Chapter 13: Letters

Sire,

The construction and reparation of our road networks is well under way. I estimate that the roads shall be finished in two months time. The docks shall finish three months after, and the new buildings shall be completed in six months time. However, we are in dire need of more manpower to finish constructions in Ionos and Marporre. For this matter, I have requested the garrisoned soldiers to help alleviate the burden of labor.

Lord Hyde, Director Atheros, and the Supreme War Magus have already for their respective destinations. So far, all goes according to plan. Attached below are their respective reports.

Another matter of concern is the recent arrival of several delegations. The goblins, the dwarves, and the gnomes are all vying for exclusive rights to mine our mountains, as well as to establish a bank within our capital. To be frank, sire, I grow weary of their constant bickering in the Throne Room. The goblins are prepared to offer us ten percent of their profits for the bank, and a constant stream of goblin crafted arms for the mining rights. The dwarves are offering the free use of Dwarven Mercenaries, and the Gnomes want a seventy-thirty profit sharing.

Additionally, with our waters safeguarded, an envoy from the Merpeople Sanctuary of Bermuda arrived yesterday. They wish to be given Ionian citizenship and the right to settle in Ionian waters. I await your counsel on this matter, as I am frankly unaware how to answer them. In my years of service, we have never been so sought after by the other magical races before.

Your servant,
Falthas Rigan
Lord Regent of Ionos, Master Advisor to the Lord Ionos, Baron of Vonos

To: The King of Ionos
Fr: Borge Raphalle, Supreme War Magus, and Commander of the Ionian Militia
Re: Military Inventory and Status

As of the Twenty-Eighth of August, in the first year of King Harry, this is the current status of the Armed Forces of Ionos.

Dragons
Fit for Active Duty: 28 (Expeditionary Force - 8, Patrol Duty - 10, Japan - 10)
Injured: 15 (Novus Cavalier)
Under Training: 15 (Novus Cavalier)

Dragon Elite
Fit for Active Duty: 103 (Japan)
Injured: 71 (Novus Cavalier)

Dragon's Guard
Fit for Active Duty: 29 (Location Classified)
Injured: 27 (Location Classified)
Under Training: 50 (Montfortal)

Ships (At least 50 men per ship)
Fit for Active Duty: 5 (Japan - 3, Expeditionary Force - 2)
Under Repair: 2 (Marporre - IRF Dragon's Triumph and ISS Patriot)

Under Construction: 2 (Marporre)

Imperium Army
Legion Phoenix - General Felix Storm - Ionos Island - Veteran, Well Armed

Foot
Active Duty: 0
Injured: 0
Under Training: 5,000

Cavalry
Active Duty: 116
Injured: 56
Under Training: 2000

Regiment Nighthawk - Commandant Verian Clave - Japan - Battle Ready, Well Armed

Foot:
Active Duty: 6000
Injured: 531
Under Training: 0

Legion Northeros - Supreme War Magus Borge Raphalle; Proxy: Commandant Jonathan Blackwood - Northeros Island - Battle Ready, Poorly Armed

Foot:
Active Duty: 5231
Injured: 1,324
Under Training: 0

Archers:
Active Duty: 521
Injured: 231
Under Training: 0

Cavalry:
Active Duty: 576
Injured: 102
Under Training: 0

Home Guard - Supreme War Magus Borge Raphalle - Ionos Island - Untried, Poorly Armed
Active Duty: 1203
Injured: 456
Under Training: 0

Total: 24,135
Active Duty: 13,378 (12,434 Foot, 692 Cavalry, 521 Archers, 250 Crew Members, 132 Operatives, 28 Dragon Riders)
Injured: 2,821 (2311 Foot, 158 Cavalry, 231 Archers, 100 Crew Members, 98 Operatives, 15 Dragon Riders)
Under Training: 7,165 (5,000 Foot, 2,000 Cavalry, 100 Crew Members, 50 Operatives, 15 Dragon Riders)

Casualties of the Ionos-Azkaban Border War and the Ionian Unification Civil War
Dead: 7,091
Injured: 2,821
Collateral Damage worth 2,780,000 Galleons

Note:
Armoury replenished by Azkaban Weapons and Armor (from pillaging)
Azkaban Casualties: Estimated 3,000-4,500

My King,

I have just managed to meet with the Irish Minister of Magic, and the Irish High Auror Command. They seem to have been planning for this conflict for a long time. Just by a short tour they gave me of their standing Auror force and the Irish border, and I can already tell they'be been preparing for this eventuality. They have roughly two thousand five hundred Aurors active, and a further five thousand reserve Aurors being called up. It seems that they are gambling quite a lot with this, and should our offensive fail, there won't be an Irish Ministry left.

From Irish Intelligence, it seems that they have secretly been organizing a resistance force within Death Eater controlled territories. At the very least, another two thousand commoners will rise up in coordination with our planed strike. Death Eaters number around eight thousand, of which a thousand seem to be hardened veterans. The rest, I am not certain of. Even with the numbers firmly on our side, this upcoming conflict...it troubles me.

The attack is scheduled to begin on the second week of September. Our forces will be landing near Belfast to retake,and hopefully reactivate the Belfast Porting Terminal. We are then to target key military installations to cripple the enemy's ability to fortify an area and to destroy and rally points within our own lines. While doing this, insurgents will rise up all across Ireland to delay and confuse Death Eater response. Ireland will be launching their offensive all throughout their border in an aggressive ploy.

Forever loyal,
Borge Raphalle
Supreme War Magus and Commander of the Ionian Militia

My King,

During the voyage to Japan, our ships were separated during a Typhoon. we have yet to make contact with the ISS Unity. The Emperor has been kind enough to provide our men with lodging near the Imperial Docks, and the wards have managed to hide our men from the eyes of the muggles. The Port is truly an amazing architectural and magical masterpiece. Its size alone is commendable. The fact that they've managed to hide it for so long is nothing short of genius!

I have managed to speak to the Emperor, and he is most gracious for our help, especially in lending our Dragons. The Imperial Dragons of the Emperor were defeated in an aerial dogfight not too recently, and they are still unfit for battle. With our dragons, we can fight for control of the skies once more. Once the ISS Unity is located, Director Atheros will lead our men to support the Emperor's Samurai in crushing the rebels. The plan so far is for us to flank the rebels. Hopefully, our Dragon Squadrons will prove to be a match against the rebel's dragons and ships, the latter of which seem to be in vast quantities.

Interestingly enough, a Chinese Fleet has been spotted near the area of these corsairs, and it is suspected they will engage in a few days. This may be a ploy though, to show their Naval strength, and scare off competitors for the Spratly's Islands and the Scarborough Shoal. I have found out that this argument over the islands has been going on for quite some time, and I fear the muggles will be involved sooner rather than later. Apparently, the area is filled with Koralium, making it highly valuable, not to mention lucrative. I foresee that whoever manages to gain control over the area will rise to become a major financial power in the East.

Your servant,
Thomas Hyde
Council Lord and Chief Diplomat of Ionos

Lord Regent,

I authorize you to use whatever manpower you need in order to complete the constructions in a quick and proper fashion. Use conscription if manpower is severely lacking.

As for the Mining Issue, I suspected this day would come. Recently, a deposit of Mithril has been found in one of our mountains, necessitating interest in our country. Do no yield easily to their demands as we are in the position of strength, not them. The minimum terms we shall accept for the Mining Rights are: an eighty-twenty profit share (to their favor), a complete map of their tunnel network as well as unrestrained access, and free warding services to be provided for the buildings we are constructing. For the Bank, we will accept if and only if they can get us in contact with some dragon breeders. Our stocks appear to be getting a bit thin. We need to replenish.

Lastly, whoever wins the case must agree to accept a non-revocable Ionian citizenship. If you are aware, Ionian laws indicate that any Ionian citizen must provide military service for their state during times of crisis. With their citizenship comes the right to vote for one elected representative of their Race under Ionos, create businesses on Ionian soil, and the right to join the Ionian military. It is especially important that you emphasize citizenship for them means no special treatment. They must contribute to Ionian welfare. And if ever they break our trust, or commit any treason, or aid any of our enemies, they shall be tried accordingly. Their laws are to be considered void on our grounds.

As for the merpeople, give them the same terms of citizenship. We will not shelter them if they refuse.. In this, there can be no negotiation. Should the merpeople accept, set them up to hunt for food, and to guard our waters beneath. If possible, settle them in both Marporre and Prodimus, so as to better secure our territorial waters. Our neighbours are fools to let such races go to waste. We should follow the examples of Singapore and Monaca in our treatment of the other Magical races.

Keep a close eye on the missions in Ireland and Japan.

King Harry of Ionos

"...Much confusion remains to this day how England so easily lost Northern Ireland to the Death Eaters even with their superior numbers. Some have blamed inept commanders, while others claim the lack of professionalism in the Auror Corps. Both of these theories are, sadly, mistaken. If one studies the conflict, one will realize that the Death Eaters never engaged the Auror Corps in open combat until the Death eaters gained numerical superiority. Instead, they stuck to hit-and-runs until they could gain this advantage. Furthermore, a lack of communications between Auror High Command, Auror Forward Command, and the local Militia led to misunderstandings.

"One should also realize that many Aurors were pulled out of the theatre in order to safeguard the homeland, especially after the Azkaban Breach. This left Militias and a handful of Aurors to deal with the threat. The problem was further compounded when the Belfast Port terminal was captured, cutting off the only reinforcement node in the entire region. By refusing to play by the rules of nominal warfare, the Death Eaters were able to gain an advantage in mobility, striking at smaller groups and avoiding bigger ones altogether. This war of attrition led many to defect to the Death Eaters..."

-excerpt from: Dark Insurgencies by Gideon Faith

"...The population to military ratio of Ionos has always been disproportional, as compared to the norm. The military of Ionos has always had to be composed of numerous conscripted, but untrained militia and backed by an elite professional force, much like the fashion of European medieval armies. The Ionian population during the early 2000s was around a hundred thousand civilians. Of that, nearly thirty thousand (more than half of the adult populace) was conscripted into the army to stave off poverty issues. This action proved unwise as it bankrupted the Throne. In fact, before Lord Harry Potter actually used the army, they were mostly doing nothing. The large numbers were retained in later years due to a lack of available jobs, and the ever increasing need to fight in multiple fronts (Marporre-Azkaban front, Prodimus-Ireland front, and the Northeros-Pirate front). This disproportion later normalized slightly when new lands were colonized by the Ionian Empire, and the rise of a modernized Army began appearing. In fact, in hindsight, how Harry Potter managed to advance the Ionian military from a group of peasants into the world's most professional fighting force is nothing short of genius!"

-excerpt from: Interview Transcripts of the Prime Papers, Special Correspondent Dan Ramhorn, Guest: Ronald Weasley

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