Battle of Kian

## War of a Century

The Battle of Kian was fought from June 849 to April 869 and is marked as the longest battle during the War of a Century. Sparked due to the Galad Administration attempting to contain Divider's advances from the Del Anther mountain range, the battle is often attributed to extended periods of trench warfare in the bitter cold. Due to the length of the battle some children of initial combatants would find themselves serving in the same emplacements their parents had previously manned. After nearly twenty years of fighting coalition forces would eventually break through Divider's lines. Some historians often refer to the battle as the Siege of Kian or the Kian Front because of the duration.

## Background

Since the early days of the conflict Divider had used the mountains of the Del Anther range to hide research and manufacturing facilities, using the harsh terrain and weather to shield their location from coalition intelligence. In turn this soon evolved into him utilizing these bases to stage offensives, advancing units down into the plains below before advanced warning could be given. For over a decade this style of attack plagued the coalition with airstrikes and other bombardments against the mountains seemingly doing little to stop them.

## Operation Close Door

Encouraged by the counsel of Aquila, Queen Mercedes Galad ordered that a major operation be proposed to stop these attacks and ideally put Divder on the defensive. The offensive became code named: "Operation Close Door" in reference to the desire to seal off the Del Anther range. With such a large area to cover the operation was a massive undertaking which alerted Divider to the coalition's intent. Quickly he bolstered his own forces in the area, so much so that when the offensive was launched he was able to flank the coalition operation and nearly shatter their lines.

Despite this coalition forces were able to dig in, bringing the operation to a close and settling the battle in a protracted engagement.

### Subsequent Offensives

For the next two decades every few years one side would make a push praying it'd be the one to break the enemy's emplacements and ensure victory and every time the opposition would reinforce their own lines to halt the offensive. This extended meat grinder saw causalities mounting on both sides and field reports made numerous mentions of soldiers discovering the remains of long lost comrades when they were tasked with digging new trenches. Destroyed machines frequently found themselves being salvaged for use as cover or reinforcement, one unit of Queens Guard even re-purposing a dead Com-Stat's head as a makeshift pillbox.

## Final Offensive

In a move to honor her late mother and to finally secure a victory, Elaine Galad orders that a conclusive offensive be planned in early 869 AF. While the coalition hoped to launch this attack in late summer it does not materialize until early autumn. Despite this the operation is launched anyway, supported by large groups of Queens Guard and several Guardians. Unprepared for such a move, Wolfhound orders Divider's forces to fall back further into the highlands. Due to the enemy's withdrawal the coalition is able to press the attack further than any ever before and force the opposition back up the mountains. Within hours the Queens Guard formed new defensive positions and signaled Adelaide: *"Your majesty, the door is closed."*

Rumors abound that Divider tried to kill Wolfhound for ordering the retreat, leaving the other machine critically damaged. Many mark the victory at Kian as the beginning of the end for Divider.