Editing Autia (section)

==='''The Campaign for Belkan Arktikos'''===

'''Ercaedahorn Strength:'''

Supreme General Lo Dung Stung

Army of Great Renown, Army of Great Joy, Army of Great Adulation

100,000 Infantry

5,000 Cavalry

500 Cannons

Beasts of Blistered Iron, Yr Mercenary Tank Regiment

30 Light Tanks

20 Heavy

Cadre of Mistune Hiku

20 Idols

1,000 Simpan Warrior Attendants

'''Belkan Strength:'''

Field Marshal Ludwig von Hazelhoff

IV Corp, XIV Corp

60,000 Infantry

1,000 Cavalry

600 Cannons

Order of the Midnight Moon

Grandmaster Friedrich Heyarch

500 Knights

2,000 Warrior Applicants

15th Aero-Division

60 Eagles

30 Griffin Knights

Belkan Militia

6,000 Citizen Militia

With tensions high following both the attack on Poole Harbor and Belkor the Ercaedahorn Governor, Ho Lee Shid, informed the Ercaenmedian government that more forces would be needed to reinforce the colony. This would draw the Ercaenmedian government to send two full armies (Army of Great Renown, Army of Great Joy) as well as a unit of mercenary tanks from Yr to head off any aggressive moves against the colony. These forces, and the colony itself, would be put under the command of a General Lo Dung Stung who was known for his aggressive actions back in Ercaenmedia for launching several punitive raids on the Belkan homeland. The General, sensing that war was fast approaching with the Belkans, and trusting his local guides plotted out several pathways through the Orcan Mountain Range and into Belka Arktikos with his primary goal to take the Fortresses of Hemmelsdorf and Utanberg that defended the colony's main railways. And on the First of Aquarian 3021 he launched his assault.

The main Ercaenmedian advance through the Orcan Mountains was centered on three wide passes: Terrian Pass, Waltreik Pass and Old Ballbiter pass, with a fourth diversionary attack down south to keep Belkan forces occupied along the Scaran River. Phase one of the Ercaenmedian assault called for Alpine Regiments with Stone Troll support to neutralize the first line of Belkan entrenchments defending the three passes, the raw strength of the stone trolls would allow them to lift cannons with them to give the vanguard troops artillery support. First to engage were the Ah Young and Ailee Regiments facing the Bregenwerst Regiment out of Belkgrad, a freshly activated conscript formation posted to the frontier due to Autian tensions, the Ah Young Regiment under Captain Young, a former Idol, engaged the Belkans under the cover of cannon fire. The Ercaenmedian troops armed with only blunderbusses (blunderbussi) and axes rushed down to the Belkan trenches in the center of the pass managing to close just within 200 yards before the Belkans began opening fire with a score of Ercaenmedians dropping before the trenches were reached, it is widely accepted that Amazon Mare Nostra was the first casualty of the Ercaenmedians during this hurried advance, with the Belkans greeting them with a wall of halberds and Spears. The mountain troopers were prepared for this type of battle and with their short ranged weaponry made quick work of the Belkan troopers and with that the entrencments along the most narrow parts of the pass were taken, with the Waltreik pass garrison under Colonel Rosen holding for an additional two days with the support of several Tortle volley guns. With these forces neutralized Ercaenmedian armies were free to march through the mountains, razing numerous towns and small settlements on their way East.

It was the fourth of Aquarian when Field Marshal Ludwig von Hazelhof received word by messenger spider that the Ercaenmedians had broken through. He immediately mobilized the majority of his Divisions, 30,000 men in all, and marched to the River Scaran to link up with the forces there and under the advice of Harpy Wing Commander, Lady Maria Toller, allowed his air forces to act as scouts for the ground army.

'''Battle on the Scaran River'''

Unbeknownst to the Belkans, the Ercaenmedian forces had split in two, one force moving to encircle the Belkan Divisions on the Scaran River while the other force primarily made of infantry and artillery would lay siege to the fortified cities of Hemmelsdorf and Utanberg. The Army of Great Joy under the command of General Wo Roskovich would make the drive south to the river with a large force of Dire Wof Cavalry, including a small detachment of Knights from the order of the Bastardised Sword, as well as the Demon Beasts of Yr. It would be his Cavalry forces that would be the first to engage the main Belkan field army on the 6th of Aquarian, encountering a Company of Cockatrice Lancers that had made camp in Eyewold Woods, but thinking this to only be part of the Belkan force entrenched along the River the General decided to attack.

Hearing of the assault on his forward units the Field Marshal hurriedly gave orders for infantry to assemble in their formations and for cannons to be made ready, assembling his army on the Field Katarine just miles from the rivers edge as his Cavalry made haste to rejoin the main body of the army, with the pursuing Ercaenmedians following shortly behind.

The Belkan army was deployed in a long battleline, with General Kohler commanding the right flank, General Michaels the left and the Field Marshal leading the troops in the center, with a cannon position being established on a nearby hill to look over the field that the vast army encompassed. Most formations were of the Tercion style, with Muskets interspersed with halberds, Spears and pikes, with the only outlier being two Regiments of Air-Rifle skirmishers deployed in front of the main battleline with the Cavalry split between the flanks. The Center of the Belkan line was anchored by three regiments of the famous Harbsourg Pikemen, and with strong support on the flanks the Belkams hoped to grind the Ercaenmedians to a pulp.

The Ercaenmedians spread themselves thinner, trying encircle the Belkan lines but facing great difficulty trying to maintain a cohesive battleline. The Devil Beasts of Yr would form the center of their line supported by blocks of expendable Spearmen, while the forces Ninja warriors and alpine rangers would advance to attack the Belkan cannon position. Both forces were remarkably close in strength, the Belkans having more cannons but the Ercaenmedians more mobile assets, but for the most part the Belkan infantry was of a far greater quality.

After a few hours of maneuver and exchanges of cannon fire, notable for the destruction of the Ercaenmedian skycannon battery, the Ercaenmedian force launched an all out attack towards the Belkan lines. The focus of their attack was the center of the Belkan line and the Tank Monsters of Yr made great speed for it, almost matched by the Ercaenmedian conscripts who were reengerized by the singing of Teen Idol Ericka Yung, their cannons tearing through the compact formation of the Belkan Pikemen. They would be met with the fire of Belkan cannon batteries and suffer a high price, the Heavy Tank Hells Bells destroyed by mass shell fire along with several other tanks.

Massive flails, saws and treads tore into the Belkan soldiery reducing regiments into so much gore, the center of the Belkan line only being saved by the charge of it's Griffin Knights, their lightning enfused lances thrice blessed in the Cathedral of Ace's Aerial Glory acting as a repellent to the demonic machines.
The attack still causes a breach in the Belkan line which is soon rushed by the majority of the Ercaenmedian Cavalry force, only stopped as reserve Regiments of Spearmen and Halberdiers rush to plug the gap, selling their lives dearly and grinding away at the Wolfen Hussars and Knights.

While Ercaenmedians press hard on the center their own flanks are pushed back with heavy casualties, cannon fire tearing through it's infantry formations ad the dazed survivors collide with fresh Belkan infantry. And on the left flank the Belkan Knights and Lancers manage to win their engagement with a much larger force of Hussars and they begin charging the rear of the Ercaenmedian units engaged, routing several.

Even as the flanks of the Ercaenmedian army are wrapped up the Belkan center bulges, and fearing a total collapse the Field Marshal directs his all of his artillery into the melee.

Belkam, Ercaenmedian and even the demonic machines of Yr are blown apart under a barrage of close range shell fire, but the Ercaenmedians break and the day belongs to the Belkans but at a high price. Even as the Field Marshal frees his Cavalry to pursue the routing Ercaenmedians he receives word of an even larger enemy force, apparently the Great Fortress Hemmelsdorf had been put under siege and was near breaking.

He first links up with the few regiments left amount the Scaran and then reforms his army to head to the northeast, hoping that his army will be in time to relieve the siege.

With one Ercaenmedian army completely destroyed, what remained of it's soldiers fleeing across the Scaran River or north to friendly positions in the Orcan Mountains, the badly mauled Belkan field army marched east at full speed to the beleaguered fortress of Hemmelsdorf, arriving there a week and a half later.

'''The Battle at the Gates of Castle Hemmelsdorf'''

The fortified city of Hemmelsdorf was a major transportation hub in Belkan Artikos, being the starting point for the Arktik Rail Line and the Belkan-Alkorian run Enterprise Airship Company. Anyone who controlled the city would have a much easier time of controlling the entire colony.

Supreme General Stung had invested the city, digging an outer line of trenches to defend the rear of his besieging force and digging new trenches ever closer to the fortresses walls, all the while pounding away at it with his hundreds of siege cannons. By the time the Belkan reinforcements arrived much of the city was in ruin and the earthern mound that had protected the fortress walls had been almost completely blown away.

The Ercaenmedians abandoned the majority of their siege positions as word of the Belkan army reached the ears of General Stung, the construction of siege ladders ceasing and cannons were turned around to face the enemy to their rear.

The Ercaenmedian army assembled in three main lines, the first being musketeers with a second line of spearmen and polearms behind with a third and final line of heavy infantry and stone giants in the rear. Advancing among a more narrow front and much deeper line formations the Ercaenmedians intended to break the much thinner Belkan battle line with brute force and numbers, but had to contended with a sortie by the fortresses garrison to their rear and leave several regiments behind to protect this crucial area.

The Belkan forces deployed among a much longer battleline with strong flanks and a weak center, intending to encircle the much larger Ercaenmedian force, with the elite 7th New Brokawn Shock-Halberdiers occupying the center position. The one advantage held by the Belkan force being it's concentration of artillery in one large battery while the Ercaenmedian cannons were spread all throughout the battlefield.

As the armies maneuvered into formation General Stung ordered his officers to focus their artillery on the Belkan cannons, rightly fearful of what they would do to his massed soldiers, and the Belkan guns were forced to reply in kind lest they be destroyed, crucially distracting them from the main infantry engagement.

Following an intense exchange of gunfire the two lines engaged, the Belkan center falling back but forced to hold as the flanks faced unexpected pressure as the Ercaenmedian third line reserve was committed to battle. The battle still on a knifes edge as the city garrison leaves the gates and begins pressing against the rear of the Ercaenmedian army, and Grandmaster Kohler and his Knights swing around the flank of the engaged troops looming for the personal banner of the enemy warlord...only to have their armor turned to lead as Idol Matsune Hiku draws forth the magic of the aether with her song "Your Sins Will Weigh You Down" and her Simpan warriors engage.

With the situation rapidly becoming untenable the Belkan line begins falling apart, turning into a complete rout, with the Field Marshal fighting and dying in the brutal rear guard action to save as much of the army as possible and with the defeat of the Fortress Garrison the day belongs to Ercaenmedia. And so does much of the colony with only the coastal capital of Balkapan and city of Ways End remaining in Belkan control at the end of Aquarian, with even these two cities remaining under threat as the remainder of the Ercaenmedian force drives south-east.