[X] Send our artillery battery to support the Fort siege, supported/protected by one of our light infantry battalions.
[X] Attack one town first (the closest) and then the other with your remaining force.
-[X] See if this Resistance contact is on the level. Let them try to convince the traditionalist town to surrender.
--[X] Failing that, the resistance/traditionalists should shift focus to evacuating civilians from the town.
The weather is clear and sunny as your brigade approach the outskirts of the Merovian town called Lublin. It is a decently sized urban centre focussed around a few factories. White sheets feature prominently on the buildings, its clear the civilians don't want a fight.
The vanguard enters the town and quickly encounters a few resistance members waiting for them. They claim to have convinced significant numbers of militia to desert, though you are understandably unable to verify it. Probably had a bunch of sympathisers there already. They were unable to persuade the regular army to completely abandon the town. However there seems to have been a disagreement among among the military chain of command in the garrison. Part of it has left the town while others have stayed behind. You suppose that's what happens when everyone is socially equal. Unfortunately the resistance are unwilling to actually fight their fellow countrymen openly but that's not necessary. The information provided about the layout of the town will be quite useful. You have them do what they can to keep the population away from the enemy concentrations.
The troops advance further and soon encounter some sniper fire. It is sporadic and does very little damage though it achieves its intended effect, slow your forces down. After a few hours the enemy - about a company of troops - has been isolated around two strongpoints. In and around buildings providing good cover and vantage points. For the rest of the day they resist several attempts to take their positions. The streets around the strongpoints are blocked by debris and barricades impeding armour, creating decent defenses. Despite steady mortar fire and defensive lines collapsing, requests for surrender are rejected. After a night of minor incursions to keep them on their toes, you use the darkness to clear a path to bring up some of the heavier armour.
As dawn arrives the situation for Merovian forces is clearly hopeless. Outnumbered, surrounded on all sides with the end quickly approaching, they keep on fighting. Your soldiers take the surrounding streets after a couple of hours of fighting. As the mortars keep falling and heavy tanks break through the last defense lines, the white flag of capitulation is seen from the now pockmarked buildings. The remaining enemy troops surrender after their commander is killed by a blast. The rest of the day as well as the following one is spent finishing the takeover and recovering from the fighting.
Casualties were light for this type of fighting, less than a few dozen. It helped that the enemy's homeground advantage was mostly negated by insider knowledge. But still, three days were wasted on a town that should have taken an afternoon to occupy. Some post battle scrutiny by some adjutants reveals that the enemy force was made up of several platoons of actual soldiers with some irregular support. The population didn't really rally behind the defenders as much as they could have which certainly saved some trouble. You're not sure if it was just general reluctance or actual cajoling by friendly agents that prevented people from taking up arms, it could be both. You mentally tip your hat to the deceased CO, not any random officer could hold you off that long just some infantry.
After securing Lublin you immediately move to take the second town in your way, Seczerin. Its takes a day to march your forces there. One of the things you think about on the journey are the origins of the supposed Merovian resistance. Once a upon a time Merovia was a duchy in the kingdom of Volhynia. That realm collapsed during the Troubles half a century ago. Most of its constituent parts joined the empire but one part refused. The Merovian duchy stayed independent a few decades until it was overthrown by a federation supported uprising, which really anyone should have seen coming. The people who inhabit this country are the same ethnicity as the people in bordering imperial regions, which makes it easy for the Merovian agents to seep into the empire. A useful resource to the federation.
The resistance seems to be made up of people dissatisfied with the current republican government. Old fashioned royalists, ducal supporters or just people incensed by the natural brutality of the revolutionaries. Though given the nature of the Merovian intelligence apparatus, it wouldn't surprise you if the resistance was infiltrated to some degree.
Eventually your forces approach Seczerin. The initial hints by the partisans of possible heavy resistance are confirmed when your forward troops take fire on the outskirts of the town. Its not just small arms either, but squad weapons like volley guns. After some stiff resistance your forces advance further into the town. Its slow going, with numerous defensive positions amongst the houses. There is even some light federation armour, along with some of their signature infantry support vehicles like half tracks. A distinct characteristic of federal armies. Your armour helps out greatly in clearing these strongpoints.
There seems to be significant numbers of paramilitaries opposing you alongside the regulars. Its still mid-morning, the day is overcast and there some moderate fog hindering sight. But its not so bad as to hurt short range visibility.
With Giraud and his light infantry absent, you currently have five battalions under your command. Raeder's 82nd and Surena's 21st are supporting Mueller's armour in capturing the town. You've been keeping Vorbeck and Nivelle back from the fighting to keep your options open and to let them recover some more as they troops were in the brunt of the Lublin fighting. It seems like to time has come to commit the rest of your forces to eliminate the rest of the enemy presence in Seczerin. It should tip the balance further in your favour. Though it does leave you uneasy to have nothing on hand for emergencies. On the other hand this kind of cautiousness could cause heavier losses in the front. The artillery would have been useful right now but you can work with what you have.
[] Commit the reserves to take the town, it should fall quicker
[] Hold them back for now, just in case
[] Write-in, SV's plans can be very good, they can also be very bad
OOC: Been busy in the past week. Updates shouldn't be quite as slow in the future.
