26 March 2023
Today, the Military of Phillip announced the launch of an invasion of the North Hillsborough Territory. North Hillsborough, which was at one point the largest subdivision in Phillip, is situated on the Hillsborough River that flows through the US state of Florida. The territory is considered by Phillip's government to be under dispute with the United States of America, as a representative of Phillip has not visited the territory nor has a flag been planted at its de facto capital, Alta. The territory is made up of eleven pieces of land and three groups of islands, the southernmost of which are called the Dam Islands. Their name is derived from their location against the Hillsborough River Dam. To begin the invasion, the Military of Phillip ordered the Phillip Navy to invade them.
Because the islands are blocked off from the rest of the territory by the Hillsborough River Dam, it would likely be impossible for the Navy to conquer them at the same time as the rest of the territory. For that reason, it was decided to split the invasion into two operations, one for the Dam Islands and one for the rest of the territory. This operation was a considered a test run for the Phillip Navy to see if they could travel efficiently over a medium-length distance.
The only military personnel to take part in this operation was Navy sailor and government Minister Cooper Norfolk, who was also a part of the Invasion of Traqueto. The operation began at around 08:30 EST when Norfolk departed from a public American dock on the SS Undertimeslopper, a naval kayak that is used by the 1st Phillip Fleet. He then travelled up the Hillsborough River for slightly more than two-and-a-half hours until reaching the islands.
The actual invasion itself only lasted around five minutes. Minister Norfolk was able to ride his kayak through the first set of islands, but was unable to reach the second set due to low tide and he feared that he would harm military property. On return to the first set of islands, Minister Norfolk attempted to land on the westernmost island but was scared away by the presence of a baby alligator. Shortly after that encounter, he retreated back to American soil and headed by to the Origen District. Below are some photos taken by Norfolk during the short invasion:
Along with taking multiple pictures, Minister Norfolk reported that they were large populations of catfish in the shallow waters surrounding the two waters. He also apparently saw a couple of Muscovy ducks.
Most of the Dam Islands were dense and thick with overgrown trees, making them extremely difficult to land on.
The bottom of the shallow waters surrounding the islands were full of seashells and other rocks, which is what made it difficult to travel to the Upper Dam Islands.
Despite the brevity of the operation, this portion of the invasion was considered a success by the Phillip Navy. This operation was the longest distance that the Phillip Navy has ever travelled. The total distance of the journey was only about twelve and a half kilometers, but is a good step towards preparing for even longer operations in the future. The operation also proved that Phillip has the ability to show dominance over its claims in the Hillsborough River.
The military has stated that they're not sure when the rest of the territory will be conquered, but it's suspected that they will invade the Csonka Territory before anything else.