YEAR: 1724. AUGUST 9TH. LOCATION: OUTSKIRT OF THE PLAIN OF JADE.

“I never expected they would take the bait so easily,” General Cedric said, amusement in his eyes. “Maybe we have a chance in this battle after all.”

“Please don’t joke, my lord,” Brigadier General Devon replied wearily. “It’s only natural for the enemy to act this way; they’d do anything to get to you.”

The two officers stood watching the enemy advance on them. In front of the Imperial foot soldiers were the cavalry, charging with their horses. The cavalry numbered about 1,000, with 24,000 foot soldiers right behind them. Both the horses and their riders were clad in heavy iron armor.

“Tell the archers to open fire,” Cedric ordered, slowly retreating into the forest with the other soldiers. “Then have the longbow archers cover their retreat.”

“Yes, sir!” a runner shouted as he sprinted off to deliver the message.

It didn’t take long before the archers began to release their arrows at the approaching enemies. However, the arrows they shot were ordinary, unable to pierce the thick armor of the soldiers and their steeds, bouncing harmlessly off them.

Seeing an opportunity, the Imperials charged faster, racing towards Cedric, who was already in the forest, retreating. The longbow archers then began to fire, their arrows whistling through the air.

“Don’t stop!” Lieutenant Colonel Draven shouted, his voice echoing across the battlefield. “They’re just normal arrows! Let’s bring glory to the Third Division!”

“YES, SIR!” The cavalry roared in response, their voices filled with fierce determination.

But their cries were short-lived. Suddenly, the arrows changed—enchanted arrows infused with fire magic began to pierce the soldiers everywhere.

Caught off guard by the sudden shift, many of the cavalry tried to slow down to dodge but failed, their momentum too great. Even those who weren’t struck found their horses panicking at the sight of fire. The terrified animals bucked their riders off, who were then trampled by the cavalry charging behind them.

Lieutenant Colonel Draven who was leading the cavalry force from the front, also fell from his saddle as an arrow embedded itself in his chest, his eyes wide in shock.

When the cavalry finally managed to stop and dodge the remaining arrows, they had already lost 400 soldiers before the battle had even truly begun. The morale of the kingdom’s soldiers soared, while the spirits of the Imperial forces plummeted.

[(0)]

YEAR: 1724. AUGUST 9TH. LOCATION: SOMEWHERE IN THE EAST SIDE OF PLAIN OF JADE

‘This can’t be happening.’ I thought as I gripped my spear tightly. ‘Already two weeks and I am already in another battle.’

By Lieutenant Colonel Cameron's suggestion, the force of 40,000 had moved out from Fort Kespare while a force of 5,000 stayed to defend the fort. We had to actually run to Plain of Jade to make it here before the Imperial which tired the soldiers before the battle even started. This wasn’t looking good even before the start.

Of course, before we departed from Fort Kespare, I tried to stay in the force of 5,000 saying that my injury wasn’t fully healed and I needed more rest. However, Captain Deryk sold me out saying I was the best soldier among the recruits and needed in the battlefield. Curse him!

Anyway, I was in the 4th Company made of 200 recruits with Deryk as my captain. We were deployed somewhere in the East side of the forest and were ordered to battle any Imperials that came on our way.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Thankfully, there were 1st to 5th Companies alongside 4th Company so we numbered around 1,000. The commander for this small force was a female officer named Major Lyra who was in her young twenties. She was talented enough to achieve the rank at such a young age.

However, it wasn’t comforting as I had trouble believing that she could actually lead us to battle. I wasn’t questioning her leadership, but I was more worried about recruits.

Unlike me who had seen battle multiple times, most of the recruits never saw battle in their life. I didn’t need to ask them or anything as I could see clearly they were inexperienced.

The sound of clashing weapons, war machines activating, projectiles whistling through the air, smokes rising from the distance, the slight smell of blood, and the shouts and screams of the soldiers were spooking the recruits as they trembled slightly. They occasionally flinched at the random sound that was made around them.

This wasn’t good. Even I could see they would run away at the first sight of danger in their life which would result in the whole collapse of the 1st to 5th Companies.

‘And whoever came up with the plan is the worst.’ I thought as I gripped my spear even tighter, making my fist turn into white. ‘Not only we are more outnumbered, but we are fighting in unfamiliar terrain.’

The kingdom could have covered up the number if they were fighting what they called home territory. However, the Plain of Jade wasn’t a home territory for the kingdom at all. Most of the soldiers, even officers didn’t step a single step on the Plain of Jade as they got no reason to. This won't even be used as a training ground as there were too many trees to properly train.

Plain of Jade was mostly covered in trees, so it might be a good idea to spill up the Imperials, but so will the soldiers of the kingdom.

On top of everything else, many of the officers were confused about the location. Maps were military secrets, tightly guarded and not handed out freely for fear they might fall into the hands of spies and be used by the enemy. Without proper maps, they would have a hard time figuring out the direction of the attack or where to lead their troops. It would be chaos, really.

I could only see my death looming in the near future as I finally sat down on the cold ground, too mentally exhausted to think clearly. There were so many problems with this whole operation that, for a fleeting moment, I considered the possibility that Lieutenant Colonel Draven might be a spy sent to sabotage the entire 9th Corps.

But I quickly discarded that idea; it was more likely that the spy, if there was one, was among the new recruits who had joined recently. After all, it would be easier to sneak into the fort under the guise of a fresh-faced recruit than as a seasoned Lieutenant Colonel.

I stared down at my hand, holding a small, lifeless bird. But it wasn’t just any bird—it was a wind bird, specially trained to carry messages. The bird was long dead, killed by my arrow since I couldn’t catch it alive, but the message tied to its leg was still intact.

The message contained critical information about the movements of the 9th Corps, detailing how we were stationed at the Plain of Jade, lying in wait for the Imperials. I had caught the bird by sheer coincidence when I saw it flying away from the fort. It wasn’t unusual for wind birds to deliver messages, but this one was heading east—directly toward the enemy's position. Suspicious, I had grabbed a bow and arrow from the training ground, where no one else was around, and shot the bird down.

Once I retrieved the message and read it, my suspicions were confirmed: it was indeed from a spy. For a moment, I considered reporting this to my superiors, but then I hesitated. A more ambitious thought crossed my mind—I could catch the spy myself and earn a promotion. Reporting a spy would be a notable achievement, but capturing one single-handedly? That would almost guarantee a rise in rank.

I wanted promotion, not for power or prestige, but simply because I didn’t want to die. Officers, unless they were exceptionally brave or downright crazy, usually stayed in the rear to give commands. Compared to the soldiers fighting on the front lines, officers were relatively safe.

Even better, with enough hard work, I could potentially get transferred to the 8th Corps. Soldiers who proved more valuable behind a desk than on the battlefield were often reassigned there, where they handled the mountains of paperwork generated by the ongoing war.

Of course, the 9th Corps wouldn’t be eager to lose an officer, so I’d have to prove that my skills were better suited for administration than combat. It was the perfect plan—I would help the kingdom while staying safe behind fortified walls. A win-win situation.

You might think I’m a villain for risking the lives of the entire 9th Corps by letting a spy roam free? Well, I never wanted to be on the battlefield in the first place, and I had no loyalty to the kingdom that sold me into slavery. I just wanted to survive—the most basic and desirable instinct for any human being.

But before any of this drama could unfold, there was one glaring problem—a huge problem, in fact.

“Where are the Imperials?” I murmured to myself, frowning. “There hasn’t been a single Imperial soldier spotted. I wonder where they’ve gone.”