Warangal, Vijayanagara Empire.
The sun was setting on the horizon, casting an orange hue onto the lush forest. The large field was filled with a large camp. Hundreds to thousands of soldiers were camping in an open field close to the entrance of a large forest.
The Shekhar's family army had stopped for the night to camp on the outskirts of Warangal and were marching to the Reddies region.
The region was always a place that Venkat Shekhar wanted. The resources and trade that passed through the region made it rather lucrative to control. The goods from the two ports pass through the region.
The Reddy family power had waned a lot in the past year, and Venkat was already eyeing an opening during the civil war to take land from them. Being the cautious person, Venkat took measures so he doesn't really fall for a simple trap.
After receiving the message from Nayakas to attack the Reddy family, he deliberately delayed his march, citing logistical issues. He wanted the Nayakas to make the move first, and they made the first move.
The message was received from his spies that Nayakas has routed two armies of both the imperial and cochin factions. Shekhar's doubts about the Nayakas were cleared, and he began to march with the newly acquired equipment from the funds sent by the king of Gajapathi.
The king of Gajapathi even sent a small special unit for his army to assist them in the battles. They were at a huge advantage, and the information from Nayakas confirmed there wouldn't be any reinforcements for them from the imperials.
Venkat Shekhar and his son were having a feast on the joyous occasion. They were so close to acquiring a valuable region for themselves; it was just under their grasp.
Venkat Shekhar drank alcohol from his glass.
"Haaaa!! Son, finally we are so close. We just have to defeat the reddies and take over their land!"
His son, Hemant Shekhar, looked at his drunk father with a grin.
"Yes, Father. Glory to the Shekhars."
Both of them raised their chalice with trembling hands from the euphoria of the alcohol.
"Father… Can we really win against the first and second princes?"
"Why worry about that? We just have to wait and let the Nayakas do the work. They are strong, and they have a plan for it?."
"What if they lied to us?"
Venkat put down his chalice and let out a hearty laugh.
"Nayakas? Lie? In my years of reign, that old man has never lied to anyone; even if the truth was bitter, he wouldn't cower to tell that. He has expressed his displeasure even at the court if he didn't agree with the Emperor, and yet you say he would lie."
"Aren't you trusting their information too easily, father?"
"Well, I did some cross-checks too. There were no movements of any reinforcements, and Nayakas have routed two armies too."
Preparations for the battle were ongoing. Since the shekhars were close to the region of Raghav Reddy. They had to reach the city of Warangal by tomorrow.
The region was expecting a massive battle between two giants of the Empire. Raghav, although fallen, was still one of the massively influential noble houses, and Shekhar was neutral not only due to the Gajapathi support. They also held good military might in the Empire.
A few kilometers from the camp of the Venkat Shekhar's army was the Raghav Reddy army marching on to Warangal. Raghav was tipped off some information about the Shekhar's movement towards their region.
So in the end he decided to send in a message for the reinforcement only to confirm that they were already on the way to the region under the order of the first.
The reinforcements were led by Balaji's eldest son, but the control over the army remained in the hands of Raghav since the prince didn't trust the eldest son with his inexperience leading an army in such a situation.
After a long march. They were close to Warangal, the plan of Raghav to take them head-on. He had bolstered his army with the funds he received from Vriha.
Since he had reinforcements reaching soon. There was no reason to face them in a defensive battle since the quicker he could finish this battle, the less he needed to pay for the upkeep.
But he naturally had his doubts on why Shekhar's, whose patriarch is known as one of the most cautious people in the Empire, would pull such a move at this time.
Raghav clicked his tongue in disgust.
'What the hell is he thinking? that greedy snake.'
The army settled on a riverside for the night. Scouts were sent to monitor any potential ambushes during the night. Raghav was checking the terrain of the surroundings to cook up a plan for the battle.
The commanders of his army were also present for the battle meeting.
"My Lord, how should we proceed for the shekhar?"
Raghav glanced up, his eyes shifting from the terrain map.
"Have the scouts found the composition of their army and where they are?"
A senior commander put down a report.
"This is the report about that, My Lord."
Raghav skimmed through the report.
"So we should be aggressive."
"Yes, my Lord. Fighting close to this forest cover and open field would be good since we can retreat into the forest in case, and it also puts us at an advantage since we already checked the terrain."
Everyone in the tent nodded, agreeing with the senior commander's advice.
"When are the reinforcements reaching our location?"
"By tomorrow. At most we have to fend their army for at least six to eight hours before the reinforcements arrive," said another commander looking through a report.
The Shekhar's army was close to their location. They had to hold out till the reinforcements came in and they could rout the enemy easily. Shekhar's was not adept on defensive formations, and Raghav planned to take advantage of that using his aggressive tactics.
"Prepare for battle. We will win this in the name of Reddy." Raghav declared.