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Hmm, so Chapter 13 called 'The Calm Before' and ends with a declaration of war against France?
Chapter 14 'The Storm' anyone?
Good job you've been spending money on fortifications as well as luxury clothes factories.
Chapter 14 'The Storm' anyone?
Good job you've been spending money on fortifications as well as luxury clothes factories.
Norway's been a satelite of Sweden from the start, I just forgot to mention it. I thought it was a better way to simulate their situation in the time(having a totally different constitution etc. to Sweden), plus it would make Scandinavia forming slightly harder as I though it's formation was a tad too common for my liking.
Everyone likes Walloons: Chapter 14
Previous Episode: Chapter 13: The Calm Before
The home army of Belgium has gradually been expanding, with the Armee de Belgique recently receiving twelve thousand new recruits, an increase of a third, and there is still more recruitment to do. Combined with our fortifications and the disractions presented by the armies of Britain's allies , including Spain to the south, we should have a good chance of coming out of this in one piece, if not with something. However, France can do something that we can't;
Conscription. In a way France is a bit like Russia, able to draw on vast pools of men, shove a gun in their arms and point them in their enemy's direction. Unlike Russia though, these men do not have to cross several thousands of miles of empty or downright hostile terrain to get to that enemy. Armies of several thousand mobilised peasants have assembled within sight of our border lookouts. They are little more than an armed mob and will never be a match for true soldiers but already their size rivals that of our own army and that is just what we can see, not to mention they do have professional armies wandering around somewhere.
The war council believes our best chance is to smash their mobs as quickly as we can, before they have a chance to get comfortable in their new trade, and then play a defensive game, have their soldiers waste themselves against the fortifications around Bruges and Brussels. Pierre Wangermée, an expert on the offensive is already on his way home with the non-colonial elements of the expeditionary force, but it is a long way around Africa. In the meantime our armies will be commanded by Nicholas Raikem, a graduate of a full military education and a man with an eye for opportunities on the battlefield. He advances to Charleroi to meet the French there, planning to take his first victory and then heading to Bruges for a second before returning to Brussels for a brief rest.
The army reaches Charleroi before the enemy do, as soon as they receive the news our lookouts report they cease their advance, not wanting to meet a hail of Belgian shot no doubt. Raikem moves on for the French in Bruges who are already and engaged, carrying on with the plan, reaching it on the 2nd of November;
By the 12th the french presense in the area receives a bloody nose and retreats back to France. Raikem moves on, heading for Charleroi, where the timid peasant mob has finally engaged itself, via Brussels. In the meantime eighty thousand more French peasants have appeared, splitting themselves between Namur and Arlon and the other mob has recovered their courage after crossing the border and is heading back to Bruges. The Armee reaches Charleroi several days later and begins battle.
Raikem secures his second victory on the second day of December after nearly halving the enemy army's numbers. He immediately heads to Brussels once more, beginning the relief on the 6th achieving his third successive victory by the 18th;
Raikem was the victim of some bad luck in this attack, almost as if battles were determined by rolls of some celestial dice with his enemey rolling a 9 while he a 0(What a perculiar dice). Nevertheless the superior training and skill of himself and his troops prove themselves and the enemy retreats, the victory shows it's costs however as the army is left shaken and disorderly. Raikem decides to head back to Brussels to recover.
Both sides see some measure of calm over the Chritsmas period, atleast on this front. On the eve of Christmas itself we are gifted with some news of domestic developments;
Our railroad project has finally been completed. With the snows and rain of winter and having a hostile garrison to chase, the French have been content to leave the engineers to their business for which I am glad. Belgium now hosts the most advanced rail network in the world, if only some of it were not being commandeered by the French.
The day after we celebrate the birth of our Lord we receive international news highly encouraging to the situation in Prussia;
It seems the Austrians have given their northern rival a gift, declaring war over Rovne and forcing the Russians to split their forces.
Just before New Year we also hear that Dethier has began his own rail project in Natal;
The engines will have to be imported from Home of course but once opperational it will surely make quite a sight for the natives.
The new year brings it's usual news aswell;
The King calls the next general election and hopefully the war will not interfere. The surprising part comes in the make up of the Senate where the liberals have made a very significant gain achieving a swing of over five percent and taking the majority. This is a very dangerous movement, their influence in the Chamber is still small so their interference in the actual administration of the country will remain similarly small for now, but with control of the upperhouse we will require their support in order to pass new legislation. This isn't even considering their possible backers in Russia.
On January 5th 1849 there is a break in a spell of bad weather and so Nicholas Raikem takes the opportunity to advance on a small French mob that has placed itself in Tournai,
Scout reports show a small Swiss contingent crossing into the country to reinforce their French masters, aswell as a Dutch army heading south to join the fight against France.
On the 7th, our army meets the french and begins drawing them into battle and three days later we surprised to find the Dutch army, rather than moving straight into France unopposed have joined our fight. Apparantly King William II of the Netherlands specifically ordered it as a gesture of reconciliation, His Majesty composes a special letter of thanks. It will be a long time I think before we can see the Dutch as actual friends, but it seems it will be possible. They are not the only reinforcements the army receives, a division raised in Bruges immediately heads to Tournai to join the fight. The end result is shown on the 15th;
With the elimination of the entire army, nearly ten thousand men dead, injured or fled, at a cost of just over fourteen hundred of our own. The battle of Tournai will go down as the first high point of Belgian-Dutch relations and will give the French lower classes a reason to question their tolerance of such treatment in the service of their monarch. After the battle the Dutch partways as they head into France and our own army heads north east to Liege where the small Swiss detachment has taken up.
The Cantons may well regret their little trip north as by the second of February Raikem guarentees there will be no return journey. As the Armee made its way to Liege and the Swiss however, the French made another move for Bruges will a small detachment, so with another victory under his belt Raikem turns right back around and heads for them.
In the meantime there is unfortunate news to our south;
In Arlon and Namur the huge french mobs have finally overcome the garrisons there, with Arlon falling on the 3rd and Namur by the 8th. There is little we can do at the moment however, the French officers have managed to whip the peasants into some sort of order and each army by itself equals our own so we do not want to risk going against them just yet. On the 22nd there is some positive communication though;
Raikem's army has routed the tiny French force in Bruges, it is nothing to be proud of ofcourse, but any victory is a boon. The Army returns to Brussels for some rest.
After reaching Brussels the men have only two short weeks of recuperation, the endless tides of Frenchmen show themselves once more with two more armies totalling together around forty thousend men, taking up positions in Tournai and Charleroi;
(OOC Note: Don't know what's up with the big gap under the image, tinypic seems to have added it as it's not in the original
Our scouts report either professional soldiers or well drilled peasants make up these groups. Our own army may be in better shape than before but with months of constant action to recover from, there is still some dissaray in the ranks. Therefore Raikem heads for the smaller of the enemy in Charleroi and comes to grips with them on the 15th of March.
It takes days to entice the enemy into full battle and in the meantime the War council have some pleasant news;
Our Army reforms began during the war with Russia have been completed, all of our leaders have been or will soon be schooled on the lastest in military theory and progress is being made on having positions open for those by merit rather than blood. Soldiers are much happier fighting under someone proven rather than some aristocrat's son or nephew. The Council's next project is to work with our engineers and manufacturers to produce more advanaced weapons for our soldiers.
The Flintlock has been a staple of European armies for well over a century now and is still widely used, but the French and British particularly have started using more advanced weapons centering around a "percussion cap" that provides a much more reliable method for firing a bullet. The french technological edge has yet to present itself yet, but we have been fighting mostly peasants whom we've outnumbered. The more disadvantages we can eliminate the better.
Two days after our army reformation, there is news from Charleroi;
Raikem has scored another victory, taking out two thirds of the enemy army. These farmers and miners should think twice before crossing the border again. There is even more good news, as on the very next day Wangermée and the Expeditionary force finally arrive from India, landing in our maritime bastion at Bruges. Raikem heads to Brussels to recuperate some more, intending to meet up with Wangermée and make a push on Tournai when his troops are in better shape. However he also leaves behind two deatchments to sneak behind the French advance and retake control of our southern provinces;
By April the 16th the Armee is once again in what can be described by those who do not know better as order and Wangermée, growing impatient, demands an advance on the French in Tournai and taking initiative marches the Expeditionary Force onward. Raikem soon sends the Armee to reinforce him, reaching Tournai on the 21st. This army is resistant to being pinned down for a standup fight and remains around long enough for the french to bring in their own reinforcments by early may. And it is another month before a conclusion is forced.
The enemy's sticking power can only be attributed to made up of actual soldiers rather than conscripted farm hands, but Wangermée's skill and superior numbers eventually prove not only decisive but deadly. The enemy retreats with only a third of their original number remaining, having cost 'only' a quarter of our own. Sadly almost all of our number were engaged in the fight while only a fraction of French total was present. The troops turn to Brussels again and the Expeditionary Force is folded into the Armee, Wangermée takes full command.
By mid June though it is aparrant that despite our string of victories, we have still failed to stop the French advance;
Spa falls on the 17th, with Liege falling the next day. There is still a ways to go in this war.
Previous Episode: Chapter 13: The Calm Before
Chapter 14: The Inclement Weather Before
(Take that Dewirix : D)
(Take that Dewirix : D)
The home army of Belgium has gradually been expanding, with the Armee de Belgique recently receiving twelve thousand new recruits, an increase of a third, and there is still more recruitment to do. Combined with our fortifications and the disractions presented by the armies of Britain's allies , including Spain to the south, we should have a good chance of coming out of this in one piece, if not with something. However, France can do something that we can't;
Conscription. In a way France is a bit like Russia, able to draw on vast pools of men, shove a gun in their arms and point them in their enemy's direction. Unlike Russia though, these men do not have to cross several thousands of miles of empty or downright hostile terrain to get to that enemy. Armies of several thousand mobilised peasants have assembled within sight of our border lookouts. They are little more than an armed mob and will never be a match for true soldiers but already their size rivals that of our own army and that is just what we can see, not to mention they do have professional armies wandering around somewhere.
The war council believes our best chance is to smash their mobs as quickly as we can, before they have a chance to get comfortable in their new trade, and then play a defensive game, have their soldiers waste themselves against the fortifications around Bruges and Brussels. Pierre Wangermée, an expert on the offensive is already on his way home with the non-colonial elements of the expeditionary force, but it is a long way around Africa. In the meantime our armies will be commanded by Nicholas Raikem, a graduate of a full military education and a man with an eye for opportunities on the battlefield. He advances to Charleroi to meet the French there, planning to take his first victory and then heading to Bruges for a second before returning to Brussels for a brief rest.
The army reaches Charleroi before the enemy do, as soon as they receive the news our lookouts report they cease their advance, not wanting to meet a hail of Belgian shot no doubt. Raikem moves on for the French in Bruges who are already and engaged, carrying on with the plan, reaching it on the 2nd of November;
By the 12th the french presense in the area receives a bloody nose and retreats back to France. Raikem moves on, heading for Charleroi, where the timid peasant mob has finally engaged itself, via Brussels. In the meantime eighty thousand more French peasants have appeared, splitting themselves between Namur and Arlon and the other mob has recovered their courage after crossing the border and is heading back to Bruges. The Armee reaches Charleroi several days later and begins battle.
Raikem secures his second victory on the second day of December after nearly halving the enemy army's numbers. He immediately heads to Brussels once more, beginning the relief on the 6th achieving his third successive victory by the 18th;
Raikem was the victim of some bad luck in this attack, almost as if battles were determined by rolls of some celestial dice with his enemey rolling a 9 while he a 0(What a perculiar dice). Nevertheless the superior training and skill of himself and his troops prove themselves and the enemy retreats, the victory shows it's costs however as the army is left shaken and disorderly. Raikem decides to head back to Brussels to recover.
Both sides see some measure of calm over the Chritsmas period, atleast on this front. On the eve of Christmas itself we are gifted with some news of domestic developments;
Our railroad project has finally been completed. With the snows and rain of winter and having a hostile garrison to chase, the French have been content to leave the engineers to their business for which I am glad. Belgium now hosts the most advanced rail network in the world, if only some of it were not being commandeered by the French.
The day after we celebrate the birth of our Lord we receive international news highly encouraging to the situation in Prussia;
It seems the Austrians have given their northern rival a gift, declaring war over Rovne and forcing the Russians to split their forces.
Just before New Year we also hear that Dethier has began his own rail project in Natal;
The engines will have to be imported from Home of course but once opperational it will surely make quite a sight for the natives.
The new year brings it's usual news aswell;
The King calls the next general election and hopefully the war will not interfere. The surprising part comes in the make up of the Senate where the liberals have made a very significant gain achieving a swing of over five percent and taking the majority. This is a very dangerous movement, their influence in the Chamber is still small so their interference in the actual administration of the country will remain similarly small for now, but with control of the upperhouse we will require their support in order to pass new legislation. This isn't even considering their possible backers in Russia.
On January 5th 1849 there is a break in a spell of bad weather and so Nicholas Raikem takes the opportunity to advance on a small French mob that has placed itself in Tournai,
Scout reports show a small Swiss contingent crossing into the country to reinforce their French masters, aswell as a Dutch army heading south to join the fight against France.
On the 7th, our army meets the french and begins drawing them into battle and three days later we surprised to find the Dutch army, rather than moving straight into France unopposed have joined our fight. Apparantly King William II of the Netherlands specifically ordered it as a gesture of reconciliation, His Majesty composes a special letter of thanks. It will be a long time I think before we can see the Dutch as actual friends, but it seems it will be possible. They are not the only reinforcements the army receives, a division raised in Bruges immediately heads to Tournai to join the fight. The end result is shown on the 15th;
With the elimination of the entire army, nearly ten thousand men dead, injured or fled, at a cost of just over fourteen hundred of our own. The battle of Tournai will go down as the first high point of Belgian-Dutch relations and will give the French lower classes a reason to question their tolerance of such treatment in the service of their monarch. After the battle the Dutch partways as they head into France and our own army heads north east to Liege where the small Swiss detachment has taken up.
The Cantons may well regret their little trip north as by the second of February Raikem guarentees there will be no return journey. As the Armee made its way to Liege and the Swiss however, the French made another move for Bruges will a small detachment, so with another victory under his belt Raikem turns right back around and heads for them.
In the meantime there is unfortunate news to our south;
In Arlon and Namur the huge french mobs have finally overcome the garrisons there, with Arlon falling on the 3rd and Namur by the 8th. There is little we can do at the moment however, the French officers have managed to whip the peasants into some sort of order and each army by itself equals our own so we do not want to risk going against them just yet. On the 22nd there is some positive communication though;
Raikem's army has routed the tiny French force in Bruges, it is nothing to be proud of ofcourse, but any victory is a boon. The Army returns to Brussels for some rest.
After reaching Brussels the men have only two short weeks of recuperation, the endless tides of Frenchmen show themselves once more with two more armies totalling together around forty thousend men, taking up positions in Tournai and Charleroi;
(OOC Note: Don't know what's up with the big gap under the image, tinypic seems to have added it as it's not in the original
Our scouts report either professional soldiers or well drilled peasants make up these groups. Our own army may be in better shape than before but with months of constant action to recover from, there is still some dissaray in the ranks. Therefore Raikem heads for the smaller of the enemy in Charleroi and comes to grips with them on the 15th of March.
It takes days to entice the enemy into full battle and in the meantime the War council have some pleasant news;
Our Army reforms began during the war with Russia have been completed, all of our leaders have been or will soon be schooled on the lastest in military theory and progress is being made on having positions open for those by merit rather than blood. Soldiers are much happier fighting under someone proven rather than some aristocrat's son or nephew. The Council's next project is to work with our engineers and manufacturers to produce more advanaced weapons for our soldiers.
The Flintlock has been a staple of European armies for well over a century now and is still widely used, but the French and British particularly have started using more advanced weapons centering around a "percussion cap" that provides a much more reliable method for firing a bullet. The french technological edge has yet to present itself yet, but we have been fighting mostly peasants whom we've outnumbered. The more disadvantages we can eliminate the better.
Two days after our army reformation, there is news from Charleroi;
Raikem has scored another victory, taking out two thirds of the enemy army. These farmers and miners should think twice before crossing the border again. There is even more good news, as on the very next day Wangermée and the Expeditionary force finally arrive from India, landing in our maritime bastion at Bruges. Raikem heads to Brussels to recuperate some more, intending to meet up with Wangermée and make a push on Tournai when his troops are in better shape. However he also leaves behind two deatchments to sneak behind the French advance and retake control of our southern provinces;
By April the 16th the Armee is once again in what can be described by those who do not know better as order and Wangermée, growing impatient, demands an advance on the French in Tournai and taking initiative marches the Expeditionary Force onward. Raikem soon sends the Armee to reinforce him, reaching Tournai on the 21st. This army is resistant to being pinned down for a standup fight and remains around long enough for the french to bring in their own reinforcments by early may. And it is another month before a conclusion is forced.
The enemy's sticking power can only be attributed to made up of actual soldiers rather than conscripted farm hands, but Wangermée's skill and superior numbers eventually prove not only decisive but deadly. The enemy retreats with only a third of their original number remaining, having cost 'only' a quarter of our own. Sadly almost all of our number were engaged in the fight while only a fraction of French total was present. The troops turn to Brussels again and the Expeditionary Force is folded into the Armee, Wangermée takes full command.
By mid June though it is aparrant that despite our string of victories, we have still failed to stop the French advance;
Spa falls on the 17th, with Liege falling the next day. There is still a ways to go in this war.
An Epic struggle, the French are paying a dreadful price for every meter of Belgian soil...but will it be enough to stop them ?
Ouch! I deserved that. :rofl:
How's the Spanish front holding up? Getting Army Professionalism was timely and if you can manage to retake Arlon and Namur you can cut off the bigger French armies in Belgium.
Still on a knife edge though. Eagerly awaiting the next update.
Quite a plucky resistance to the French hordes. 
I'm sure you'll be able to wear them out eventually and check their advances at the fortified provinces, and maybe the perfidious Brits will finally send some assistance. Keep up the good work. Belgians never never shall be slaves!
Also, quite an unfortunate time for an election. You'd think they'd be postponing them, what with a over third of the country being occupied and all.
I'm sure you'll be able to wear them out eventually and check their advances at the fortified provinces, and maybe the perfidious Brits will finally send some assistance. Keep up the good work. Belgians never never shall be slaves! Also, quite an unfortunate time for an election. You'd think they'd be postponing them, what with a over third of the country being occupied and all.
Gripping! Looking forwards to the next update - this is an outstanding AAR - kudos!
War against the French isn't easy, in my Two Sicilies game (now Italy), I've fought the French three times, and while I won each war, it was very costly, and bloody.
My installation broke, I made a new one and tried to restore all the changes to make the saves compatible but even though I'm pretty sure everything is as it was the save games aren't working with the new installation. I wish there was some kind of facility that would tell me exactly why the save game is causing a crash, it might help me get it working again. Until then though, this AAR will have to end. Maybe in a week or two I'll try starting a new game and force everything as it was and see if I can continue it then.
Awww! And at such a thrilling time. I suspect this is a case of diabolical Gremlin sabotage. Hopefully you can restart this soon, or failing that, start a new one. It's a very nice AAR and it'd be a damned shame to see it die.
And at such a thrilling time. I suspect this is a case of diabolical Gremlin sabotage. Hopefully you can restart this soon, or failing that, start a new one. It's a very nice AAR and it'd be a damned shame to see it die.
Ah, bad luck to have it end on such a cliffhanger.
I've really enjoyed reading this and would love to see you continue it!
I've really enjoyed reading this and would love to see you continue it!
Realised I'd forgotted to patch the new installation, maybe that's why it's not working, patched, and then realised the patch has undone all most all of my modifications(again). I rknow that's my fault for not considering it but it still gave me the absolute mother of all rages I've ever had.
Since v1.2 is apparantly only a week or two away I'm going to wait for that, install, re-do all my mods etc. and then re do the AAR.
Since v1.2 is apparantly only a week or two away I'm going to wait for that, install, re-do all my mods etc. and then re do the AAR.