The two armies met each other on the battlefield and each commander brought their men into their positions. Gaileo's troops were situated on the right flank with 30,000 men. His opponent across the field from him was a Gosei army of 100,000.
"This likely is going to be our most difficult battle yet Gai." Shion said as he looked over the battlefield.
"The odds were worse at Gangwon." Gaileo retorted.
"Surely you know the difference between the quality of armies we faced then compared to now." Shion said.
"Yeah you're right of course." Galileo responded. "Men to your marks!" He ordered as he set his men to their positions.
"Split the cavalry in two. I'll led the men on the right flank. Shion, take command of the cavalry on the left flank. Ma Ten I'll give you command of the infantry and missile troops in the center." He continued.
"Hey how come the new guy gets to lead the infantry and archers? I haven't been in the story for almost ten chapters. I want to do something too." Benji complained.
"Don't worry, you'll be coming with me. I have a plan that you will play a major role in." Gaileo assured him before he continued giving his orders. "As always, I want you to lead the rearguard Kazu. That being said I might have to actually let you fight this time given our numbers disadvantage."
"Yay! Finally it's been too long." Kazuma said excitedly.
"But you're absolutely not allowed to use your special ability." Gaileo instructed him.
"Aww, come on big brother, how am I supposed to fight without using my special ability?" Kazuma asked him.
"Here I'll let you borrow this." Gaileo said as he handed him a Podao. "Now remember, just be in letting you fight doesn't mean you can go wild out there. You still have to follow our orders."
"Kay!" He said excitedly as he admired the sword his brother just gave him as if it was a new toy.
"I just thought of this, but why does Deputy General Gaileo have so many different types of weapons? Every battle he seems to use a different kind. For example in the last battle he used a sword but now he's bringing a massive battle axe to the battlefield." Elara said.
"Oh that? Well as you know he excels in the martial arts. He's highly skilled with many types of weapons. I believe he says that he switches weapons every battle to see which suits him best." Shion answered.
"Eh, it kind of sounds like he doesn't take battles very seriously if he treats it like a game like that." Elara said.
Shion just laughed. "I would have thought that you would know him better by now. There's nobody who takes battle more seriously than Gai." Shion replied.
Soon after the men had taken their positions the battle began. Gaileo started the battle by charging his cavalry on the flanks. Ma Ten held the infantry in a defensive shield wall formation and braced for the impact of the Gosei heavy infantry.
As Gaileo and Shion charged his cavalry, they easily rode over the Gosei troops as they didn't have much cavalry to counter their assault.
"They're completely overrunning our flanks. I'm sure that they expect to crush our flanks so their cavalry can hit our rear with vicious cycle charges as we engage with their infantry. It's a common tactic known as, hammer and anvil strikes. Their infantry will hold us in place as their cavalry hammers our rear flanks." The Gosei commander thought as he surveyed the battlefield. "Everything is going exactly to my plan." He said with a smirk.
At his order, the men on the flanks formed shield walls and the Imperial cavalry was broken against it. Meanwhile the severely outnumbered infantry was being overwhelmed by the Gosei infantry in the center.
"Things are going well, after we crush this army we can help the Great General by attacking the enemy army on the center battlefield." The commander thought. "This is going far better than I expected."
"Sir, a report! The enemy cavalry has broken and have scattered and fled! Victory is within our grasp sir!" A Gosei soldier reported.
"Perfect! Their cavalry was their most dangerous weapon. Without it, our victory will be swift and certain." A Gosei officer said.
"Wait." The Gosei Commander said as he paused in contemplation. "I knew my strategy would be effective at countering the Imperial Cavalry, but this was easier than I expected. Too easy."
Suddenly, the Imperial cavalry had appeared out of the forest and were making their way towards the Gosei Commander.
"The battle is going exactly the way I expected it to." Ma Ten said as he observed the battle.