Chapter Seven - How to win a war
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war. Defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win. Scandinavia goes to war and then lets Burgundy win it.”
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Even though Bohemia has her hands full with Scandinavia invading Pommern (i.e. Bohemia invading Jutland), Prague still finds the time to prevent poor Hanover from diplomatic advances.
With Hanover's lack of success in the subtle area of influencing minor nations, the Duchy can still boast a great warfare score. In wars with natives, I mean. And so Friedrich von Moltke, Freiherr von Moltke (Moltke is the recently-founded capital of German Kongo), Commander of the Neuhanoverskolonialstreitkräfte, or Colonial Forces for short, is ordered by Governor Dietrich to arrive with his army in Cotonou, the capital of New Hanover. Preparations for the first major ground operation, which is the conquest of the Kingdom of Oyo, have begun.
(Freiherr von Moltke together with some of the soldiers of the Colonial Forces, shortly after their arrival in New Hanover, contemporary painting. As the Heer returned to Europe, new regiments made out of local recruits were formed in Kongo. Also note the Hanoverian colonial flag here - white and red represent the traditional German naval flag originally steming from the Hanseatic flag and black stands for Africa.)
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Conflict in the distant lands
The 3rd War over Pommerania has been raging for almost a year now...and this screenshot is so loaded with information that it requires a key:
1 - Bremen, our juicy diplomatic target
2 - Scandinavia, adding another CB without any actual investment into the war
3 - us, providing free passage to everyone and his mother
4 - Lippe-Detmold, the traitor of the Triangle of Power
5 - Burgundian troops mentally preparing to die for Scandinavian cause
6 - us again
7 - more Burgundians
8 - Bohemians occupying literally all Scandinavian territories in mainland Europe
9 - today's datum
10 - Bohemian territories, void of any Bohemian armies. Was this all a cunning plan by Copenhagen?!
11 - definitely not Scandinavians landing in Pommerania
Bohemian General of the Armies in the North, Ladislav Tyl, once again puts faith in the power of the Imperial troops and intercepts one of the Burgundian armies, hoping to stall them before reinforcements arrive.
And they arrive. Not for Tyl, though. Scandinavians, seeing the golden opportunity to invest troops into a battle against an outnumbered enemy, swiftly move into the theatre. After some confusion, General Aage Urne manages to convince the Burgundian General Staff that they actually are a Scandinavian army (a phenomenon generally considered a popular myth) and they are here to aid Burgundians in the battle (an actual fantasy scenario). Nevertheless, the battle is quickly decided, ending in a debacle for Ladislav Tyl.
(General Tyl, after the defeat at Schwerin. Also, this is not a spoiler - for all we know, Stannis, I mean Tyl, might just be resting)
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War on Africa
In June, the Colonial Forces start their advance against Oyo. Well, Oyo and all other Sub-Saharan realms willing to join the party.
But the war is already decided, since Hanover discovers how to construct Engineers in July. Thanks to the establishment of Engineer brigades, army supply system and logistics are immediately made more effective.
("Do you have any idea where the oil drill is?" "Not at all.")
(Hanoverian army is now [in] EKO)
In July, von Moltke seizes the Oyo capital. This is followed by several devastating victories over African armies. We are not a backward nation from Ameriga, you now.
(defeats delivered from the hands of natives - not featured in this AAR)
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Back in Europe
Around the same time, the war in Germany does not go well for Prague. After massive defeats, the entire northern front collapses and Bohemian armies are forced to retreat to the Saxon Line. It has been a while since a war was so close to the Imperial Heartland.
In October, Imperial Marshal Corinth, in order to shift the focus of the war, sneaks with his forces through Braunschweig and attacks Masbourg's 3rd Army in Hanover. Even though he is outnumbered, the Imperial Guard once again manages the impossible and routs Masbourg's army, albeit at great cost - Corinth is mortally wounded in the battle. The Bohemian army then moves to Schwerin and joins with the rest of troops returning from Jutland.
(see? I told you he was just resting)
Masbourg flees to Magdeburg to reinforce his army with soldiers from Brandenburg. The now isolated 10th Army in Saxony is intercepted by General Tyl and his fresh conscripts. Could it happen? Could the Empire turn the war?
(Imperial army led by General Tyl in the battle of Chemnitz, neo-Romantic paiting)
(First task after unification: native subjugation. Let's make our European ancestors proud)
Meanwhile in South Africa, the Kingdom of Burgundy, dedicating all its resources to deliver a hopefully fatal blow to the Bohemian Empire, now reduced only to Bohemia proper and the Principality of Nitra, fails to address the so-called 'Boer issue'. Dutch exiles, who found their refuge in South Africa a long time ago, have been having several disputes with the Burgundian Duchy of the Cape for a while now. Fearing a Burgundian invasion, the Boers set aside their pride of independence and formed a loose coalition of republics called Batavia - the name continuing the old tradition of the so-called Classicist movement.
But an attack on an upstart republic somewhere at the outskirts of its realm is the last thing the Burgundian Crown has in my mind. Because it is the time for the Empire of Bohemia to fall.
(situation in January, 1857. Everything north of the red line is controlled by the Scandinavian-Burgundian alliance. Mostly by Burgundians, that is.)
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