"You, what happened to your face?" Si Ning asked slowly as he felt his mental stability crumbling.
"It was a raid, seven years ago." The soldier replied firmly as he sheathed his bloody sword without wiping the blood off. His face was impassive like he wasn't the one who just severed a man's head.
This was real.
The head-on the floor was real, the thick stench of blood was real and this was no makeup or trick. Si Ning knew he would be nothing but a fool to deny it. He had truly transmigrated to another time and no amount of trick could cover up a severed head and he doesn't need to touch the head to know it was real.
"Set the plan into motion, take the men. Tell me when you are ready." Si Ning's eyes didn't leave the head once as the scarred face soldier grabbed the head and carried it like it was just a thing while the other carried the body.
Si Ning retreated to his tent. His legs shaking and he was even surprised his voice didn't shake when he gave the instructions to Chen An.
This was real.
He had never heard of the Great Xiu Nation, he was a bad history student in high school and he had transmigrated. As nobody but a General not a Second Prince of the nation. If he was among the foot soldiers, he would be escaping by now but what does this mean?
Should he fake his death and run away? That would be impossible to carry out and he had not gotten used to this world yet.
Why did he have to be the General?
If he was a Prince, he would accept it and live his life to the fullest. Creating a harem filled with the most beautiful women in the country. He would depend on his Advisor, giving commands and never step on the battlefield and he would be eating the best dishes but now he was nothing but a General who seemed to be respected and having three Commanders follow him.
Si Ning could feel bile rising in his throat but what scared him most was how composed he was and how steady his hands were. He should definitely be going crazy and screaming looking for a way to escape this fate but yet he had no time and a General named Shen Yu was after his head. This was a nightmare he never thought he would wake up to. He was an Actor and had seen more ancient settings dramas that he lost count of.
The era he woke up was not good, He knew how well the Emperor would be treated which means one wrong word and his head might end up rolling on the floor just like the spy and no one would care to blink. Knowing he could be attacked at any time, knowing one of his subordinates could be a spy and planning to kill him. It was the same for the Emperor or Princes too but at least the Emperor would be considered as the son of heaven and many wouldn't dare to even look at his face.
Then as the General, he would have to report to him, the Emperor who was the most powerful person in the whole country. The worst part of this era was when torture would be seen as nothing and if he falls into this General Shen Yu's hands. Si Ning knew he would even faint before any torture would be inflicted on him and he doubted this General Shen Yu would spare him even if he fainted he would only wake up by more torture.
Not even having a bit of memory of his time in this period leads to a disadvantage. The only person he recognized was Chen An and now he would be leading men to war and most to their deaths and the man called Ah Dai was wounded which means there would be no one to protect him on the battlefield.
What should he do? Si Ning was still thinking and the way he was thinking fast about different scenarios that could happen if he makes one mistake didn't make him aware of Su Heng that came in.
"General we are ready." Su Heng reported.
What! According to Si Ning's calculation, he doesn't think an hour had passed and they were already ready. Si Ning took a deep breath only to see Su Heng staring at the armor on the chair.
Si Ning assumed the armor should belong to him and he moved towards it only to see it was different from the one on set which Chen An tried on him once. Anyone could tell the armor was special since it wasn't boring looking like the Commanders but beautifully made and the color was glittering with a dragon emblem on the top left corner of his chest.
Si Ning quickly changed to a fitting cloth accommodating the armor, glad he knew the basis as an Actor. He carried his sword that weighs a ton silently praying he doesn't get to use it. "Helmet?" He asked after looking around to see there was none in the tent.
The majority of the soldiers wore helmets apart from the Commanders.
"General, you do not like wearing a helmet." Su Heng told him.
Si Ning doesn't care, he was about to go to war and he would not jeopardize his life, he had to protect his face too and in the worst-case scenario he might have to hide on the battlefield and when hiding he needed the helmet to conceal his identity from this General Shen Yu.
"I will bring one." Su Heng bowed when Si Ning didn't reply to him.
Si Ning wasn't disappointed when Su Heng came back and presented a good helmet to him that was even matching his armor and different from the one he sees the soldiers wearing. He would have loved to have like their helmet to make him blend in but his armor was enough to attract the enemy that he was General Si Ning and he had to prepare to fight this General Shen Yu of Xilie nation.
"General." Chen An called to lead him outside.
To Si Ning's surprise. The leaves camouflage were already done and when he inspected it. It seemed perfect he was a little horrified at how well it was made.
"Did you brief them on the plan?" Si Ning asked glad his voice was steady and firm.
"Yes General." Chen An replied.
"Let's go." Si Ning said securing the sword to his waist.
Chen An nodded before facing the troops that were lined perfectly in rows and separated into two. "Men of Great Xiu! We are going onward to conquer our enemy and we will prevail!" He yelled at the top of his voice.
"Long live Xiu Empire!" They all yelled before they turned as the first set of soldiers began marching towards the side of the camp to start climbing the hill.
"Me and Ji Ran will lead the ambush." Su Heng saluted and Si Ning nodded at Ji Ran who bowed to him.
A soldier was holding the reins of two horses and Si Ning mounted one while Chen An mounted the other one.
"Let's go." Si Ning kicked the horse into motion to lead the rest of the army out of the camp down the dirt road.
Only a few soldiers were left to safeguard the camp.