Imperial Requirments

[Dysanii]

Dawn was breaking when the first Dysanian forces crossed the border. Had someone been around to watch, they would have seen well ordered convoys of tanks and APCs intertwined with columns of infantry slowly advancing Northwards, like water trickling down a wall. Several squadrons of bombers from Fort Edward had already flown ahead to ravage the outlying cities, readying them for brutal onslaught of Imperial armour on the ground.

Since the colonisation of Metz Minor, imperialistic attitudes had spread throughout the country, imperialism which had once again reared its ugly head and driven the armies of Dysanii to annex their hated neighbour Ochor.

The country of Dysanii itself was full to bursting; 2 billion + people crammed into a nation only meant for a few hundred million. The colonial possessions of Metz Minor and Southern Ryazania had done little to ease this, and the time had come to take drastic measures to relieve the crowded nation. There were still also feelings of hate towards Ochor, as after the Dysano-Ochorian War of 1863, Ochor took Northern Dsyanian territory. This left many Dysanians still living in Ochor, and after being weakened by internal fighting and a poor economy, many saw this as an opportunity to liberate their brethren from Ochorian oppression. Due to its poor state, and the current large and trained Dysanian forces, the Dysanian leadership decided to wage a war against the mighty Ochor, as they believed ‘little Dysanii’ could come out victorious, bolstered by money and troops from their united ally Varkour. A great campaign against the Ochor had started, and Dysanii would stand for no less then the annexation of the entire nation - a final insult to old Ochor, and an end to the expansion of a single Dysanian Empire.

[Dysanii]

The Varkourian assault gave Dysanii a great tactical advantage. The Varkourian amphibious assault had come as a shock even to Dysanii, however such aggressive tactics were to be expected from the Varkourians - Varkour was once an oppressed colony of the old Ochorian Empire - and were more then willing to help Dysanii crush its old enemy. Friendly forces were now behind the Ochorian picket lines, and surely this would mean the Ochorians would try and bend their line to intercept the Varkourian advance; hopefully giving the Varkorians plenty of POWs in the confusion as the hastily assembled conscript armies tried to move their forces.

Things for the Dysanian assault, however, had ground to a halt even before they could take effect. A large war so close to home had not been fought in many years, and the military leaders were still trying old tactics. On the whole ignoring their airforce and using ground artillery units to bombard the cities into submission, this old and effective tactic was, while demoralising for the troops and citizens within the cities, not successfully destroying any defence measures. This would, when the infantry advance came, cost the Dysanian army many, many lives. At the time, Dysanian ground units remained stationary while the cities where bombarded. Shelling from sea units also began on the city of Troyes, while forward flotillas engaged in small skirmishes with Ochorian ships. The war had taken a slow, but mostly positive start for Dysanii.

[Dysanii]

Troyes

The Dysanian military command decided it was imperative to break through to the Varkourian forces before they were overwhelmed by the shifting armies of Ochor. It was decided to take a route through Troyes, as it was believed it was the most vulnerable to attack after heavy shelling from the sea. Opening up with a 5 hour bombardment on the city, and after several bombing runs, the command was issued for ground forces to begin the attack.

Forward units deployed ahead of the main body in APCs and helicopters, in an attempt to disrupt major defence areas of the city. Unfortunately, these strike forces were repelled again and again, suffering heavy casualties and where forced to withdraw entirely. Despite these failures showing the city was in fact not going to be easily taken, the 'old guard' of the Dysanian military leaders maintained the order for a full-scale assault.

More then 300,000 infantry were involved in the attack. Using tanks, APCs and helicopters to transport as many as possible and with (some) air support, things started well, with the main force reaching the outskirts of the city without too much difficulty. However, moving any further in proved very difficult, with snipers pinning down large groups of troops and RPG armed Ochorians littering the streets restricting tank support. Luckily for the Dysanian forces, the large bulk of the Troyes garrison had been recalled to the picket lines just behind Troyes in anticipation of a Varkourian attack to their rear. Still, a bitter city fight erupted, and lasted for over a week, with many Dysanian personnel losing their lives in the chaotic fire fights throughout the city. With casualties mounting in the tens of thousands, the attack was called off. With the coast still a battleground between the Dysanian and Ochorian navies, an amphibious landing was out of the question for the moment, and with the Ochorian army still clutching on to Troyes, a link up with the separated Varkourian forces on the other side could not be accomplished.

Cholet and Ales

With so many troops tied up at Troyes, no large troop movements were attempted at these cities, however air and ground bombardment continued.