Chapter 1
The evening sun cast its golden glow over the military camp at the southern frontier of the Shangji Kingdom. Commander Jang sat together with his close friends, Lin and Kelep.
The condition of the camp was extremely miserable. Many soldiers still had bandages wrapped around their bodies. Some had lost an arm or a leg during the war. Many did not even have proper tents to rest in. Amid the cold mountain winds, they sat beside campfires, carefully tending to their wounds.
The armory was filled with broken swords and damaged shields bearing the scars of countless battles. The food storage was nearly empty. Most of the time, the soldiers had to hunt wild animals or gather fruits and herbs from the forest just to survive.
Over the past four years, fifty-seven major battles and more than a hundred smaller conflicts had taken place on the southern frontier. Nearly one thousand soldiers had sacrificed their lives, while more than two thousand had suffered severe injuries.
Yet, not a single reinforcement, adequate food supply, or medical assistance had ever been sent from the capital.
The southern frontier had become known as the “Border of Death.”
Meanwhile, Commander Jang was known among his soldiers as the “Southern Guardian,” while his enemies called him the “God of War.”
In just four years, he had personally defeated five great enemy generals. Under his command, armies ten times stronger than his own had been defeated time and time again. It was said that the mere sight of Commander Jang on the battlefield doubled the morale of his soldiers.
On one occasion, he led only five hundred soldiers and held back an army of ten thousand enemies for three days, allowing hundreds of thousands of civilians living near the border to evacuate safely.
For the soldiers of the southern frontier, Commander Jang was not merely their commander—he was their family, their leader, and the man who had saved their lives countless times.
It was precisely because of this that King Lue King had begun to fear him.
King Lue King was not a foolish ruler. He knew that if Commander Jang ever declared rebellion, hundreds of thousands of civilians and thousands of soldiers on the southern frontier would immediately stand by his side.
Over the past four years, Jang’s fame had surpassed that of every prince in the royal family. Among the common people, many had begun to regard him as the true protector of the kingdom.
For that reason, the King and the royal ministers had decided to transfer all of Commander Jang’s military achievements and victories to Crown Prince Jiran.
Prince Jiran was not an incompetent man. He had received extensive training in swordsmanship and politics. However, he had never once participated in a real battlefield. He was extremely arrogant and valued his royal status above all else.
Furthermore, his political marriage with Princess Ningbing of the Kingdom of Nidan was approaching. To strengthen his reputation and secure greater political influence, it was essential that he be established as a legendary commander of the kingdom.
Several ministers within the royal court opposed this decision. They knew that stealing Jang’s achievements could bring disastrous consequences upon the empire. Yet, before the King’s authority, they were forced to remain silent.
And on that day, the Shangji Kingdom made the greatest mistake in its history—it chose to turn its greatest guardian into its greatest enemy.
