A few miles outside the Polis Borderlands
Gen. Crowe
On the day of judgement I had alerted the Colonels to muster their forces and be ready to leave by sundown. The Grand Forum had endowed me with calling fourth the necessary forces needed to wage war and as such I called upon the Colonels of the Northern and Western wards to bring their forces to bear to make up my Army. These Wards had the best of the Polis Warriors for these Wards covered the portion of are borders most in danger of and the most frequent victim of attack from those who wished harm to our people. Along with training, solid experience aided them in battle. As a product of this they were rewarded on average with higher pay grades and more access to loot which overall gave them the ability to buy superior equipment than what was usual of standard issue government gear. This would surely be an aid when facing are opponents on the field of battle. But this was all worthless without a strong Commander at the helm to lead them to victory, was I up to the task? I was new to my General rank being recently promoted from Corporal after impressing my higher ups with a stunning victory during the "Wilderness Expedition". The short story during said Campaign I while leading the Eastern Regiment decided to guide a small scouting detachment ahead and let the remainder of my forces rest. We got ambushed and had to fight are way out lest we be completely encircled. In the subsequent running battle we were able to eventually lead the enemy to a rather nice hill which we quickly climbed atop and turned are selves around to duke it out with the enemy force. Despite wave upon wave of the far more numerous enemy forces coming at us we stood are ground and inflicted a bloody defeat upon them forcing them to route. Before this I had served many years of valorous service to the Polis and bought honor to are people bringing little doubt in the minds of my people of my capabilities. I knew I was up to the task and I would prove it to all here and now, less I be shamed and loose honor in the face off all. Struck down at the beginning of a new chapter, oh what a tragedy that would be.
The army was mustered throughout the day and would set out during the dusk riding are Big-Jacks into the night. When the sun returned from its slumber in the mourning we were already within range of are enemy. On the march one would see some of the basic equipment from the more younger warriors but if one looked around they would see the gear the of the veterans with their repeating rifles that were akin to the Winchesters of old. Upon the bodies of the warriors on the other hand was the typical plated mail, though a lucky few had cuirasses(again mostly among veterans), that gave protection against the typical cuts and gouges though it proved far less effective against bullets. Steel helmets also rested upon their heads that gave homage to the conquistadors of old. The true pride of are army lay not in the regular line men though but in the artillery. Half in half was the general rule with field guns with half of the field guns being Light mortars with their explosive shells and the other half being are infamous Mini-Gatlings that unlike their older predecessor stood upon tripods and were much smaller in size though still quite formidable. We set camp on the opposite side of a hill so that we would not be facing the enemy camp and be spotted, silence was the rule. Camp fires were not set so that the smoke and light would not alert are foe as such we ate a cold meal composed mostly of preserved meats, dried fruits, and lukewarm sun tea. When dusk finally came again we set about are work on the other side of the hill facing are enemy building fortifications setting my staff-engineers to the task with the assistance of my regulars. 3 lines of trenches were built the first and lowest to the foot of the hill was the gunfighter trench meant to house the small arms fire, the middle trench was next and this would be were are artillery was to be located, the third and final trench would be were are supplies and in general camp would be located including me and my staff functioning as a sort of nucleus. They were all placed in such a way so that overlapping fire would be achieved with the ones from behind being able to fire over the heads of the ones in front, in this case the artillery over the heads of the gunmen. To protect them from gunfire and keep them under control we also spent some time constructing a small corral to house are Big-Jacks. When the rays of day came back one would find we were only needing to finish up a few final touches. We had constructed a sort of variation of what was known as a Baby-Polis, a small quickly constructed fort meant for missions like this one that shared similarities to the old Maori Pā. It was meant to be both quickly constructed and utterly disposable usually being abandoned after only a short siege. Are fortification was a rather quick and dirty design that was meant for the situation at hand but would do in a pinch. Troops lined up into their appropriate trench, before small arms troops went to their trench though they made sure to drop off their box of Gatling rounds and single mortar shell. In order to aid logistics all non artillerymen were required to carry a small batch of artillery rounds with them which would be deposited with the artillery before the start of battle. Positions taken and ready we were ready for battle, were are enemies?
A large plantation like house, the big ones with 3 floors not counting the attic and basement, stood before us quite a few yards away. The area in between was rugged and would provide a good amount of cover for anyone wishing to attack it, but also gave the same to those wishing to attack from it. I decided to open up the battle, I stuck with the basics and sent 122 Company to begin a small skirmish and maybe get a few lucky shots and probe are enemy's defenses. They smartly used the cover of the ground in between and quietly made their way up until they were halfway there and began to fire. Repeaters and singles rung out in unison against the house knocking out a few of old windows and even breaking some parts of the brick wall. The 3 Tube rockets soon joined and launched their deadly sortie causing a rather large explosion to occur on the roof which caused smoldering holes to appear in it. It wasn't long before are own fire was returned with a rather immense volley from the inhabitants within who fired their poisonous arrows at their offenders. Though because of the distance most fell harmlessly nearby or in front but a few were true and strong finding 2 marks in my own warriors. One warrior was hit in the arm, the other was caught in the chest and bought on his back. I gave a sign and the signalers sounded the retreat for are skirmishers. The 2 injured were quickly picked up in a continuing volley of arrows and along with the others able to escape. They would be rushed to the Top trench where they were to receive treatment from are Medical-Staff for their wounds. First blood had been spilt. I knew now more or less the extent of what my enemy could do. They had at the minimum enough troops to man each and every window on the side of the house which meant they had to be in the dozens. I also knew it was the time so I told my messengers to convey the signal and with that are artillery began it's great rumble. First the Mortars with their big BOOMS responded which was followed with a great WHOOSH from the arcing shells and a final BANG when they finally landed. The house shacked from the shells which blasted around trying to find their range, when they did the results were horrendous.These would be followed by the small gatlings which made CLACK CLACK CLACK sounds pummeling the wooden house with great THUMPS that lay into the space behind the windows preventing a return of fire. The brick construction which had lasted the test of time now began to crack and parts shattered off revealing the interior. A few shots to the old roof with it's slate tiles caused a general collapse and the utter destruction of the attic and parts of the third floor. Cries of pain like that of dieing animals emanated from the collapsing structure so loud even we could hear clearly. When the Mortars were able to lay their destruction upon the more flammable interior small fires broke out that caused black smoke to emanate from the building which soon engulfed it almost utterly and completely. The smoke did the trick and forced them to leave their safety and make a mad dash to the back in the hopes that they would be safe. Too bad for them beginning with the skirmish and continuing on with the siege I had maneuvered both 111 and 121 Company to position themselves behind the house so I would be able to cut off their retreat. Crys of pain soon sweetened my ears, and the feeling of victory would swell within my heart. When this was all said and done I would return to the Polis in victory with the head of my enemy as a trophy to present to my fellow citizenry. I gave the final order to my Colonels and they to their subordinates and finally they to their Troops. The troops of the first trench went over the top and advanced upon the enemy with each section(5 warrior group) going in the typical arrow formation with the 3 rifle men in front and the the tube rocket crew right behind. The first wave composed of the first half of my forces made their way using the rough terrain and ample cover to screen their movements while they got closer and closer all while the artillery continued to fire away at the enemy camp providing covering fire. If for some reason things went badly the second wave would be ready to advance to reinforce. Victory was soon to be assured whether my enemy liked it or not. I was assured this would be a good day, but always remember never to count your eggs until you actually got them as I would learn soon enough...
