Two years had passed since the miraculous defense of Sai.
During that time, the political landscape of Qin shifted dramatically. Ryo Fui, once the most powerful man in the kingdom, attempted a rebellion—but failed. His faction crumbled. Sei, now unshackled from internal power struggles, finally brought the royal court fully under his control.
The Wei invasion, led by the feared Five Dragons, came and went. Qin repelled the threat without deploying Ren or the Gu Ren Tai. Instead, Ren's time was spent on the edges of conflict—fighting in countless skirmishes, mastering the instincts of real warfare. The Gu Ren Tai hardened into a respected force of 4,000 men, with Kai rising to command 1,000 of them.
Now, Qin was ready to strike.
An audacious invasion into Zhao had begun. The target: Gyou—a crucial fortress city deep within enemy territory. The mastermind leading the operation was General Ou Sen, with Yotanwa and Kanki commanding their own forces under his banner.
As the army marched, rumors swirled about the logistics. Supply lines appeared dangerously exposed, with massive carts heading toward Kokuyou—a move that puzzled many. But the truth stunned even the commanders: the real supplies were being diverted to Kinan, far from enemy eyes. A brilliant deception by Ou Sen, meant to foil Zhao's spies.
Meanwhile, Zhao itself was in chaos. The northern city of Seika came under threat from Yan forces led by Ordo. But Ri Boku, ever calm, entrusted the defense to Shi Ba Shou with only 5,000 troops. The rest of his attention returned to Qin's invasion.
King Tou Jou refused Ri Boku's plea to deploy Kantan's elite guards. Instead, Ri Boku began gathering troops from cities surrounding the capital and Gyou.
Then came the first blow: Retsubi.
Ou Sen sent Yotanwa's mountain army and the Hi Shin Unit to take the city guarding the Yellow River. With thunderous roars and sheer force, the Mountain Tribe crushed the enemy morale, opening the path for Shin's Hi Shin Unit to storm the gates. Though the rookies initially faltered, Suu Gen's rallying cries and Shin's devastating use of General Ouki's glaive turned the tide. Retsubi fell.
But it was not a true victory.
Retsubi was a trap that set by Riboku so Ousen thought about a bit and took his elite men and ride to Gyou for inspection.
Upon inspecting Gyou from a distance, Ou Sen saw its near-perfect defenses. The walls, the supply storage, the terrain—everything about the city was designed to withstand sieges for years.
Two days later, he returned to Retsubi. His body bore injuries. So did A Kou and the guards who had accompanied him.
The real war was only beginning.