The gates of Sai slowly opened.
Inside the city square, thousands of civilians had gathered in fearful silence.
Men.
Women.
Children.
The elderly.
Merchants, farmers, craftsmen...
Their faces were filled with confusion and dread.
Rumors had already spread throughout the city.
Kankoku Pass...
An enemy army...
Forty thousand Zhao soldiers...
The end of Qin...
Fear consumed every heart.
Standing upon the raised platform before the gathered citizens were two figures.
One wore the robes of Qin's Chancellor.
The other stood calmly beside him, dressed in royal black.
The square buzzed with anxious whispers.
"Who are they?"
"Is it true...?"
"The King is really here...?"
Shoubunkun slowly stepped forward.
Without raising his voice...
He simply stood in silence.
The entire square gradually quieted.
Even the restless children stopped speaking.
Only after absolute silence had fallen did Shoubunkun finally open his mouth.
"My name is Shoubunkun."
"I serve as Chancellor of the Left of Qin."
His powerful voice echoed across the square.
He then turned toward the young man beside him.
"And the man standing before you..."
"...is none other than our sovereign."
"His Majesty..."
"Ei Sei."
"The Thirty-First King of Qin."
Silence.
A complete silence unlike any before.
The citizens stared with widened eyes.
"..."
"..."
Then...
As though struck by lightning...
Every single citizen dropped to one knee.
Thousands bowed their heads at once.
"The King..."
"His Majesty..."
"So he truly came..."
Many could no longer hold back their emotions.
Especially the elderly.
Old men and women who had lived through countless wars openly broke into tears.
To them...
A king leaving the safety of Kanyou to stand beside common citizens was something they had never imagined witnessing.
Some sobbed uncontrollably.
Others lowered their heads in gratitude.
The entire city had fallen completely silent.
Ei Sei slowly stepped forward.
His gaze swept across every citizen gathered before him.
Without hesitation, he began to speak.
"I am Ei Sei."
"The King of Qin."
"Hear me well..."
"People of Sai."
Every eye remained fixed upon him.
"Due to the valiant efforts of our soldiers..."
"We have successfully held Kankoku Pass."
A wave of relief spread across the crowd.
But it lasted only a heartbeat.
"However..."
"An enemy detachment numbering thirty thousand men has slipped through the Southern Passage."
"They are already marching toward Sai."
The crowd froze.
"The city of Kanyou is not prepared for battle."
"In other words..."
"Sai..."
"...is the final line of defense."
His voice became even firmer.
"I say this once more."
"If Sai does not stop this enemy..."
"Qin..."
"...shall perish."
Those words struck every citizen like a hammer.
Some trembled.
Others clenched their fists.
Many lowered their heads in despair.
Ei Sei looked directly at them.
"I understand your fear."
"I understand your terror."
"You are not soldiers."
"You are fathers."
"Mothers."
"Sons."
"Daughters."
"You have every reason to wish for safety."
His voice softened.
"But..."
"The only people capable of stopping this invasion..."
"...are you."
The words echoed throughout the city.
Silence followed.
Not a single person spoke.
Then...
An elderly man slowly stood.
"If Qin falls..."
"...our grandchildren will become slaves."
A middle-aged woman tightened her grip on her farming hoe.
"My husband died protecting this kingdom."
"I will protect what he left behind."
A young blacksmith raised his hammer.
"If the King is willing to stand beside us..."
"Then how can we hide?"
One after another...
More people rose.
"I'll fight!"
"I'll protect Sai!"
"For Qin!"
"For our families!"
The voices multiplied.
Children shouted.
Women raised farming tools.
Old veterans lifted rusted spears.
Even the elderly refused to remain behind.
Soon...
The entire city erupted.
"UUOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!"
"We will fight!!"
"We will defend Sai!!"
"We will never surrender!!"
The roar of the people shook the city walls themselves.
Shoubunkun stared in disbelief.
Many officers standing behind him could not hide the tears in their eyes.
Shin grinned widely.
"This..."
"...is Qin."
Ei Sei raised his sword toward the heavens.
His voice carried across the entire city.
"Then let us fight together!"
"O children of Qin!"
"We shall fight until the very end!"
"We shall never abandon this kingdom!"
"We will surely protect Qin!!"
"UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
The thunderous cries of Sai echoed across the plains.
Meanwhile...
Far behind Sai...
A cloud of dust approached from the direction of Kanyou.
At its head rode Kaioku.
Behind him marched one hundred elite retainers.
Upon reaching the city gates, Kaioku immediately dismounted before Ei Sei.
"Your Majesty."
"Lord Shouheikun has sent reinforcements."
"Though Kanyou cannot spare an army..."
"He has entrusted me with one hundred of his finest vassals."
Shoubunkun nodded.
"So Shouheikun has made his move..."
Kaioku looked toward the horizon.
"The enemy will arrive soon."
Everyone followed his gaze.
Far beyond Sai...
A massive wall of dust slowly rose into the sky.
The earth began to tremble.
Boom...
Boom...
Boom...
Countless banners emerged from the dust.
The black characters of Zhao fluttered violently in the wind.
At the center...
Riding calmly at the front of forty thousand elite soldiers...
Was the man whose strategy had shaken all of China.
Riboku.
His eyes rested upon the walls of Sai.
The siege of Sai...
Was about to begin.