I Reincarnated as a Prince Who Revolutionized the Kingdom

February 14, 1696.

The Elysean expedition moved before dawn, the dense jungle ahead swallowing their columns as they marched toward the twin mountains where N'kosi's fortress lay. The warriors they had interrogated had given them enough information to plan a route, but the thick vegetation, the humid air, and the unseen dangers of the terrain made every step treacherous.

General Armand Roux led the column from horseback, his saber strapped to his side, his revolver loaded and ready. Beside him, Captain Étienne Giraud rode with a map in his hands, periodically glancing at the markings made the night before.

Chief Ibara and his warriors marched alongside the Elyseans, guiding them through paths that had been long forgotten by foreigners.

Roux knew this march wouldn't be easy. The deeper they moved into enemy territory, the more exposed they became. N'kosi's forces had the advantage here—they knew the terrain, the choke points, the hidden paths. Roux expected resistance long before they reached the fortress itself.

"Eyes sharp," Roux called to his men. "They know we're coming."

The soldiers, nearly 700 men strong after the previous battles, gripped their rifles tightly. They had already seen what these tribal warriors were capable of.

Hours passed in tense silence. The jungle was alive with the sounds of insects and distant animal calls, but there were no signs of enemy movement.

Then, as they reached a narrow valley between two steep ridges, the first shot rang out.

A rifle cracked from somewhere ahead, and a soldier collapsed with a hole in his chest.

"AMBUSH!" Giraud bellowed.

Arrows and musket fire rained down from the jungle canopy. The Elyseans dove for cover, returning fire as best they could. But the enemy was well-positioned, using the natural cover of the trees and the high ground to pick off soldiers.

Roux dismounted and pulled his revolver. "Get the machine guns up! Suppressive fire on the ridges!"

The gunners scrambled into position, setting up the Gatling guns on elevated ground. The barrels spun, sending a wall of bullets into the tree lines above.

The enemy fire wavered as warriors fell from the branches, their bodies crashing into the undergrowth below.

A loud war cry erupted from ahead, and suddenly, dozens of warriors charged from the treeline, wielding spears and swords, rushing the Elysean line.

"Hold the line!" Roux shouted.

The soldiers braced, fixing bayonets as the wave of enemies crashed into them. The sound of steel meeting flesh echoed through the valley. The fighting was brutal, close-quarters and desperate.

A soldier was impaled by a spear before he could react, blood spilling onto the ground. Another was dragged into the undergrowth, screaming.

Roux fired his revolver into the face of a charging warrior before slashing another across the chest with his saber. Giraud fought beside him, driving his bayonet through an attacker's ribs and twisting it free.

The Elysean formation, though staggered by the initial charge, began to push back. The disciplined riflemen cut down the warriors at close range, while the machine guns continued to suppress those still hidden in the jungle.

Chief Ibara's warriors fought fiercely alongside the Elyseans, hacking down enemies with curved blades, their own war cries mixing with the chaos of battle.

Slowly, the enemy's momentum faltered. The charge had failed.

Roux seized the moment. "Advance! Push them back!"

The soldiers surged forward, bayonets flashing as they forced the attackers to retreat. The enemy scattered, disappearing into the jungle, leaving behind bodies and broken weapons.

The battle had lasted only minutes, but the damage was clear. Several Elysean soldiers lay dead, with even more wounded.

Giraud wiped the blood from his face. "They're testing us."

Roux nodded grimly. "And now they know we're coming."

After gathering the wounded and securing the valley, Roux ordered the march to continue. They had to keep moving.

As they advanced, scouts discovered abandoned camps and hidden supply caches in the jungle—signs that the enemy had been preparing for a prolonged fight.

At one such camp, they found something more valuable: documents written in tribal script, along with crude maps marking key locations within the fortress.

Ibara examined them carefully. "These markings… they indicate pathways leading into the stronghold. If these are accurate, there may be hidden entrances."

Roux studied the maps. If they could find a way in without charging directly into fortified defenses, it would save them hundreds of men.

"This could be our way in," Roux muttered. "But we need more intelligence."

That meant another raid.

By nightfall, the Elyseans had tracked another enemy encampment—a forward base supplying the fortress.

This time, Roux planned a swift and brutal attack.

He positioned his troops carefully, using the thick jungle to mask their approach. The camp, lit only by torches, was home to at least a hundred enemy warriors.

Too many to take quietly.

At Roux's signal, the machine guns opened fire. Warriors collapsed before they could react, their bodies riddled with bullets. The Elyseans stormed the camp, cutting down any who resisted.

The battle was over within minutes.

The prisoners captured here proved more useful than the last. After another round of questioning—this time with fewer restraints on Elysean methods—one of them revealed the existence of a hidden tunnel leading into the fortress.

Roux turned to Ibara. "Can your men confirm this?"

Ibara nodded. "There are old caves in the mountain. If they've turned one into a tunnel, it would be well-hidden."

Roux exhaled. "Then that's how we get inside."

With the new intelligence, Roux called a war council. The fortress could no longer be taken with brute force alone—it was too well-defended.

Instead, a small force would infiltrate through the hidden tunnel and open the gates from within, allowing the main army to storm the fortress.

Giraud glanced at the map. "It's risky."

Roux nodded. "But it's our best chance."

As the soldiers sharpened their blades and prepared their weapons, Roux looked toward the distant peaks where N'kosi waited.

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This war wasn't just about conquest anymore.

This was about ending a threat that could consume all of Elysea's holdings in Africa.

And Roux would not stop until the fortress fell.