Hudor's betrayal was not discussed further. Still, Hannah warned she would punish him after the mission at the mountain stronghold was over.

Giroud and Hannah sheathed their swords and calmed down again. Hannah sat back on the sofa, though her eyes stayed locked on Hudor with hatred.

Her anger made sense. If the people suffered, the kingdom would be blamed even if Hudor was the one at fault. That would only break the people's trust in their rulers.

"Back to the plan. My team and I will hide inside the food wagons," Gideon explained.

"I'll be the driver of the third wagon. Lena and Luke will stay inside in full gear," Gideon added.

"Once we arrive at the stronghold, the attack begins."

Giroud listened carefully. Hannah was still upset, while Hudor kept kneeling on the floor. Giroud had a few questions, especially about how Gideon planned to light the fire. Gideon gave a small smile.

He explained the best way was with Molotov cocktails. When thrown at a tent, the cloth would catch fire quickly, and the flames would rise high into the night sky.

"When chaos breaks out, that fire will be the signal for you and Hannah. You bring the cavalry up the mountain and crush them," Gideon said firmly.

"What if the fire goes out?" Giroud asked.

Gideon went quiet and glanced at Luke. That was his worry too. If the fire failed, the signal would be lost. But Luke had made plenty of Molotovs, and Gideon was sure at least one tent would burn.

"If the fire goes out, don't attack. Leave it to us to finish off everyone on the mountain," Gideon said firmly.

Giroud was shocked. He looked at Gideon's team. Only three of them, yet Gideon claimed they would finish the whole enemy garrison. To Giroud, that sounded like suicide.

"If you do that, you'll be killed."

"At least if we die, we won't drag you into it. We die because of our own plan," Gideon explained.

"No! Commander Ashfield's orders were clear—we protect you no matter what."

"Capturing the stronghold is the key to turning this war around. I won't waste the chance," Giroud said sharply.

Gideon stayed silent. He could not argue further if that was truly Giroud's will. So he revealed a second plan in case the fire failed: timing.

He explained that Giroud and Hannah should attack ten minutes after the wagons reached the stronghold. With or without flames, after ten minutes they would charge with full force.

Giroud was pleased to hear this backup plan. He preferred it over letting Gideon's small team face the enemy alone.

"All right. I understand."

"Recon will be done every three days. My team will handle it," Gideon said.

"What about him?" Hannah asked.

Gideon turned. Hudor was still bowing low before her, begging for forgiveness. He claimed he did it to protect the village, but Hannah disagreed. Luthe could betray them at any moment, and Moko would gain nothing.

"Do you have a suggestion on what to do with him?" Hannah asked.

Gideon nodded. Since the deal had been Hudor's idea, he was the one most likely to leak their new plan to the enemy. The best move was to lock Hudor and everyone involved in the wagon deliveries in prison for now.

"Lock him up. Don't let anyone see him. That way our plan won't leak to the enemy," Gideon suggested.

"That's a good idea," Hannah agreed.

Hudor, defeated, was dragged away by Giroud. Hannah still looked angry, as if her own soldier had stabbed her in the back. Gideon noticed her mood.

"When we take the mountain stronghold, I'll say the achievement belongs to you and Giroud," Gideon said.

Hannah was stunned. She had no idea Gideon planned this. It was his operation, his strategy. She and Giroud had only a small part. She thought Gideon deserved the credit, not her.

"My team and I don't need recognition. You do," Gideon explained.

He glanced back. Lena and Luke nodded in agreement. For the first time, Hannah met a team so selfless they were willing to give away the honor that should have been theirs.

In shock, Hannah dropped to her knees and bowed before Gideon. She swore she would not let him down in this mission, and promised she would not burden him when the attack began.

Gideon and his team left Hudor's office and returned to the inn. Giroud replaced the prison guards with his own men to prevent Hudor or the other division captains from bribing ordinary soldiers.

***

One week later.

Jurgan Village.

As scheduled, the delivery would take place tonight at 9 p.m. Gideon was ready, as were Lena and Luke. They wore their military uniforms, armed with M4A1 rifles and other weapons.

Gideon, however, wore something extra. Along with his uniform, he put on iron armor like Moko soldiers. His role was to drive one of the wagons up the mountain.

Giroud and Hannah were in full armor as well, mounted on their horses with hundreds of cavalrymen waiting behind them. They would stay hidden in the forest, watching the stronghold until the signal or the set time.

Three wagons were loaded with food. The third carried less, leaving space for Lena and Luke inside.

They lay flat in the wagon, covered with sacks of bread piled on top. Gideon made sure the load would not stop them from moving when the time came.

"When I say 'Long live King Luthe,' you rise immediately," Gideon instructed.

"Understood, Captain."

"Prepare smokes and flashbangs. We'll need both," Gideon said.

"I'll handle the smoke. Lena has the flashbangs," Luke replied.

Gideon nodded. Once the wagons were packed and covered, he climbed onto the driver's seat of the third wagon, following the first two driven by Moko soldiers.

"Be careful, Captain Gideon," Giroud said.

"Of course. Stay ready and wait for my signal," Gideon ordered.

Giroud and Hannah nodded. His command was clear, and they would follow it.

At nine sharp, while the village was quiet and the cavalry waited for orders, Gideon stopped the wagons when two Moko soldiers checked in with Luthe cavalry at the forest edge.

Gideon clearly heard them. The Moko soldiers explained the wagons carried food for Luthe's mountain stronghold. The Luthe cavalry believed them immediately. They had been doing these deliveries for months, nothing unusual about it.

"Follow us!" one Luthe soldier barked.

The wagons moved in order. Phase one succeeded, the enemy had no idea Gideon was with them. He drove up the mountain road, climbing toward the stronghold.

A scout from Giroud's unit rushed back to the village and reported the wagons were on their way up. That was the signal for Giroud and his cavalry to move into the forest.

"Everyone, into the woods in silent!"

Giroud and Hannah rode at the front, their cavalry behind them. At the forest edge, Giroud raised his hand and the men halted.

From there, he could see the enemy stronghold clearly. Hannah used the binoculars Luke had given her to get a closer look.

"They're inside," Hannah whispered.

Giroud nodded and gave hand signals to ready his troops. Now they only had to wait to see if Gideon's plan worked.

On the cliff above, Gideon looked around. Most of the enemy soldiers wore no armor, carrying only swords, dressed in simple shirts, drinking ale.

They looked relaxed.

Makes sense. Their deal with Moko keeps them fed without having to fight over villages.

"Unload everything here," one Luthe soldier ordered.

Gideon raised his hand, catching the man's attention.

"What?" the man asked.

"May I say something?" Gideon asked.

"Say what?"

"Long live King Luthe!" Gideon shouted.

Lena and Luke heard the signal. They sprang up, shocking the Luthe soldiers. Luke threw smoke grenades to both sides while Lena hurled flashbangs.

BUZZ!

The flashbangs went off, filling the camp with blinding light and deafening noise. Gideon felt it too, but his training let him adapt quickly.

"Molotovs!" Gideon barked.

He lit one and hurled it at a tent. Luke and Lena did the same, jumping down from the wagon and tossing their burning bottles at the enemy tents.

BLAST!

The Molotovs exploded, flames spreading across the canvas tents. Fire roared and soldiers panicked, rushing out of their burning shelters.

"Luke, Lena, open fire!" Gideon ordered.

BANG!

Shots rang out from their rifles, striking several soldiers who weren't wearing armor.

Gideon grabbed his weapon again and moved to the other side according to the plan, heading toward the edge of the forest to take cover.

The second stage of the plan worked; an infiltration into enemy territory to create chaos. Hannah was still in the forest, watching through her binoculars.

To her shock, she saw flames rising and consuming many tents on top of the cliff. Hannah immediately reported it to Giroud.

"EVERYONE! ATTACK THEM!" Giroud shouted.

Their voices roared as they charged, riding fast out of the forest and onto the uphill road. Luthe's soldiers began to panic, and their commander ordered his men to prepare for Moko's assault.

"Damn it! We've been caught off guard!"

The battle was unavoidable. Giroud's cavalry broke through the camp and cut down many Luthe soldiers who were overwhelmed by the sudden strike.

Gideon and his team focused on eliminating the Luthe guards stationed on the cliffs, making sure the canyon was under their control.

The 5.56mm rounds pierced through their armor, far more powerful than the crude homemade firearms they had. That alone caused many soldiers to break and run for their lives in fear.

"The cliffs are secured. The canyon is clear!"

"Luke, what's the situation at the camp?" Gideon asked.

"Giroud's cavalry controls the fight. It's a decisive victory for the Moko Kingdom."

"The plan went smoothly. Everyone regroup and prepare for evaluation!"

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