Battle of Luthariekh's Wood

The Battle of Luthariekh's Wood (Koxori: Ejokha Pílazel Lutháriekyr /eˈjo.xa ˈpi.la.t̪el luˈθa.ɾʲɪ.kəɾ/) was a Kaonashian victory in the Kaonashian-Hagstonian War. It took place in the afternoon of 1 May 2020 in a section of East Khazyr Forest on the east coast of Koxor and was the first land battle, and the first combat to cause casualties, of the war.

Background
When the Kaonashian-Hagstonian War began on 30 April 2020, Kaonashian ships immediately landed troops on the undefended Alamonian Ocean coastlines of Koxor and Hagston. Kalakhat Rokhin, the Minister for Defence, sent General Megelkur Oipelir to the east coast of Khazyr Province, the most threatened area. Oipelir lined 120,000 well-organised troops along the coast, under the control of 20 of his most trusted commanders. In the early hours of 1 May, a squadron of Kaonashian ships captained by Colonel Varuen Piola landed south of Luthariekh's Bay, and arranged themselves along the beaches there over the next 6 hours. Oipelir was quick to respond and ordered his men to dig in and prepare for a faceoff. Later that day, Imur Jezari, Commander of Division 92, met with five other commanders and planned an assault on the Kaonashian lines that, if successful, would shatter their organisation and make way for the rest of the army to push them back to their ships. He and Jetei Lamez of Division 108 took joint command of the 6,000 men.

Location
Around 8,000 Kaonashians, including 2,000 fairies, were positioned along the upper edge of the beach directly behind the bay in a large clearing known as Jelemur Meadow. The clearing is surrounded by thick forest, with only two paths out to the northwest and southwest. The meadow slopes slightly upward away from the beach, with a shallow ditch formed by the landscape running across its centre.

Battle
Jezari gave the order for his troops to advance at 1:00pm on 1 May. All 6,000 men marched east from their camps and entered the forest itself, where they were met with slow progress through the closely-packed trees. A Kaonashian scout evidently saw them at some point in their progress, as the Kaonashian forces were already in defensive positions when the Koxoriez emerged from the woods. When in the clearing, Jezari's army arranged themselves into a semicircular formation, still advancing, and took on the first Kaonashian line head-on. The two central Kaonashian divisions were pushed back under their force, and the first casualties of the battle - and therefore the entire war - were taken by the first barrage of Koxoriek gunfire. The relatively unprepared Kaonashians were initially set back, and the Koxoriez managed to push through their first line. They reformed soon after, having taken control of the situation, encircled the Koxoriez. Lamez managed to lead his troops to the ditch in the centre of the meadow, sending co-ordinated attacks at the Kaonashian circle. Eventually, the Kaonashians were forced to split their forces to deal with both groups of Koxoriez, and Jezari managed to inflict heavy damage on Piola's seventh division. Lamez's forces soon collapsed and he was captured. Jezari ordered his men into a tactical retreat, but turned back to fire at the four pursuing Kaonashian divisions when he reached the woods. When he realised the remaining four divisions had turned back and were advancing on him, Jezari was forced to flee towards the friendly camp.

The Kaonashians' victory at the first stage boosted their morale, and Piola decided to continue west towards the main Koxoriek lines. He led his men down one of the existing paths and attacked the defending lines, catching them by surprise and dealing some damage.