Veterans' Rebellion

*Raiga provisional military government*

* Expanded political powers for the Thornian Army.
* Partially-constitutional monarchy.
* End of federal or confederal arrangements with autonomous regions and nations under personal union.

## Belligerents

### Faction 1

* Thornian Empire
* Federated Districts of Palusia
* Zhongshan

### Faction 2

* Raiga provisional military government
* Ultra-nationalist factions of the Thornian Army

### Faction 3

* All-Thornia Republic
* Democratic Front of Thornia
* Thornian National Union

The Veterans' Rebellion is an ongoing civil war within the Thornian Empire and its dependencies of the Federated Districts of Palusia and Zhongshan. The rebellion occurred as a result of the aftermath of the Chen-Thornia War, fought against the Chen dynasty, in which Thornia retained control of the Umic world and gained control of all of Zhongshan, formerly Xandu. However political mechanisations that predate the conflict led to the empire being left divided into numerous self-governing nations.

## Factions

### All-Thornia Republic

Demobilised veterans who recently fought the Chen-Thornia War and received little compensation, compared to the veterans of the Thornian Civil War of 2021, formed protests groups throughout the empire that staged violent demonstrations across authorities. An escalation in Cataracta in mid-July 2023 was the catalyst for many of these protest groups to transform into militias. Many of these veteran militias were well-positioned to take control of much of the country's west, which despite having been recently conquered, as many of these demobilised personnel were yet to return to their home villages in Goruid, Aphthonis, and Palusia. Many of these disparate militias had differing visions for Thornia's future, ranging from ultra-nationalist and authoritarian views, to liberal pro-democratic views.

All militias west of Palus haphazardly formed a military alliance and prematurely declared the fall of the empire and the rise of the All-Thornia Republic in August 2023. Some have interpreted the "All-Thornia" portion of its name to mean that all communities within the republic would be held in equal regard; others believe it to be an indication of the formation of a single Umic-centric Thornian national identity.

Some militias sprung up in northern Goruid, specifically around Mescha (held by ultra-nationalists) and Adanon (held by the Democratic Front). However, their distant geographic situation has forced them to ally themselves with opposing factions of the Thornian Army.

### Provisional military government in Raiga

Ultra-nationalist factions within the Thornian Army took advantage of the chaos to break off from the main army and seize control of the Elysian plains of Goruid. Despite breaking off from the main army, they consider themselves to be the de jure army and still proclaim their loyalty to the empire and the Emperor. Little is known of the specifics of their ideology, but it is believed that the ruling junta's hardcore nationalist members support re-instating direct imperial control over Zhongshan and Palusia, as well as re-imposing Goruidian Umic-Thornian culture across the empire.

## Chronology

### Build up (May-July 2023)

A large number of recently demobilised personnel across the Thornian Army were left angered by the divisions and political infighting between the nations of the empire. Many formed movements that regularly staged demonstrations at the borders with Palusia and Zhongshan, and in some cases even vandalised property supposedly belonging to Palusian and Zhongshan authorities. Aiwanist and Raloffian institutions were also regularly attacked as a form of protest against the autonomy of their respective private armies. Thornian authorities usually gave out fines against these veterans, fearing that their connections with active personnel may lead to an actual insurrection in the army if they gave out harsher punishments.

### Escalation (July 2023)

In mid July 2023, a contingent of boats belonging to Elysian veteran demonstrators landed on the shores of Cataracta. The veterans occupied the coastline and blocked access to the rail line connecting to Palus. The Palusian federal militias were dispatched to remove the veterans after an offer by the Imperial Crown (and not by the Thornian Army itself) to move the Thornian Army in to fend off the demonstrators was rejected. The veterans attempted to kidnap a Palusian officer to hold for ransom, but the attempt was cut short when the rest of the Palusian officers present brazenly charged at the veterans. The veterans fought their way into the Cataracta Valley, leading to an evacuation of civilians to Ume and Palus. Several Palusian officers were killed in the battle, with no veteran casualties.

The Imperial Crown ordered the Thornian Army to step in to restore order. Although the army complied, it was obvious that the army leadership took its time to arrange logistics for a short-term occupation. The Holy Aiwanist Army (the private army of Ume City) made a surprise entry into Cataracta claiming that their presence was in the interest of maintaining the peace. The Palusian militia was provided with surplus weapons and food supplies, whilst the veterans were tricked into being imprisoned. Upon hearing the news, the Thornian Army swiftly dispatched forward teams to investigate the matter. The Umic troops prevented the Thornian teams from proceeding beyond the Cataracta Valley.

Through late July, veterans rioted across much of Goruid, the Bovinines, Zhongshan, and parts of Aphthonis. The major cities and towns were able to put the riots down relatively quickly, but many villages in more rural or sparsely populated areas fell to provisional veteran councils. The increased presence of the Thornian Army in Palus and in some sections of Cataracta effectively left Ume City as the sole autonomous district of Palusia. Zhongshan's government was effectively barricaded inside the Embassy Tower on the east side of Shanjing. Dobresia's Raloffian militias put down several attempts by veteran militias to overthrow the regional government and were even able to assist with thwarting dozens of other plots across Aphthonis.

### First Phase (July 2023 - 5 September 2023)

By early August, the Thornian Army regained control of the entire Elysian metropolitan area, Raiga, and almost all of Aphthonis. Adanon and much of southern Goruid were under the control of various pro-democracy groups. The southern mountainous areas of Dobresia fell into the hands of veteran militias that evacuated from Goruid and Aphthonis. Despite this being a widespread rebellion, few large-scale battles took place as both the army and the veteran militias were often unwilling to fight each other directly. The Dobresian Highlanders defected to the side of the veterans as many were anguished that their hard-fought victories were for nought.

#### Formation of the All-Thornia Republic and Dobresia offensive

Most of the militia-occupied regions in Zhongshan, the Bovinines, and Dobresia formed the All-Thornia Republic, a state in name-only as much of its leadership still functioned as a group of warlords. The militia groups spread out throughout Goruid and Aphthonis still claim loyalty to the Imperial Crown, and merely advocated for the "total" reunification of the empire. Some groups advocate for a democratically elected senate whilst others vary between calling for a more authoritarian monarchy and calling for a totalitarian military dictatorship. The Holy Aiwanist Army launched guerilla attacks throughout the Bovinines against the militias of the All-Thornia Republic.

On 9 August, the All-Thornia Republic's allied forces launched a surprise all-out attack on the remainder of Raloffian-controlled Dobresia. The few army units aligned with the Imperial Crown present in Aphthonis hastily regrouped to prepare to help their Raloffian allies, but were unable to reach Dobrado in time. The entire Raloffian leadership was considered either captured or missing in action. The few hundred or so Raloffian fighters left were integrated into the Thornian Army.

#### Formation of the provisional military government in Raiga

Simultaneously, the army's central command in Goruid (which relocated to Raiga shortly after its recapture) issued a proclamation that it was assuming control (its government is being referred to as the Raiga military junta) of the imperial government under emergency conditions. The Emperor, who had been stuck in Petrodis, received letters from the army teams stationed in Palus, Volovna, and Adanon that they remained loyal to the crown and the crown's authority alone. Their letters also contained intelligence confirming that the Raiga government had formed an alliance with militia groups in favour of forming a militaristic, hyper-nationalist regime.

On 10 August, the Elysian metropolitan area and the occupation zones across Palusia effectively came under the command of the Raiga government. The Crown-aligned army and the pro-democratic reform militias entered a ceasefire period and began negotiations for an alliance.

On 11 August, the Thornian Army's occupation forces in Cataracta entered negotiations with the Holy Aiwanist Army. The loyalties of the Cataracta occupation were not publicly known at this point. In Cataracta, rumours of potential high-level talks between the Tyavylians and the All-Thornia Republic were spreading around this time. It is believed that the Tyavylians were wary of having a semi-theological state, in the form of the Federated Districts of Palusia, on its borders and were also unsure if the monarchy would be able to withstand another civil war in the span of 3 years.

#### Simmering Dobresian front and stalemate (12-17 August)

On 12 August, Thornian Army teams in Aphthonis started a campaign of small, hit-and-run attacks across the Dobresian front against the All-Thornia Republic's forces. Representatives from the Imperial Crown and some of the army teams stationed in Volos also made their way to the makeshift capital of pro-democracy forces at Adanon. The Thornian Navy and other teams from Volos captured the strait between the main continent and the Goruid peninsula, between Palus and Volos. This effectively gave Palus a lifeline to the Imperial-controlled territory.

On 13 August, the Cataracta occupation forces declared their allegiance to the Imperial Crown. An agreement was reached between the Holy Aiwanist Army and the Thornian Navy, whereby Ume City would be guaranteed its autonomy within the Thornian Empire, whether or not the Federated Districts of Palusia fall. Imperial naval vessels were also dispatched to Porta in southern Goruid to deliver new orders. The Thornian Navy also established a beach head in the Elysia metropolitan area by landing on the Southern Peninsula, south of Elysia Island, and securing the bridge between it and the island.

#### Battle of the Sabaran Triangle (17 August - 23 August)

On 17 August, the All-Thornia Republic launched an attempted offensive into Aphthonis. Dobresian Highlanders managed to push the Thornian Army to Petrodis whilst the infrantry attempted to launch an amphibious attack on the Palus-Volovna strait. The army of the republic managed to briefly capture Volos, but the imperial troops stationed in Adanon for talks with the Democratic Front hurriedly returned to Volos and retook the city quickly. The Thornian Army managed to cross the strait and into the Dobresian Highlands. The Thornian Navy also managed to repel an attack on Palus.

The Dobresian Highlanders were forced to retreat from Petrodis and fight the Thornians in the valleys of the Dobresian Highlands. Between the 17th and the 19th, the Thornian Army was pushed out of the highlands but with the assistance of the navy it managed to capture Septia and regain control of the strait.

On 23 August, the Dobresian Highlanders rapidly evacuated the highlands to regroup in Travonia with the rest of the Army of the Republic. The Thornian Army took this as a sign of victory, though it was a cause for concern as this was a sign of an impending change of tactics for the republic.

#### Battle of Palusia and Goruid (24 August - 1 September)

On the evening of 24 August, the Holy Aiwanist Army's scouts began reporting of troop movement towards all three districts of the Federated Districts. The incoming invasion would mark the beginning of the direct involvement of the Federated Districts into the war. Civilians were evacuated from all three districts to Porta in South Goruid, the closest safe and free Thornian port. The Thornian Army and Navy also began seeing junta-aligned troops in north Goruid massing in Raiga and near the boundary between the Province of Elysia and Boravia. With the Palus-Volovna Strait secured, the navy re-allocated its resources to the Sabaran Strait (the Northern Fleet) and evacuations to Porta (the Southern Fleet).

On 25 August, the Thornian Army's near-neglected foothold in South Elysia was attacked by the junta's forces and the monarchy-aligned troops were captured. The junta delivered the news to the allied Imperial and Democratic Front garrison in Adanon along with an offer of amnesty in return for their surrender to the junta. The allied leadership refused to accept the terms of surrender and instead led them to reconsider their plans for the defense of Palus.

On 28 August, Thornian military intelligence observed a significant build-up of All-Thornia Republic forces along its entire eastern border, especially near Palus, the foothills of the Dobresian Highlands, and the southern coast of the Bovinines. The junta's forces also massed on the border on Palus' east. Against conventional wisdom, the Thornian Army quietly began withdrawing forces from the mainland portions of the Palusian swamp and onto the Palus Island. The navy also began training army personnel on amphibious warfare and also began massing a naval force around Palus Island and off the coast of Cataracta.

On 1 September, the junta launched its offensive on the Palusian front where it pushed the remaining allied forces into the Mainland District of Palus. Within an hour the All-Thornia Republic hastily ordered its forces to enter the Palusian swamp to dislodge the junta from its advantageous position north of the Mainland District.

#### Negotiations between the junta and the All-Thornia Republic (1-5 September)

When both forces met along the central waterway of the swamp, there was an alleged attempt at negotiations. The command staff of the All-Thornia Republic's forces on the Palus front were made up of the various factions of the republic - from those advocating for a liberal democracy to those advocating for a totalitarian or militarised state. None of those factions supported keeping the monarchy.

The junta advocated for a totalitarian state, albeit with the goal of retaining the monarchy. Pro-totalitarian generals of the republic tried to convince the junta to abandon the unrealistic goal of convincing the monarchy to accept the junta's rule and to instead join the republic. Pro-democracy generals did not want to bring the junta into the republic, and proposed a temporary non-aggression pact between the republic and the junta that would expire once the pro-monarchist and allied forces willingly surrendered (though to whom they should surrender to was not determined).

### Second phase (5 September - 26 September)

#### Greater Thornian State and dissolution of the All-Thornia Republic (5 September)

Throughout the week, leaders of both forces continued negotiations. The totalitarian/authoritarian factions of the republic and the junta grew increasingly close as both factions' generals realised they were far more keen on discussing possible reforms for post-war Thornia.

On 3 September, the pro-democracy factions and militias held a secret, impromptu conference near the border with Cataracta to discuss possible actions. The Democratic Thornian Army advocated assassinating authoritarian-leaning generals. The Freedom for Thornia Party advocated calling a National Council session to force a vote (as pro-democracy parties held a majority of seats, though the National Council's seats were at the time based on the number of signatory parties to the charter which established the council rather than through a democratic vote). The Zhongshan Army (which was almost entirely ethnic Umic) advocated ending the alliance, launching pre-emptive attacks, and driving authoritarian factions out of powerbases like Shanjing and Travonia. The conference attendees overwhelmingly voted to end the alliance and to establish a new coalition known as "Democratic Thornia".

Throughout 4 and 5 September, the Zhongshan Army massed their forces near Shanjing and Agenetmae, the Democratic Thornian Army massed its forces on the border between Zhongshan and Trabonia, and the Umic National Army left its positions on the border with Ume to reposition in Trabonia. The Northern Coalition (which consisted of a hodgepodge of personnel from all other militias and also the entire Dobresian Highlander regiment) were unaware of the arrangement as its entire leadership was on the front, near Septia.

On 5 September, the Umic Nationalist Union Party (the largest nationalist party in the National Council) announced (on behalf of the nationalist militias, armies, and parties) that they would instead be defecting to the "Greater Thornian State" (i.e. the junta-controlled empire). The junta, the Umic Nationalist Union Party, and leaders of a handful of other nationalist parties also formed a unity government. The Greater Thornian State would also be "reformed" to remove the position of Emperor and would instead have the (now-ceremonial) National Council appoint generals to act as a generalissimo for one year terms. The new unity government, which was apparently aware of the formation of Democratic Thornia, immediately outlawed all pro-democracy parties and announced that it was now in a state of war against the democratic militias as well.

#### War in the Bovinines and Zhongshan

##### Democratic Thornia launch their offensive (6-7 September)

The forces of Democratic Thornia launched attacks on several fronts on 6 September. The Zhongshan Army quickly captured Fort Agenetmae and even pushed the forces of the Shanjing regime into the outskirts of Shanjing City. The Democratic Thornian Army briefly managed to capture Travonia and its surrounding villages, but were pushed back by the returning nationalist army from Palus. The Umic National Army pushed northward to cut off nationalist forces in Goruid from those in the mainland. They also hoped to connect with the Northern Coalition on the northern border.

##### The Crown and Palusia launch their offensive (8 September - Present)

Coincidentally, the Thornian Army and the Palusian Army had planned their offensive on the Bovinines and North Goruid on this day, originally with the expectation that the junta and the All-Thornia Republic would still be fighting one-another at this point. Palusian intelligence informed the Crown that the Umic National Army was no longer manning the border with Ume, and that fighting was seen around Agenetmae. The planned land assault via Catarcta was cancelled as there was now a belief that there would simply be too many nationalist forces in the vicinity.

On 8 September, the Thornian Army launched its assault on the junta-occupied Province of Elysia. Ground forces from South Goruid captured the taiga villages of central Goruid with the surprise use of rockets.

Ground forces based in Adanon knew they would struggle with a land invasion since the junta's forces had much of the northern frontier under surveillance. As such, an amphibious landing with several points of entry was planned with the assistance of the Thornian Navy - the Northern Fleet would help to land troops in the Straits of Palusia (north-west of Raiga) and in the river estuaries east of Raiga, while the Southern Fleet would land troops further south, east of Hegea and also in the forests north of the taiga.

On 10 September, the Northern Fleet launched landings near Septia and north-west of Raiga, where ground forces successfully secured the entire northern coast of the Goruid-Mainland land bridge and advanced considerably close to Raiga. The Northern Fleet also began establishing resupply points in the Galinisian Islands for the Southern Fleet. Fighting ranged on further south with imperial forces capturing Carcea and advancing along the Goruid Road toward Thuron and Mescha.

On 12 September, the Southern Fleet circumnavigated the Southern Cape from Boravia and landed in the Galinisian Islands and Renos. A planned attack was devised where half of the forces would attack Raiga from the east via the Raiga River. The other half of the forces would land further south, east of Hegea. The landings took place on the following day. To the surprise of the forces attacking Raiga, the river was heavily guarded and there were a large number of fatalities both on land and on the river. The Hegea attack succeeded quickly as most of the forces guarding the village had left to defend Thuron and Mescha.

Between 14 September to 26 September, additional waves of attacks on the Goruid-Mainland bridge were made, and the Thornian Army besieged Elysia and Hegea. With no functioning industrial centres and dwindling supplies in Raiga, the National Council decided to evacuate Goruid and refocus their attention on capturing Palus.

### Third phase (27 September - Present)

#### Prelude to the Chen-Chirgisid-Hurxudi invasion of Thornia

The Chen dynasty's alliance with the Chirgisid and Hurxudi tribes proved to be extremely fruitful as their victory against the Kzati Empire was followed by a significant economic boom. The spoils of the Kzati War filled the coffers of the Dark Realm's near-depleted treasury, and even created a wealthy middle-class (so-to-speak) of Chirgisid and Hurxudi warrior-traders.

The Chirgisid and Hurxudi tribes were requested by the Chen government to help them in a new campaign eastward, initially framing it as a campaign against the injustice of Thornian oppression of the Xandunese people. The Chirgisid and Hurxudi were sympathetic but felt that, despite having nearly equal cavalry capabilities, they would not be able to withstand the onslaught of a massive ground invasion in unfamiliar territory.

Economists who worked for the last pre-Thornian Xandunese government advised the Chirgisids that conquering the Thornian Empire would be in their interest due to their significantly larger markets. They also pointed out how having self-sustaining cities, which were now being depopulated due to the Veterans' Rebellion, would provide a safer and industrious place for the Chirgisids to migrate to. The Chirgisids and Hurxudi agreed to aid in the war only if the Chen were willing to cede the Goruid peninsula to both tribes.