300 Majiu Soldiers is the 16th chapter of the Kingdom manga, written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara.
Summary
Ei Sei leads his soldiers along with Shin, Ka Ryo Ten, Shou Bun Kun, and Heki up the mountains, many of them are exhausted and struggle to keep pace. Shin notices that their marching line is getting longer and longer and that even Shou Bun Kun is beginning to lag behind, Ei Sei sends orders for a rest break. Impatiently waiting, Shin mockingly antagonizes the soldiers by telling them they're slow, that if they keep at the pace, they're going Sei Kyou will be crowned the new king. Ei Sei warns Shou Bun Kun the path is going to become even more treacherous. Ei Sei continues to lead as they reach even further up the mountain. Ka Ryo Ten wonders how the hierarchy of the mountain people works, Ei Sei explains that there is an innumerable amount of mountain clans who forge many alliances and that those alliances all elect the king of the mountains. Shin wonders how Ei Sei knows where they are going, Sei tells him he vaguely knows which way to go but points out idols in the distance carved into rock as well.
The soldiers continue to lag behind becoming more and more fatigued, many collapse before Shou Bun Kun orders that anyone who falls behind is to descend the mountain and wait to regroup back at Boku Kou's retreat. Shou Bun Kun agrees with Shin, that they are taking too long. Heki is shocked, he believes they need as many men as possible to protect the king from the mountain tribes. Shou Bun Kun tells him the mountain warriors would annihilate them all anyway. Shin asks Heki why everyone is so afraid. Heki tells him a story of how the previous Qin King Boku Kou had sent food to Jin, a desperate neighboring state and even though they had been enemies he helped them through a famine only to have them betray him by coming and attacking Qin whilst they suffered a famine of their own. Surrounded on all sides Boku Kou had no allies left until three hundred mountain warriors appeared from nowhere and turned the battlefield of thousands into a crimson mess. Heki finishes his story and explains that there are rumors that hate for the plains dwellers has been growing ever since Boku Kou had passed away. Shin notices Ei Sei has already continued on ahead, behind them a number of masked figures watch from atop a cliff in the distance.
Characters
Qin
- Royal Palace
- Boku Kou (flashback)
- Ei Sei Faction
- Ei Sei
- Shin
- Ka Ryo Ten
- Shou Bun Kun
- Heki
- Sho
- Se
- Unidentified others
- Sei Kyou Faction
- Sei Kyou (mentioned)
- Ei Sei Faction
- Boku Kou (flashback)
- Mountain Tribes
- King of Mountain Tribes (mentioned)
- Bajio
- Unidentified tribes' members (flashback and main story)
Jin
- King of Jin (flashback)
- Unnamed soliders (flashback)
Zhao
- Zhou Dynasty (mentioned)
- Shang Dynasty (mentioned)
Chapter Notes
- Ei Sei's army is heads to toward the mountain realm for aid from their king.
- More of the Boku Kou back story is shown.
- Flashback about the mountain people is shown.
- Boku Kou aided Jin when they had famine (is a widespread scarcity of food).
- When Qin had famine Jin invaded Qin.
- Qin with aid of 300 mountain people vs Jin: winner Qin.
- Mountain people fight very brutally.
Trivia
- First appearance of Bajio. His name is not revealed yet and looks slightly different from his later appearances in the manga. He is also shown to wielding a club, instead of his usual dual blades.