The battlefield of Sanyou had become a place where every second carried the weight of thousands of lives.
The false gap formation continued to twist and distort the battlefield. The Qin army appeared to be collapsing in certain areas, inviting Wei forces to push deeper, yet every movement had been carefully calculated by Hyou Ren.
From the top of his command position, Hyou Ren watched the battlefield silently.
The screams of soldiers, the clash of weapons, and the sound of war drums filled the air.
Then, he slowly closed his eyes.
For a brief moment, everything around him disappeared.
The movements of the enemy, the positions of his commanders, the timing of the Wei attacks, all of it played inside his mind like a map.
Then his eyes opened.
A cold determination appeared on his face.
"This is not a battle of strength anymore..."
His commanders looked toward him.
"This is a war against time."
Hyou Ren looked toward the battlefield where Bao Jun and Tian Hao were desperately fighting against Rin Ko's forces.
"Ren Pa has already set the board. Every trap, every ambush, every movement was designed to force us into a mistake."
He tightened his grip on his bow.
"But the longer this battle continues, the more dangerous it becomes for Qin. We cannot allow Ren Pa to control the flow until the very end."
Hyou Ren turned toward his commanders.
"Rin Ko must be eliminated."
The order was unexpected.
Rin Ko was one of Ren Pa's Heavenly Generals. Even wounded and exhausted, he remained one of the most dangerous commanders on the battlefield.
But Hyou Ren knew something.
As long as Rin Ko remained active, he would continue to coordinate Wei's movements and prevent Qin from turning the battle around.
"Rin Ko is the key piece protecting Ren Pa's trap," Hyou Ren said. "Remove him, and the entire left side of Wei's formation will lose its balance."
"We must accomplish it quickly."
His expression became serious.
"Because we do not have the luxury of a long battle."
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the battlefield, Kaishibou's army continued pushing forward.
The giant warrior watched the strange movements of the Qin formation with suspicion.
"The false gaps in their formation..."
Kaishibou grunted.
"That brat is creating openings to lure us in."
His soldiers looked uncertain.
"But General, should we continue advancing?"
Kaishibou smiled.
"Of course."
His massive weapon rested on his shoulder.
"A formation that creates a gap is a feast that needs to be devoured."
However, Hyou Ren had already prepared for him.
"Lu Shen."
The commander stepped forward.
"You will hold Kaishibou."
The battlefield became silent for a moment.
Even Lu Shen understood the difficulty of the order.
"Hold down one of Ren Pa's Heavenly Generals?"
Hyou Ren nodded.
"Yes."
Then he looked toward Mo Yun.
"You will support Mo Yun."
Hyou Ren replied calmly.
"It doesn't need to be a victory."
The commander looked at him.
"You only need to stop him from influencing the battlefield."
At the center, Ri Yue watched the chaos created by the false gap formation.
The Wei army was completely focused on the opening Hyou Ren had created.
Their attention was drawn toward the attacking Qin forces.
Ri Yue narrowed her eyes.
"Everyone is looking at the wrong place."
She turned toward Hyou Ren.
"Milord Husband."
Hyou Ren looked at her.
"You have an idea."
Ri Yue nodded.
"The false gap formation is not only a trap to lure Wei forward."
She pointed toward the Wei headquarters.
"It also creates a path."
The surrounding officers immediately understood.
"If Wei Headquarters believes Qin is breaking through the right side, their commanders will focus all attention there."
Ri Yue smiled.
"Which means the center will become empty."
She pointed forward.
"I should go."
A brief silence followed.
Hyou Ren understood her plan.
"You want to break through the center and attack Wei headquarters."
Ri Yue nodded.
"Ren Pa's entire strategy depends on controlling the battlefield from the rear. If we disrupt his command structure, the entire Wei army will lose coordination."
Hyou Ren looked at the battlefield.
At that moment, Kanki's forces were attacking from the right side, creating even more confusion among Wei's commanders.
A perfect distraction.
Hyou Ren smiled slightly.
"That is exactly why you are the one who noticed it."
Ri Yue prepared her troops.
"I will not chase the enemy generals."
She looked toward Wei's headquarters.
"I will cut off the head."
Far behind the battlefield, Ren Pa watched everything unfold.
At first, his expression was confident.
The trap had worked.
Qin was forced to react.
But then...
His eyes widened.
"What..."
He saw the movements of Hyou Ren's army.
The false gaps.
The controlled retreats.
The sudden reinforcement toward Rin Ko.
The breakthrough toward the Wei headquarters.
Ren Pa slowly lowered his weapon.
"He saw through it..."
His soldiers looked confused.
"General?"
Ren Pa's expression became complicated.
Not anger.
Not disappointment.
Something closer to excitement.
"This man..."
A smile appeared on his face.
"Instead of trying to escape my trap, he turned my trap into his own battlefield."
Ren Pa laughed.
"Hyou Ren... you are not simply responding to my moves."
He looked toward Qin's formation.
"You are forcing me to respond to yours."
For the first time in the battle, Ren Pa felt genuine pressure.
But then his expression changed.
Because another battle was waiting.
A battle between two great generals.
Behind the battlefield, Mou Gu stood before him.
Ren Pa gripped his weapon.
"Enough strategy."
His eyes became sharp.
"Now it is time."
The two commanders stepped forward.
Ren Pa smiled.
"Let us see if Qin's old general still has the strength to stand against me."
Mou Gu laughed softly.
"Ren Pa..."
He raised his weapon.
"You have always been too troublesome."
The battlefield around them continued to burn.
While Hyou Ren fought a war of tactics against time...
Ren Pa and Mou Gu prepared for a war between legends.