Third Day of the Battle of Sanyou
The morning air over the battlefield was heavy.
After two days of brutal fighting, both Qin and Wei soldiers had reached their limits. The ground was stained with blood, countless banners had fallen, and yet the battle for Sanyou had only reached its most dangerous stage.
At the centre battlefield, the Hyou Ren Army had completely reorganized.
The formation was unlike anything the Wei soldiers had expected.
On the left stood Tian Hao and Bao Jun, commanding their forces like two blades protecting the army's flank.
In the centre was Hyou Ren himself, alongside Ri Yue's army, holding the core position.
On the right stood Mo Yun and Lu Shen, forming the final pillar of the formation.
But what confused everyone was not the deployment.
It was the shape of the army.
The Hyou Ren Army had deliberately created openings throughout their lines.
Large empty spaces appeared between units, gaps that seemed to invite the enemy to charge directly through.
A formation that looked like a mistake.
A formation that looked like weakness.
A formation that looked like an army waiting to be destroyed.
A Wei officer stared at the battlefield in disbelief.
"Is... is that a mistake?"
Another soldier shook his head.
"No. Look carefully."
The officer narrowed his eyes.
"The gaps... they are too perfectly placed."
At the centre, Hyou Ren watched silently.
"This is the False Gap Formation."
A formation designed not to stop the enemy.
But to control where the enemy believed they could go.
The moment the enemy entered the gaps, the entire battlefield would shift around them.
However, one man immediately understood what he was seeing.
Rin Ko.
The Heavenly General of Renpa looked across the battlefield with a calm expression.
"So that is your answer."
His eyes sharpened.
"You are trying to make my army hesitate by showing weakness."
A smile appeared on his face.
"Interesting."
Then Rin Ko raised his sword.
"Begin."
The Wei cavalry moved.
But instead of charging straight forward, they began to rotate.
Thousands of cavalrymen moved in a circular motion, creating two gigantic spirals across the battlefield.
The Qin soldiers froze.
The sight was overwhelming.
Two enormous wheels of cavalry turning faster and faster, their momentum growing with every rotation.
An old Qin soldier widened his eyes.
"That technique..."
Another commander clenched his teeth.
"Rindou."
A tactic Rin Ko had once used against Ouki.
A method designed to break through even the strongest defensive formations by constantly increasing pressure until the enemy's formation collapsed.
The Wei infantry remained behind the spirals, waiting.
Rin Ko's cavalry became a storm.
Then suddenly…
They struck.
The two spirals split apart and pierced forward.
The Qin soldiers prepared themselves for impact.
Hyou Ren narrowed his eyes.
"So he intends to force his way through the centre."
He grabbed his weapon.
"Everyone prepare. We will crush their advance."
But then…
The impossible happened.
Rin Ko suddenly changed direction.
The cavalry storm turned.
Not towards the centre.
Towards the left.
Hyou Ren's expression changed.
"He changed targets?"
The Wei cavalry smashed into the left side of the Qin formation.
The Qin soldiers were caught completely off guard.
The spiral formation had not been used to break through the centre.
It had been used to hide Rin Ko's true movement.
Bao Jun immediately reacted.
"He's trying to destroy our left wing!"
Tian Hao gritted his teeth.
"He used the entire formation as a distraction..."
Hyou Ren stared at the battlefield.
Rin Ko was not trying to defeat him directly.
He was trying to make him move.
To force him into reacting.
Then suddenly…
A messenger arrived.
"Commander Hyou Ren!"
The soldier was covered in dust and blood.
"Urgent report!"
Hyou Ren turned.
"What happened?"
The messenger struggled to speak.
"Renpa has appeared!"
The entire command tent went silent.
"General Renpa himself has entered the battlefield!"
Hyou Ren's eyes narrowed.
"Where?"
The messenger swallowed.
"He has broken through towards Qin Central headquarters."
A moment later another messenger arrived.
"Commander!"
"Kaishibou's army has appeared!"
Hyou Ren looked towards the right battlefield.
The messenger continued.
"Mo Yun's army has been attacked from the rear! Kaishibou is crushing their formation!"
The battlefield map suddenly became clear.
Hyou Ren stared at it.
Three attacks.
Three directions.
Three fatal points.
Renpa had not been aiming for one victory.
He had created a situation where every possible response would lead to disaster.
If Hyou Ren moved left, Rin Ko would break his centre.
If he moved right, Kaishibou would destroy Mo Yun.
If he remained still, Renpa would kill Mou Gu at headquarters.
A perfect trap.
A battlefield designed to suffocate the enemy.
The officers around Hyou Ren looked tense.
"General, what should we do?"
But Hyou Ren remained silent.
Then another messenger arrived.
"Report!"
"Kaishibou's army detachment has reached the Qin Right headquarters!"
Everyone froze.
"He destroyed Kanki's headquarters..."
The messenger lowered his head.
"But Kanki was not there."
A strange silence followed.
Then Hyou Ren smiled.
A small laugh escaped him.
"Hahaha..."
The officers looked confused.
"Commander?"
Hyou Ren looked towards the far right side of the battlefield.
"Renpa..."
"You truly are terrifying."
His eyes sharpened.
"You prepared three traps at the same time."
He pointed towards the enemy headquarters.
"But you forgot something."
A signal appeared in the distance.
A Qin flag.
Then another.
Then another.
The Wei soldiers began to panic.
A scout rushed forward.
"Commander! Emergency report!"
"The Wei headquarters..."
The soldier struggled to understand what he was seeing.
"They are under attack!"
Everyone turned.
Hyou Ren's smile widened.
"From the right rear."
The officers immediately understood.
"Kanki..."
Hyou Ren laughed.
"So that was the reason."
While Renpa was using his Heavenly Generals to surround Hyou Ren...
Kanki had disappeared.
He had allowed his headquarters to appear empty.
He had allowed Kaishibou to believe he had won.
All while moving his army around the battlefield.
Now, as Renpa attempted to create a three-sided death trap...
Kanki had created his own trap.
A fourth blade aimed directly at Wei's heart.
Hyou Ren looked at the battlefield.
Renpa.
Rin Ko.
Kaishibou.
Three monsters attacking him at once.
But on the other side...
Mou Gu.
Kanki.
The Qin commanders were also moving.
The battle had transformed into something beyond a simple clash of armies.
It was now a battle between strategies.
A battle between monsters.
Hyou Ren raised his weapon.
"Everyone."
The soldiers turned towards him.
"The enemy believes we are trapped."
His eyes burned with excitement.
"Then let them believe that."
"Today, we show them why the Qin army cannot be easily crushed."
The drums of war thundered again.
The third day of Sanyou had only just begun.