The morning sun rose over the plains of Sanyou.
Rows upon rows of Qin banners fluttered against the cold wind while the armies stood motionless, awaiting the signal that would plunge hundreds of thousands into war.
Within the command tent of the Qin center army, the generals gathered around the campaign map.
Great General Mou Gu stood quietly while Hyou Ren studied the Wei formation spread before them.
After a long silence, Hyou Ren spoke.
"The Wei center will be commanded by Gen Pou and Rin Ko."
His finger traced across the map.
"Both are Heavenly Kings of Ren Pa."
He moved his hand farther to the rear.
"The Commander-in-Chief is Hakusai of Wei... while Ren Pa himself remains hidden somewhere behind the lines."
The atmosphere inside the tent immediately grew heavier.
Hyou Ren continued.
"We are not facing one competent commander."
"We are facing three."
"Each Heavenly King is capable of commanding an entire battlefield by himself."
He looked toward Mou Gu.
"Two Heavenly Kings at the front... and Ren Pa watching from the rear."
"That is why we must even the playing field today."
His hand shifted to the battlefield assignments.
"The central right wing will engage Rin Ko."
General Domon nodded.
"And my army..."
Hyou Ren's finger stopped upon Gen Pou's position.
"...will face Gen Pou."
Mou Gu silently approved.
"Very well."
"The battle begins."
The thunder of war drums echoed across the plains.
BOOM!
BOOM!!
BOOM!!!
Thousands of soldiers raised their weapons.
"ADVANCE!!"
The earth shook beneath the feet of hundreds of thousands.
The Battle of Sanyou had begun.
On Qin's central right wing, General Domon led the first assault against Rin Ko's army.
"Charge!"
His soldiers surged forward like an unstoppable tide.
Steel collided with steel.
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
Yet this was only the first probe.
Watching from behind, General Ei Bei narrowed his eyes.
"Now."
His army began advancing.
Alongside him rode three young commanders whose names had already begun spreading across Qin.
Mou Ten.
Ou Hon.
Shin.
Each commanded his own force as they followed Ei Bei into the growing storm.
The second wave crashed into Rin Ko's defenses with tremendous force.
Farther to the left...
Hyou Ren calmly observed the battlefield.
The banners of Gen Pou stood proudly across the field.
"So..."
"They've begun."
He slowly drew his sword.
"Then we shall answer in kind."
The massive Hyou Ren Army began moving.
"The first wave."
Bao Jun lowered his glaive.
Tian Hao tightened his grip.
Without another word, Hyou Ren and his two commanders rode forward together.
"Charge!"
"OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!"
Like a spear piercing through the plains, Hyou Ren's first wave smashed directly toward Gen Pou's army.
Behind them...
Mo Yun raised his sword.
"The second wave!"
Lu Shen smiled confidently.
"Our turn will come soon."
Thousands more prepared themselves.
Farther back still...
Ri Yue remained mounted upon her horse, her army perfectly disciplined.
She watched the battlefield without moving.
"The third wave..."
"...awaits."
The first collision came with earth-shaking violence.
BOOOOM!!
The soldiers of Qin and Wei slammed into one another.
Spears shattered.
Horses screamed.
Men fell by the dozens.
Bao Jun crashed through enemy ranks like a raging beast.
Tian Hao's glaive carved a bloody path across the front line.
At the center...
Hyou Ren himself struck.
His sword swept in a single terrifying arc.
Several Wei soldiers were thrown aside instantly.
The momentum of Qin's first wave began pushing Gen Pou's frontline backward.
Yet...
Not a single Wei command banner moved.
From atop a distant cliff...
An elderly figure calmly observed the battle.
Gen Pou.
His eyes remained completely emotionless.
"...Now."
He quietly raised a single fan.
The signal was given.
The next instant…
FWOOOOSH!!
A massive cloud of thick white smoke suddenly erupted across the entire battlefield.
Within moments...
The battlefield between Hyou Ren's army and Gen Pou's forces disappeared beneath a blinding sea of smoke.
Visibility vanished.
Soldiers from both sides cried out in confusion.
"What is this?!"
"I can't see!"
"Where's the enemy?!"
Even Bao Jun halted his charge.
"Tch...!"
"Tian Hao! Can you see anything?!"
"No!"
Hyou Ren narrowed his eyes.
"...Smoke?"
His instincts immediately screamed that something was wrong.
This was no ordinary battlefield dust.
The smoke spread unnaturally fast, swallowing the entire left-center battlefield.
The banners of Gen Pou...
Had vanished.
Only silence answered from within the white mist.
Then...
Somewhere inside the smoke...
A war horn echoed.
BWOOOOOO
Hyou Ren slowly tightened his grip upon his sword.
"...So this is your move, Gen Pou."
The smoke continued to spread.