Planning for Time is the 228th chapter of the Kingdom manga, written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara.
Summary
Ren Pa's 2,000 strong army attacks Mou Gou's HQ's rear. They are searching for a way in. A group finds a spot where there aren't many enemies. They say that they will tear Mou Gou limb for limb. Suddenly they stopped as they notice the road is a dead end. They realize that this isn't good and try to get back. However, it's already too late. An Archer unit from Mou Gou HQ is opening fire on them. The group of Wei soldiers are confused as there is seemingly no way out and are being rained down with arrows.
Ren Pa is notified that a fair portion of their soldiers are being wiped out. Ren Pa says that it's the stratagem of the broken paths. Unlike Ou Sen's fort which didn't possess even a single opening, at first glance, Mou Gou's seems to be full of nothing but holes. However, the moment you would climb up, you will realize the place is actually filled with dead ends that you couldn't see from below. Needless to say, these are all traps set by Mou Gou. The moment someone steps on to them, they become killing fields. Mou Gou has set numerous versions of his traps all over the fort, effectively transforming the mountain into a maze. This is no defensive fort for holding out an attack. Clearly, the purpose of his fort is to thoroughly exterminate all enemies that enter. Ren Pa is happy as it looks like Mou Gou really is earnestly trying to bring him down.
The soldiers at top of the Mou Gou HQ are surprised. Not only are the enemies being delayed, but they're getting exterminated too. They say it's to be expected of a formation devised by the General himself. They say that all they did was follow Mou Gou's instructions when building this fort, who would have thought it would turn out to be this terrifying. They say it's astounding, but one soldier says no. What's even more surprising is that the general was fully prepared for Ren Pa's surprise attack. He asks Mou Gou is he was aware that Ren Pa was coming their way.
Mou Gou responds that Ren Pa is a man who possesses many different "faces" in his role as a general. This however makes the soldiers confused. Mou Gou explains however further. Before the battle breaks, he is a "strategical general" that is capable of constructing elaborate schemes and battle plans. Once the battle begins, he can become an "Instinctual General" capable of sensing the battle's flow with intuition alone. The moment he decides on defense, he will erect a defensive iron wall that even protected the lands of Chouhei for two years. When he perceives that it is the right moment to attack, he will unflinchingly order a direct charge into enemy lines with ferocious momentum as a "fierce general". During those charges, it isn't uncommon to see himself personally leading the spearhead. This is because he truly is a man of valorous courage. But also, because he is one of those rare kinds of "attention seekers". That is why he expected him as he starts laughing.
The soldiers are stunned and proud of their general's wisdom. However, they are surprised that he knows Ren Pa that well. Even if the memories from his younger days recall nothing but losses to Ren Pa, he still understood him quite well. That however is not all. It's true that he hasn't fought with Ren Pa in the last forty or so years since he moved to Qin. But he learned and studied every single one of Ren Pa's battles in those years, down to the smallest detail. He paid vests sums of his personal fortune to obtain this information and occasionally he would even secretly visit the battle and observe it in person. He says that he has always been watching Ren Pa.
Ren Pa is moving towards the top of the HQ. One of Ren Pa's soldier tells him that the other units are regrouping with them right now. Another soldier says that they can't take too many or they won't be able to turn if they hit a dead end. Ren Pa is laughing as he says that there is no need to worry. He tells to leave it all to him.
At Zhao city of Kankan located near the Wei border. A report comes in. It appears that Ou Sen army has been pushed back into the rear due to the appearance of general Ren Pa in Wei's right army. The people in the room are shocked that Ren Pa himself went, but Ri Boku however doesn't react surprised. The latter tells that it seems Mou Gou is now in quite a predicament, he imagines he is now under assault by general Ren Pa from the rear. A person say that it appears that Mou Gou won't be able to get even after all. Ri Boku asks what he means. He responds that back when Mou Gou was still a citizen of Qi, he was bested by Ren Pa time and time again. Though he isn't sure if general Ren Pa even remembers this anymore, but Mou Gou, you could say this battle was his chance to settle a debt stemming from numerous decades past. He says that the truth is that he is also an ex-citizen of Qi. Which is why you could say this whole thing is a bit of sentimental for him. He asks if he didn't mention this to him before. Ri Boku says that he would had appreciated that he would have mentioned it sooner. While he doesn't think this will happen to general Ren Pa, whenever a commander of his level suffers a defeat, it is always because they let down their guard. Against other commanders, he will always dedicate every mast fiber of his strategy to putting the enemy of balance. If general Ren Pa still actually remembers Mou Gou, then that by itself will be in Mou Gou's Favour. As it is ever arrogant victors to decide that they have fully evaluated the loser's worth. No, there is that, but that isn't all. In the event that Mou Gou has always held some sort of regard for Ren Pa ever since those days of loss, then it would mean that Mou Gou would have had forty years to formulate a strategy on how to deal with Ren Pa. With this, the outcome has become unclear once again. If Mou Gou really does turn out to be slightly above what Ren Pa expects him to be, then it wouldn't be surprising at all for some sort of upset to occur.
Ren Pa is still moving upwards the fort. He is navigating past the traps set by Mou Gou. One of the soldiers sees Ren Pa navigating past a trap and asks if that path couldn't have led to the top. The soldiers on top of the fort are telling this to be luck. However, it's when Ren Pa evades another trap that they are all shocked and afraid. They consider the possibility that Ren Pa might be able to detect the traps. They say this to be impossible, they placed the traps in locations that are out of sight when you look at them from below. It's impossible that he would know. Mou Gou tells that even if he can't see them, he can still roughly predict where they will be located.
Before entering the fort, he was able to take into account the fort's composition as a whole. If you were to factor in the position of their barricades and the hill's shape, then it's not impossible to locate any suspicious areas. The soldiers asks if that means that as soon, he saw this fort, he knew of the traps. Another soldier tells that even so, even if he could deduce that, the moment the fort he would have lost vision of the hills as a whole. How could he navigate the complicated maze correctly by relying on that short memory alone. Mou Gou responds that Ren Pa probably is the only man capable of that. The soldiers are shocked that yet again Ren Pa evaded a trap. They notice that he already reached the halfway point.
Ren Pa calls for Chou Toku. He tells to raise their flag. The soldiers under Ren Pa say that the path chosen by the general is no mistake. Mou Gou predicted that Ren Pa would be able to map out the correct path through this maze in his head alone. There is no doubt that something like that can only be accomplished by a true genius. And it is precisely because he understands him so well that he will be able to use his own cleverness against him. Mou Gou gives the order to move them.
Suddenly the walls change in the maze. The soldiers at top are shocked as they've opened up a new path leading to a trap. They are furious as the enemy went in. They believe they got them. Mou Gou tells that all of this is for the sake of defeating him. The greatest weapon of this fort that cost him forty odd years to design is the fact that he can freely manipulate and change this maze even after you think you've conquered it.
Ren Pa's soldiers realized that they felt for a trap as they reached a dead end. Suddenly a group of archers are aiming for them. Mou Gou gives the order to fire.
Characters
Qin
- Mou Gou Army
- Mou Gou (flashback and main story)
- Unnamed officers
- Unnamed HQ defending soldiers
- Ou Sen Army
- Ou Sen (mentioned)
- Ou Sen Army
Wei
- Haku Ki Sai Army
- Ren Pa Army
- Ren Pa (flashback and main story)
- Chou Toku
- Unnamed members of Ren Pa's personal unit (flashback and main story)
- Unnamed Wei's soldiers
- Ren Pa Army
Zhao
High Points
- Mou Gou's forth is full of holes that lead to dead ends.
- Mou Gou's forth is full of traps.
- Ren Pa's soldiers are being wiped out one by one.
- Ren Pa used an iron wall tactic to protect the lands of Chouhei for two years.
- Ren Pa is a Hybrid Type, a rare combination of both a strategical and an instinctual general.
- Mou Gou hasn't face Ren Pa in over forty years.
- Mou Gou studied Ren Pa and invested a massive fortune for information.
- Ren Pa is navigating his army past the traps.
- Mou Gou predicted that Ren Pa would be able to navigate past the traps.
- Mou Gou changed the layout of the maze.
- Ren Pa and his soldiers are trapped.
- Ren Pa and his soldiers are targeted by archers.
Trivia
- Chou Toku is identified by his name for the first time.