Khezi-Vanoshan Valley War

Khezi-Vanoshan Valley War
Members of the Vanoshan 3rd Light Cavalry charge the Khezan 2nd Lancers in the battle of Bankeṣam
Date April 7, 1884 - September 19, 1884 Location Khezan and Vanosha Result Minor Khezan Victory Borders reorganized along the Kerośe river
Belligerents
Khezan	Vanosha
Commanders and leaders
King Esi Burviceiẓ Marshal Ostiṣ Atadameẓ ha Zur Marshal Cariafom Zevericeiẓ Keriz Gadsuṣ Gelakameẓ ha Bediz Safifeso Ruoseiẓ Kenuz Bosinai Uriceiẓ Zimaz Izei Esiceiẓ Útaquz Tavbim Baêyes	Prime Minister Hožaz Bavec Marshal Kanćavo Yerić Yenmevo Hośa Gəveśeŕ Ovareć
Strength
+48,000	+21,000
Casualties and losses
~4,600	~3,100
Multiple villages destroyed

Template:Khezi-Vanoshan Valley War

The Khezi-Vanoshan Valley War, (Khezian: Ha Katar Gedin, Ha Katar Gedin) (Virchavian: Ankoćňe Serbi Ankoćňe Serbi) was a war waged in 1884 between Khezan and Vanosha.

Background

During the mid to late 19th century, nationalism and imperialism was beginning to gain new heights in Vaniua. In addition, there was a significant cry in Khezan for reversing the defeat of the early 18th century to regain the lands of duchy of Upper Haṣaran. A significant population of Khezians lived in Upper Haṣaran, totalling nearly a million by 1879. Adding this population would mean a significant boost to Khezan's manpower and would potentially allow Khezan to project enough strength against Vosan later. After King Esi Burviceiẓ managed to secure a secret agreement that Vosan would not intervene should conflict break out between Khezan and Vanosha, he began to make preparations and increasing the size of the Khezid army.

With these guarantees in 1883, King Esi Burviceiẓ organized his generals and began to draw up a plan utilizing several officers to tour the newly built railways in Vanosha to get an understanding of the geography prior to the invasion. In addition, the military units were re-organized to put larger emphasis on written orders and encouraging literacy of the NCOs, while appropriating the funds necessary to purchase new artillery and rifles from Vosan, Komania, and Balakia. Much of the army of Khezan in the 1870s was still using breech-loaded rifles, though with these purchases bolt action rifles were able to be procured in mass for the campaign, making up around 40% of the army's firearms.

Despite Vosan agreeing to not get involved in Esi's plans, they did however notify Vanosha's prime minister Hožaz Bavec who quickly had to re-allocate resources from the national railway plan into building up a force to counter the Khezid army. Expecting to be significantly outnumbered, himself and his cabinet had begun to make plans to prepare fortifications and outposts to hinder the Khezid advance into core territories of the kingdom. In mid-March, several members of Vanosha's vanguard noticed the building of the Khezids in the village of Hodosalo, an entire league across the Keroshe river which demarcates the border. On March 29, Kanćavo Yerić was named Marshal of the Valley campaigns in Vanosha, and given full authority to act as necessary to win the war by any means.

March on Istore

The Khezid army was in a signficantly advantageous position, as with its modern organization and firearms, leaving the Vanoshans in a position of inferiority. The army of Vanosha was significantly short on bolt-action rifles and so only some 10% of the army had access to them. The majority of these units, however, were armed with breech-loaded and muzzle-loaded rifles with which there was significant amounts of ammunition for. In addition, the Vanoshan fortifications were quick to be established in the core regions with the delay plan in place. On the early morning of April 7 a telegram was delivered to the cabinet in Istore of Khezan's declaration of war as per diplomatic customs. The Khezid army had planned to march that day however a storm had passed through the region muddying the roads and flooding typically fordable waterways, delaying the advance a day.

On April 8, the Khezid army begun its march westward when the roads dried and secured the area around Dužnep. Outside the city, members of the Khezid 1st Lancers and the 3rd Vanoshan Light Cavalry battled with the Khezids routing the Vanoshans from the battlefield in a short engagement only lasting 20 minutes. The Khezids were unable to pursue the cavalry force due to fire from artillery and focused on converting the local railyard for use in the campaign. As news of the Khezid advance reached Voric, the cabinet in Istore fled to the village of Poćec, where they aided in evacuating the finances of the kingdom and speeding along the mustering of any volunteers.

With the evacuation of the national bank completed by April 26, Marshal Kanćavo Yerić was placed with the predicament of when to retreat from the plains of Vanosha. Knowing if he retreated without battle would be admitting to the loss of a significant portion of the kingdom, he decided to risk an open battle despite being outnumbered. As he was outnumbered 5:1, he decided to rely on his force's larger cavalry and horse artillery to bait the Khezids into a pitched battle near the village of Sivec.

Battle of Sivec

Early in the war, Sivec was captured by the Khezid vanguard though the village was mostly left unoccupied after the granary was looted and its mostly Khezian speaking inhabitants joining the Khezid army. Marshal Yerić took the initiative and occupied the village with its gharam, having an unobstructed view of much of the surrounding area from the hilltop. With this view, his men spotted the location of a foraging unit of the Khezid and with this he swiftly ordered his men to encircle the foot-bound foragers. As a result, some 56 Khezids were captured and interrogated by the Vanoshan 3rd Light Cavalry. The Khezid army quickly learned of what happened and moved to counter the flanking advance of the Vanoshan army.

Skirmishes broke out on May 19, with light infantry fighting in the woods near the town as they fought for a series of wells. The Vanoshans were eventually pushed from the wells after several hours of sharpshooting from both sides. Marshal Ostiṣ Atadameẓ ha Zur immediately recognized the disadvantageous position his men had as though he secured the woods, much of the hilltop was strongly defended as the village walls provided excellent cover for Marshal Yerić's batteries. Artillery exchanges were carried out as Ostiṣ Atadameẓ believed that mass artillery would be more than enough to counter the batteries in Sivec, though his artillery struggled to fire uphill into Sivec whereas Yerić's artillery counterbatteried with ease down the hill. This continued for several days until King Esi Burviceiẓ grew impatient with his marshal's performance, demanding he use his larger numbers to rout the Vanoshans from the town.

On May 23, the battle began in earnest with the Khezids advancing up the hill where the Vanoshans fired down upon the advancing infantry. When Yenmevo Hośa, commander of the artillery, noticed the Khezids were not falling back, he organized his battery in a slight flanking position and had his artillerymen use glass and whatever materials they could from the local workshops and stores for the cannons. Hośa's quick thinking led to a rout of the first advance of the Khezids, giving them ample time to prepare to retreat as the rest of King Burviceiẓ's army arrived later that night. King Burviceiẓ was furious to learn that his marshal did not prevent the Vanoshans from fleeing in the night. With this, King Burviceiẓ suspended the command of his marshal and marched his men to Istore which was now undefended which he entered on May 30 to the dissatisfaction that the Vanoshan government had already fled with the national treasury.