The whole army was looking at the scenery in front of them with fear.
Once proud and valiant General Mansoor now lay prostrate on the ground, his body wracked with pain as the Empress Andriya stood before him, her eyes blazing with fury.
The entire army watched in silence, unable to look away from the gruesome sight unfolding before them, and most of them were guilty of the punishment that Mansoor is suffering right now.
"Mansoor, you have failed me," Andriya spoke with a voice as cold as ice, her words cutting through the air like a sharpened blade.
"Your incompetence has cost us dearly, and for that, you must pay the price."
With that, the Empress raised her foot and brought it down hard on Mansoor's chest, eliciting a sickening crunch as his ribs shattered beneath the force. The general let out a scream of agony, his face contorted in pain.
*Ahhhh
It was an ear-deafening sound, but Andriya had no idea if holding back or showing kindness to failures.
"You will learn to obey my orders, or suffer the consequences," Andriya declared, her foot still planted on Mansoor's broken body.
"This is what happens to those who fail me."
"Don't think I'm foolish because I know he's not the one responsible for the failure in the first place, but he will be the one to be punished for now since I don't have time to deal with every one of you, but if our next attack fails, forget about your families and going back to the empire," Andriya said in the same cold manner.
The army watched in horror as the Empress continued to punish the fallen general, her anger and disappointment palpable. It was a stark reminder of the consequences of failure in the service of the Empress, and one that none would forget any time soon.
Later that day Commander met General Mansoor to discuss their war plan and this time they were deadbeat on destroying the gate and invading the land.
Commander and General Mansoor sat in their tent, deep in conversation. The two men were discussing their new battle plan to destroy the gate of the Rapidclaw kingdom's border to invade them.
"We need to hit them hard and fast," said Commander.
"We can't afford to give them any breathing room, The more we take damage, the more our troops lose their morality,"
"I agree," replied General Mansoor, his whole hands were fine but there was a piercing pain on his chest because of Andriya's punishment, and it really left a scar on his chest making it a scar of shame.
"But we need to be cautious. They have new weapons that cause explosions. We need to have the plan to deal with them."
"Agreed," said the commander, who heard about it from Mansoor.
"We'll need to send in our best mages to take out those weapons. And we'll need to be prepared for a counterattack."
"Mage unit will deal with those expletive weapons, make sure your battering ram does its job this time,"
Mansoor nodded thoughtfully.
"We'll also need to make sure our troops are well-protected. We don't want any unnecessary casualties."
"Absolutely," The commander agreed with Mansoor's words.
"We'll need to make sure they have the best armour and weapons available. And we'll need to train them well."
The two men continued to discuss their plan, strategizing every move and anticipating every possible scenario. It was clear that they were both deeply committed to the success of their mission.
The main reason for their education wasn't because they wanted to help Andriya, but they didn't want to go against the empire even though most of the army and officials dislike their current royalty that act like tyrants.
As the sun began to set outside, they finally came to a decision.
"We'll move in at dawn," The commander gave full information to Mansoor.
"And we'll take them by surprise. This won't be an easy fight, but I have faith in our troops."
"Agreed," said Mansoor.
"We'll make them pay for every inch they've taken from us. This will be our land, and we'll take it even if are reduced to the last man."
With their plan in place, the two men sat in silence for a moment, each lost in his own thoughts. But there was a sense of determination in the air, a sense that they were both ready to do whatever it took to emerge victorious.
And as they sat there, watching the sun dip below the horizon, the sound of marching feet could be heard in the distance. The troops were on the move, ready to follow their commanders into battle.
As the time for the battle arrived, everyone gathered around with several generals and their battalion in front of them.
The battalion of General Mansoor was special on this occasion since they were looked own by all the other men because of their incompetence.
The commander, a tall and imposing figure in full armour, stepped forward to address his troops.
"My fellow soldiers," he began.
"Today, we march towards the borders of the Rapidclaw Kingdom. We are not here to make friends, we are not here to negotiate. We are here to show them the might of our empire and to claim what is rightfully ours. We will not back down, we will not falter, and we will not show any mercy to those who stand in our way and if they surrender we will emerge victorious."
The soldiers roared in response, their swords clanging together as they raised them high in the air. But before the commander could continue, a figure stepped forward from the crowd.
It was Empress Andriya, the ruler of the Scaredmore Empire.
"My loyal subjects," she said in a commanding voice,
"I am here to speak to you today not as a ruler, but as a fellow soldier. The Rapidclaw Kingdom has been a thorn in our side for too long. They have threatened our borders, captured our emperor, and insulted our honour. Today, we march towards their land to show them that the Scaredmore Empire will not be intimidated." Andriya said and looked at the faces of the soldiers.
"But let me make one thing clear. We are not here to negotiate. We are not here to offer peace. We are here to destroy them. We will show them no mercy, no compassion, and no humanity. We will leave nothing but death and destruction in our wake. This is war, and in war, there are no rules. So go forth, my soldiers, and let the blood of our enemies stain the ground, kill their children, kill their animals, kill everything in front of you."
The soldiers stood in stunned silence, unsure of what to make of their empress's words. The commander glared at her, his eyes burning with anger.
"Your Highness," he said through gritted teeth,
"With all due respect, that is not the way we conduct ourselves. We are not savages. We are soldiers of the empire, and we fight with honour and integrity."
Andriya turned to him, her eyes cold and unfeeling.
"Honor and integrity will not win this war," she spat.
"Only blood and steel will. If you cannot follow my orders, then step aside and let someone else lead this army."
The commander hesitated for a moment, his hand on the hilt of his sword. But then, with a heavy heart, he stepped back into the crowd, his head hung low.
And so, with Empress Andriya's words ringing in their ears, the soldiers marched towards the borders of the Rapidclaw Kingdom, ready to do whatever it took to emerge victorious. But little did they know, the empress's words would lead them down a path of darkness and despair, one that would haunt them for the rest of their days.
And one that would let Andriya achieve what she actually wanted.
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