08-16-2021, 07:43 PM
After the incident with the Huenyan task force, the Xiomerans decided on a new strategy. This was the result of a rather intense debate between the Xiomeran General Staff and IIA. The General Staff, outraged at the insult to Xiomeran honor, wanted to have the Imperial Navy begin escorting Xiomeran merchant shipping and simply blow any ship that tried to block them from Auria out of the water. Imperial Intelligence, realizing how incredibly stupid an idea that was, argued very vociferously with the generals against that idea. This debate went on for hours until the Empress finally grew tired of it, told them all to shut up, and then told them what to do.
This was the genesis of IIA's new bright idea on how to counter the blockade - Operation Cuauhmayoh. Taking its name from the Huenyan word for "branches", the operation was simple enough in theory. It would prove to be nowhere as simple to defeat or block in practice.
Xiomera had one of the largest merchant marine fleets in the world. This was due to its legacy as a major industrial and trading power, and also due to its location extremely far away from most trading partners. You needed ships to get products to ports, and Xiomera had them in abundance. The operation to supply Auria would thus sprout branches. Xiomeran merchant ships, in large numbers, would continue to challenge the blockade, but not breach it. This was the first branch - a feint to distract the Eirian, Lauchenoirian and Huenyan navies and catch them off guard. Many of these ships wouldn't even be carrying cargo, to avoid the risk of losing it.
The second branch involved Xiomeran merchant shipping as well, but these ships were actually carrying cargo. Xiomeran merchant ships would travel existing trade routes southeast, skirting well away from Manauia Island and Eiria. Once far enough southeast to avoid easy detection, they would then abruptly shift course southwest, around Ponoxian.
Other Xiomeran merchant shipping would travel well-known trade routes around the north and west of Caxcana. Both routes would end with the same destination - the Gulf of Yukoni, and the wastelands between Ponoxian and Sunemia. A third branch, this one an airlift from the Xiomeran colony on Antepec Island, would have the wastelands to the north of Auria as its destination.
The goal of the many branches was to distract, diminish and defeat the blockade by making it necessary to police every square inch of ocean around Caxcana. Calhualyana was betting that Eiria, Huenya and Lauchenoiria wouldn't want to shift so many ships into blockade duty, at the risk of weakening their own defenses. And even if they did, given the amount of territory that had to be covered, some gaps were inevitable. As she had promised Alice Lancaster, Xiomera would get its precious cargo through one way or another.
While Xiomeran merchant shipping running the first branch would do their best to run the blockading navies ragged with false alarms and constant challenges, the other branches would be enacting the second phase of the operation - unloading cargo and trucking it overland to Auria. These convoys would be escorted by CSSC all the way to the Aurian border. And for any random bandits who thought the Xiomeran convoys would be easy pickings, there would be a sharp response waiting for them.
---
On this particular day, a group of CSSC mercenaries were escorting a convoy to Auria from a recent drop. It was a long run, through less-than-settled places. Much of this area bore scars from the Great War, as well as their own internal strife. Warlords controlled many of these places with teams of bandits, and it was considered unwise to travel here.
Tazina, a CSSC captain, was commanding a group of mercenaries known as Silver Company. Atop his command APC, he scanned the landscape around him diligently. His second in command, Coyolalpan, did the same. As the group neared a rise in the road, both men noticed a set of cliffs and rocky outcroppings at the top. "Thought I saw movement up there," Coyolalpan said quietly. Tazina nodded. "And isn't that a pretty place to spring an ambush from," he murmured. "These guys really need to come up with some new tricks. Not to mention some battlefield discipline."
Coyolalpan snorted. "They're brigands, no better than common thieves. It's a foreign concept to them."
"Well, I believe in educating those in need," Tazina said. "Have some of the men fall back when the enemy attack starts, as if they're running away. Then, have them circle back when the idiots come out of the rocks to chase them."
Coyolalpan nodded, quickly issuing orders into his radio.
---
As the Xiomeran convoy rolled into the pass, as Tazina had expected, a group of bandits began firing on them. His group played their act to the hilt - acting confused, disordered and frightened, firing randomly and hiding before a group of them bolted for the exit. As the bandits boiled out of their hiding places and came down into the pass to chase the "retreating" mercenaries, the Xiomerans' demeanor suddenly shifted. Fear was replaced by discipline, randomness by well-honed and practiced battle order. The bandits soon found themselves completely out of their cover, and caught in the middle between the previously "retreating" Xiomerans and their colleagues on the other side of the pass.
As the battle unfolded, Coyolalpan looked at Tazina. "Do you want to accept any surrenders?"
"I want to send a message," Tazina replied. "Accept one surrender. The rest of these thieves - wipe them out, and then leave them where they fall. Bring the one that is spared to me once this farce is over."
Within a few minutes, the CSSC mercenaries had efficiently and coldly eliminated the entire bandit party. One surviving bandit was dragged to Tazina and Coyolalpan, plastic handcuffs around his wrists. "Where is your base?" Tazina demanded.
"I will tell you nothing," the bandit replied in guttural but understandable English. Tazina sighed. "Let's be clear about something. I let you live for a reason. You have a use to me. If you choose to not be useful, I don't need you." The mercenary captain took out his sidearm, placing the barrel on the man's forehead. "Where is your base?" Tazina demanded again, each word uttered slowly and with intent. Coyolalpan slapped a GPS device in front of the bandit. Sighing, the bandit pointed to a location on the screen.
"Have a squad keep this prisoner here. The rest of you, we're eliminating that base."
"More message sending?" Coyolalpan said drily. Tazina nodded.
---
The battle at the bandits' base was not quite as quick as the farce at the pass, but it was close. The bandits were perfectly good enough at bullying unarmed passers-by and stealing their property. But facing a highly trained and heavily armed opponent was entirely outside their wheelhouse. Most of them chose to ran, rather than try to go toe-to-toe with the CSSC mercs. The bodies of those that didn't would be part of Tazina's message: let us pass unhindered, or else.
This was the genesis of IIA's new bright idea on how to counter the blockade - Operation Cuauhmayoh. Taking its name from the Huenyan word for "branches", the operation was simple enough in theory. It would prove to be nowhere as simple to defeat or block in practice.
Xiomera had one of the largest merchant marine fleets in the world. This was due to its legacy as a major industrial and trading power, and also due to its location extremely far away from most trading partners. You needed ships to get products to ports, and Xiomera had them in abundance. The operation to supply Auria would thus sprout branches. Xiomeran merchant ships, in large numbers, would continue to challenge the blockade, but not breach it. This was the first branch - a feint to distract the Eirian, Lauchenoirian and Huenyan navies and catch them off guard. Many of these ships wouldn't even be carrying cargo, to avoid the risk of losing it.
The second branch involved Xiomeran merchant shipping as well, but these ships were actually carrying cargo. Xiomeran merchant ships would travel existing trade routes southeast, skirting well away from Manauia Island and Eiria. Once far enough southeast to avoid easy detection, they would then abruptly shift course southwest, around Ponoxian.
Other Xiomeran merchant shipping would travel well-known trade routes around the north and west of Caxcana. Both routes would end with the same destination - the Gulf of Yukoni, and the wastelands between Ponoxian and Sunemia. A third branch, this one an airlift from the Xiomeran colony on Antepec Island, would have the wastelands to the north of Auria as its destination.
The goal of the many branches was to distract, diminish and defeat the blockade by making it necessary to police every square inch of ocean around Caxcana. Calhualyana was betting that Eiria, Huenya and Lauchenoiria wouldn't want to shift so many ships into blockade duty, at the risk of weakening their own defenses. And even if they did, given the amount of territory that had to be covered, some gaps were inevitable. As she had promised Alice Lancaster, Xiomera would get its precious cargo through one way or another.
While Xiomeran merchant shipping running the first branch would do their best to run the blockading navies ragged with false alarms and constant challenges, the other branches would be enacting the second phase of the operation - unloading cargo and trucking it overland to Auria. These convoys would be escorted by CSSC all the way to the Aurian border. And for any random bandits who thought the Xiomeran convoys would be easy pickings, there would be a sharp response waiting for them.
---
On this particular day, a group of CSSC mercenaries were escorting a convoy to Auria from a recent drop. It was a long run, through less-than-settled places. Much of this area bore scars from the Great War, as well as their own internal strife. Warlords controlled many of these places with teams of bandits, and it was considered unwise to travel here.
Tazina, a CSSC captain, was commanding a group of mercenaries known as Silver Company. Atop his command APC, he scanned the landscape around him diligently. His second in command, Coyolalpan, did the same. As the group neared a rise in the road, both men noticed a set of cliffs and rocky outcroppings at the top. "Thought I saw movement up there," Coyolalpan said quietly. Tazina nodded. "And isn't that a pretty place to spring an ambush from," he murmured. "These guys really need to come up with some new tricks. Not to mention some battlefield discipline."
Coyolalpan snorted. "They're brigands, no better than common thieves. It's a foreign concept to them."
"Well, I believe in educating those in need," Tazina said. "Have some of the men fall back when the enemy attack starts, as if they're running away. Then, have them circle back when the idiots come out of the rocks to chase them."
Coyolalpan nodded, quickly issuing orders into his radio.
---
As the Xiomeran convoy rolled into the pass, as Tazina had expected, a group of bandits began firing on them. His group played their act to the hilt - acting confused, disordered and frightened, firing randomly and hiding before a group of them bolted for the exit. As the bandits boiled out of their hiding places and came down into the pass to chase the "retreating" mercenaries, the Xiomerans' demeanor suddenly shifted. Fear was replaced by discipline, randomness by well-honed and practiced battle order. The bandits soon found themselves completely out of their cover, and caught in the middle between the previously "retreating" Xiomerans and their colleagues on the other side of the pass.
As the battle unfolded, Coyolalpan looked at Tazina. "Do you want to accept any surrenders?"
"I want to send a message," Tazina replied. "Accept one surrender. The rest of these thieves - wipe them out, and then leave them where they fall. Bring the one that is spared to me once this farce is over."
Within a few minutes, the CSSC mercenaries had efficiently and coldly eliminated the entire bandit party. One surviving bandit was dragged to Tazina and Coyolalpan, plastic handcuffs around his wrists. "Where is your base?" Tazina demanded.
"I will tell you nothing," the bandit replied in guttural but understandable English. Tazina sighed. "Let's be clear about something. I let you live for a reason. You have a use to me. If you choose to not be useful, I don't need you." The mercenary captain took out his sidearm, placing the barrel on the man's forehead. "Where is your base?" Tazina demanded again, each word uttered slowly and with intent. Coyolalpan slapped a GPS device in front of the bandit. Sighing, the bandit pointed to a location on the screen.
"Have a squad keep this prisoner here. The rest of you, we're eliminating that base."
"More message sending?" Coyolalpan said drily. Tazina nodded.
---
The battle at the bandits' base was not quite as quick as the farce at the pass, but it was close. The bandits were perfectly good enough at bullying unarmed passers-by and stealing their property. But facing a highly trained and heavily armed opponent was entirely outside their wheelhouse. Most of them chose to ran, rather than try to go toe-to-toe with the CSSC mercs. The bodies of those that didn't would be part of Tazina's message: let us pass unhindered, or else.
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