The Battle of Jharkhand and an Overview of India

Day 768, 18:44 • Published in USA USA • by Lieutenant Scheisskopf

eHungary and Phoenix have largely dictated the pace of the war in the past week, so EDEN sought to retake control of the war by changing the focus of the Asian theater. Most of the New World (including myself) assumed eHungary’s Heilongjiang (Hello Kitty) would be the next Phoenix pillar challenged by EDEN, but recent events show the focus of the war has heading south, as EDEN moves towards eIran’s high wood region of Jharkhand (aka Sharkland) and eIndonesian Karnataka.

Background (thanks, eRep Wiki)
Phoenix has held these main regions for nearly a year. Long ago in 2008, ePakistan conquered all of eIndia in the Pakistan-India War, from which eIndia liberated itself with the assistance of PEACE members in the Indian Independence War later in the year. Karnataka was given to the eIndonesians, according to the Wiki, and Jharkhand remained in eIranian control, possibly as a gift for helping eIndia. I was not eBorn yet and only know what the Wiki says, so let’s fast forward to the present.

Artist's depiction of Sharkland (warning, not accurate)

The Battle of Sharkland
Much of the background for this current conflict went under the radar, mostly because it fell on Christmas Day, but eIndia declared war on eChina and summarily attacked Tibet. eIndia’s retreat from the battle relinquished initiative to the eChinese, who recently region swapped for West-Bengal and Bihar. Right on eChina’s heels, the eUSA region swapped for West-Bengal. Because the eUSA does not have an active war with eIndia, the eUSA will not be able to progress further through eIndia, which is probably the reason for not region swapping with the eChinese in Bihar, allowing eChina to region swap with eIndia later on. With this foothold in the country, EDEN and eChina can continue to position itself against remaining Phoenix regions: eIndonesia's fortress of Karnataka and Madhya-Pradesh, which possesses high diamonds. But because West-Bengal borders the eIranian high wood haven of Jharkhand, Sharkland became the first major battle in the Indian theater. Similar to Liaoning, timing of battle greatly favors the eUSA and could play a role in the closing minutes.

If eIran cannot hold Jharkhand, their economy will be even more crippled following the fall of Liaoning, as eIran's loss of high iron would be compounded by a loss of wood resources. By extension, eIran’s influence as a member of Phoenix would likely fall without sufficient economic power, although the loss of wood does not compare to the potential loss of grain or iron regions. In response, Sharkland's population has grown sharply in the last 24 hours to slightly over 2000 citizens, and with the rest of the war hitting a post-holiday lull, it seems probable that much of Phoenix and EDEN will concentrate their efforts on winning this battle.

Seal of Karnataka

Could EDEN Attack eIndonesia
If the Battle for Jharkhand succeeds, EDEN would have options for moving on eIndonesia's two colonies. Whether eChina or the eUSA were to attack these territories separately or in conjunction, and whether or not resistance wars may start, will alter how the war is fought as well as where military units may be asked to deploy, for Phoenix and EDEN both. These scenarios, of course, rest on the assumption that eIndia will consent to EDEN moving on the eIndonesian regions, which will be a topic for diplomats to sort amongst themselves. eUS President Jewitt has listed Karnataka on his to-do list, but it remains to be seen if he or EDEN would move on Karnataka without eIndia's blessing.

The first scenario for EDEN and Phoenix is for eChina to attack Madhya-Pradesh and Karnataka head-on, against eIndonesia. Phoenix would likely deploy its military forces to Karnataka much like they did prior to Liaoning, and EDEN would need to deploy its supporting forces to eChina's hospital in Beijing. eIndonesia is far from the power which controlled much of the Southwest eUSA, but its size and strength outnumbers eChina alone and would easily repel the eChinese in a one-on-one fight.

The second option would be for the eChinese to burrow through eIndia and let the eUSA follow in its footsteps so that the eUSA could attack eIndonesia and take advantage of its MPPs from the summer invasion. However, without an active war with eIndia, the eUSA would be unable to maneuver within the country, and an active war with eIndia would be necessary to return the regions. Phoenix would be able to start RWs against any region the eUSA held in the country, and if they succeeded, could stop EDEN’s movements altogether given the eUSA’s inability to region swap on its own.

Because the eUSA and eChina both have active wars with eIndonesia, it is possible that both countries may simultaneously attack the two remaining eIndonesian regions, either as a "double whammy" against one of them, or as a “divide and conquer” tactic where one fought Karnataka (probably the eUSA) and the other fought in Madhya-Pradesh. To double whammy the same regions would require careful region swapping so that eChina and the eUSA were both adjacent to the target. Alternatively, another double whammy option would involve starting a resistance war in an eIndonesian region while also attacking it. This second plan would require deploying EDEN forces to an eIndonesian hospital region. Double whammying would spread out Phoenix’s resources, and would afford EDEN a flexible response whereby allied resources could be deployed to support either front and possibly win both battles. Especially since eIndonesia has no MPPs activated against either the eUSA or eChina, a simultaneous double whammy could spread their resources enough to lose one, or both, battles to EDEN and company.

Fighting in India could be a different kind of battle for EDEN and Phoenix

Turnaround?
Should all EDEN offensives in eIndia fail, Phoenix could attempt a counterstrike, but would be disadvantaged by fighting within and fighting for enemy regions. It would be easy for EDEN to back resistance wars throughout eIndia, and for eIran in particular, there is no guarantee that Phoenix could solidify any gains from a counteroffensive. Were eRussia to ever have a president, they could enter eIndia easily through attacking Xinjiang and declaring their own war on eIndia. eRussia would also be able to keep the eUSA in check, given their active war against the eAmericans, and could really do some damage for Phoenix in the region. Note: this is me returning to the belief that eRussia could play a pivotal role for Phoenix, and is not solely a camp hampered by domestic issues.

Chhattisgarh and Andhya-Pradesh
Not many people have heard of this region, but it would be optimal to give Chhattisgarh or Andhya-Pradesh to an EDEN ally in order to protect eIndia’s key regions after recovering them. Similar to the eUSA strategy to concede Delaware to eCanada, having the eUSA or another EDEN country hold Chhattisgarh would create a bottleneck against Phoenix were they to invade and try for eIndia’s high resources again. Any battles against eIndia in which the eUSA held an MPP would provoke a chain reaction war which could help repel the Phoenix invading country.
The return price would be a tiny region with 17 people and medium wood, and would enable eIndia to rebuild its infrastructure with minimal interference. So if the eUSA were to region swap to Chhattisgarh, not only is the region strategically touching Jharkhand and Madhya-Pradesh, but it also touches Andhya-Pradesh, a region bordering Karnataka and eIndonesia's entry to the country, Tamil Nadu. A battle between eIndonesia and eIndia, if the eUSA had an MPP with eIndia and an adjacent region, would start a battle between the eUSA and eIndonesia-- a textbook chain reaction example.



Second Media Mogul Medal
I earned my second MM earlier today, and wanted to thank you all, as always, for reading, giving me feedback, and subscribing to my paper. I'm glad to share my perspectives and insights with you all, and hope to continue doing so for the foreseeable future.

Closing
By shifting the focus of the war, EDEN is looking to undo Phoenix’s recent string of victories following Liaoning. The full nature of this world war is becoming more and more apparent, but the next few days will dictate which Phoenix possessions in eIndia are to come under attack. If EDEN can win these battles, it will be more of a feel-good win to get the taste of defeat in eNK and Heilongjiang's elusiveness out of its mouth. It would also cripple eIran and eIndonesia even further, and although they are becoming lesser Phoenix partners behind the main European members, their reduced capacity could make an assault on Heilongjiang a less daunting task. After all, EDEN would have its work cut out for themselves against Hello Kitty.

God Bless America,

Lt. Scheisskopf
Lotto for the Welcoming Committee