Kingdom: Hyou Ren

"The City of Sai has its good points and bad points. On the plus side, its walls are fortified to be very strong. It won't be broken down that easily. But, the walls aren't very tall, meaning a common ladder could reach the top." Ten said.

"So a free-for-all all." I stated from the sidelines.

"That's not so bad is it? That's what castle defense is all about." Shin said, and I shook my head.

"We don't have the troops or quality to match Ri Boku´s Army," I said. Ten nodded, continuing on. 

"Sai doesn't even have enough troops to call itself an army." She said.

"How many do we have?" Shin asked.

"4000, 3000 from my father, and 1000 from the combined forces of Hi Shin and Heki´s Unit." I said, and Shin´s eyes widened.

"5000? Ri Boku has over 30,000, with more on the way." Shin said, but he suddenly got a hopeful idea.

"Hey, Sei. When you left Kanyou, you must have brought some troops?" Shin asked.

"2000" Was the man´s simple reply. 

"WHAT!? So we've only got about 6000. Listen, we´re up against the Ri Boku Army, which means elites. I have to be honest, this isn't a battle." Shin said, and I sighed from the sidelines.

"You know Shin, lowering our morale is for the enemy to do, not you." I said with a smile, as my eyes turned towards Sei. 

"Most of you may be ignorant of court politics, and the commoners' state of mind. But it's simple, the King is equal to a God in the eyes of the commoners, and very few civilians ever see the King. Just his presence alone will turn our elites into beasts. But that's not all." I said.

"His Grace has the ability to transform civilians into soldiers with a single speech if manipulated correctly, and that's what you're going for. Am I right?" I asked, and Sei nodded.

"Yes, you are." He said, but suddenly. The Minister of Left, Shou Bun came running up the stairs. 

"Sei is home to 30,000 people, there are few men left. Most of them went to Hankoku Pass, out of the 30,000, 20,000 were women, children, and elderly. So 10 000 men." The man said, and Sei spoke up.

"30 000 you said? Good, they lost fewer than I expected. In total, we´ll have 37,000 troops." He said, and I smiled. 

"You cannot be serious, half our army will be women and children. What are you thinking!?" Shin exclaimed. 

"Calm down, Shin. You have to look at the bigger picture." I said as I turned towards the castle map situated before us. 

"Yes, these 30,000 or so men, women, and children would be civilians. But a soldier is not made due to his skill. If I remember correctly, a lot of your men are civilians. When does a civilian become a soldier? Well, when he fights a war. Of course." I said, turning my eyes to each of the commanders in this room.

"We can equip them with spears, the easiest weapon. And then we can use them as cannon fodder, while our elites deal the heavy blows." I said.

"The Civilians will sustain the highest casualties, but if Sei plays this right. Their morale alone could turn them into veterans, and if we can use our elites to reinforce our weak flanks, we´ll be capable of holding this castle for weeks." I said, and Ten nodded.

"I thought the same, if we utilize our elites perfectly, we should be able to keep on. And with the King's presence, their fighting spirit would be multiplied by a lot." Ten said, and I nodded.

"Well, in truth. It all comes down to you, Your Grace. You need to properly rile the men up, and continue to do so throughout the siege." I said.

"I agree, if we need to turn these civilians into soldiers. Then I will turn them into soldiers. Shin, gather every civilian in this city and bring your soldiers. We´ll turn them into warriors." Sei said, his determination could be seen.

Seeing something in an anime series and seeing it in real life, are two entirely different things, and even I couldn't help but be somewhat shocked by Sei.

To think a King like this existed during these medieval ages, it's truly something with Sei that makes him such a great King. 

And with that, we split ways. As Sei prepared for his speech later on today, but I had to find my officers first, and I quickly found them, chit-chatting while eating. 

"Kaen, Hozu, Tetsuji." I said in greeting, as I sat down beside them. Taking some bread and beginning to eat it.

"Oh, so the Commander came here personally, or is it Duke now." Kaen said with a smile, and I responded with a chuckle.

"I suppose it's technically Duke, but the King has to officially appoint it to me. Anyway, we've got a great battle before us." I told the four of them, the mood turning more serious.

"Aye, we've realized. What is It, 30,000 civilians and 7000 soldiers against 30,000 elites?" Hozu said with a roll of his eyes and I chuckled.

"Yes, + 1 General-tier fighter, 5 Commander Tier Fighter, 3-Lieutenant Tier Fighters." I said with a smile, not that they were thinking anything more positive now. 

"Anyhow, I´ll need to rely on you 3 for the upcoming battle, we´ll be fighting hard this next week, if we last for so long." I said, my eyes locking on each of the 3 men, one after another. 

"Of course, we´ll fight to the death." Kaen said.

"This is our nation, as much as yours. We´ll die for it." Tetsuji said. 

"As they said." Hozu said and I smiled.

"Indeed, but it's also an opportunity to rise through the ranks, for all of us. Make sure you grab that opportunity when you can." I said, before ending the serious talk and engaging in some small talk. 

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**EVERY 50 POWERSTONE IS AN EXTRA CHAPTER**

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Captain Vaughn: +11 Chapters

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Hyou Ren: 40+ (soon, gotta fix a few things)