The iron jaws of Qin's strategy had clamped shut.
Ri Boku, commander of Zhao, had failed to rally Kantan's elite forces. No reinforcements would come. And now, Gyou was completely encircled.
Ou Sen's true strategy emerged like a storm cresting the hills.
The Kan Ki Army remained to keep pressure on Gyou, intercepting any Zhao reinforcements except those coming from Ryouyou and Atsuyo.
Yo Tan Wa and Heki, reinforced with part of Kan Ki's army, turned south to engage the Ryouyou army led by Kou Son Ryuu.
The main offensive would fall upon Atsuyo, with a combined Qin force of 88,000 men:
Ou Sen's 70,000 central army,
Shin's 8,000 Hi Shin Unit,
Ou Hon's 5,000 Gyoku Hou Unit,
Mou Ten's 5,000 Gaku Ka Unit, and—
now fighting alongside them on the left—Ren's Gu Ren Tai, recently grown to 4,000 elite men.
"Ren," Ou Sen had said simply, "You'll be on the left wing, under Ma Kou's overall command. Work with Mou Ten. Reinforce, respond, and observe."
Ren bowed, silent, but his eyes scanned the war map intently. Something was wrong—he could feel it.
The battle opened with Ma Kou placing himself in the center, A Kou on the right, and Mou Ten seemingly left to handle the overwhelming 30,000 Zhao troops under Ki Sui with just his 5,000 men.
But Ren noticed the trap forming—Mou Ten's left was too open.
"Kai," Ren said to his second, "Have our Gu Ren Tai hold position just behind Mou Ten. We'll reinforce once the storm breaks."
Just as expected, Ki Sui surged forward—and Mou Ten barely trapped his right-hand officer. Ma Kou stepped in, rotating his forces in to relieve the left.
That's when it happened.
Ba Nan Ji launched crushing attacks on Ma Kou's center, pinning him down.
And then, like a shadow through the chaos, Ri Boku appeared.
Ren's instinct screamed.
From the far edge of the left flank, a cold wind blew, and the Gu Ren Tai's vanguard spotted an unmarked Zhao detachment, moving far too precisely.
"General! Something's coming. They're not attacking—they're... bypassing the front!"
Ren's eyes narrowed.
"They're after Ma Kou. Move! Now!"
The Gu Ren Tai broke into a sprint through the rear lines, heading toward the center. Ren and Kai led the charge, weaving past stragglers and wounded.
Too late.
As they crested a ridge, they saw it:
Ma Kou, surrounded by loyal guards, fell under Ri Boku's sword. The Zhao general turned, his expression unreadable, and retreated immediately—Ren just seconds too late to intercept.
"Damn it!" Ren shouted, fury flashing in his eyes.
He and Kai chased the tail end of Ri Boku's retreat, but with no support and no orders to pursue, they were forced to fall back.
The Ma Kou Army Cracks—Then Rises Again
The Ma Kou army began to unravel.
Seeing this, Ren immediately pulled the Gu Ren Tai into a tight formation and met up with Mou Ten, who was already reorganizing the remnants.
Mou Ten, dirt-smudged and bloodied, stood calmly with his usual sly smile.
"So you saw him too," Mou Ten said. "Ri Boku."
"I tried," Ren growled. "I was ten seconds behind."
"That's ten more than anyone else could've managed," Mou Ten replied. "Now help me lie."
Together, they orchestrated the resurrection of the Ma Kou Army.
Mou Ten told the commanders Ma Kou had survived. Ren backed the lie with authority, sending Kai to deliver the same message across the fractured formations. Ren's quiet, confident presence helped stabilize morale.
Shin and Riku Sen held the left and right. Ba Tei was baited in. Kyou Kai drew his forces away. The Gaku Ka Unit reinforced the center. Ki Sui, once confident, now hesitated.
By nightfall, the battlefield had stabilized.
And a message came.
"Mou Ten is to be promoted to General, with full command of the Ma Kou Army."
Ren nodded in approval. Despite their failure to save Ma Kou, they had preserved his legacy—and his army.
War's Second Day
As dawn broke, the new general Mou Ten played Ki Sui and Ba Tei like pieces on a game board. The Gu Ren Tai now operated as an agile response unit, rotating between support and ambush strikes.
Ren stood with Kai on a ridge, overlooking the chaos below.
"We couldn't save him," Kai said.
"No," Ren said softly. "But we saved everyone else."
His eyes turned toward the enemy's center.
"And this isn't over. Not by a long shot."