Socialist Commonwealth
Establishing Nation
Liangang
Mao Province
Liangang Commandery
"I'm a friend of the revolution," Lieutenant Mlakar kept shouting at the militias until he was eventually certain that they weren't going to shoot him and he now had the chance to explain his presence to the Hongmenghui soldiers. "Do you know Carentania? The socialist country. Carentania," he asked them.
Most of the men looked at Mlakar quite dumbfounded, but one of the militiamen nodded hesitantly. "I know what Carentania is," he replied slowly. "What about it?"
"I was sent by the government of Carentania to help you. Let me show you."
Slowly, Lieutenant Mlakar reached inside his coat, where he had stuffed his identification into a small pocket. None of the communist soldiers seemed alarmed by this move that, as Mlakar thought to himself, had made any Carentanian checkpoint itchy. Apparently neither of the soldiers were considering it a likely option that Mlakar was reaching for a weapon or arming a bomb strapped to his body. He noted this as a sign that they were willing to trust him at least a little, even though he was probably the first foreigner they saw - at least for those recruited off the countryside.
Finally, Mlakar waved an official document, imprinted with the seal of the Workers' Republic prominently on the top, into the face of one of the soldiers. "Can anyone of you read ...yet?" He decided to add that last word to express his honest hopes that all these young men would survive the revolution and live to see Socialism - where, without doubt, they'd learn to read and write if they couldn't do so under Imperial rule. "It reads here that I am an official representative of the Workers' Republic of Carentania. What, however, it does not say is, that I am ordered to offer you, the Red Oath Society, the assistance of my country in your fight for freedom. If you can lead me to your commanding officer, I can arrange everything that is necessary with him."
The men looked surprised and confused. Mlakar wasn't sure they believed him, documents or not. He decided to add a little urgency to the matter: "I have heard there were ships of my country operating in the harbor. If we can find a radio station with enough power to contact them, I can send them instructions on where to strike, where the Imperials are. But we need to hurry, before they decide to turn around and head home!"
"How can we be certain you're not a spy for the Emperor?" One of the men finally expressed the reason for their hesitation.
Mlakar was quick to answer: "I'm only going to send the locations of Imperial troops through the radio, only those locations you tell me. If I were a spy for the Emperor, I'd be a pretty useless one. The Imperials already know where their soldiers are, don't they?"
RNS Maximo
Maximo-class Light Carrier
Somewhere within reach of Liangnang
Coordination with rebels in Liangnang had been difficult and as a result, the planes stationed aboard the Maximo had been of little use to the defense of the city. All in all, Admiral Ivan Krajncs was prepared to consider this a training session for his pilots instead of an actual combat operation. Their last attack flights had given them some valuable experience in regards to assaults on unknown territory and attacking by sight. At least the Maximo didn't have to report any casualties either. The "Kavkas" - or "Jackdaws" - outclassed what little air force the Imperial forces at Liangnang could operate by far. While probably not the most modern design available in Europe - they were straight-wing fighters developed in the late fourties - the LL-4 was still a jet-fighter with considerably higher speed than any of the outdated machines the Yu were operating. Admiral Krajncs, however, still advised his pilots not to take risks, not to involve themselves in unnecessary engagements with the enemy air force and to avoid enemy fire from the ground. It needed just one lucky hit and the Yu may salvage valuable Carentanian technology from the ground.
He had kept the Maximo within reach of Liangnang for as long as he could do so by "reinterpreting" his orders in light of an unexpected situation. No attempts had been made by the enemy to engage his little task-force and he intended to keep it that way. As much as it weighed on his heart - he knew that the fight for Liangnang was far from over - the Maximo would have to leave this theater. Admiral Krajncs had no explicit orders to operate in Liangnang and his task-force was to small to maintain a prolonged operation. Finally, there was the question of resupplying the ships and planes under his command and they could only do so by turning around and heading hom. But he intended for his pilots to fly one last strike against the Imperials before they would turn around and head home. The entire carrier air-group would participate in this strike and hopefully, it would be a crippling blow to the Imperials that gave the Hongmenghui at least a bit of breathing space and bought them time to reinforce their positions.
Their contact on the ground, an intelligence officer in Liangnang, kept sending them information through an unstable radio signal. Much of the data that came in was essentially useless through the interferences and the low quality of the signal. However, one of the latest bits of information could prove quite valuable. Apparently the Imperial forces were moving in troops through the railway and in wake of intense guerilla-fighting in the outskirts of the city, relying mainly on the railway to resupply their troops. The rails, it seemed, were the lifeline of the Imperial offense. In hindsight, not all too surprising - however, had it been the rebels holding the railway station, ordering a strike would have had devastating effects. The Maximo was essentially blind and the RAI-officer was the only source they had to determine, where to assault. Finding the targets itself would prove less troublesome. In anticipation of the rescue mission, the Maximo had been supplied maps of the city of Liangnang, which would allow the pilots to track their target. The rest would be pretty straightforward.
The assault would be divided into three groups, ten planes each. Group Alpha would fly a direct attack on the railyard, which was probably swarming with Imperial soldiers right now. This also made this attack the most dangerous - no one could say what kind of anti-air capabilities the Imperials had assembled. Admiral Krajncs was hoping on none, given the fact that the Imperial Army was expecting to fight against untrained rebels only. Group Beta would fly a number of strikes on the rails at city edge and Group Gamma would do the same, but further into the countryside. It was intended that destroying the rail further outside meant, that the Imperial troops couldn't just stop the trains further outside and bridge the remaining distance with trucks or by foot. The larger the damage, meanwhile, the less likely they would be able to repair the tracks.
Following this last strike and the safe return of its planes, the Maximo would head back home.
Chittananga
Maga Province
People's Republic of Vangala
Back home, in Rijeka, dignitaries of the Workers' Republic and their counterparts from Vangala were at this moment signing a number of treaties, formalizing their cooperation as socialist brotherstates. Over here, in Chittananga, Anton Horvat and his staff were preparing to realize all the promises Carentania was making towards Vangala. And towards the people of Yujin. Cooperation in their support for Hongmenghui rebels was, in the eyes of Carentania, one of the best ways to secure Vangalas future as independent nation. Toppling the Imperial government in Yujin would give the Socialists in Vangala more than a little breathing space, it would give them a future. It seemed that the Vangalans saw the issue in a very similiar light: they had no problems with supporting Yu rebels through the rugged and mountaineous border provinces and were glad that Havenshire and Carentania had decided to back up the support with some industrial capacities.
Soon the first Carentanian ships would anchor in Vangalan ports, unloading surplus guns from Carentanian stockpiles for the Hongmenghui - and a large shipment of more modern, standard-issue rifles of the Revolutionary Army. They were intended for the core of the Vangalan army, their most reliable and experienced soldiers. If cooperation in modernizing the Vangalan forces proved fruitful, more equipment would soon follow. Equipment which was deemed to valuable to hand it over to militias that may sell it on the black-market, but which, in the hands of a military loyally dedicated to the cause of Socialism, could ensure Vangalan sovereignity. However, that was something to consider in the near future. As of now, priority was given to sending the Hongmenghui rebels in Yujin a great number of bolt-action rifles and handgrenades, as well as some basic equipment: combat boots, canteens, first aid kits, even some bicycles. The influence of such simple tools on the combat strength of a military was often underestimated, but solid boots and a reliable supply of water kept the men on their feet, gauze bandages and tourniquets allowed a lot of injured to return to combat later rather than bleed to death, and finally, bycicles increased the speed of infantry units drastically - without the need for fuel supplies.
Alongside the first ship, officers of the Carentanian military would also reach Vangala. They were intended as advisors and trainers for both the Vangalan military as well as Hongmenghui rebels. If they wanted to win a prolonged civil war against the Imperial forces, if they really wanted to be able to see this revolution to its succesful end, it would require more than just defiance and fighting spirit. Carentania would drill the rebels in small unit tactics, flexible command chains and guerilla warfare. There was no sense in organizing large formations which the Hongmenghui could neither control nor supply. The Imperial forces had to be worn down before any sort of larger revolutionary army could be organized, probably with the participation of revolting units of the Imperial army which already had established working command chains. For now, maximising the damage to the Imperial forces wil minimizing their own losses had to be the approach for the Hongmenghui.
However, Carentania was also seeking out possible locations for airbases within Vangala. The Workers' Republic was at war with Yujin and it was at the very least considering the option of doing at least some of the fighting itself. In Carentania, three strategic bombers brigades and one engineer brigade were being prepared for a possible redeployment. As of now, they hadn't discussed this possibility with the Vangalans yet - but should the Vangalans approve this escalation, the engineers and pilots of the Revolutionary Guards Corps would be ready for a deployment to the far east.
Long Sea
North of Carentania
The "Gorilnik Prevoznik" - or "Torchbearer" - was a Carentanian destroyer that had participated in all major operations of its country's recent history. During the Liberation of Solaren, it had accidently sunk an Eiffelländer warship. This accident had not only strained the relations between the two countries at a time during which they were already contesting for control over Europe's major waterway, the Long Sea, it had also tarnished the reputation of the ship and its crew. Consequently, all men and women aboard the "Gorilnik Prevoznik" were adamant to reclaim their honor as one of the most prestigeous warships in the Revolutionary Navy. A title they had been able to claim before that incident but had now lost, both for the Carentanian public as well as within the Navy Corps itself.
"Vessel identified as merchant ship, flying Yujin colours."
The voice of the officer hung in the command room. Had he been certain? Another mistake, another mix-up with the identity of a ship, and they could probably say farewell to their military careers. Still, the Captain didn't dare to ask this question, to demand additional confirmation. He had always trusted his men, why not now? This was a Yujin merchant ship before them. Yujin had declared war upon Carentania. The "Torchbearer" was patrolling the Long Sea with the explicit orders of stopping and if necessary sinking any ships flying the colours of this hostile regime.
"Hail the ship. Tell them to stop their engines and wait for our boarding party."
The communications officer immediately began calling the ship through radio: "This is the Revolutionary Navy speaking on behalf of the Workers' Republic of Carentania. We order you to stop your engines and wait for us to board your ship. Refusing to follow this order will result in your destruction. I repeat..."
As he was repeating his message, the Captain was already giving additional orders: "Full speed, bring us starboard of the ship. Guns are to be loaded and crews ready for combat."
Mao Province
Liangang Commandery
"I'm a friend of the revolution," Lieutenant Mlakar kept shouting at the militias until he was eventually certain that they weren't going to shoot him and he now had the chance to explain his presence to the Hongmenghui soldiers. "Do you know Carentania? The socialist country. Carentania," he asked them.
Most of the men looked at Mlakar quite dumbfounded, but one of the militiamen nodded hesitantly. "I know what Carentania is," he replied slowly. "What about it?"
"I was sent by the government of Carentania to help you. Let me show you."
Slowly, Lieutenant Mlakar reached inside his coat, where he had stuffed his identification into a small pocket. None of the communist soldiers seemed alarmed by this move that, as Mlakar thought to himself, had made any Carentanian checkpoint itchy. Apparently neither of the soldiers were considering it a likely option that Mlakar was reaching for a weapon or arming a bomb strapped to his body. He noted this as a sign that they were willing to trust him at least a little, even though he was probably the first foreigner they saw - at least for those recruited off the countryside.
Finally, Mlakar waved an official document, imprinted with the seal of the Workers' Republic prominently on the top, into the face of one of the soldiers. "Can anyone of you read ...yet?" He decided to add that last word to express his honest hopes that all these young men would survive the revolution and live to see Socialism - where, without doubt, they'd learn to read and write if they couldn't do so under Imperial rule. "It reads here that I am an official representative of the Workers' Republic of Carentania. What, however, it does not say is, that I am ordered to offer you, the Red Oath Society, the assistance of my country in your fight for freedom. If you can lead me to your commanding officer, I can arrange everything that is necessary with him."
The men looked surprised and confused. Mlakar wasn't sure they believed him, documents or not. He decided to add a little urgency to the matter: "I have heard there were ships of my country operating in the harbor. If we can find a radio station with enough power to contact them, I can send them instructions on where to strike, where the Imperials are. But we need to hurry, before they decide to turn around and head home!"
"How can we be certain you're not a spy for the Emperor?" One of the men finally expressed the reason for their hesitation.
Mlakar was quick to answer: "I'm only going to send the locations of Imperial troops through the radio, only those locations you tell me. If I were a spy for the Emperor, I'd be a pretty useless one. The Imperials already know where their soldiers are, don't they?"
RNS Maximo
Maximo-class Light Carrier
Somewhere within reach of Liangnang
Coordination with rebels in Liangnang had been difficult and as a result, the planes stationed aboard the Maximo had been of little use to the defense of the city. All in all, Admiral Ivan Krajncs was prepared to consider this a training session for his pilots instead of an actual combat operation. Their last attack flights had given them some valuable experience in regards to assaults on unknown territory and attacking by sight. At least the Maximo didn't have to report any casualties either. The "Kavkas" - or "Jackdaws" - outclassed what little air force the Imperial forces at Liangnang could operate by far. While probably not the most modern design available in Europe - they were straight-wing fighters developed in the late fourties - the LL-4 was still a jet-fighter with considerably higher speed than any of the outdated machines the Yu were operating. Admiral Krajncs, however, still advised his pilots not to take risks, not to involve themselves in unnecessary engagements with the enemy air force and to avoid enemy fire from the ground. It needed just one lucky hit and the Yu may salvage valuable Carentanian technology from the ground.
He had kept the Maximo within reach of Liangnang for as long as he could do so by "reinterpreting" his orders in light of an unexpected situation. No attempts had been made by the enemy to engage his little task-force and he intended to keep it that way. As much as it weighed on his heart - he knew that the fight for Liangnang was far from over - the Maximo would have to leave this theater. Admiral Krajncs had no explicit orders to operate in Liangnang and his task-force was to small to maintain a prolonged operation. Finally, there was the question of resupplying the ships and planes under his command and they could only do so by turning around and heading hom. But he intended for his pilots to fly one last strike against the Imperials before they would turn around and head home. The entire carrier air-group would participate in this strike and hopefully, it would be a crippling blow to the Imperials that gave the Hongmenghui at least a bit of breathing space and bought them time to reinforce their positions.
Their contact on the ground, an intelligence officer in Liangnang, kept sending them information through an unstable radio signal. Much of the data that came in was essentially useless through the interferences and the low quality of the signal. However, one of the latest bits of information could prove quite valuable. Apparently the Imperial forces were moving in troops through the railway and in wake of intense guerilla-fighting in the outskirts of the city, relying mainly on the railway to resupply their troops. The rails, it seemed, were the lifeline of the Imperial offense. In hindsight, not all too surprising - however, had it been the rebels holding the railway station, ordering a strike would have had devastating effects. The Maximo was essentially blind and the RAI-officer was the only source they had to determine, where to assault. Finding the targets itself would prove less troublesome. In anticipation of the rescue mission, the Maximo had been supplied maps of the city of Liangnang, which would allow the pilots to track their target. The rest would be pretty straightforward.
The assault would be divided into three groups, ten planes each. Group Alpha would fly a direct attack on the railyard, which was probably swarming with Imperial soldiers right now. This also made this attack the most dangerous - no one could say what kind of anti-air capabilities the Imperials had assembled. Admiral Krajncs was hoping on none, given the fact that the Imperial Army was expecting to fight against untrained rebels only. Group Beta would fly a number of strikes on the rails at city edge and Group Gamma would do the same, but further into the countryside. It was intended that destroying the rail further outside meant, that the Imperial troops couldn't just stop the trains further outside and bridge the remaining distance with trucks or by foot. The larger the damage, meanwhile, the less likely they would be able to repair the tracks.
Following this last strike and the safe return of its planes, the Maximo would head back home.
Chittananga
Maga Province
People's Republic of Vangala
Back home, in Rijeka, dignitaries of the Workers' Republic and their counterparts from Vangala were at this moment signing a number of treaties, formalizing their cooperation as socialist brotherstates. Over here, in Chittananga, Anton Horvat and his staff were preparing to realize all the promises Carentania was making towards Vangala. And towards the people of Yujin. Cooperation in their support for Hongmenghui rebels was, in the eyes of Carentania, one of the best ways to secure Vangalas future as independent nation. Toppling the Imperial government in Yujin would give the Socialists in Vangala more than a little breathing space, it would give them a future. It seemed that the Vangalans saw the issue in a very similiar light: they had no problems with supporting Yu rebels through the rugged and mountaineous border provinces and were glad that Havenshire and Carentania had decided to back up the support with some industrial capacities.
Soon the first Carentanian ships would anchor in Vangalan ports, unloading surplus guns from Carentanian stockpiles for the Hongmenghui - and a large shipment of more modern, standard-issue rifles of the Revolutionary Army. They were intended for the core of the Vangalan army, their most reliable and experienced soldiers. If cooperation in modernizing the Vangalan forces proved fruitful, more equipment would soon follow. Equipment which was deemed to valuable to hand it over to militias that may sell it on the black-market, but which, in the hands of a military loyally dedicated to the cause of Socialism, could ensure Vangalan sovereignity. However, that was something to consider in the near future. As of now, priority was given to sending the Hongmenghui rebels in Yujin a great number of bolt-action rifles and handgrenades, as well as some basic equipment: combat boots, canteens, first aid kits, even some bicycles. The influence of such simple tools on the combat strength of a military was often underestimated, but solid boots and a reliable supply of water kept the men on their feet, gauze bandages and tourniquets allowed a lot of injured to return to combat later rather than bleed to death, and finally, bycicles increased the speed of infantry units drastically - without the need for fuel supplies.
Alongside the first ship, officers of the Carentanian military would also reach Vangala. They were intended as advisors and trainers for both the Vangalan military as well as Hongmenghui rebels. If they wanted to win a prolonged civil war against the Imperial forces, if they really wanted to be able to see this revolution to its succesful end, it would require more than just defiance and fighting spirit. Carentania would drill the rebels in small unit tactics, flexible command chains and guerilla warfare. There was no sense in organizing large formations which the Hongmenghui could neither control nor supply. The Imperial forces had to be worn down before any sort of larger revolutionary army could be organized, probably with the participation of revolting units of the Imperial army which already had established working command chains. For now, maximising the damage to the Imperial forces wil minimizing their own losses had to be the approach for the Hongmenghui.
However, Carentania was also seeking out possible locations for airbases within Vangala. The Workers' Republic was at war with Yujin and it was at the very least considering the option of doing at least some of the fighting itself. In Carentania, three strategic bombers brigades and one engineer brigade were being prepared for a possible redeployment. As of now, they hadn't discussed this possibility with the Vangalans yet - but should the Vangalans approve this escalation, the engineers and pilots of the Revolutionary Guards Corps would be ready for a deployment to the far east.
Long Sea
North of Carentania
The "Gorilnik Prevoznik" - or "Torchbearer" - was a Carentanian destroyer that had participated in all major operations of its country's recent history. During the Liberation of Solaren, it had accidently sunk an Eiffelländer warship. This accident had not only strained the relations between the two countries at a time during which they were already contesting for control over Europe's major waterway, the Long Sea, it had also tarnished the reputation of the ship and its crew. Consequently, all men and women aboard the "Gorilnik Prevoznik" were adamant to reclaim their honor as one of the most prestigeous warships in the Revolutionary Navy. A title they had been able to claim before that incident but had now lost, both for the Carentanian public as well as within the Navy Corps itself.
"Vessel identified as merchant ship, flying Yujin colours."
The voice of the officer hung in the command room. Had he been certain? Another mistake, another mix-up with the identity of a ship, and they could probably say farewell to their military careers. Still, the Captain didn't dare to ask this question, to demand additional confirmation. He had always trusted his men, why not now? This was a Yujin merchant ship before them. Yujin had declared war upon Carentania. The "Torchbearer" was patrolling the Long Sea with the explicit orders of stopping and if necessary sinking any ships flying the colours of this hostile regime.
"Hail the ship. Tell them to stop their engines and wait for our boarding party."
The communications officer immediately began calling the ship through radio: "This is the Revolutionary Navy speaking on behalf of the Workers' Republic of Carentania. We order you to stop your engines and wait for us to board your ship. Refusing to follow this order will result in your destruction. I repeat..."
As he was repeating his message, the Captain was already giving additional orders: "Full speed, bring us starboard of the ship. Guns are to be loaded and crews ready for combat."