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VOTE
[X] Victoria's calling your bluff, that has to be it. Slam across the river, through the city of Buffalo, and as far into New York as you can. See if you can shock a response out of them, and then bleed them on your way back.
RATIONALE
KNOWN FINDINGS
1) We have aerial recon that confirms that, besides the 10k militia opposite us, we have a 50 mile/80 km wide zone from our lines where there are NO formed Vic forces of any size, then we begin to see small groups.
I believe I've mentioned that you have planes out and looking. You're doing your due diligence on recon, and what you've found is that there are a little under 10,000 troops across the Niagara from you, and approximately nothing identifiably military for a 50-mile band beyond that. Then you start seeing militia groups which aren't coming your way.
Civilian broadcasts are only a little better than useless; you hear tales of engagements with the Crusader traitors in and around Lake Champlain, but that might be because it's actually happening, or it might be because with the end of most national infrastructure projects for roads even within Victoria, the area around the Lake is far more sparsely settled, and it'd be harder for inconvenient witnesses to contradict those rumors.
3)We have a time limit; if either Blackwell or the CMC win, the Russians will be free to start feeding them supplies.
And winter is coming.
4)New York State has a plurality of the Vic population.
This is public information from open source satellite information, and the proportion of arable farmland. This means, among other things, a lot of abductees, a lot of black slaves, a lot of would-be refugees have ended up here.
5) We have access to satellite information which shows the distribution of Vic settlements.
So we have maps of the Vic countryside.
And economic sites like mines.
6) If we take Buffalo, we lay our hands on a Vic railway node and Vic rolling stock.
Both for logistics, and for repatriating civilians to the port of Buffalo, where we can send ships to move them to Commonwealth territory.
7) Vic militia can only move so fast on foot.
CONCLUSION
-Call the Niagara militia to surrender; if they dont, destroy them.
We have six divisions of professional/semipro troops numbering 75-90,000; they have one division of militia numbering 10k.
Fixing them with one division or an artillery bombardment and sending two divisions around their flank will shatter them summarily.
Then take Buffalo and start operating in New York. Recon flights, infantry knocking out power lines.
-Start repatriating refugees and abductees while we still can.
-[ ] War Brides Clause, General: Victoria has, for decades, allowed its soldiers to kidnap women they take a liking to while on deployment. Thousands upon thousands of women abducted, held, and raped. You cannot get them all. Victoria will deny that they hold these women, claim that they are willing immigrants, and even attempt to hide their existence. No matter. These women should, by rights, be free, and you will demand the right to enter Victorian territory and get them home. With Victoria assuredly blocking you at every turn, you will certainly get, at most, a bare handful home before Victoria inevitably reneges. But you can begin, and set the precedent that Victoria does not get to just take people. Slowly start repatriating war brides who hit the intersection of willing to speak up, willing to trust you, and reachable before Victoria reneges on the peace treaty. Mutually exclusive with, "War Brides Clause, Exchange." +30 DC.
-[ ] War Brides Clause, Exchange: Victoria will officially deny that their war brides are war brides, but they have expressed an interest in getting their surviving soldiers back. If you can negotiate an exchange rate of POWs for abducted women, you will certainly be able to get more. It feels wrong to bargain for these women like chattel, much less allowing Victoria to profit from their crimes against them, and it will mean that you are knowingly leaving most of them in Victorian hands -- you just don't have enough prisoners. But this is, pragmatically speaking, the way to get the most women free, and with Victoria cooperation. As part of any eventual POW deal, negotiate the return of your prisoners in exchange for war brides to be freed. Mutually exclusive with, "War Brides Clause, General." Must be taken with one version of the Prisoners of War Clause. +15 DC.
-[ ] Free Migration Clause: Victoria is a country in the grips of a civil war, and FCNY is not well set up to accept that flood of refugees. With few places in the Country able to take the exodus, you stand to gain a significant amount, as a stable and large country that has recently proven its ability to contain Victorian violence. You simply have to convince Victoria to let go of one of the core tenets of its population control strategy, and agree to allow people to flee the violence. No pressure. Victoria releases its population to seek refugee status abroad, promising a massive surge of refugees to Commonwealth territory. +30 DC.
War Brides was a 30DC option. Free Migration was also a 30DC option.
Their provenance, especially the abducted women, was a big part of the failure of the peace talks.
Taking a lot of them for free now means we don't have to worry about them in any further treaty that happens.
Show up at Syracruse and Rochester and claim slaves and abductees.
Radio broadcasts into Vic territory talking about the availability of evacuation points for refugees, and encouraging Vic settlements to free abductees to avoid a visit by a Commonwealth division.
6) If we take Buffalo, we lay our hands on a Vic railway node and Vic rolling stock.
Both for logistics, and for repatriating civilians to the port of Buffalo, where we can send ships to move them to Commonwealth territory.
Nah. Too much trouble.
Dropping bridges maybe. But we don't actually intend to salt the earth. Do remember that we intend to run intelligence networks in this area.
From a purely pragmatic PoV, theres only so much damage we WANT to do.
Also, putting Commonwealth units deep into NY will allow our intelligence operatives to get a look at the lay of the land.
[X] Something isn't right here. Push across the river and into Buffalo before reestablishing defensive lines. Maybe that will bait out the response for which you've been looking -- and you won't exactly complain about the opportunity to deny Victoria the rail infrastructure within the city.
Part of me is like poptart has to know we would vote this way. But otoh, we arnt trying to outguesse poptart, but Blackwell.
Me: This is obviously @PoptartProdigy manipulating us. No one write a vote with "something isn't right here" unless they are trying to make it sound appealing.
[X] Something isn't right here. Push across the river and into Buffalo before reestablishing defensive lines. Maybe that will bait out the response for which you've been looking -- and you won't exactly complain about the opportunity to deny Victoria the rail infrastructure within the city.
Me: This is obviously @PoptartProdigy manipulating us. No one write a vote with "something isn't right here" unless they are trying to make it sound appealing.
The only thing I can see really hurting us for this action is pocket nuke, and while losing our army would suck, Victoria would lose all of its Russian support too, I think.
All right, folks, it's time for us to roll! First up it's shattering the militia at the Niagara. Burns will be slating the Big Red One for this as well. They'll need a break after this, but he wants them on point for the crossings. Separately, he's going to land the Liberators' first brigade at Fort Niagara Beach while the militia is too busy to respond, letting you threaten and turn the flank.
Your objective is, "Cross the river and rout the militia so that you can seize the city of Buffalo."
Commonwealth Modifiers
Troop quality: 5 points.
Numbers: 5 points.
Air supremacy: 2 points.
Compromised flank: 2 points.
Shore bombardment: 1 point.
Artillery advantage: 1 point.
Mobility Advantage: 1 point.
The river crossing from hell: -3 points.
Total Modifier: 14 points.
Once more, wild, excessive overkill. How's it feel to have the numbers modifier on your side?
The Loyalist's objective is, "Retreat in good order."
Nah. Too much trouble.
Dropping bridges maybe. But we don't actually intend to salt the earth. Do remember that we intend to run intelligence networks in this area.
From a purely pragmatic PoV, theres only so much damage we WANT to do.
Also, the more intact the Buffalo area is, the more valuable it is. It's better for negotiations if we can promise to give Buffalo back basically as-is. Forcing a treaty is still our end goal here, so the more leverage, the better.
The only good news is that at least the dice were in our favour again.
Man, the Vicks just keep rolling like trash, or at least the Loyalists do. They rolled a 1 for recon, a 2 for the landings, a 1 now, and don't forget a 1 for fighting the Crusaders.
These poor militiamen really can't catch a break. Then again, "run all the way back home" probably is the best possible outcome for them, better than "die trying to defend a beach against a real army with Granddad's shotgun."
These poor militiamen really can't catch a break. Then again, "run all the way back home" probably is the best possible outcome for them, better than "die trying to defend a beach against a real army with Granddad's shotgun."
Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that's Cowardice in the Face of the Enemy, which is presumably a firing squad sentence in Victoria, assuming they have the inquisitors and the spare ammunition for it.
Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that's Cowardice in the Face of the Enemy, which is presumably a firing squad sentence in Victoria, assuming they have the inquisitors and the spare ammunition for it.
Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that's Cowardice in the Face of the Enemy, which is presumably a firing squad sentence in Victoria, assuming they have the inquisitors and the spare ammunition for it.
