[hider=The 8th Republican Sovereignty Army]
[center][b]THE 8TH REPUBLICAN SOVEREIGNTY ARMY[/b]

[img]https://guideimg.alibaba.com/images/shop/2016/02/28/9/blue-ground-white-sun-and-moon-the-flag-of-the-republic-of-taiwan-temporary-government-in-tokyo-flag-20x30cm-8x12in-for_18231909.jpeg[/img][/center]

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


[u][b]Geography and people:[/b][/u] The 8th Republican Sovereignty Army has been garrisoned in the Quin province of Yandar for the past few months. A fitting spot for Zhou Jin’s army, as he spent most of his young life growing up in the province. The north-western portion of the province is dominated with fertile farmlands, which have provided more than enough food for the people of the province for generations. They also provide plenty for the men of the 8th Republican Sovereignty Army while it trains, and replenishes numbers in the province. The Quin people living in the province have welcomed the Army with open arms, and the army has taken to the people of Yandar with great enthusiasm. As expected there have been minor infractions on part of the military personnel who have been on campaign for years. To deal with these and keep the peace between the military and the civilian populace Zhou Jin has adopted a style of military court martials to deal with members of the military who have strayed from the letter of the law. These court martials and their resulting punishments have done wonders to keep both the military in line, and the civilians happy. 

[b]|Geographical Location of CLIQUE:|[/b] The 8th Republican Sovereignty Army has established it’s headquarters in the province of Yandar, the faction is primarily located in the city of Huangzhao, a railway hub city near the three-way provincial border of Yandar, Delraat, and Quozon. The city provides adequate housing for the military headquarters, and the production capabilities of the city are able to keep the forces well supplied. The surrounding areas provide food, housing, and supplies for the men of the 8th RSA.

[b]|Cities:|[/b] Huangzhao is the center of the 8th RSA’s controlled territory. It is the sole industrial hub in what is otherwise a primarily agricultural area. It lays upon the 3-Way border between Quozon, Yandar, and Delraat. The mix of industrial capability with the surrounding farmland has provided well for both the people of Huangzhao, and for the military that now calls it home.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[center][img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Zhang_Aiping.jpg[/img]
General Zhou Jin, Portrait by Captain Xie Dezhi[/center]

[u][b]Your Warlord:[/b][/u]

[b]|Name:|[/b] Zhou Jin
[b]|Title:|[/b] General, Commanding General of the 8th Republican Sovereignty Army
[b]|Age:|[/b] 38
[b]|Ethnicity:|[/b] Quin
[b]|Personal Ideology:|[/b] Zhou Jin is a staunch Republican, though as a military officer has remained mostly neutral in his dealings with politics. Zhou is a sworn servant of the Armed Forces of the Republic, and as is legally required of him he serves his legal government. In private, Zhou is an outspoken opponent of a monarchy, believing that the people are the ultimate power in the nation, and that they should lead through their elected representatives. Zhou believes in Zengravi sovereignty. In the matter of the Zengravi Civil War, he reluctantly accepts foreign intervention, while believing ideally that the foreigners should allow the nation to deal with it’s own internal affairs.

Within the 8th RSA, Zhou has taken efforts to strengthen the core of his army through promoting veterans to non-commissioned officer positions. He runs his army as a meritocracy. Those who perform well consistently are promoted. Those who do not, are not. This has allowed the army to accrue a well-disciplined non-commissioned officer corps. It has also allowed new officers to learn the ropes of military life, and commanding troops while being assisted by seasoned soldiers under their command. This is a stark contrast to the other armies of the Republic, as has its success in the field of battle. On top of shifting to merit-based promotions, the 8th Republican Sovereignty Army has established a centralized officer training program for officers who are newly assigned to the army. This allows all officers within the army to acclimate to how the unit runs on a day-to-day basis, these classes are taught by company and field grade officers who are experienced in both the day-to-day administration of company and field grade units, as well as experienced with the battlefield command and control necessary to lead these units in combat. This standardization in teaching of new officers has allowed the army to raise morale by ensuring new officers are trained and qualified to hold their post, and has increased the overall performance of these new junior officers in the field.

Zhou Jin has been disgusted by the atrocities committed by all factions during the Civil War, preferring to rely on established military practices in foreign nations such as military tribunals, and court martial. If a case is referred to a Courts-Martial by the convening-authority, the commanding officer who referred the case, the accused may select a jury of Commissioned Officers, or a jury of Non-Commissioned Officers. Cases that are normally referred to a court-martial are extremely serious in nature and are usually ones that involve the maltreatment of prisoners such as torture, starvation, or execution. The first use of a courts-martial in the 8th RSA came after a platoon of Royalist prisoners were summarily executed, and their bodies displayed to the local populace as a warning against aiding the enemy. The officer who ordered the execution was a young, overzealous, young man from a powerful family. An untouchable in the normal Republican society. However, Zhou Jin ordered a trial by court martial to deal with the problem. The young officer, believing his family to be rich and powerful enough that no enlisted man would find him guilty of any crime elected to be tried in front of a jury of Non-commissioned officers. After two weeks of proceedings, a guilty verdict was returned. As punishment for his actions, the officer, his non-commissioned officers, and 13 enlisted men involved in the incident were stripped of rank, given bad conduct discharges, ordered to forfeit 6 months’ pay for the enlisted, and one year’s pay for the young officer, all 20 defendants were sentenced to 7 years in prison at Huangzhao. Zhou has expanded his code of military justice to encompass all crimes committed by uniformed members of the 8th Republican Sovereignty Army. It allows for a range of punishments to be given including dismissal from the army, forfeiture of pay, reduction in rank, imprisonment, as well as a number of other non-judicial punishments. The code encompasses all members of the 8th RSA, regardless of physical location in the world. This has proven to be an effective tool toward curbing the bloodlust that runs rampant in many of the armies on all sides of the war. 

[b]|Influence in the faction:|[/b] 20% influence with Republicans.

[b]|Personality:|[/b] Outside of politics, Jin is somewhat of an enigma, he is quiet, and reserved. His attitude has been described as martial, stern, and judgmental. He has a cold, but not entirely unfriendly attitude, keeping most people at arm’s length, and letting only his most trusted companions into his inner-circle. In social settings, one could describe him as almost rigid, uncomfortable. If he were at a social gathering, Zhou could quietly exit the building and he’d doubt anyone would even know he was missing. His command of the niceties of social interaction with new people, or those outside of his social circle is rudimentary at best. While not awkward to talk to, he simply comes off as cold, and slightly unwelcoming.
 
He seems to only relax in the heat of battle, and his soldiers joke affectionately that he prefers the armoured shell of a tank to the comforts of a warm bed. Zhou Jin has established his military career on aggressive combined arms tactics employing Tanks, Mechanized Infantry, and Close Air Support in unison to achieve breakthroughs in enemy lines and allow his forces to manoeuvre into the enemies rear to threaten supply lines and wreak havoc. These tactics have earned him a reputation as one of the Republic’s most gifted commanders. On the battlefield, he can be observed leading troops from the front, scouting enemy positions personally, and shouting and cheering on his troops in battle. If one were to observe General Jin on the field of battle, and compare it to General Jin at a social gathering, one could hardly imagine that they are the same person. His demeanor livens when the artillery opens fire, and when the rumble armored vehicles clash. He is truly alive when the bullets fly.

[b]|His/Her Virtue:|[/b] Tactical Genius: Zhou Jin is nothing short of a tactical mastermind. He has built a military career on the idea of manoeuvre warfare which in the modern age has allowed him to dominate many of his opponents in battle. His forces move fast, and the move hard. Relying on both quick tactical decision making at lower levels of command, all the way up to army command. Zhou’s use of innovative and highly aggressive tactics have led to a number of great victories for the republic which have created an imagine of nigh invincibility around the 8th RSA.

[b]|His/Her Virtue:|[/b] Supply Guru: If there is a will, there is a way. This is especially true for the supply routes of Zhou Jin’s 8th RSA. It seems that no matter where the army is, Zhou has been able to establish and protect his supply depots, and routes to keep his troops well fed, and well-armed. An army marches on its stomach and it takes a lot to keep tens of thousands of stomachs fed, and there is no greater duty to ones soldiers than to ensure their well-being while on campaign.

[b]|His/Her Sin:|[/b] Dull: At every great social event, there is one person who stands out among all the rest as the life of the party. The flow, and energy just follows them as they control the crowd with their words, and their antics. They can entertain a room for ages without even trying. This person? Definitely not Zhou Jin. Zhou Jin is not uncharismatic, though he will never be accused of being a great orator, or a skilled politician. The niceties of diplomacy have never come easy to him.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[b]|History and Background:|[/b]

Born twenty-eight years prior to the start of the Zengravi Civil War, Zhao was the middle child of a wealthy merchant father, Zhou Xueliang and a midwife mother, Yu Fengzi, Zhao Jin spent the early portion of his life living in the relative comforts that his father's life brought his family. Throughout Zhou's childhood he was educated by private tutors hired by his father. Given his father's lifestyle, and business it was not uncommon for foreigners to associate with the family in their private home in Zang-Quin. Observing his father's business dealings with the foreign traders led Zhou to form a low opinion of the foreign merchants, and their nations whom he perceived as being driven by nothing other than greed, and self-interest. He grew to be highly resentful of the foreign influence in Zengravia, and in his father's business dealings. Zhou's father urged his son to follow in his footsteps and study business in the hopes that he would assume leadership of the family's trading enterprise, however Zhou Jin had little interest in following in his father's footsteps, much to Zhou Xueliang's dismay.

Later Zhou would attend university in the city of Haidan, where he studied at the Military College of the University of Haidan. While at the university Zhou focused his studies on the subject of Artillery. At the college Zhou performed extraordinarily well in field exercises as well as in classroom environments. In these years he became an associate of the fraternity Yizhi Taiyang. His left-leaning politics allowed him to fit in seamlessly with this group. It was during these years that he met upper-classman Hyeun Tae-Kyeung, one of the groups leaders. He quickly became an acolyte of Hyeun's and the two became close friends during their time at the university together. During his last few years at university, Zhou volunteered to participate in an exchange program where he traveled abroad where he studied at various military academies across the world. During his time abroad he continued his correspondence in secret with many of his former colleagues and university associates including Tae-Kyeung, and Liu Shao. 

Upon returning to Zengravia at the conclusion of his studies abroad, Zhou graduate from the Military college near the top of his class, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Artillery and assigned to the 12th Imperial Artillery Regiment stationed in the remote province of Greizual where he was tasked with overseeing the construction of artillery fortifications. During this assignment in Greizual, Lieutenant Zhou developed a keen interest in the idea of armoured warfare, and dedicated numerous hours to the study of tanks and their application on the battlefield. After three years assisting in the upgrade of Greizual's defensive capabilities, Zhou was promoted to the rank of First Lieutenant. His new position came with his first real command, an out-dated coastal battery in Eastern Jekai. The battery was a collection of large caliber, highly outdated cannons ranging in condition from barely used to little more than a pile of metal garbage. Zhou worked tirelessly to turn the battery into an effective force however little could be done as he was hamstrung by red tape put in place from his superiors.

In Jekai First Lieutenant Jin made acquaintance with a young armoured cavalry officer, Second Lieutenant Mo Tai. It was here where Zhou would turn his interest in tanks, and armoured warfare into an obsession. Lieutenant Mo Tai was able to give Zhou his first hands on experience with the out-dated tanks that made up the ranks of the Imperial armoured corps. His fascination with the slow, rumbling contraptions continued to grow the more he was able to interact with them. Within a year he had submitted paperwork requesting a transfer to the Armoured corps, which was approved with no small amount of hassle likely only to get the troublesome, and overzealous Lieutenant out of his superior's hair. He was assigned to the 1st Imperial Armour Brigade, as a tank platoon leader. Zhou found the troops of his platoon to be lacking in every sense of the word. Their discipline was poor, their leadership abysmal, their equipment unkempt, and outdated. Zhou was surprised to find such an elite, modern unit to be in such a poor state of readiness. He set to remedying the situation with gusto. Trouble makers were disciplined, leadership was demoted, transferred, and replaced. Requisition orders went out for all types of equipment, and the unit training schedule was rewritten and field exercises were increased three-fold. It was not long before his unit became one of the premier units in the entire brigade. Despite the rapid improvements Zhou saw he remained overlooked for promotion for years.

Years had passed, and now Captain Zhou Jin continued to spend time corresponding with his former classmates, many of whom had now moved on to greater things, some in the service of their nation's military like himself, others in the service of academia as university professors, and others still becoming wealthy labor organizers and industrialists. It would not be long before they would be reunited, though Zhou nor anyone else had imagine just how it would happen. The country had seen better days, so too had Zhou. Much of his life as a Major in the service of the Heavenly Empire had recently been spent keeping his men in line where other soldiers stepped out. Keeping his men from descending into becoming nothing more than an angry, unprofessional rabble. When news reached Major Jin of the Haidan massacre, the whole world as he knew it changed. But he knew what must be done.

Following the proclamation of the Republic in the port city of Zang-Quin, by Heegon Wu, Zhou pledged his allegiance, and his company to the service of the new nation. Along various other units from the 1st Armoured Brigade, which would form the core of the new Republican Third Armoured Division, which at the time held only a battalion's worth of tanks. Within the early periods of the war Zhou participated in numerous skirmishes with his unit, until the climax of the Yandar/Jekai campaign at the Battle of Yuetong where Zhou's unit served with distinction resulting in his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and his new assignment as the commander of the 2nd Battalion/1st Armoured Regiment of the 3rd Armoured Division whose ranks had bolstered in the months previous.

As the war moved into its second year Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Jin found himself one of an enormous number of Republican soldiers retreating from Delraat in the face of overwhelming Royalist numerical superiority. The Republic's new army had been stung by defeat after defeat as three royalist armies pushed the Republican front back hundreds of miles per week. It is during this period that news of a valorous stand by the Republic's 15th Support Battalion reaches Zhou. He immediately recognizes the name of the battalion's commanding officer as his old classmate, and mentor Hyeun Tae-Kyeung whom Zhou had not realized had joined the Republican Army. As the campaign dragged on, the Royalist army's advance slowed due to infighting within it's leadership. An opportunity to turn the tide of the campaign presented itself and the young, bold, and zealous Lieutenant Colonel was not one to pass up an opportunity to shower himself and his unit in glory. As the Royalist forces began to separate and became less able to cover the entire front while being able to mutually support one another, Colonel Jin devised a bold plan that involved a single division, his own, to flank around the left of the Royalist army, through the Quozon Highlands and into the Royalist rear where his unit would raid Royalist supply lines. Zhou, recognizing the logistical nightmare of his own strategy knew exactly whom he must contact. Spending two nights straight, with little sleep with Major Tae-Kyeung they were able to devise exactly how to keep the 3rd Armoured Division supplied as it circumnavigated the Royalist army. After pitching the plan to their commanding officers, and pushing it up the chain of command, three weeks later Operation Xin Shuguang (New Dawn) was launched. Following the climax of the operation at the battle of the Three Lakes, the Republican victory in the campaign was assured. For their role in planning and participating in the operation, both Jin and Tae-Kyeung received promotions and higher commands.

The next years were marked by luke warm success for the Republic and bitter set backs. These included the affirmation of the Unjust Treaties by the Republican Government, a decision which Zhou resented and was reported to have resorted to foul language when he was informed of. Zhou's distrust of foreigners had all but been affirmed when the affirmation of the treaties was not enough, but when the Commonwealth Seized the six largest cities in the Republic, including the capital and his home of Zang-Quin. Stationed with his Regiment inside Yandar, Zhou had issued operational warning orders to his subordinate commanders to prepare to retake the cities from the Commonwealth even going so far as to disobey an order from the commanding general of the 3rd Armoured Division to stand down. It was only after he was threatened with arrest, and removal of command that he relented from his hardline stance and ordered his unit to withdraw from the surrounding area. 

The next four years saw Zhou build his reputation as an excellent battlefield tactician, a great strategist, and well rounded administrator. He continued his rise through the ranks of the Republican army, accepting and excelling at higher levels of command before receiving his first Army command of the 8th Republican Field Army. Following his promotion to command he instituted numerous reforms in an army that had become rampant with corruption, and bloated with ego. He made changes to establish discipline by strengthening the non-commissioned officers of the army. General Zhou reformed the 8th Field Army as the 8th Republican Sovereignty Army, a move reportedly meant to highlight the Republic's independence from foreign parties. Since his assuming command, Zhou has transformed the army into one of the most professional, and efficient fighting forces fielding by the Republic.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[hider=|Armed Forces:|]

Total Size: 29,000 soldiers, and airmen. 380 Tanks. 40 Aircraft.

[hider=13th Infantry Division (Mot.) – 9,000 Men and women]
Commanding General: Brigadier General Chang Tian
-	19th Infantry Brigade
-	24th Infantry Brigade
-	41st Infantry Brigade
-	104th Artillery Brigade

The 13th Infantry Division is a fully motorized infantry division consisting of veterans of many battles throughout the Revolution. The division was originally formed as a non-motorized division, however after the start of the revolution the unit was reformed into a motorized Infantry Division. Its riflemen are primarily armed with the ZQa-31b “Chang-bi” bolt-action rifle. Though the bolt action rifle is by far the most common weapon used within the division, non-commissioned officers, and company grade officers can be armed with the ZJa-33 submachine gun, though they are not common within the division. The men are transported using the Huangzhao 2.5, a Zengravi designed, and produced military truck capable of carrying up to 2.5 tons worth of troops and equipment. Like every unit within the 8th Republican Sovereignty Army, the 13th Infantry Division boasts an integrated support unit consisting of 24 Jingem Type 33 150cm Howitzers. The Infantry units in all 8th RSA divisions contain a weapons platoon attached to each company. These platoons are armed with 40mm light mortars used to provide on the spot fire support for engaged units. Other squads in the weapons platoon are the Tank-Hunter Squads which make use of small hunter/killer teams which are tasked with locating and destroying enemy armoured vehicles. These squads employ the use of the RXKQ-04 Rocket Launcher. Each weapons platoon contains a machine gun section consisting of two ZR-28b 30-calibre heavy machine guns. These crew served weapons require three men each to carry and man the weapon, however once set up they can be crewed by a single soldier. These weapons are capable of firing 800 rounds per minute, with an effective range of nearly 2,000 meters.[/hider]

[hider=17th Infantry Division (Mot.) – 9,000 Men and women]
Commanding General: Major General Zhan Tao
-	14th Infantry Brigade
-	21st Infantry Brigade
-	25th Infantry Brigade
-	81st Artillery Brigade

The 17th Infantry Division follows a standard motorized division table of organization and equipment. The equipment is much the same as the 13th Infantry Division. The 17th Infantry Division was formed much more recently than the 13th Infantry Division as a reformation of the previous 17th Infantry Division which suffered extremely heavy casualties throughout the war. The unit consists of primarily greener recruits, led by more seasoned veterans transferred from the 13th Motorized Division and other units within the 8th RSA.[/hider]

[hider=8th Armoured Division – 5,000 Men and women]
Commanding General: Major General Yuan Chen
-	3rd Armoured Regiment
-	7th Armoured Regiment
-	6th Medium-Tank Battalion
-	4th Armoured Infantry Regiment

The 8th Armoured Division is one of the original units of the Republican Army. It consists of two armoured regiments, and an Armoured Infantry Regiment. Each Armoured division also includes a battalion of medium tanks. The armoured regiments consist primarily of the Type-88/IIb “Huihang” Infantry Tank. These light tanks are largely unmodified after being factory produced even still boasting their 37mm cannons. Among the other equipment used in the division is the Type-20/IIId “Guankuo” Medium Infantry Tank. These Medium tanks are rare, and number just about 40 in each division. The division’s armoured infantry regiment is primarily armed with the QZa-33 "Jie" semi-automatic rifle. Rather than being transported in the 2.5’s used by the Motorized Infantry, they are transported using the Type-22 “Xeidei” Light Transport Vehicle.[/hider]

[hider=12th Armoured Division – 5,000 Men and Women]
Commanding General: Major General Mo Tao
-	2nd Armoured Regiment
-	9th Armoured Regiment
-	4th Medium Tank Battalion
-	12th Armoured Infantry Regiment

The 12th Armoured Division follows the same table of organization and equipment as the 8th Armoured Division. The 12th is led by, the now famous, Mo Tao, a close associate and friend of Zhou Jin. The Division has seen combat in a number of battles since its formation and under the leadership of Tao, the unit has remained relatively unscathed, thus it has a very strong core of well experienced soldiers, and officers.[/hider]

[hider=27th Fighter-Bomber Group - 1,000 Airmen, and 40 Planes]
Commanding Officer: Colonel Xian Feng
- 3rd Fighter-Bomber Squadron
- 1st Fighter-Bomber Squadron

The 27th Fighter-Bomber Group is outfitted with 40 Ze-108 "Shengli" Fighters modified for close air support. These pilots are trained in Air-to-Air combat as well as combined arms support missions. They are some of the best pilots the Republican forces have to offer. These planes are capable of carrying up to two 250kg bombs, one under each wing. Each fighter-bomber is armed with four wing mounted machine guns.[/hider][/hider]

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[hider=|Their finest hour:|]

“Turret, 30 degrees right!” Zhou shouted to the gunner, “Fire!” The roar of the cannon filled the commanders canopy as the tank continued to race past the smoke billowing from its own barrel. In the distance a fire lit where there was once a Royalist tank. “Good hit! Reload!” An unnecessary order he knew as the loader had already slammed a new round into the chamber.

He keyed up the command channel on his radio to the rest of his regiment, “All units, continue the advance. Keep your eyes open, friendly infantry are moving to our front, we will be passing through them and taking up the front of the attack.”

A smile had broken out on Lieutenant Colonel Zhou Jin’s face. Not a month before had the Republican Army been near it’s breaking point. Pushed back dozens of miles by the unified front of the three Royalist armies, all had changed so quickly. But for some unlikely heroes in the army, the men and women of the 15th Support Battalion, the entire front may have collapsed beyond repair.

“Gunner, fire at will.” Zhou shouted and the cannon roared once more, this time another shot sounded not 5 seconds later. Another just after that. In the distance dozens of Royalist tanks burned, royalist infantry retreated, some firing rounds over their shoulder as they fell back, others dropping their rifles and running as fast and as far as they could. 

The Royalist armies had blundered, they had separated from their unified front which allowed Zhou’s division to skirt around their flank and push into the rear. For the past two weeks his unit had been attacking Royalist supply lines relentlessly. Last week they had located a major supply route for the Royalist forces and attacked it with all available forces. “Must’ve stung the Royalists really hard, that one.” Zhou chuckled to himself rethinking the night’s attack over. He knew he must be right, a week later the three Royalist armies number near 50,000 men threw themselves against the 5,000 man-Armoured Division’s heavily fortified positions. 

“Didn’t work out how you had planned did it, your highness!” Zhou shouted, and laughed maniacally. His men would have wondered if he had lost his mind if they had heard him. Of course, the Royalists had done exactly as Zhou knew they would. Exactly as Zhou had told his commanding general they would. And the Republicans did exactly as Zhou had said they should. 

For the past two nights the Royalist army had probed, and assaulted, probed and assaulted the 3rd Armoured Division’s defensive position. This morning they launched a fourth brutal assault. The 3rd’s lines bent, and bowed, but they did not break. Just after midday the Royalist attack faltered. Not due to lack of men, or supplies, or aggression. At midday the left flank of the Royalist forces erupted as the rest of the Republican Army erupted from the Quozon Highlands. The Republican tanks, and infantry smashed into the attacking Royalist flank with a ferocity that the Republicans had been unable to muster as yet in the campaign.

“Keep on them! Run them down until they surrender!” Zhou hadn’t been this excited in ages. To be on the attack again, to see the enemy’s backs and to not have his back to the enemy was a brilliant feeling for Zhou. 

The next few days would pass in a blur. His Regiment never more than a mile behind the Royalist army. Zhou had been in an excited frenzy for every single second of it. Rallying his men to keep pushing, and keep pushing. His men chased the Royalist Army for dozens of miles. Hitting their rear guard over and over, disengaging and attacking elsewhere hours later. 

Within a week they had nearly outran their supply lines and Zhou had decided that it was time to disengage the Royalist army, though he was reluctant to do so. His regiment returned to the main division two days later. His unit had showered itself in glory, and so had he. He had never been happier, he thought to himself.[/hider]

[hider=|Their darkest hour:|]

The letter shook in his hands. He reread the hastily written script, his teeth gritted together in anger.

“Sir, we must leave now.” A voice said from across the room. He had barely heard it. It was easy to ignore. The anger in him rose when as his brain repeated the words from the paper. He tore it in half and threw it to the floor, he sighed as he flopped back in his wooden desk-chair. 

“General, please. The Commonwealth troops will be here within the hour. We must leave the city.” Lieutenant Colonel Mo Tao urged his commanding officer. “General Chen has ordered us to withdraw immediately. He has threatened to remove you from command, sir!” He nearly shouted at his old friend, and commanding officer, his hands slapped against the wooden desk between the two.

“No, we can push them back to the sea!” Brigadier General Zhou Jin shouted, springing up from his chair, his usual calm and relaxed demeanour shattered as the realization dawns on him, Zengravia’s greatest achievements, it’s greatest cities, the history of his nation being seized by foreigners who want nothing other than the money that can be wrought from the blood, and sweat of Zengravis. “I will push them back to the sea! One more assault!” A balled fist slammed against the desk top. 

“You can’t! We can’t!” Mo Tao shouted in reply, “Our troops must stand down, and withdraw. We never should have come here in the first place. It isn’t time, sir.” His voice levelled out. He knew that the Republic had been humiliated, he knew that General Jin felt the humiliation more than anyone. 

A moment passed, silenced engulfed the room like a thick heavy smoke. Brigadier General Jin sighed. He straightened himself, as did his executive officer. 

“You are right, of course, my friend.” He said as he stepped out of the door of his dugout headquarters. From his position atop the hills he could see the capital of his dear Republic in the distance. It’s streets swarming with the troops of the Commonwealth, it’s ports swelled with the battleships, and cruisers of its Navy. His executive officer followed close behind. “A dark day has clouded our great cities today.” He closed his eyes and smelled the air around the capital once more, it would be the last time he would be able to smell the air of the capital for some time. “Get word to the regimental commanders to withdraw to the North-West. I want the entire brigade on the move within the hour, no delays.”

“Yes sir!” A smile crept onto Mo Tao’s face as he snapped off a sharp salute before finding a radioman to relay the orders.

Zhou stood alone overlooking the city. The dispatch made it clear that the capital was not the only city where this was occurring. His own house in the capital, probably being sacked by the foreign invader. A pang of guilt and regret shot through Zhou, his cities were being occupied by a foreign invader and all he could do was to stand by and watch. He shook his head, and sighed. 

“I will be back.” He said aloud to no one in particular, his teeth gritted angrily. The sting of defeat was poignant. “We will take back what is ours.”[/hider]

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[u][b]|Other Important People inside the Clique:|[/b][/u]

[url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Chiang_Kai-shek.jpg/800px-Chiang_Kai-shek.jpg]Lieutenant General Hao Lin:[/url] Hao Lin serves as the executive officer of the 8th Republican Sovereignty Army. Being eight years senior to his Commanding Officer, Hao Lin has served as somewhat of a mentor to the commanding general throughout the years of his command. General Hao Lin had served as a division commander with great distinction, before being promoted to the position of executive officer. In his position he commands up to half the army at any given point, and has excelled with multiple divisions under his command.

[url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Zhang_Xueliang.jpg]Brigadier General Chang Tian:[/url] Chang Tian is the commander of the 13th Infantry Division. Tian is unique in the Republican Army in that he is the only General officer to have enlisted in the army as a private soldier. His ascension through the ranks has been due to his great charisma, and his tactical mind. As a corporal he was able to stem the retreat of a company of Republican soldiers and lead a ferocious counter-attack during the Battle of the Three Lakes which helped prevent the initiative of the Republic army from being lost during the battle. Under the direct tutelage of General Zhou, Tian has been given increasingly higher commands and has thus far turned turned in remarkable performances as a division commander.

[url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Ma_Buqing.jpg]Major General Mo Jun:[/url] Major General Mo Jun is the elder brother of Major General Mo Tao. Zhan commands the 17th Infantry Division of the 8th RSA. Jun only received his command recently following the reformation of the Division after taking heavy losses in the previous campaigns including the loss of it's commander. While Jun has performed well in previous commands at Regimental level, he is as yet unblooded while at the helm of a division. Zhou has kept a close eye on the day-to-day running of the division to ensure that all is up to standards with the more experienced division commanders.

[url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Hyy.png]Major General Yuan Chen:[/url] Yuan Chen, like Chang Tian is not a professional solider, having only received his commission at the founding of the Republic. That said, Chen has adopted the style of a ruthless disciplinarian and the 8th Armoured Division is run as one of the most disciplined and professional units in the army from the freshest member of the rank and file all the way up to it's prim and proper general. Prior to the war Chen served as a doctor in the city of Zang-Quin, his calm demeanor as a surgeon as carried over well onto the battlefield where he is more than able to keep a level head as the bullets fly and the bombs drop. 

[url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Tangjiyao.jpg]Major General Mo Tao:[/url] Mo Tao has been a close friend and follower of Zhou since the latter's first days in the Armoured corps. As such there is hardly anyone with the intuitive insight into their commanding general as Mo Tao has. Throughout the war Tao has been able to stay with, and be a step ahead of his commanding general's orders without fail. Interpreting generic, and open ended general orders with alarming accuracy to bring to fruition Zhou's endgame strategies. If ever there were general's right hand, Mo Tao would be Jin's.

[url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Su_Yu_N4A.jpg]Colonel Xian Fang:[/url] Xian Fang was an experimental pilot for the nearly non-existent Imperial Air Forces. Following the outbreak of the Republican Revolution, Fang stole a single seat, propeller plane which he then flew from the Imperial capital of Haidan all the way to the newly minted Republican capital of Zang-Quin. He was able to avoid the nearly untrained Imperial interceptors, as well as the equally untrained Republican ones until he was able to land and pledge his services to the newly founded Republic. Since then he has served as an officer in the Republican Air Forces, where he now serves as the Chief of Air Operations of the 8th RSA.

[url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Long_Jiguang.jpg]Colonel Yuan Taiji:[/url] Colonel Taiji is the only member of the 8th Republican Sovereignty Army's command staff who is not a member of the 8th RSA. Taiji is a member of the Zengravi Democratic Front's intelligence service. In his role in the 8th RSA, he serves as the Chief Intelligence Officer of the army. Given his position in the ZDF he is able to access a wide range of information that he is able to pass on to the rest of the 8th RSA's commanders. His role, however, is twofold. He acts also as an intermediary between the two Republican Forces passing information from one camp to the other. This has allowed the 8th RSA to exploit information from Lui Shao's vast network of informers.[/hider]

Updated and finished 27/05. Hope all is okay with it.