Third Battle of Ardghate
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The Third Battle of Ardghate was the second to final battle of the Calsean War. It was both the largest and the bloodiest battle of the war and since that time, in Nagu. It was fought from February 7, 1879 until February 16, 1879. Of the major battles of the war, the third battle of Ardghate saw the costliest of military actions until that point for both armies. Although the result of the battle was inconclusive, the Mujansan withdrawl had broken their morale and a much-needed objective for securing an end to the war. While the battle itself was a political victory, both nations' casualties were grossly reported on around the war and especially in both countries, causing much political distress in both countries and calls for an end to the war.
Background
Military Situation
Generals Bichri and Saniyah tried to secure a quick victory at Ardghate, but this had resulted in a deflection action from General Lysadem's divisions and a prolonged siege of the countryside. These extensive fortifications stretched over 30 km as both sides dug-in to secure their sections of the battlefield. A lull in the fighting had begun after the main fighting had turned focus towards the siege of Port A throughout the early dry season. Both nations were growing weary of the war, and both seeking a decisive end to the conflict, started to begin further focus in the Ardghate countryside. The fortifications were made almost semi-permanent in some sectors, with intentions for both parties to stay entrenched as they began engineering efforts to disrupt the other's lines. In November of 1878, the fighting had re-ignited east of the city in the city of Aghatsa. The Mujansans had successfully defeated the attack and protected their lines, only prolonging the siege of the region.
General Saniyah was commanded to raise yet another series of divisions for preparation of an offensive to remove the Mujansans from the city while General Bichri was to remain in control of the entire front at Ardghate, multi-tasking both the siege and the conflict at Calse. Taking advantage the Mujansans' reluctance to leave their fortifications, he had effectively free reign West and South of the city where his lines were secured. This build up in supply allowed Bichri's engineering brigades to focus on a new option to the siege. Utilizing his men's boredom, he permitted the engineer brigades to begin mining beneath the Mujansan lines much to their lack of awareness. Trench warfare had been existent as a tactical form since the start of the Siege at A, but with the consistent monsoon seasons, many soldiers suffered from disease and infection from the waterlogged conditions, though many soldiers saw it as a better alternative to being shot at by opposing sharpshooters.
While Bichri eventually grew less fond of actually intending to blow up the entire Mujansan lines from beneath, the engineering corps took matters into their own hands to finish completion of the project despite being denied access to further resources for the endeavour. After finally reaching beneath the main batteries of the Mujansan line, Bichri finally relented after ones of his close staff were shot by a Mujansan sniper and granted the engineers access to a sizable sum of gunpowder for their project, with a total of 4 metric tonnes of explosive being supplied. Once the preparations were completed in late January, Bichri and the arrival of Saniyah's newly created divisions set the plans in motion for an assault on the defenders by February 16.