The Coalition Invasion is perhaps one of the most exciting events in the history of Kingdom and real-world China.
The states of Zhao, Chu, Wei, Yan, and Han formed an alliance to wipe Qin off the map. This Coalition Army fought the Qin Army at Kankoku or Hangu Pass, a near-impenetrable mountain pass offering sole access to Qin’s capital, Kanyou.
Qin gathered its best generals and assembled close to 300,000 troops to oppose the 540,000 troops of the Coalition Army. This Battle of Kankoku Pass took place over 17 days between the armies of the Qin generals and the armies of the Coalition.
In this article, I will go through each of the major battle attempts that took place at Kankoku Pass and which side emerged victorious.
Who attacked the walls of Kankoku Pass? Who defended them?
The Wei Army led by Go Hou Mei and the Han Army led by Sei Kai fought on the walls of Kankoku Pass with Mou Gou, Kan Ki, Chou Tou and their armies.
Go Hou Mei raised multiple siege towers to bring down the Kankoku walls. He succeeded in targeting Chou Tou’s location with the first tower, but Kan Ki burned down the second one before it could reach his location.
Chou Tou was able to push back the Wei soldiers but on the 7th day, the Han Army fired a potent poison on the Qin Army fighting on top of the Kankoku Pass walls. Chou Tou became infected with the poison catapulted by Sei Kai. The Wei Army began to attack with siege crossbows so they could climb the walls.
On the 15th day, Kan Ki entered the battlefield using a special tactic. He and his men dressed as Wei soldiers head towards the Han HQ. Chou Tou, who was dying, left Mou Gou to deal with the battle on the walls, and joined Kan Ki’s units to invade Han’s HQ.
1. Chou Tou vs. Sei Kai: Who won?
Even though Chou Tou was poisoned by Sei Kai, he fought in combat along with Kan Ki’s units and killed Sei Kai. After slaying the Han commander-in-chief, the poison took over and Chou Tou succumbed and died.
2. Kan Ki vs. Wei and Han Armies: Who won?
Kan Ki was able to successfully infiltrate and destroy Han HQ disguised as Wei soldiers and was also able to dismantle the siege weapons before escaping the battlefield.
3. Mou Gou vs. Wei and Han Armies: Who won?
After being placed in charge by Chou Tou, Mou Gou continued to shoot arrows over the siege battle.
His forces were spread thin and both Han and Wei managed to climb the walls of Kankoku Pass. With Ka Rin’s scheme of attacking the gates, Mou Gou was unable to protect the Pass.
Who attacked the right side of the Kankoku Pass? Who defended it?
The Chu Army led by commander-in chief Kan Mei, 1st army general Rin Bu Kun, and 2nd army general Ka Rin fought Mou Bu and Tou on the right side of Kankoku Pass.
On the 1st day itself, Rin Bou, who was Tou’s second vassal, tried to finish Rin Bu Kun who was attacking Tou’s units. But Haku Rei, one of the 10 Bows of China, sniped and killed Rin Bou from a distance.
1. Tou vs. Rin Bu Kun: Who won?
Tou slayed Chu General Rin Bu Kun on the 1st day of battle after Rin Bou was killed. This played a key role in securing Qin’s center.
2. Tou vs. Ka Rin: Who won?
After the fall of Chu’s 1st army, the 2nd army was forced to attack without their assistance. On the 15th day, Ka Rin used war elephants as a cover to surround Tou’s army.
Tou was forced to slip out of his square defensive formation to replace his commander Mou Ten. In response, Ka Rin sent his commander Kou Yoku to kill Tou. Ka Rin’s commander, Kou Yoku fought on equal footing with Tou.
3. Mou Bu vs. Kan Mei: Who won?
Mou Bu killed Kan Mei, the symbol of strength for the Coalition Army. He struck the Coalition Army into retreating to Sai. Were it not for him, the Coalition would have won on the fields.
After the 1st Chu army is defeated by Tou, Ka Rin’s 2nd army and Kan Mei’s units advanced towards the right side of Kankoku. Mou Bu charged toward them using the famous Echelon formation, designed by the great strategist Shou Hei Kun himself.
Ka Rin who had reached closer to the battle playing out, sent Ka En, her brother, to kill Mou Bu so Kan Mei could win. But Mou Ten, who had previously been appointed by Tou to attack as he pleased, had followed Ka Rin and intercepted Ka En.
Kan Mei slashed Mou Ten, who began bleeding out. Enraged, his dad, Mou Bu swung his mace and crushed Kan Mei’s head to a pulp.
Who attacked the left side of the Kankoku Pass? Who defended it?
The Yan Army led by Ordo fought Ou Sen on the left side of Kankoku Pass.
1. Ou Sen vs. Ordo: Who won?
Yan began attacking Ou Sen’s fortress on the left mountain path to the Kankoku Pass. This was a surprise attack led by Great General Ordo, who was trained in mountain warfare. Due to Ou Sen’s quick tactical thinking, he beat Ordo, but was forced to retreat in the end.
Ou Sen predicted Ordo’s moves and was able to slaughter 8000 of Ordo’s elite mountain tribe soldiers by trapping them. Ordo was unable to fight Ou Sen further and was then intercepted by Ka Rin’s elite soldiers.
2. Ou Sen vs. Ka Rin: Who won?
After the Chu commander-in-chief Kan Mei’s death, Ka Rin pressed her troops to continue penetrating the Pass. She snuck 5000 of her elite soldiers through the gates and caused chaos as her men mixed up with Qin, Chu, and Wei soldiers.
Ka Rin almost got full control of the gate, but Ou Sen saw through her scheme and descended to the left side of the Pass after outsmarting Ordo. Frustrated that she had failed, Ka Rin blamed Ordo and then stalled until the outcome of the battle of Sai.
Who attacked the farther right side of the Kankoku Pass? Who defended it?
The Zhao Army led by Ri Boku, the commander-in-chief Kei Sha, and aided by Great General Hou Ken and Generals Kou Son Ryuu, Ri Haku, Man Goku, Shin Sei Jou, and Son Sei fought Duke Hyuu and Shin on Bu Pass.
Duke Hyou’s army initiated the battle by fighting Ri Haku and his army on the 1st day itself. Shin and his unit aided Duke Hyou in the attack against Zhao.
1. Shin vs. Man Goku: Who won?
Shin and the Hi Shin Unit saved Duke Hyou when Wei were about to trap them in a Pincer formation.
Acting on his newly awakened instinct, Shin cut down General Man Goku and killed him, counterattacking Zhao with 10,000 of his soldiers.
2. Duke Hyou vs. Ri Boku: Who won?
On the 15th day, Heki arrived to assist Duke Hyou and Shin against the Zhao Army. Heki used psychological warfare against Kou Son Ryuu, causing the Zhao Army to retreat.
On the 16th day, Hyou used his brilliant instinctual abilities to penetrate Ri Boku’s Ryuudou strategy as the latter tried to attack the lesser defended entrance to Kanyou. But Ri Boku unveils his trump card, i.e., Hou Ken, who kills him.
Ri Boku basically used the entire Battle of Kankoku Pass as bait to siege Sai. His army entered the Bu Pass and attacked multiple Qin cities on the way to Kanyou.
While Ri Boku and his army of 40,000 battled the Yo Tan Wa Army and Ei Sei at Sai, the Qin Army and the Coalition Army engaged in minor battles with the sole purpose of stalling each other.
When the news came of Ri Boku’s defeat, the Coalition Amry officially retreated from Kankoku Pass and the battle was announced as over, with Qin’s overall victory.
About Kingdom
Kingdom is a Japanese seinen manga series written and illustrated by Yasuhisa Hara.
The manga provides a fictionalised account of the Warring States period primarily through the experiences of the war orphan Xin and his comrades.
In the story, Xin fights to become the most significant general under the heavens, and in doing so, unifying China for the first time in history.
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