Trick

I walked through the arid plains, where thousands of troops stood in neat formation. I gazed at them with a mixture of doubt and determination. Though i had devised a sound strategy to lead them, the specter of defeat loomed over me. As i stood near a unit of fifty spearmen, one of their Currency approached me from behind.

"Are you nervous?" she asked.

"...Yes, I am. I'm nervous you'll all lose with me leading here." 

"We're all just currency here. No one cares whether we live or we die."

"So aren't you scared?"

"Yes, I'm scared," He said, gripping his spear tightly.

"Dont you worry, i'll win this," I said, moving to the rear of the troops to prepare the advance order.

On the other side, the enemy forces, clad in dark purple armor and cloaks, had arrived. Their front line was aligned with troops who appeared to be carrying miniature human bodies directly in front of them, the miniatures seemingly fused to their chests.

Whats that? Is that some kind of shield? Clearly not. That thing would only add to their burden.

As I was pondering this, a war trumpet suddenly blared from the enemy unit. Their vanguard, carrying the miniature body, surged forward with surprising speed despite the apparent weight of their burden. I immediately issued orders for our troops to prepare for battle.

"Alright! All units, attack!"

The two units charged forward, covering 500 meters, 300 meters, 100 meters, until the clash began. The spear-wielding troops in my front line managed to pierce the enemy's vanguard, aiming for their bellies. However, the spear tips struck the miniatures protecting the front of their bodies.

One of the enemy units was about to strike down a careless soldier in my front line when a stray spear from another unit intervened. The spear pierced the soldier's head. He should have died, but the Miniature he carried in front of him instantly transformed into his self. The Miniature's plain face suddenly morphed into the Currency's own features. The Currency original body collapsed lifelessly into the ground, and the Miniature, now transformed into Currency, began to attack.

That miniatur—It possessed a power, a second chance of life!

Once I understood the truth about the object, I realized that deploying such a single frontline unit would severely disadvantage my troops. And i was right, my frontline was completely decimated.

"I dont know they have those thing in this world!"

Their troops slowly breached my lines. Behind the miniature front lines were semi-heavy units, proving highly effective at disrupting the center of my formation. Gradually, they carved a straight path toward the rear, where I sat on a towering chair, observing the entire battlefield.

"Time to show the grippers"

"Pincer, attack!"

The Pincer units, positioned on the left and right flanks in the center, were prepared for this very situation. They were my contingency plan in case my front lines were breached instantly and the enemy's central forces charged straight through.

The pincer maneuver was simple: spear-wielding soldiers and shield-bearers flanked the enemy from the left and right, trapping them in a vise. The enemy troops that had broken through were completely annihilated. The situation returned to normal, with the battle now focused solely on the front lines.

That went well,

but wait, wait, wait.

Something puzzled me. Even without the pincer units, their breakthrough units would still be worn down by my troops flanking them from the left and right.

Were they deliberately attempting a lightning breakthrough to reach our rear? But what was their purpose?

To kill me? Even so, they were willing to sacrifice half their forces for my head.

In this world, does victory hinge solely on the leader? Would they win instantly if I were killed?

Boom! 

A massive arrow suddenly pierced the wood beside my head, grazing my ear and drawing a trickle of blood. The force of the impact whipped my hair to the right. My expression was one of utter shock, rendering me speechless. In the distance, I could see a massive crossbow being slowly wheeled out by a group of enemy units.

"Archery machines! Protect the commander!" shouted one of the unit leaders serving as the core defenders.

I was immediately lowered from the high seat and positioned behind a row of sturdy iron shields.

I never imagined I'd nearly died—or rather, nearly woken up.

Damn it, I can't let my guard down after all. The battles tricks in this world are no joke.

my assumption was correct: the death of a leader is either the key to winning a battle or something of critical importance.

That man truly didn't give me a single clue—how infuriating!

The battle intensified. Sheltered behind my shield, I couldn't see anything on the front or middle lines. All I could see were the backs of my troops, desperately trying to protect me.

"I need to devise a new strategy! How can I observe the battle without becoming an easy target?" I asked the unit leader of one of the groups.

"Why do you wish to change your strategy, my Lord?" he replied.

"Their strategy focuses on attacking me directly. If I let them continue, their unpredictable strikes will eventually hit me, just like what happened moments ago. I must develop a new offensive strategy right now!"

Yes, the strategy I'm currently using is a mid-range offensive approach. I'm more focusing on my central line, which has the strongest endurance, but on the other side, they have various ways to put me end.

It's like fighting someone you can't even predict!