Across the Mansteldt Valley ....

Monrovia has been gathering information on the Fenwick forts and military presence along the border area in the upper reaches of the River Oudear. The presence of von Stuffart their main spy in Fenwick has been detected, he has gathered vital information and Serrani's marauders have been sent into Fenwick territory to get him out - they have to cross the Mansteldt valley and get across the border - they are heading for a sideline crossing over the river by the mill at Kornhof. Fenwick troops and revenue men patrol the valley ...

---oXo---

At a farm in the valley,  a farmer tries to get his donkey to move ....

Not far away, a small group of Fenwick revenue men patrol by the river which denotes the border with Monrovia, they have just passed the mill at Kornhof ...

Serrani's marauders approach a side channel to the River Oudear, there is a ford, and  the channel is wadeable....

As one group crosses the channel, they are confronted by a detachment of Fenwick river Rangers, the sound of gunfire disturbs the quiet of the valley ...

Serrani, with von Stuffart and the rest of his men cross the channel by the ford. Another detachment of Fenwick river Rangers blocks their way...

As the Rangers and Marauders exchange fire, a patrol of Fenwick Regulars moves towards the sound of the nearest gunfire ...

The Rangers have been shot to pieces by the Marauders as the Regulars approach ...

Serrani and the other group of Marauders move against the Rangers in their way, shots are soon exchanged...

They soon outmatch them, one survivor falls back and joins the Revenue men who had come up to investigate...

The Revenue men with the surviving Ranger fall back to defend the hedge line ...

The Regulars engage the other group of Marauders ...

The Revenue men can't hold off the Marauders and fall back from the hedge ...

The Regulars hold off the other group Marauders and start to pick them off, the Marauders fall back and move to catch up with Serrani's group..

The group of Marauders with Serrani move forward, crossing the hedge line;  a Revenue man and a river Ranger run for it ... after a short exchange of fire ...

The Regulars are slowly following up the other group of Marauders who are trying to catch up with Serrani...

Meanwhile Serrani, von Stuffart and some Marauders head for the border crossing ...

The Regulars catch up and shoot down the rest of the Marauders

Serrani, von Stuffart and the surviving Marauders cross the pack horse bridge by the mill at Korndorf into the safety of Monrovian territory ....

A  bad day for the Fenwick River Rangers.. News of the trouble in the Mansfeldt valley and the escape of von Stuffart is reported back to the local authorties who in turn pass it on in their regular dispatches to the Fenwick capital for the attention of Duke Maurice - his is greatly displeased - the slowly escalating border skirmishing worries him greatly - it could easily erupt into war.

Adding some fortress bits ...

I picked up a bag of PlayMobil bits in local charity shop a few days back - which included some bits of castle. So decided to use these to make a couple of sections for my small fortress, to provide a bit more variety.  The pieces that were usable were a turret top and a doorway, the turret to be used to provide a large gun platform and the doorway to be part of bigger gateway...

 the gun platform bash completed rather quickly...

 the gateway took a while, but worth the effort

 the inside, with steps and sentry box

 A splosh of matching paint and some flagstone effect paper; ready for use.

These will be useful when the 28mm armies get moving again, Fenwick/Monrovian border war ....

Action at Minsonda....

    At Minsonda the lead elements of the retreating Begovian army are making their way across the river.  The locals had rigged up narrow timber walkways across the bridge to keep it open in some way, just suitable for the infantry to file across; the old ford below the bridge is just usable by cavalry the river not being too high.

more troops start to arrive and queue up to cross the river...

The rear guard cavalry arrive to take up position to protect the army ....

Von Hazants pursuit column nears Minsonda, in the distance they can see some jagers from the advance guard of the main body who had come through the hills ...

Osram Pasha and his personal guard cross the river ....

Reinforced by a regiment of cavalry and a jager battalion, Von Hazant deploys his troops to attack the Begovians

The attack commences, the cavalry charging forward to engage the enemy .....

Osram Pasha watches dispassionately from the safety of the other side of the river ....

The Begovian cavalry fail to hold the charge and the Wittenberg cavalry surge forward with their infantry following up behind ...

General Waldebeck arrives with a small escort of dragoons and a grenadier battalion ....

The Begovian defence collapses and the Wittenberg cavalry are in amongst them ....

The Begovians with their back to the river are either cut down or surrender ... the bulk of the their army is no more ....

At Sirtanza - on the road to Minsonda

As they neared the halfway point to Minsonda, just on the other side of the village of Sirtanza, Von Hazant noticed something in the distance coming closer - Begovian Cavalry

as the Begovians formed up ....

Von Hazant ordered the infantry to form square, as the Uhlans prepared to face the opposition cavalry

The Begovians canter forward and the Uhlans advance to meet them ....

The two sides clash ......

 The Uhlans hold, but lose some ground ....the Land Militia cavalry covering the rear have moved up and attacked the Begovian light cavalry which was outflanking the Uhlans ....

 The Begovians start to fall back, with the Uhlans on their heels; the Begovian light cavalry broke off, the Land Militia cavalry fell back to regroup and have caught up with them again ....

 The Begovians in full retreat, Count Boritzy rallies the Uhlans, the Land Militia cavalry are still after their quarry ....

The Begovian attack has been beaten back - Von Hazant will have to wait for his cavalry to reform and rest before starting their march on Minsonda again. The Begovians have gained some valuable time for the rest of their army to reach Minsonda.

Underwater ?

After having visited the yards where the new river galley's are being constructed the King went to see an invention made by Cantor of the royal society. On a small tributary to the river Oudear somewhere near Vanderhof, Cantor explains the principle of his fish shaped underwater dirigible and how it could be used to sink small ships ....

the King and the Field Marshal doubt it will be of much use in the turbulent waters of the lower river Oudear ....

At Tantozi ... the next move ...

Von Hazant was pleased to see the column of troops coming up the road from Topdan, at last General Waldebeck and the main body of the army had arrived. Von Hazant rode out to greet the General ...

 After receiving a brief account of the days action, General Waldebeck called a staff meeting, spreading a map out on some barrels from the nearby Inn...

"The Begovians have taken the road by the river to Darkur, well gentlemen we will have to do our best to catch up with them.  I think they are heading for Minsonda, it is halfway from here to Darkur - the bridge there was washed out last winter, but if the river is low enough they could wade across where the old ford was".
 After a discussion they agreed on a course of action. Von Hazant's brigade with Count Boritzy's Uhlans and Hoflers Pandours would follow the route taken by the Begovians; while the rest of the army would go back down the road towards Topdan and turn east through the hills to Minsonda.

Tantozi ... the battle..

The Begovians drew up their army for the attack on Tantozi ....

 The attack commences, cavalry charge the infantry in the centre and infantry move in to the flanks ....the front Wittenberg infantry regiment fires a ragged ineffective volley but stands and holds the cavalry charge

 The Wittenberg jagers repulse one attack but then another wave charges in, the front infantry regiment is still holding the cavalry, and the men defending the churchyard come under attack ....

 meanwhile part of the Begovian rearguard approaches Tantozi, as they take up a position to protect the rear of the army - their commander searches out Osram Pasha...

 the commander of the rearguard reports to Osram Pasha - the main Wittenberg army is about half a days march behind them ....

 The first wave of cavalry attacking the Wittenberg infantry has broken off to re-group, the second wave of cavalry moves in - the defending infantry still hold their ground ....

 The Wittenberg jagers are pushed back .....

 the Land Militia in the churchyard lose ground too ...

 as the second wave of Begovian cavalry break off to re-group, von Hazant orders up the second fresh infantry regiment, meanwhile the jagers and Land militia have pushed back the Begovian attacks

 the infantry regiment halts and fires a withering volley at the Begovian cavalry who break up and fall back ...

their attack having faltered, the Begovians fall back ....

 The attempt to take Tantozi having failed and to avoid being caught at Tantozi between the defenders and the main body of the Wittenberg army Osram Pasha orders the Begovian army to withdraw, covered by a screen of cavalry on their flank ....

The Begovians have disengaged and are taking the back road south-west to Darkur .. a narrow route with forested hills on one side and river on the other - but they can turn and fight rearguard actions on a narrow front if needed...

Van Hazant's troops have fought well and are left holding the bridge - he has no cavalry and can't risk following the Begovians - he sends a courier to find General Waldebeck and let him know the route the Begovians are taking.....