Eodem: A Rifle and Sword Adventure (Complete)

Chapter 61: Manifest Amelioration

The ashes of Siege's destruction over the many burgs across the old Imperial Capital of Haringpoint began to die down as Prince Clovich's forces consolidated themselves into the city's hearths. Temporary segregated housing between the Amelioration forces and Haringpoint's citizenry were erected as the Third Laniyea Rifle Battalion was, for the time being de-mobilized into a Labour Force to help rebuild the damaged capital. Picking up rubble and repairing the damaged houses and Haringpoint's canal crossings that dotted the city. Yet alas, the UFE's Fire Storm like artillery had for better or for worse had done irreparable damage to the fair Slaegian Imperial Capital's many timeless monuments.

A lamentable disappointment for Prince Clovich, the leader of the Ysanigrad Amelioration. But an inevitable price he had paid to see his manifested vision of a new Gliesia take shape.

Of other such prices spoken was the losses his own forces had suffered too.

Compared to previous wars that they had faced in battles past, Clovich's Laniyea suffered a 40% Mortality Rate amongst his 2000 strong forces. Precisely 806 brave men fought for his and their collective Dream for a New Ysanigrad. Only the Third Battalion of his newly modernized forces were at the end of the campaign remained relatively intact of his directly commanded forces of the fledgling Tyr Rianni Laniyea. Such reapings for Tivna was a result of the Laniyea's relative inexperience using their new Rifles during the battles of Operation Haymaker and tragically, UFEAF's own healers would often prioritize mending the wounds of their own soldiers rather than his men regardless of severities or rank causing many deaths to occur by accident, neglect or both. Adding to the Amelioration's casualties were 223 casualties from his Federation Allies to a total of 1049. A rather meager comparison against the vestigial Slaegians and their Second Alliance of the Light that suffered a catastrophic rout of all of their 380,000 strong forces.

Immediately, he ordered those new replenishments of manpower from back home and the extension of their training be immediately put forth by his decree in response. Targeting unit specialization in a variety of modernized battlefield roles such as an Artillery Regiment, Motorized Infantry, and even their localized Special Operations forces designed to Combat Magicks with their own breed of Magicks and Federation Technology. For the time being of 4 months, however, he has to rely on the Federation Soldiers and the Masnachwr-Dug or the linguistically translated Merchant-Duke Megacorporation Mercenaries to maintain his power base amongst the Knightly Warrior class of his regime. This won't work well in the long run of having the former Slaegian realms integrate under his rulership as long as the foreigners are the de-facto face of his Amelioration and not flesh and blood Gliesians such as his Laniyea. Yet alas, the child must remain within the tutor's shadow. There is much more to learn before they can become the worthy Protectors and Knights of the new Gliesia.

He sighed and coughed the excess ash off his lungs for temporary relief under the weight of his Amelioration's underlying problems.

Although buildings for the most part can be repaired and replaced with new stone and freshly cut wood, the human was the true scarring the city had endured. Many of the burghers of Haringpoint who had not escaped the city before its capture were rounded up by the UFEAF's soldiers and taken within the City where they now sit at the present in squalid temporary housing and meager nourishments if they even accepted the generosity of the Federation Soldiers at all. Not even the recently passed Ashfall over the Continent had caused several of the peoples to whiff several coughs from the impure air that still permeates around the war-torn continent. Such miserably repressive conditions are a virile breeding ground for restless dissension amongst the Haringpoint Burghers who suddenly become both homeless and prisoners in their own city at the same time. Many of the city folks do not recognize his authority ruling over them due to the recent violence, many seeing him as 'the Puppet-Emperor' for the Invaders to dance around their yoke. Already Clovich had to reluctantly order several riots attempts amongst the captive civilians with a few grim crackdowns of his forces to quell any further damage to the city and the people. His advisors counseled him that this situation must be addressed soon before it festers into cancer that could unbalance the divide of power his Amelioration brought forth.