But in 618, to punish Pulakeshin for his audacious move on southern Gujarat, Harsha had to cross the Narmada river into the Deccan — which tilted the odds in Pulakeshin’s favour. With his control over the northern Deccan solidified by his of economic and political integration, Pulakeshin could now scout out Harsha’s route of attack and contest the northern emperor’s attempts to cross the great river. Even if Harsha’s larger were to cross the Narmada, this unwieldy force of infantry, cavalry and elephants had to enter the thickly forested Vindhya foothills in order to capture or defeat Pulakeshin — negating their advantage in numbers.