Part 17: Escalation
Another day dawns, none the worse for wear:
Initiative for this round goes to...
Lusitania! Straight to the point this time.
Sailing stealthily along the coast from China, the Lusitanian fleet maneuvered its way through the Brazens' port defenses in Siam with ease, compelling the surrender of the defending army as well as anything of value they could lift (in every sense of the word).
Meanwhile, in the north, a lone Lusitanian division marched inland from the sea through the mountains of Kamchatka. Their objective: the similarly amusingly named Irkutsk.
Vynnlandi defenders, however, were well prepared (and well paid), and the intruding army was easily chased off.
Lusitania takes Siam!
Gesturing wildly within his maproom, as if having a seizure, Esteemed Gentleperson Herr Zwiebel directed his forces in North America to press the attack on all fronts. From Quebec, two full steam divisions boarded steamships and steamed their way across the sea to seize the appropriately titled Greenland.
Pressing onward (and their luck), the advancing force attempted a move into the Northwest Territories, however the bitter cold and harsh winds froze the steam within the very hearts of the mechanical Brazen army, leading to no end of burst pipes and salty language.
In the south, similar expletives abounded as a contingent of Brazen troops was beaten back from the Eastern US by the increasingly belligerent Lusitanian defenders there.
Brazen takes Greenland!
Commanding a sizable force of the best kind money can bribe, Chairman Pinchy moved south from Egypt to seize the horn of Africa and discover just why it was the Brazen army wasn't terribly interested in defending it.
Meanwhile, in South America, restless Vynnlandi forces moved swiftly to exploit the poorly defended territory of Peru, wresting it from the hands of League of Nations peacekeepers whose large shoulderpads and enormous sunglasses failed to intimidate.
Vynnland takes East Africa and Peru!
Enraged at the Kamigonians' unprovoked assault on their luxurious island cider retreat in Madagascar, forces of Greater Somerset lashed out in to South Africa. Despite being outnumbered and on foreign soil, Wurzel forces confronted their enemy and, deploying their battle tested 'drunken hooting' technology, were able to cause a considerable ruckus before finally being put down.
Simultaneously, moving from Brazil, 3 division of Wurzel troops infiltrated North Africa. As luck would have it, the Kamigonian defenders were caught both completely off guard and drunk off their rockers. The battle might have been swifter, however, had the Wurzels moved to seize anything other than the many casks of liquor within the defending fort. The ensuing drunken brawl effectively razed the city center of Morocco, and left the prevailing Somerset forces with one hell of a headache the next morning.
Greater Somerset takes North Africa!
Lacking any remaining units with which to attack, his reserves consumed in combating numerous assaults, Most Peaceful Slaan took an unexpected opportunity to live up to his name.
Kamigonia does nothing!
League of Nations resolution tucked safely in his waistband, Supreme Commander Twiddy coordinated his troops in a comedic about-face, 'attacking in another direction' from Venezuela backwards upon the besieged territory of Peru.
With a pluck and resourcefulness common only to much less bloated international bureaucracies, League forces pressed their march further in to Brazil, scoring an easy victory against the Wurzels there before tactfully halting their advance.
League of Nations takes Peru and Brazil!
Summary
A decisive round... perhaps. Vynnlandi and Somerset forces have expanded their influence in Africa, evenly dividing the continent between three competing armies. In the east, Lusitania continues to make progress, albeit at a glacial pace, in securing positions in Asia. In the Americas, the burgeoning, steamy empire of Brazen now stretches continuously from one end of the continent to the other, while in the south it seems the League of Nations, with the departure of one of their rivals, may have gained the upper hand on the continent of South America.
To be continued...