Battle of Bincaraelaen

The Battle of Bincaraelaen was a battle between a combined force of Bincaraelaenic and Daradaelic armies, totalling 8,000 in number, and a force of 5,000 Dersialdaric soldiers sent to restore peace to the area. The Dersialdaric force, acting with Imperial authority, was not expecting a battle and not expecting the Ousilic forces to unite against it and was badly beaten as a result. The Imperial force suffered just over 1,100 casualties before retreating across the Filou Pass and returning to Carasilaen. The battle highlighted the weakness of imperial control in the region and emboldened local lords to flout imperial authority.

## Background

A conflict over trade duties, which were nominally forbidden by imperial decree, between the county government of Doucusada in Bincaraelaen and the Viscount of Daradaela in Miabarosia led to a mobilization of troops by both sides in 1812. Daradaelic forces took control of a section of the Filou Road, closing it to travel, and the Count in Bincaraelaen retaliated by closing the Doucusa river to travel at the Bincaraelmaec bridge. These actions crippled regional trade, which was critical to the economy of the second Noulaenic Empire, and the Duke of Carasala felt that a show of force to restore order was required to maintain control of the region and restore trade.

The Duke sent a force of 5,000 troops across the Filou pass, expecting that the Daradaelic force would retreat in the face of superior numbers and that the Count would re-open the river once the road was cleared. Neither the Count of Doucusada nor the Viscount of Daradaela was pleased to see imperial troops entering Ousilia, however, and the two signed a temporary armistice to repel the imperial force.

## Battle

The Daradaelic troops had retreated to just outside the walls of Bincaraelaen, where they were joined by Bincaraelaenic troops to form a force that numbered over 8,000. The Dersialdaric Imperial force met this force along the road north of the city, and was unprepared to for a fight, especially against superior numbers. The Imperial force was outflanked and suffered heavy casualties, leading its general to order a hasty retreat after losing over a fifth of his men. The Ousilic force followed them across the pass but did not engage a second time.

## Aftermath

The truce between the Ousilic forces proved short-lived and tensions continued to restrict trade for several additional years. The empire was not able to negotiate a return to normal trade relations until the signing of the Treaty of Bincaraelaen in 1817, in which the empire ceded considerable control to local lords and lost significant tax revenue.

The psychological effects of the battle far outweighed its military or diplomatic consequences, however, as it demonstrated clearly the weakness of the imperial government in the region. The imperial government was already suffering from significant economic decline and loss of authority in Malaena by this time and the Battle of Bincaraelaen did a great deal to further weaken the prestige and authority of the imperial government throughout the Carasala region as well. Central authority and trade did not recover and gradually collapsed entirely.