Kingdom (キングダム)

All Ma Kuang troops! Hear this:

Ma Kuang lives!

I repeat: Ma Kuang lives!

General Ma Kuang...

is alive?!

Lies! Ma Kuang was undeniably slain by Li Mu!

The reports are true! Yes, Ma Kuang was seriously wounded.

But he just now regained consciousness!

You lie!

Ma Kuang's head went flying--I saw it myself!

Ma Kuang lives!

I repeat: Ma Kuang lives!

Wh-Who's telling the truth?

Y-You're spreading a lie among allies?

Right now, we have to.

And that's enough to bring back their morale?

No way.

But Ma Kuang's troops will lift their heads and look around to see if it's true.

That's where you folks come in, Xin.

Ding Yang, do you know which units have the most survivors on each side?

Ding Yang!

Min's unit, on the right.

Hei Li's on the left.

Both are fighting fiercely in this turning tide.

We'll target those two areas.

Xin.

Lu Xian.

We have no choice but to rely on the battle capacity of your two units.

Go make two footholds

ZHAO

that can stand up to

this massive Zhao maelstrom.

You bastards!

Easy for him to say.

Fighting against this current is no joke!

Dammit... We should have brought Long Chuan and his brawny pals.

You're telling me!

Hah! Die!

Xin...

We need solid ground.

There, amid all that mess...

All right!

This is the place!

...we raise not the Le Hua's or the Fei Xin Force's flags,

but Ma Kuang's--at any cost.

MA

MA

The area around both flags...

Are we actually rallying?!

They're still not convinced.

We need some final words to light a fire in them.

Our next words will bring them back to life.

Mǎ Cheng, sir, enemy footholds have raised flags on the left and right!

The fools. Go thrash them at once.

Sir!

MǍ

Ride to the flags! That's their foothold!

Man, they're pouring in!

Of course! You couldn't ask for a more visible target!

Where are the messengers? The footholds'll be crushed!

Th-They're getting out there the best they can!

Attention, Ma Kuang troops! Hear this!

S-So, uh... what are we going to tell them, Meng Tian?

Something only you Ma Kuang troops would understand.

The words Ma Kuang always said during your days spent in dawn-to-dusk drills.

That's what I want you to tell everyone. Can you remember them?

C-Can I remember?

Of course I can.

What Ma Kuang always told us when we were at our limit

were three simple words...

Stand and fight!

Was that...

I repeat: A message from Ma Kuang to all troops:

Stand and fight!

Ma Kuang...

He's alive!

Ma Kuang!

Stand and fight!

INSUFFICIENT RANK

What?!

Amazing... The troops--they've come back to life!

Don't celebrate just yet.

We've only prepared the stage.

The Ma Kuang army is still hovering between life and death.

Ding Yang. Identify available units in the center and dispatch them

to the footholds on either side as reinforcements.

Reinforcements... for the footholds?

Keep the total numbers as equal as you can,

but send more cavalry to the right.

More cavalry to our side?

Restored morale doesn't mean a thing without a proper strategy in place.

Strategy is what will determine if the Ma Kuang army survives until sundown.

There can be no hesitation, no mistakes.

This is where HQ's real battle begins.

Those Qin dogs got their morale back in a hurry.

Reports blame it on the messengers' rallying cry.

MA

Report! The Tong Shui unit is available as well!

Send them to assist. You handle the left-right distribution.

Are we still sending reinforcements?

The ranks are getting pretty thin in front of our HQ...

Do you realize what's right in front of us?

Yes:

Mǎ Cheng's main forces.

I-If he launches a raid on our HQ, we won't last a single strike.

No--Mǎ Cheng won't come this way.

What?!

Have you begun to figure out what I'm trying to do here, He Liao Diao?

Yeah. Little by little.

And the astonishing part...

is how total outsider Meng Tian has assumed complete command over Ma Kuang's army

with zero pushback.

Meng Tian... they say not even our teacher Lord Changping

could fathom the extent of his talents.

Can't blame you for staring,

but Mǎ Cheng's about to make his move.

What? I mean--huh?!

MǍ

Mǎ Cheng's unit stands at the ready!

What's due for a smashing?

Why not start with that poorly defended HQ?

Don't be ridiculous.

Ma Kuang's gone. Why bother destroying an HQ in name only?

We'll obviously be crushing

MA

the Fei Xin Force's foothold!

MǍ

All right, Mǎ Cheng unit--move out!

This fight will avenge Liu Dong!

If you see the lady lieutenant Qiang Lei, kill her at once!

Mǎ Cheng's main unit is heading for the Fei Xin Force!

Just as we expected.

Yep.

Mǎ Cheng's unit is off to destroy the left foothold!

They'll get the job done in a heartbeat!

Got some real troublemakers headed our way, Xin!

Dammit!

MA

I'll handle Mǎ Cheng! You defend this--

No.

Remember our orders?

"If Mǎ Cheng's unit shows up, don't take them on."

The power differential's too great.

Th-Then what do we do?

Use our feet to fight smart.

That's what all these mounted reinforcements are for.

Huh?!

MǍ

We just need to lure Mǎ Cheng's main forces away from here.

Probably.

The Fei Xin Force is pushing its way to the outside!

Surprisingly ingenious of them.

Well, they have Qiang Lei.

Okay, Mǎ Cheng has shifted far enough to the right.

It won't be easy for them to make it back.

Meng Tian... what next?

Use every drop of strength you have.

Give Pops the signal!

MA

Sir!

The signal! Let's go!

LE

A large cavalry's emerged from the left-hand forest!

I hid three thousand of our riders before coming here.

Now they're headed to Lu Xian's foothold as reinforcements.

JI HUI

LU XIAN

MǍ CHENG

LE HUA FORCE

XIN

MENG TIAN

Lu Xian!

There you are, lieutenant!

Still doing okay?

'Course we are. And Ma Kuang's men got their morale back.

We'll join up with them, and together, we'll...

We'll push back the front line as far as we can in a single charge!

Once it's back in place,

that's where this HQ will go.

Huh?!

We never would have been able to save everything.

Which is why, from the very beginning...

Let's go!

...Meng Tian only ever meant to revive the left half of Ma Kuang's army.

The right half is being forced back...

This isn't good.

If we don't stamp out Qin's left flank on the first day,

Li Mu's surprise attack will have been for nothing!

My poleaxe!

Troops, move out! Destroy that right-hand army!

Ther main forces are coming down!

They're coming this way!

It's Ji Hui, Meng Tian!

I know.

LE

Send the Le Hua Force forward.

Tell Pops and Lu Xian to take up formation.

Meng Tian...

Can't say I especially enjoy this kind of thing.

Until sundown, huh?