Capellan-St. Ives War

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The Capellan-St. Ives War (known as the Xin Sheng Campaign to the CCAF), as its name implies, was a war that primarily involved the Capellan Confederation and the St. Ives Compact. Referred as a Civil War by both sides and acknowledged as such by decision of the Star League, it was regarded diplomatically as an "internal Capellan matter". The war lasted from 3060 until 3063.

Genesis

In a sense, the Capellan-St. Ives War was a revolution that had been delayed by thirty years. The St. Ives Compact was once the St. Ives Commonality, one of five such commonalities within the Capellan Confederation. Following the virtual collapse of the Confederation during the Fourth Succession War, St. Ives was able to bloodlessly secede under the leadership of Duchess Candace Liao. The badly mauled Capellan Confederation Armed Forces was in no place to contest the loss of the commonality, so it did not.

In the years since, the Confederation had staunched its losses under Romano Liao, then regained much of its lost territory under Sun-Tzu Liao. Despite that, Sun-Tzu did not have the military strength to simply reconquer the Compact (especially with the alliance of the Federated Commonwealth), so he enacted a series of gambits to retake the nation.

Units Involved

Note: Units listed include CCAF garrison units targeted by known SIMC raids.


SLDF Peacekeepers sent by First Lord Sun-Tzu Liao (CCAF Allied):

Unit Name Faction Years Location Notes
2nd Oriente Hussars Free Worlds League 3060-3061 Indicass
2nd Dieron Regulars Draconis Combine 3060-3061 Vestallas 2 Battalions w/ Air Wing & Infantry
5th Lyran Regulars Lyran Alliance 3060-3061 Nashuar
Raman DMM Federated Commonwealth 3060-3061 Brighton
6th Confederation Reserve Cavalry Capellan Confederation 3060-3061 Denbar 1 Battalion


Periphery Forces sent under Trinity Alliance (CCAF Allied):

Unit Name Faction Inclusive Years Location Notes
3rd Canopian Fusiliers Magistracy of Canopus 3061-3063 Milos (3061), Nashuar (3061-3062), St. Ives (3062)
2nd Canopian Cuirassiers Magistracy of Canopus 3060-3061 Vestallas 2 Battalions w/ Air Wing & Infantry
1st Canopian Light Horse Magistracy of Canopus 3060-3061 Nashuar
Taurian Velites Taurian Concordat 3060-3061 Brighton
Concordat Jaegers Taurian Concordat 3060-3061 Denbar 1 Battalion
Concordat Cuirassiers Taurian Concordat 3060-3061 Denbar 1 Battalion
Longwoods Bluecoats Taurian Concordat 3060-3061 Denbar 1 Battalion


Unit Faction Planet Outcome Source
7th FedCom RCT AFFS Ambergrist N/A [1]
Medusans - Hydra Assault Squadron AFFS - Merc Targa N/A [2]
Wild Geese AFFS - Merc Ambergrist N/A [3]
1st Capellan Defense Force CCAF New Sagan N/A [4]
1st McCarron's Armored Cavalry CCAF St. Ives N/A [5]
1st McCarron's Armored Cavalry CCAF Wei N/A [6]
2nd Capellan Defense Force CCAF Necromo N/A [7]
2nd Confederation Reserve Cavalry CCAF Ambergrist N/A [8]
2nd Confederation Reserve Cavalry CCAF Denbar N/A [9]
2nd McCarron's Armored Cavalry CCAF Brighton N/A [10]
3rd Confederation Reserve Cavalry CCAF Denbar N/A [11]
4th McCarron's Armored Cavalry CCAF Gei-Fu N/A [12]
5th CRC CCAF Warlock heavy loses [13]
5th CRC CCAF Tantara N/A [14]
6th CRC CCAF Denbar N/A [15]
Death Commandos CCAF Targa N/A [16]
Death Commandos CCAF #wei N/A [17]
Holdfast Guard CCAF N/A [18]
MAC CCAF Warlock N/A [19]
MAC CCAF Vestallas N/A [20]
Renshield's Dragoons CCAF Tantara N/A [21]
Warrior House Dai Da Chi CCAF N/A [22]
Warrior House Dai Da Chi CCAF Tantara N/A [23]
Warrior House Hiritsu CCAF St. Ives N/A [24]
Warrior House Ijori CCAF #wei N/A [25]
Warrior House Kamata CCAF Ambergrist N/A [26]
Vanderlay's Valkyries CCAF - Mercs Texlos heavy loses => retreat [27]
Blackwind Lancers Free Capella Ambergrist N/A [28]
Blackwind Lancers Free Capella Hustiang N/A [29]
ELH SL Milos N/A [30]
1st St. Ives Janissaries St. Ives Warlock moderate - loses [31]
1st St. Ives Janissaries St. Ives Tantara N/A [32]
1st St. Ives Lancers St. Ives New Sagan N/A [33]
1st St. Ives Lancers St. Ives Necromo N/A [34]
1st St. Ives Lancers St. Ives Gei-Fu N/A [35]
2nd St. Ives Janissaries St. Ives Denbar N/A [36]
2nd St. Ives Janissaries St. Ives St. Loris N/A [37]
2nd St. Ives Lancers St. Ives Milos N/A [38]
2nd St. Ives Lancers St. Ives St. Loris N/A [39]
Alisha's Mounted Fusiliers St. Ives St. Loris N/A [40]
Alisha's Mounted Fusiliers St. Ives Vestallas N/A [41]
Cheveau Legers St. Ives N/A destroyed [42]
Cheveau Legers St. Ives Indicass N/A [43]
Cheveau Legers St. Ives Denbar N/A [44]
Marcella's Armored Infantry St. Ive Brighton N/A [45]
Marcella's Armored Infantry St. Ives Tantara N/A -
Raymond's Armored Cavalry St. Ives Brighton N/A [47]
SIAMS Training Group St. Ives Brighton N/A [48]
Federated Freemen St. Ives - Merc N/A heavy loses => retreat [49]
Gabhardt's Carabineers St. Ives - Merc N/A N/A [50]
Group W St. Ives - Merc Tantara moderate - loses [51]
Group W St. Ives - Merc Warlock moderate - loses [52]
Illician Lancers - 59th Strike Regiment St. Ives - Merc N/A N/A [53]
Khordakov's Cossacks St. Ives - Merc N/A N/A [54]
Khordakov's Cossacks St. Ives - Merc St. Loris N/A [55]
Rubinsky's Light Horse St. Ives - Merc Indicass heavy loses [56]
The Arcadians St. Ives - Merc N/A heavy loses => retreat [57]
Taurian Velveties TAF Ambergrist N/A [58]

Opening Gambits

The first of these stratagems was part planning and part luck. In 3058, Chancellor Liao was elected First Lord of the reborn Star League, thanks in part to political maneuvering between Katherine and Victor Steiner-Davion. Though this post was largely ceremonial, it conferred a great deal of prestige on Sun-Tzu that his people responded to in a positive way.

The second was the creation of the Xin Sheng (rebirth) movement. In order to instill nationalistic fervor in his people, Sun-Tzu fostered a rebirth of the Chinese Han culture, including a restyling of the Capellan logo. He also sent out a call to all former Capellan units and planets to "return home" without fear of reprisal. This led to Chaos March worlds voluntarily joining the Confederation, and even some Compact worlds wanted to go back to the nation.

The third gambit was an alliance with two Periphery nations. Sun-Tzu began working closely with the Magistracy of Canopus, who was already closely aligned with the Taurian Concordat. After the death of Jeffrey Calderon and the ascension of Grover Shraplen to the Protectorship, the nations formed the Trinity Alliance. As part of the agreement, the Confederation upgraded the new factories on Detroit to produce weapons of war that used advanced technology. They also initiated troop exchanges and many promising cadets from the Periphery nations were able to attend Capellan military training facilities and academies.

The fourth plan involved a spy. A Maskirovka agent infiltrated the St. Ives Military Command and had become a battalion commander within the Blackwind Lancers by 3060.

Finally, a plan that Sun-Tzu had nothing to do with worked to his great benefit. While he was prosecuting the war against the Clans, Victor Steiner-Davion's sister Katherine usurped their little sister Yvonne's regency of the Federated Commonwealth, all but deposing him. In exchange for supporting Katherine in her bid to become Sun-Tzu's successor as First Lord, she promised not to interfere in his attempt to reclaim the St. Ives Compact.

Sun-Tzu chose to strike while Victor was away. In addition, Victor's best friend and heir-apparent to the St. Ives Compact Kai Allard-Liao was with the Prince combating the Clans. The absence of the greatest MechWarrior of his generation was keenly felt.

With all of these preparations, Sun-Tzu was able to use many foreign troops to prosecute a war in which his nation appeared to be the victim against a smaller, more aggressive nation. Indeed, many individuals within the Compact wanted to be conquered.

Beginning

Sun-Tzu began a tour of many worlds on the border with the St. Ives Compact. He visited his border worlds with his fiancee Isis Marik, confident in the knowledge that he was tempting radical elements of the St. Ives military. The original plan called for the provocation of the mercenary Khorsakov's Kossacks but this was perceived by Candace Liao and countered by the unit's reassignment. A secondary plan was therefore implemented that used a Maskirovka mole in the SIMC. Sun-Tzu suddenly changed his plans and did not make the last stop on his planned tour, instead sending Isis on to represent him. That's when a battalion of the Blackwind Lancers crossed the border and attacked, hoping to capture or kill the Chancellor himself. What they got instead was a slippery Isis Marik who defied capture and a complete sundering of ties from the SIMC.

First Lord Liao used this as justification to deploy Star League Defense Force peacekeepers along border worlds in the Compact. Elements of the SIMC resisted this blatant power-play by Sun-Tzu, which only played into his hands by making them appear aggressive. Foremost among these combative SIMC members was Major Cassandra Allard-Liao, Duchess Candace's second-oldest child, which only fueled resistance. Battles flared up and the Compact steadily lost control of their border worlds. In addition, Tormano Liao left his position as adviser to Archon Katherine Steiner-Davion in order to travel to the Compact and used Free Capella to aid his sister's realm.

Interlude

The 3061 Whitting Conference saw the Compact bringing grievances from the ongoing conflict to the Star League Council. The Council voted to withdraw SLDF peacekeepers from the region, though they were unable to bring the votes necessary to do anything to stop Sun-Tzu when he simply replaced the SLDF troops with Capellan and Canopian troops. In his position as Commanding General of the SLDF, Victor was able to install peacekeepers for a limited time, this time in defense of the Compact.

End

The small gains by the Compact at the Whitting Conference were too little, too late. Limited victories by the SIMC, including Kai, and their remaining AFFC allies were beginning to slow but not stop the inevitable Capellan victory, when disaster struck. Sun-Tzu's sister Kali Liao was the leader of the Thuggee cult of assassins. Using her fanatical followers, Kali attacked enemies of the Capellan state with a nerve gas agent that was found on Wei. Among the first casualties was Tormano Liao, though he was not the only one. While this galvanized the SIMC and its foreign supporters, what became known as the Black May attacks did not change the overall course of the war. The SIMC steadily gave ground until Candace Liao made the decision in 3062 to abandon the coreward half of her crescent-shaped nation that included the capital of St. Ives so that she might use the more industrialized, rimward half to hold out.

It soon became apparent that without foreign support, the Compact could not hold out against the Capellans, so Candace sent her daughter Kuan-Yin (who had achieved renown during the war for leading relief shipments to civilians) to negotiate a peace settlement. In effect, she was asking for terms of surrender. Three armistices failed to hold, but the fourth was mediated by none other than former Precentor Martial of ComStar Anastasius Focht. This final settlement included terms that mandated that the St. Ives Commonality be held by the Allard-Liao family in fief and that they would hold three seats on the Strategios as opposed to the two that the other commonalities had. While they received favorable terms, the fact remained that the Capellan Confederation had won.

References

  1. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 61
  2. ↑ Merc Supp II p.50
  3. ↑ Merc Supp II p.64
  4. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 77
  5. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 88
  6. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 88
  7. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 78
  8. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 71
  9. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 71
  10. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 89
  11. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 72
  12. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 91
  13. ↑ Merc Supp p.37
  14. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 112
  15. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 74
  16. ↑ Merc Supp II p.50
  17. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 69
  18. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 56
  19. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 73
  20. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 109
  21. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 81
  22. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 64
  23. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 81
  24. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 62
  25. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 66
  26. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 61
  27. ↑ FM rev. P. 115
  28. ↑ Merc Supp II p.64
  29. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 115
  30. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 89
  31. ↑ Merc Supp p.37
  32. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 112
  33. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 77
  34. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 78
  35. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 91
  36. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 113
  37. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 113
  38. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 106
  39. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 106
  40. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 109
  41. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 109
  42. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 105
  43. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 113
  44. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 113
  45. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 110
  46. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 110
  47. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 107
  48. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 107
  49. ↑ FM rev. P. 68
  50. ↑ Merc Supp II p.34
  51. ↑ Merc Supp p.37
  52. ↑ Merc Supp p.37
  53. ↑ Merc Supp p.40
  54. ↑ FM rev. P. 91
  55. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 113
  56. ↑ FM rev. P. 108
  57. ↑ FM rev. P. 41
  58. ↑ FM Cap Con p. 115

Bibliography

Dates

  • Start Date - 3060
  • End Date - 3063

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