The Day The Regiments Came Pt. 2.

Battle Part 2.

Cue Lt. Bones and dozen Hausa police, randomly generated. 

Splitting into two squads the Hausa supported the Forest Folk in their harassing of the enemy left.

For the next three moves the fire from the Hausa and the arrows, spears and darts of the Forest Folk, plus the small number of Ochori archers, not only halted, but actually caused the withdrawal of two enemy regiments, as well as disrupting a third. Furthermore, as the game went on, the Hausa squad under Sgt.Hassan on the far Ochori right boldly pushing forward boded ill for the whole of the King's Army's left flank. Like the Ochori, the Hausa were steadfast and bold (lucky dice) throughout....







In the centre the Kings Army tried to build themselves up for another assault - for by now the Ochori centre, having taken casualties in the savage hand to hand were being peppered by the King's rifles (finally - the King's general failed to exploit his firepower - well, the tokens didn't give him the chance until late in the battle - relying instead on the courage and steel of his fighting regiments).

The enemy reserve, the elite "Blue Eagles", activated by the Divisional C.O.moved forward... Despite the success on the right, and their courage in the centre, Things were looking pretty grim for the Ochori...




But over on the Ochori left the dice again proved favourable - two Kings's regiments being repulsed in hand to hand combat, then followed-up by the Ochori auxiliary spears...

One unit pushed the enemy right so far that they became overconfident; racing towards the King's General in a valiant but doomed attempt to cut the head off of this particular snake...

But the "Blue Eagles" turned - and smashed them for their impertinence..









However, the sacrifice of this regiment  bought time for the Orchori centre, for with their fresh reserve distracted the already bloodied King's Regiments lacked the power to punch home..

The situation, as both sides drew breath was:

The King's Army's left was withdrawing from the steady close-range fire of Sgt. Hassan's Hausa rifles. Although their blue-coated prey were few in number and in easy reach, the accurate and regular shooting, taking down their leaders and tearing through their massed ranks, intimidated the King's leftmost regiment into giving ground...

(For shooting I was using THWHBK "pinning" conventions in combination with SP2 shooting rules and Dux Brit. type close combat system - sans cards )

Lt. Bones and the Ochori archers, along with the forest folk were now harassing the enemy centre left, temporarily deprived of the support of its reserve, causing it to hesitate. Behind the fighting regiments the King's riflemen got off occasional shots but were of little use.

The enemy right, though still disrupted from earlier repulses, was building up for another charge..

But both sides were tired. The Ochori were near breaking point and seriously outnumbered, with only the Hausa, the Forest Folk (who would not stand up to a fight if charged) and one regiment of auxiliaries still fresh. The battle could still swing either way....



The battle moved into its final phase.....

As the King's Army threw forward its centre their rifles came into play properly, cutting down some of  Lt. Bones's squad, but these, supported by the Forest Folk coming down from the rocks, held their ground, firing into the advancing regiments, pinning some and disrupting others. 

Throughout the fight the Ochori were lucky - enemy unit leaders seemed to have short, if glorious, lives in the Great King's army....



In the centre the last Ochori regiments braced themselves as the enemy came in.

There was a fierce tussle and Bosambo's last Ochoris, were cut down, with the chief barely escaping with his life as his warriors fell about him..

But though the ochori's fell, this was not without seriously damaging their assailants, so that when the last, fresh unit on the field -  the far left Ochori auxiliaries - launched themselves at the already weakened leading enemy regiment, their assault forced it to recoil though its supports - leaving exposed the enemy central rifles.

These, charged in their turn by the still sprightly auxiliaries, failed to recoil successfully, and found their bayonet-less firearms of little use against the buffeting shields and stabbing spears of their assailants...

The rifles also recoiled into the enemy centre, causing more disruption, and the tipping point in Force Morale was reached....

The King's General, seeing his attack stalled and his men recoiling or withdrawing on all sides - and ranging shots from the Hausa now falling among his staff -  decides to call it a day. He gives the order to pull back...

Bosambo's rule seems genuinely to have turned the long-derided Ochori, "The Men who are Women" into true warriors. The King's Regiments will remember this grim fight.....

Conclusion: 
Well, that was a damn close-run thing indeed....

The Ochori got a LOT of lucky dice - and killed a LOT of enemy unit commanders, which basically decided the day, as the King's Army spent a lot of time desperately trying to get itself back into some semblance of order after its early repulses.

The Hausa, though few in number (and fewer by the end - a third of them went down to enemy rifles in the last few moves) did sterling work, as did the little people of the Forest, in holding and disrupting the enemy.

The Ochori auxiliary spears got away with few losses - the unit that broke through the enemy lines, and were broken in their turn, mainly got away - but
Bosambo's own Ochori regiment paid for their courage, with 80% casualties, wounded and slain; almost all in savage hand to hand battle.

That was a thrilling little fight - and I fully expected the Ochori to lose - but the Forest Gods were smiling on Bosambo - and not the King's General....

Maybe his conversion has angered them...