Pacification of Eastern Shimmerspring

Current extent of DMDF's line of control. Subject to change pending agreements with Sanama.

The pacification of eastern Shimmerspring is an ongoing campaign conducted by the Supreme Bovic Republic of Drak-Modan. Calls for expansion into Shimmerspring have always been on the political backburner in Drak-Modan, which more pressing domestic concerns, an uneasy eastern border with Guttuli, and general unrest in the north and west of Benacia. The relatively quite area was generally ignored until the Istvanistani Patriotic Army declared it a sovereign nation.

Although preoccupied with other matters, both Sanama and Drak-Modan recognized the risks of having a rogue nation wedged between them. A gentleman's agreement between the governments of Sanama and Drak-Modan allowed for each nation to annex about half of Shimmerspring.

Drak-Modani chancellor Davit Teimuraz announced that eastern Shimmerspring would not be admitted to the Bovic Republic as its own demesne, and would instead be integrated into Kizshire and Sehmlshire, to discourage any unwanted IPA resistance.

Teimuraz issued several of his first Chancellorial Decrees, as authorized by the new Drak-Modani constitution, which directed the Drak-Modani Defense Force to move into Shimmerspring and establish a command center near Jugensk.

Bovic Conversions

Under orders from the Chancellor, the Otchim of the Benacian Bovic Church organized the creation of the young church's first missionary expedition called The Stampede, characterized as a "mobile, well-financed, militarily-supported, Bovic Herd." The Stampede would enter towns after the DMDF moved through and begin to preach the Bovic faith, offering full Drak-Modani citizenship to anyone who converted. Those who did not accept the Bovic faith were offered a "final baptism" in a nearby body of water. This aggressive form of mission work was condemned by the Dozan Bovic Church.

Jugensk Resistance

Pockets of fighting between DMDF and the IPA/Shimmerspring Guard continued in Jugensk for nearly 8 months, due to the nature of fighting devolving into urban guerrilla warfare. As the Benacian Bovic Stampede moved throughout eastern Shimmerspring, newly converted Bovics chose to relocate to nearby and safe Drakorda. Chancellor Teimuraz refused to commit more ground troops to the pacification effort, and instead promoted a policy of consistent bombardment in rebel-held areas of the city and countryside.

The Bombing of Jugensk was undertaken by the Drak-Modani airforce for a period of 2 weeks, during which any target outside of the DMDF-controlled Green Zones of Jugensk were subjected to bombings. The government of Drak-Modan had little interest in saving the city of Jugensk, or allowing for any rallying points for the Shimmerspring resistance.

Due to the resource-poor nature of Shimmerspring and low prospects of immigration and settlement, the former city of Jugensk would be converted into a military research and training installation partnering with the South Benacian Community.

Arrest of Joshua Ding-Eagle

On 10.V.1680, the Drak-Modani forces arrested Joshua Ding-Eagle and other members of the top levels of the IPA/Republican Guard. The IPA/RG once the Sanaman invasion of western Shimmerspring begun, feared capture by the Sanamans more than the Drak-Modanis, and therefore moved en masse to the eastern half of Shimmerspring. Once the DM forces found the IPA/RG holdout, some shots were ceremoniously fired from both sides, whereupon Ding-Eagle announced a surrender (a conditional one according to him, unconditional according to the Drak-Modanis). The entire site turned from a headquarters for the Republican Guard to a prisoner-of-war camp under Drak-Modani rule. Ding-Eagle and the other top members of the group were quickly moved to Eriksburg for further processing.