Chapter XIX: Plans and Order of Battles at start of the Great Pomeranian War

Spring 1111 VTE

Opening Situation and plans.

The time had finally come for Magnus and his Pomeranian allies to launch their attack on Pomerlane for his treachery. Magnus was no fool and had studied Pomerlane's tactics previously and had made a plan that he believed would ultimately defeat the traitor. He would launch attacks at 5 points along both Eliria and Syrenia. Pomerlane could not be everywhere at once, Magnus knew, and this was to be used to his advantage. While Pomerlane would have to fight one of these armies himself, Magnus and his allies would attack and beat the other forces of Eliria and Syrenia. Pomerlane may win against the foe he was facing but he would eventually be pushed further and further back, likely exhausting his own force in an effort to try to defeat the numerous threats. As it progressed further, Pomerlane would have to rely more on levies that would weaken his army's ability to fight while Magnus could replace his losses with trained reserves he and his allies had. Eventually, Pomerlane would be bottled up and destroyed by the quality and quantity of the forces he was facing.

Furthermore, Magnus believed that two other factors would play right into his hand for this coming campaign.

First, he believed that if he presented himself as a liberator to the Ryuguards from the man who killed hundreds of thousands of their kin, cities would defect, and his army would grow even more. He commanded that his armies in Syrenia adopt a strict policy of no looting, no pillaging and no destroying of anything in Syrenia. All food and supplies needed by his army would be brought up by wagon or bought generously from the locals. By winning their hearts through love and not fear, he believed a popular uprising would start. This would also in his mind force Pomerlane to face him and his superior armies rather than the Pomeranians, as he knew his enemy would realize this as a problem.

Second, He believed that Eliria wasn't fully committed to such a war. He underestimated their willingness to fight and the Empress herself, whom he considered a naive little girl. This wasn't without reason, as Eliria was by no means known for their army and had no martial ethos in their culture. They had folded some 40 years earlier and other times before that to external threats and Magnus believed they would yet again.

His only real fear was that his two Pomeranian allies would not cooperate should Pomerlane face them. The Inapuffs and Stormfury dynasties despised each other but had nonetheless put routinely put aside their differences for their own gain. They both wanted lands in Eliria for themselves and Magnus feared this would cause them work independently of each other. It certainly didn't help that the Cloudbursts refused to help at all during this war because of their personal fears of the other two growing too powerful. He hoped to address this by sending his trusted vassal, the Duke of Drachin, to join the Inapuffs' with his forces. Hopefully, if nothing else, the Duke of Drachin could convince his own brother-in-law, Pomuranus to march to the aid of the Stormfurys if needed.

Pomerlane on the other hand knew of the armies gathering on his border were likely part of a plan by his enemies to destroy him. Through his spies, he gathered that the plan was likely to overwhelm and exhaust him on all fronts through multiple offensives by different armies. He also knew that none of these armies should be taken lightly, as they were coming from the two most powerful nations in Ninisani. This wasn't going to be anything like the Ryuguard War was. It wasn't like he didn't have his own advantages though. Pomerlane trusted and fully believed that his Ryuguards subjects were greatly loyal to him and his cause. He did not believe like Magnus did that they would defect but rather that they would fight hard against the invader.

He also believed that forces in Syrenia, if commanded wisely by his trusted commander Sergius Cato, would be able to tie down a lot of Dragoons and hinder their progress through skilled use of local power and guerilla warfare. Cato had distinguished himself in the Siege of Atalanta through his bravery and wise tactics, and Pomerlane trusted the old Aquilieian greatly with the task he gave him.

Furthermore, as someone who understood Pomerania like the back of his hand, he knew that the Pomeranians would not work together to achieve their goals. He planned on using that to his advantage during the opening stages of the war by defeating them both in detail. This was of course, easier said than do, but by combining his own army with that of Prince Nicephorus, he believed he could accomplish this. He also had no doubts about the quality of his troops and their abilities on the battlefield. With the new tactics he trained his army in, he believed he could defeat these Pomeranian armies even if they did join together by sheer shock and awe.

Selenium and Pomerania

Main Dragoonian Armies

Army of the Vesta, under King Magnus, numbering 80,000 men including the best Royal troops and 250 guns. Operating from Rjukan and striking towards the Vesta River Valley.

Army of Syrenia, under Count-Palantine Karl II of Aarstad, numbering 40,000 men, drawn from Feudal lands from the West and Southwest with Royal Contingents as well, and 125 guns. Operating from Nöteborg and striking towards Bellona

Army of the North, under Prince Johan IV Drachin, numbering 20,000 men from his Duchy and 50 guns to rendezvous with the Army of Pomura at Diamond City. Operating from Schöneworth.

Dragoonian Reserves and other Armies

Army of Kunegsland, under Prince Haakon of Selenium, numbering 35,000 men and 75 guns. Acting as a strategic reserve from Kalmar.

Army of Västerbotten, under Crown Prince Olav of Selenium, numbering 30,000 men and 100 guns. Defending the Rose border.

Army of the South, under Count Harlaus I of Hörby, number 20,000 and 45 guns along the Southern and Eastern border.

Main Pomeranian Armies

Army of Pomura, under Pomuranus V of Pomura, numbering 40,000 and 74 guns. Operating from Kemnitz and striking towards Diamond City

Army of Lesser Pomerania, under Prince Pomulius II of Salzwedel-Stormfury, numbering 60,000 men and 148 guns. Operating from Salzwedel and striking towards Lillehammer.

Pomeranian Reserves and other Armies

Army of Greifswald, under Pomuralius Inapuff numbering some 15,000 and 14 guns. Stationed at Greifswald as the strategic reserve for the Pomuran Army.

Army of Mansfeld, under Count Pompulius VI of Mansfeld, numbering 25,000 men and 24 guns. Stationed at Mansfeld as the strategic reserve for the Stormfurys with orders to march on Nyborg when Lillehammer is captured.

Army of the Minerva, under Count Pomeralius IX of Glückstadt, numbering 10,000 men and 22 guns. Stationed at Glückstadt and unlikely to commit itself due to Counts personal distate of the Prince of Salzwedel-Stormfury.

Royal Pomeranian Army, under King Pomeralius IV, numbering 50,000 men and 157 guns. Held back in the Capital Region of Pomerania Proper, and unlikely to be involved thanks to the Cloudbursts fear of the Inapuffs and Stormfury's gaining too much power from this war.

Army of Greater Pomerania, under Crown Prince Pomeralius of Pomerania, numbering some 30,000 men and 97 guns. Stationed along the border with the badlands to prevent Schizo attacks.

Pomerlane's Armies

Imperial and Princely Army, colloquially known as the "Black Army", under Pomerlane himself, numbers 40,000 men and 197 guns. Most of his veterans are in this army as are a 5,000 strong contingent of Winged Lancers that have joined his cause, more on them later. Stationed at Rødding.

Army of Aquileia, under Marcus Sergius Cato, officially numbers 30,000 men and 74 but is split into 3 seperate commands. One at Trinitas under Flavius Rufus, numbering 10,000 and 20 guns; another at Bellona under Aetius Nero, numbering 5,000 and 12 guns and the main force at Aquileia, numbering 15,000 and 32 guns.

Archducal Army, under Prince Nicephorus Antigoneia, numbering 25,000 men and 67 guns. Stationed at Lillehammer.

Ingrian Corps, under Pomupius Firetempest, numbers 7,000 men and 26 guns. Stationed at Nyborg.

Pomerlane has no strategic reserves but will levy up to 150,000 men from the Archduchy and Syrenia. They will be ready for action in 3 months' time.

Regarding the Winged Lancers: They were sent by the Grand Duke of Chalkydria in 1108 as a means of getting his restless cousin, Theophylactus Makrebolities, away from causing problems for neighboring states or getting killed by the Schizos. Theophilus had first learned of Pomerlane in 1104, with the news of his victories capturing the 16-year old's imagination. He increasingly asked his cousin about fighting the schizos using the tactics of Pomerlane, but Nikephoros brushed it off.

By 1108 however, Theophylactus had managed to raise 5,000 men himself and out of fear of his rashness, Nikephoros told Theophilus that if he wanted to go to war, he should march through the northern states and board a ship for Syrenia. News about Pappenheim and the fall of Atalanta had not reached Ethyrian lands yet, so Theophilus eagerly accepted and reached Pomerlane by 1110.

The now 22-year-old was disappointed to learn about missing the big fight, but pledged his support to Pomerlane, his hero, quickly. Theophylactus himself will play an important role in this war to come and gain the glory he so wanted.

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Pub: 28 Jun 2022 13:33 UTC
Edit: 28 Jun 2022 15:27 UTC
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