As the officer cadets of this Imperial Academy, it is up to you to lead our legions in the upcoming age. It is of course required that you read of those marshals and generals of the past so that you may prepare for the future. Here we shall go over the Dendosi War and in particular General Garrick Kaskerk. This was the last major war fought by the Empire only three decades earlier. The enemy Dendosi Coalition was formed from the kingdoms of Dendosi, Tervi, Selculd, and Gaulit in order to counter imperial interests in the west. The events that led to the war will be covered in another class as our interest is in the battle of Ephrait. Taking place in three different clashes over two months this battle led to the destruction of Dendosi and Selculd as independent lands along with the subjugation of Tervi and Gaulit. The initial battle took place on the Ephrait Plains between the forces of the Tenth Legion and the army of Selculd. In the battle the General Wult of the Tenth Legion attempted to advance along the road spanning the Ephrait Plains to reach the capital city of the Selculd, Hasibygan. The Selculd army gathered upon the plains and initiated combat.

The battle ended in heavy losses to both sides with ultimately the death of General Wult and the decimation of the Selculd army. During this battle the infantry battalions of each side engaged in combat with each other while General Wult’s archers engaged the enemy flank. The Selculd calvary in wedge formation attempted to attack the eastern flank while on the western flank the imperial cavalry attempted to route the flank. The imperial cavalry achieved great success in inflicting casualties in concert with the battlemages but General Wult who had been part of the infantry battalions near the front was killed by the enemy. However the other officers of the legion managed to hold the army together long enough for the Selculd army to retreat due to losses. Still with the loss of the General the legion could not advance further and it withdrew to fortify.

Both sides being forced to withdraw called for reinforcements which arrived in a month for both sides. The Twelfth legion led by General Tamin and the Seventeenth legion along with the personal legion ‘The Undying’ of General Kaskrek responded. Meanwhile the Coalition dispatched their own armies to the field and this would prompt the second battle of the plains.

General Tamin having taken command of the Tenth Legion led an assault upon the central core of the Coalition while General Kaskrek’s forces enveloped the western flank. General Tamin was wounded in battle while the Selculd and Tervi armies were shattered. Both sides once again withdrew to reorganize. As the only general left General Kaskrek assumed control of the remaining Twelfth and Tenth legions into his own forces.

Due to the loss of so many officers during the two battles General Kaskrek assumed personal command of the Tenth and Twelfth while leaving the better condition Seventeenth legion and ‘Undying’ to be commanded by their subsequent officers. Sending the Seventeenth and his personal legion forward to hold the enemy army inside their fortified camps, General Kaskrek led the reformed remnants in a daring night assault. Calling upon the mages gathered from the entire army he conjured a massive fog bank that enveloped the enemy camp. At a prearranged signal General Kaskrek led the reformed units to breach the northern approach to the enemy campgrounds. Meanwhile the other two legions advanced from the south, the pincer assault managed to overrun the grounds directly between the Dendosi and Gaulit forces splitting the two from being able to join together.

Breaking straight through General Kaskrek reunited with his own legions and double enveloped the enemy forces leading to their complete annihilation. With the destruction of the enemy the General proceeded to the capital city and demanded its immediate surrender lest they suffer a similar fate. The city attempted to resist regardless and the general using his magic powers captured the enemy gate house. In addition was his use of sappers supported by mages to undermine key positions in the walls to allow his forces to enter the city. The siege took only one week and the city was taken. The population within was spared while the officials and nobles responsible for the defense were executed. Afterwards the general persuaded the town guard who had not participated to maintain security lest the population face retribution. Of highlight is his emphasis on fair treatment of the general populace. This is a continued trait of the general with regards to capturing cities and the strict adherence he demands. During the occupation he even personally executed over two dozen legionaries who had violated his decrees by pillaging and committing crimes on the populace.

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The city achieved pacification status in only one year and was fully integrated into the empire only five years later. In the aftermath the General wrote an analysis of the campaign, please refer to it from the academy library as part of your next reading. In it he outlines some of the reasons behind why he acted as he did and ways in hindsight it could have gone better. In particular he highlights his rather cold disregard for casualties and morale amongst his allied forces. While he chose to lead them directly inorder to ensure they would act, he expressed reservations about extending this policy to non-imperial allied forces and the inadequacies of applying such tactics when troop preservation is a concern.

Trapped enemy forces tend to either break down or become death soldiers, unwilling to ever go down without killing as many as possible. A point to take note is the effective use of the imperial battlemages not only for direct combat but also tactical advantages. His occupation strategies are considered effective if hard to emulate as the general makes use of a personal unit of inquisitors to root out any dissenters amongst both the populace and his own forces. Without an equivalent unit one cannot achieve such results, analysis of imperial occupation in the past will be of aid in further research of this matter.

Of further note is General Kaskrek’s own personal legions. As a margrave the general was allowed to raise his own personal legions in addition to the forces that a general would command. At this point in his career General Kaskrek had served for almost a century through various commands having risen from a simple mageblade to being recognized by the Emperor of his time himself for his command ability. The ‘Undying’ is a unit personally trained by the general himself and is currently under the command of his imperial majesty as his personal house troops.

The legion is famous for its ability to weather against any foe and endure ferocious attack. Comprising a combined arms approach it is an oversized legion with two battalions each dedicated to firearms, archery, heavy polearms, and swordsmen. The ability of both General Kaskrek and the officers of the unit to force the enemy into favorable positions, to devastate those caught between with the legion has its own book. However despite its name the unit is also famous for its high rate of casualties who, while often treated to health by the cherugions of the general is still a feat that would be hard to replicate by others.

Many of the general’s tactics often resulted in high casualties though never without some meaningful gain, that often led to criticisms of the General’s approach to warfare. However this tendency was often alleviated by two additional legions that would be known collectively as the ‘Deathborn Triumvirate’. These two legions were the ‘Colossus and ‘Ashen Skies’ legions. The first comprised various warmachines and golems created by the general or his students and craftsmen which served as a special unit. Its heavy focus on offense would allow shock tactics that the ‘Undying would then exploit’. The third unit comprises a mixed mage, airborne, and field artillery unit known for its high maneuverability and deadly ability. This unit was often responsible for creating openings for the other two legions to exploit.

This is an example of one of the special legion groups that one may create after having risen to such a high position and gaining decades of experience and achievements. Now next class I expect an analysis of your own about one of the battles in the assigned readings, those with the best analysis and suggestions will be awarded accolades.  Imperium Ascendant cadets, dismissed.