Battle of Sosotau (155 AW)

Combatants| * Imperial Princes

Commanders| * Ludimik II
* Prince Deslov
* Bolkov Tarassev  †
* Ivkar Milovin  †
* Kabinel Nozhnov
* Eubomir Kiriasanenko

Forces| * Golden Army
* Princely Army of Kinzova
* Princely Army of Toscov
* Second Imperial Volunteer Army
* Prince Deslov's Warband
* Eastern Defence Army
* Prince Zhincis' Warband

***“**Briefly before Sosotau, Zhincis gathered his men and told them that they would be outnumbered five, mayhaps ten to one. He turned to his friend, Kiriasanenko, and smiled. "An easy victory!" he said.**”***
— Tale of Fifteen Princes

The **Battle of Sosotau** was the last major battle of the War of the Fifteen Princes fought between Emperor Ludimik II and Prince Deslov against the Rebel Prince Zhincis. After the fall of Prokhov Pass more than a week earlier. the Imperial Princes had free reign to invade the Principality of Arkhalesk which had become Zhincis' headquarters and the last holdout of the Rebel Princes.

Zhincis and Eubomir Kiriasanenko knew that the Imperials were crossing entire companies across the Kinzovan Mountains with each passing hour, resulting in their situation getting direr with each passing day. Therefore, the two generals opted to attack as rapidly as possible to prevent being overwhelmed by the Empire's numbers.

Despite extreme cold and blizzards raging through the area as the area faced a much harsher and longer winter than usual, the Rebel Princes went on the offensive. Two days before the battle, double agents were fed false intel that Zhincis had moved his troops to Sosotau, a minor village with less than a thousand inhabitants. In the coming days, Ludimik II and Deslov took the bait and gradually encircled the village from a large distance.

Finally, on the 32nd of Greenburst, they launched an attack from all sides of the village. The Golden Army came from the north, the Armies of Kinzova and Toscov from the west, the Second Volunteers from the east, and Deslov's Warband attacked from the south, hoping to cut off any retreating rebels. However, when all armies converged on the village, they found only confused peasants, with neither Zhincis nor a single rebel soldier in sight.

That was, for only a few minutes, when the rearguard of the Kinzovan and Toscovish armies reported being attacked. Zhincis had defied all odds and marched straight into the Kinzovan Mountains despite the extreme weather, where they waited out of sight amongst the snow for days. Subsequently, the entire western fronts of the Imperial army collapsed in a panic.

Ludimik II ordered the generals of the two armies, Bolkov Tarassev of the Army of Toscov and Ivkar Milovin of the Army of Kinzova to gather their troops and push back Zhincis, but it was already far too late. Their armies had been routed completely, and they were overrun. Ivkar Milovin was the first to die, taking an arrow through the eye, whereas Bolkov Tarassev stood his ground and was cut down by Zhincis' cavalry.

Ludimik II, enraged at the failure, called on all his forces to retreat north, yet Zhincis pushed forward, retaking Sosotau itself and cutting off Deslov's Warband to the south of the village. To link up back with the Emperor and his Golden Army, they would have to circle around the village to the east, which was still secured by Kabinel Nozhnov's Second Volunteer Army. Deslov gave the order, abandoning his position, yet the Volunteers were intercepted by Eubomir Kiriasanenko, who had lied in wait to the east of the village. Caught between the two armies, the Volunteer Army began to break and be pushed back, leaving Deslov stranded with no way to safety.

Ludimik who was already retreating had learnt of Deslov being cut off and reluctantly turned around. He threw his Golden Army, the Empire's elites, at the combined lines of Zhincis and Eubomir, briefly causing a breakthrough that allowed what remained of the Second Volunteers and Deslov's Warband to retreat to safety. Shortly after, all Imperial forces began a semi-organized retreat north, abandoning the village with their tails between their legs.

Sosotau had resulted in humiliation for the Imperial Princes and a major victory for the Rebel Princes. For every rebel that died, five imperial soldiers died with them. While the Imperial Princes had more troops to muster than the Rebel Princes, the extreme losses of Sosotau killed any momentum their offensive had, and they were rapidly pushed back across Arkhalesk. Most notably, Ludimik's Golden Army, which had been the backbone of the Empire's offensive campaigns for years, was left devastated due to the reckless and desperate charge into the Rebel lines to save the two encircled armies. In the coming battles, this deficiency in the Golden Army allowed the Rebels to recapture all lost eastern lands and even retake the city of Kinzova.

The Battle of Sosotau, besides being a major turning point in the War of the Fifteen Princes, has also been immortalised as an act of military brilliance and is widely regarded as Prince Zhincis' masterpiece. It has become a case study for generals aiming to improve their capabilities in setting ambushes and fighting in extreme winter weather that is taught to this day.