The surprise attack from the Imperial Cavalry caught the Gosei infantry completely off guard and many were completely trampled by the charge. Gaileo and Shion charged at the front of the formation and headed straight towards the enemy commander.
"So, this was their goal all along. Their apparent defeat on the flanks was just a feint so they could spring this trap here. It's seems they have more talent for strategy than I had given them credit for." The Gosei Commander thought.
In response to the sudden attack by the Imperial Cavalry, the Gosei commander pulled back some troops to protect himself. This is exactly what Gaileo was waiting for.
"Shion! Keep the pressure on the enemy commander! Cycle charge the enemy infantry!" Gaileo ordered as he split the cavalry forces in half and rode off.
"You can count on me." Shion replied. "Come on men let's make a beautiful attack!" He shouted as he led the men in a charge.
Gaileo had taken his men away from the battle in an effort to break into the center battlefield where he could lead an assault on the enemy HQ. However, as he rode away he was met with heavy resistance by a surprise blockade by the Gosei soldiers.
Being unable to break through, he stayed on his own battlefield and joined Shion in the cycle charging. Although he was unable to complete his goal of breaking through to the enemy HQ, the vicious cycle charges of the Imperial Cavalry caused heavy casualties among the Gosei forces. The first day of battle ended with the Gosei forces losing almost 23,000 men while the Gaileo army only took a little over 1000 casualties.
On the Left Flank Battlefield, the day started with the forces that were most even in terms of numbers with the Gosei fielding 100,000 to the Empire's 90,000. Without a significant numbers advantage the Gosei forces were nearly decimated. Only the Gosei commander's switch to extreme defensive measures saved his troops from being completely routed. The day ended with the Gosei having 45,000 men remaining while the Imperials still had around 75,000 men left.
On the center battlefield, the Great General of the Gosei led his main army of 180,000 men against Great General Justice's 100,000. Though they were outnumbered by 80,000 men, the Justice Army featured the strongest infantry in the entire Empire. The Imperial Noble Swordsmen. With his elite swordsmen, he easily cut swathes through the enemy. Though the numbers eventually wore down the Imperial forces and forced a stalemate to end the first day of battle. It should be noted that Justice did not participate in any of the fighting himself.
After the fighting had ended on each battlefield, each commander met at the main army's headquarters to prepare strategies for the next day.
"Brother, I apologize for my failure to break through the enemy lines and bring a swift conclusion to the battle. I will accept any punishment." Gaileo said as he hung his head in shame in from of his brother.
"There's no need for that. We've actually made better progress than I had anticipated." Justice replied.
"But, don't you usually conquer dozens of countries in a single day? Isn't it far too long to spend an entire day and not even finish a single battle?" Gaileo asked.
"Oh I see, that's what you're worried about." Justice replied. "Do you know what allows me to conquer so many nations in a single day?" He asked.
"No."
"It because most nations will surrender as soon as they hear that I'm leading the assault. I never had any notion that these nations of the North would simply give up and surrender so easily. Therefore, I had assumed that this campaign would likely take over a year. So there's no need to fret over this battle, it's already progressing far smoother than expected."
"I'm glad to hear it Great General. If you'd allow me to present my plan, I can guarantee that the battle will be over by the end of the day tomorrow." Ma Ten said as he appeared and saluted Justice.
Meanwhile, the Gosei commanders were making battle plans of their own. Their Right Army had taken the worst casualties and were in the most dire need of reinforcements. They took several thousand men from their Left flank to reinforce their position. Their Great General had already determined that victory under their current circumstances was impossible. Therefore, he requested a reinforcement army from the capital, and the Gosei King responded by sending an army of over 400,000. With that their goal shifted from victory to stalling the battle as much as possible to give their reinforcements time to arrive.
The second day of the battle started and the Gosei commander opposite Gaileo took a defensive stance just as the rest of the Gosei armies did. They took their position blocking the path to the center battlefield so Gaileo couldn't interfere in the battle between the main armies.
"Sir, are you sure that the enemy will engage us here? There are other paths they could take to the center battlefield." A Gosei officer said to the commander.
"Yes, the other pathways are narrow mountain passes that are difficult to navigate. Someone that isn't familiar with the area could never traverse those trails. Especially not with a large complement of troops." The commander assured him.
Just as the commander had finished speaking, Gaileo's cavalry came charging towards the enemy position at full speed.
"See, just as I had expected." He said.
However, Gaileo and his men didn't charge into the enemy position, rather they avoided them completely and rode through the steep mountain passes. Before the enemy could pursue Gaileo, Shion's squadron charged in to them to keep them pinned down.
"Sir, the enemy commander is getting away!" A Gosei officer reported.
"It's fine, they can't make it to our HQ. There's no way they can navigate those paths." The commander said.
Suddenly, Shion struck at the Gosei commander with his sword and was blocked, but just barely. "I wouldn't be so sure of that. Gai and most of his men are from the North themselves." Shion said with a confident smirk.
The Gosei commander was pushed back by Shion's sword swing. "He's strong, I wasn't expecting that much power from a mere officer. I've fought Imperial generals on previous expeditions and have come out victorious. I should be able to win this fight, there's nothing to worry about." He thought.
After a few exchanges it became clear to the Gosei commander that Shion's power was far superior. "This is preposterous! How could I be losing to this man?" The commander thought. "Am I really going to lose to someone like you?" He said to Shion.
"I know, it would be quite the honor to be cut down by my stylish blade. Unfortunately, your head will be taken by someone far less beautiful." Shion told him, almost as if he was complaining.
As the Gosei commander was confused by Shion's words, he suddenly found that his head had been removed from his shoulders.
"Aah ha! I got him!" A deep voice shouted as a man emerged from the forest. "You guys didn't forget about me did ya?"