War of Mocladian Demise

In the chains of events leading to the creation of the Human Empire, the war of 801 AE has played the utmost importance. Not only did it change the balance of power in the region, but also exposed it to the cultural influence of Moclad's advanced administration.

— "The Rise and Fall of the Human Empire"

The war between the kingdoms of Lleira and Moclad, which started out of both greed and revenge. After the initial military success of the defenders, the much bigger Lleiran forces managed to defeat the Mocladians in battle, quickly taking over a big part of the Kingdom of Moclad.

The Conflict

Prelude

For decades, the Kingdom of Moclad was under the threat of being conquered by its neighbours. Several times war was waged for the conquest of Mocladian lands, but neither enemy kingdom could prevail before the rest of the neighbours take action to prevent it from getting more power.
The ground for the new war was set during the unrests that took place in the neighboring Kingdom of Lleira. At the end of the conflict, which was clearly leading to a grand-scale civil war, a band of unknown soldiers crossed the Moclad's border under cover of night and attacked one of the Lleiran castles, killing Duke Archebald of Wiz along with everyone else inside.
That raid was not something outstandingly rare, for there was enough bad blood between two kingdoms. Still, it had unusually serious consequences. Despite many nobles voicing their concern about the strangely successful attack and despite just now being willing to fight and kill Duke Archebald himself, King Jaymond declared a retaliation war on the Kingdom of Moclad.

Deployment

It is just a political act, most likely. They would march on us, burn down a few villages, pillage a bit and then offer peace. King Jaymond has to prove himself strong, after all. Well, let us show him that we are strong too.

— King Bronn, concluding the military council.

The call to arms was sent to all Lleiran lords, ordering them to be in 13-day's time near the town of Osferth located on the border with Moclad. It was the end of Wane and King Jaymond could not afford much time to spare. The war had to be done in less than a month before it gets too cold. Jaymond's 15-year-old brother, Hemart of Wiz, was left to rule the kingdom instead of his brother and under the advice of Count Reimfred of Rork.
On Death 1st, Jaymond had a surprisingly large force under his command. Three thousand lances with a total of 35,000 to 45,000 men answered the call, let alone those left to guard the castles. It was about 2% of the whole population, a considerable number for an offensive war. Nobles were eager to get their revenge for the inglorious death of one of them, conquer new lands — and to prove their loyalty to the new king, who has already shown the ability to lead during the time of unrests.
The army had slightly more archers than usually, and there were fewer men-at-arms as many of them were left to guard their liege's lands. The king had also gathered many small mercenary companies, providing the army with 3,550 experienced and finely armed infantrymen. Higher amounts of both archers and skilled infantry were prepared as a counterbalance for the Mocladian professional infantry-based army.
After a Lleiran messenger reached the Mocladian capital on Wane 91st with a formal declaration of war, King Bronn of Moclad started preparing his troops for war as well. The royal council believed the invasion to only consist of about 20,000 to 30,000 men, which was more in line with the previous ones and the time of the year. Still, King Bronn decided to gather soldiers from all around the country, leaving most castles and settlements with only a handful of men to garrison them. The total force numbered about 5,000-6,000 experienced foot soldiers, supported by a few hundred scouts and most of the kingdom's knights.

Battlefield

Most of the fighting occurred in the Mocladian lands bordering Lleira, up to thirty miles deep in the border. The terrain there is pretty rough and hilly, with many thick forests. Those forests are well known by the local inhabitants who would often be forced into guiding the invading armies throughout the woods, as roads are generally bad or even non-existent, forcing travellers to make a big detour. It is a natural place for ambushes, which would often be done by the defending Mocladian forces from their secret bases hidden deep inside the forests.

Conditions

Damn nobles, making us march in this weather. It is easy for them to sit in their tents and make some grand planes, while we have to huddle at night like animals.

— Lleiran infantryman

Due to the time of year, the air was already getting colder, with rains becoming more and more frequent. The roads often turned into a mess of water and dirt for several days, slowing down an already limited movement of the armies and often forcing them to search for other roads. Travellers and soldiers, who rarely had any kind of reliable cover during the march, had to frequently make stops and light the fire, still sometimes falling ill from the weather. Local settlements were essential for an army's survival during the night.

The Engagement

The beginning

The forces of Lleira made their first steps into the enemy land on Death 1st. They were advancing in three columns, with forage parties pressing food and guides from nearby villages along the way. The left and right columns consisted of about 10,000-12,000 men each, commanded by Duke Pawlin of Stush and Duke Lawrence of Fieord respectively. The rest of soldiers, including the king's personal forces and all mercenaries, formed the central column commanded by King Jaymond of Lleira himself.
Meanwhile, about half of Mocladian soldiers had lay low in the forests along the main roads. They were organised into several units and ordered to observe and count the enemy soldiers, ambushing the foraging parties as to deny the enemy food. The other half waited twenty miles away from the border, ready to mount an attack on any weak army spotted by the ambushers.
The first days of Lleiran march were rather quiet, for most villagers chose in sight of an enemy to just run away and hide. The Mocladians were not taking any actions either, while their commanders strived to confirm the number of enemy soldiers — receiving reports that summed up to a much bigger army than they expected. However, soon the forest became denser, and the skirmishes started to occur everywhere. Soldiers of Moclad were ordered to delay the enemy for as long as they could. At the same time, King Bronn slowly retreated deeper into his territory with his main force, gathering all volunteers with fighting experience along the way.

The active phase

Who can tell me the dates of famous battles during the war of 801 A.E.? Maybe you, the young lady at the back?

— Imperial Academy, "Introduction to History" class

The first serious battle happened on Death 3rd near Tortone Forest when Mocladians spotted a big enemy company that went too far ahead of its (right) column. With reinforcements sent from the main force, they ambushed the Lleirans near the Tortone Forest. The Mocladians inflicted heavy casualties on their enemy, with starting chaos and miscommunication resulting in Lleiran reinforcements mistaking their own soldiers for the enemy. The act was viewed as a slap in the face by the Lleiran nobles, with forced march implemented and many forests set on fire to prevent any further ambushes.
Passing the densely forested area and finally taking their steps into more plain parts of Moclad, Ltheleirans started to move their columns closer together out of fear of one of them being attacked while others are still far away. It is not to say that King Bronn did not want or plan to use such a strategy; he just never truly had an opportunity to do so without significant risk.
Moreover, the Mocladian army had to make a detour to rescue one of the ambush companies who was being pursued by enemy cavalry. This act allowed the Lleirans to catch up with the retreating Mocladian forces. By that time, King Bronn called in several hundred more soldiers and mustered a few thousand volunteers, which were mostly equipped from army's armouries and were often retired army veterans themselves. Finally, King Bronn has decided to challenge the invaders near the Barrnear Hill, twenty-eight miles away from the border.
The Lleirans arrived there on Death 5th, seeking revenge, though several thousand of them either died by that moment or were left to garrison the passed areas including some of the captured or besieged castles. They found the enemy waiting on top of the hill and seemingly unwilling to attack.
The first attempt to attack resulted in a disaster for the Lleirans, but shortly thereafter they cut the enemy off supplies and trapped them on the hill, successfully repelling several counterattacks aimed to breach through the encirclement. The Mocladian soldiers started to suffer from lack of water and low temperature, massively getting ill and weak.
The battle, known as Barrnear Sitting, resolved itself on Death 10th when King Bronn of Moclad was killed by some of his nobles swayed away by King Jaymond of Lleira, who then led his forces in the attack against the weakened enemy. Most of the Moclad's soldiers fell in that battle, with less than one out of five managing to break through and escape.

The conquest

Men of Moclad, you have much to do! The time has come, your country needs you! Every willing man should come to the nearest fortifications with all the food you can gather.

— Herald in a village square

The Kingdom of Moclad had always relied on the discipline and skill of its professional troops, and thus few of its citizens knew how to fight or owned weapons. While more men were raised, both voluntarily and by offering them benefits such as tax exemptions, the kingdom's armouries and shops soon ran out of weapons and armour to use. It was not rare to see a peasant with a pitchfork and in casual clothing walking on the walls of a castle those days.
Most of the remaining soldiers and armed volunteers retreated to the key castles and settlements, effectively leaving the rest of the country with no protection other than the armed villagers themselves. Those villagers were commonly organised by the kingdom's former soldiers, who would often desert the army to protect their hometowns.
After several of those villages were slaughtered to the last men for trying to mount a defence, the rest of them were offered a choice. They could submit to Lleira's rule and live under its protection, or they could resist and die. At the sight of the king's total inability to protect them, with thousands of enemy soldiers still marching in the country, the population chose to bow before their new overlord. By the time winter came and the peace treaty was signed, most of the kingdom have already belonged to King Jaymond of Lleira.

Outcome

Most of the Kingdom of Moclad was conquered by the Kingdom of Lleira, significantly increasing the latter's territory.

Aftermath

The results of the more shifted the balance of power ever more in favour of the Kingdom of Lleira, forcing the other kingdoms to unite if they were to stand a chance against it. On the other hand, King Jaymond of Lleira has strengthened his positions internally by gaining reputation and lands for both him and his supporters. Later, he would also incorporate some of Moclad's governing ideas into the Human Empire.
At no surprise to anyone, a new war broke out next year, with both Kingdom of Esma and Kingdom of Aspax now bordering Lleira. The war between three out of five great kingdoms soon escalated to a region-wide scale, shaping the further history of the human race and nicknamed the War of Five Kings.

Included Conflicts

• Barrnear Sitting
• Battle of Tortone Forest

Conflict Type

War

Battlefield Type

Land

Start Date

Wane 88th, 801 AE

Ending Date

Death 40th, 801 AE

Conflict Result

Costly yet decisive victory for the Kingdom of Lleira

Belligerents

Attackers

• Kingdom of Lleira

Led by

• Duke Lawrence of Fieord
• Duke Pawlin of Stush
• Emperor Jaymond the Wise

Defenders

• Kingdom of Moclad

Led by

• King Bronn of Moclad

Strength

38,550-48,550 total:
8,000-9,000 nobles and men-at-arms
3,550 mercenary infantrymen
12,000-16,000 archers
15,000-20,000 infantrymen

7,100-8,300 regulars:
400-500 knights
200-300 cavalry scouts
2,500-3,000 archers
4,000-4,500 spearmen
5,000-10,000 volunteers

Casualties

8,700-10,300 total:
1,700-1,800 nobles and men-at-arms
500-1,000 mercenaries
2,500-3,000 archers
4,000-4,500 infantrymen

5,000-5,800 regulars:
150-200 knights
50-100 cavalry scouts
1,800-2,200 archers
3,000-3,300 spearmen
3,000-5,000 volunteers

Objectives

Avenge the death of Duke Archebald of Wiz, uncle to King Jaymond of Lleira; conquer the lands of Moclad.

Repel the attack on their lands; force King Jaymond to negotiate peace.