"That's it, people!" Haitao shouted. "We need to collect all the dry grass before the end of the day!"
Haitao watched as the soldiers and Behrouz's men continued to cut the dry grass. He picked up a bunch of freshly cut grass and threw it over his right shoulder. He walked over to Hye and the villager women who were sitting under a tree, making scarecrows. He threw the bundle of dry grass on the ground beside three villager women, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and saw a large group of people riding towards them on horseback.
"I believe that's Chinua," Haitao said.
Hye quickly stood up and looked at the road. What he saw worried him. "If these are the soldiers brought by Chinua, then winning this battle with the Razaasia army will be more difficult than I expected," Hye said very worriedly.
"If we plan our actions carefully, we might be able to get through this," Haitao offered, trying to sound optimistic.
Hye put down the grass in his hand. "I'm going to see Chinua now. She has some explanations to do."
When Hye arrived at the military camp, Chinua and others had already arrived. Hye found that Chinua was still busy giving orders to the soldiers, so he decided not to disturb her, opting instead to wait in Chinua's tent. He sat in the tent for nearly three hours before Chinua finally entered.
"What on earth are you thinking?" Hye said loudly the moment he saw Chinua enter.
Chinua sighed and began to take off her armor. "I knew you were going to say that."
"With your little experience, do you think you can miraculously defend Hosha City?" Hye pressed, his voice filled with frustration.
Chinua put her robe on. "I know this is going to be difficult, but it's what I have to do."
Hye stood up and faced Chinua. "Tell me why you have to accept this dangerous mission," he demanded.
"If I don't volunteer for this war, the one who goes will be Crown Prince Bastsaikhan," Chinua revealed.
"Then let him go," Hye retorted. "Since he is the Crown Prince, more soldiers will be sent to Hosha City. As far as I see, the soldiers you brought back from Ntsua-Ntu City are less than five hundred."
Chinua sighed. "They are not soldiers; they are my father's elite guards." She looked at Hye. "Do you know why I wear armor and not a silky dress like other princesses?"
Hye sneered. "Please do explain yourself."
Chinua said disheartenedly, "Since the day I was born, I have been raised as the prince's legs. I have been taught since I was a child that I am only qualified to be other people's legs. Others have dreams and goals, but I am not allowed to have them. I am a chess piece that can only be moved by the players. Everything I wanted to do had to be done by myself, without help from others. You know, in the palace courtyard where everyone dreams of staying, except for Khunbish, Khenbish, an old eunuch, and two maids, there is no difference between the small palace and a prison cell. From morning to dawn, the other princesses studied art and poetry; I studied war and strategy. While the other princesses held needles and brushes; I held swords and bows."
Listening to Chinua express her deepest feelings, Hye felt guilty for bringing up Chinua's unwanted past experiences. He asked, "Why? Since you are a princess, you don't need to do these things. Why do you force yourself to do these things for others?"
Chinua looked at Hye. "Tell me, if Nabi is physically disabled, in a wheelchair, and ordered to go to the battlefield, as her good brother with two healthy legs, would you be willing to let her go to the battlefield?"
Hye looked at Chinua with a blank expression.
Chinua continued, "To be honest, I was against it at first, but later, I accepted the life arranged for me. I understand that if I don't help the prince secure his position, no one else will do it, because everyone in the palace approves of the Second Prince becoming the Crown Prince. All my life I have experienced disgusted looks and gossip from others when they looked at him. I could feel the anger behind his bright smile. I could see the tears behind his happy eyes. I could feel his pain every time I saw him touch his legs." Tears slowly escaped from Chinua's eyes. "Sometimes, when I see him sitting alone in his wheelchair, I think about how lonely a person is, while they sit alone in a wheelchair, looking at their own shadow and crying secretly." She wiped the tears from her face and forced out a smile. "I understand that if I go to battle for him, there is at least half a chance of winning, because I have good brothers by my side who are my eyes and ears. But if he goes to battle, he will not have such brothers to serve as his eyes and ears, and he will be heading to his grave. As his only relative, I will not allow such a thing to happen." She sighed sadly. "As a child, no one cared for me more than my brother Bastsaikhan. When I needed guidance, no one stepped in to give me guidance but him."
"Because he knows that you are his leg; you will do things for him that he can't do for himself," Hye stated, his tone cynical. "This is why he is good to you. In the royal family, everyone only cares about themselves, and those who sympathize with others usually end up dead."
"I understand, but he is also my brother. In the palace, no one is truly family, and everyone is using everyone to get to the top of that royal staircase," Chinua conceded. She turned towards Hye. "It seems that you understand this concept better than me, so you once said: The human heart is the darkest color, but Hye, I still believe that in the dark hearts of people, there are still some gray spots." She smiled at Hye. "Moreover, this is also my chance to prove to those who have always looked down on me, and it is also the time to see how powerful your weapons are. Also, I also want to know whether my previous hard training was worth it. Whether I am worthy of the title of General of the Eastern Region depends on the outcome of this battle."
Hye sneered. When he thought about the outcome of this battle, he felt silly and shook his head. He sighed. "You also understand that the chance of winning is very low."
Chinua smiled. "No matter how low the odds are, as long as there is a chance, it does not mean that we will fail. Moreover, I noticed that you prepared in advance."
Hye looked at Chinua, then smiled. "Sometimes I wonder if agreeing to serve under you was the right choice."
Chinua chuckled. "It's a bit late to quit now."
Hye sighed. "I suppose. I've prepared scarecrows. I want to use the scarecrows to catch arrows, but I don't know how effective it is because I have never used it."
"We will know when we get there," Chinua said, accepting the uncertainty.
"When do you plan to set off?" Hye asked.
"It depends on when everyone is ready," Chinua replied. "Prince Mandla wants to leave tomorrow morning."
"Then tomorrow morning it is," Hye affirmed. "We have been preparing since we received your news. By the way, many of our supplies come from our new friends, bandits and local villagers."
"Then, let's set off tomorrow. I'll tell Prince Mandla and Captain Haitao," Chinua said. She stood up and walked towards the door.
"Chinua!" Hye said loudly. Chinua stopped, turned around, and Hye walked up to her. "I want you to know that no matter the outcome of this battle, I will stand by your side until the very end."
Chinua smiled at Hye. "I know you will. I have no doubt about it."
Hye smirked. "Well, I'm glad."
Before the sun rose, Chinua stood on the top of the hill and looked at the soldiers strapping their belongings on their horses, preparing to set off at the entrance of the military camp. She stared at the men and women, knowing that once they began marching out of the military gate, not all of them would make it back alive. She felt a heavy weight press down from her shoulders, slowly creeping into her heart.
"I knew I'd find you here," Hye said, walking toward Chinua. "Not everyone will come back once they leave here." He looked at Chinua and found that Chinua's complexion didn't look good. He handed Chinua a piece of bread. "Casualties are expected; your job now is to ensure that casualties are as low as possible." He walked away ten steps and turned to look at Chinua. "We are ready and waiting for you."
Chinua looked at the soldiers standing on the training ground, all holding horse ropes in their hands. She thought to herself that the sight of the soldiers lining up seemed to be a very beautiful picture. "I'm ready. Let's go," Chinua said, starting to walk down the hill with Hye.
When Chinua and Hye reached the bottom of the hill, Khunbish and Khenbish were waiting for them with their horses. Chinua grabbed the horse rope, jumped on the horse, and rode down the mountain with Khunbish, Khenbish, and Hye.
Chinua rode up to the military camp gate, and the soldiers mounted their horses. She turned to look at Mandla and said, "Although there are more women than men in my army, their skills are not inferior to any men."
"I believe you," Mandla replied.
Chinua turned the horse's head and began to lead her soldiers out of the military camp as a horse galloped towards her.
Azad rode alongside Chinua. "My father asked me to come along," he said.
Chinua smiled. "We welcome anyone who wants to join us, but you must understand that once you join our army, you will be bound by military law."
Azad smiled. "I understand." He stretched out his hand to the side of the bag tied to the reins. He quickly untied the bag and threw it to Khunbish. "This is for you. Noor hopes you come back safely."
Then the soldiers behind and beside Khunbish laughed.
"Having a girl to send you to war is the most romantic thing a soldier could ask for," Muunokhoi said.
"Gee, I hope a village girl gives me a gift to send me to the battlefield," Chaghatai chuckled.
"We are not as popular as Khunbish. No wonder we danced all night, but we caught no fish," Terbish laughed.
Azad looked at the men and said with a smile, "Respect, people. Respect. That's my little sister you are talking about."
The male soldiers burst into laughter while the female soldiers giggled.
Khawn looked at Naksh and asked, "I don't understand why they are laughing?"
Naksh smiled. "You are still a child. Let's wait until you grow up."
Hye looked back, shook his head, and said, "At this time, they know they are heading towards danger, and yet they can still smile."
Haitao, who had experienced many battles and had seen the ugliness of war, looked back at the happy soldiers and said, "Let them enjoy the little joy they have now, so that they will not forget what they are fighting for."