The deafening blast of war horns echoed across the Kan Plains.
An endless sea of Qin and Zhao banners fluttered beneath the morning sky as over one hundred and ninety thousand soldiers prepared to decide the fate of northern Qin. Silence lingered for only a heartbeat before thousands of feet shook the earth.
The first day of battle had begun.
On the Qin right wing, Mo Yun's ten thousand soldiers crashed into the twenty thousand commanded by Fuu Ki. The Zhao strategist immediately attempted to manipulate the battlefield with carefully arranged formations, hoping to lure the Qin commander into several prepared kill zones.
Yet every maneuver was answered before it could fully unfold.
Mo Yun did not rely on calculations.
He relied on instinct.
Every feint, every hidden ambush, every subtle shift in the enemy formation was sensed almost as if he could see through the battlefield itself. Whenever Fuu Ki believed he had gained the advantage, Mo Yun would unexpectedly redirect his troops, collapsing the trap before it could close.
For the first time in years, Fuu Ki found an opponent who instinctively dismantled strategies that had taken hours to prepare.
"Impossible... How does he keep seeing through my formations?"
However, despite repeatedly gaining opportunities to press his advantage, Mo Yun never pursued recklessly.
He remembered Hyou Ren's orders.
"Never overcommit. Win the exchange, not the battle."
Every time Zhao began to falter, Mo Yun simply withdrew slightly before continuing his harassment.
The battle became a frustrating stalemate that slowly chipped away at Zhao's confidence.
The center battlefield unfolded in an entirely different manner.
Ri Yue led her ten thousand elite horse archers across the open plains like flowing water. Rather than engaging directly, her cavalry continuously circled around Ri Haku's twenty thousand soldiers, showering them with endless waves of arrows.
They never remained still.
They never allowed themselves to be surrounded.
Every charge from Zhao was met with another retreat, only for the horse archers to wheel around and strike from another direction.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Thousands of arrows darkened the sky.
Ri Haku clenched his fists.
"Damn them! Stand still and fight!"
Instead, Ri Yue smiled calmly.
"Attack until they lose their patience."
Her strategy was remarkably simple.
Continue attacking.
Continue exhausting them.
Continue destroying their morale.
The moment Zhao attempted to retaliate, her cavalry would retreat while drawing them ever closer toward Lu Shen's waiting army.
Hidden behind Ri Yue's mobile force, Lu Shen remained perfectly disciplined.
His soldiers conserved their strength while the Zhao army wasted theirs chasing shadows across the battlefield.
Every minute that passed weakened Zhao further.
On the Qin left wing, the battle exploded with unmatched brutality.
Bao Jun and Tian Hao led simultaneous assaults against Shou Mou's twenty thousand troops.
Steel collided with steel as the three commanders clashed personally amidst the chaos.
Although Shou Mou possessed twice the manpower of either opponent individually, the combined pressure of Bao Jun's overwhelming strength and Tian Hao's relentless assaults forced him completely onto the defensive.
It was then that Mangoku made his move.
Leading twenty thousand soldiers, he smashed directly into the rear of the Qin left wing.
Dust erupted across the battlefield.
Many Zhao officers laughed.
"It is over!"
"The Qin left has fallen!"
Yet none of them realized...
This was exactly what Hyou Ren had intended.
From the very beginning, Hyou Ren's strategy had been to force Zhao into advancing into the single most vulnerable position imaginable.
Overextended.
Separated.
Without support.
The instant Mangoku's army committed itself...
A war horn thundered across the plains.
The hidden Qin reserve moved.
"Advance!"
Ten thousand soldiers under Hyou Ren erupted from concealment like a tidal wave.
Before Mangoku could even comprehend what was happening, Qin forces crashed into both flanks of his army.
The encirclement closed with terrifying speed.
"What?!"
"Impossible!"
Mangoku's confident advance instantly transformed into desperate survival.
Seeing his army collapsing around him, Mangoku made one final gamble.
"If I kill Hyou Ren... Qin will collapse!"
Gathering his personal guard, Mangoku charged directly toward the Qin General.
Across the battlefield...
Hyou Ren merely smiled.
"So you've come."
Without issuing a single command, he rode forward alone.
The two commanders crossed paths amidst thousands of soldiers
.
Mangoku roared as he swung his glaive with all his strength.
Hyou Ren's sword flashed.
Only once.
A single clean strike.
For a brief moment, everything became silent.
Mangoku's body continued forward several steps before collapsing from his horse.
His head struck the earth.
The Zhao commander was dead.
The battlefield froze.
"Mangoku... has fallen..."
Shock spread throughout the Zhao ranks.
Panic quickly followed.
Far behind the lines, Kouson Ryuu immediately recognized the danger.
"Mangoku is dead!"
"Deploy the entire reserve!"
His remaining twenty thousand soldiers surged forward without hesitation.
However...
It was already too late.
Unknown to every Zhao commander present...
Qin had never intended to achieve a decisive breakthrough today.
Hyou Ren's true objective had already been accomplished.
Mangoku was dead.
Zhao's final reserve had been committed.
Their entire battle formation had been revealed.
Every hidden card now stood exposed.
As evening approached, neither army possessed enough strength to continue pressing the attack.
War horns signaled withdrawal.
The first day ended with neither side gaining territorial superiority.
Yet both armies understood that something important had changed.
The second day passed.
Then the third.
Then the fourth.
Then the fifth.
Battle continued across every front.
Skirmishes.
Arrow exchanges.
Small cavalry engagements.
Minor assaults.
Yet no commander from Zhao attempted another large-scale offensive.
Inside Qin headquarters, an uneasy silence settled over the command tent.
Hyou Ren studied the battlefield map while Ri Yue, Lu Shen, Mo Yun, Bao Jun, and Tian Hao gathered around him.
Finally, Hyou Ren spoke.
"...Something is wrong."
No one answered.
"They've lost Mangoku."
"They've committed every reserve."
"They know Qin reinforcements are coming."
He looked toward Ri Yue.
"If they truly intended to invade Qin..."
"...why have they stopped attacking?"
Ri Yue slowly nodded.
"I've been wondering the same thing."
"Their movements no longer resemble an invading army."
Lu Shen added quietly,
"They're waiting."
"But waiting... for what?"
Silence filled the tent.
No answer came.
Only growing suspicion.
Hyou Ren slowly looked north toward the Zhao camp.
"What is your true objective...?"
Night gave way to dawn.
The sixth day arrived.
Before either army could move...
A colossal war horn echoed across the plains.
Its sound shook the heavens themselves.
Every soldier stopped.
Every commander turned.
On the distant horizon...
An endless wall of Qin banners emerged through the morning mist.
One hundred thousand fresh soldiers marched across the plains in perfect formation.
At their head rode two legendary figures.
The monstrous giant...
Mou Bu.
Beside him...
The Great General whose very presence inspired the entire kingdom...
Ouki.
The Qin reinforcements had arrived.
Cheers erupted throughout the Qin ranks.
But inside Hyou Ren's headquarters...
No celebration came.
Instead, Hyou Ren narrowed his eyes.
Ri Yue wore the same expression.
"This..."
"...doesn't feel right."
"If Zhao truly feared these reinforcements..."
"...why did they wait for them?"
Neither commander spoke another word.
Far beyond the battlefield...
An unseen conspiracy was quietly beginning to move.