Lwang Lit

Long Lêt (Shinasthana: 桐摕; Jan. 3, 1745 – Oct. 2, 1807) was a Themiclesian military officer who led the first phase of the Camian Campaign in the Maverican Wars.

Early life

Little is known for sure about Long's early life, except that he came from a family of modest means living in Prjin Prefecture. His parents were peasants working on tenanted land. That he was not heir to his family's tenancy may explain his choice of a military career, which was one of several options for ambitious commoners who had no access to education or social connection. It appears he was somewhat literate and numerate when he enlisted in the military in 1761. Though it is unclear where he acquired these skills, they have certainly contributed to his preference in appointments and promotions.

Long was involved in the First Maverican War in his youth, participating in the Great Firefight against the Colonial Army. It is understood that he led the Marines' charge in 1768 and held opposing forces at bay for over an hour, at a numerical disadvantage, which enabled the fleet to revictual amidst a famine in Norfeld. His bravery in the charge greatly impressed the admiral in charge of the operation that he was made an officer. However, the affair was ultimately a civil war, so the Admiralty was unable to promote him further without inviting the ire of the Finance Secretary, which was in charge of both the Navy and the Colonial Army. The two were then entangled in a factional conflict over control of various strategic positions, though escalation into violence such as in 1768 was rare.

In 1785 – 90, Long commanded a 400-man unit that was stationed in modern-day Solevent. Attacked by the Sieuxerrians, Long led his men to at least two victories at the cost of one defeat. During the Raid on Rad, he and his unit were stationed in southern Themiclesia and somewhat fortuitously avoided the disastrous defeat by the Tyrannians, for which at least 100 officers were dismissed. After the Camians deployed to Norfeld to expel the Themiclesian forces and their colonies there, the Foreign Secretary Lord L′i (鷈君) planned to start a new front on Camian soil to divert their resources from the Maverican front. The Admiralty, greatly impressed with Long's dedication and vigour, recommended him to lead the campaign above officers senior to him. Lacking an alternative, the Government appointed him the General of the West in Nov. 1791, with six regiments of marines assigned to him.

Camian Campaign

The Royal Counsel Rjem (御史林) was appointed as tribune-invigilator (監軍), charged with monitoring the general's activities and suppressing disobedience and crime amongst the troops. The two proved a poor combination from the outset of the campaign. Rjem looked down upon Long due to his humble origins, while Long was not accustomed to the presence of a supervisor who, though unable to override him, had access to all his papers and conversations. Long then offended Rjem further by asking him to be quiet when discussing his battle plans with his officers. While Long was not bound to consider Rjem's opinions, invigilators were respected by most generals and permitted to speak freely. However, Long loathed to appear anything short of dominant to his subordinates, some of whom were technically more senior than he was.

Rjem allegedly told Long that if his views were not considered, "only defeat after defeat will befall you." Some early progress convinced Long that Rjem was bluffing, but starting from Apr. 1792, the Themiclesian forces suffered three consecutive setbacks and several nighttime assaults. Long later claimed that Rjem muttered, "I will make sure of it," though this remains unsubstantiated. Long began suspecting Rjem passed his plans to the Camians, who otherwise were able to offer little resistance to trained Themiclesian soldiers. A series of observations and a captured Camian spy convinced Long and his inner circle of this suspicion, but his officers dissuaded him from telling the troops as much, for fear of upsetting their morale. Instead, he reported Rjem to the Government, with statements by other officers corroborating. However, the Government ignored his report, citing the fact that many of these officers previously said that the fleet was adequately defended when it was not.

Without a response, Long resorted to intimidation to prevent Rjem's actions. He asked for Rjem's permission to execute the spy, which he secretly hoped Rjem will refuse and thus demonstrate the dubiousness of his recent conduct to both the Government and his men, but Rjem gave his permission easily. He then ordered the spy whipped and horribly tortured before Rjem's tent. Rjem retaliated by inviting Long's subordinates for meals but not himself, telling them that he felt rather bored that Long was not planning anything. On his birthday, Rjem gave all officers, including Long, a small silver ring but a captain related to his father-in-law a large gold ring. Long told Rjem he ought not play favourites in an army owned by the Admiralty; however, Rjem then questioned Long's own legal intuition when he decided to lead the charge against the Colonial Army in 1768. This was effectively a threat to prosecute him for rebelling against Themiclesia, for which superiors' orders was not an admissible defence.

This impassé continued for several months, until the Government became impatient with the lack of progress and dismissed Long in favour of the Lord of L'jin in late 1792.

Later life

After his dismissal, he returned to Themiclesia and visited the admirals, to whom he confessed that he had let them down. Reportedly, they were neither happy nor sad. He resigned his existing commission with the Admiralty and returned Prjin Prefecture with his savings, with which he bought land and settled his family. He died in 1807 of an unrecorded illness.

In the days before his death, he muttered:

Scarlet sash, scarlet sash, tied over white linen / golden seal, golden seal, dangling on a marred body

The poem characterized him as a commoner, with a body that grew up marred by physical toil and clothed in plain linen, who has achieved what were then the preserve of the aristocracy, a scarlet sash and golden seal. The scarlet sash was second in dignity only to the green sash, worn by the prime minister himself, while the golden seal was granted to peers only.

Distinctions

• Long Lêt is, to date, the only Themiclesian marine to be appointed a general (將軍) of any rank. Of the seven generals appointed during the Second Maverican War, he was the only one to rise from a commoner's standing.
• In 1957, Long was posthumously inducted into the Order of Authors as an example of a commoner who achieved dignity against all odds, as part of the Liberal policy of encouraging mixing of social classes.

See also

• Themiclesia