“A young strategy” indeed.  That description by Wu Fengming seems very apt, given that almost all the crucial choices for this battle were made by men barely old enough to shave (or women of the same vintage).  However, it does beg the question: if Wu is fooled by a strategy because no seasoned general would have dreamed of attempting it, does that make it a good strategy?  There’s a reason smart people like Teng don’t do seemingly dumb things.  But once more it looks as if Wang Ben was born on third base and thinks he hit a triple.

I suppose one must give the Wanger some credit here, because it all seems to have worked.  And it’s not as though Teng or anyone else proposed a viable alternative strategy.  Not that it’s been easy for anybody (well, Teng hasn’t had to do much) but the Fei Xin Force has it especially rough here.  That’s because another veritable zygote, Diao, has enacted a tactic she was forced to invent by Wang Ben’s master plan.  Not only does Xin have to fight off an army of 13,000 with his 2,000 long enough for Qian Lei to slip in and assault We Fengming’s camp, he has to fight the biggest dog Wei’s got in Kai Meng.

Those two have an interesting battlefield conversation of the type I suspect only happen in fiction.  Truthfully I suspect Kai Meng is generally right – war mostly is the strong indulging their impulse to crush the weak.  It’s easy to see why those with a larger vision like Wang Qi (great to hear Koyama Rikiya back in one of his finest roles) would dismiss him as not worth dueling.  Even Xin has bigger fish to fry, and Kai Meng says he’s been “poisoned” by those fools with lofty ideals.  But when Long Guo and his brigade come with the aid Diao has begged them to provide, Kai Meng has little choice but to leave yet another fight to the death (all he truly cares for) unfinished.

At this point it becomes mostly a race to claim Wu Fengming’s head and the glory that comes with it.  Wu knows his camp is doomed, and coldly acts to save himself to fight another day – he orders an aide to pose as him and die in his stead.  Standard procedure to be sure, but hardly a flattering look.  The Fei Xin is in the catbird seat here – who’s last shall be first, and their sharpest spear is leading the assault.  But while Qian Lei does win the race, the finish line has been moved.  Wu escapes, and quickly rendezvous’ with Ling Huang to plan their next move.

That move always seems pretty obvious.  The weakness in Wang Ben’s plan is leaving their own commander largely undefended.  The damage Qin has done by taking the Wei HQ can be undone by taking Qin’s, and their general’s head with it.  It’s the only logical approach, and if Wang Ben – or Teng – has prepared for this contingency there’s no sign of it yet.  Fortunately Xin is ever alert – late to the party at Wu’s for good reason, but in perfect position to see Wu Fengming sneaking away.  The fate of his commander rests on Xian’s shoulders now, and there’s still plenty of glory and reputation to be claimed on this battlefield.