[OL-KPA reaction] Adieu, mon général

[Keymonus]

The battle was won, and the enemy was retreating... southwards or eastwards, to form a new defensive line between the advancing enemies and the city of Oryant. Only a few hours before, the shock troopers of the Empire had shattered the first line of the Lotii: after slicing through the defenses as a blade in the butter, they assaulted batteries, deposits and command points, causing absolute havoc among the enemy troops.

Despite the complete victory, nobody among the soldiers of Oleon was celebrating any longer: during one of the first assaults, General Hercule François was hit by a stray bullet. The old commander was brought by his soldiers' hands to a farm outside Seawatch, but the red stain widening on the uniform left little hope for his survival.

Almost by chance, one of the soldiers started humming, soon followed by another, and then another one. It was an old, sad song from Western Eranos, Tristan's motherland... the mourning of the soldiers for their dying officer, killed in one of the uncountable border wars. He had heard his chasseurs singing it dozens of times, but that day... that day it felt different, with their general on his deathbed. 

"The Captain of the Company / is wounded and he's about to die / he sends word to his chasseurs / so that they can come and see him."

None of the officers Tristan had lost had had that luxury... not the old Captain Montier, drowned in his blood with an arrow in the neck, back in a dark Varcosian wood, nor the brave Major Artaud, found under a pile of dead Salleeki pirates, the sword still in hand. But going without a word wouldn't definitely halve been General François’ style, thought Tristan with a half smile.

"His chasseurs go tell him / they have not shoes to walk there. / Shoes or not shoes, shoes or not shoes / I want my chasseurs here now!"

In the old song, the soldiers are tired, tattered, and wounded. They are far, and they have to walk with broken shoes. On El Oleonda, the bluecoats were ready to gather around their commander, forming a wall around him. Their uniforms and their flags shane as a beacon in the jungle, despite the stains of mud and blood: no irregulars, natives or scouts, around the wounded general, but the best line infantry of the Empire. He would have been proud of his men, if he could fully realise what was happening around him...

"What are the orders, Captain, Sir? / Your chasseurs now have arrived! / I command that my body / in five pieces it shall be cut!"

Gruesome, yet somehow poetic... nobody even questioned why the wounded captain of the song could want that weird ritual, or how could the receivers of those weird "gifts" react. That was the tradition, the rhyme sung around the fires in the cold nights of Eranos and in the Varcosian woods... and so let the captain be sectioned by the singers one more time, without inappropriate doubts! General François didn’t ask anything similar, but still all his officers were gathered around him, to listen for his final words.

"The first piece to her, the Motherland / so that she can remember her soldier. / The second piece to the battalion / so they remember their captain."

General François had several defects, he was arrogant and loved the wine a little too much... but, for sure, he was a true patriot and an excellent soldier. Under his command, the soldiers felt unstoppable, as they charged with the banners flying in the wind. Despite his rank, he fought on the first line, pistol in hand, alongside his beloved bluecoats. No, the motherland and the army would never forget General Hercule François, with or without a piece of his body! Tristan realized that he had tears in his eyes, and that by now all the soldiers were singing, even the ones who had never been in Eranos.

"The third piece to my dear mother / so that she can remember her son. / The fourth part to my sweetheart / so that she remembers her first love."

Well, General François' mother was since long gone, and that left one spare part... that could come to use, considering the rumors. One part should probably have gone to Guemain Manor, to the General's widow, and another to the village, to the house of a certain peasant girl. A little François could already have been born, by the time the sad news arrived back in the motherland...

"The last part to my woods / that will cover it with roses and flowers."

Tristan didn't know where the General would have found his final rest... maybe in the woods of Gueiman, back in the motherland, or in a mausoleum there on El Oleonda. For sure he would have not lacked the flowers. The fallen commander would have been remembered among the heroes of Oleon, and the citizens of the Empire would have paid homage to his tomb for the next centuries.

The song was over. The men marched on in silence, pushing forward the captured Lotii cannon: the light infantry of the allied forces was forming an advanced line on the hills south of Seawatch, in case of an enemy counterstrike. Meanwhile, the main forces were reorganizing, preparing for the next blow towards Oryant. Colonel Beauchamp had just taken command of the Oleonese contingent: everyone was still mourning the General, but the war was far from being over. The Siege of Seawatch, the Raid on Jiangkai, and now the death of General François... yes, the war was far from being over. And soon, that cannon would have been put to good use!

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Just a quick reaction to the last KPA, and a heartfelt farewell to General Hercule François. Some of the builds are mine, others are from @Ross Fisher (pics 2, 4, and 6) and @Jeff of Clubs (pic 5).

The song from Eranos is actually a famous, very sad, song of the Italian Alpine troops (The Captain's Last Will), dating back to WWI, and translated more or less literally. However, songs about wounded generals asking to be buried in multiple places have existed since at least the 16th century, with the Song of the Marquis of Salluzzo.

Edited August 24, 2023 by Keymonus

[Khorne]

A long, but good read! Great sendoff for the general. I like the inclusion of the song in between the paragraphs and builds. I didn't know about these type of songs, so it was interesting to learn something new.

[Ross Fisher]

Thats really classy! Nicely done! Thankyou very much. Feel free to steal any of the Général's clothes and add them to your battle standard.

[Keymonus]

On 8/25/2023 at 8:41 PM, Khorne said:

A long, but good read! Great sendoff for the general. I like the inclusion of the song in between the paragraphs and builds. I didn't know about these type of songs, so it was interesting to learn something new.

Thanks! Now and then I try to insert some real-life historical references, even if sometimes it’s difficult avoid “slippery” things (historical characters, events, or references that for a reason or the other shouldn’t be in our little world).

On 8/26/2023 at 9:22 AM, Ross Fisher said:

Thats really classy! Nicely done! Thankyou very much. Feel free to steal any of the Général's clothes and add them to your battle standard.

 Thank you! I didn’t think about that, but a strip of the uniform sewn on the battle flag will for sure appear in my stories!

[Jeff of Clubs]

I must've missed this. This thing is great! The song aspect is fantastic and informative! It sounds like there is a fine chef up for hire. Farwell General. We shall fly your pants from the standards.

@Keymonus, you should link this to the Seawatcj Coordination thread for some closure.

[Ross Fisher]

On 12/29/2023 at 1:38 PM, Jeff of Clubs said:

We shall fly your pants from the standards.

[Keymonus]

On 12/29/2023 at 2:38 PM, Jeff of Clubs said:

I must've missed this. This thing is great! The song aspect is fantastic and informative! It sounds like there is a fine chef up for hire. Farwell General. We shall fly your pants from the standards.

@Keymonus, you should link this to the Seawatcj Coordination thread for some closure.

Thank you! Yes, I'll add a link there too!