The night before the battle was strangely quiet.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers rested beneath a sky lit only by the moon and scattered campfires. The vast Qin army stretched across the plains of Sanyou, every soldier knowing that by sunrise they would march against one of Wei's greatest armies.
Within the headquarters, however, one man could not sleep.
Great General Mou Gu silently stared at the campaign map before letting out a long sigh.
"...Foh..."
Whenever pressure weighed upon him, he had a peculiar habit.
He would quietly remove his magnificent general's armor, change into the worn clothing of an ordinary foot soldier, and leave the headquarters unnoticed.
No guards.
No attendants.
No officers.
Just an old soldier wandering through the camps.
He would walk among the men, listening to their laughter, their complaints, their dreams of returning home. Only after walking until his feet ached would he finally find a lonely patch of grass, lie upon it, and empty his mind beneath the stars.
Tonight was no different.
Mou Gu eventually reached a quiet grassy hill overlooking the countless campfires below.
He slowly laid himself down.
"..."
His eyes drifted toward the moon.
Tomorrow...
He would once again face the man who had haunted nearly his entire military career.
A faint smile appeared.
"So... once again..."
Then….
THUD!
"...Eh?"
A foot landed squarely across his face.
"O-Oi! Sorry!"
A startled young voice echoed above him.
Mou Gu blinked before seeing a familiar young commander hastily jumping backwards, a freshly caught rabbit hanging from one hand.
Shin scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I didn't even see you lying there, old man."
Mou Gu simply chuckled.
"Foh... no harm done."
Shin looked around before crouching beside him.
"You here alone?"
"I simply wished for some fresh air."
"Same."
Shin held up the rabbit with a grin.
"Caught dinner."
Before long, a small fire crackled between them.
The smell of roasted rabbit slowly filled the cool night air.
Shin tore one of the legs free before offering it over.
"Here."
"You'll share it?"
"Course. I caught a big one."
Mou Gu accepted it gratefully.
"...Thank you."
The two quietly ate beneath the moonlight.
After a while Shin glanced sideways.
"You know..."
"Hm?"
"You're pretty huge for a foot soldier."
Mou Gu burst into hearty laughter.
"Foh Foh Foh!"
"I suppose I am."
Silence returned.
Then Mou Gu spoke.
"When I was a young man..."
"There was someone I fought again... and again..."
"Every single time..."
"I lost."
His voice remained calm.
"No matter how hard I tried... I could never defeat him."
"I watched him rise higher and higher while I remained beneath him."
"Years passed."
"My hair turned gray."
"My body grew old."
"And now..."
"...I must fight him once more."
Shin quietly stared into the fire.
"So that's what's bothering you?"
"...Perhaps."
Shin shrugged as though the answer were obvious.
"Then what's there to worry about?"
Mou Gu blinked.
"Hm?"
"This is your chance."
"You don't need to beat him every time."
"You just need to beat him once."
Shin pointed toward the battlefield beyond the darkness.
"If the last man standing is you..."
"...then you're the winner."
"So just win this one."
"The last laugh will be yours."
The words were simple.
Crude.
Completely lacking in military philosophy.
Yet they struck deeper than any grand strategy.
Mou Gu's eyes widened.
Then...
His shoulders began shaking.
"...Foh..."
"...Foh Foh..."
"...FOH FOH FOH FOH!"
His laughter echoed across the empty hill.
"You're absolutely right!"
"What was I thinking?"
"I've spent my whole life losing..."
"...yet if I win only this final battle..."
"...then it shall be my victory!"
He stood up.
The hesitation that had burdened his heart had vanished.
His old eyes once again shone with determination.
He smiled warmly at Shin.
"Thank you... young commander."
Shin merely scratched his head.
"I didn't really do anything."
"Oh..."
Mou Gu laughed.
"You did far more than you realize."
The old general walked back toward headquarters with steady steps.
Tomorrow...
He would challenge Renpa one last time.
And this time
He would fight to win.
The following morning.
The entire Qin army stood ready.
Countless banners fluttered beneath the morning wind as drums thundered across the plains.
From atop a hill, Hyou Ren observed the battlefield with calm eyes.
Across the valley, the army of Wei had finished deploying.
"Their formations are complete..."
His gaze swept across the enemy lines.
On Wei's left wing stood one of Renpa's Four Heavenly Kings.
Kaishibou.
The monstrous warrior commanded the entire Wei left army.
Opposing him would be Qin Vice General Kanki.
Whether it became a massacre or a masterpiece of deception, no one could predict.
Hyou Ren shifted his attention to the opposite wing.
The Wei right army was led by another Heavenly King.
Kyou En.
The peerless archer whose arrows had claimed countless generals.
Standing against him...
Qin Vice General Ousen.
A battle between two commanders whose minds were as deadly as their weapons.
Finally...
His eyes settled upon the center.
Great General Mou Gu had divided Qin's central force into two defensive fronts.
The left center was entrusted to Generals Domon and Eibi.
Behind them waited the reserve army.
Young commanders who represented Qin's future.
Mouten.
Ouhon.
And Shin.
Ready to reinforce wherever the battlefield demanded.
On the right center...
Hyou Ren himself commanded the line.
Beside him stood the commanders of the Hyou Army.
General Ri Yue.
Lu Shen.
Bao Jun.
Tian Hao.
Mo Yun.
Seventy-five thousand elite soldiers formed an unbreakable wall beneath the Hyou banner.
At the very heart of the battlefield...
Great General Mou Gu remained within the central headquarters, calmly observing the movements of the entire war.
Hyou Ren slowly narrowed his eyes.
"Renpa..."
"This battlefield will decide the fate of Sanyou."
The war that would shake all of China...
Was about to begin.