-- Imperial Military Headquarters, Ostshore --
The Great Five Generals of the Empire, adorned with excessive military medals on their uniforms, gathered in the Imperial HQ. They are considered one of the foremost brilliant military tacticians the Empire had seen ever since the empire's founding. One of the Great Generals, Hans, brought a huge map of Roseby marked with the Imperial occupations of countries that they had invaded since the Spring of 1454.
The Imperial Military Headquarters is solely responsible for the Empire's planning in military strategies during wartime. They are given considerably more power during wartime by the Emperor to effectively control the war situation in the interests of the state. The Imperial HQ houses the Imperial General Staff, or the HQ for short. They take advantage of the magic telegram's efficiency in recording real-time battles, to carefully and successfully assess the tactical situation of the war and to know where they should give their supplies. The HQ is located inside the Imperial Palace, making communication with the Emperor much easier too. The Empire's Five Great Generals are; Hans,Wilhelm,Heinrich,Martha and Maria. Though, Wilhelm is seen as the most greatest of the Five Great Generals. He decisively annihilated the Summerwyn Army in the outskirts of Sienna in the final phase of the War for the Throne of Summerwyn. Though, he was unable to capture Sienna due to the reinforcements of the arrival of Confederate reinforcements and his army had begun to lost supplies and men, so he was forced to strategically retreat from Sienna.
Along with the map, Maria started to explain the war situation from the beginning until the present:
"War to Unite the Continent"
Imperial Archives
--Strategic Bombing to Destroy Italica's Industries and Morale--
--Spring of 1453--
INITIAL:
Imperial-Italican Battle of the Skies of Italica:
INITIAL:
Empire- 350 Wyverns
Italica: 430 Wyverns
RESULT:
Italican Phyrric Victory,
Imperial Strategic Victory
47 Imperial Wyverns Retreated
67 Italican Wyverns left
RESULT:
Dead Wyverns from both sides rained from the skies, resulted into hundreds of shopping stores in the district to be affected and ultimately heavily damaged by the carcasses of the wyverns and the bombs dropped during the battle ultimately resulted into heavy casualties in the district. causing thousands of civilian casualties and property damage.
-Battle of Prospera Sea-
INITIAL:
Empire-18 Heavy Imperial Warships
Italica- 14 Light Ships
RESULT:
Italican Complete Victory, Annihilation of the Imperial Second Fleet. The annihilation of the Second Imperial Fleet's Heavy Warships, the heavy warships lost against the much mobile Light Warships from the Republic. This miscalculation proved to be a decisive mistake not just to Wilhelm, but to the General Staff as well. This mistake destroyed Imperial and the HQ's prestige. culminating in more bombings to the Italican Central District.
CASUALTIES:
Second Imperial Fleet annihilated
Italican Fleet- 6 Sunk, 4 Heavily damaged.
-- Second Bombing: Surprise Night Bombing of the Central District --
Number of Wyverns Participated:
50 Wyverns
RESULT:
The panic caused a lot of disruption in government and business affairs ongoing in the city, huge property damage was inflicted to the White Palace and several government institutions as well. Overall, a huge shock to the Italican Economy.
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The Italican Campaign was planned by Wilhelm, the other generals we're not hugely supportive of his plan as they thought it's not going to work. Wilhelm ordered the half of the Imperial Fleet to defeat the Italican Navy in Prospera to strike a blow to the Italican Navy. Wilhelm hoped for a quick victory. He had hoped that the Imperial Fleet's Huge warships and numerous cannons would work against the light ships of the Italican Fleet. But, the Imperial fleet lost and this shocked the bureaucrats and the emperor himself, thus the HQ had planned a more reasonable and feasible strategy to dominate the entire continent.
as the Imperial wyvern's we're exhausted and had lost a lot of wyverns to Italica, the empire then expended more focus on the expansion of the southern part of the continent to gain more resources for the war effort. They knew, Italica won't surrender easily and while Italica's Economy is unable to stand on it's own. They would invade the Grand Ducal Confederacy and Esterloch Theocracy in the spring next year because winter is coming, their objective is to gain; resources, confiscate the warships of the Grand Ducal Confederacy and Esterloch. And to prevent trade from south roseby to Italica happen.
Since, the Italican Fleet still reigns supreme in the Prospera Sea. If they would take all the strategic ports in Southern Roseby, the Italican trade routes is good as nothing. As the long trade route from the east needs a safe secured rest point for merchants in southern Roseby. If the empire controlled it and prohibited merchant access to the occupied ports, Italica would take more time to gain more resources.
-- Southern Campaign --
- Spring of 1454 -
Winter had passed, and the Imperial Army amassed a total of 100,000 troops, the had started their march all throughout the various duchies of the Grand Ducal Confederacy. Asking their submission into imperil rule, and if they submit their laws, customs and the local dukes will be spared. And the whole Confederacy submitted to Imperial Rule. By the surrender of the Confederacy, the Imperial Army marched to Esterloch and besieged it for three months.
--Siege of Esterloch --
INTIAL:
Imperial Army -
Army- 110,000 Troops
Wyverns- 300
RESULT:
the fall of Esterloch in 3 months, The Grand Bishop and his Council retreated to the Esterloch-held Marienne. An enclave within the Kingdom of Summerwyn. Imperial expansion into the Southern Roseby Hemisphere and total economic embargo to the Italicans was successfully achieved by the Empire. Italican Monopoly on eastern goods began to decline, and the Italican Economy performs at its lowest ever since the Republic's founding.
CASUALTIES:
Army- 17,842 dead, 14,948 injured
Wyverns- 40 dead
and finally, after numerous talks and dialogues between the members of the HQ. The Imperial Invasion of the Kingdom of Summerwyn is finalized, and finally approved by the Emperor. The Empire are hoping for a quick war against the Summerwyn's this time to finally remove the Empire's headache and the country that is the only one who has the most strength in the continent to defeat them.
the plan is to, execute the plan on the summer of 1444. and besiege the fortress of Renaiss. in which they succeeded under Clause' command. an additional force had joined them, mostly the pro-imperial faction and their followers. the Imperial army as we speak, is currently marching en route to Sienna after the fall of fort Renaiss.
If the siege lasts until early winter, the empire would send more supplies and reinforcements to lasts the winter months. But, none at the HQ believes that Sienna will fall until winter. They believed at the power of the Imperial Army's might. They believed that their bombards and cannons are able to destroy and tear every fortifications apart, their gallant knights armed with guns are the pride of their army, the musket men that will be able to defeat every opponent they faced. "The Imperial Army is the Best!" cheers of the generals can be heard in the HQ.
Maria had then went to her office, and received something she feels ominous. A letter from the post office is placed in her mailbox. She opened the mailbox and took the letter. She read the letter and it says it comes from the Duke of Ophiel. and from the letter reads,
"Dear Maria,
I Humbly ask of you, please stop this ridiculous war as soon as possible and negotiate peace with our neighbors. Our Empire is already strong enough, The vast expenses of land we had inherited from the enemies we conquered; the former kingdoms of the central plains of the Empire in which we destroyed utterly, and the Grand Ducal Confederacy lowered its arms and pride to welcome our gallant troops not prepared to taste the cold steel of our great army. What I'm saying is, Stop the war and negotiate a peace treaty that is highly in favor of the empire but still acceptable to Italica and Summerwyn.
That is because, a year ago a country had transitioned and appeared on the northeast of the continent; i heard rumors about them in the Diplomatic Department responsible for the foreign relations in the Kingdom of Summerwyn. They say, its a country with immense military power and technology that even surpass ours. And so i decided to see the rumors myself, and i indeed saw it. This is my last warning, the empire will surely fail and fall if we provoke such a thing, I'm begging you"
After reading the letter, Maria didn't exactly knew what to do. First, she received contact with a high-ranking noble, let alone the head of the most powerful noble house in the Empire. Second, she didn't knew what to do with this kind of information, and Lastly, the legitimacy of the letter; there was indeed a signature of the duke in the letter. But, she highly doubts it. She thinks why would the duke message it to her in the first place and not to the Emperor directly. She had hypothesized by then, that someone is plotting against the Emperor and told the others about it.
-- Imperial Palace --
in the next morning, the Duke of Ophiel was summoned by the Emperor for unknown reasons; and the duke's coach had reached the military outposts outside the Imperial Palace before heading to the Palace.
When the coach was about to arrive, the duke had took a small detour to go into his' daughter's estate. The coach took about 15 minutes to arrive in the Empress' lovely estate in the middle of the Palace's Gardens.
As the coach stopped in front of the fountain, he stepped out and immediately walked into the doorsteps of the estate and lightly knocked to know if somebody was inside the estate.
"Ekaterina? Dad is here!" the duke said as he knocked on the doors,
Ekaterina was suddenly awoke from his father's voice and immediately went downstairs to see her loving father. As she opens the door, she could see her father's loving smile. She hugged him tightly as if she's a young child. She didn't see her for 2 years until she was visited again. The Empress had to carry her duties in the Imperial Palace, and so the duke can't stay with her. He has to stay in the Ophiel's Palace in their duchy to carry out his duties as the Duke of Ophiel as well. As they hugged, the Empress prepared a tea for her father in the living room.
"How's Karl?" The Duke asked,
"He's still sleeping in his room" The Empress replied,
The duke is 56 years old and his health had began deteriorating, and the Empress had wanted to have more time with her father to oversee both his health and the Duchy. While drinking their favorite tea, the Duke had asked the Empress if she knew the country called the United Kingdom.
"Yes father?, i certainly haven't heard a thing about it yet? is it a new country?" the Empress replied, but the Duke had told her to listen to his instructions. "Ekaterina, Listen. You take away Karl and your personal belongings that you can carry NOW! Hide in my coach while it takes me to the Palace and let the coach take you to our Duchy. Follow other further instructions i placed on our palace, that I hid it in my cabinet"
The Empress was shocked by this sudden request of her father, "Father why are you doing this? Don't tell me... Did you do something bad to the Emperor?"
In which her father replied, "Yes Ekaterina, but don't worry i will manage to escape the Emperor's suspicions on me and i will join you later, so please hurry up"
The Empress immediately packed up all her personal belongings, she took her most important possessions that she could bring. She brought jewelries and 3 gold bars she received previously as a gift. She placed the bars separately in a sack and her jewelries in a jewelry box. And placed the two in one huge sack. She immediately woke up her son and took her most favorite eastern tea porcelain in a box. The Empress and her son joined her father in the coach and immediately shut down the windows by using the curtains, when the Duke had to get outside, they used the boxes in the seats to hide from themselves being seen from the entrance. The Empress bid farewell to her father until they meet in the Duchy, and as the coach's door closes. The coach had then proceeded to leave the Imperial Palace and set out for the Duchy.
Meanwhile, in the Throne Room. The Military Bureaucrats and Five Great Generals are present beside the Emperor. The Room's Doors finally opened to the Duke of Ophiel. Among the room stands a tall wooden structure, a Guillotine. The Duke had gasped his breath.