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Operation Salvation

Záhorie

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9/21/21 0400hrs
Lambey, 45km West of Frankish-Bourdignie border


"Operation Le Coq is a go" said General Charles Francois Luckner. The 1st Mechanized Division would reach the border around dawn under strict instructions- seize key bridges, airfields, and towns and only fire if fired upon. 11,000 men would be rushing 20 kilometers into Bourdignie. It was the start of a carefully laid plan to finally annex part of the historically Frankish region. Indeed, it would ruffle feathers. But the ongoing public war games and Imperial Congress seemed to illicit little attention. Not to mention the Emperor's veiled speech. No alarm bells had sounded. It was neither a question of raw imperialism or the need to take land. Rather, it was a question of right. The Empire had been shut out of the region's discussions- the ties ignored. It was not an easy decision. Indeed, it was hoped that war would not come. After all, Bourdignie would receive autonomy at the same time they received the full benefits of the Empire. They'd even keep their army. Additionally, the Empire had no desire for all of Bourdignie. So why should war come? So that these guttersnipes can treat Frankish people like a maid servant who has grown so weary that they no longer resist the foul deprivations of men? Where was the parity? Why had the Empire been so insulted and not consulted? It was a debt that further built upon itself. At the end of the day, it was still about the Frankish people. Successor states be damned.

Luckner drove to the head of the column, hanging off the side like a firefighter of old. "Was the fickle finger of winter already reaching out into September" he wondered as he felt the cool wind hit his face. 3 columns would cross the border simultaneously. A white flag would proceed them at each border crossing. If fired upon, the Imperial forces would respond. Once the key positions were secure, some 45,000 more men would follow from the 28th, 1st Guards, and 3rd Armor Divisions. A no-fly zone would be enforced. And, God willing, Luckner thought; "This will be over in days". There was no real second option. The engines roared to life as the general drove by APCs, trucks, IFVs, a few tanks, SPAAA trucks, logistics cars, artillery wagons, and even motorcycle infantry; receiving and returning salutes all the way. About half-way he passed a band playing l'Oignan. It was a horrendous and shimmeringly beautiful sight. If it was to be war, it would be a sad thing. All these young boys and girls, staring back at him. "Tomorrow, you will not be you if this goes wrong" he said to himself as his staff APC drove to the very head of the center column. Eiffelland might respond within hours. As for the others? The Frankish cost would be high if Bourdignie's forces concentrated on a hearty defense. But, only because Luckner was committed to not firing first. The lead elements of the column were not even wearing helmets. It was going to be a long day of questions and answers. War would be devastating for all involved. Especially those safeguarding the puppetry in Bourdignie. If they needed to, they would feel the full force of Le Coq.
 

Josepania

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Palacio Presidencial, Palmira, Isla de las Palmas, Gran República Archipelágica de San José
21/09/2021, 1600hrs


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Presidente José Constanza drummed his fingers impatiently on the arm of his chair, which was fortunately hidden underneath the briefing table he sat at alongside various assembled Archipelagic Congressmen. Doubtless the jet lag was to blame for the weariness El Presidente felt was slowly beginning to overtake the adrenaline still swimming in his blood from the events of the day, but that was only enhancement of what already existed, as there was a very simple reason he was so annoyed at the moment: the Archipelagic Congress was being unusually stubborn.

Certainly, in theory they were a perfectly legal constitutional check on the authority of El Presidente, and for the sake of the people and the international community as a whole Presidente Constanza played along with it, to showcase how San José was a socialist, democratic republic, above such ridiculous charges as being a dictatorship in practice if not in law. Such was demonstrated in regards to the bill that was passed to authorize construction of homes throughout San José to address the housing crisis, a bill that took far too long to pass given its need, but again, it looked better than El Presidente just ramming the damn thing through and being done with it. Because in practice, what El Presidente wanted, El Presidente got, and so it was unusual for the Archipelagic Congressmen to be showing some backbone here.

Their arguments boiled down to self-interest and greed, under the more palatable veneer of archipelagic economics. There was no question that, if San José went to war, even on a limited scale, that was going to be very bad for the tourist industry. Next to agricultural production and pharmaceutical manufacturing it was one of the most lucrative pillars of Josefino prosperity, and to do anything to damage or threaten that pillar was anathema, especially given recent financial obligations San José agreed to take on from the reason for all of this discussion, Bourdignie, in regards to the liberation of Sankt Katharina (to be renamed to Santa Catalina when the time was right). This was helped by these very same Archipelagic Congressmen having deep ties to the tourist industry, some legal and open and others a little more obscure, and so while archipelagic economic security was the primary reason for their hesitation, really it was their own pocketbooks under threat of becoming just a little bit smaller. To an extent Presidente Constanza understood their concern, he too had a rather extensive personal stake in the prosperity of his people, but this was being overridden by greater international concerns.

Speaking of that, the vagueness of the Fonda Pact in regards to what actual military obligations San José had to follow was another sticking point. Technically, what the Fonda Pact had managed to cobble together the night before thanks to the indefatigable efforts of Foreign Minister Gabriel Morales was more of a first draft of an alliance and security umbrella rather than an actual legally binding document. And even if that wasn't the case, as the Archipelagic Congressmen were far too quick to point out, it still needed to be ratified and approved by said Congress. San José's own bilateral ties to the Bourdignie Confederation, while friendly and full of promises to defend independence whenever and wherever possible, did not include actual military alliances, so there was no legal avenue there. And sure, San José could just cite violation of international law as dictated by the European Forum over Bourdignie's mandated neutrality as a casus belli, but really, nobody was taking the European Forum seriously anymore, and that wasn't a good enough reason.

All of this, on top of the fact that most of the Archipelagic Congressmen were not back from their various vacations yet, and it would take an annoying amount of time to get them all together for a debate on all the points detailed above that would finally, finally, result in a declaration of war. Maybe, hopefully. The absolute minimum that El Presidente was able to extract from these exceedingly annoying bureaucratic legislators, pushed along by his invaluable Minister Morales and backed up by the Defense Minister, was an accelerated timetable for San José to prepare an expeditionary security force to Sankt Katharina to secure it from any foreign aggression, whether it came from the Frankish Queen Emma Isles or elsewhere, as technically though not openly yet, it was now under Josefino control anyway. Even that was going to take time to put together, but at least it was a start.

As Presidente Constanza finished his ponderings, the Archipelagic Congressmen finished their bleating, and a silence came over the briefing room. Finally, after looking briefly at Minister Morales if there was anything else that could be addressed, El Presidente stated, "Thank you for your consultation, Señores. I appreciate your honesty with me, and assure you they will be more fully addressed during the debate tomorrow when the rest of your colleagues arrive. There's nothing more for today, I will see you tomorrow."

Closing pleasantries were exchanged, and the Congressmen filed out one by one, Presidente Constanza holding his tongue until the last one departed and the door was shut, before his eyes narrowed and he hissed, "Malditos bastardos. The greedy fools don't realize how grave this situation is."

Calm as ever, Minister Morales turned to El Presidente. "They nonetheless bring up valid points, Su Excelencia, though their motivations are indeed questionable. They must be addressed in tomorrow's meeting at the Archipelagic Congress."

Presidente Constanza sighed in exasperation and reached for his
, sipping it with visible frustration. "That will take time Minister Morales, time that we don't have."

Minister Morales paused at this, the gears in his head whirring as he calculated something, before replying, "I will see what I can do to speed things along, Su Excelencia. I will keep you updated."

Presidente Constanza nodded in satisfaction to this and motioned to dismiss his ministers, who filed out as well until it was just El Presidente and his drink left in the room, the sun hanging behind him outside the luxurious bay windows bathing the area in sunlight, though there were some clouds on the horizon, a sign of a possible thunderstorm incoming. All was not well in paradise, and San José was left scrambling for a response while the agents of the Global Exploitation Conspiracy pressed forward with their insidious agenda. This was going to be a long week indeed, and it was not guaranteed to turn out well for El Presidente.

He sighed and sipped again, pondering his next move as war clouds gathered around San José like the rain clouds gathered around the sun.
 
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Rheinbund

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Versoix, Bourdignie

Along with the Bourdignian armed forces, there was an Eiffellandian division (30,000 soldiers) in Bourdignie. This division had its headquarters near the capital, Versoix.

As soon as it became clear that the Frankish had crossed the border, Général-Major Frédérique Corbin was woken up. He immediately ordered a brigade (10,000 soldiers) to march west. The Bourdignian Lieutenant-Générale Chastin ordered the same. The order was to respect the Frankish white flags but also to deny them further entrance into Bourdignie.

At the same moment, Demissionary Vice-Chancellor Magda Rädermacher called the Bourdignian head of government. They both decided to establish a no-fly-zone above Bourdignie, to be maintained by the Bourdignian and Eiffellandian air forces. Given the fact that Bourdignie's air force was not that big, maintaining the NFZ would mainly become Eiffelland's task.


Egletons, Bourdignie

Egletons was a small village in the west of Bourdignie. It was also the place where the Frankish army met with the Eiffellandian and Bourdignian armies for the first time. Eiffellandian batallions were led by Majors. The same accounted for Bourdignian majors. It was a Bourdignian and an Eiffellandian batallion that met the Frankish there. The Eiffellandian Major Nathan Bonnet and the Bourdignian Major Gabriel Renaud, both carrying white flags and Bonnet carrying a thin and short tree branch, stepped forward and asked the leading officer of the Frankish to step forward as well.

As soon as the Frankish officer stood before them, Bonnet started to shout.

"J' ai deux annonces!" he started. "Un! ... Lui ... " pointing at Renaud, "et moi ... " pointing at himself, "nous n' avons pas un empéreur! Lui ... " pointing at Renaud, "il a un président, qui réside à Versoix! Moi ... " pointing at himself, "j' ai un roi, qui réside à Trèves. L' empéreur à Chagny, il n' est pas notre dirigeant, et nous ne l' obéirons jamais!!! Deux!" Bonnet took the tree branch, and drew a long line in the sand. Then he returned to the Frankish officer and started to shout again. "Imaginez que cette ligne traverse sans limite á gauche et à droite! Ne la passez pas, ou nous tirons!!!" [I have two announcements! One! Him and me, we do not have an emperor. Him, he has president, who resides in Versoix! Me, I have a king, who resides in Trier! The emperor in Chagny is not our rule, and we will never obey him!!! Two! Imagine that this line traverses without limit to the left and to the right! Do not cross it, or we open fire!!!]

After that, Bonnet and Renaud turned around and walked back.


Trier, Eiffelland

As soon as Fritschler and Dr. Schmelzer returned from Fonda, they went to the Royal Palace. The King, Chancellor Roland Rheinfeld, Vice-Chancellor Magda Rädermacher and Jacques de Chambéry received them. It was already the plan that Rheinfeld would return as Chancellor on the first of October, but he returned earlier.

"Lady, gentlemen," the King started, "Chances are big that this becomes a war. In that situation, we need a missionary cabinet. Chancellor Rheinfeld is fit again. He will start working again with immediate effect. Furthermore, we are going to form a missionary cabinet out of the CDP-PDC, the UFD-UDL and the LDP-PLD. This cabinet has an absolute majority in Parliament, and it will govern by proxy. If war is averted, next week's elections will take place as planned, and this cabinet will become demissionary on the day of the elections, as usual. If war breaks out, the elections will be postponed until after the war, and this cabinet will remain missionary until the day of the elections."

Then Rheinfeld and De Chambéry outlined who would become the new ministers. Prof. Dr. Julia Bottcher from the CDP-PDC would stop as Minister of Justice, Angèle Moulin from the CDP-PDC would become the new Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, and Peter Steinhauer, Robert Lauda, Julie Garnier and Ralf Clausewitz from the UFD-UDL would become the new Ministers of Justice, Environment, Housing and Country Planning, Developmental Cooperation and International Aid, and Defence. Everybody agreed.

Meanwhile, preparations were conducted to fly the King's grandchildren, the Crown-Prince's wife, Prince Ludwig and Jonathan von Walsrode out of the country in the case of a war. The King and the Crown-Prince would stay, as well as the King's second son. Should they not survive the war but Eiffelland would still exist, Prince Ludwig would become King and the guardian of the Crown-Prince's children.
 

Serbovia

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High Command of the Serbovian Armed Forces
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Serbovia


"All regular elements of the Armed Forces are now operating in the highest operational posture. The selective call-up of reservists for the preparatory stage of mobilization is also complete. As you all know, this includes designated key personnel of the mobilization centers and existing reservist units. In addition, we remain ready to execute a full-scale mobilization of the reserves in a short time frame should the situation call for it. Regarding preparedness outside of the Armed Forces, orders have been given to increase the protection of designated critical infrastructure, civil defense services and key military industries to a wartime level. This concludes my readiness report. General Stambolic will continue on his part."

Silence fell to the large, wood-paneled conference room deep inside the confines of the High Command Complex as General Dejan Joksovic gathered his paper notes and left the podium to return back to his seat. In his role as the Chief of Combined Operations, General Joksovic was in effect the second most influential military officer in Serbovia, only surpassed in importance by Field Marshal Kacarevic himself.

Though his greying form betrayed no emotion whatsoever, Field Marshal Slobodan Kacarevic was deeply immersed in the regional map displayed on a large viewscreen behind the podium, and the various symbols depicting dispositions of allied troops and intelligence estimates of adversary forces. The Thrakian Civil War was the last time Serbovian forces had seen combat against organized military forces. Kacarevic had gone into Thrakia as the commander of the 5th Hussars Brigade, the first Serbovian forces to enter the country aside from special operations units. His successful command of that unit had given him the status of a war hero and propelled his rise to the top levels of the Serbovian military. But there had been a cost. Casualty reports he had read and letters of condolence he had written weighed on his mind every single day. Now, there was a possibility that he would be called upon to lead the Serbovian military into a new war. Kacarevic knew that he would do his duty if needed, but not without appreciating the responsibility.

Another officer took the podium. General Yegor Stambolic was the head of Centralna Direkcija za Izviđanje, the High Command Central Directorate of Intelligence, and as such the head of Serbovian military intelligence. Stambolic was an average-looking man by every measure, indistinguishable from the average military bureucrat if not for a General's insignia and the numerous ribbons adorning his uniform jacket. A veteran of clandestine operations, most of his public resumé had been redacted for security reasons.

"As directed, the CDI has been carrying out information operations aiming to build up public support for military measures, if they will be taken. We are utilizing our full capacity for these operations", Stambolic said. Serbovia had a long tradition of political propaganda dating back to the old Social-Nationalist regime. With the advent of the Internet, Serbovian intelligence services had refined this tradition of propaganda into an all-encompassing doctrine of information warfare which was to be carried out through traditional news media, but also falsified news, memes and topics of discussion that were disseminated in traditional Internet and the social media.

"And Thrakia?", Kacarevic asked.

Colonel-General Dragan Nikolic raised his hand to request to speak. He was in charge of the Combined Headquarters for Thrakia, the chief operational authority in the country.

"We are in control of South Thrakia, in concert with our local affiliated forces. There have been relatively few incidents, aside from the roadside bombing a few days ago which I believe is being handled by the CDI. I do, however, emphasize that we need to be allowed to stabilize the situation in Thrakia in peace. These threats of war are a distraction from our long-term strategic goals. Though the situation remains stable, we cannot rule out the possibility of unrest particularly with the ongoing events in the European Forum", Nikolic said.

Field Marshal Kacarevic couldn't agree more with Nikolic. The impetus for Serbovian presence in Thrakia was not only the protection of the country's sizeable community of ethnic Serboves, but also to secure Serbovia's Southern flank from foreign influence. Stabilizing the situation in Thrakia took priority over everything else, especially if the ongoing motion to abolish the Mandate System itself would pass in the European Forum.

"General Stambolic?", Kacarevic motioned for the head of intelligence to continue.

"The Thrakia Section is taking measures to make sure that pro-Serbovian forces will come out on top in any upheaval which might result. If the Pelasgian motion passes, we will gain more freedom to operate. In addition, I have ordered Major General Draskovic to initiate Operation Orion as a contingency should our efforts fail."

"The political leadership has made it clear that we should prioritize our affairs in Thrakia, but that Serbovia must prepare to fulfill its obligations to the Pressburg Pact should there be a broader escalation of the current conflict", Kacarevic continued, "Accordingly, I want us to maintain our present operational posture. In addition, I want strike plans prepared against Remion and Eugenia, but only for the occasion where they'd fire first or their territory would be used by foreign parties for an attack on Serbovia."

Thrakia was the true prize, and if the Mandates would end, so would the foreign eyes which so far had restricted Petrovgrad's ability to manipulate the various Thrakian factions and interests for Serbovian gain. Eugenia was considered largely irrelevant by Serbovian political and military leadership, if the threat of foreign presence in that country could be contained. However, with major powers mobilizing their armies, full war couldn't be discounted.
 
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Záhorie

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Western Bourdignie

Frankish troops slowly fell in behind the rapid and widespread advance of the 1st Mechanized Division which had moved into two prongs. Some units had only made it perhaps 10 miles into Bourdignie while some lead elements had moved as far as 45 miles inland before encountering resistance. Under strict orders not to fire unless fired upon, the Imperial forces could do nothing but stare down their counterparts whom stared back. It was an awkward situation. In some towns the troops had been welcomed. In others, the Imperials had received jeers. But for the most part, the advance was so rapid and the maneuver so sudden that many seemed to still be in shock. Luckner stood at a countryside intersection trying to untangle a massive traffic jam that the 3rd Armored had created for themselves. It was still early enough that the follow-up units, who were not dashing as the lead element had, were encountering passive resistance from police and border guards. Most seemed annoyed rather than angry but Luckner put that down to the shock of the matter.

Luckner's last 24 hours had been a whirlwind. He was exhausted and now Eiffelland had introduced their own no-fly zone mandate; hours after the Imperial one was issued. Which deeply worried him. If Eiffelland truly did not want conflict, would they not have been more judicious with their declaration? After all, he had been told that all-out war was unlikely. Though, he had seen only one Imperial plane in the last two hours. It seemed both sides were playing it tight and safe with aircraft. He had wasted 2 hours on an encrypted call that did not really concern him. Troop movements within the Empire were taking rapid effect as the government's fantastic interior lines worked hard to provide the clockwork deployment of troops. Everyone had began to mobilize. "For what" he had thought. Sure, this occupation was definitely not the smoothest choice. But for this to cause a world war? And were the people so blind? He sighed as he finally got 3 vehicles to move to open some space. All he could do now was shore up positions and wait to see what those politicians and leaders could come up with.
 

Rheinbund

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Southern Eiffelland / Bourdignie

The reason why Eiffelland reacted so vehemently was simple: "Today Bourdignie, tomorrow Montpassart." Eiffelland wanted to make clear that it was willing to fight if needed. Troops in Southern Eiffelland were prepared to attack Southern Bourdignie for the case that the stand-off in Bourdignie would turn into a war.

But of course Eiffelland did not want war. It would fight when needed, but it did not want war. So Minister Dr. Schmelzer flew to Chagny to negotiate upon invitation by the Frankish Minister of Foreign Affairs.
 

Tarusa

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The conflict had erupted once more this time to the North. Bourdignie was under seige, and it was from the least expected direction. Everyone always assumed the Empire would strike, that it would strike at whatever it felt like taking in that moment. It had been coincidence that events had transpired the way they had and had given the Empire more than it could have ever hoped to accomplish in central Germania. What would it do with this position? Csengia had largely been spared of conflict, in fact large portions of the entire former Pannonia had been minus skirmishes and a few large scale battles such as the two assaults on Kispest that had ruined the city.

Surprise was always the element the General Staff had loved, everybody knew the Tarusans were coming, but how, and when, and where would always be the questions. The Second Republic had just collapsed, and for the moment it would appear that even the Democratic world would yet again falter. The 5th Division of the Csengian army was the closest unit to the Bourdignie border based in Ujbuda. The division would move to secure the border and further fortify it, ready to repel any enemies who may unfortunately decide to cross the border and refugees. While the government may have recognized their independence, they were still traitors, and they would find no home or safety here.

Across the rest of Csengia, the Tarusan garrison was readying itself even more, preparing for the inevitable. Now also two additional divisions of the Kingdom were preparing themselves for operations. This would be the first preparations for war the kingdoms military had made since the official ending of the conflict. While peace would be potentially discussed abroad by those who were technically at war without being at war, the region itself had imploded to levels far worse than it had during the original outbreak of conflict. If it came time to strike, a quick decisive action would be taken.
 

Rheinbund

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The Eiffellandians would never understand the Tarusans' yearning for war. It looked like Tarusa and its allies loved war instead of seeing it as an unfortunately sometimes needed evil. And the only thing the world could do to avoid war was to give in to Tarusa's demands. For Eiffelland: To capitulate, and to accept that Eiffelland would be ruled from the Tarusan embassy in Trier. The alternative was war. To most Eiffellandians, the situation was clear: Better dead than living under the Tsar. If the Pressburg Pact wanted war, it could get it. But it would be devastating for everyone.

The moves by the Csengian and Tarusan armies didn't go unnoticed in Eiffelland and Bourdignie. Actions were taken. Military air traffic was already high in Southern Eiffelland, but it became higher. Mobilised conscript troops were moved to the borders.

In the regions bordering Csengia, missile batteries were set up. Their targets were programmed in: Bridges, viaducts, valley bridges, military units, radar installations. All over Csengia, but mainly in the North and West.

Bourdignie prepared itself for a two-front war. Howitzers were positioned for barrages to the East and to the West.

Eiffelland was already in Alarmstufe 3, but additional preparations were not planned in the North yet. The enemy's military movements concentrated around Bourdignie at the moment; increasing readiness in the North would currently only be provocative.

Would the 7 October elections still take place?
 

Serbovia

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Serbovian-Eugenian border

The territories known in Serbovia as Vela Luka, Novigrad and Stankovici had been a point of contention and boundary disputes from the foundation of the former Bajorok state at the end of the Alexandrian Wars. They had last changed hands in the Great War, ending up under Bajorok control, their Serbovian residents being allowed to stay as Bajororzsag already had a significant Serbovian minority. From that moment, they had been at the center of territorial claims made by Serbovian irredentists.

The situation at the border had been tense from the outset of the Pannonian Civil War, even if the crossings themselves had remained closed. Bajorok government troops had eventually been replaced by Zaran militias and then Socialist forces. The announcement of General Leone's coup and the Serbovian accession into the Pressburg Pact had led to rumors of war. Now, however, the handover was carried out in a reasonably orderly fashion.

Serbovian forces at the border had been on high alert as Petrovgrad had given an advance warning that the status quo in the region would soon change. Immediately after General Leone gave an announcement ordering the dissolution of the Socialist Republic of Zara, the Serbovian Army, backed by paramilitary elements of the Federal Police and the Border Guard, were ordered to occupy the three Serbovic enclaves. Serbovian psychological warfare units began broadcasting a message on all available radio frequencies, which was repeated by military aircraft and helicopters dropping leaflets at settlements in the region: The Serbovian Army would be coming. The civil rights of all residents would be respected in accordance with the agreement made by the Pressburg Pact with Remion and the Socialist junta.

However, temporary martial law would be instituted. A warning was also issued: With the dissolution of the Socialist Republic of Zara, any military or paramilitary forces remaining at arms in the enclaves would be considered illegal combatants and engaged by Serbovian forces. Any such personnel were to seek Serbovian forces for disarmament and registration, after which they would be allowed on their way as civilians.

Some of the Socialist forces that had been present in the three enclaves surrendered to the Serbovian troops as requested, and promises they had been given were kept by the Serbovians. However, intelligence officers suspected that some had simply hidden their weapons and gone home quietly, or could have even taken to the forests to form partisan bands of some kind. Even the possibility that military weapons might end up in wrong hands, criminals for example, was concerning enough, let alone the possibility of an insurgency.

The Serbovians also knew that not everyone in the enclaves would agree to the transfer of power. Ethnic Serboves greeted the occupiers with enthusiasm, mostly relieved that Petrovgrad had come to fulfill its promise that all Serboves would be protected by the Federal State. Flag-waving Serboves in towns and villages handed treats and flowers to the troops, and every opportunity for propaganda was taken advantage of by military cameramen who followed the troops as they advanced.

The Zarans, however, would not be so enthusiastic. Sympathizers of Remion's new fascist regime were seen leaving with whatever possessions they could take with them for territories that were to fall under Remionese control. Others decided to take their chances under Serbovian rule. What Socialists remained - Leone's announcement had disillusioned many of them, but not all - were between a rock and a hard place, with their options being fascist Remion or an increasingly nationalistic and authoritarian Serbovia. They would be the main concern for Serbovian occupation authorities.
 
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Tarusa

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written as the Kingdom of Csengia

The news had broke, the Eugenia nation had dissolved, officially. The highest echelons of the Queens government and military had known about the offer from the General and the Tsars diplomatic corps working on a negotiation, they had also known they would not be getting a cut of the pie. Officially this act about to be performed was not under the Empires watch, in reality behind closed doors, the Tsar was still pulling the strings. The Queen would make use of this as an act before her people that she and she alone ruled the Kingdom and was not some puppet claimed by the democratic world. She had never relinquished the claims Csengia still held upon the zaran regions that called themselves Eugenia. The ruse had worked to trick at least one party, thinking Bourdignie was in the cross airs of the Empire and Kingdom, all along it was still Eugenia.

The anger, the shock, the celebrations, that had to be what many in Eugenia were going over emotionally. While they would be going thru all these emotions the Empire had looked out for the Kingdom in a well laid out plan, it had made the Eugenian army divide, even before the collapse of the Republic, it had drawn the attention of the world towards its ambitions while the world looked to it the Franks invaded Bourdignie, and now the world looked onwards at Bourdignie, the Imperial hand reached out and struck, while not moving a muscle itself.

The 4th Infantry Division of the Kingdoms army was to strike across the border at Halaszbastaya and move towards to the west with the goal of seizing the remainder of West Zaras original boundary. They would be supported by the 3rd Infantry Division striking from the North at Hegyvidek which would move to the South-West with the mission to link up with the 4th and secure what had been the other half of West Zara. To support their mission they would have support from the Kingdoms "air support battalion", which was nothing more than a handful of gunships which had hastily had their imperial markings painted over which would be piloted by the Tarusan pilots.
 

Tarusa

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North-West Eugenia
3rd ID


The attack came as a swift surprise upon the units guarding the border. One could almost call the scene chaotic as first they were told of the dissolution of the Socialist Republic which in itself did not come with any direct orders of whom would be in charge leaving the command in a state of confusion as some must have went home while others maintained their posts. Artillery fired to life from the Csengian side of the border hammering the positions of the Eugenians across the border for the first few minutes of the operation as gunships raced overhead further inland with the intentions of destroying aircraft on the ground before they would know what was happening. This was an all out combined arms assault that had been planned by the Tarusans and was being executed by the Csengians on the ground.

It had helped the situation that the Eugenian army had been forced to split its resources in the weeks before between the North and South, now, the disarray from its government fleeing the country only aided in the operation. The 3rd Infantry Division made its move thrusting towards the south-west, it appeared the will to fight had melted away as fast as the Socialist government had fled the country. It was perhaps this melting away of resistance that had led to a bogging down of the movements of the division as progress was slowed due to those whom would surrender their arms instead of fight, and largely to the belief that there was a stronger resistance that hadn't shown itself yet that led to greater precautions being taken to clear areas.

West Eugenia
4th ID


The story was slightly different for the 4th Infantry Division as its thrust was began in much the same way as its counter-part in the North in a coordinated fashion. The fight put up by the Zarans defending the western border region was more coordinated and organized giving a brief resistance in the initial hours of the opening shots. It was either an attempt to buy time for zarans to flee further east, or some hope for reinforcements to arrive from elsewhere that had to have encouraged the resistance or belief in something happening.

While the initial first hours seemed like it would be a long and brutal fight to wrestle the remnant of West Zara away from its opponents the tide would quickly change by mid-day as news amongst the ranks spread of what was becoming of the Socialist Republic leading to a massive break-thru for the division. The division would by the evening of the 2nd day have gone so far as to achieve their objective of securing a large swath of the eugenian west zara while their counterparts from the north had not made much progress securing less than half of their objective.

Those whom had surrendered their arms would temporarily be detained until all objectives had been secured and they could be processed and a final decision be reached on what to do with them. The most likely outcome would be that of allowing them to leave for East Zara.
 

Serbovia

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Novigrad

While Serbovia's Csengian allies were advancing into West Zara, Serbovia focused its efforts into consolidating its possession over the newly annexed three Serbovic enclaves. Most of the Socialist forces had withdrawn from the newly annexed territories in accordance with the agreement, though there still remained a concern that some smaller groups of troops or even civilians given weapons from smaller disintegrating military units would have taken into the more remote sections in Vela Luka and Stankovici to form partisan bands of some kind.

Novigrad, the largest of the enclaves with an urban population of some two hundred thousand people (not counting the residents of surrounding rural towns), had grown in the shadow of the Zaran regional capital of Gonzaga in a kind of a symbiotic relationship. Now, however, that connection had been cut off by the winds of politics. Serbovia was honoring its agreements and permitting those willing to make the departure to East Zara. However, the only ones being allowed into Serbovia from old border crossings of the enclaves were Serbovian citizens and those proven to qualify for citizenship under Serbovian repatriation laws which required knowledge of language and proven ancestral relations as a precusor.

Thus, the historical ties of commerce and other exchanges between Novigrad and Gonzaga were now severed. The situation would undoubtedly exacerbate the negative sentiments felt towards the annexation by Novigrad's Zarans, even though Serbovia had promised sizeable aid for businesses now cut off from partners and customers, and for workers who had previously commuted to Gonzaga. Most of the Zarans in the new Serbovian territories had so far chosen to remain, waiting to see how the situation in East Zara would develop.

However, others had taken on the San Jose government's offer of asylum, leaving for East Zara where the Gonzaga Airport would surely be swarmed by refugees looking for a way of the country. The Serbovian military's Central Directorate of Intelligence had actually arranged buses for willing refugees to take them to the Serbovian-Zaran border. The less potentially troublesome individuals in the territories, the better.

Originally, the Serbovian Armed Forces had restricted themselves to occupying those Serbovic enclaves along the border that had been the subject of negotiations between the Pressburg Pact, San Jose and Remion. This had been done to avoid antagonizing Remion's new government as a consequence of that country's regime change. However, the High Command had remained concerned over the security of Novigrad and its surrounding territories. The area was an odd protrusion from the border, with only a narrow territorial corridor connecting it with the rest of Serbovia, and strategists had highlighted the threat that it could be easily cut off from the rest of Serbovia by an enemy force.

When Petrovgrad saw that the Csengian invasion of West Zara was allowed to play out with only the remaining Socialist forces standing in opposition, it was decided to correct the situation by occupying certain additional territories to the North and Southeast of the Novigrad Enclave. In Serbovian plans, these were jointly called the Novigrad Security Zone. All intelligence estimates pointed to confusion and demoralization among the Socialist remnant in the wake of General Leone's announced decision to leave the country. However, the High Command was fully aware that the Zaran population in these areas would potentially offer greater resistance, as would whatever military forces that were not fighting against the Csengian invasion in West Zara.

Upon confirmation of their orders, parachuting and heliborne teams from the 85th Special Operations Regiment descended into various locations in the Novigrad Security Zone. Their targets were designated landing areas for helicopters, key bridges, crossroads, train stations and power plants. Whatever small guard units that had remained were quickly dispatched by the Serbovian special operators. Heliborne troops of the 23rd Air Assault Brigade followed. At the same time, armored and mechanized units moved in across the land border from Novigrad and Serbovia into the Security Zone. Paramilitary elements from the Federal Police and the Border Guards followed. Armed with light infantry weapons and armored vehicles, they would not be a match against any regular military units, but would be useful in counter-insurgency and establishing order in the Security Zone.

It seemed that most of the regular Zaran military force had been occupied with fighting the Csengians to the Northwest. However, entering a territory where the Serbovians did not have the benefit of a friendly Serbovic population, troops reported several incidents where they came under fire from apparent civilians armed with hunting weaponry or leftovers from Zaran military stockpiles.
 
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Tarusa

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Occupied West Zara

The campaign had been swift and overwhelming with the odds greatly favoring the Csengians in this meeting of forces. The intricate plans for the division of the enemy forces had laid the groundwork that ultimately led to the capitulation in the Western Zaran remnant. Some would wonder why the campaign had not gone so far as to take all of Zara and re-incorporate it into Csengia bringing the state almost back to the entirety that was Pannonia. The reasoning was quite simple, those in west zara had been far less vocal and rebellious as those in east zara had been. Many could so much as to say the west zarans had rather stayed a part of Pannonia than to break away and it was the East zarans whom acted forcefully and pushed their will beyond their borders. East Zara had been the problem that had started the dominos collapsing in Pannonia, it had continued to be a problem ever since the collapse, re-integration of this region would just be as problematic, it was simpler to leave it and just not recognize it for the time being. The situation there could be labelled as being so bad as that the same man whom overthrew the congress did not desire to stay there and fled at first opportunity with his supporters to the far corner of the globe.

The problem now would come with occupation, re-integration, and transition bringing the remaining portion of west zara back into the fold of the Kingdom. The campaign while swift would now be giving way to the problems that came with such a rapid collapse of the enemy. What to do with those whom had surrendered? What to do with those whom had melted back into the public instead of fighting? What to do with the zaran region in general? There were many options and paths ahead that could be taken, one of the hardest would be what to do with those who surrendered that wished to be repatriated back to towns and cities in the east zaran region? There was no official government yet to coordinate with, so reaching a solid agreement on repatriation was potentially the hardest task.
 

Tarusa

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Hegyvidek


The first two companies of the Second Battalion Third Infantry Brigade waited on the field lined up ready to complete their mission. They awaited the helicopters that would insert them outside of Gonzaga just on the parameter of the former Pannonian military base. The second battalion was tasked with securing the former base and establishing it as an operational post for the Csengian and White Helmet troops to conduct the missions tasked by the European Forum. Troops for the White Helmets had already been pledged by at least three nations and the Kingdom planned to coordinate all efforts to finally establish peace and end the anarchy that had reigned on its southern border.

The men on the field showed little to no sign of fear having already battled the enemy when it was better organized. This time, they had the knowledge of being backed internationally on the subduing of rebellious elements far more than in the past. It was the middle of the afternoon, it was no surprise and it would be no shock, hopefully, that the Csengians and White Helmets were coming. The Tarusan radio broadcast Truth Radio had spent the days since the passing of the European Forum resolution broadcasting the provisions of the resolution.

First blades of the helicopters began spinning up, the men began working their way into the back of the helicopters for the quick ride across the regional border. One by one the twenty four transports lifted off along with the escort of four gunships. Some would say they were the tip of the spear, but the mission itself wasn't aimed at the destruction of the enemy forces unless it came to that. The remainder of the brigade would proceed by land from Hegyvidek while the Seventh Infantry Brigade proceeded from Sankt Viet passing thru the West Zaran region under the control of the 4th Infantry Division before crossing into Eastern Zara.

The belief was that resistance would be stiff, that somehow the warlords ruling over the various parts of Zara would be unwilling to give up the power they had attained. As the first helicopters crossed over the border, it was quiet. Not so much as a round was fired at the helicopters. They proceeded onwards towards the south-east diving deeper into eastern Zara. Now there had been a few shots taken at the force in the air, the sound deafening to all those whom it passed over as many gathered to witness its flight over. They began the approach towards the former army base, the place that had once been home to a Pannonian army under seige, where the General fought his way to Kispest to save the government. Now the government had returned anew, kind of poetic to some of the men, as some had been stationed here before. The first helicopters touched down briefly before lifting off as the others proceeded to follow, the gunships flying overwatch as armed men could be seen at the entrance of the base. The base had obviously became an outpost or even headquarters for one of the warlords.

Major Ferenc Vari waited as the men positioned themselves to be prepared to fight, the guards of the base themselves prepared for a fight.

"I am Major Vari of the Csengian army. Lay down your arms, and walk away from the premises and you may return home immediately. In accordance with the Whitaker peace plan we are here to re-establish governing authority over the borders and establish a governing body to act in accordance with the autonomy of the Duchy of Zara as it will be known within the Kingdom of Csengia. We are but the first of a multi-national force that will be establishing its presence for the time being within the Duchy."

After the major had finished his notification to those defending the base there was a tense pause. Neither side acted in a provocative manner, the only sounds that could be heard was that of the attack helicopters that had once more swept back into a position to provide support for the troops on the ground, the transports long gone. Minutes passed, someone had obviously begun talking to the others inside the base, as they no doubt decided what action they would take. After half an hour the first defenders began filing out of the gates of the base, arms held high as one of the companies moved forward at last to meet those whom were surrendering their arms to go home. The second company remained in positions around the base prepared for a fight from within or from outside, the other broke up with few platoons counting as defenders deserted and placed their weapons on the ground before being allowed to leave. The other platoons entered the base to begin securing it. Over the course of the next few hours the occasional sound of gunfire would erupt within the base grounds, between those who chose to instead fight for either their own belief in Zaran independence, or for their warlord.

((As per the dice gods, the Csengians see minimal resistance with its initial deployments, the Zarans want some normality it seems for now. I used this thread since it is still the Pannonia chronicles))
 
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