IT'S WAR, THEN
States General vote for declaration of war as Tarajani forces join allies
Astana.
With surprising rapidity, the States General, convened in the night under special request of the King, have voted for a formal declaration of war against the Eurasian Empire, in response for the attack brought against New-Zealand.
The sudden Eurasian attack, though not totally unexpected, caught off-guard those parts of the Tarajani political world still hoping for a peaceful settlement, forcing them to fall back into line: as a result, the declaration of war was voted almost unanimously (with the small exception of the Republican members of the Diet, who persisted in their anti-war stance and left the assembly in protest). All Landsraad Houses pledged in favour of the war effort, authorizing the State Landweers to join the federal forces in the war. The special session was chaired by King Friederick Wilhelm himself, who briefly spoke after the vote, to express his hope that
"this war will put an end, at least, to the madness which has brought the world to this.", a clear reference to Eurasian behavior during the last weeks.
Tarajani public opinion also demonstrated its favour toward the war. Despite a generally pro-peace attitude, Eurasian aggression literally compacted everyone in the duty to defend an innocent ally (New-Zealand), and respect the obligations the Kingdom has under OMNI, an alliance which is, after all, led by New Tarajan itself. Moreover, the fact that Emperor Augustus did not even answer to the public letter sent by the King, has been perceived by many as an insult against the Royal House and, by extension, the whole country.
As a result, long-lasting political divisions have been set aside in favour of national unity, though the hope is still that the conflict will not last long, and that peace, at the end, will be restored.
More pragmatically, and radically, Marquis Leopold Conrad Van Vinkel, speaking to the States General after the King, clearly expressed his opinion that
"we must do whatever it is in our power to stop these things to repeat all over again. This is a war to end all wars once and for all." he said:
"We will not stop until New-Zealand will be fully secure and those responsible for this blatant violation of International Law and this brutal act of aggression will be brought in front of Justice for their crimes."Units belonging to Tarajani's 3rd Fleet moving towards Eurasian waters. Tarajani forces, already mobilized last week, are already moving to help New-Zealand defending its own territory and launch its own counter-offensive against occupying Eurasian forces. But faithful to the political objectives he announced for the war, and to his own style of command, the new Commander-in-Chief also authorized operations in support of Antanaresian forces already attacking directly Eurasia, both directly and indirectly.
For instance, both the 3rd and 4th Fleets, two of the most impressive units in the Tarajani arsenal, are moving in Eurasian waters in order to impose a total blockade, while the 1st Fleet is en route to join them. The Koninklijke Tarajani Marine (aka the Tarajani Navy) and the Koninklijke Tarajani Luchtmacht (the Air Force), though not for sure the largest, are among the most powerful and respected in the whole world, and their full deployment in the area of operations can only mean that the Kingdom means to strike, and to strike hard.
The army role will mainly be of support to New-Zealand, with three mechanized brigade and one armored brigade already deployed in the area. RHIELD has been activated, providing support to Antanaresian covert operations and attacks while at the same time operating on its own. The Kalihaan ABMS has been put on full-alert and is now fully operational.
Great attention, for obvious reasons, is being dedicated to the protection of Tarajani territory, particularly Meisjegronden and East Karasin, which would risk to be completely surrounded by Eurasian forces: with the help of Antanaresian units, indeed, the 2nd Fleet is protecting the archipelago, while East Karasin's defense is at the moment granted by an army contingent (five mechanized and three armored brigades), plus a detachment of the 4th Fleet. Martial law has been preemptively proclaimed in both territories.
Ashar and North Ajania, in accordance to a previous agreement with Astana, have announced their neutrality, while the Grand Duchy of Sdudeti-Karabak has joined the war with a formal declaration a few hours after the Tarajani States General.
Weirdly enough, Grand Pensionary De Witte-Beulen is still in Bangon, however. While the talks will most surely break down now that the very war they were designed to avoid has started, it is possible that Tarajani diplomacy at the highest level would still be in operation. However, rumors from Bangon seem to point out that the Grand Pensionary may have been tasked by King Friederick Wilhelm with the mission of visiting, on behalf of the Kingdom, the Marquetien commonwealth, a way to build a stronger relationship with a neutral, but friendly, block, even in these hard times.