With episode 13 of season 4 of Kingdom, the anime, we entered the State of Ai arc of the manga. The State of Ai arc is the 15th story arc of the manga on which the Kingdom anime is based.
After the Coalition Invasion, Qin as well as the 6 warring states try and get back to normalcy. But in the chaos, certain factions began a new upheaval within Qin and start a civil war.
The leader of the Royal Harem faction, Bi Ki aka the Queen Mother, along with her lover Rou Ai, declare independence of the city of Taigen. With Sanyou and Chiyoyou under the Royal Harem, the Queen Mother wants to create her own state, called the State of Ai.
Rou Ai leads the Rebel Army (Ai Army) to invade Kanyou, and in episode 18, we see Shin and his men rush to Kanyou to intercept them.
Will Shin and his unit be able to defeat Rou Ai and his army? If so, how?
According to chapter 432, the Hi Shin Unit and the Sai Army defeat the Ai Rebellion only with the help of the Shou Hei Kun Army. Shou Hei Kun executes the Hourai strategy to trap the Wa Tegi, the Duke of Juuteki and leader of the rebel forces. This results in Qin’s victory.
Why does Shou Hei Kun help them?
Shou Hei Kun was part of the Ryo Faction but he helps Shin and his unit, which is part of the Ei Sei Faction, to thwart the Ai Rebellion.
The Ryo Faction was founded by Ryo Fui with the sole purpose of gaining political power in the State of Qin. Shou Hei Kun was one of the 4 Pillars of Ryo Fui, Ryo Fui being King Ei Sei’s rival.
Shou Hei Kun seeks the unification of China and believes that Ei Sei is the person who can make this happen. This is why he leaves the Ryo Fui Faction officially at Kinen Temple and joins the Ei Sei Faction.
He first became suspicious of Ryo Fui during the Conspiracy in the Court arc, after which he realizes that Ryo Fui is plotting against the King.
When Chu invades Qin’s borders later, he recognizes that it is linked to Taigen’s declaration of independence. If the other states recognize Taigen as a sovereign state, then Ai will become China’s 8th state, further leading to the country’s segregation, which he is against.
How does Shin fight the Rebel Army before Shou Hei Kun arrives?
Shin has become a 5000-Man Commander and with Kyou Kai, a 3000-Man Commander serving as his lieutenant, the Hi Shin Unit becomes an 8000-Man Unit. Shin is assigned too Ryuu Koku, and he is sent to defend Chiyoyou to build a fort there.
It is here that they receive an encoded message from Shou Hei Kun. His pupil, Ka Ryo Ten, decodes the message and is warned about the events that will transpire at the Coming of Age Ceremony, which would happen 10 days later. This is how the Hi Shin Unit becomes the first to know about the conspiracy.
Shin takes 1000 of his men and abandons the site at Chiyoyou, leaving the rest of his men there to act as cover. Along with the Sai Army, who were at a strength of 40,000, they progress to cross the Wei River to save Kanyou.
Here, they meet Heki’s best friend, General Shou Kaku, who had also been summoned to repel Ai from destroying Kanyou. The Ai Army retreats and Kanyou is saved from destruction.
Shou Kaku takes over what is remaining of the Sai Army and uses them as cover so the Hi Shin Unit can infiltrate the capital.
In the capital, Sei Kyou is killed after the betrayal of Ryu and Ho Kaku, who were siding with Ryo Fui. Heki traps Ryu and kills him with a storm of arrows. They save Ei Sei’s children and Rui and 90% of the Sei Kyou Faction joins the Ei Sei Faction.
But the Ai Army has the numerical advantage. They have an army of 70,0000 and the situation is bleak for the Subjugation Army (which comprised of Shou Bun Kun’s unit and the Sai Army) and the Hi Shin Unit.
The Ai Army had 2 Generals: Han O Ki, the 10,000-Man Commander in Chief, and Wa Tegi, the 10,0000 Man Leader of the Juuteki Tribe.
Wa Tegi fights the Subjugation Army – 1000 men from the Hi Shin Unit and 10,000 men from the Sai Army.
With the tactical aid of Ka Ryo Ten, they manage to get a foothold and the Duke of Juuteki has no choice but to retreat, leaving 3,000 men behind. But Han O Ki intercepts them with half of his army.
It is then that Shou Hei Kun arrives to help out the Subjugation Army.
How does Shou Hei Kun end the Ai Rebellion?
Shou Hei Kun arrives at Kanyou with Kai Oku, Heki, Shou Bun Kun, and Mou Ki among his ranks. Seeing the opposition’s reinforcements, Han O Ki decides to retreat.
Shou Hei Kun rides at the front of 1000 cavalry, right into the enemy’s army, to perform a tactical maneuver known as Hourai.
The Hourai involves creating walls of soldiers to the left, right, and rear of the enemy commander, so as to entrap the enemy commander, after which a surgical strike can be charged at the center to kill the leader.
Mou Ki and Ka Ryo Ten quickly understand what Shou Hei Kun is doing and aid in the creation of the soldier-walls.
The Duke realises that whether it be brains or brawn, Shou Hei Kun is no match for him. In chapter 432, Shou Hei Kun lands the finishing blow and decapitates Wa Tegi, leading to the Qin Army’s victory over the Ai Rebel Army.
What happens to the Ai Rebels at the end of season 4?
The news about the fall of the Duke reaches Rou Ai who is already in a state of panic. Ryo Fui also hears of the failure of the State of Ai’s rebellion and realizes that he has lost.
The survivors of the Rebel Army, including Rou Ai, flee, but when they pass through Kankou, they are intercepted by Kan Ki and his Army. Here, they are completely decimated. Poor Rou Ai is captured alive and sent back to Kanyou.
At the end of season 4, according to chapter 436-437, Ei Sei will give the brutal judgment of executing Rou Ai along with the 2 children he had with Queen Mother, on grounds that they were guilty of treason and were a threat to the future of Qin.
The Queen Mother will be saved because Rou Ai takes all the blame upon himself. Ryo Fui will also be put on trial.
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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