Zhao – Kantan, Royal Court
Zhao's western wall had collapsed.
Gyou, Retsubi, and Ryouyou—all lost to Qin.
Panic swept through the court. Nobles whispered of fleeing the capital. Ministers argued about conscription. The name Ri Boku, once revered, was now spoken in hushed tones or not at all.
But one man remained calm amid the chaos.
Ko Chou, General of Zhao.
A veteran of countless wars, Ko Chou had commanded armies long before most of the current ministers had grown facial hair. Now in his twilight years, he stepped forward to take on the burden Zhao could no longer ignore.
"Kantan stands only because Qin has not yet pushed further," Ko Chou said before the court. His voice was deep, commanding, without fear. "But that reprieve is over."
Chancellor Kaku Kai scoffed. "What do you propose? We have no more elite armies. Ri Boku failed. Ren Pa has not returned. Are we to send old men to die?"
Ko Chou's eyes narrowed.
"Then let old men show you how to kill."
He unfurled a map across the court floor.
"Qin's next target will be Heiyou. If they take it, they gain a straight path to Kantan's eastern gate. They will strike from Eikyuu, and I will meet them there."
The silence that followed was not of doubt—but respect.
At the center of a smoky camp filled with rogue banners and butchered boar, Kan Ki sat on a stool, wine jug in hand.
The Eikyuu Campaign had been approved.
He grinned as he glanced at the map stretched across the dirt beneath him, stones weighing down each corner.
"Ko Chou, huh?" he muttered, licking his lips. "So they're sending the war ghost after all."
Maron stood nearby, arms crossed.
"Ko Chou's no joke. The man's old, but his defense strategies are brutal. If he digs in at Eikyuu, we might not crack him without a bloodbath."
Kan Ki leaned back, stretching lazily.
"Then we won't crack him. We'll unravel him."
He stood, brushing dust from his black cloak.
"Tell the boys to sharpen their knives. We move at dawn."
Elsewhere – Gu Ren Tai Forward Position
Ren crouched over a dirt map etched with troop markers. His scouts had returned from the west.
"Eikyuu's fortifications are active," one of them reported. "They're digging trenches and reinforcing their flanks. Civilian movement has stopped. They're preparing for siege."
Kai looked up. "Ko Chou's serious. We'll need to hit hard and fast."
Ren said nothing for a moment. His eyes locked on the region south of Eikyuu—where the terrain dipped into lowlands and forest.
"They're expecting the Kan Ki Army up front," Ren murmured. "That's fine."
He pointed to the south.
"We'll come from here. Light and fast. No banners. No drums."
"Cut off their supply wagons and burn their morale before the real fight begins."
Kai grinned. "That's more like you."
Ren stood, brushing dust from his palms.
"This won't be Gyou. This won't be a siege. It'll be a hunt."
Meanwhile – Hi Shin Unit, En Route to Heiyou
Shin leaned over the saddle, staring at the sunrise ahead.
"Heiyou, huh?" he muttered. "I thought we'd get more time to rest."
Kyou Kai rode beside him, silent as always.
"But if Kan Ki's leading the charge…" he paused. "We'll need to keep our eyes open. I don't trust that guy."
Behind them, the Hi Shin Unit rode in silence, seasoned and ready. They knew what was coming.
Another war.
Another battlefield.
And perhaps… another name to carve into the pages of history.