The Emperor's Folly...
It would become one of the most famous bloodbaths of the war, where armies of the newly-fledged Empire broke against a well-positioned alliance of Auspen Princes who wished to remain independent (or, as rumoured, sought to pledge instead to the King of Delon).
The Emperor's Vendetta
It has long been speculated that Emperor Reinhardt’s motivations were not solely tactical, but personal - spurred by a vendetta between himself and the principle architect of the alliance of outer realms, Prinz Eugen von Korzbach. In spite of a distinct tactical disadvantage, and a miserable first sortie, Reinhardt refused to relent in his vow to crush the Auspen “traitors” beneath the weight of the Empire’s new-forged armies.
In this, Prinz Alberingen of Auspenstadt played a key role. Auspenheim was the gateway to the Auspen Principalities, and Alberingen was pledged to the Emperor. On the other hand, the Imperial armies were reliant on the city of Auspenstadt’s material support, and on Alberingen’s counsel, knowing the region and its character as he did.
Prinz Alberingen served his liege, but also advocated a diplomatic solution. He proposed to serve as a special envoy and negotiator with the other Auspen Princes, in order to broker a special alliance through gifts and concessions.
Reinhardt would hear nothing of that. He had already decreed that the pass at Obrau would be taken. No matter the cost, the Emperor was not to be deterred. This led to frequent tensions between the Prince and the Marshal of the Emperor’s armies, Lord Tannhauser. A famously hard man and part of Reinhardt’s personal entourage, Tannhauser took the Emperor’s cause as his own. He vowed that Obrau would fall, and bitterly rejected Alberingen’s counsel.
The Destruction of the Oldgate
It was also at this same time that the fortified bridge at Oldgate was destroyed. This left the Imperial forces cut off from the Torvarian heartlands, and made both retreat and resupply almost impossible. Instead, the Imperial army was obliged to rely almost exclusively upon the support of Prinz Alberingen and Auspenstadt.
Even now, the historians disagree on exactly what happened at the Oldgate. Some say a small force of rebels headed by a Londais wizard were responsible. Others posit that Reinhardt himself ordered the Oldgate destroyed, in order to deny his own forces the option of retreat.
The Defeat
During the siege, the Emperor’s army sustained devastating casualties. Many Imperial officers took Alberingen’s side and petitioned Reinhardt to allow his forces to withdraw. With enemies on other fronts still threatening the borders of the new Empire, they could ill afford to squander their forces on a hopeless struggle.
Lord Tannhauser was ever one of the Emperor's supporters, and decreed that such talk was tantamount to treason, and implemented punitive actions that further weakened morale in the ranks. After several months, and the loss of untold lives, the Emperor’s forces were weak and unprepared. A sortie by the Auspen Princes took a devastating toll, and Lord Tannhauser was forced to swallow his pride and retreat to the walls of Auspenstadt in shame. It was one of the most devastating losses for the new Empire, and for that reason it is rarely spoken of today.
Aftermath
After the lives of many thousands of men were spent, a diplomatic solution was finally brokered near the end of the War of the Phoenix by Prinz Alberingen, securing the allegiance of the Auspen Principalities in return for reparations, and the status of Imperial immediacy within the new Kasparian Empire.
None benefited more from these arrangements than Prinz Alberingen and Auspenstadt itself, such that Lord Tannhauser once alleged that Alberingen was in truth a traitor who played both sides, and subtly sabotaged the Imperial war effort to enrich himself and his principality.
Although this has never been proven, the notion has become a popular one in the heart of the Empire, especially among patriots and soldiers - the notion of treachery seeming more acceptable than naked defeat and the poor judgment of their Emperor.
It has been said that the Imperial garrison at Condor Gate Redoubt, which is practically within sight of the walls of Auspenstadt, is there today to act as a reminder to Alberingen that he will never be trusted.
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