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The Northern War (実録・北方戦役) is a book that can be found in Trails of Cold Steel III. It is an authentic record of the Northern War, written by Marcel Nielsen. It appears on the shelf of recommended readings in the Thors Branch Campus library from 6/10 onward.

Contents[]

[Outbreak]

On November 3rd, 1205, a pitch-black shadow burst through Dnieper Gate on the southwestern border of the North Ambria province. It was the black Heavy Panzer Soldat Hector, driven by Brigadier General 'Black Whirlwind' Wallace Bardias of Sutherland's provincial army. The giant cross-spear wielded by the occupant scattered the Northern Jaegers and the autonomous weapons they used called 'archaisms' that guarded the gate, and a golden Panzer Soldat leading a 100-strong battalion stepped into the province from the Empire of Erebonia.

Driving the golden machine was Lamare's provincial army commander, 'Golden Rakshasa' Aurelia Le Guin. That day, the old Noble Alliance forces that both commanders served declared war and attacked North Ambria. That was the beginning of an aggression later called the 'Northern War' that was over in less than half a year.

[Background]

The indirect cause of the fighting originated in the October civil conflict in the empire the year before. That civil war saw the Northern Jaegers based in North Ambria not only fight the Imperial Army beginning in Kreuzen province, but also burn Celdic under direction of the Noble Alliance. They were led by Duke Albarea of the Four Great Houses, but the perpetrators were the Jaeger corps. This was seen as a problem after the war and in June of the next year, the empire made a claim for reparations to the North Ambria province.

The other side of that coin was that the Northern Jaegers and North Ambria were not of the same organization, though the fact that citizens were caught up in the fires meant that it couldn't be helped that they were slandered as inhumane. However, the chronic financial troubles the independent province faced meant that the reparations were too much, and while the diet was entangled, the Northern Jaegers took shocking action. After occupying the diet, they were supplied by a large amount of archaisms by the international criminal organization that acted behind the scenes during the Imperial civil war called 'Ouroboros.'

On July 5th, the Northern Jaegers that were occupying the diet issued a refusal to pay reparations. The Imperial government took the situation seriously and attempted negotiations through many channels, though they failed to make headway. Finally, Erebonia made a 'certain offer' to the old Noble Alliance forces in Juno Naval Fortress of Lamare. That offer was for those forces to attack and suppress North Ambria, and that achievement was a large step forward in the difficulties plaguing provincial army negotiations. Thus Le Guin and Bardias of the old Noble Alliance forces abandoned the naval fortress at the end of August, and after two months of planning with the Intelligence Division and Railway Military Police, the war began.

[Development]

The old Noble Alliance forces that broke Dnieper Gate suppressed Northern Jaeger bases in small towns like Kilva and Livli, closing in on the capital of Haliask. This was over a mere three days. However, the Northern Jaegers deployed large archaisms all around Haliask, even releasing them inside the city as they prepared to resist to the bitter end.

General Le Guin surrounded the city and was tasked with negotiating for the empire. At the same time, the Leman Bracer Guild dispatched many high-ranking bracers in an attempt to make a breakthrough. On the Imperial mainland, the Ashen Chevalier, Rean Schwarzer, was called on by the government and deployed in his beloved knight, but there was only one week left in the grace period put in place by General Le Guin.

[Conclusion]

On November 12th, the Ashen Chevalier, high-ranking bracers, and elite Railway Military Police infiltrated the city in an effort to restrain the large archaisms and Jaeger corps, but because evacuating the citizens from the attacks of the jaegers took too long, time ran out.

On the morning of November 13th, the Panzer Soldats, led by commanders Le Guin and Bardias, pulverized the defenses of Haliask, scattered the jaegers, and attacked the city. They took control of the Haliask diet building on noon of the same day.

Thanks to the work of the Ashen Chevalier and the bracers, civilian casualties were extremely low, and thanks to the generals' overwhelming attacks, Jaeger corps deaths were lower than expected.

That day, the thousands-strong Northern Jaegers completely surrendered.

[Annexation]

Afterward, Imperial dignitaries also arrived on the scene and detailed negotiations to end the war began. Thanks to the dependency on foreign currency brought on by the Jaeger corps, however, the independent province didn't have the ability to rebuild itself. Despite protests by the guilds and the Septian Church, and apprehensions of surrounding nations (Calvard denounced it entirely), it was decided to bring the province into the empire on November 30th.

Then on December 23rd, with the blessing of Emperor Eugent III, the North Ambria province of the Empire of Erebonia was created.

- M. Nielsen

【開戦】                        
 七耀暦1205年11月3日、ノーザンブリア自治州南西の
国境に位置するドニエプル門を突破する漆黒の影があった。サ
ザーラント領邦軍司令《黒旋風》ウォレス・バルディアス准将
が駆る黒い重装機甲兵ヘクトルである。搭乗者と同じ得物であ
る巨大な十字槍は、門を守っていた《北の猟兵》の守備隊と、
彼らが運用する『人形兵器』と呼称される自律稼動兵器をあっ
という間に蹴散らし、黄金の機体が率いる100機ほどの機甲
兵大隊がエレボニア帝国より同自治州へと足を踏み入れた。 
 黄金の機体を駆るのはラマール領邦軍総司令《黄金の羅刹》
オーレリア・ルグィン将軍。この日、両将に率いられた旧貴族
連合軍は宣戦布告と共にノーザンブリア自治州に侵攻、その後
《北方戦役》と呼ばれる半月にも満たぬ侵略戦争の火蓋が切っ
て落とされる事になる。                 
                            
【背景】                        
 戦いの遠因は前年の帝国での内戦《十月戦役》に(さかのぼ)る。同内
戦でノーザンブリアを本拠とする《北の猟兵》がクロイツェン
州を始めとする貴族連合に雇われ、正規軍と戦ったのみならず
交易町ケルディックを焼き討ちにしたのである。命令したのは
四大名門・アルバレア公であったが、実行犯は同猟兵団であり、
内戦後にこの事実が問題視され、翌年6月、帝国政府からノー
ザンブリア自治州に賠償請求が行われたのである。     
 同自治州と北の猟兵は同一組織ではなかったが表裏一体で、
民間人を巻き込んだ焼き討ちは確かに非人道的と(そし)られても仕
方ないものだった。しかし慢性的な財政不足に陥っていた自治
州にとって賠償金額は重くのしかかり、自治州議会が紛糾して
いるうちに北の猟兵が驚くべき行動に出る。議会を占拠した(のち)
帝国の内戦でも暗躍していた《身喰らう蛇》と呼称される国際
犯罪組織から大量の人形兵器の供与を受けたのである。   
 7月5日、議会を占拠した北の猟兵から帝国政府に賠償金請
求の拒否が伝えられ、事態を重く見た帝国政府は様々な外交ル
ートを通じた交渉に入るが進展はなく、最終的にラマール州の
ジュノー海上要塞に在った旧貴族連合軍へ“ある打診”を行う。
すなわち同軍によるノーザンブリア攻略と制圧、その功績をも
って難航していた領邦軍存続交渉を大幅に譲歩する取引だった。
かくしてオーレリア・ウォレス両将率いる旧貴族連合軍は8月
末に海上要塞を放棄、2ヶ月におよぶ情報局・鉄道憲兵隊との
共同作戦立案を経て開戦に臨んだのである。        
                            
【展開】                        
 ドニエプル門を突破した旧貴族連合軍は北の猟兵の拠点であ
ったキルヴァ、リヴィリなどの小都市・町を制圧しつつ、首府
ハリアスクに迫る。この期間僅かに3日間。しかし北の猟兵本
部は大型人形兵器をハリアスク周辺に展開、あろうことか市内
にも放つ形で徹底抗戦の構えを取る。オーレリア将軍は同市を
包囲しつつ帝国政府の交渉ルートに一時任せ、時を同じくして
レマン自治州の遊撃士協会本部も高位遊撃士を数名派遣、事態
打開に向けた試みが各方面で模索された。         
 そして帝国本土からは、政府の要請を受けた灰色の騎士こと
リィン・シュバルツァーがその愛機と共に派遣されるが、オー
レリア将軍の設定した猶予期間である1週間はあっという間に
迫ってくるのだった。                  
                            
【決着】                        
 11月12日、灰色の騎士と高位遊撃士たち、および鉄道憲
兵隊の精鋭が市内に潜入し、大型人形兵器の撃破と猟兵団幹部
の拘束作戦を敢行するが、人形兵器の暴走によって市民の避難
に時間を取られた結果、遂に刻限を迎えてしまう。     
 11月13日早朝、オーレリア・ウォレス両将率いる機甲兵
大隊はハリアスク市の防衛線を粉砕、猟兵部隊を蹴散らしつつ
市内に侵攻し、同日正午にはハリアスク議事堂を占領した。 
 灰色の騎士および遊撃士たちの働きにより、市民への被害は
極めて軽微、同将軍らの戦力が圧倒的だったためか猟兵部隊の
死者も想定を下回り、この日数千人の戦力を擁する巨大猟兵団
《北の猟兵》は完全降伏することになる。         
                            
【併合】                        
 その後、帝国政府の高官も現地に入り、具体的な戦後交渉が
開始された。しかし猟兵団がもたらす外貨に財政面で頼ってい
た自治州に最早自力再建できる力はなく、ギルドや七耀教会の
異議や周辺国の懸念もあったが(共和国は終始一貫して非難)、
11月30日、同自治州の帝国への帰属が最終決定する。  
 そして12月23日──皇帝ユーゲントⅢ世の承認を受けて
エレボニア帝国・ノーザンブリア州が成立するのだった。  
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                            
                 M・ニールセン    

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