Kingdom (キングダム)

We're through the woods!

Diao... is that...?

Yeah: the left-hand battlefield, with Zhao general Ji Hui!

The formation on the hillock would be Ji Hui's army.

Ma Kuang's army is the one pushing forward with their backs to us.

This is something else.

I mean... no one said Ma Kuang's army was getting so far in!

Ma Kuang? Oh, right, General Wang Jian's second commander.

Hey--look!

Red and white flags, attacking Ji Hui's army on the far side of that hill!

What?!

Those flags belong...

LE

...to the Le Hua Force!

Lu Xian, charge from the right!

Pierce the defenses of the main Ji Hui forces!

Got it! C'mon!

JI

ZHAO

Ji Hui, sir, the second wave of enemies behind us has made it through!

If we don't call in Mǎ Cheng...

No! The front won't hold out without him!

I'll go. Come with me!

Sir!

W-Wait a sec. Ma Kuang's army and the Le Hua are runnin' a pincer attack...

Isn't Ji Hui's army totally backed into a corner here?!

Yep!

And the Le Hua Force in the back is getting really close to their HQ, too!

Ji Hui was so tough at Heiyong, too...

Hell, yeah, Meng Tian! Show 'em who's boss!

But this might not be enough to clinch it for us.

Right. And General Wang Jian wants Ji Hui dead, which is why we're here.

This is our best possible chance, Xin.

Yeah!

We may be late to the party, but it's all part of Wang Jian's strategy!

Let's go, Fei Xin Force! We're takin' Ji Hui's head!

THE ONE-HIT-KILL DETACHED FORCE

They're focused on the Ma Kuang army in front of 'em and the Le Hua Force in back.

We slip between 'em to their HQ

and kill Ji Hui in one fell swoop!

Diao, raise the flags!

Huh? Why bother?

There's no way Ji Hui won't notice us ridin' in there in these numbers.

So we might as well make a grand entrance, eh?

They'll damn well know the Fei Xin Force's might. And then...

After this fight, I'll become a general!

Uh-huh.

Flags up! All of 'em!

FEI

The Fei Xin Force is gonna charge!

Let's go!

Urgent message! Ji Hui, sir!

An enemy cavalry is approaching from the east. About 600 to a thousand of them!

Another thousand or so, when we already have our hands so full?

And... their flags bear the character "Fei."

It's likely that these approaching troops belong to the Fei Xin Force!

The what?!

We can't underestimate the Fei Xin Force.

It was in their raid on Heiyong that Qing She...

Which led to Liu Dong's death, too.

Our foe from Heiyong: the Fei Xin Force.

FEI

Have they come to slay me, as Wang Jian's one-hit-kill detached force?

But I've fought them once before--and I won't misjudge their strength.

Dissolve the rear formation. We'll fall back to our last line of defense.

But if we're entrenched at the top, we'll lose our emergency escape route.

Better to leave the rear alone and have Mǎ Cheng stop the Fei Xin Force out front.

No! Our forward defenses are hanging on by a thread.

If those crumble, it's all over!

But it's likely that by the time we fall back and regroup,

the Fei Xin Force will be upon us!

He's right.

We'll go!

LIU

You--

General Liu Dong's bodyguards!

LIU

The 200 of us will ride out to stop them.

No:

We'll take the heads of their captain Xin and their lieutenant Qiang Lei--

even if it costs us our lives!

All of you...

MǍ CHENG ARMY

Mǎ Cheng, sir, the Fei Xin Force seems to have made it through the eastern second wave!

Dammit! And I couldn't help even if I tried!

What kind of drills does this Ma Kuang guy give his troops, anyway?

Sir! A cavalry is heading for the Fei Xin Force!

Those flags... That's Liu Dong's--

Those guys...

You be sure to watch over them, Liu Dong.

Take that!

Die, Fei Xin Force!

LIU

You!

You're Qiang Lei!

Liu... Dong...

We're goin' in, Fei Xin Force!

Their headquarters are just ahead!

FEI

LE HUA FORCE

The Fei Xin Force is here?

That's them, all right--racing up through the gap between us and Ma Kuang's army!

Keep shoving, troops!

We'll use the Fei Xin Force's appearance to force our way up!

LE

MA KUANG ARMY

The Fei Xin Force is approaching from the right, headed for their HQ!

The Fei Xin Force?

Were they Wang Jian's star players in all this?

Our lord's strategy is hardly so superficial.

War is like a current. Anyone can float into the sunlight.

This is the most dreaded situation for the enemy.

Of course, the star of the left is none other than yours truly.

It's time. Send the rest of the elite squad on an assault.

We'll sink Ji Hui and his headquarters into those murky waters.

Charge! It's an assault! Crush their HQ!

Ji Hui, sir, Ma Kuang's army out front...

We... We have their entire army on us now.

Is this it?

Ji Hui!

Ji Hui!

The Fei Xin Force?!

It can't be!

So you came, Fei Xin Force.

What are you doing?! Guards! Grab them!

Get the general to higher--

What's that shouting?

Report! The rear enemy has breached our third wave!

A huge number of them are racing here from the breach point!

LE

Meng Tian, sir, their headquarters are in sight!

Lu Xian! Circle right and cut off Ji Hui's exit!

Sir! May fortune be yours!

All right! We've got you cornered, Ji Hui, you bastard!

We're gonna end this here and now!

Getting here was easier than I thought.

All thanks to Ma Kuang's army and the Le Hua.

Put all your efforts into stopping the Fei Xin Force.

That's unreasonable! The enemy's approaching from the back side, too!

Even if we do manage to stop the Fei Xin Force...

No. We must retain our current shape!

Our current... shape?

We're not the only ones with our backs against the wall.

And Wang Jian's not the only one who can use

a one-hit-kill detached force!

An enemy attack?

No! Ma Kuang's poleaxe!

Why, you're...

Ma Kuang!

...Li Mu.

Got him!

Ma Kuang!

Shut up.

Li Mu!

L-Li Mu?

Li Mu slayed Ma Kuang, the enemy commander?

What was he doing there?

What on earth just happened?

ZHAO

You're heading up a detached force yourself, sir? You're serious about this?

Li Mu, sir...

I don't get it.

Usually you don't want a general to suddenly disappear from HQ.

Mǎ Cheng's right.

If you need a detached force, Jin Mao's your man!

What's so funny, Mǎ Nanci?

It's not that kind of detached force.

Li Mu's talking about an assassin squad,

one that can fell an enemy commander in a single blow.

Assassin?

This isn't the first time, I'm guessing.

Is it, Kaine?

No, of course not.

Li Mu's been using that same method to cull Xiongnu heavies in Yanmen, up north.

It really is a one-hit kill.

Got to where they'd be quaking in their boots at the sound of his name.

But the fact remains that it's extremely dangerous.

It's no exaggeration to say that this is a battle of both flanks.

I ask only for you to remember that I will take the field

if the foe on either the left or right lets down their guard.

It's all right, Kaine.

These tactics always succeed against a foe who doesn't know I use them.

On this first day, I swear:

Ma Kua--

I shall deal the decisive blow

that will turn the tides of war irrevocably in our favor.

Ma Kuang?!

--Ma Kuang? --Ma Kuang!

What a man he is,

this member of Zhao's Three Greats,

this Li Mu...

The rest is up to you, Ji Hui.

Leave it to me!

Spread the word to all troops in all units:

Zhao commanding general Li Mu has himself slain

Qin's left-flank commander, Ma Kuang!

I repeat: Zhao commanding general Li Mu has slain

Qin's left-flank commander, Ma Kuang!