Surrender of Cassia

Surrender of Cassia
Date c. 396 Location Shengdi (Cassia) Result Salterri victory Territorial changes Salterri Imperium recovers Shengdi
Combatants
Salterri Imperium	Bordeux	Ignato Empire Hurosha Empire
Commanders
Unknown	Unknown	Unknown
Strength
24,000	21,000	7,000 Ignato 5,000 Hurosha
Casualties
6,000	1,000	2,000 Ignato 1,000 Hurosha

The surrender of Cassia was a disastrous military operation conducted towards the end of the fourth century. A Salterri expeditionary force, together with defenders from Bordeux and peacekeepers from the Ignato and Hurosha Empires, were hit by a fireburst, causing earthquakes and the loss of many lives.

Background

During the mid-fourth century, Bordeux had colonised and occupied the land it called Cassia, a peninsula adjacent to Solus. "Cassia" was in fact sacred land of the Salterri Imperium, known to them as Shengdi, and the colonisation was received badly in Aus-Teire. Together with the disastrous main expedition into Hrathan-Tuor, a naval blockade was instated around Cassia in the War of the Knights of PAIN in 376.

Conflict

Twenty years later, Wandao finally moved to recover Cassia from the Bordeusi. The Imperial army was still recovering from Hrathan-Tuor, but Wandao managed to muster 12,000 troops and the marines from the blockade, which were of similar number. The Bordeusi initially shaped to fight, but were dissuaded by the dispatch of 12,000 troops from the central continent empires of Ignato and Hurosha.

By this time relations between the Triumvirate and the Imperium had improved dramatically and Empress Syana would shortly marry Wandao. Although never verified, it is thought that the initial instructions to the Ignato army was to assist the Salterri in recovering their province. By the time of their arrival, however, the Bordeusi had made clear their intention to surrender the peninsula and the central imperial armies instead assumed a peacekeeping role. This was not sufficient to prevent skirmishes between Salterri and Bordeusi troops, as tensions had been running high for decades, and the army of Bordeux suffered a thousand casualties in the course of the retreat.

Before the imperial armies could withdraw themselves, Shengdi was struck by a fireburst which devastated the region and caused widespread earthquakes. Several thousand troops were killed by the earthquakes or the fireburst.

Aftermath

The Ignato and Hurosha armies accelerated their withdrawal and returned home, leaving the Salterri to deal with the disaster. As they departed, rumours began that men had been seen massing in the broken ground. Within a few weeks, many of the slain soldiers and civilians returned to life, moving south and eastward. Many soldiers in the Salterri army were killed, either during the evacuation or on the beaches of Penoccident trying to turn back the undead. Among the casualties was Wandao's son Xiu Tian'o, which would later lead to a minor succession crisis in the Imperium. Wandao's nephew Li Tailong also fought in these battles, acquitting himself with distinction.