A few hours ago, Govinda called in a meeting with his commanders; all the commanders, from senior to junior, were present in the meeting camp. He had found a way to defeat Keshav, using the terrain close by to his advantage.
Everyone gathered around the table, on which a map of the terrain drawn by Rahul and his crew was spread. Govinda stood up with determined eyes, addressing the commanders.
"As you all know, this is my first real battle I am leading."
Karan glanced up from the map.
"My lord. Have you found a way to defeat Keshav with ease?"
"It's not really easy to defeat that man. He is a season veteran in the field after all." Another one
chimed in.
Murmurs broke out in the tent about Keshav's experience and skilled maneuvers in warfare. It was evident they were nervous for the encounter.
"Lord Govinda must have a plan. That's why he told us to gather." Rahul's voice pierced through. The murmuring quickly subsided, and everyone's gaze shifted to Govinda in curiosity.
Govinda cleared his throat momentarily and pointed at the terrain map.
"So this is the plan."
He began to explain his approach to defeating Keshav to the commanders.
"We will feign a retreat to the strip of forest behind the battlefield into the narrow pathway here." Govinda said, pointing at the path on the map.
"During the retreat, we will supplement the preplaced archers with our remaining archers from the battle."
Karan rubbed his chin in contemplation.
"But, My Lord. This is quite a risky strategy, if Keshav notices it. We will be routed."
"Yes, I know. But this is a risk we have to take to win. I know we can't beat Keshav head-on in battle."
A senior commander spoke up, his voice deep and trembling from his age.
"My Lord. This is a good strategy; it can work very well on Keshav."
"Why do you think that? Old man?" Govinda narrowed his eyes skeptically.
"HAHAHA, I have fought alongside Keshav quite a few times. He is an arrogant and prideful individual. He rushes to grab the victory when he sees a glimpse of victory."
Govinda and the others silently listened as the old commander explained the reason.
"We can make him think he is about to get his hard-earned victory. That is the key to luring him into the trap."
"I see,"
Govinda continued the explanation.
"We place an infantry unit with shields hidden in the forest as his army goes into the pathway. The infantry comes and blocks off the entrance, effectively encircling them in that narrow path."
"Any objections to this tactic?"
"My Lord. We should chip away their infantry during the initial battle; that way, their shield wall during the ambush will not pose much of a threat."
Everyone in the room nodded to Karan's suggestion, silently agreeing with him.
"Any other suggestions?" Govinda asked, scanning the room.
"Then it's settled; we will proceed with this strategy." He finally declared.
'I will win this battle for sure. Keshav, be prepared to meet your end' he took a silent vow inwardly.
In the present, a relentless barrage of arrows is raining upon the trapped army of Keshav. Trapped by Govinda's infantry with their tight-knit shield wall from both sides. They were being subjected to the brutal rain of steel.
The soldiers in Keshav's army were panicking at the sudden ambush from the top. The commanders were being picked off one by one by the archers.
The soldiers trying to escape were either skewered by the pikes of the infantry or pierced by the arrow. A bloodbath ensued in front of Keshav's eyes as his army was being decimated into bits and pieces by Govinda.
The shield wall of Keshav's army couldn't hold out as the arrows rained one after the other in quick succession. The shield wall collapsed, and more soldiers began to die from the arrows.
The ground was laid to waste, with blood coating the surface as the rancid smell of the falling intestines and mucus permeated the area. The barren land was now riddled with a skewered mountain of corpses from Keshav's army.
Keshav watched his death approach with hollow eyes. He was walking to the grim reaper in his mind. An arrow pierced through Keshav's head, puncturing and spilling out the cranial fluid as his body fell down with a massive thud.
A mix of cranial fluid and blood dripped from his forehead and the hollow eyes of his lifeless body. The soldiers who saw this spectacle were demoralized to the core as their commander had fallen to the ambush.
More panic ensued, as even the ones fighting tried to escape from the relentless assault by Govinda's army.
Seeing the death of Keshav from a distance, Govind raised his hand to stop the archers. The captain of the archers quickly stopped the onslaught on command.
"SURRENDER OR DIE," Govinda's voice pierced through the battlefield.
The demoralized remaining soldiers of Keshav's army let their weapons down. Noises of the sword clattered onto the ground were heard one by one as soldiers lifted the arms, indicating a full surrender.
"CAPTURE THEM ALL."
The battle had ended with the death of Keshav Pillai on the battlefield, and the enemy had fully surrendered to Govinda's army. Although the casualties in Govinda's army were heavy,. Nonetheless, he had managed to pull off a decisive victory that changed the momentum of the war drastically.
"WE WON!!"
The soldiers began chanting at the victory achieved by the army against Keshav Pillai.
"FOR HONOR! FOR VIJAYANAGARA!!"
"FOR HONOR! FOR VIJAYANAGARA!!"
"FOR HONOR! FOR VIJAYANAGARA!!"
Govinda let out a deep sigh of relief and muttered, "I did it."
The news of the Govinda's victory against Keshav sent ripples through the kingdom as the civil war was intensifying. The first prince's faction bared its fangs by clinching a decisive victory in the first battle of the war.
Meanwhile, Harsha made his way back discreetly to Patwardhan's mansion with the protection of a small entourage headed by Sanjay, the regional leader of Bidar. All the bases were notified of the potential battle, and the regional leaders were called in to Patwardhan's mansion.