The Southern Corvus War, also known as the Cetan Campaign of the larger Centauran Wars, was a military conflict fought between the Corvus Confederation and the Empire of Cetus, followed by the late entry of the Antares Imperium. It would kick start the beginning of the Antarean conquest of Centaura. The conflict was primarily fought in Southern Corvus, with much of the fighting heavily devolved into trench warfare.
Context[]
Map of Southern Corvus, 1908
Southern Corvus was the main coal and iron producing as well as agricultural sector of the Corvus Confederation. Prior to 1886, Corvus had begun industrializing with the use of its coal-rich south. Cities began converting to steam-powered machines for electricity, and these were all fueled by coal. By 1882, 80% of the major urban centers had been converted to run on steam-powered generators.
Electricity was a great thing for the Corvuns. With the abundance of coal from South Corvus, it seemed as if everything could run on electricity for a very long time. The Corvuns became one of the first countries on Forma to build a nationwide power grid.
Prelude[]
At the same time, Cetus had began their maritime ambitions and required materials to build their ships. South Corvus held a great amount of iron and coal, and the Cetans saw that the Corvuns underutilized the iron supply. Since trading also proved too costly for the Cetans, they decided to invade and annex South Corvus in 1886.
The removal of South Corvus from Corvun control impacted the cities almost immediately. Power plants began running out of coal, and with nearly all urban centers relying on coal plants for electricity, there was too much demand and little to no supply. Half of the country’s coal reserves were in South Corvus, which had just been stolen by the Cetans. The transportation industry was severely impacted, as trains no longer had the means to keep their engines running. To make matters worse, the food sources from the South Corvus farmlands were cut off. Only a few mines in the north were able to keep producing coal, but the amount being mined was unable to keep up with the consumption rate of the cities.
Within a month, the Corvun power grid failed, and all cities underwent a blackout. The Corvun government was in panic. For the first few hours, not a single city in Corvus had access to electricity. Telegraphs were also disabled as a result, and the Corvun government was unable to communicate with the public. A decision was made to send messengers on horseback to each city in order to notify the Corvun population of the next steps. In short, electricity was no longer available, and citizens now had to use candles or old outdated gas-powered lamps for lighting. Power appliances were non-functional, and the government was not sure how long the outage would last.
It ended up lasting decades.
For the first week, citizens were unable to live life normally. Since the trains were inoperable and could not bring food en mass to the cities, the price of food began to rise. Within a year, bread and raw vegetables were the only food items on the market. Restaurants had closed down, as did most businesses.
As prices continued increasing, so did the crime rate. Corvuns desperate for money and food began resorting to violence to get what they needed. Food storages were broken into and robbed, and even random people on the streets were mugged. Food became almost as valuable as money, if not more valuable. The breakdown of civilization led to the deployment of the Corvun Army into the cities, where they would act as law enforcement in lieu of the police department. However, the soldiers, too, felt the impact of poverty.
Logistics of the Southern Corvus War[]
The first couple months of the Cetan campaign saw relative ease in attacking from the south. Railroads were extremely important in transporting equipment and personnel, and the Antareans took special care to not damage any rail infrastructure. Captured Cetan railways were utilized to help speed up the Antarean invasion. Trucks were produced en masse before Antares intervened. This was the start of maneuver warfare. A lot of quality supplies were delivered to the frontlines.
Causes for War[]
 Corvus |
- Regain the resource-rich southern territories required for her economy.
- Revanchist desire against Cetus for causing an economic crisis.
- Intelligence revealed the inferiority of the Cetan army.
 Cetus |
- Occupation of Southern Corvus, a resource-rich territory which Corvus desperately wants.
- Severely undermanned army, which was discovered by Corvun intelligence, bolstering Corvun confidence.
- Heavy focus on her navy to dominate the Inanis Ocean, consequently leading to a much weaker Army.
 Antares |
- Open for territorial expansion.
- Emperor Kalvin wanted to unite the Centauran continent under Antarean rule and saw the war as an opportunity to do so.
- Open telegram from Corvus requesting to form an alliance against Cetus.
In 1907, enough intelligence was gathered to determine that the Cetan army was critically undermanned. Believing it was a numbers game, Corvun army generals decided the best course of action was to take back South Corvus. A year later, they crossed over the border, with the majority of soldiers fueled by revenge for the suffering the Cetans had inadvertently caused their nation.
Series of Events[]
| Battles | Icon | Date |  Campaign
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Battle of Blackton | 
|
1908 | |
| Battle of Coastal Battery Q | 
|
1909 | |
| Battle of Capri Valley | 
|
1910 | |
| Battle of Kelson Village | 
|
1911 | |
| Battle of Mons Planus | 
|
1912 | |
| Battle of Whitemouth Estuary | 
|
1912 |
After much building up, Corvus would declare war on Cetus in 1908. The initial offensive was successful, taking portions of the lost territory. However, Cetus eventually managed to hold the line, thus causing the war to devolve into trench warfare. The border defenses between Corvus and Cetus had relaxed during the previous decades, and so the Corvuns were able to take control of those defenses. Several mines located in the northern Cetan regions were regained and put to use as the Corvuns continued fighting southward.
Battleships from the Cetan Imperial Navy cruising along the Inanis.
By 1909, the war had bogged down into a bloody stalemate. Both sides could not proceed any further as trench lines and heavy defenses disallowed any advancements. The Cetan navy dominated the coastlines, but it did not really help the war effort which was primarily fought on land. The Corvuns were superior in numbers to the Cetans, who found themselves unable to launch offensives due to their severe lack of manpower.
This stalemate continued until 1911, when Antares began to act upon their imperial ambitions and cooperated with Corvus to defeat Cetus. While the majority of the Cetan army was preoccupied with fighting in the north, Antares was able to invade from the south without much resistance. The Cetan capital Nauta fell to the Antareans in 1912, and the remaining Cetan forces still fighting in the northern trenches were quickly flanked and destroyed.
The Imperial Cetan Navy continued to loiter, attacking enemy ports and shipping across the Inanis. As the fight dragged on, half of the imperial fleet would flee to Riaa and Vulpa while the rest of the fleet was scuttled. The remaining half would suffer mutinies, culminating in the Exercitus Maris launching a last-ditch offensive to reclaim a part of their homeland. Unfortunately, they were eventually defeated by the combined Corvun and Antarean forces.
Aftermath of the Campaign[]
After the war’s conclusion, Antarean Imperial Army garrisons were set up in majority of Cetan cities, beginning an occupation. Corvus was granted the South Corvus region, restoring their borders to its size prior to Cetus’ annexation, while the remainder of Cetan territory was directly assimilated into Antares. Furthermore, Corvus was assimilated into Antares as a puppet, now known as Skorpii Corvus (also known as Skorpivus/Scorpius Corvus).
Skorpii Corvus was allowed to maintain its own military and would participate in campaigns against Columba and Riaa throughout the Centauran war. Notably, Corvun zeppelins and bombers were effective against Columban forts within the mountains. The Corvun military underwent reforms as well, and received training from Antares officers, as well as higher quality equipment supplied by their parent state.
From 1912 - 1923 an Antarean military detachment was present in most Corvun cities to assist in improving infrastructure, safety, and government structure. As a result, the standard/quality of living increased drastically, and the populace grew to view their new parent state in a favorable manner. AIA garrisons within the Cetan region were reassigned in 1934, in order to reinforce Antares' campaign against Columba.