Battle of the Xichútepa River
| Battle of the Xichútepa River | |||||||
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| Part of the Romanyan conquest of Sur | |||||||
 A Creeperian depiction (c. 1st century AD) of Acolmixtli I executing Quinctilius Varus during the battle. | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| ~12,000 | 21,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Moderate |
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The Battle of the Xichútepa River (Xichútepan: իյաոյոուհ խիցհուտեպա ատոյատլ, pronounced Iyaoyouh Xichútepa Ātōyātl; Romanyan Iberic: Meridionalis Parrhasiae Glacialis Flvmen in Proelivm, translated as the Battle of the South Montcraben River), also referred to as the South Montcraben Disaster (Romanyan Iberic: Meridionalis Cospaibvs Coit in Malvm) by Romanyan historians, was a decisive battle that occurred along the banks of the Xichútepa River in September 110 BC. The battle began after an expeditionary army of the Romanyan Empire was ambushed by a joint-army alliance of the Creeperian Confederation that stemmed from the Iloqutzi, Imnoqueti, and Tzachu tribes.
Despite being outnumbered, the battle ended in a decisive victory for the Creeperian forces. Almost all of the Romanyan soldiers were either killed in battle or enslaved by the Creeperans, with very few managing to escape back to Montcrabe to recount what happened. The defeat is considered one of the worst in Romanyan history and the empire never again expanded south of the Creeperian Range.
Contents
Background
During the early era of the Romanyan Empire, expansionist ambitions were sought through the conquests of Campodine, Yeronia (modern-day Yerounia), Iberia (modern day Andaluzia), Azomanaca (modern-day Azumanaka), Yacaria, Savotta (modern-day Salisford), Montcrabe (modern-day Montcrabe), Intmelia (modern-day Intemil), and Judea (modern-day Hejaz). The expansions were a result of a growing empire and fights with enemy tribes that lead to a subsequent takeover. Conquests began in the south resulting in the takeover of Savotta and Montcrabe along the Alzanub Sea coast. They eventually began to push south into the interior of the Sur into modern day Creeperopolis.
In late-111BC, Lucius Paullus, the Governor of Montcrabe, ordered for an expedition to be made south, across the mountain range now known as the Creeperian Range, to conquer new territories for the province of Montcrabe and for the empire. The expeditionary force composed of three Romanyan Legions, the XV Legion, the XVI Legion, and the XVII Legion. The XV Legion, the lead legion, was commanded by Quinctilius Varus, a career soldier born in 160BC in the Romanyan province of Hispania. The XVI Legion was commanded by Marcus Caelius, a career soldier born in 150BC in the province of Montcrabe. The XVII Legion was commanded by Servilius Geminus, a career soldier born in 156BC in the province of Montcrabe. Each held the rank of legate.
The expedition began in May 110 BC. The march across the mountain range took three months and the legions reached the other side in late-July 110 BC. The Romanyans were unaware of the political situation on the other side of the mountains and assumed that the area was just inhabited by unorganized tribes. Although the area was inhabited by tribes, the tribes were organized into a military alliance: the Creeperian Confederation. The Romanyans arrived in territory controlled by the Iloqutzi Tribe and members of the tribe notified tribal leadership. Ohtli, the leader of the tribe, contacted Acolmixtli I, the leader of the confederation who bore the title of Kuaitl Tlatoani and the leader of the Imnoqueti Tribe, and Xipilli, the leader of the Tzachu Tribe, to send reinforcements to repel the Romanyan foreigners. Each tribe sent their tribal militias, each numbering around 4,000 men, for a total of 12,000 men, to combat the Romanyans, who outnumbered them significantly as they weilded 21,000 men, or 7,000 per legion. Acolmixtli I was given command of the militias as he was the leader of the confederation.
Battle
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By the time the Creeperian tribes had organized, the Romanyans had reached the Xichútepa River and entered territory held by the Imnoqueti Tribe. Acolmixtli I had received reports that the Romanyans had destroyed three Imnoqueti villages and that reinforcements were badly needed, but there is little to no evidence to support these reports and they are now interpreted to have been exaggerations or entirely falsified as to provoke a quicker response from the tribal militias.
Acolmixtli I, Ohtli, and Xipilli devised a plan to eliminate the Romanyan threat. They planned to lure them into a weak defensive position in a long marching column near the river and to attack them from one side and force them into the river, where men on the other side of the river would force them to stay in the river, and eventually drown. They scrapped the plan, as they received further reports about the size of the army, which was claimed to be around 10,000. They instead opted to simply attack from both sides, as they believed the army was much smaller than theirs and a direct attack from both sides would eliminate the Romanyans quicker.
As the Romanyans were marching east in September 110 BC, the tribal militias were in position for the attack. The Romanyans were marching in a column along a road near the river. Acolmixtli I had his soldiers stationed on the Romanyan left, as did half of Ohtli's soldiers. The other half of Ohtli's soldiers and the entirety of Xipilli's soldiers were on the Romanyan right. As the Romanyans were about to pass Ohtli's soldiers, they were ordered to attack and they pushed into the Romanyan column. Eventually, the entire Creeperian line pushed into the marching Romanyans.
The Romanyans were caught completely off guard, and they attempted to quickly form into battle formations, but the narrow road they were on and the proximity of the Creeperian attack prevented them from doing so. The Romanyan line was also very thin, and many were killed in the attack. Varus ordered an immediate withdrawal to a clearing where he planned to engage in battle, as did Caelius and Geminus.
Geminus' soldiers were at the back of the column when the withdrawal order was given. He and 1,000 soldiers managed to escape the Creeperian attack and withdrew to the clearing where they planned to continue the battle. The remainder of his soldiers and the soldiers of Varus and Caelius were unable to escape the slaughter, and were trapped by the Creeperans. After hours of fighting, Geminus was able to see that the entire army had been defeated.
Aftermath
Geminus had his army camp in the clearing for the night and sent scouts the following day to survey the area where the battle occurred. They reported that 17,000 men had been slain and that 3,000 had been taken prisoner. They also reported that 5,000 of those killed were executed by the Creeperans and had their heads impaled on sticks and placed on the sides of the roads. They returned the body of Caelius but stated that they were unable to find the body of Varus and stated that they believed that he was killed in battle and that his men dumped his body into the river as to prevent it from falling into Creeperian hands, though their claim had nothing to support it.
Geminus sent his men to meet with the Creeperans and negotiate a withdrawal. They returned two weeks later and stated that the Creeperans had agreed to allow them to retrieve the dead and return to Montcrabe in peace, but they were to never march south of the mountains ever again. Geminus reluctantly accepted the offer as he knew his 1,000 men were unable to defend from the now superiorly numbered Creeperans. His remaining men were sent to retrieve the bodies of the 12,000 that remained scattered across the road. After a week, most of the bodies had been recovered and they were buried in mass graves a few hundred feet away from the battle site. They quickly crafted a memorial for their fallen soldiers and returned to Montcrabe, arriving in December 110 BC.
When Geminus returned to Montcrabe, he informed Paullus of the estimated casualties of the legions. He stated that the entire XV and XVI legions were destroyed and that both of their eagle standards were lost. Only a seventh of the XVII legion remained, but their eagle standard was secured. He also informed Paullus of the deaths of both Varus and Caelius. Seeing what remained of the army, Paullus decided to cancel any plans to expand Montcrabe south of the mountains, wishing to not suffer such a defeat again. He also prohibited any contact south of the mountains, fearing retaliation from the Creeperans. Geminus retired from military life following the battle, as he could not bear to witness such death of his fellow Romanyans again. He left Montcrabe for Savotta where he lived out the rest of his life until he died of a stroke in 93BC.
The Creeperans celebrated the victory against the Romanyans, and had 100 of those they enslaved sacrificed in Xichútepa in January 109BC. The remaining Romanyans worked as slaves for the rest of their lives, with the last slaves dying in the 70s BC. The eagle standards were kept in the temple at Xichútepa and they remained there until the city was abandoned in 540 AD following the War of Creeperian Unification, where they were lost. The city was rediscovered on 14 May 1978, and since then, the Creeperian government has stated that it is actively searching for the two lost Romanyan eagle standards.
The Creeperans claimed that they had executed both Varus and Caelius as recounted in surviving texts from the confederation. The claims conflict with those of the Romanyans, which stated that both were killed in battle. Historians have speculated that Varus likely was executed by the Creeperans as his body was never recovered by the Romanyans and that Caelius was killed in battle as the Romanyans had recovered his body and that his head was not severed when it was recovered.
Location of the battle
The exact location of the battle has been lost and its location is now unknown. Both the Romanyan and Creeperian accounts only state that the battle occurred in Imnoqueti territory along a path near the banks of the Xichútepa River, now known as the Xichútepa River. The memorial built by the Romanyans near the site of the battle was destroyed in 745 AD during the Deltinian-Creeperian War as a part of the Caliphate of Deltino's anti-Romanyan policy, as the Romanyans were not Muslims and seen as inferior.
Several locations have been proposed over the centuries of where the battle occurred. During the Creeperian Crusade, it was claimed that the battle site was near Idku, a location where many battles and sieges occurred during the crusade. King Adolfo I ordered soldiers to excavate the area in 1370 to search for Romanyan remains to scavenge for any surviving pieces of iron and weapons, but only crusade-era weapons were reported discovered.
During the First Parliamentary Era of Creeperopolis, an area known as "New Romanya" was claimed to be the location of the battle. Support to search the area was high, but the government prohibited excavation of the area. In 1850, Emperor Adolfo III allowed archeologists to excavate the area. In 1851, they discovered ruins and human remains. They believed that they found the site of the battle, but upon further excavations, they had instead identified the location of the city of Idku, which itself had been lost in the 1400s. The archeologists were excited by the discovery, but were disappointed that the location of the battle between the Romanyans and Creeperans would remain a mystery. During the Second Parliamentary Era of Creeperopolis, another area known as "New Romanya" was claimed to be the location of the battle. In 1915, Prime Minister Antonio Sáenz Heredia allowed excavations to occur at the site, but after five years, nothing was found at the site.
On 14 May 1978, the site of the lost city of Xichútepa was discovered near Puerto Francisco, Salvador. The discovery renewed interest in discovering the site of the battle and of the mass grave of Romanyans. In 1985, archeologists believed that a new location, dubbed "Site Xichútepa," is the most likely location of the battle. Access to the site is restricted, however, as the land is on private property owned by the National Coffee and Sugar Corporation and the corporation refused to allow excavations on the site. As of 2018, "Site Xichútepa" remains the most likely location of the battle.
Legacy
Romanyan view
The battle is considered one of the greatest defeats in the history of the Romanyan Empire, as the two of the three legions sent were completely destroyed and had their eagle standards lost, with the third being severely crippled and reduced to a seventh of its original manpower. It is also considered a great defeat since the Romanyans, a professional and well-equipped army, outnumbered the Creeperans, a tribal somewhat-trained militia, nearly two to one, yet they were still crushingly defeated. The Romanyans only managed to inflict moderate casualties against their attackers.
Creeperian view
The battle is considered one of the greatest victories in Creeperian history, being likened to the Siege of Almadinat Almuqadasa, considered to be the greatest victory in Creeperian history. The battle has been portrayed in many Creeperian works of literature as a triumphant victory over imperialism and colonialism, which is ironic as Creeperopolis has colonized the San Carlos Islands and parts of Lyoa in its history.
Acolmixtli I is considered to have been one of the greatest figures in Creeperian history, and has been subsequently called Acolmixtli the Great. As a consequence, the name Chepin is popular, especially in the department of Xichútepa. He has been hailed by many far-right groups in Creeperopolis, such as the Catholic Royalist Party, the Creeperian Pro-Fatherland Front, and the Creeperian Initiative, as a hero to the Creeperian Fatherland. His image has been used by such groups as anti-Muslim rhetoric, despite the Romanyans not being Muslims when the battle occurred. He has been likened to important Creeperian historical figures such as Axayacatl I, Atlácatl of Amacha, Felipe I, Alfonso I, Miguel I, Cristóbal Colón Cámarillo, Manuel III, Adolfo III, Antonio Sáenz Heredia, and Romero I.
In his book Felipe I, author Orlando Pareja Palau praised Acolmixtli I, Ohtli, and Xipilli as heroes to the confederation. He argued that their actions during the battle singlehandedly saved the confederation from falling into Romanyan hands and that they are the only reason the Kingdom of Creeperia even had a chance to come into existence in 537 AD. He stated that "the [B]attle [of the Xichútepa River] is one of, if not, the most important battle in the history of the Creeperian Fatherland, only being challenged by perhaps the Siege of San Salvador, the First Battle of Rabadsun, and the Siege of Almadinat Almuqadasa."
