Lake Chudskoye. For centuries, this body of water situated on the vast border between Lehlia and the Kislevite states served as a source of fish and water for the local Kislevite peasants and Lehlian nomads.
When the unchanging, ancient cold of the Kislevite winter arrived, this tranquil lake would freeze into a massive, thick sheet of ice. During the long and harsh winters, it became a shortcut—a vital path for commerce and travel used by merchants and wanderers moving between the two lands.
No one could have guessed that this serene lake would become the site of the greatest decisive battle in Kislevite history. From this conflict, a supreme ruler and autocrat of all Kislev would emerge, a figure who would seize the destiny of this world for the first time since the collapse of the ancient Kislevite Empire.
When Lehlia declared war on Perturabo, the border units of both sides had already engaged in a series of skirmishes. Countless encounters of varying scales took place, yielding mixed results as Perturabo's forces and the Lehlian troops traded victories.
However, these small-scale border clashes could not decide the outcome of the war. While these skirmishes occurred, both Perturabo and Wadisvav were massing their main hosts, seeking the perfect moment to destroy the opposing army in a single, decisive stroke.
Having established a modern army that could be summoned or dismissed at will, Perturabo was able to muster his forces far more efficiently than his hollow-shelled opponent. He was prepared for the final confrontation long before the Lehlians.
Vassal entities like Novgorod and the various Kossar tribes—driven by fear, admiration for Perturabo, or other complex motivations—also mobilized much faster than the Lehlians. They arrived at the assembly points designated by Perturabo ahead of schedule, reporting for duty to the rising Lord of Iron.
As for the unfortunate souls who failed to arrive on time for various reasons, they became examples for Perturabo to "slaughter the chicken to warn the monkeys." The Lord of Iron executed them in a brutal fashion to terrify his remaining subordinates into absolute obedience.
On the other side, the King of Lehlia gathered his forces according to traditional law. Under Lehlian statutes, any noble, regardless of rank, who swore fealty to the King had an undeniable obligation to serve him. Whenever the King marched to war, the domestic nobility was required to assemble their private levies and join the royal host at a designated rallying point.
Of course, the King of Lehlia could not demand unconditional service indefinitely. According to Lehlian law, the period of mandatory service for a noble was forty days per year. Once a campaign exceeded forty days, the King had to begin paying wages or promising a larger share of the spoils to retain the nobility's loyalty.
In the ancient past, Lehlian chieftains and early kings used this system to muster armies for their conquests, creating the early golden age of Lehlia.
In that era, when the Winged Hussars were invincible under heaven, a Lehlian campaign rarely lasted more than forty days. Even if it did, the kings of that time possessed enough gold and loot to compensate the nobles for their time away from their lands.
Now, however, Wadisvav faced a pressing urgency to deal with Perturabo within forty days to avoid paying the nobility. The reason was obvious: in his effort to build a modern army capable of rivaling Perturabo's Streltsi, he had nearly exhausted his private treasury.
When his request to increase taxes for the new army was rejected by the Royal Council, King Wadisvav realized he could only rely on his personal wealth. He spent the accumulated riches of over a dozen generations of Lehlian kings to form his "Black Army."
It was a stark reality that for any feudal monarch, forming a professional, well-trained modern army was a crushing financial burden—unless they were a master like Perturabo, who had amassed a fortune through the arms trade.
While Perturabo marched through Kislev with tens of thousands of Streltsi, the Black Army, which had drained Wadisvav's wealth, numbered only a few thousand men—barely a tenth of Perturabo's force.
To build this "low-budget" version of the Streltsi, King Wadisvav had not only emptied his treasury but had also signed loan agreements with wealthy merchants, granting them rights to operate in industries previously restricted by the crown just to raise the necessary funds.
With the situation growing more tense, Wadisvav naturally hoped for a quick decisive battle to end the war and avoid further expenditure. Having spent nearly all his wealth on the Black Army, he lacked the means to pay the nobles the gold and spoils they were entitled to.
Thus, upon learning of Perturabo's latest movements—specifically that Perturabo was personally leading his main force toward Lake Chudskoye on the border—the desperate Lehlian King did not hesitate. He decided to make Lake Chudskoye the site of the final battle, intending to crush Perturabo there.
As if accepting an "invitation" from Perturabo, the King of Lehlia marched his Black Army alongside a massive host of private levies from Lehlian and Kislevite princes toward the lake, hoping to settle everything in a single engagement.
Blinded by his hunger for victory, King Wadisvav did not pause to consider Perturabo's true intentions. Had he spared a thought, he might not have been so dismissive. Unfortunately, Lehlia's historical strength led him to abandon such reflection, placing all his hopes on a crushing, overwhelming offensive.
A thousand years after the fall of the Kislevite Empire, two of the largest armies in Kislevite history arrayed themselves near Lake Chudskoye. They prepared for a confrontation where the prize was all of Kislev; only the victor would become the supreme ruler and autocrat of the world.
The conflict known to later generations as the "Battle on the Ice" was about to begin. The actors were in place, and a grand drama was set to open.
This drama, however, was performed with iron and blood. Any actor who failed to play their part well would have to offer their life to satisfy the bloodthirsty audience.