Within the Hyou Ruling City, banners bearing the Hyou crest fluttered proudly above the governor's palace.
After being officially promoted to the rank of Great General of Qin, Hyou Ren now possessed one of the highest military authorities in the kingdom. Along with commanding his own independent army, he was granted the right to appoint generals beneath his command.
Inside the military council chamber, dozens of officers stood silently as Hyou Ren addressed them.
"The Hyou Army will no longer remain at seventy-five thousand."
The room became completely silent.
"It will expand to one hundred thousand soldiers."
The officers exchanged glances. A force of one hundred thousand placed the Hyou Army among the largest military formations in Qin.
Hyou Ren continued.
"Furthermore..."
"Lu Shen."
The veteran commander stepped forward.
"I hereby promote you to the rank of General."
Lu Shen knelt.
"I thank Great General Hyou Ren!"
"Bao Jun."
"I promote you to General."
Bao Jun smiled broadly before kneeling.
"This subordinate shall never disappoint you!"
"Tian Hao."
The calm strategist stepped forward.
"I appoint you General."
Tian Hao bowed respectfully.
"I shall devote my life to Qin."
"Mo Yun."
The fierce commander immediately knelt.
"I promote you to General."
Mo Yun struck his chest with his fist.
"I swear to lead my men to victory!"
The four newly appointed generals saluted together.
"Yes, Great General!"
The Hyou Army had officially entered a new era.
Several weeks later...
A messenger burst through the council chamber doors.
"Urgent report!"
Hyou Ren looked up.
"What happened?"
"The State of Chu has launched a massive invasion!"
Everyone immediately became serious.
"The enemy has broken through Fort Nanko!"
The room erupted into murmurs.
Another messenger quickly entered.
"Additional report!"
"General Tou has already moved his army to intercept Chu."
"Great General Chou Tou has also mobilized."
"And General Mou Bu is marching to reinforce the front."
Ri Yue quietly looked toward the strategic map.
"So... it has finally begun."
Hyou Ren slowly nodded.
"Exactly as we predicted."
At the Eastern Qin Border…
Shin's unit had been stationed along Qin's eastern frontier, guarding against both Wei and Han.
The Hi Shin Unit had only recently received new military orders.
"The majority of the army will immediately reinforce the Chu front!"
"The remaining detachment will stay behind to defend Sanyou!"
Shin mounted his horse.
"Move out!"
Hundreds of soldiers thundered southward.
Hours into their march...
One of the scouts suddenly screamed.
"Enemy!"
Everyone immediately stopped.
Shin rode to the top of a nearby hill.
His eyes widened.
Beyond the horizon...
An endless sea of Wei banners stretched across the plains.
Hundreds of thousands of Wei soldiers were crossing into Qin.
Shin could only shout.
"...What the hell is going on?!..."
The Wei invasion had begun.
Back inside Hyou Ruling City...
Another messenger arrived.
"Emergency report!"
"Wei has launched a full-scale invasion!"
Before anyone could react...
Another messenger burst inside.
"Zhao has invaded the northern frontier!"
Moments later...
Another report.
"Han has crossed the eastern border!"
Then Another.
"Yan armies have begun advancing from the north!"
The council chamber became deathly silent.
Five kingdoms...
Invading simultaneously.
Ri Yue slowly looked toward Hyou Ren.
Neither spoke for several moments.
Finally...
Hyou Ren sighed.
"So..."
"The five nations are finally here."
He looked toward the map of china.
"If Chu, Wei, Zhao, Han and Yan have all committed their armies..."
"...then Qi will most likely join them soon enough."
Several officers looked horrified.
"A Coalition Army..."
Ri Yue nodded.
"We anticipated an alliance."
"But..."
"Not one of this scale."
Even Hyou Ren admitted it.
"This is far larger than any of our estimates."
He immediately stood.
"There's no more time."
He pointed toward the enormous northeastern region of Qin.
"Begin Operation Iron Fortress that was prepared…."
"The worst possible outcome has been come into existence…"
Every officer immediately straightened.
Hyou Ren issued his commands one after another.
"Immediately evacuate every civilian living throughout the northeastern territories."
"Escort every peasant toward Central Qin, closer to Kanyou."
"No civilians are to remain in the borderlands."
The officers hurriedly wrote down every order.
"Next."
"Every small city."
"Every medium-sized city."
"Every isolated castle."
"Will be abandoned."
The room froze.
Several officers looked shocked.
"Great General..."
"Abandon them?"
Hyou Ren nodded without hesitation.
"Every soldier stationed there will withdraw."
"Every weapon."
"Every grain reserve."
"Every blacksmith."
"Every horse."
"Every civilian."
"Everything."
"Relocate them into the largest fortified cities."
Ri Yue stepped beside the map.
She pointed toward five heavily marked cities.
"This strategy is to trade space for time."
She calmly explained.
"Instead of scattering our forces across hundreds of vulnerable settlements, we will concentrate them into a handful of heavily fortified strongholds."
"If any invading state chooses to besiege one of these cities..."
"They will lose precious weeks."
"Perhaps months."
"Every day they spend besieging one fortress is another day Qin gains to redeploy armies, gather reinforcements, and strike elsewhere."
The officers gradually began understanding.
Ri Yue continued.
"Our enemies possess overwhelming numbers."
"We cannot afford to defend every wall."
"So..."
"We shall force them to fight only where we choose."
Hyou Ren smiled slightly.
"Exactly."
He pointed toward the five cities.
"After the evacuation..."
"The entire northeastern frontier will contain only five major defensive cities."
"No more hundreds of isolated castles."
"No more vulnerable villages."
"Each fortress will possess varying numbers of troops between thirty-five thousand to one hundred thousand defenders albeit mostly green for war, but it is enough."
His finger rested upon Hyou Ruling City.
"Our capital fortress..."
"Will hold the largest and most capable of the one hundred thousand soldiers."
Silence filled the chamber.
Such concentrations of troops had rarely been seen in Qin's history.
One elderly officer slowly spoke.
"I've... heard of this strategy before."
Hyou Ren nodded.
"It was the doctrine of the ancient Duke State."
"Long before the Duke Hyou State of old surrendered his lands to Qin centuries ago."
"When we were surrounded by stronger enemies..."
"The Dukes abandoned their outer territories."
"They concentrated every soldier into their greatest fortresses until the invaders exhausted themselves."
Ri Yue smiled.
"For centuries..."
"No one has ever implemented the strategy again."
"Today..."
"It returns."
The officers looked at one another.
History...
Was repeating itself.
Hyou Ren folded his arms and smiled faintly.
"...Seems those history lessons really were useful after all."
Far beyond Qin's borders...
The banners of Chu, Wei, Zhao, Han, and Yan continued marching toward Qin from every direction.
The greatest war in generations had finally begun.