Chola Empire vs Qarakhanids

I'm still testing elephant armies with regular generals on Elephants. In this game I used a Chola army and faced an experienced player using Qarakhanid.

The main concept using Chola was to screen the elephants with the infantry. Contrary to all my previous games, I organized the army with a regular archer center and two wings with regular blades fast. The three elephant packets were deployed in second line, to act as reserve. The wings had also some PsO and IBwI to provide support to the RBdF.

As defender I had and excellent battlefield, with both flanks protected and some brush flat to help my infantry. The Qarakhanid deployed with a lot of ILhS on the open flank to attack me there. He decided to use all the PsO to attack my right flank through the wood. A risky choice, because the center was made by just cavalry and would be a perfect target for my elephants.

Afraid to be outflanked, I gave the higher pip die to the left flank and the lower one to the central corps, that having the CiC as commander let me move both the archers and the elephants even on low pips. I assumed that the archers would need not many pips once advanced in shooting range.

As expected, the turk reacted to the chola advance trying to outflank both wings

The Chola advance was very aggressive, and soon the elephants passed through the RBdF to threaten the qarakhanid cavalry. The Turks, put in TZ, had not many choice and charged to engage with overlaps and and hard flank advantage

The elephants were deadly and soon gaps appeared in the qarakhanid first line. Reserves had to fill them. In the meantime the chola left wing was able to manouver and protect its flank. ILhS had no other solution than a frontal charge against BdF supported by elephants. Not very good.

Chola CiC corps was plagued by low pips, but finally could charge its elephants to support the ones already in combat. Turks took more and more casualties

Turkish light horse were not able to pierce the indian left wing

Qarakhanid center was routed, and now the elephants engaged the turkish pip dump corps, with the hordes near the army baggage

The last desperate turkish counterattacks were unsuccessful and the elephants smitied the qarakhanid for a 25-0 final result.

The turkish gamble failed, IPsO would be probably more useful protecting the cavalry.