The morning sun slowly rose over the Coalition Army's immense encampment.
Unlike the previous day, there was little excitement. Soldiers quietly prepared their weapons while officers reviewed formations. The air was calm, yet beneath that calm lay a tension that threatened to erupt at any moment.
Inside the Coalition headquarters...
Shun Shin Kun stood before a large battlefield map, calmly observing the movements of every army. Without turning around, he spoke.
"You're up early."
A familiar voice answered from behind him.
"I only just arrived."
Ri Boku stepped into the tent before directing his gaze toward the map.
"So..."
"Will Chu finally deploy Kan Mei today?"
Shun Shin Kun smiled faintly.
"No."
"Today, Chu's Second Army will take the field."
Ri Boku raised an eyebrow.
"The Second Army..."
"I've heard surprisingly little about them."
"They're a rather new force that has only recently risen to prominence."
"What kind of army are they?"
Shun Shin Kun let out a quiet chuckle.
"If I had to describe them in one sentence..."
"...they have a problem with their personality."
Ri Boku narrowed his eyes.
"I see..."
"So they are that kind of army."
Soon after...
The Chu Second Army finally began its advance.
However...
Instead of sending their own elite troops forward...
The remnants of Rin Bun Kun's First Army were ordered to march first.
The battered survivors looked utterly confused.
"W-We're leading?"
"But... we're exhausted!"
Before anyone could question the order...
A commanding voice echoed across the battlefield.
"KA RIN!!"
Kan Mei rode toward the Second Army, his massive frame radiating overwhelming pressure.
He glared directly at the woman lazily reclining atop an enormous platform carried by dozens of soldiers.
General Ka Rin.
She looked down at him with complete indifference.
"What?"
Kan Mei frowned.
"Why are Rin Bun Kun's men at the front?"
"They've already suffered enough casualties."
Ka Rin yawned.
"Because I don't care."
"The bald idiot is dead."
"So why should I care what happens to his soldiers?"
"If they all die..."
"They all die."
The surviving Chu soldiers could only grit their teeth.
Kan Mei's expression darkened.
"You call this strategy?"
Ka Rin smirked.
"Of course."
"It's part of my plan."
Kan Mei folded his arms.
"What exactly are you trying to accomplish?"
For the first time, Ka Rin's playful smile disappeared.
Her eyes became frighteningly sharp.
"The conquest..."
"...of Kankoku Pass itself."
Even Kan Mei remained silent.
Ka Rin continued.
"I have another request."
"Send this message to every commander in the Coalition."
Kan Mei waited.
Ka Rin smiled.
"Tell every army..."
"...to fight conservatively."
"There is no need to rush."
"Kankoku Pass..."
"...will fall in ten days."
Thus...
The second day of battle unfolded.
Unlike the ferocious clashes of the first day...
Neither side committed their full strength.
Small skirmishes erupted across every battlefield.
Arrows flew.
Cavalry charged.
Infantry clashed.
Yet no commander sought a decisive engagement.
Both Qin and the Coalition simply observed one another.
When dusk arrived...
The second day quietly came to an end.
The third day...
Passed in exactly the same manner.
Then the fourth.
The fifth.
The sixth.
Every day became a battle of endurance.
Neither side blinked.
Neither side overextended.
At Duke Hyou's headquarters...
Hyou Ren looked across the battlefield before speaking to Ri Yue.
"This kind of battle..."
"...is exactly what Qin desires."
Ri Yue nodded.
"We are fighting on our own land."
"Our supply lines remain secure."
"We have food."
"We have reinforcements."
"We can continue this war indefinitely."
Hyou Ren looked toward the distant Coalition camp.
"But they cannot."
"The Coalition has gathered hundreds of thousands of soldiers from four different states."
"Every passing day..."
"...their supplies diminish."
"The longer this continues..."
"...the greater Qin's advantage becomes."
Duke Hyou laughed loudly.
"GYAHAHAHAHA!"
"So that's your game!"
"Then let's see whose patience breaks first!"
Days continued to pass.
The battlefield remained locked in an uneasy stalemate.
Until...
The dawn...
Of the fifteenth day.
Horns thundered across the plains.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Countless drums echoed through the mountains.
Within the Coalition camp...
Two massive armies finally began to move.
Kan Mei's Army.
And...
Ka Rin's Army.
Their combined advance shook the earth itself.
Across Kankoku Pass Plains...
Tou slowly mounted his horse.
At another battlefield...
Mou Bu gripped his gigantic mace.
Both Qin Generals understood.
The real battle...
Was finally beginning.
At Coalition Headquarters...
Ri Boku watched the enormous armies march forward.
"The ten days of attrition are over."
He calmly looked toward the towering walls of Kankoku Pass.
"To be precise..."
"After exhausting Qin through ten days of continuous warfare..."
"The Coalition will now wager everything."
"Every soldier."
"Every general."
"Every reserve."
"Every resource."
"In one overwhelming assault."
He slowly closed his eyes.
"This..."
"...is the decisive battle."
Far away...
Hyou Ren silently watched the approaching Coalition armies.
The wind blew across the battlefield.
Every Qin commander instinctively tightened their grip upon their weapons.
On this day...
The fifteenth day...
The Battle of Kankoku Pass...
Would finally reach its climax.