Thạch Hung Sõn Chiến
Thạch Hung Sõn Chiến | |
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| Other name(s) | Hổ Chiến (Tiger Chien) |
| Born | 12 March 1892 County of Tuyên Bái, Quenmin |
| Died | 30 June 1945 (aged 53) Kontin, Quenmin |
| Allegiance |  Đại Quến |
| Branch |  Imperial Quenminese Army |
| Years of service | 1921 – 1945 |
| Rank |  Imperial Marshal |
| Unit | Central Asianna Expeditionary Front |
| Battles/wars | Second Europan War |
| Relations |
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Imperial Marshal Count Thạch Hung Sõn Chiến (12 March 1892 – 30 June 1945) was a Quenminese general officer in the Imperial Quenminese Army and member of the Thạch Hung noble family. In his military career, he quelled the 1928 Kaung Ko Uprising in Bethausia when he was a colonel, and while serving in the Second Europan War, he commanded the Central Asianna Expeditionary Front as an Imperial Marshal, earning his recognition. He died by suicide on 30 June 1945 during the Battle of Kontin.
Chiến was known to his colleagues and the Allies to exhibit an aggressive style of warfare, often committing full-frontal assaults and Muôn năm Charges whenever the opportunities present itself. Coupled with his determined, prideful and stubborn demeanor, he garnered the nickname Tiger Chien (Hổ Chiến). Although a source of his resolve, it also became a source of his weakness, resulting in tensions with his professional relationships and numerous casualties.
Early Life
He studied at the Kiều Thạc Nhu Institute of Military Studies, where he graduated as a colonel, thanks to his family's influence.
Military Career
Pre-EWII
In 1934, as the preparations for the upcoming war were close to being finished, Chien was selected as the commander of the Western Division of the North Asianna Expeditionary Front. This was later renamed to the Middle East Expeditionary Front when the war broke out. Chien oversaw Quenmin's early expansion into Southern Lorica and the subjugation of Bhutania as a Quenminese territory. His performance was widely regarded. The Imperial High Command believed that Chien would be the perfect man to lead the Middle Eastern expansion and hoped that the entirety of the region would fall before 1937.
A heavy support of the The Cremologna Pact, Chien was to oversee the Quenminese expansion into the Middle East. When the region was fully subjected, it would be renamed as the Khu hành chính Trungđông, which is similar to an East Europan Reichskommissariat.
EWII
Commander of the Imperial Middle Eastern Front
The Imperials did not invade the Middle East until 1936. The Imperial Invasion of the Middle East took place on 19 May 1936. Chien worked closely with Archadian Field Marshal Victor Sazabio. Later that year, Chien launched the Imperial Invasion of Oshmar. The country fell within a matter of weeks and Prince Hashur fled further west. The capital city, Baghdada became the capital city of Khu hành chính Trungdông.
The following year saw the initiative for Chien to immediately relieve the Imperial forces fighting against the Lucis Commonwealth in North Africanna. The vital Schwarz Canal was an important objective, as Chien can immediately have the Imperial Quenminese Navy to use the passage and destroy the Allied fleets in the Mediterranean. The Lunar New Year Desert Offensive was launched. The battle was the first time that the Quenminese encountered Lucis Commonwealth forces. The battle further boosted Chien's confidence, being the first Quenminese commander to defeat the Lucis Commonwealth. After this, General George Wavell was replaced by Field Marshal Toushi Hasegawa.
Knocking the Lucis Commonwealth out of the war
After the success of the offensive, Chien was eventually determined to knock the Lucis Commonwealth out of the war and sue for peace terms. He had set his sights on dominating North Africanna, then pursue south and destroy the Lucis Commonwealth nation of Basel-Ebel.
The same year saw the 1937 Winter Offensive, in which Chien inflicted the Allied forces' biggest defeat in the war. The offensive knocked the Galbadian, Estharian, and Dalmascan forces out of theatre, making the Lucis Commonwealth forces as the last objective to complete Chien's full conquest of the Middle East. The Port of Tobruq proved vital to Chien's war effort. He positioned several attacks on the port but saw little success. This would come to be known in history as the 340-day Siege of Tobruq, in which the ZANAC forces denied the port to Chien. Hasegawa had well-prepared the garrison. The defenders of the port were commanded by Zanarkian General Leslie Oliver Morsehead.
While the Quenminese were greater in numbers, Chien's forces lacked air superiority, something which the Lucis Commonwealth had possessed since the war began. Despite the relentless attacks on the port, the Imperial forces could not succeed. The siege would later be broken during the Battle of Sania.
Battle of Sania
By early 1938, the Imperials were less than 20 miles from the Schwarz Canal. Chien had expected a swift victory. The final line of defence for the Allies came, in the form of several allied lines at Sania. The Count had written a report to the Emperor, saying that he will win at Sania. The battle that was about to commence would later come to be known as the year-long Battle of Sania, highly regarded as the greatest battle of the Second Europan War.
Meanwhile, Hasegawa was relieved and was replaced by then-General Archibald Sugiyama. Sugiyama was well-aware that the Chien and Sazabio had the numbers. However, the force that he had bought from his time in East Africanna were well-trained and had been supplied with newer equipment. Not being aware of this, Chien stuck with his usual plan for the retaking of Sania.
The opening moves saw Imperial forces attack the three checkpoints defending Sania; namely the vital Checkpoint Gordon, Lavinia, and Jane. Chien assumed command of the attack on Checkpoint Gordon. The Lucians were commanded by Brigadier Tsukuyo Kushineda. Chien launched relentless attacks on the northern garrison. However, the attacks proved to be of little effect as the Lucians were prepared of the oncoming onslaught. Kushineda eventually drove the attackers away from the garrison by launching an attack.
In 13 July 1938, Sugiyama launched a counteroffensive, which saw the Imperial forces retreat for 5 miles of their original positions. Noticing that there was a crucial pass to win the battle, Chien attacked the Lucis Commonwealth forces through the Lavinia Pass, which would see him put his forces in a dominating position over the Allies. The battle saw heavy casualties for the allies. Noticing this, Sugiyama immediately sent the Gallian forces to plug the forming gap. The Oshmarian Rebels under the leadership of Prince Hashur saw the Imperials with their supply lines raided and destroyed. This drastically reduced Chien's call for resupply and reinforcements. Chien was forced to withdraw to the Sania Plains as a result.
In October, Sugiyama launched Operation Clash, which saw heavy artillery bombardment from the attacking Commonwealth forces. This was followed by armoured clashes by the plains, forming a salient within the Imperial lines. Chien threw a counterattack but failed to relieve the salient. He then decided to throw the Midgarian and Rumanian forces to support Sazabio's attack on the salient from the south. However, the attack failed and the Imperials took severe casualties. The battle withdrew the Midgarian and Rumanian forces, leaving the Archadian forces as the only force supporting the Quenminese forces.
By November, Chien launched a savage counterattack, prompting the Commonwealth forces to retreat by 6 miles. Chien increased pressure on the weak central flank. Sugiyama assessed that the northern flank of the Quenminese was very fragile. Attempting to defeat the counteroffensive, Sugiyama launched an attack on the small village of Al Zeb, which was a major defence perimeter for the Quenminese between its northern and central flanks. The small 28th Maoru Regiment carried the attack. The charge was to become the climactic stage of the battle, in which more than 750 Maoru Troops charged the Quenminese defence perimeter at Al Zeb. The result became catastrophic for the Imperials as Al Zeb fell within the day. The following day saw the Accordish Highlanders reinforce Sugiyama. Brigadier Kushineda deployed the highlanders against Chien and Duong's flank. With Chien exhausting his forces for a counteroffensive that had little success, Chien was forced to retreat to Ardur. The battle entered its final stages in the Battle of Ardur. Commonwealth forces attacked by late-January 1939. By the following month, the city was surrounded trapping 40,000 Quenminese and Archadian troops. Chien attempted to send the last of the reserve force but was denied by Commonwealth forces chasing after the retreating columns of Imperial forces.
The commanders at Ardur knew that the situation was becoming dire. By 15 March, the garrison asked permission to surrender, which was bluntly turned down by Chien and declared that they will fight to the last man. Four days later, Chien received word that the Imperial Council was becoming aware of the failures of the Battle since August 1938 and was ordered to withdraw. Initially refusing, his subordinates talked the Count out into approving the surrender. By 21 March, Chien ordered the Ardur Garrison to surrender and retreated east.
The Battle of Sania marked the first time that Chien was defeated. It boosted General Archibald Sugiyama's popularity and it signalled the start of the war's most notorious rivalries.