Battle of Bogdan Field

## Strength

### Land Army

8th Legion, 10th Legion, 6th Legion (140.000-150.000) vs 30.000 (initial), 230.000 (end)

## Casualties and Losses

### Wounded

30.000+ captured, 12.000 seriously wounded vs 2.000 captured, 54.000 seriously wounded

The Battle of Bogdan Field is a battle considered by many to be the first strategic defeat of the Grevian Army in the First Imperial Crusade. Outnumbered and out of supply, Quasarius alongside his 3 Legions were attacked and crushed by the sheer numbers of Seth Imperial soldiers.

## The Battle

### Background

Following the subsequent victories he achieved in Athonia and the liberation of Christfield, Primum Legatum Quasarius alongside his first wave of Legions faced several logistical problems, including the lack of supplies shipped and delivered to them. With this in mind, Quasarius took 3 Legions, the 8th, 10th, and 6th towards Imperial Seth territory.

He then proceeded to pillage and loot the populace for supplies. In desperation for supplies, he and his legions ventured even deeper into enemy territory, effectively cutting off escape as winter was approacing.

As this was going on, the Seth Imperial Union sent out a new and reformed army under Konrad Brzyski to prevent Quasarius from escaping. To prevent his escape, Konrad devised a plan to systematically set up ambushing parties in order to slow Quasarius’ legions down.

First he set up ambushing parties to ambush the unsuspecting foraging parties of the Legions, making them suspicious. With the increasingly dangerous countryside at his wake, Quasarius decided to camp for the rest of the winter in Athonia where the populace were friendly to him and his army, but in order to do that he needed to move as fast as possible and get out of Forarenian territory.

### Prelude

The slow and lumbering army began to retreat back into Athonian territory, but they were frequently ambushed by ambushing parties Konrad had set up. In order to speed up their withdrawal, Quasarius made a blunder by leaving behind his provisions, effectively ending his campaign in failure. Although this sped up his army, the Seth Army was secretly outmaneuvering his army by moving fast so that the Seth Army would be in his front and back, effectively surrounding them.

Knowing that a battle is imminent, Quasarius made a dashing break towards Bogdan Field, where the terrain would deeply benefit his army and would force Konrad into close combat. Arriving just at the moment Seth soldiers appear in behind them. Knowing that this would be their stand, both sides drew their swords and rifles.

### The Battle

Knowing that there is some hope of escape, Quasarius orders his most ready and experienced Legion, the 8th, to make a dash and attack the enemy divisions in the rear and break through to salvation. The Legions 10th and 6th would have to make a defence and buy time so that the 8th could break through. With victory seemingly in favor of his army, Konrad gives the order to attack and soon artillery thunders and crashes into the densely packed formations of the 10th Legion. In the village of Osten in the west, several cohorts from the 6th Legion clash with the vanguard of the Seth army, exchanging fire from the houses. In urban combat, the Grevians excelled with their stabbing techniques, but they would soon be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the Seth Imperials.

Back in the field, the 10th Legion exchanged volley after volley into their enemies, poised with holding the line. Just before the main line of the Seth army clashes with the 10th, Grevian formations threw their pilum at their enemy, inflicting heavy losses, and so the battle begun. The clash threw off many from both sides, but Grevian discipline proved to be a challenger to the numbers of the Seth Army. Thrusting their Gladios forwards, the Grevians held their line, but soon their numbers began to dwindle as many men can’t hear the rotation whistles sounded by their centurions in the heat of the fighting.

Soon enough, the center of the 10th begins to pull back, leaving the flanks exposed. Quasarius sitting atop a hill signalled to his army to stay where they are and hold the line. Even as the center began to fail, the flanks managed to contain the spillover caused by the center and are causing devastating losses to the Seth. But soon discipline began to break as hours pass by, and it turned into a free for all.

In the rear, the 8th Legion began advancing unhindered even as skirmishers began to take a toll for the Legion. The advance cohorts met and clash with some Seth divisions near the river Ulsta, managing to defeat them. But soon they began to fall back due to the increasing pressure from enemy reinforcements. Feeling that they might win, the Legate of the 8th Quinirius Munius urged the legion to keep advancing, joining in on the fight. Just as they routed the enemy, Quinirius was struck in the shoulder with a stray bullet, mortally wounding him. The devastated Legion then set up cohorts to guard the rear while the bulk of it went back to inform Quasarius and join in on the fight in the front.

In Osten, the 6th Legion was forced to withdraw after they failed to detonate the town bridge and Seth reinforcements began pouring in. Although the retreat was successful, several cohorts became trapped and surrendered to the Seth Army after they failed to retreat in time. Nonetheless, the 6th Legion was still a fighting force, albeit slightly weakened.

In the center, the 10th was in a desperate situation, overwhelmed 3-1, they began withdrawing without orders from Quasarius. It all went down in shambles when the center finally broke and the flanks was soon in full rout shortly thereafter. With the 10th in full retreat, Quasarius ordered the newly arrived 8th Legion to make a stand while both the 10th and 6th would withdraw from the battlefield. Unfazed, the 8th Legion held their ground Seth soldiers began to attack, all the while trying to maintain discipline as their fellow 10th Legion routed behind them.

In the end, the 8th Legion finally withdraw under orders from Quasarius that the 10th and 6th have finally withdrawn from the battlefield. By the time of the retreat order, 40% of the 8th Legion was either killed or captured, devastating the fighting capability of the Legion.

### Aftermath

The defeat suffered by Quasarius almost put him into court martial, but it was from the support of the Legates of the First Wave that he was acquitted of all charges, the victory that followed proved to be a morale booster for the Seth Imperial Union, with Konrad promoted so that he could command the *Liberation Army of Athonia*, a 750.000 strong army tasked with “liberating” Athonia.