Thank you for following up and being active with player feedback. 1.5 was a big update, significant enough that I couldn't even keep playing on the previous version. I deleted the files again for a clean install and stopped Steam Synch. Deleted Cloud saved files from steam and reinstalled the latest patch. Unfortunately, I deleted that save prior to the reply and no longer have it, my apologies. On the bright side, the third round without Steam cloud save and files, I did not notice any army issues. In addition, prior to your most recent patch that is downloading now, the issue with fleeing armies and snow maps also corrected itself. There were still missing textures and white armor on many pieces but the biggest issues were resolved this time. I can not say definitively that Steam save/files were the cause but third time was a charm. Thank you for the updates and following up, I will remember to keep saved files for future reference if needed.
Also, I did not have any mods installed at all.