Cibolan Reconquista

Cibolan Reconquista
Date 1685 - Location Western Cibola
Belligerents
Barbarian Republic Jingdaoese Empire  Imperial Trade Union  Ralgon	Vanic resistance Batavian resistance Koning Joost-Willem de Eerste

The Cibolan Reconquista is an attempt by the Barbarian Republic and the Jingdaoese Empire to regain control over Western Cibola. The idea gained foothold in Barbarian politics after the acceptance of the Chidao Emperor as ceremonial monarch. It was realised that the ancient capital of Jingdao, Zijincheng, including the ruins of the ancient imperial palace were not that far from the territory of the republic. After careful negotiations, the Jingdaoese emperor offered to establish a volunteer army that would assist the republic, the Cibolan Volunteer Corps.

The ultimate goal of the endeavour was the conquest of all lands formerly occupied by the First Empire under the banner of the Empire of Barbary and Nanjing, which would remain independent of the modern Jingdaoese Empire. A point which should be stressed because of claims to the contrary by foreign instigators.

Following similar goals focused on the island of Drag'os (to the north of the western portion of the Cibolan mainland), the Holy Ralgon Empire's military forces joined to support these conquests in exchange for securing victories of paramount importance to the restoration of domestic morale in the wake of the 1685 Crisis and its attendant losses.

1686

Situation at the beginning of 1686

IX.1686 (Yuandi)

• 14: Jingdaoese ships carrying the first 5,000 recruits belonging to the Cibolan Volunteer Corps moor in the harbour of Naval. They are welcomed by President Ase Wittenstein of the Barbarian Republic.
• 15: After having a night spent with sight-seeing in the historic city centre, the Cibolan Volunteer Corps pledge allegiance to the Barbarian Republic in a ceremony on the northern outskirts of Naval.
• 16: News from the arrival of Jingdaoese troops leads to an uprising in the unincorporated Vanic village of Capua.
• 20: Five more Jingdaoese ships, this time carrying 2,500 recruits of the volunteer corps arrive in Naval.
• 21: A group of 200 descendants from First Empire Jingdaoese citizens reports to join the corps.
• 22: The New Zimian War League activates 10,796 troops based in the Bassarid Penal Colony of Drag'os in preparation for supporting Jingdaoese efforts.

X.1686 (Goburin)

• 01: A legion from the Barbarian Republican Guard marches towards Capua, contact is made with Vanic troops entrenched west of the village.
• 02: After nightly skirmishes, both the Republican Guard and Vanic resistance in Capua mourn several casualties.
• 03: 10 Dolstier I main battle tanks from Jingdao arrive in the harbour of Naval, they are added to the Republican Guard.
• 04: With armoured support, the Republican Guard pushes into Capua, Vanic forces flee towards the east.
• 06: Troops from Ralgon's homeland arrive in Nova Victoria, remaining Batavians in the city do not resist the Ralgonese forces taking control of the city harbour.
• 07: The Ralgonese Emperor orders the formation of an occupation force to secure the Nova Victoria's still-intact naval infrastructure, and its residential quarters to house refugees threatening to overcrowd the homeland. When threatened with eviction from their homes, in order to house Ralgonese refugees, Batavian inhabitants of the city block streets to stop the Ralgonese forces from entering their quarters.
• 10: Ralgonese explorers arrive at the former Storish enclave of Frigga Island. They encounter minor Vanic remnants and report their findings to their allies as they have insufficient forces available to conquer the island alone.
• 11: 2,700 troops, along with material assets, belonging to the New Zimian War League land on the beaches north of Kaapstad.
• 12: The New Zimian War League enters Kaapstad, where they establish a forward operations headquarters in the city's former industrial zone. Minimal opposition is encountered in the industrial zone, but Batavian resistance fighters block the road to the city centre.
• 13: Just over a week after the skirmishes in Capua end, Barbary withdraws the Republican Guard from the village and sends it to a position south of Basella.
• 14: The Cibolan Volunteer Corps sends 5,000 soldiers to join the Republican Guard south of Basella.
• 15: Three members of the Batavian resistance are caught as they make photographs of the Barbarian positions near Basella. They are tortured but do not give credible information on the defense of Basella.
• 16: A Jingdaoese reconnaissance team maps Batavian resistance positions, they are not careful enough and one soldier's life is claimed by machine gun fire from a lookout tower.
• 17: A Barbarian team recovers the body of the Jingdaoese soldier who was slaughtered the day before. They retalliate by blowing up the Batavian lookout tower with a Panzerfaust, two Batavian lives are lost.
• 18: Combined Jingdaoese and Barbarian forces start the assault of Basella. After heavy fighting are they able to capture the former residence of the South Batavian Catological Church. Barbary loses 12 soldiers, Jingdao 6 and the Batavian resistance more than 100, most of them to Dolstier fire.
• 19: Batavian resistance fighters from Laguarres arrive in Basella. They have brought anti-tank weapons with them to counter the Dolstier attacks. The Barbarians lose one tank after it is lured into an ambush.
• 20: In the early hours of the 20th day, Batavian resistance fighters set up an ambush on Jingdao-Barbarian supply lines, setting fire to a parked truck carrying diesel, the driver cannot escape in time and dies in the flames.
• 21: The Republican Guard launches an attack on Basella's city center, fighting Batavian resistance for every meter. After seven hours of fighting the Batavians try to retreat to Laguarres but in their flight they are ambushed by the Cibolan Volunteer Corps. 43 Barbarians lose their life, 5 Jingdaoese, 589 Batavians and another 895 Batavians are taken prisoner.
• 22: The Republican Guard and the Cibolan Volunteer Corps hold a victory march through Basella, after which the city's mayor is forced to swear allegiance to the republic.
• 22: Relying heavily upon aerial support, the New Zimian War League breaks Batavian defenses and makes headway in their efforts to establish control of the city center of Kappstad. Nevertheless, insurgent forces continue to present a considerable obstacle which serves to slow War League operations. As fighting drags on, resistance fighters employ increasingly desperate tactics including the use of IED's and rudimentary booby traps.

XI.1686 (Haigu)

• 01: A delegation from the Barbarian Republic arrives in Nova Victoria to establish a provisional city council. They are surprised to learn that many Ralgonese refugees have descended upon the city. In a discussion in the city hall with representatives of the Ralgonese and Batavian communities they try to find a solution for the impasse, but this is not found. Negotiations continue for several days.
• 02: Representatives of the Barbarian Republic meet with representatives of Laguarres. They come to the agreement that Laguarres will join the Barbarian Republic, Barbary will in return release the prisoners that were taken on the 21st day of Goburin.
• 03: In Willemstad a pretender to the Batavian throne declares that Cato himself has given him the task to lead a crusade against the Barbarians that have attacked the other Batavian cities. Koning Joost-Willem de Eerste receives monetary support from former colonists who have fled to Benacia following the collapse of Batavian rule in Cibola, and is also joined by several hundred adventurers and mercenaries.
• 04: Five Dolstier I tanks arrive in Naval from Jingdao. They are added to the Cibolan Volunteer Corps.
• 05: After stripping it of valuable and useable materials, the village of Capua is burnt down to the ground by the Cibolan Volunteer Corps. A volunteer who walks into the forest to collect wood for the fire pit is ambushed by Vanic resistance fighters and abducted.
• 06: After noticing one volunteer missing, the Cibolan Volunteer Corps launches a search action in the Capua area. Traces of the Vanic resistance such as cooking utensils are found, but no traces of the abducted soldier.
• 07: During the search action in the woods near Capua, two Vanic fighters are caught. They are both tortured to extract information on the fate of the lost volunteer. They both admit that the volunteer has been abducted but tell different stories on where he has been brought. Scouts are sent in to explore the locations and find that at one of them an ambush has been prepared. The soldier is found dead at the other location, his body gruesomely beaten. It is recovered and the Vanic prisoners are crucified on the location of Capua to serve as a warning.
• 08: A first group of Barbarian scouts is sent out to rediscover the location of the ancient capital Zijincheng, they depart from Basella and carry a parcel which carries the personal seal of the Chidao Emperor.
• 09: The second legion from the Republican Guard leaves Naval to march towards Baicha. A group of scouts is sent out to gather intelligence on the city.
• 10: Citing resistance from a far larger-than-expected city population, the Ralgon occupation force agrees to scrap any permanent occupation plans, instead ceding political control of the city to the Barbarians. Nonetheless, they retain military infrastructure sorely needed to continue operations safely outside of their homeland. The Barbarian Republic files a claim with the MCS to recognise the occupation of Baicha, Basella, Laguarres, Kaapstad, Nova Victoria and Zijincheng even though Zijincheng has not been found.
• 11: The scouts from the 2nd legion of the Republican Guard reach Baicha. The former city is reduced to a village but they are pleasantly surprised when they hear the villagers speak Jingdaoese. They make themselves known and are invited to meet with the village elders who are sympathetic to the Barbarian plans. No formal agreement is made, but one village elder is sent to Arvidsudde for negotiations.
• 12: Around 3,000 Palesmenian Volunteers, enrolled into the 83rd Volunteer Brigade, as well as several explorers from the 65th Exploration Company, arrive in Laguarres to provide assistance to the Cibolan Volunteer Corps.
• 13: Resistance in Kaapstad crumbles after high ranking leaders abruptly evacuate from the city, allowing War League forces to assume control of all but only a few of the city's districts where only halfhearted opposition persists. After establishing overall control of the city, the War League launches an extensive manhunt in pursuit of the resistance leaders believed to have escaped from the city.
• 16: The Ralgons send the largest possible force they can spare for a forward-deployed expedition, consisting of 26,500 troops. These are led the capable commander and senior leader of the Ralgon Imperial Family: Crown Prince Draeg'ar Ral, having been freshly recalled from Daocheng as the Imperial ambassador to Jingdao. These forces land at Nova Victoria, joining the 3,500 troops already there under the command of the area's temporary military governor.
• 17: In liberated Baicha, the Baicha Heavy Vehicle Industries plant is set up to repair the Dolstier I tanks that have been provided by the Jingdaoese Empire.
• 19: The village elder from Baicha has a meeting with Ase Wittenstein in Arvidsudde. They agree that Baicha will join Barbary. 5,000 new recruits of the Cibolan Volunteer Corps arrive in Naval.
• 21: The first legion of the Cibolan Volunteer Corps is released from duty, they are given land near the cities of Basella and Baicha.
• 22: The MCS accepts the claim filed by the Barbarian Republic on XI.1686.10.

XII.1686 (Dashi)

• 01: 5,000 new recruits arrive in Naval to join the Cibolan Volunteer Corps.
• 02: Two Dolstier I MBT's are removed from service with the Republican Guard to be serviced by Baicha Heavy Vehicle Industries in Baicha. The Dolstier I that was destroyed in Basella on X.1686.19 is loaded on a flatbed and also brought to BHVI to be used as a donor vehicle for repair parts.
• 03: Five 'new' Dolstier I MBT's arrive from Jingdao in the harbour of Naval, they are added to the Republican Guard.
• 05: Scouts from the Republican Guard find the ancient forbidden city of Zijincheng in the forest, the city is completely overgrown and deserted. Despite some cracked walls here and there, and many collapsed roofs, most buildings are still standing. Two men are sent back to report on the find, while the others start exploring the site.
• 06: Artefacts belonging to the first Heavenly Lights are found in the palace of Zijincheng, suggesting that the site has not been searched by raiders.
• 07: A team from the Tegong is flown in with helicopters to Zijincheng. They take over the investigation of the site from the Barbarian scouts, who are placed on guard duty.
• 08: The Jingdaose steward Fu Chidao arrives at Zijincheng to oversee the reconstruction of the imperial palace.
• 10: Unknown to the Barbarians and their allies, Koning Joost-Willem de Eerste forms an army of 15,000 soldiers, consisting of three legions, in Willemstad. He is able to acquire old Batavian military equipment such as anti-tank weapons and land mines through illicit channels.
• 11: Koning Joost-Willem's First Legion is sent to Heemecht, the second is sent to Yixing, while the third remains in Willemstad.
• 15: The Batavian pretender's First Legion reaches the gates of Heemecht which has a predominant Batavian population, which capitulates without a fight.
• 17: As the Batavians near the city of Yixing, its population which is mostly ethnically Jingdaoese sends messengers to Nova Victoria, asking for help.
• 18: Koning Joost-Willem's Second Legion reaches the outskirts of Yixing, it loses forty-two soldiers to IED's that are scattered along the roadside. The legion decides not to assault the city directly, but lay siege to it and request artillery support.
• 19: Skirmishes in the night cost the lives of twenty-three soldiers belonging to Koning Joost-Willem's Second Legion, and seventeen belonging to the city guard of Yixing.
• 20: The messengers from Yixing reach Nova Victoria, where they meet with Crown Prince Draeg'ar Ral and the Barbarian representatives, who promise to help the city. Following a round of negotiations with the city's citizens, the Ralgonese maintain temporary ownership of non-residential parcels of land and attendant infrastructure specific to their ability to deploy elsewhere on the continent. No claims to sovereignty are made, as per prior agreements.
• 21: The Ralgonese army mobilizes. General Takeshi Yuuki is transferred from his post as interim military governor to Senior Legion Commander over parts of the newly formed Cibolan Expeditionary Force, a six-legion force in turn led by Prince Draeg'ar Ral. Scouts and advance troops are sent to scout out Yixing's environs the same day to find any good positions for the rest of the army to fortify in the coming days.

XIII.1686 (Sheng)

• 05: After several days of organisation and mobilisation, the Ralgonese army arrives within a few miles of the city of Yixing, just outside of the range of attack from either side. Messengers are sent to the enemy camp to exchange terms of disengagement or surrender.
• 06: Following a discussion between Prince Draeg'ar Ral and the enemy commander, negotiations break down and the two armies prepare to fight for the city's possession. Additional scouts and counter-scouts are sent to ascertain the enemy's numbers and defences while preventing the same from the other side.
• 11: Baicha Heavy Vehicle Industries receives an order to produce 10 Dolstier I MBT's from new oldstock parts delivered by Sokoku Industries, which also loans out several experienced tank builders.
• 15: Personally led by Prince Draeg'ar Ral, the vanguard of 10,000 elite Ralgonese troops arrive at the outskirts of Yixing and immediately engage the enemy as a diversion, while the remaining 20,000 are sent under General Takeshi Yuuki to attempt to break the siege on the opposite front and relieve the city with arms and supplies.

1687

I.1687 (Haman)

• 02: At the cost of nearly 2,000 men killed or wounded, the Ralgonese forces manage to win the battle at the outskirts, relieve the city, and bring in artillery to use for the city's defence. With the city secured by superior weapons and the addition of nearly 10,000 troops, the army collectively launches a successful effort to pin the bulk of the enemy down with a counter-siege. However, nearly 5,000 of the remaining rebel troops escape the ensuing encirclement and scatter at great cost to themselves, but Koning Joost-Willem remains trapped with the remainder of his army of now-7,000 men.
• 03: Ralgonese forces finish placing the artillery on the city walls. Now having range superiority, they promptly begin to bombard the nearest groups of the now-entrenched rebel forces besieging Yixing to press them into a smaller area for a more effective siege. Meanwhile, the outskirts are entrenched by a little over 14,000 Ralgonese troops, who also begin bombarding outlying enemy positions as additional artillery arrives at the battlefield.
• 03: The Barbarian Republic begins subsidising potato farms in Baicha, Basella, Kaapstad, Laguarres and Nova Victoria as part of the Strategic Potato Reserve.
• 07: The rebel army launches a desperate attack against a weakened point on the outer portion of the counter-siege line. The Ralgons lose about 1,000 men, but ultimately beat back the enemy Batavians while inflicting heavy casualties (around 3,000) with their artillery and heavy infantry. However, Koning Joost-Willem escapes through a narrow gap his men opened up in the siege line for that purpose. Ralgonese artillery bombardment intensifies the following morning to press a surrender, to prevent more costly battles in the name of maintaining the siege.
• 11: The remaining Batavian rebel forces on site are reduced to little more than 3,500 men. Faced with the overwhelming might of over 20,000 remaining battle-ready Ralgonese troops on all sides, and deserted by their would-be king in the dead of night, their surviving senior officers negotiate terms and surrender to the Ralgonese forces before more belligerent parties can come to exact harsher terms.
• 14: After transferring the nearly 4,000 prisoners and proven sympathisers to Barbarian hands (in keeping with original terms of surrender), the Ralgonese forces send scouts and other reconnaissance forces join the hunt to find Koning Joost-Willem and capture him before he can regroup his scattered forces and/or raise another army.
• 16: The 4,000 prisoners that have been transferred into Barbarian hands are placed in a prisoner-of-war camp north of Naval. As neutral powers, the Alduro-Wechua Federation, the Kingdom of Batavia and the Kingdom of Craitland are informed of the camps and invited to perform inspections of the camps.
• 19: 3,720 prisoners that were taken to the prisoner-of-war camp near Naval are released on parole, with the conditions that they shall not take on arms, shall not travel to territories that are held by Koning Joost-Willem, shall not travel outside the jurisdiction area of the Barbarian Republic, and shall not participate in political activities for the duration of the hostilities between the Barbarian Republic and Koning Joost-Willem.
• 20: A delegation from Batavia visits the POW camp near Naval, they are pleased to hear that most prisoners have since been released and find no issue with the conditions in the camp. After their inspection they meet with Ase Wittenduin to request the extradition of Koning Joost-Willem so that he can be put on trial in Batavia.

II.1687 (Mengjiang)

• 01: Ralgonese scouts find the hide-out of Koning Joost-Willem halfway between Zijincheng and Saragossa, they do not have the manpower to take on the forces of the pretender-king himself but notify Barbarian troops closeby.
• 02: The Batavian pretender Koning Joost-Willem is arrested in his hide-out by a Barbarian special forces team. Two soldiers belonging to Koning Joost-Willem's body guard are killed in the assault.
• 04: Koning Joost-Willem is presented to a jury in Naval, he is charged with several war crimes such as torture, attacking civilians and medical facilities. A representative of the Batavian Kingdom is present and formally requests the extradition of Koning Joost-Willem. The Council of Arvidsudde supports that request. A delegation from Yixing also observes the judicial session, afterwards they meet with Ase Wittenduin to discuss the ascension of Yixing into the Barbarian Republic.
• 05: After a day of deliberation, the jury in Naval approves the extradition request of the Batavian Kingdom and Koning Joost-Willem is placed on a plane to 's Koningenwaarde.
• 06: The delegation of Yixing meats with the Council of Arvidsudde to discuss the final details of Yixing's ascension into the Barbarian Republic, an agreement is reached before the lunch after which the flag of Yixing is ceremonially raised.
• 07: The Council of Arvidsudde meets with representatives of the many cities that make up the republic and adopts a new constitution. The republic will from now on be governed by the Council of Basella that is made up from representatives from all the cities in the republic. Basella will become the administrative capital of the republic, Arvidsudde will remain a cultural capital, as will Zijincheng be when it is restored to its former glory.
• 09: The Barbarian Republic's Council of Basella sends envoys to the cities of Heemecht, Saragossa and Willemstad to see if they are willing to open negotiations on joining the republic.
• 14: The envoys that were sent to Heemecht and Willemstad return to Basella to inform the Council of Basella that these cities consider themselves to be still at war with the Barbarian Republic and that they still consider Koning Joost-Willem to be the rightful king over all of Batavia, including the Grand Duchy of South Batavia. No envoy returns from Saragossa.
• 16: Two Barbarian contubernia depart from Basella to find out what has happened to the envoy that was sent to Saragossa.
• 18: Ase Wittenduin, Prince Draeg'ar Ral and the Council of Basella come together to discuss the strategy towards Heemecht and Willemstad. The issue is highly contentious because of the risk of a high civilian death toll and a prolonged occupation of a city with a hostile population.
• 19: The Barbarian contubernia reach the outskirts of Saragossa, they find that not much is left of the city and that is is populated by a tribe that seems to be very primitive. Attempts to made contact with the tribe fail as its members attack on sight, usually with bow and arrow.
• 20: The Barbarians exploring the outskirts of Saragossa find a bag belonging to the envoy, the diplomatic letters still inside of it. No trace of the envoy can be found.
• 21: Following their nose and the smell of roast beef the Barbarians find a campfire where the Saragossans are preparing a meal, they are shocked to see human body parts being thrown into the pots on the fire. Horrified they return to Basella to report their findings to the council.

III.1687 (Kaiming)

• 01: The contubernia that scouted the remnants of Saragossa, only to find ravenous cannibals, present their findings to the Council of Basella. The council authorises Ase Wittenduin to wage war against the anthropophagous degenerates.
• 02: 5,000 new recruits from Jingdao arrive to join the Cibolan Volunteer Corps in Naval, they form the Cibolan Volunteer Corps' Fifth Legion.
• 03: The Cibolan Volunteer Corps Fifth Legion and the Republican Guard's Second Legion start to march towards Saragossa, respectively from Naval and Baicha.

VIII.1687 (Feixing)

• 14: The MCS updates it map of Micras, denoting the area around Yixing as Barbarian territory, also recognising an expanded Barbarian claim on the area surrounding Nova Victoria.