Masakado's Last Stand - AAR part4

 -Turn6

 The imperial punitive army stroke back. With fire it eliminated an encircled red unit and made some units retreat by melee. But Masakado was not going to switch to a defensive stance at all. 

 In this game, units of the initiative player have to attack all the adjacent units. Although the non-initiative player can't attack during a melee phase, he/she can make the opponent launch a disadvantageous attack, which can be practically considered as an "attack" by the non-initiative player. 

 The rebel army encircled one blue unit, forcing it to attack and be eliminated. Also on the left, the red commander Yoshitachi fired to put a blue unit in disordered status and eliminated it by melee. The momentum has not shifted to the imperial army yet.

-Turn7

 The blue commanders Hidesato and Sadamori fired at Masakado. If Masakado got disordered or "rout", the punitive player would attack him by melee in the hope of eliminating him, which would bring an immediate victory to the imperial army, but their arrows just made Masakado recoil. 

 While Masakado's army has suffered some losses, the punitive army has been bleeding a lot since the start of this battle. Its numerical superiority has now been lost, with the opponents retaining the powerful commanders Masakado and Yoshitachi. To restrain the actions of the still powerful enemy, the punitive force moved just one unit and ended the movement phase. Most of the Masakado's army couldn't engage in melee. 

-Turn8

 Last turn. The blue commanders, this time Tamenori and Sadamori, fired at Masakado once more but he remained intact. This turn again just one unit, the overall commander Sadamori, moved. Masakado, who lost the initiative, could do nothing. The overall commander of the imperial army Sadamori stood at the forefront of his troops and attacked a disordered red unit which was eliminated. 

 Finally, the battle has ended. Masakado got 23 victory points, the punitive force 36 points. The latter won. Masakado would be beheaded and the rebellion suppressed, but the samurai worriers in eastern Japan were never tamed by the government in Kyoto. Two and half centuries later, with their support Minamoto no Yoritomo founded the Kamakura shogunate there.