Ten's Existence is the 386th chapter of the Kingdom manga, written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara.
Summary
After being captured by Jun Sou’s unit, Ten is imprisoned inside a cage on top of a hill in the Gai Mou Army’s HQ. She is verbally insulted by angry Wei soldiers, as they taunt and mock her which quickly turns violent as those who bared grudges against the Hi Shin Unit poke and beat her with the back end of their spears but the onslaught is seized by a messenger with orders to personally bring her to Gai Mou and the Wei soldiers sadistically tell her how much of a monster the Wei Great General is and mockingly tell her to come back alive as they threaten her with torture and rape in her future.
Back at the Hi Shin Unit's HQ, Shin decides to mount an all-out night strike to rescue Ten as Bi Hei and Kyo Gai agree but Ga Ro explains that the idea is stupid and reckless as he tells them even if Ten is their Strategist, at the end of the day, she was still only one person, and it was not something you could gamble hundreds and thousands of lives on. He further states that those of them who have only known her for one or two years would not easily accept the sacrifice of their lives, and by choosing to come to the battlefield as a woman, she should have already accepted the risks that come with it if she were captured, which he reminds everybody of.
With that said, En tells Shin even though Ten may be in danger, they have to look at the bigger picture with So Sui being gravely injured by Gai Mou, and they would not be able to take to the field again for the rest of the operation. And with the loss of their head strategist, En believes that it was now impossible for them to defeat the Gai Mou Army and reach the Go Hou Mei’s HQ in two days under these conditions which would also the put the Gyoku Hou Unit and Roku O Mi Army in a very difficult position on the oncoming third day.
Not only that, but it might also even lead to the defeat of the entire Qin armies in the region. With these scenarios in mind, En reluctantly advises them to send a request to halt the operation to Tou, which sends the rest of the Hi Shin echelon into an anxious state, and Gaku Rai agrees with him. But Kyou Kai tells them there was still one option available. Back when she was being taken, Ten realized it was impossible to be rescued and told Kyou Kai to capture Jun Sou, a Wei commander. With that coming into play, Shin quickly realizes Kyou Kai’s intent - a prisoner exchange!
Back over the Gai Mou’s HQ, Ten is brought before Gai Mou as she kneels before him. Gai Mou, with a chuckle, points out that she was making a strange face, which at first glance, she appeared to have steeled her resolve towards being raped and killed, but the truth was she had not. He then asks her why she stands on the battlefield.
And tells her a woman's greatest joy should be dressing up in beautiful finery and being bedded by strong men such as himself. He then assumes that Ten's reason must be Shin as she must be his lover, but Ten responds that that was not the case, as Gai Mou laughs. He then points out that it was the first time she had spoken.
Meanwhile, at Hi Shin’s HQ, Shin gives the order to send out a messenger to negotiate a prisoner exchange, but Ga Ro tells him to think about it thoroughly before going ahead with it. If they just ask them for an exchange, then who knows what sort of ridiculous terms the Wei would ask? Not to mention, there was also a chance of them falling for a trap.
This angers Den Ei as he asks what exactly Ga Ro was trying to say, as he responds that he just wants them to know that there was still a risk involved, and he does not have anything against Shin having them sortie because of his own personal reason.
After all, that was how Duke You basically fought his battles depending on his moods. It was just that he wanted to take the chance to ask how deep Shin's motivations went. Since it seemed to be a subject that everyone avoided touching on, he asked if Ten was Shin's lover or not. Ga Ro then explains that if Shin made it clear, then the troops would be able to accept it too.
As everyone stands in an awkward silence with Bi Hei nervously asks why he is bringing that up now. Without a hint of hesitation, Shin tells everyone the story of how, on the day he lost his close friend and only family, Hyou, he met Ten. The first comrades he ever made were Sei and Ten. And ever since then, she had always been by his side, and he already thought of her as part of his family, like his one and only sister. Even though it was reckless, there was no way in hell he was going to sit there and throw her to the wolves. With that, Ga Ro finally understands his motives and agrees to the plan for a prisoner exchange as they proceed with it.
Characters
Qin
- Royal Palace
- Ei Sei Faction
- Sei Kyou Faction
- Ran Kai (flashback)
- Unnamed official (flashback)
- Duke Hyou Army
- Duke Hyou (mentioned)
Wei
- Go Hou Mei Army
- Go Hou Mei (mentioned)