Sachstein Invasion of Brune

Sachstein Invasion of Brune is one of the many wars in Madan no Ou to Vanadis series, where Sachstein Army launches a massive invasion towards Brune with 70,000 strong army according to their arrangement with Melisande who invites them to Brune (similar to how Tigre invited Zhcted's Leitmeritz Army during Brune Civil War) to support her in becoming the "Queen" of Brune by overthrowing Queen Regin. This battle actuates the revival of the Silver Meteor Army as the Moonlight Knights (based on one of Tigre's title, "Knight of the Moonlight" by the late King Faron. It displays Brune's civil disturbance since its gruesome Civil War and the challenges faced by Queen Regin after ascending the throne.

Pre-Brune Civil War
Sachstein has been feuding with Brune for years due to its hunger for conquest more lands across the continent. Despite facing several failed attempted invasions, it didn't stop Sachstein from continuing to invade its neighbor kingdom by all cost, even when Brune suffered its worst Civil War which was resulted by a three way battle between Thenardier, Ganelon and Tigre.

In one of their attempts, several Sachstein Army has attempted to invade Brune with their mightiest soldiers and well-equipped siege weapons, only to be defeated and outmatched by Roland and the Navarre Knights, who were defending Brune western boarders at that time. At one point, King Augusto of Sachstein attempted to deteriorate the relationship between Roland and Faron, only to realized that Roland was more loyal than he anticipated. When Roland was told to quell the "rebellion" by Tigre-who was allied himself with Eleonora Viltaria at that time, Thenardier once send a ceasefire letter to Sachstein to halt the army's invasion.

Resumed Invasion
Unfortunately, the "truce" between Sachstein and Brune was short lived when Thenardier was slain by Tigre in Mereville Plains. With the death of three Brune's mightiest heroes (Roland, Thenardier and Faron), anyone who deemed as Sachstein's obsticles for its invasion were finally eliminated. Even under Queen Regin reign, not everyone (former Thenardier's and Ganelon's supporters) were supportive towards the new queen while Melisande-late Thenardier's wife and also Regin's cousin-was plotting an uprising against the queen by inviting several supporters for her aid. With Brune plagued in its political strife once again, Augusto saw it as another opportunity to resume his invasion towards Brune once again. In that time, Leonhardt would lead his fifty thousand strong army to attack from the west while Hans will make a diversion by attacking South West Brune with twenty thousand strong army. Due to returned Navarre Knights to the services under Queen Regin's reign which was now currently under the command of Oliver, the successor of Roland either Navarre Knights was holding the battle lines at the western border or being rallied at Nice to fortify the capital.

Failed Campaign in Plainville Hills
As Brune's respond to Sachstein's latest invasion, Bouroullec began his campaign to repel Hans's Southern Invasion Division alongside with Shale and Lutece Knight. After receiving taunts from their enemy for a weak, Brune Army's Southern Army eventually clashed with Sachstein Southern Invasion on the campaign's eighth day until Sachstein soldiers suddenly retreat from the battlefield, initially favoring Brune Army. Little did the Brune's generals realized however that Sachstein Army trapped them in the corner and retaliated with their archers' volleys of arrows and bolts, further diminish Brune Army's morale. Consequently, Sachstein Army's relentless retaliation forced any surviving Brune Army's soldiers to retreat and out of 7,000 survivors, only 5,000 left remained operational.

Western Brune's Defense's Defeat
Elsewhere in Brune's Western Territories, situation also increasingly grim when Leonhardt's Calvary Army not only slipped through Navarre Knights' defense in nighttime, they also crushed even Brune Army's overwhelming 30,000 soldiers by cornering them from both sides regardless their enemies' gallant efforts. Consequently, Brune Army from the Western Defense suffered five defeats in a row with a toll of 10,000 men casualty while Sachstein Calvary Army lost merely 1,000. To make matter worst, the supplies Sachstein Calvary plundered from the villages and towns (they forced the resident's evacuation before their hometown's destruction) would later became their supplies replenishment from the previous battles, further aggravating Brune Army.

Battle in Plainville Plains
Brune Army's second yet disastrous defeat eventually spread out throughout the entire continent, including Zhcted where the invasion was announced by Viktor during the Sun Festival. As Zhcted's response, King Viktor of Zhcted decided to dispatch two Vanadises (Elen and Valentina) and 5,000 troops to assist Tigre to save his home kingdom. Upon their meeting with some Brune aristocrats and generals such as Mashas ,Gaspar, Scheie and Bouroullec, Tigre and his allies established the Moonlight Knights, a reincarnated version of the Silver Meteor Army which based on Tigre's official tittle as Titta suggested the name of the army itself.

Klugel's Last Stand and Death
(To be added...)

Uprising in Nice Royal Palace
In nighttime after the banquet, Nice's ministers and aristocrats began their move to topple Regin: Armand led his men to free Melisande from the Underground Cell while Celpet plotted an assassination attempt onto Tigre in his sleep. Celpet's assassination plot however was foiled by Tigre and his allies (Gaspard and Rurick), who rushed for Mashas's bedroom for help. Ganelon was involved in the conflict in order to witness Tigre's Black Bow's power, which he eventually did and even nearly injured by the Void Arrow while battling against Valentina. Regin, along with Titta and her bodyguards, managed to survive her cousin's coup via underground passage for the Audience Room, but it costed Auguste's life as he sacrificed himself to ensure her safety. Nonetheless, the heated skirmish concluded Melisande Faction's defeat not only losing Armand, but also Melisande because of her death from a fall into a hidden passage and succumbed into her severe injuries.

Prelude Before Battle
The next morning of an aftermath, Auguste was buried in Nice Royal Graveyard and his funeral was visited by Calvados Knights, Tigre and Titta. Regardless, the Moonlight Knights have no time to mourn as they were holding a War Council as they shift their priorities in repelling Sachstein Army's remaining unit, the Western Invasion Unit that was led by Leonhardt. Upon hearing the news of the fall of Brune's Western Defense (excluded Navarre Knights), an emergency meeting was held to discuss their plot. Valentina once suggested to poison the nearby river in order to cripple the Sachstein Calvary Army, though not everyone support the idea since it would also costed the other villagers nearby. Throughout the entire discussion, Elen finally suggested a Fire Trap to crush the invading calvarymen, a plan everyone got along despite their skepticism due to Western Brune's wetlands marshlands.

Meanwhile in Western Brune Territories, Leonhardt was furious to learn Southern Invasion Division's defeat and begin to march his troops to face Moonlight Knights. Despite his adjutant Birnbaum worry over their upcoming battle, Leonhardt deemed the battle as necessary in order to avenge Hans while preserved Sachstein's pride and dignity.

Moonlight Knights vs Schmidt Army
Both armies fought in an intense war and despite the two armies' tenacity, it was a one-sided advantage for the Sachstein Calvary Army as its ferocity forced the Moonlight Knights retreated to the marshland. During the armies' exchanging counterattacks, Sachstein Cavalry Army eventually fallen into the Tigre's inferno trap when the Moonlight Knights archer unit shot a volley of fire arrows and javelins, quickly burning the marshlands that halted the Sachstein Cavalry Army's advance and disorientating its ranks. Leonhardt however saw through the plan and resorted to dispatched his army's trump card to battle, his 4,000 Detached Cavalrymen that countered the Moonlight Knights's attack.

Aftermath
With the help from the Moonlight Knights, Brune was temporarily saved from Sachstein's invasion where the Moonlight Knights bid their farewell to the Navarre Knights and Asvarre Army. Still, Brune was far from safe as Muozinel Army was launching its third invasion attempt by slipping though Agnes; to worsen Brune's ordeal, the Moonlight Knights were ambushed by Greast Army and Elen was capture during that very chaos while forced to endure Greast's torment for ten days before eventually rescued by Tigre and Mila.

For Sachstein, its failed campaign was a bigger humiliation. Not only it failed to invade Brune again after Tallard's betrayal, now it had to face Asvarre Army's impending invasion towards their soil, putting the kingdom in a defensive position after twenty-two years goes on offensive. In response, an emergency meeting was held in Sachstein Royal Place where King Augusto decided to appoint Leonhardt as the Supreme Commander of the Sachstein Army to repel the invading enemy; additionally, the king also warned Leohardt that he would not allowed to set foot at the Royal Palace until he bring Tallard's head to the palace. Viewing the king's pardon as his second chance, Leohardt accepted the offer and vowed to kill Tallard in order to revive Sachstein's dignity and pride, instantly ignited the upcoming Sachstein-Asvarre War for ten years.

Trivia

 * Whilst this is the only known invasion by Sachstein towards Brune, it is remained unclear how many times Sachstein made their invasion upon Brune until the light novel's eleventh volume.


 * This battle also involved Asvarre Army after its infamous Civil War one year ago where it originally sided with Sachstein Army. It only took a secret meeting between Tallard and Tigre effectively changing Asvarre Army allegiance by allying itself with the Moonlight Knight instead, making the army as a wild card during the battle.


 * Before Tigre's homecoming, this battle was originally Brune Army's second devastated defeat since Dinant Plains where the latter suffered more defeats from Leonhardt's Calvary Army, who managed to slip past Navarre Knights' defenses while also gaining a decisive victory at Redon Plains. At the south as well Hans managed to defend Fort Hill with east, tripled the defeat of Brune Army itself consecutively before Moonlight Knights join the battle.
 * Sachstein has been on offensive for twenty-two years, starting from attempting to Invade Muozinel ten years before Brune Civil War with 1,000 ships ended with crushing defeat by Kreshu and 200 ships, attempting to attack Brune several times only to be foiled by Roland and Navarre Knights and finally ended with defeat at Prowirl Plains by Moonlight Knights and Asvarre defection. With Asvarre finally goes on offensive against Sachstein, Sachstein was forced to be put on defensive for the first time.
 * Although Gerard did not participate directly in the battle. He participate in repelling the invasion by supplying the troops and supplies from Nice to reinforce Moonlight Knights manpower while keeping the news up to date from Nice.