To write the history of is to write the history of Europe’s military evolution. They began as renegades fighting for survival against Poland. They matured as the Tsar’s most feared irregulars against Sweden and Prussia. They peaked as the legendary "Scourge of Napoleon" who camped on the Seine.
Initially, Napoleon dismissed Cossacks as "barbarians" and "the disgrace of Europe." At Austerlitz (1805), the Russian Cossack contingent under Bagration fought bravely but was shattered by massed French artillery. Cossacks- European Wars
This created a delicate balancing act. A player could field a massive army, only to find their economy collapsing because they ran out of coal during a firefight. Once the shots stopped flying, the soldiers were sitting ducks. This "upkeep" mechanic meant that players had to constantly expand their resource base, capturing neutral villages and building sprawling networks of mines, mills, and storehouses. It was a game of logistics as much as tactics. To write the history of is to write