First Stonish Invasion of Hoterallia

Stonish Invasion of Hoterallia
Two Daiki warriors with a dead Stonish soldier at their feet.
Date 1327-1334 Location Flatstone, Hoterallia Result Inconclusive Treaty of Jyo-daika Flatstone forced to pay war reparations to Hoterallia Non-Aggression Pact signed with Flatstone, set to last 500 years
Belligerents
Flatstone	Hoterallia
Commanders and leaders
Bjarn II Von Stone Bas Pumice  † Jonob Sidian  † Rhyo Lite  (MIA) Jonas Steinherre  (MIA)	Emperor Gon-Suda Taichima Oirune Hosu Kazuyuki Fujimoto  † Junkichi Hori Iwata Toyoto Noguchi Bunshi Higuchi Ueda
Strength
23,000	45,000
Casualties and losses
17,500	6,700

The Stonish Invasion of Hoterallia, or the Stonish War on Hoterallia was a small naval conflict between the Kingdom of Flatstone and Hosu Taichimate.

Outbreak of War

The war between the two nations had initially started after King Bjarn II of Flatstone announced an ultimatum to the Hosu Taichimate, demanding that the nation cede Flatstone concessions in exchange for naval protection. This demand was denied without hesitation by Taichima Oirune Hosu of Hoterallia, and thus the Kingdom of Flatstone issued a declaration of war.

War on the Water

Battle of Stoheпopt

Illustration of the Battle of Szŧōnbā

Flatstones fleet, under the command of Bjarn II, had rallied in the port of Szŧōnbā, a Stonish-controlled archipelago north of its capital that had served as a launching point of the Stonish campaign against the Hoterallian navy in the Southern Sunadic. Bjarn II and his men departed from the port in 1327 shortly after the declaration of war, engaging in a skirmish on open waters with a small detachment of Hoterallian ships that had been stationed near the island in order to prevent Stonish forces from reaching mainland Hoterallia. These efforts proved to be fruitless, however, as they hadn't prepared themselves for the battlefleet constructed by Bjarn II just two years prior. Hoterallian forces failed to match the naval experience possessed by the Stonish forces, soon finding themselves to be overwhelmed by Stonish galleys and barques. Regardless of this, the Hoterallians didn't hesitate to put up a fight. The Stonish fleet had managed to encircle the contingent of Hoterallian ships, preventing any from deserting the battle. After inflicting a considerable amount of losses on the Hotellarian ships with the use of arrows, Stonish forces began to board enemy ships, partaking in melee combat with one another. Stonish forces were met with fierce Hoterallian resistance, unable to break their morale. Instead, Bjarn II ordered for the Hoterallian fleet to be burned and its crew left to die. Dozens of ships were set ablaze, their crews forced to abandon ship and drown as the Stonish fleet made its withdrawal back to Szŧōnbā.

First Battle of the Sunadic

Depiction of Stonish forces engaging with the Hoterallian Navy in the Sunadic Ocean

After having achieved an overwhelming victory over the port in Stoheпopt, Bjarn II knew not to waste the boosted morale and enemies devastation while it was still there, thus seizing the opportunity and engaging in a second naval battle with what remained of the now badly battered Hoterallian Fleet, as well as reinforcements that had arrived from Saipoi to reinforce it. After regrouping with an additional squadron that had arrived from Slaŧo, Bjarn II ordered his fleet to depart from Stoheпopt to the Hoterallian port of Saipoi in early-1382. This time, he'd been accompanied by the 1st and 2nd Slatian Armies, the combination of the two boasted a sum roughly 10,000 strong. This armada made its way through the Southern Sunadic, arriving off the coast of Hoterallia in 1329. There, a formation of Hoterallian vessels awaited the arrival of the now-massive Stonish battlefleet, in an attempt to ward the invaders off from the Hoterallian coast. On an August morning, the two fleets met face to face off the coast of the Saipoi area, an exchange of arrow fire announced the start of the battle. Throughout the day, the Hoterallian fleet was battered by a constant stream of arrows. Wave after wave, their crews slowly diminished under the pressure of the Stonish battlefleet. By the time the sun began to set, the two fleets had engaged with eachother face to face. The Hoterallians utilized gunpowder weaponry against the Stonish raiding fleet, however, due to superior numbers were unable to resist. An account written by a Stonish soldier who had participated in the battle speaks of the Hoterallian valiance and how the Hoterallians were so unwilling to give up. The Hoterallian fleet fought to the last man in the First Battle of the Sunadic, however, despite technological superiority were unable to beat back the Stonish fleet.

Landings in Hoterallia

Prior to the Stonish occupation of Saipoi and Ryuiki, efforts were made to seize the islands stationed off the Hoterallian coast. However, because the Stonish fleet had been badly damaged in the First Battle of the Sunadic, the Stonish army was unable to make any significant progress and was refined to just one or two islands that could be used as a staging point into mainland Hoterallia. The local garrisons were no match for the Stonish army, although despite this the Stonish armies found themselves unable to force the garrison out from behind its fortification for multiple days. The garrison only surrendered once they could no longer bear the lack of food or proper supply, surrendering the fortifications to the encirclement. This now occupied island allowed for the Stonish to coordinate a more organized landing in mainland Hoterallia. The diminished armies were slowly being reinforced by troops from mainland Flatstone, and in 1332 the Stonish armada had fully recovered from the two battles. The fleet had been divided into two separate squadrons, one, much larger than the other, was set to land in Saipoi. The second, much smaller than the Saipoi raiding fleet, was sent to the city of Ryuiki.

War on Land

Battle of Saipoi

A defensive wall in Saipoi.

The first mainland engagements between Hoterallian and Stonish troops occurred in the Hoterallian city of Saipoi when an army numbering roughly 13,000 began to pour onto the shores adjacent to the city. This army had been under the command of Stonish general Bas Pumice, renowned for his strategical expertise. After a tedious march to the city itself, the Stonish army met face to face with the comparatively larger Hoterallian force numbering upwards of 23,000, including the cities garrison. Stonish generals hadn't anticipated an army of this size, expecting the Hoterallian army to have been spread evenly across Hoterallia's various coastal cities. Regardless, Bas Pumice ordered his army forward and after two days of intermission, an assault was launched on the Hoterallian army in the early morning. While initially, Stonish Pёkko Warriors saw some success in driving a wedge into Hoterallian lines, ultimately, Stonish cavalry was no match for that of Hoterallia. Stonish flanks were exposed after the cavalry that was supposed to be protecting them was massacred, leaving the entire army vulnerable to encirclement. Matters were made worse when Bas Pumice was struck with an arrow, causing him to fall off of his horse and die. The remaining Stonish army soon fell into disarray, allowing for the Hoterallian garrison to encircle it and pick Stonish warriors off one by one with the help of gunpowder weaponry and arrows. Hoterallian success in this battle turned the tide in their favor, as the majority of the army put together by king Bjarn II Von Stone had been defeated in Saipoi by Higuchi Ueda and Junkichi Hori. Any surviving remnants of Bas Pumice's landing force returned to the Stonish fleet, which in turn regrouped with the fleet that had been stationed in the Hoterallian city of Ryuiki in preparation for a second battle.

Battle of Ryuiki

Kazuyuki Fujimoto's forces, prior to the battle and his sacrifice.

News of the humiliating Stonish defeat in Saipoi quickly spread throughout the other armies that had been deployed in Hoterallia. Most notably of which was the 2nd Slatian Army, comprised of just over 7,000 men that had been under the command of general Jonob Sidian. Jonob Sidian, still high off of his extraordinary naval successes against the Hoterallian fleet, significantly underestimated the Hoterallian army and its capabilities in the city of Ryuiki, which had nearly doubled the size of his by the time his fleet began to siege the cities port. A lack of the Hoterallian navy made blockading easy, preventing the Hoterallian army inside from being resupplied via the sea. After linking up with what was left of Bas Pumice's army, Jonob Sidian marched his men along a path adjacent to Ryuiki's port, outmaneuvering the Hoterallian army outside of the cities walls under the cover of night. However, despite the measures taken to conceal the movements of Jonob's army, Hoterallian scouting parties stumbled upon the army as camps were being set up for the night. In response, Hoterallian general Kazuyuki Fujimoto and his army, accompanied by general Iwata Toyoto, marched the majority of his army from the city of Ryuiki while it was still undergoing siege from the Stonish fleet. Kazuyuki hoped that he'd be able to catch the Stonish army off guard while it was still preparing its tents. Utilizing the same pathways that had been used by Jonob's army, Kazuyuki was able to pinpoint the location of his army in just over an hour. As expected, Jonob hadn't anticipated an assault as late as it was, leaving his army vulnerable as the majority of it was still setting up its tents. Kazuyuki ordered a cavalry charge directly into the camp, in which he participated in. He, as well as roughly 1,000 other men on horseback, made their way into the camp, setting it ablaze and slaughtering the now confused and scattered Stonish army. Amidst the chaos, Jonob Sidian was slain by an unnamed Hoterallian soldier after being trampled by his horse, this was followed shortly by the death of Kazuyuki, who had been impaled in the chest by a Stonish spearman, killing him instantly. Despite the losses taken by the Hoterallians, thousands upon thousands of Stonish soldiers lie dead, those who remained had fled into nearby forests or towards the coast where the Stonish fleet had been, only to find that it had been burned while still in port by the Hoterallian army.

Withdrawal from Hoterallia

Second Battle of the Sunadic

Depiction of the Stonish fleet in disarray after departing from Ryuiki

The Stonish Army, at one point numbering upwards of 20,000, had been reduced to little more than 5,000. On top of this, the Stonish battlefleet that had performed so well against the Hoterallian navy suffered unsustainable losses after being trapped in Ryuiki's port and burned by the Hoterallian army. The Stonish fleet, now half its size, made a risky withdrawal from the port after managing to break free from Hoterallia's grasp and make its way to open waters. However, before the fleet could safely reach the Stoheпopt islands, it was caught off guard by the now replenished Hoterallian navy that held numerical superiority over the badly damaged Stonish fleet. The Stonish fleet, now under command of admiral Rhyo Lite following the death of Jonob Sidian, had become too demoralized to put up much of a fight. Unwilling to risk mutiny, Rhyo Lite surrendered the fleet to Hoterallia, which was subsequently burned. Its crew members were taken as prisoners of war, as well as Rhyo Lite and Admiral Jonas Steinherre. The Second "Battle" of the Sunadic was the final engagement between Hoterallian and Stonish forces for the rest of the duration of the war. The capture of the two Stonish generals and the entire Stonish Army and Navy lead to a long period of silence and eventually negotiations for peace.

Treaty of Jyo-daika

After seven whole years of fighting, the war was put to an end after King Bjarn II Von Stone met with Emperor Gon-Suda in the Hoterallian city of Jyo-Daika (Now Gerkoller). The summit lasted approximately five day before the two leaders and their supervisors came to a conclusion, inevitably deciding on the establishment of a 500 year truce between the two nations, alongside war reparations being paid to Hoterallia by Flatstone in order to compensate for damages done on Ruiki and Saipoi. Military restrictions were also discussed, although ultimately refused by Bjarn II Von Stone, believing that Hoterallias inability to occupy any Stonish territory meant that this would make the treaty "unfair". Although in reality this was simply because Bjarn II Von Stone was hesitant to demilitarize his nation, which at the time had built an economy centered and profited off of war. The bodies of generals Bas Pumice and Jonob Sidian were returned to Flatstone for their proper burials, and Rhyo Lite and Jonas Steinherre were released from Hoterallia after two years of imprisonment.