Second Great War: Difference between revisions

By 15 February, Urcea was without an overriding strategic vision. Although it was now gearing up for total war, as principal allied combatant in [[Urlazio]] and [[Dericania]] it presently had insufficient resources to achieve victory on either front, and for a month Urcean military leaders had been fighting just to preserve status quo in both theaters. [[Brian IV of Urcea|King Brian IV]] and leaders in the [[Concilium Daoni]] intervened, calling senior military leaders to [[Castle Welute]] on 15 February. At the "Castle Conference," it was decided that Urcean forces must secure victory in Dericania first before engaging with Caphiria in a broader global conflict. A Dericania-first strategy necessarily required a status quo, defensive strategy to be fought in [[Talionia]]. Dericania first was adopted, in part, because of Urcea's diplomatic obligations to its [[Holy Levantine Empire|Imperial colleagues]], but also due to the calculus that the [[Deric Republic]] could be vanquished first. Accordingly, the Conference determined that the canceled Oriental Expeditionary Force would be sent to Urlazio, but no additional major reinforcements to that theater of the war would be forthcoming. Until fully mobilization was achieved, the size of the Army tripled, and victory appeared likely in Levantia, Talionia would largely be on its own. The Oriental Expeditionary Force would arrive in mid March, just in time for the upcoming Caphirian offensive there.

The success of the Armored Division led to major pro-Imperial gains by late February, repulsing a Republican Front drive on [[Corcra (City)|Corcra]] and retaking most of northern [[Rhotia]]. Other armored divisions were entering combat around this time, but the Derians had also begun to develop effective anti-armor techniques, decreasing their overall utility. Extensive fighting also meant these early tanks broke down more often, also decreasing their use. Off the battlefield, Urcean and Burgoignesc diplomats began to open back channel negotiations with individual component states of the [[Deric Republic]]. The negotiations centered around recognition of local revolutionary authorities combined with the previous ruling lord dropping their claims to the territory in exchange for an end of hostilities. Both Urcean and Burgoignesc negotiators insisted on the continued existence of the [[Holy Levantine Empire]], in some form, as the basis for these negotiations, and due to this insistence these early proposals all failed.