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Post by Ladorak on Sept 27, 2009 21:55:32 GMT -5
((Think you meant to say Ferdinand again Skipper. Frederick isn't actually leading the army. Technically yes they are his troops, but he's not in field command.))
Ferdinand watched with narrowed eyes as his troops marched on. Why weren't the Rosferians breaking for the rear!? This was getting ridiculous! They had low morale and very little training! Why weren't they clearing out of there? They should have been breaking and running by now! Especially after that explosion!
"Argh! Blast it all Duross! Run!" he yelled, his voice not possibly carrying over to the otter's lines. It was more of his own urging and hoping to see something that was not coming to pass. "Blast it all!" His troops were starting to take some more noticeable casualties now that they were advancing closer and closer to the Rosferian lines. What could he do? What could he do? There was nothing TO be done! He was outnumbered, would be out of supplies in a few days, and was facing an army that was not running. They were even audacious, if not risking a bit TOO much in their attacks.
Such an opponent was dangerous in Ferdinand's mind. It meant they were unpredictable and determined to take dangerous steps even at the expense of their soldiers' lives. It was something the ferret Duke didn't fancy facing in this campaign. Frederick had done his best to ruin this advance anyways. If Ferdinand pulled back now....he'd lose the battle, and the campaign. The invasion of Rosferia would be halted until Gradvar could get a PROPER invasion force set up. The Rosferians weren't crumbling, and Ferdinand was advancing too fast for his liking.
With a heavy heart, the ferret made his decision. "I need two runners up here now!" He shouted, seeing a rat and a salamander rush up to him. "Alright....you" he pointed at the rat. "Get out there and tell the troops to cancel the attack and conduct an orderly retreat back to the lines. You." he shifted his claw over to the salamander. "Get over to Duross' lines under a flag of truce. Tell the otter general I want to open up negotiations with him. Go! We haven't a moment to lose!"
The two beasts saluted, and trotted off to find horses with which to move more rapidly. They set off across the field, one to stop the attack, the other to ask Duross for the possibility of a truce. Gradvar had gotten into this war before it was ready. Kradowska was a juicier target at this rate...for both Ferdinand and his cousin King Frederick. That's what they should be concentrating on...not Rosferia. Kostritz could fight it's own war after all.
The troops were now at 600 yards from the Rosferian lines, just 200 yards short of musket range. The rider managed to reach them however and pass on the orders. "Halt!" called out the brigade commanders. "Orderly retreat!" They began backing up again, keeping their faces towards the enemy. They kept their formation and began to conduct their retreat, continuously facing the Rosferians as they moved.
The second rider managed to gather up another beast or so and carried a white flag towards the Rosferians, the universal symbol of truce. The salamander messenger could see the older General Kellerman a bit behind the lines. "General Kellerman!" he called out, thankful that the Rosferians were so far holding their fire. "General Kellerman! I come from Duke Ferdinand Brunswick! He wishes to parley with General Duross and discuss a potential truce! Could you ask for General Duross' opinion on this sir?" the aide shouted over to the marten commander. "He's requesting this under a flag of truce!" the salamander thought to add, motioning behind him at the fluttering white flag.
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Post by bookity101 on Sept 28, 2009 21:16:12 GMT -5
Kellerman waited, he could almost give the signal… wait, what was that? Two riders had just broken from the Gradvarian side of the road. What are they doing? His question was soon answered as the Gradvarians started back towards their main lines. Ferdinand was withdrawing again!?!? Kellerman rubbed a paw across his brow. What good was it getting the traps ready if the enemy wouldn’t take the bait??? His head jerked up as he heard his name called out.
He listened to the salamanders message, snorting as the lizard saw fit to draw his attention to the white flag, “Yes my good lizard, I may be aged but I am not blind yet!” He waved a paw at him, “Tell your Duke that we will meet him in the middle of the road between the two camps, with no tricks!” He added this last bit more for him self than the ferret duke, “I will fetch General Duross, and we will meet you in about 15 minutes.” He turned to find Duross, then called over his shoulder, “Now Git!”
Kellerman turned and found Duross quickly, he had only stepped to a better vantage on the other side of the precipice after all. “General Duross, Ferdinand wishes, I believe is the word that was used,” he shook his head “To meet with you to discuss a truce.” He jerked a paw over his shoulder, “:I told the messenger that we would meet him half-way in about 15 minutes.” Just then Kellerman realized he was treating Duross like they were equals again, they almost were, but not quite. “Ack, I’m sorry General.” He rubbed a paw “I wasn’t thinking straight, I should’ve sent someone for you so you could talk to the messenger yourself. My apologies Sir.”
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Post by Carrow on Sept 29, 2009 7:23:42 GMT -5
The mustelid General, too, had been surprised at the response from Ferrdinand's creatures. Then, he faintly heard the exchange between the salamander and Kellerman.
"They're pulling out? Well, I never!" Duross smiled at this most unexpected turn of events. "It's quite a shame that Ferdinand and his troops aren't going to be able to see this surprise we had planned for them. heheh. In all seriousness, though, I certainly could not have seen this coming. This is a good thing, of course, and if I'm honest, while I wouldn't put it past that ferret to set us up, this seems a genuine surrender, so I'll go with what's been planned, as it seems I have no reasons to be suspicious. He knows when he's been licked, anyways. You alert our creatures, and then tell them to stay where they are. After that, follow me for our parley with Frederick."
The otter flexed his paws, very pleased indeed by what had occurred. He then added, as an afterthought, "It's no problem, friend. Had our positions been reversed, you were in charge here and I was the second-in-command who received the message, I would most likely have done the same thing, caught up in the heat of the moment, as you were. Think nothing of it."
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Post by Ladorak on Sept 29, 2009 21:56:54 GMT -5
"Sir success! General Kellerman would like to meet you on the road between the camps in 15 minutes!" the salamander huffed, hopping off his horse and grateful to be done with all the riding. No more of that for him....especially not out TOWARDS the Rosferians. Ferdinand could hear grumblings from his troops returning to the lines. Their morale had sunk down now that he'd canceled the attack twice.
The ferret pondered Kellerman's request. Well....it was better than nothing. He wanted to invite them into his own camp, but doubt they'd go for that. He was honorable, and would respect the flag of truce if they did come. He only wanted to talk after all...this wasn't a trap in any way.
"Your Highness." Ferdinand looked down at his cousin. "I'll be going out to negotiate with them. I know this is more of your field, but I don't want to risk you out in the open right now. Don't worry....I'll refuse to consider anything unless they meet certain conditions....namely freeing Augustine from prison. Anyways.....I shall be back presently."
Taking a personal escort of a few beasts with him, the Duke spurred his horse and got it galloping towards the middle of the roadway. He had a table brought with him so that both sides could sit down and discuss things. Quickly setting this up, the ferret sat down heavily behind one side, his well-fed body filling out the chair nicely. He drummed one claw on the table, not in an impatient manner but more as a distraction as he waited for Kellerman and Duross to arrive and begin negotiations. He only hoped Frederick would take his advice and remain behind....he could handle this....and he knew how far to go. A white flag of truce flew from his side, indicating they were on a temporary peace setting now.
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Post by Carrow on Sept 30, 2009 14:54:34 GMT -5
The word had been sent out, and the only two creatures of the Rosferian army that were currently on the move were Generals Duross and Kellerman. The otter looked pensive as he walked alongside Kellerman, his rudder waving gently to and fro as he did so.
"Hmm, I'm thinking that that ferrety character Ferdinand certainly isn't going to surrender unconditionally. In fact, and this is an educated guess, as last I heard, our King had been arrested on suspicion of high treason and collaborating with the enemy, I reckon that the one thing in particular he would like from us is, much as I hate to say it as I'd be vehemently against the idea myself, as you know, the release of Augustine from prison. It would seem this leaves us in quite a pickle, General. What would you suggest we do if my suspicions prove correct?"
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Post by bookity101 on Oct 1, 2009 20:40:52 GMT -5
Kellerman stretched his shoulders, they were tense from all of the almost ambushes they had had that day. He turned to Duross, "Well, Sir, I have no idea." Kellerman scratched his chin. "I for one would think they would realize that we have the upper paw," he looked up, they were nearly there. Kellerman stopped, putting a paw on Duross' shoulder, "But just in case, Duross, try to keep him talking for as long as you can." Kellerman waved a paw over his shoulder towards the sun.
"By the time the sun goes down, we will be ready for what ever they throw at us." With that Kellerman continued on his way towards the table, nodding to the Duke, he waited for Duross to take his seat, then took his own, crossing his paws across his chest, determined to wait till he absolutely had to say something to talk.
*** Fredrick paced up and down the ridge. He watched as the Rosferian Generals take their seats, seething that he had to stay behind, but.... it was better than looking like a pincushion or being splattered all over the place like his tent was....
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Post by Ladorak on Oct 1, 2009 23:20:30 GMT -5
The two really had nothing to fear. Night fighting was almost unheard of in this time period, as units could easily get lost in the dark and confused about which units were which. Light blue could look dark blue in the darkness, and Gradvar could mistake their own side for Rosferian. Ferdinand had lost this battle and he knew it.....but that wasn't to say he couldn't negotiate peace.
"Thank you for joining me." the Duke spoke cordially, if not a bit too rigidly. "It's clear....that I'm not going to win this battle and that m campaign for Cosnair is over." the ferret spoke these words with a heavy heart. He had not lost many battles in his career....but then again he never had to work under these conditions either. "I know neither of you have a lot of time.....but I intend to evacuate your country immediately." Little did Ferdinand know that another Rosferian army was coming up, this one tasked with the invasion of Gradvar should Duross be successful here, thus freeing him up to move north to invade Mordenz as he had originally wanted.
"I request free passage back to Gradvar. We will leave your towns and cities alone on our retreat if you promise to leave my army well enough alone. Furthermore....I would like to open up peace talks to establish a cessation of hostilities between the Kingdom of Gradvar and the Kingdom of Rosferia." He purposely used "Kingdom" even though Augustine was no longer on the throne. "We don't necessarily enjoy our Kostritz allies, and wont' mind dropping out of this fight between you and them.....if of course you would be willing to restore Augustine to his throne." the ferret said this cautiously, knowing it was probably not what they wanted to hear.
"I'm afraid I cannot make official peace between our nations until this condition is met however. I'm sorry but as of right now your have no legitimate government that would Gradvar would recognize...and we'd need one in order to negotiate. If you'd be willing to do this I'd be more than happy to open up peace talks between King Augustine and King Frederick. Is this....acceptable to you two?" he asked. He couldn't expect much...and if that were the case the two nations would remain at war but....for now the Gradvar invasion would have to be called off....and Rosferia would get it's chance to push into Calgary, Gradvar, and Mordenz. The initiative would shift to them, even if negotiations here broke down.
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Post by Carrow on Oct 2, 2009 9:05:06 GMT -5
Duross nodded at each point that Frederick made. He wanted free passage? Well, that was certainly reasonable; the otter saw no reason why he shouldn't be allowed that. However, the ferret's proposal that Augustine be returned to his throne really rubbed the mustelid General up the wrong way.
"I will address your conditions one at a time, Frederick," Duross said, speaking clearly, "and I will be quite honest in doing so. Some of your requests, such as us granting you free passage back to Gradvar, are quite acceptable, especially as you in return have promised to leave our towns and cities alone. Unfortunately, and I am sure you will understand this, the release of Augustine from prison is not something that could be negotiated here and now. There are certain channels that would need to be gone through before any decision could be made. "Also, the fact that Augustine is now a criminal cannot be overlooked. He has committed crimes against the state. Now, I'm sure that if your monarch were ever to do such things, Gradvar would come down upon him with the heaviest of paws. As it stands, I would have to refuse your request, simply because I myself do not have the authority to grant it. I am quite sorry that this is obviously not what you want to hear, but I'm afraid that a matter of national importance such as this one is out of my paws."
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Post by Ladorak on Oct 2, 2009 9:51:59 GMT -5
((And ONCE again Skipper heheh...it's Ferdinand...not Frederick Congrats btw )) For a moment, Ferdinand could hardly believe what he was hearing. The Duke's ears flicked. "Treason? Treason? A criminal? HOW can a monarch be a criminal!? They are the King don't you realize?" he asked angrily, pushing his chair back and standing up. "It is their divine right, appointed by Heaven, to rule! That is why this continent HAS monarchs in the first place! It's their job...they CAN'T be wrong...the only ones who are wrong are the terrorists and demagogues who seek to gain power for themselves! They may have their faults but they were appointed by Heaven....you can't go against your ruler and lord." Convincing Ferdinand otherwise would probably be impossible. He was ingrained in that classical "Divine Right of Kings" stance that so many on the continent held. It was the monarch who was absolute, and everybeast else was under him or her. "He has not committed crimes against the state because he CAN'T commit crimes against the state. You should STOP listening to these rebels and start living once again for His Majesty. I can see we have nothing further to discuss. Gradvar and Rosferia must remain at war in that case until Augustine is restored. However....I HAVE lost this battle....like it or not. Mark my words I will be back....but for now Gradvar will be fighting a defensive war only until they are once again ready to assume the offensive. You will find that I am a ferret of my word, and that I will respect the safety and integrity of your towns and cities. Dumont and Longwy will be returned to you, but expect us to be back. It's a cold day in the Dark Forest before a nation gets the upper paw over Gradvar for too long!" He snarled, swooping his cape back as he turned on his heel and began crossly heading back to his own lines. As much as he hated to admit it....he'd lost. The Gradvar military for once had not been up to the challenge. And whether or not Ferdinand WOULD be able to return in another invasion was debatable. Rosferia was already planning an invasion of it's own into Gradvar, as well as one into Calgary and another (which Duross would be heading up) into Mordenz as well. Kostritz would have no choice but to defend it's territories whereas Gradvar itself would have to deal directly with Rosferian troops on it's soil. Valmy may not have been a tremendously large battle. Ferdinand had taken 164 casualties (almost all to artillery fire) and Duross had sustained 1,300, Duross had come off the field victorious more through strategic skill and the personal bravado of capable subordinates like Kellerman. The Rosferians hadn't broken in the face of a better trained army, and it proved to the world they weren't just rebel "rabble." They could fight their fights and preserve their nation. Immediate threat was now lifted, and the initiative shifted over to Rosferia. It was free to move into Mordenz, Gradvar, and Calgary. Democracy could be spread to the first and last in that list, and Gradvar could potentially be knocked out of the war if the campaign was successful. Valmy proved a turning point for 1792. It ended an immediate threat to Rosferia and pushed the ball into their court. Ferdinand knew he'd have to put up with the whining and complaining of Frederick all the way home to their capital of Serline...and it was something the ferret Duke was just NOT looking forward to.
FINAL RESULT: ROSFERIA VICTORY
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