Deliberation is the 21st chapter of the Kingdom manga, written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara.
Summary
Ei Sei sits before the king of the mountain, Yo Tan Wa. The wolves in front of the masked ruler growl as the king of the mountain reveals their knowledge of the plains and the current affairs. The king also knows that Ei Sei is without power and that his brother has taken the throne. Yo Tan Wa asks Ei Sei what he came for. He responds by saying that he wants the help and assistance of the mountain people to retake the throne. The king of the mountain explains Ei Sei has the wrong idea and that the only reason he was brought before the mountain king was so he could stand trial. Ei Sei questions why he is on trial.
The king of the mountain tells of how Boku Kou had an extended relationship of friendship with the mountain people, the mountain folk thought this was a way forward for their race however when Boku Kou died everything changed. The people of Qin begun to hate the mountain people, they burnt down the mountain folks' homes and villages, Qin hunted them and killed them, and chased them back to the mountains.
The king believes Ei Sei losing his head will appease the mountain gods. When given the chance to speak Ei Sei accepts and apologizes for the crimes his kingdom has committed, however, he thinks this alone is not enough reason for him to be executed. Ei Sei explains that over four hundred years have passed since Boku Kou had passed away and that no war or idea has ever been fought for without casualties. The mountain king questions whether he thinks their ancestors were naive. Ei Sei didn't mean that, but he thinks losing his head over the hatred between their races isn't worth it. Ei Sei promises there is something more than revenge after the mountain king threatens the entirety of Qin. Sensing Ei Sei's resolute demeanor the king orders men to go somewhere, soon after they return with Shin, Heki and Ka Ryo Ten who is wheeled in, their arms and heads trapped by pillory. Ei Sei questions why they're there. The king orders a warrior to strike Ten, the warrior's sword descended to execute ten. Calmly Ei Sei intervened and stopped the warrior by stating that instead of using the sword to kill the people you hate, you should do the opposite and use it to make a path so that people may live. Ei Sei admits he wants eternal peace, he wants to remove all the borders and become king of a unified China and that he is willing to fight for his, that is why he sought out the mountain king, to achieve this goal.
Characters
- Royal Palace
- Ei Sei Faction
- Sei Kyou Faction
- Sei Kyou (indirect mention)
- Boku Kou (mentioned)
- Mountain Tribes
- Yo Tan Wa
- Ramauji
- Toji and Fuji
- Yo Tan Wa's other guards
- Unidentified members (flashback)
Chapter Notes
- Yo Tan Wa knows that the young king is powerless.
- Ei Sei asks Yo Tan Wa for help in order to retake his throne.
- When Boku Kou died, the mountain people were cast out.
- Ei Sei apologizes for the atrocities.
- Shin, Heki, and Ten join Ei Sei in the trial.
- Ten was about to be executed, Ei Sei intervened.
- Ei Sei wants to remove all borders and create eternal peace.
- Ei Sei wants to unite all of the China and wants the mountain king to help to achieve this.