| Sanyou Campaign | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Qin | Wei |
| Generals | |
| |
| Strength | |
|
250,000 soldiers |
about 125,000 Soldiers |
| Casualities | |
|
~30,000 Soldiers |
~21,000 Soldiers |
| Outcome | |
| |
The Sanyou Campaign was a Qin campaign under the command of Great General Mou Gou whose purpose was to capture the Sanyou Region from the state of Wei in 242 B.C.
Location[]
Outside of Sanyou (jap.), San Yang (chin.).
Rui Plains (jap.), Liu Yin (chin.) outside of Sanyou city.
Invasion[]
Map of Mou Gou's assault formation.
The Qin Military levies a grand army of 250,000 with the intention of subjugating the entire region and turning it into a county of Qin. The Commander-in-Chief of this army is Great General Mou Gou. Mou Gou planned to follow his usual pattern, together with his two vice generals he split the Qin forces into three armies and invades the lands of Wei with all three maintaining the same pace.
Kourou City Siege[]
Mou Gou's battle formation for the siege of Kourou city.
When the main army approached the first city Kourou, Mou Gou began reorganizing his troops. Due to the possibility of it becoming a siege, the troops were divided into four armies; one to attack each of the city's four walls. These armies were accompanied by another four reserve armies. The reserves were to serve as reinforcements that could adapt to the changing battlefield and be counted on to perform the most crucial of tasks.
Mou Gou's army of 80,000 begun the siege of Kourou city. Three days in and Kourou city was holding strong against the never-ending onslaught of Qin soldiers. The eastern wall began to buckle under the pressure from Qin, but the Eastern Wall Commander, General Fuu Haku was expecting this, and he had placed archers behind the wall, and they later unleashed a barrage of arrows on the Qin forces, leaving them in tatters. The Mou Gou army was forced to retreat, and the two forces stayed at a stalemate for several days.
The Gyoku Hou Unit's Siege Tower.
On the 11th day of the siege, the Gyoku Hou Unit made their gambit. They began by having horses pull carts, which were full of leaves and branches to the base of the wall and used fire arrows to set them alight. Thus, a huge smokescreen was created, blinding the Wei soldiers. Using the confusion brought about by the smokescreen, the Gyoku Hou Unit managed to latch a siege tower onto the wall.
Ou Hon, using his flawless spear techniques and the rest of the Gyoku Hou Unit quickly overwhelmed the defenders and forced them back, inch by inch. However, the Wei general attempted to make up for the Gyoku Hou Unit's superior ability with the sheer weight of numbers. Ou Hon expected this and ordered his men to set up a defensive perimeter, while 8 of his men abseiled down the inside of the wall, thus opening it from the inside.
Mou Ten and the Gaku Ka Unit saw this development and they took advantage of it by swiftly charging through the opened gate. The attack was so swift that the Wei soldiers had no time to respond before the Gaku Ka Unit has captured the city.
On an orgy of violence, the victorious Qin soldiers began to commit atrocity after atrocity against the defenseless Wei civilians. They were raping, pillaging and killing countless civilians and Shin, seeing this, accosted the perpetrators and stopped further inhumane acts from occurring. Shin's punishment was a night in a cell to reflect on his actions, however, his selfless actions on this day would ensure that furth atrocities would not occur.
Due to the actions of the Gyoku Hou Unit and the Gaku Ka Unit, Ou Hou and Mou Ten received the greatest merit from this siege. While this siege had progressed, Mou Gou's two vice generals had taken Kyochu and Kyosai.
The Second City[]
The second city was taken by the Gyoku Hou Unit.
Kinrikan City[]
The Gyoku Hou Unit used the siege tower again to gain a foothold on the city walls, however, this time the Hi Shin Unit takes advantage of it charged up the tower and launched an attack on the city walls. Following the Hi Shin Units example, Qin soldiers stormed up the siege tower, including the Gaku Ka Unit. The Wei defenders were expecting this, and they had placed heavy infantry to prevent this incursion. However, the sheer martial power of the Hi Shin Unit overwhelmed the defenders instantly. While the defenders were being pushed back, Shin attempted to abseil down the inside of the walls. Wei was expecting this tactic and had heavily fortified the entrance. Shin's plan came unstuck when Ryuu Sen let's go of the rope and leaving him isolated and about to be surrounded by thousands of Wei soldiers. Since Wei had used so many men to defend against the siege tower, the defenses at other areas had been weakened and the Kaku Bi Unit had taken advantage of this fact. The Kaku Bi Unit stormed the city, and they swiftly took it.
Rin Ko assassinates Kaku Bi.
In the middle of the night, Rin Ko decapitates Kaku Bi with one attack. Rin Ko and men start targeting the Qin's 1000-man commanders Bi Shi, Ba Koku and Riku who he swiftly kills. The Qin soldiers tried to hunt him down, but it was all to no avail. Rin Ko had managed to kill 8 1000-man commanders that night.
Advancing to Sanyou[]
The Mou Gou Army begins advancing to the next city three days later and due to the assassinations, the army was extremely strict in its defense. However, even this could not stop Rin Ko and 300 men, who had infiltrated the Qin defensive lines and assassinates general Ra Gen in one attack.
Shin intercepts Rin Ko.
Rin Ko attempted to escape by bursting through the Qin lines, but he coincidentally charged into the Hi Shin Unit. Shin attacked him with a ferocious blow which Rin Ko managed to block, and Rin Ko caught Shin's wrist and they went tearing through the forest, dueling all the way. In a clearing Rin Ko let go of Shin's wrist and they carried on their duel, each striving for dominance. Rin Ko managed to cause a shallow wound on Shin's torso. Just as Rin Ko was moving in for the kill, the rest of the Hi Shin Unit arrived, and Rin Ko was forced to retreat.
As a result of the assassinations carried out by Rin Ko and lack of commanders - Shin of the Hi Shin Unit, Mou Ten of the Gaku Ka Unit and Ou Hon of the Gyoku Hou Unit are all promoted to the rank of 1000-Man Commander.
Meanwhile, further down the campaign, the impressive advances that both the Kan Ki Army and Ou Sen Army had made had results in Qin conquering 16 Wei cities in total. These three armies moved in tandem and closed in on Sanyou.
Two months after the campaign had begun, Ren Pa arrives at the location of the decisive battle at the head of a large 140,000 army. However, he could not deploy his troops at the most strategically desirable location of Mount Man as Ou Sen has already seized it. Kan Ki deploys his army a distance away from the central army on Mount Ryuu. Mou Gou's army arrived a day later between the two armies on the Rui plains and set up for the coming battle.
The Battle[]
First Day[]
The Mou Gou Army's vanguard are under the command of General Do Mon and consist of 8,000 soldiers. During the clash, the Wei under the command of Rin Ko started by taking out the hastily formed 1000-man units. Ou Hon managed to stop Rin Ko's onslaught and they briefly dueled, with Ou Hon receiving a minor chest injury.
At that moment, the Mou Gou Army second wave under the command of General Ei Bi, consisting of 8,000 troops moved out to save the first army. Initially, the second wave had little to no effect on the flow of the battle. The hastily reformed units were being crushed one after another. The Hi Shin Unit knew that their lack of synergy would render them useless. They created a strategy of acting as smaller individual units but coordinating attacks on identified targets. The Hi Shin Unit's gambit paid off and the Qin troops began to push back the Wei army.
Sound unit locating Hi Shin Unit
Seeing that the tide of battle was changing, Wei launched their second wave, led by Gen Pou. Simultaneously, Gen Pou created a smokescreen, while Rin Ko retreated his army. Gen Pou ordered his archers to attack the already confused Qin army. Gen Pou used sound to transmit to his archers the location of the Qin army, to devastating effect. Gradually, they herded the Qin soldiers closer together before unleashing their war chariots, which caused devastation on the Qin army. Shin identified another signal resonating from Gen Bou's location, and he used the Blue Stone Tribe to locate him.
Gen Bou nearly impaled by Shin's spear
Qin army annihilated after first clash
Shin leads 150 men and charged Gen Bou's location under a hail of arrow fire. Gen Pou used an anti-cavalry picket trap to halt the charge. Just as the Wei soldiers moved in for the kill, the Gyoku Hou Unit arrived as reinforcements. The combined Hi Shin Unit and Gyoku Hou Unit began a counterattack. Seeing his position under threat, he ordered a retreat. On seeing this, Shin launched a spear at Gen Pou, just missing him. After Gen Pou had retreated, the smoke dispersed, and Qin realized the crushing blow that they had just been dealt.
To preserve morale, Shin and Ou Hon were set up as heroic figures of the battle.
Second Day[]
Kyou En alters the flow of the battle with his archery skill
Map of the state of the battle during the second day
Wei's 40,000 strong right armies led by Kyou En began to advance. They engaged Qin's 40,000 strong left armies led by Ou Sen. However, both sides were evenly matched, which resulted in a stalemate. As one of the Ten Bows of China, Kyou En used his exceptional ability with the bow to freely direct his troops. He slowly managed to gain the upper hand over Ou Sen's army, and they gradually began to be pushed back.
Concurrently to the battle on Qin's left, a battle erupted on Qin's right. The Qin 30,000 strong right army led by Kan Ki began to engage the Wei 40,000 strong left army led by Kai Shi Bou. In the first skirmishes between the two armies, Kai Shi Bou's army received heavy losses.
Mou Gou, seeing how the battle was developing on both flanks decided to opt for a defensive strategy. He Was sure that both his right and left armies would emerge victorious, which would allow them to strike out at the enemy HQ. Until this crucial moment happened, Mou Gou was determined to hold the center at all costs. His rousing speech stirred the blood of his men and raised morale.
Fourth Day[]
Kan Ki's guerilla warfare
Kan Ki's brutal fear tactics.
By the fourth day, Kan Ki's army was dominating Kai Shi Bou's. The forested mountainous terrain was ideal for Kan Ki to conduct his preferred method of combat, guerilla warfare. Kan Ki was launching surprise attacks day and night at any openings they found and retreating before any concentrated resistance could be formed. If a Wei unit followed them in too deep, they would utterly annihilate it. Kan Ki also used extreme terror tactics. He mutilated Wei soldier bodies, before sending them to the Wei HQ, spreading fear to the very core of the Wei men
Gen Pou arrived at the Wei HQ to witness this latest, gruesome delivery. He informed Kai Shi Bou that he will be taking command of the Wei left army, on orders from Ren Pa. He explains that overall victory requires a swift victory in this battlefield and that a general who specializes in the head-on collisions is a bad matchup against Kan Ki.
Kan Ki beheads Gen Pou.
Wei using gongs to spread news of Gen Pou's death.
Gen Bou's strategy revolved around a quick and sudden attack on Kan Ki's HQ. He deduced its location, and he sent Kai Shi Bou with a strike team to destroy it. However, a spy alerted Kan Ki to this sudden development, and he decided to strike at the Wei HQ in turn. Kan Ki and some of his troops snuck into the Wei HQ dressed as Wei messengers and informed Gen Pou that Kai Shi Bou had attacked Kan Ki's HQ. Gen Pou noticed that their armor is covered in blood, and at that moment Kan Ki, Koku'Ou, and his troops killed all the guards. Gen Pou tried one last desperate attempt to survive by taking Kan Ki under his wing, however, Kan Ki lives up to his moniker and beheads Gen Pou in one blow.
Due to the battle taking place over such a large area, Wei had set up gongs to allow them to transmit information instantaneously across the battlefield. Thus, the Wei army quickly learned about the death of Gen Pou. Due to Gen Pou's death and nightfall quickly approaching, Ren Pa Ordered his army to make camp. He only planned to make minor changes to his overall strategy to compensate for Gen Pou's death.
During the night, Mou Ten developed a strategy that would utilize the Hi Shin, Gyoku Hou, and Gaku Ka Units in a cooperative battle in a bid to slay Rin Ko.
Fifth Day[]
Gaku Ka Unit striking out from the Qin lines
Mou Ten fighting Rin Ko's elite men
Rin Ko received information from the Wei HQ that the battle to avenge Gen Pou would take place in two days' time, so Rin Ko ordered his troops to take it easy until the right moment. Likewise, his counterpart General Domon was sticking to Great General Mou Gou's overall strategy of holding the line.
Suddenly, Mou Ten's Gaku Ka Unit struck out from the Qin line, leaving a meager 200 men to cover their spot. The 800 strong Gaku Ka Unit charged towards Rin Ko's 5000 strong command squad in wedge formation. Just before the two armies clashed, the Gaku Ka Unit split into 5 smaller units, which targeted the gaps in the Wei troops formation. Rin Ko had expected this line of attack and bolstered this weak point in his formation with 700 of his elite men. However, luring out Rin Ko's elite troops was always part of Mou Ten's strategy.
Hi Shin Unit and Gyoku Hou Unit advance on Rin Ko's command unit
At that moment, the cavalry from both the Hi Shin Unit, and the Gyoku Hou Unit charged Rin Ko's command unit. Rin Ko began to see the threat to his army, and he ordered his elite troops to retreat. When Mou Ten saw that Shin and Ou Hon were sufficiently advanced, he began a strategic withdraw, which lured away from a portion of the Wei defenders. Shin and Ou Hon were determined to press their advantage and pushed even deeper towards Rin Ko. However, Rin Ko's elites had moved to intercept them, and they began vicious hand to hand combat. The majority of the Hi Shin Unit and Gyoku Hou Unit were bogged down fighting Rin Ko's elites, however, this allowed Shin and Ou Hon to bypass them and continue advancing until they confronted Rin Ko. Once Shin and Ou Hon had penetrated Rin Ko's inner defenses, the two units began a slow fighting withdrawal.
Rin Ko vs Shin and Ou Hon
Ou Hon and Rin Ko began dueling, with Rin Ko quickly gaining the upper hand due to Ou Hon's earlier injury. At that moment Shin struck Rin Ko with an earth-shattering blow, forcing Rin Ko back and making him quickly reassess Shin's capabilities. Shin and Ou Hon began furious simultaneous combat with Rin Ko, but Rin Ko was the match for everything they could throw at him. Slowly but surely, Rin Ko began to gain the upper hand and he started to inflict superficial wounds on both Shin and Ou Hon.
Concurrently, there was brutal fighting on the Qin left flank between the Ou Sen army and Kyou En army. While the Ou Sen army as a whole was being pushed back, the 1000-man Heki Unit alone stood firm and managed to push back the Wei soldiers. A large force of 10,000 troops led by Kyou En began to advance on Heki's position. Ou Sen personally took command of 2000 men and rendezvoused with the Heki Unit. Ou Sen gave Heki a command of 5000 men with the intention to ambush the numerically superior Wei force.
Shin vs Rin Ko final duel.
In the center battle, the Hi Shin Unit was in a desperate fight to prevent reinforcements aiding Rin Ko and they were just barely holding out. Ou Hon wounds had become so severe, that he had just become an onlooker at Shin and Rin Ko's duel. Various members of the Hi Shin Unit and Gyoku Unit engaged members of Rin Ko's army to make sure that there were no interruptions to the duel. Gradually, the weight of Shin's blows began to overpower Rin Ko. Numerous blows left Rin Ko reeling until Shin jumped and landed a devastating blow on Rin Ko, putting everything he had behind it. Rin Ko barely managed to block the attack, but it shattered his horse's leg, and he lost two fingers on his left hand. After suffering his wound, Rin Ko disengaged from his duel with Shin. He noticed that the Qin formation was in shambles, and he ordered his Wei forces to press forwards.
The Wei Di.
Back on the Qin's left flank, Heki noticed that the Wei army was traveling through a Wei Di, and he decided that it was the perfect time to launch the ambush. He had set up archers on the steep cliffs of the Wei Di and they began to pepper the Wei army with arrows, spreading confusion and panic throughout the Wei army, Heki pressed the advantage by ordering his troops to descend the Wei Di and launch an offensive on the Wei army. At that moment another Wei army appeared at the top of the Wei Di, and they quickly secured it. The Heki army tried in vain to reclaim the advantage, but they were pushed back. The Heki army was about to be caught in a pincer attack, until a Qin army led by Ou Sen launched a devastating attack at the top of the Wei Di, thus reclaiming it.
Ou Sen's natural fort.
Ou Sen's intervention decisively altered the flow of the battle in favor of the Qin forces. Initially, Ou Sen tried to negotiate Kyou En's surrender by offering him a place in his army. Kyou En offered a swift riposte in the form of an arrow. At that moment Ren Pa arrived at the top of the Wei Di, breaking the Qin encirclement. His mere presence surged the Wei men's morale and sent them into a frenzy. The power of the Wei soldiers reached new heights and they began to push to the Qin men back. Ou Sen responded by reorganizing the Qin army. Ou sen shocked the entire battlefield by ordering his entire army to retreat. The combined Ren Pa and Kyou En armies began a furious pursuit, but the Qin army managed to fight them off. The Wei army advanced till much to their surprise they came to a giant fort, which had been constructed by Ou Sen. The Sun was about to set so Ren Pa ordered his men to make camp and surround the fort.
In the center battlefield, the concentrated Wei attack had left the Qin lines in a shambles. The Wei army had retreated due to the setting sun and the surviving Qin army limped back to their camp. Due to the fierce combat, both Shin and Kyou Kai had suffered severe wounds.
Sixth Day[]
The center battlefield.
For the final day, the Hi Shin, Gaku Ka and Gyoku Hou Units were deployed as Qin reserves. The Hi Shin in the center and the Gaku Ka and Gyoku Hou on the right, the Wei began proceedings by launching an all-out offensive on the Qin lines. A particular emphasis was put on the Qin's right, and they slowly began to push the Qin defenders back. Suddenly the Wei attackers formed a Rindou and they launched a devastating attack on the Qin's center and general Ei Bi's position. They swiftly crushed the center of Qin's formation and Rin Ko killed Ei Bi with one blow. Seeing the danger, Shin launched a swift counterattack and halted Rin Ko's advance. Shin had left 200 of his most wounded men under the leadership of Kyou Kai to fill in the gap left by his advance.
Shin and Rin Ko began to engage in furious hand to hand combat. They both strived for an opening, but each attack was repelled. Rin Ko was forced to use only one sword due to his injury, but he made up for it with his skillful horsemanship. Rin Ko's single-minded desire to win the battle began to overwhelm Shin.
Qin HQ
Ren Pa suddenly appeared on the other side of the Qin main HQ. He tried to bait Mou Gou out by taunting him, however, Mou Gou was far too experienced to fall for Ren Pa's insults. He ordered the Qin soldiers to prepare to defend the position. The Mou Gou's army numbered 8,000, while Ren Pas's army number 2,000. Mou Gou had specifically designed the fortress to stop Ren Pa and he welcomed the attack. Mou Gou had utilized the stratagem of the broken paths.
Ren Pa saw the advantage and he ordered his men to attack. They came under withering arrow fire from multiple directions. Wei troops quickly secured the forest opposite the HQ and returned fire. Many of the Wei troops fell into the many traps that Mou Gou had set up and they were swiftly exterminated. However, Ren Pa personally led a unit, and he kept avoiding the traps. Mou Gou tried to alter the maze to trap Ren Pa, but Ren Pa was alert to this possibility, and he used the new opening to flank the Qin troops and overcome Mou Gou's death trap.
In the center army, Shin and Rin Ko were still locked in combat, with both trying to gain an advantage over the other. The power of the Hi Shin Unit was alone holding together the Qin lines and Rin Ko knew that if he could defeat Shin, the Qin lines would crumble. Shin and Rin Ko's horses clashed together, knocking Shin off balance. Rin Ko took advantage of this by delivering a deep wound on Shin's right thigh. Shin, realizing that he was at a disadvantage, dismounted both himself and Rin Ko.
Shin slays Rin Ko.
Shin ad Rin Ko continued the duel on foot, but due to the accumulation of wounds, Rin Ko began to dominate Shin. One of Rin Ko's officers, Gi Ryou, decided to interfere with the duel and slay Shin. So Sui saw this surprise attack and he slew Gir You with one attack. So Sui's momentum brought him face to face with Rin Ko, who seeing So Sui's killing intent struck him down in one blow. Shin used this split second to land a devastating blow on Rin Ko's torso. Rin Ko collapsed to his knees, likewise, Shin also collapsed due to the exertions from the duel. They both slowly got to their feet to resume their desperate duel. They both delivered numerous small wounds on each other. Eventually, Shin saw an opening and he ran through Rin Ko with his sword.
Kyou Kai vs Rin Ko reserves.
Shin catches Kyou Kai.
Concurrently to this duel, Rin Ko had sent a reserve force to attack the areas that become weakened due to the absence of the main Hi Shin Unit. Kyou Kai alarmed at this development charged into the Wei troops and destroyed everything that approached her.
Hearing about Rin Ko's plan from one of the Wei troops, Shin began to desperately search for Kyou Kai. There were several survivors from the Hi Shin Unit and they mentioned that Kyou Kai had charged in alone. Shin continued his search until he saw a lone figure standing in a sea of corpses. The Wei soldiers had all been cut to pieces. As Shin closed in, he saw that it was Kyou Kai. Shin managed to catch her as she collapsed due to her exertions. Shin ordered his men to see to the wounded and then got on his horse and he headed towards the Qin HQ. On the Way to the Qin HQ, Shin linked up with Mou Ten and they made their way to the HQ at double speed.
Ren Pa carried on his unstoppable advance, annihilating everything in his path. The desperate Qin defenders were using everything in their power to stop Ren Pa and them unleased boulders at him. However, it was to no avail as Ren Pa burst through the hapless defenders. Mou Gou rode out to confront Ren Pa.
Ren Pa cuts off Mou Gou's arm.
From the first couple of blows, Ren Pa was overpowering Mou Gou. However, Mou Gou managed to weather the early storm and started to deliver powerful blows himself. Mou Gou gradually started to sustain minor injuries, but he managed to force back Ren Pa. Mou Gou delivered a devastating blow that shattered Ren Pa's horse's leg. Mou Gou moved in for the final blow, but Ren Pa was too quick for him, and he cut off Mou Gou's arm. At this moment Mou Ten and two of his men attacked Ren Pa but they were defeated instantly. Shin announced to Ren Pa that he had defeated Rin Ko and showed him his sword as proof. In a rage, Ren Pa delivered a blow of unrivaled power on Shin. Shin managed to block but the weight of the strike forced him into the ground. Ren Pa's next attack caught Shin as he was rising and even though he also blocked it, it sent him cartwheeling into a group of soldiers.
After this, the HQ became a battlefield, but the Qin soldiers had the advantage of outnumbering the Wei soldiers. However, Ren Pa laid waste to any Qin soldier than was brave enough to face him in combat. Suddenly Kai Shi Bou entered the field with a contingent of men and began wiping out Qin Units. A soldier suddenly noticed that the Wei main HQ was burning.
Concurrently to the fighting at the Qin HQ, Kan Ki had made his way to the Wei HQ. Kan Ki swiftly defeated the Wei army by luring it out of HQ. Once the army was destroyed Kan Ki set fire to the HQ. He executed all the prisoners, including Haku Ki Sai.
Seeing their HQ burning, Kai Shi Bou tried a desperate attack. However, Ren Pa stopped him and admitted that it was their loss. Ren Pa quickly calculated the various strengths of the armies left in the battle and he realized that there was nothing they could do, Heki charged the HQ with 2000 soldiers to add more to Qin's strength. Ren Pa quickly arranged a ceasefire with Mou Gou, which he gratefully accepted.