The Capellan-St. Ives War and Sun-Tzu Liao’s Resurgence

Sun-Tzu Liao restored the St. Ives Compact to the Capellan Confederation through a campaign in which political preparation mattered as much as battlefield strength. St. Ives had existed independently since the Fourth Succession War, protected for decades by Davion support and ruled by Candace Liao. This episode follows Sun-Tzu’s Xin Sheng movement, a disputed cross-border provocation involving a deep-cover Maskirovka agent, and his use of the Second Star League’s peacekeeping authority to isolate and disarm Compact forces. The resulting war expanded as foreign peacekeepers withdrew and Capellan regulars took their place. Black May introduced a horrific complication when Kali Liao’s Thuggee cult used chemical weapons; available evidence does not support the claim that Sun-Tzu ordered the attacks, and he acted against them once informed. Capellan forces later concentrated on the capital, St. Ives fell, and the Compact formally reentered the Confederation in 3063 under a negotiated settlement preserving important local institutions. Visit ImaginedBattlefield.com for more military and science fiction.