous day had convinced many leading Mondoists that greater political and military consolidation were required to overcome their regional opponents. After a hastily-arranged joint meeting that morning, the councils of Neurossheim and Mondoesch voted to unite as the Mondostate of Etzeland, with Drosselmeyer as Staatsleiter (state leader). As part of the consolidation process, the local defence forces of the two cities were similarly unified as the Heimwehr Etzeland.
Confidence in the new state was immediately buoyed by the fall of the town of Oberwald in the neighbouring valley to pro-Mondoist local elements, and was further strengthened that afternoon when the crucial bridge to the north was finally seized by an ad-hoc assault unit, Sturmbataillon Etzeichen. With the demoralised defenders streaming away leaving the road to the town open, Neumarkt's mayor surrendered later that evening.
11.III.1702
The fall of Neumarkt and Oberwald left the port city of Leichenhafen open to attack. Although so far unaffected by the fighting to the south, confidence in the anti-Mondoist city leaders rapidly slumped and it quickly became apparent that there was little public support for a fight to the finish against an ascendant Etzeland. With the mood in the city turning increasingly hostile, Leichenhafen's ruling council opened negotiations with the Drosselmeyer regime.
12.III.1702
Leichenhafen's accession to Etzeland left the city of Leichenberg as the sole remaining focus of anti-Mondoist power in the immediate region, and with Etzeland firmly in control of all key transportation routes into the city, its fall seemed increasingly likely. Recognising the political risks of an outright attack, Drosselmeyer reached out again with a deal: if Leichenberg peacefully acceded to the Mondostate, then the city's local autonomy would be respected. Although initially reluctant to submit, as the day progressed the Leichenbergers came to accept the weakness of their position and finally agreed to Drosselmeyer's terms that evening.
Aftermath
Although a comparatively minor conflict, the offensive heralded the emergence of Mondoism as an international force. In the following nine months, Mondoist regimes arose in Riskai and neighbouring Steerswick, while Etzeland expanded to incorporate the majority of the former Kingdom of Leichenberg.
