Ei Sei's speech the night before had already begun to ripple through the people. In its wake, the once-paralyzed 30,000 civilians of Sai had begun to rise. Quietly, hesitantly—then with purpose.
By dawn, they stood beside the army. Not trained, not prepared, but ready.
As the walls were being reinforced and positions finalized, the east gate opened again.
Through it rode a lean, commanding figure with a battle-tested group of 1,000 soldiers. It was General Kao Oku, a direct subordinate of Shouheikun.
"We encountered Zhao scouts on the way in," he said curtly. "Shouheikun sent us to reinforce Sai. These are all the men we could gather."
His presence, though limited in number, carried weight. His troops were disciplined and unshaken—exactly what the defenders needed.
With Riboku's army approaching fast, the defense of Sai was drawn up with precision:
North Wall: Kai Ouk's 1,000 men, forming a disciplined, solid line.
West Wall: Shoubunkun himself would take command here, leading local defenders and managing strategic reinforcements.
South Wall: The Hi Shin Tai, under Shin, stationed at the front most likely to bear the brunt of the main assault.
East Wall: The Gu Ren Tai, under Ren, were assigned in place of General Heki.
Heki, while originally part of the main defense plan, had been reassigned to support Shoubunkun at the west wall—providing additional leadership and coordination for troop movements and reserves.
"You'll get better use out of him keeping the walls linked," one officer noted. "And Ren's instincts make him ideal for a standalone flank."
On the east wall, Ren and Kai stood in silence, watching the civilians move beneath them—hauling wood, sharpening makeshift weapons, passing buckets of water and bundles of arrows.
"They're not running," Kai said, almost to himself. "They're standing with us."
Ren didn't answer, but his gaze lingered on the movement below. These people weren't soldiers—but they were ready to die like ones.
As the sun climbed higher, the dust on the horizon thickened.
Riboku's forces appeared in full view—tens of thousands of elite Zhao soldiers, siege towers, cavalry squadrons, and endless lines of infantry that swallowed the earth like a tide.
From every wall, Qin defenders held their breath.
On the south wall, Shin stepped forward. His hand gripped the massive, dented shield of Duke Hyou, now slung across his back like a promise. His face was streaked with sweat and dirt, but his voice rang out clear and furious.
"Riboku!! You hear me?!"
He shouted across the field—not caring whether the enemy heard or not.
"You think you've figured it all out with your fancy strategies!!"
"You came here thinking you'd crush us easy!! That a bunch of leftovers and farmers couldn't stop you!!"
He raised his sword high.
"But we're still standing!! Duke Hyou's fire didn't die with him—it's burning in us now!!"
"You'll find out soon enough—we're not backing down!!"
"We'll protect this place!! Even if it kills us!!"
The shout reverberated across the city.
Even on the east wall, Ren paused at the echo, the words striking like flint. Civilians stopped moving, eyes wide, as if pulled from despair.
Kai exhaled through his nose. "He always says stuff like that when it's impossible."
Ren didn't smile, but there was a new weight in his gaze.
"That's why it works."
And in that moment, Sai stood ready.