*meanwhile, just outside the gate*
{COJACAN GENERAL'S POV}
I grind my teeth together angrily, chewing on my thumbnail. It wasn't supposed to be like this!

Why is Clarines prosperous when Cojaca should be supreme? We need a chunk of their lands and people to supplement the record low birthrate and dwindling population under my king, Laurier-heika.

A simple subjugation... more land... more power. Surely this will make everything better. We'd finally have some of the respect and territory we deserve!

But no, the king of Clarines refused to let us take over even a sliver of his land. I'm sure Izana Wistaria doesn't even care about the citizens living there who would be displaced. He's a noble, after all.

He just doesn't want us to have what's his.

Tai was meant to be a sacrifice for the greater good. The king of Clarines has too much power. All we're doing is leveling the playing field.

If only those damn incompetent Menadians could do anything right! If only they'd done their damn job and pincer attacked when they should've, this whole damn thing would be a breeze!

Instead we have to chip away at their worthless defenses. It's only a matter of time before we utterly crush them. I sent a letter to my king for additional troops. Laurier-heika would never abandon us!

He's a hero who came up with this surefire plan to take what we need!

I hear he's even had discussions with a newly-minted emperor in the far east about crushing our surrounding adversaries. Surely with Fujimiya-heika's backing and Laurier-heika's brain, Cojaca will reign supreme! My king will send reinforcements soon, so we can quash these lowly enemies and take the land and riches we rightfully deserve!

"Mother!" The colonel of the second battalion yells, sweeping the flap of the command tent open and entering without so much of a salute.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling an oncoming headache. "Colonel, you will refer to me as General while we're on the battlefield."

"Oh, right. I mean, yes General!"

"What do you need, Colonel?" I sigh long-sufferingly.

"The other side has fallen!" He exclaims breathlessly, panting and resting his hands on his knees.

I smirk. "Excellent. They can do something right, for once. begin the attack immediately! We won't let those Menadian chumps steal all of our glory!"

"You don't understand!" He exclaims. "Our allies are the ones who've fallen! The three battalions stationed here are the only ones remaining!"

"Impossible." I storm out of my tent, determined to see the situation with my own two eyes.

Armored reinforcements are lining up along the top of the Mountain Gate as we speak. They've always been the underdogs in terms of numbers, only holding us off through sheer luck, some fire arrows, and (of course, who could forget) a few meters of solid stone and wood with metal accents.

So annoying. I hate that damn gate!

Their increasing numbers combined with our losses mean that they're beginning to catch up.

I begin to chew on my index fingernail since my thumbnails have been gnawed back to the point of bleeding. "It doesn't matter. We're going to attack."

"Now?!" The colonel asks.

"We're proud warriors of Cojaca! The best of the best! We never retreat, never surrender, and no one on the continent can beat us!" I yell.

The remaining soldiers of the first battalion cheer. They are the most elite fighters, as well as the most loyal to me and the crown. My pride and joy.

Those from other battalions dare to look less enthused. They shuffle their feet and avert their gazes. I smell fear. They don't have faith that Cojaca will win. This is the real reason why we're losing.

It's internal weakness rather than strong opponents. Damn cowards.

Laurier-heika will send us actually decent reinforcements, and that will turn the tide of battle. I can finally wash my hands of these weaklings.

True Cojacans don't lose, nor do they begin slowly backing away from an upcoming fight.

One man turns and flees in the opposite direction, towards the Menadian border. Perfect. He'll be a fine example for the rest.

I turn to my foolish son. "Colonel, is that bow on your hip for show? Shoot the rebeller down."

"What?!" He whips his head around to stare at me why wide eyes. "Why?!"

He's too soft. It seems I molycoddled him too much as a young babe. I should've been tougher with my teachings, drilled proper respect for authority into his mind from an earlier age.

"Because a real Cojacan knight never surrenders." I snap impatiently. "Shoot him!"

Moving quite slowly, the colonel knocks an arrow and pulls back the string. People back out of the way, giving him a clean shot at the back of the fleeing man. He aims, then fires. The arrow is embedded in the dirt just to the right of the rebeller.

The colonel lowers his bow, shaking his head. "No! I can't—I won't do it!"

"No?" I eye the colonel incredulously, raising an eyebrow. "Are you defying a direct order?"

I raise my hand and step forward. He winces.

I snatch the bow for his hands and an arrow from the quiver belted on his other hip. I aim, and the arrow flies true, sinking into his lower back and liking severing his spine.

He falls and begins to keen in pain. I intentionally didn't aim for an instantly lethal blow. Let his cries of pain as he bleeds out serve as a reminder to those who are considering running away.

I spin on my heel and use the bow to slap the colonel across the face, hard. His head whips to the side from the unexpected force of the blow.

"In this life, you're either the predator or the prey." I grab him by the collar and pull him closer. "Figure out which side you're on."

I let him go, disgusted. He presses a palm to his bruising cheek and trembles. Then the colonel bows. "Yes, General."

I turn to address the rest of my troops. "Today, we fight until the Mountain Gate falls! Take over the fortress and live! For those of you who choose to run, I will be your opponent. I assure you, you will die. Never stop pushing forward! Never surrender! We fight for the honor of our mighty kingdom!"

The first battalion takes up positions at the back of the army. They'll help me weed out any rebellers.

With no other choice, the survivors from the other two battalions start marching towards the gate. This frustratingly drawn out siege ends now.