Ronin War

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Ronin Wars
Part of Succession Wars
Start Date 3034
Result Free Rasalhague Republic remains independent
Factions
Free Rasalhague Republic
Loyal DCMS forces		 Ronin DCMS forces
Environment
Standard
Conditions
Normal

The Ronin War was an uprising of several Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery elements who refused to follow orders and withdraw from the newly formed Free Rasalhague Republic in essentially independent, loosely coordinated uprisings on several worlds. They were branded ronin and vanquished by the combined forces of the KungsArmé and (loyal) DCMS.

While often perceived as a single war, it is also referred to as the Ronin Wars because of the numerous individual conflicts it comprises of.

Overview

Background

In the aftermath of the Fourth Succession War, where it had performed below expectations, the Draconis Combine found itself in a precarious situation. After Hanse Davion's sweeping victory against House Liao the Combine was obviously going to be the next target, and urgently needed to prepare for what was coming. Poor leadership had incurred heavy losses in the Fourth Succession War and the Combine could no longer ignore the state of their outdated equipment and battle doctrines. The fact that only Theodore Kurita's reformed military units had seen notable success, making him a war hero, had even led to a clandestine leadership crisis within House Kurita.

In this situation, Theodore Kurita struck a secret deal with ComStar: House Kurita would finally grant the Combine's unruly Rasalhague Military District its independence, and allow them to form the Free Rasalhague Republic. This would practically force the Lyran Commonwealth to cede their recently captured worlds from the Rasalhague District to the nascent Republic, nullifying their gains from the Fourth Succession War. It also created a buffer state between the Combine and the Commonwealth along most of their shared border, and even earned the Combine some degree of good publicity. ComStar for their part agreed to supply the Combine with much-needed military hardware including BattleMechs as part of the deal.[1]

Formation of the Free Rasalhague Republic

Anticipating their resistance, Theodore Kurita sidelined his own father, Coordinator Takashi Kurita, in the matter and preemptively had Rasalhague District Warlord Ivan Sorenson killed, and even faked the Coordinator's signature code in the HPG message by which the Draconis Combine recognized the new state the day after the Free Rasalhague Republic's proclamation of independence on 13 March 3034.[1]

However, many Draconis Combine soldiers refused to recognize the new realm's independence from House Kurita, having just fought and bled in the Fourth Succession War to defend these worlds from invasion. They stayed on the worlds of the former Rasalhague Military District and fought the nascent KungsArmé forces for control. Acting from the shadows, Marcus Kurita secretly became one of their leaders. Since these renegade DCMS soldiers acted in direct contravention of Kanrei Theodore Kurita's orders, staining the Combine's honor, he declared such renegades ronin (masterless).

The ronin uprising posed a grave danger for the Free Rasalhague Republic. The newly formed KungsArmé lacked in experience to fight the ronin DCMS forces, and the nascent state's mercenary forces had been hired with poorly worded contracts that allowed the mercenaries to mostly bow out of the actual fighting while still getting paid. Being taken advantage of in this fashion soured the Republic's opinion of mercenaries for many years. Citizens viewed mercenaries with either contempt, disdain, or outright hatred. Even units noted for their skill and honor like the Kell Hounds and who had no part in the Ronin Wars were not immune to this feeling.

Kanrei Theodore Kurita personally led a force of several loyal DCMS regiments into the Republic to destroy the ronin forces, with the consent of Elected Prince Haakon Magnusson. Clashes between the ronin and loyal DCMS troops were often bloody, the loyalists infuriated by the dishonor shown to the Combine by the renegades. By 3035, all DCMS forces had withdrawn from the Republic to the newly-created Alshain Military District after successfully destroying the last of the ronin forces.

Involved Units

DCMS (Loyal)

DCMS (Ronin)

Free Rasalhague KungsArmé

Mercenaries

Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces (LCAF)

Lyran Commonwealth-employed Mercenaries

Armed Forces of the Federated Suns (AFFS)

Maps

  • Battle from March - June 3034

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Heir to the Dragon

Bibliography

Dates

  • Start Date - March 31, 3034
  • End Date - June, 3034

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