One of Yoshika’s earliest lessons in the old academy was that Qin’s cultivators could move deceptively fast. For a long distance march, nobody could match Yamato’s armies, but in a sprint? Qin would win every time.

It would still be at least a day before they arrived at Kucheon, and they weren’t necessarily going to break into an all out assault the moment they arrived, but Yoshika saw no reason to give up the initiative. As soon as they could assemble, her war council convened in Kucheon’s college—using a borrowed classroom.

Shogun Ashikaga Sae was in charge of the brief, gesturing at a hanging map as she spoke.

“I’ve divided the enemy forces into roughly four broad categories. As their entire force consists of immortal practitioners, we’ll proceed under the assumption that all mortal assets are non-combatant.”

Yoshika had gotten so used to Sae being a drunkard and a pest that it was almost shocking to see her so sharp. She was in her element.

“The bulk of their force are houtian regulars. We believe that they are fielding only spiritualists, as Qin has largely eschewed the adoption of unified cultivation at scale. That’s not to say that they are one-note.”

She pointed at Hyeong Daesung.

“Mages are individually flexible, but generally function best as long range support, while our own regulars are largely infantry from Yamato, who specialize in close quarters combat. Spiritualists are different. Qin’s cultivators are individually specialized, but the discipline itself is broadly flexible. Unlike a duel, we won’t be able to pick out a specific weakness to hammer on.”

Ashikaga grinned and punched her own palm.

“Except for one! Stamina. With a good supply of stamina and the right static formations, a mage can go on almost forever—it’s part of what makes sieging your cities such a damn nightmare. Yamato infantry also has a lot of staying power—martial arts are very economical with ki expenditure. Spiritualists have a lot of explosive power, but they burn out quickly.”

Her smile faltered as she turned back to the map and grimaced.

“Which is where the second category comes in. The sergeants, for lack of a better term. We can expect roughly one in a hundred of them to be at the peak of houtian. These are their elites, on the level of the Silver Orchard’s infamous demon hunters. For a comparison closer to home, that means they’ve got around fifteen hundred fighters on the level of me or Sir Grand Magus over there.”

Lin Xiulan shook her head.

“Not exactly the same level. I’d wager that Grand Magus Hyeong and yourself are a cut above most peak houtian cultivators, but it’s within the same realm at least.”

“Sure. The point is, they aren’t to be underestimated. These are the ones who’ve refined their craft into something special. Each one is a unique threat and there are hundreds of them. To counteract that threat, we have houtian irregulars of our own. Miss Yang?”

Yang Qiu had been looming in the corner quietly, content to just listen, but she stepped forward when she was called.

“My entire unit is on that level—any demon weaker than that doesn’t have the kind of discipline for this pretty much by definition. We’ve learned our lesson from the campaign in Yamato, and there won’t be a repeat of the battle at Kasuga.”

Kasuga—not to be confused with New Kasuga, the home village of Jiaguo’s demons, was where Yu Meiren had severed the demons’ connection with Yoshika’s blessing before luring her into a final confrontation. They’d been able to manage the demonic rampage thanks to good discipline and a swift response, but Yang Qiu still considered it a failure.

The demons that she’d brought from Jiaguo were fewer in number than those who’d deployed in Yamato, but these were her absolute best. The ones closest to passing her near-impossible test of will.

Ashikaga nodded.

“We don’t have as many houtian elites as they do, but we have the positional advantage. Yang Qiu and her demons will focus on hit and run tactics, singling out enemy irregulars then striking fast and retreating. All while avoiding the next and most dangerous group.”

This time she pointed at Lin Xiulan.

“Xiantian. Qin famously keeps their xiantian cultivators as far out of trouble as possible, but when they move, the entire battlefield moves with them. Each and every one of them is an entire force unto themselves, and they can instantly send an army at the advantage into a complete rout.”

The shogun paced back and forth at the front of the room, her arms folded behind her back, scowling.

“Honestly, they defy conventional strategy. There’s no planning for them, only response and damage control. It’s been difficult to gather intelligence, but thanks to the efforts of our inhumanly persistent scout...”

Melati waved happily from the back.

“Hi! That’s me! Melati did her best to find the really strong bad guys!”

Sae inclined her head.

“Yes. Thank you. Thanks to Miss Melati’s intelligence, we estimate that roughly one in a thousand of their forces are xiantian. Around fifteen for the approaching army, which is honestly a lot more than we were expecting, and doesn’t even account for the final category.”

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Finally, she gestured at Eunae, who’d been letting her trusted advisors handle the strategic planning.

“The commanders. Generals. We have our own answers to regular xiantian combatants—Lady Ienaga, Miss Lin, Magus Hwang, and a few others.”

Yan Yue had opted to stay behind in Jiaguo to manage the city unless things grew exceptionally dire, while Zheng Long remained a guest, and was too risky to trust in battle due to Yan De’s threats. Heian was also technically xiantian, but combat wasn’t really her forte unless someone challenged her in the spirit realm.

Ienaga Yumi frowned.

“What about reinforcements from Goryeo?”

Eunae winced. That one was on her to explain.

“Min is better utilized keeping things together at home, while my mother and sister remain in confinement for now. The high nobles are sending limited reinforcements but...”

She nodded at Ashikaga, who’d already been briefed on the situation.

“Everyone knows Goryeo is almost invincible in a siege, but the problem with being a turtle is that you’re not very good at chasing. The high noble clans will be holding their best in reserve to protect their own cities, just in case Qin decides to ignore us entirely and charge straight past.”

Master Ienaga shook her head.

“That makes no sense. Perhaps if we were garrisoned entirely by mages, but we have a mixed force that’s perfectly capable of cutting off supply lines and punishing an overextended army.”

“We know that, and Qin knows that—hell, the nobles probably know that too, but centuries of doctrine gives them a perfect excuse to be stingy and force the rest of us to take the brunt of it while they conserve their resources to come out on top when the dust settles.”

“Tsk. Bloody snakes. If Jiaguo falls, they fall with it.”

Eunae bowed apologetically.

“We haven’t had time to bring them completely in line, yet. We’ll continue working on it, but in the meantime, we should assume that the noble houses will continue to practice Goryeo’s fortress doctrine.”

Shogun Ashikaga shrugged.

“What we’ve got is what we’ve got. Anyway, to get back on track—Yumi and the rest can handle most xiantian fighters, but the heavy hitters are another story. Yan De, Sun Quan, or—heavens forbid—the God-Emperor Qin himself.”

There was nobody on their side who could answer to threats like that. Nobody except for Yoshika herself, and even then it was a big risk. Eunae pursed her lips.

“Other than Yan De, do we suspect other threats on that level?”

“Sun Quan seems likely. Bai Renshu—though it’s debatable whether he counts. It’s impossible to confirm. All we can do is move with caution and avoid any engagements with them if they appear.”

Xiulan sighed.

“They’re unlikely to expose themselves unless absolutely necessary, but if they do, it will require a concentrated force of our own xiantian elements to counter, or for Empress Yoshika to take action herself.”

Yoshika wasn’t sure she was worth the amount of credit everyone was giving her, but she did at least have one advantage.

“I can deploy one or more of my aspects with minimal long term personal risk. My bodies are more than just avatars, and if they fall I can’t replace them immediately, but I can replace them.”

It wasn’t ideal, and she didn’t want to get used to thinking of her bodies as expendable, but if one of her aspects died, the others could support it until she created a new body. As long as her core and her true body remained safe, she could take a few risks.

Shogun Ashikaga was less certain.

“I appreciate the offer, Your Majesty, but I don’t know if it’s wise to take risks like that. High level threats don’t always play by the rules, and even if one of your bodies can survive being killed, there’s no guarantee that your opponent doesn’t have a way to just kill you even harder.”

Like Longyan did. Or Ice, one of the powerful elementals that had suspiciously gone missing after Void had left to do whatever it was currently up to. Even Yu Meiren had techniques that struck on a much deeper level.

“It’s a risk we have to take. At the very least, I should be present as a deterrent—to prevent them from freely overwhelming us with their own xiantian fighters.”

Sae grimaced, but nobody was willing to gainsay Yoshika. They were outnumbered, and without something to balance the scales, their defenses wouldn’t last. They simply couldn’t afford to hold anything back.

“That is, of course, your prerogative, Your Majesty. Now, how are the upgrades to the shield going?”

Magus Hwang Sung stood to respond.

“Thanks to Do Hye’s designs, they should be finished in time. Combined with the new combat formations installed by the princesses, our defensive position should be secure before the fighting begins.”

There was one more thing that Eunae needed answered. She wasn’t sure there was an answer, but she had to ask.

“Magus Hwang, in your estimation, what would it take to breach one of our shield formations?”

He pursed his lips, casting an uneasy glance at Ashikaga Sae and Lin Xiulan. The assembly of experts had not always been allies, and he was hesitant to answer in front of former enemies.

“It’s difficult to say, Your Majesty. Such a breach has never occurred before.”

“Not true. The demonic invaders bypassed Jiaguo’s shield during The Descent of the Gods, and when elementals attacked Songdo, they made their way through no less than three of the barriers meant to protect the throne.”

That was a little unfair. It was the power of a deity that tore open the portal that Longyan and his ilk had used to invade the academy, and the elementals had bypassed the first two barriers from within. The last one had been broken open by Void itself, and if that was what it took, then Yoshika would accept that answer. What she wouldn’t tolerate, however, was a propaganda line about the barriers being indestructible.

“Fair enough. I cannot quantify it easily, but it would require multiple xiantian beings concentrating their power—or else one of such superlative power that I can scarcely fathom such an existence. The nature of our defenses are such that no such attack would be allowed to commence undisturbed.”

“And if they do concentrate their xiantian forces, including Yan De and the other top threats?”

“Then we would do the same—from inside the shield, where we are at no risk of suffering retaliation. That is and always has been our greatest strength.”

She had to admit, it was a sound strategy—one that had kept Goryeo on the map for thousands of years, despite its small size. But even if they could hold out against Qin’s army indefinitely, what about the next wave, or the one after that? It wasn’t enough to fight defensively. They had neither the time nor the numbers.

Evidently Ashikaga Sae had considered the same thing, because her next words drew the entire room’s attention.

“Next, I’d like to go over our assault plans. The shield will be our command post and fallback point, but we’re not going to win this war by sitting on our feet. Here’s how I propose we take the fight to them.”