Zedif War

Zedif War
Talaharan infantry defending Zedif
Date 4 April – 28 September 1863 (1863-04-04 – 1863-09-28) (5 months, 3 weeks and 3 days) Location Zedif, Ninva Desert Result Treaty of [CITY] Talaharan reoccupation of Zedif Establishment of a defined border between Talahara and the Awakar Confederation
Belligerents
Talahara	Awakar
Commanders and leaders
Aksil Tabat Yabdas Arris	[NAME] [NAME]
Strength
8,200	6,000–10,000
Casualties and losses
330 killed and wounded	500–2,700 killed, wounded, or captured

The Zedif War, also known as the Zedif Expedition or the Ninva Border War, was an armed conflict between the United Communes of Talahara and the Awakar Confederation. The war saw the United Communes reclaim the trading post town of Zedif in the Ninva Desert which was the southernmost point of influence of the Third Talaharan Kingdom. While the town had few valuable natural resources, it occupied a strategic position in the desert, particularly before the development of steam locomotives and railroads which would later redefine travel across the Ninva.

The conclusion of the war also saw the establishment of a formal border between Talahara and Awakar. Before the war, the boundary between the two countries was porous and undefined, with competing zones of influence over the vast expanses of sparsely populated desert.

Background

Situation in Talahara

During the Talaharan Civil War (1834-1838), Talahara had lost significant territories to foreign occupation, capitalizing on the chaos and lack of legitimate government in the country. These territorial exchanges included the occupation of the Third Talaharan Kingdom's outposts in the Ninva Desert. Since the dissolution of Ihemod's empire, Awakar ruled the Ninva as a rump state and its border with Talahara was ill-defined with significant expanses of sparsely inhabited desert separating the two, punctuated with trading posts, nomadic camps that didn't care for borders, and some small oasis communites. The town of Zedif was established in the 1680s as a Talaharan trading post, trafficking in trade goods from the south, as well as slaves. While the slave trade had significantly declined by the 19th century, Zedif remained a significant settlement and the southernmost reach of Talahara's control over the Ninva.

In December 1836, the Talaharan royalist faction, which already had poor relations with its southern neighbour, suffered a massive blow in the Talaharan Civil War with the surrender of the Royal Talaharan Army at Takalt. While the republican government controlled most of the country at that stage, there was little international recognition of the new government. Furthermore, in 1835 the Kingdom of Yisrael had successfully annexed a region of northwestern Talahara and formed a colonial protectorate. To the south, the Awakar Confederation likewise moved soldiers north to occupy the town of Zedif, aware that the prospects of the Talaharan royalists were rapidly declining.

After the war, Talahara was in a period of drastic political and economic reorganization, gradually stabilizing by the late 1840s and early 1850s. With the basic survival of the United Communes secured, many political leaders and veterans of the civil war began to push to reclaim territories lost in the war. Combined with concerns regarding territorial defence, a turn to a hawkish government led to the foundation of the Talaharan Army Corps in 1854, initially comprised of former Black Guard units, expanding to a force of 40,000 by 1860. While the Protectorate of Taršiš remained well-defended and supported by Yisrael, the Talaharan government became increasingly concerned with the situation to the south.

In addition to the occupation of Zedif, the United Communes had endured a tense relationship with Awakar for the duration of its existence. Clashes between different authorities and movement along the permeable, undefined border had roused tensions over the previous decade and a half. In November 1862, a closed session of the Supreme Legislative Council secretly approved an expedition to reclaim Zedif and impose a defined border with the Awakar Confederation. While an official communiqué was forwarded to Agnannet in advance, stating a list of demands, no ultimatum or formal declaration of war was issued.

Preparation and expedition

A Talaharan expeditionary force of 8,200 soldiers was assembled in March 1863 in Alud and departed for Zedif soon after. The majority of the Talaharan soldiers were mounted infantry equipped with rifled muskets which the Army Corps had begun to issue as standard in 1855. In addition, the force included a flying battery of 18 gun-howitzers, though they carried limited ammunition. 2,000 troops were dedicated cavalry armed with sabres, revolvers, and musket carbines.

The Zedif Expedition covered the 270 km (168 mi) march from Alud in 14 days and advanced immediately on the town. The expeditionary force alone outnumbered the permanent population of the town and overwhelmed the Awakar garrison which surrendered after a brief standoff on April 4. The task then fell to the expeditionary force to hold Zedif against a possible reprisal, fortifying the town. Scouts were also dispatched across the desert and supplies were ushered in to support the expeditionary force over the summer as the Talaharan government awaited a response from Awakar.

News of the capture of Zedif followed the arrival of Talahara's telegram by only three weeks and a detachment of the Awakar Army was already en route from Ekelhoc to reinforce Zedif's garrison when Awakar was poised to react. The Awakar cavalry arrived on April 10 but held back from advancing on the town after determining that it was already under Talaharan control. Riders were dispatched to obtain further instructions from Ekelhoc. While waiting for reinforcements, the Awakar troops engaged in a campaign of disruption around the town, guarding avenues for caravans; intercepting supplies and commerce. Probing attacks followed to misdirect the defenders and ascertain weak points in the defences, though the number of Talahara troops occupying the town likely remained unknown to the Awakar forces.

Fortification

After occupying the town, the Talaharans under the direction of General Aksil Tabat immediately set about constructing defences and fallback lines, anticipating a response from the Awakar Confederation. The first line of defences was a set of four earthwork redans to the north, south, east, and west of the town, in-between which several imperfect lines of "deer horn" anti-cavalry defences were constructed.

The town itself was established on a natural promontory and featured mostly mudbrick construction, with interconnected buildings forming somewhat of a solid exterior wall with six or seven main entrances leading to the town centre. Some fortifications were built up atop the escarpment of the promontory and barricades and wagons filled with sand were positioned to block the streets entering the town.

The Talaharan gun-howitzers were assembled in the centre of the town, with pre-ranged in positions for indirect howitzer fire and lines of sight for direct fire down the main avenues of the town. To supplement the limited amount of round shot the Talaharan artillery had, the troops jury-rigged additional rounds of canister shot from stone debris and scrap metal to be used as a last resort.

Defence of Zedif

The Awakar reinforcements arrived on May 1 in the form of two cavalry regiments, with which it was intended to storm the town. Further reinforcements in the form of two infantry regiments with artillery support were anticipated within the next two weeks, though the expectation was that the second wave would serve as a reinforced garrison after the battle, and soon after arriving the Awakar forces attacked the entrenched Talaharans.

First defence

The Awakar cavalry advanced on the town in a three-pronged assault from the south, east, and west before the sunrise on May 3, 1863. Talaharan soldiers stationed at hastily-constructed earthwork redans sounded alarm horns, mobilizing the rest of the defenders. Earlier probing movements by the Awakar had identified the deer horn defences and the Awakar cavalry were able to navigate through gaps in their advances and overwhelmed both the southern and western redans, killing or capturing two companies worth of Talaharan troops. The advance on the eastern redan was repulsed, however, as the glow of the rising sun below the horizon allowed the Talaharan troops to identify targets and fire relatively accurate volleys from their rifles upon the Awakar. Nevertheless, by approximately 10 o'clock the northern and eastern redans were abandoned as the troops retreated to the fortified town centre.

As the sun rose, the Talaharans held off on sustained artillery fire until the Awakar troops approached the ranged-in positions. The Awakar forces were reorganized by noon after pushing the Talaharans from their first defence lines, but held off on launching a further attack until later in the day, anticipating that forcing the Talaharans to stand watch in the desert sun after being woken early in the day would fatigue the defenders. At six o'clock in the evening, the Awakar forces resumed the assault on the encircled town. Possible due to inexperience with mass-employed rifles, an Awakar colonel held troops within range of the defenders who were massed on the rooftops of mudbrick houses on the periphery of the town. This led to significant attrition for the attackers before the main advance at approximately seven o'clock.

The Awakar assault up the escarpment around the town suffered heavy casualties as many riders who weren't cut down by bullets were unhorsed and pinned down by the volleys of rifle fire. As some Awakar troops took cover under the crags and berms around the promontory, the pre-sighted artillery fire also had devastating effect. The Awakar forces along the western and southern axis of the attack were definitively routed by sunset, but the attackers from the north were able to reach the walls of the town, only to be halted by a line of sand wagons which were hastily rolled to block the avenue as the attackers approached before the defenders hacked the wheels off the axles with hatchets. Unable to enter the city through the streets, an Awakar squadron dismounted and breached through several mudbrick walls and engaged in a prolonged melee with the Talaharan infantry. To the east, a large detachment of Awakar cavalry breached the barricaded avenue and routed Talaharan defenders from the barricades, but were either cut down or forced to retreat by enfilading fire from the roof tops and direct shots from the artillery in the town centre.

After repelling the attacks from the Awakar, the Talaharans stood watch overnight but by morning General Tabat dispatched some troops outside the town to attempt to count dead and wounded. After interrogating some captives, the Talaharans learned of the approaching infantry and artillery contingent. Mindful of the remnants of the cavalry force which had divided into raiding detachments which still suppressed any supplies entering the town, the Talaharans attempted to rebuild their defences and sent messengers back to Alud to warn the United Communes that additional Awakar forces were headed their way.

Second defence

The infantry and artillery regiments of the Awakar Army arrived at the former siege camp on May 16. Apprised of the failed cavalry assault by retreating riders, [NAME] had resolved to bombard the defenders until they broke, even if it meant the destruction of the town. The new besiegers remained camped for several days, constructing earthworks that would permit their guns to elevate for greater range. From their vantage point atop the promontory, the Talaharans took advantage to analyze the opposing force and reorganize their defences.

Aftermath

After the defeat of two large detachments of the Awakar Army, the Confederation's leadership in Ekelhoc was unwilling to commit more resources and lives to hold onto Zedif and an informal armistice was agreed to on July 3, 1863. Despite the lack of a formal state of war, representatives of the United Communes and the Awakar Confederation agreed to meet and the Treaty of [CITY] was officially signed on September 28, 1863, officially ceasing hostilities between the two countries. According to the terms of the treaty, the town of Zedif was formally returned to Talahara and a border between the two nations was officially delineated. While the former was perhaps regarded as redundant due to the establishment of the border, the condition of returning Talaharan was a major innovation in terms of continuity between the former kingdom and the United Communes in international relations.

See also

• Ihemodian wars
• Ninvite War
• Talaharan Civil War
• West Scipian wars