The battlefield remained swallowed by an endless sea of smoke.
The the ringing of gongs echoed through the haze as Wei soldiers confidently tightened the noose around the Qin vanguard.
Standing atop his command chariot, Gen Pou wore a satisfied smile.
"The fools of Qin."
His aged eyes watched the smoke with complete confidence.
"They have already become blind men. Every movement they make is being relayed by our sound teams. They believe themselves to be charging freely, yet they are dancing in the palm of my hand."
The surrounding Wei officers laughed.
"The Qin commander is finished."
"No one escapes Lord Gen Pou's battlefield."
Gen Pou calmly raised his fan.
"Close the net. Wipe out every last one of them."
Just then…
BOOM!!!
The earth violently shook.
A massive explosion of dust burst from directly ahead of Gen Pou's headquarters.
"What?!"
A section of the Wei frontline erupted as hundreds of cavalry smashed straight through it like a tidal wave.
At their head rode Hyou Ren.
His sword swept across the battlefield, sending soldiers flying with every swing.
Behind him charged Bao Jun and Tian Hao, their cavalry tearing open the carefully prepared formation.
"The headquarters!"
"They've broken through!"
"Stop them!"
Wei officers shouted in panic as Gen Pou's composed expression disappeared for the first time.
"They found us?"
The Qin cavalry pierced through the first defensive line with unstoppable momentum.
Gen Pou immediately barked new orders.
"Second defensive formation! Hold them!"
Thousands of Wei infantry rushed forward.
But Hyou Ren never slowed.
His sword became a silver blur.
Every strike carved a bloody path.
Bao Jun's massive glaive crushed shields and armor alike, while Tian Hao's cavalry cut apart every soldier attempting to reinforce the line.
Within moments…
The second defensive line collapsed.
However...
The instant Hyou Ren's cavalry surged beyond it,
"Now!"
Rows upon rows of sharpened anti-cavalry stakes suddenly rose from the ground.
The charging horses screamed.
Several cavalrymen were thrown from their mounts.
Hidden trenches and picket traps shattered the charge's momentum.
Wei soldiers who had been lying in wait immediately surged from every direction.
"They've stopped!"
"Counterattack!"
The battlefield instantly became a desperate melee.
Bao Jun glanced toward Hyou Ren.
"My lord!"
Hyou Ren's eyes never left the retreating command chariot in the distance.
"Gen Pou."
Bao Jun immediately understood.
He swung his glaive, smashing apart a squad of Wei infantry.
"We'll hold them here!"
Tian Hao pointed his glaive toward the surrounding Wei forces.
"Leave Gen Pou to the General!"
The two commanders led their troops into the thickest fighting, locking tens of thousands of Wei soldiers in place.
Meanwhile...
Only Hyou Ren and his personal guard continued pushing forward.
They leapt over broken stakes.
They rode around collapsed trenches.
Nothing slowed their pursuit.
Far ahead...
Gen Pou's command chariot raced across the battlefield.
"Hurry!"
"Increase speed!"
His officers urged the horses onward.
"He actually broke through..."
Gen Pou clenched his teeth.
"So what?"
"He is alone now."
"He has separated himself from the rest of his army."
"He has walked into his own death, we just need to signal General Renpa."
Suddenly…
One of the escort officers froze.
Gen Pou frowned.
"What is it?"
The officer slowly pointed ahead.
"There..."
Out of the thinning smoke...
An entirely new Qin army emerged.
Thousands of banners appeared across the horizon.
The army advanced in perfect formation, completely blocking Gen Pou's escape route.
At its center rode a woman clad in crimson armor.
Ri Yue.
Gen Pou's eyes widened.
"...Impossible."
His retreat had been cut off.
Behind him…
Hyou Ren's cavalry rapidly closed the distance.
To his left and right…
The Qin army from the third wave spread outward like a closing net.
In mere moments...
Gen Pou realized the truth.
"I..."
"...have been surrounded."
Hours earlier...
When Ri Yue's army entered the battlefield as the third wave, she quietly observed the strange rhythm echoing through the smoke.
"The enemy is transmitting information by sound..."
Her officers nodded.
"Yes, General."
Ri Yue slowly closed her eyes.
"...No."
Everyone looked toward her.
"There are two different patterns."
She listened once more.
One rhythm constantly shifted around the battlefield.
The other...
Remained strangely steady.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"The moving signals track our armies inside this smoke."
"But that second sound..."
"...is something else."
Her finger pointed toward the distant smoke.
"That is where Gen Pou's headquarters is."
Without another word, Ri Yue redirected her entire army.
The soldiers immediately changed course.
Instead of reinforcing the center...
They marched directly toward the hidden command post.
And now...
That single decision had completed the trap.
Back on the battlefield...
Gen Pou looked around.
There was nowhere left to run.
His officers desperately formed a final defensive circle.
"Protect Lord Gen Pou!"
Hyou Ren lowered his sword.
"Charge."
His personal guard crashed into the final defense.
The Wei formation shattered almost instantly.
Moments later...
Hyou Ren stood before Gen Pou's command chariot.
The elderly strategist stared silently at the young Qin general.
"So..."
"You saw through my battlefield."
Hyou Ren stepped forward.
Gen Pou laughed bitterly.
"I underestimated you."
"No."
Hyou Ren shook his head.
"I am simply blessed with the keen eye for talented individuals."
Gen Pou closed his eyes.
Without another word...
Hyou Ren's sword flashed.
SHING!
Gen Pou's head fell from his shoulders.
The smoke slowly drifted away.
Watching from a distance,
Hyou Ren looked across the devastated battlefield before turning away.
"Remember this."
His voice echoed across the silent plain.
"No matter how brilliant a strategist may be..."
"The moment arrogance clouds his judgment..."
"He has already lost."
Thus ended the Battle of the Smokescreen.
Gen Pou, one of Ren Pa's Four Heavenly Kings, fell upon the fields of Sanyou.