The Indostric War

Agrarianists Hold the Line at Farmer's Run

The Indostric War (823KF-824KF) was a military conflict of the Schism Era, which saw the Agrarianist Government of Indostria under Nikolas Farnecomb attempt to invade and annex the far weaker Kingdom of Brabont, however, despite winning a string of initial victories thanks to skilful tactics and innovative engineering, a Kymurian-Zeor relief force arrived in the form of the Kymurian Brabont Expedition and the Zeor Peninsular Guard, and began to drive the Agrarianists back northward.

The war is notable for the only example of Kymurian and Zeorin troops fighting on the same side of any conflict.

## Origins

The Republic of Indostria was officially founded as a state of the Sra Confederacy, and therefore an extension of the Kymurian State, however, like the Brabont Republic below it, lost confidence in the Premiership government and formally seceded in 1020KF. Brabont immediately installed the popular Duke Alphonse I as a King, which complimented the rural, farm-based economy and conservative temperament of the populace.

For the next three years, the Indostrian political scene was dominated by a system known as the Gridlock, by committing electoral fraud the Liberal and Conservative Parties would effectively share power, bowing out in favour of the other after a predetermined length of time - or if public opinion took a turn for the worst. On paper Indostria was a parliamentary republic, in practice things were not so simple. True opposition mostly came from the GUW (General Union of Workers); the country's largest Trade Union, as well as from agrarianist terrorism, with political assassinations commonplace. One of the more memorable acts of political violence was the assassination of Prime Minister Edward Gort. Whilst being driven from the Parliament building in his carriage, Gort was shot dead by 3 hardcore agrarianists - Louis Bermaud, John Dornelles, and Nikolas Farnecomb, a prominent GUW leader.

The events following Gort's assassination led to the establishment of a new Liberal Government headed by former Navy Minister Mackenzie Solloto. The new government quickly alienated military circles by refusing to commit further resources and spending to the creation of a new army corps unit.

Just a month later, Farnecomb marched on Larkinge, the capital, swaying the local garrison to his cause, quickly taking control of the city.  A manifesto was quickly issued to the people of Indostria; proclaiming that a "brief parenthesis had to be opened in the constitutional life of the country "... so as to restore order and wash away the old system of gridlock and capitalist fraud". The bureaucracy was systemically purged, with hostile civil servants replaced with loyal officers and GUW members.

## The War Begins

As large numbers of refugees began to pour into Brabont, Farnecomb sent an ultimatum to King Alphonse, stating that unless the borders were closed, there would be war. The King did not answer the ultimatum and left the borders open.

A force under General Ney Barnet, sent by "Union Premier" Farnecomb, consisting of three standard army divisions (90,000 men, 123 Artillery pieces) and four GUW battalions (30,000 men) crossed the Shandro River the next week and crushed whatever resistance lay in their path. The Kingdom of Brabont maintained a standing army of only 30,000 men in total, who were well trained and highly motivated, but were faced with overwhelming opposition and let down by unimaginative high commanders. At the outbreak of war, a further 40,000 Reservists were called up, but faced the same issues as the regulars. Civilians did all they could to fight a guerrilla war against the invaders, but could only slow down the force.

Within just a fortnight, the Indostric army had advanced a hundred miles, occupying two major cities (Sapoda & St. Nasse) and was now threatening the Brabontian capital, Ovido. The only consolation for the Brabontians was that their superior fleet had won the Battle of Lachrock Coast, because the Indostric Navy was facing major issues over the fact that 89% of it's sailors were members of the military trade unions, whereas it's officers were reactionary aristocrats, who Farnecomb could not liquidate because unlike the army, there was no supply of talented agrarianist middle-rankers to replace them. He had issued a letter to the sailors asking them to "temporarily postpone the class war" in order to fight Brabont, but the sailors mutinied mid-battle when Admiral Kanos Zakisi attempted to join his fleet with that of Brabont to fight the Agrarianists. Whilst Admiral Zakisi was able to keep his ship, the *IS Karaboudjan* in line, that of his vice admiral, the *IS Belletriste* fell to the mutiny. The two ships bombarded each other, prompting some 14 battleships to side with the *Belletriste* and a further six to side with the *Karaboudjan.* The Brabontian Royal Navy made a concentrated line attack and utterly decimated the Indostric fleet, sinking 15 ships and capturing two more.

There was also the fact that the Royal Army, despite losing a vast amount of ground, had kept losses to a minimum, and had raised its size to some 50,000 regulars, backed up the "Grey Cap" reservists, who now had been issued guns and uniforms.

The King and General Staff had been arguing furiously over who to appoint as Grand Marshal of the Army. The incumbent General Sir Douglas "Priest" Zavier (he had been an Angelican priest before entering military college) had brilliantly conducted the retreat from the frontier, was well versed in new tactics and very popular among the troops, but the high command dismissed him for his hesitation to "beef" the enemy in intense engagement, and so appointed General Sir Chester Wallenstein as Grand Marshal of the Army, though Zavier was instated as Chief of Staff at the behest of junior officers.

Immediately, Wallenstein drew up plans for a counterattack, known as the "St. Nasse Offensive" which he launched on the 14th Day of the Month of Plenty, 823KF.

## Battle of Prieta

Following the taking of St. Nasse, Agrarianist troops had assembled on a woodland in front of the Mause River, where they began preparations to take Ovido. The Brabontian offensive caught them by surprise, and the unfortified camps were quickly taken by "lines of marching royalists" singing patriotic songs, who's quick advance had put them too close to the Indostrians for the latter to use their vast artillery advantage. However, placing too much faith in his 30,000 strong advance guard, Wallenstein left a dangerous gap between himself and the reserve, and an Indostric counterattack by the fanatic GUW militia left him nearly totally surrounded. The Brabontian reserve (10,000 regulars and 20,000 reserve) began an advance to rescue them but were utterly decimated by Indostrian artillery, which the attack had failed to capture. Leaving some 5,000 casualties on the field, the reserve bravely continued the advance, fighting their way to the trapped regulars, but as they did so, John Larne, the agrarian's chief engineer, had modified the sparkpowder howitzers under his command to fire at a vastly higher angle, thus allowing for the shelling of the assembled Brabontian troops without risking his own, and preventing the former from doing anything but fleeing in panic. Wallenstein stood bravely amongst the carnage, but had to be carried off the field when his leg was blown away by shrapnel. They were chased back to their fortifications by General Barnet, who began a series of assaults on the capital, but the Elite Royal Guard checked their advance at a high cost.

The agrarianist attacks reached a crescendo, as Farnecomb visited the front personally on the 21st, and ordered another wave of attacks by the newly formed Revolutionary Vanguard, who, with heavy artillery support, fought their way into the Royal University complex and began an assault on the Drambridge. While their advance was checked by Wallenstein, they established a bridgehead over the river Gila, which flowed over the north of the city. Bitter street fighting ensued. Prince Michael, the King's nephew was killed on the 23rd, leading a charge. Despite fierce counterattacks by the 2nd Royal Division and the Reserve units, the Indostrians kept their toehold in the University Complex and by the end of the battle were in possession of three quarters of the large site. However, their attempt to storm Ovido had failed, in the face of unexpectedly stiff Brabontian resistance. An already desperate situation was made worse when, under the stress of running the war, King Alphonso collapsed into a coma following a stroke. Prince Victor was made regent the same day.

## Foreign Support Arrives

 It was at this point that representatives of Saffira and Dannenholm began to convene on the orders of their leaders to "stop the spread of Agrarian terror," which by now had severely hampered the efforts of ordinary Indostrians to grow crops and support themselves. Serenos Grimm, the Lord-General of the Zeorin Empire, explicitly stated that "all Kymurians are to be treated with upmost respect, for now until the Kingdom of Brabont is saved, we are allies, with a common cause." This clause was likely due to Grimm's fear that the Empress of Kymuria, Theodora I, would be reluctant to commit her forces alongside his as a result of his own inflammatory speeches against her person. However both leaders were in fact eager to test the vast array of new weapons that had had developed since the Age of Steam began, with Grimm personally taking a tour to the besieged Ovido, where he witnessed an early airship bombing raid, immediately ordering one to be purchased for the Zeorin military. Whilst the city was under siege, a Kymurian relief force, the "Brabont Expedition" arrived by sea and launched a blisteringly effective attack on the Indostrian lines, supported by the first Empress-Class Tier One Dreadnought, named *Blue Saffira*, a leviathan ship with guns "loud enough to wake the Gods." Not wishing to be outdone, Grimm personally commanded a pincer manoeuvre with the Peninsular Guard that lifted the siege itself, and led the local royalist troops to nickname the two leaders "Mama and Papa," whilst Indostrian propaganda slandered the two as "The Snake and the Spider."

 Invasion of Indostia

The Battle of Teruel was an important confrontation. The city, which had formerly belonged to the Indostians, was conquered by a joint Allied offensive in the spring.

On that summer, Grimm launched the White Cliff Offensive, and within three months they had pushed through to the Eastern Coast, cutting the Indostian State in two. Farnecomb attempted to sue for peace that winter, but both Grimm and Theodora demanded unconditional surrender, and the war raged on.

The Indostian government then launched an all-out campaign to reconnect their territory in the Battle of the Ebro, which failed disastrously, as did a plan to bomb the *Blue Saffira* out of the water.

After that winter, the Allies reached the defensive line of Culversberg. Trusting in their numerical superiority and the possibility of attacking the flank of the defensive line through the Olsra River by using the Kymurian Navy, the Allies made a frontal assault on the defensive line, supported by the flank fire of the battleships. However, the Indostians stood strong in their positions and set up for a defensive battle, inflicting tremendous damage on the Allied troops: over 8,000 casualties against no more than 250 losses of the Agrarianists. The Battle of Culversberg resulted in an almost catastrophic defeat for the Allied forces, ending their offensive for ten months, until the next summer.

Only the capital, Larkinge and a few other strongholds remained for the Agrarianist forces. On 5 March 1939 the army, led by General Bormann Zamder and the politician Deitrich Martyn, rose against Farnecomb's Government and formed the National Defence Council to negotiate a peace deal. Farnecomb himself fled to Rolldorf, but was sold to the Kymurian government for 17,000,000 Xosas and executed for crimes against his own people.