Alpha Company

Henry stood in his study with Major Wang Meiying, Commanding Officer of Alpha Company. Before them was a map of the Shenwu Domain, kindly provided by Demon Lord Yang Meilin, who sat in a chair in the nearby corner observing their work. Still trying to come to terms with these men and their strange weapons who suddenly appeared in her palace and swore loyalty to Henry Li.

Major Wang stood with her back straight, her voice tinged with a hint of frustration as she pointed out various parts of the medieval map for Henry to see. "At the northern, southern, eastern and western parts of the domain, we have dispatched squads from the Second Platoon to conduct reconnaissance work and get a better map than what we have currently, which is more than useless sir," she said as she glanced back at the Demon Lord, who pretended to have not heard her and looked away.

Turning back to face Henry, she continued "First platoon is currently working on maintaining security around the compound and assisting in repair works, as well as setting up proper modern defences to repel potential attacks from any adversaries. We expect to have them set up by the end of tomorrow sir." Major Li ended her report and stood back, her hands clenched behind her back.

Henry nodded, a sense of urgency growing, before turning to Meilin. "Lady Yang, what threats can we expect from our neighbours?" he asked, trying to get a better understanding of the situation of the domain.

Demon Lord Meilin looked up from her cup of tea, her expression betraying a hint of amusement. "Oh? Have you finally acknowledged my presence? About time." She rose gracefully and walked towards the table, leaning forward.

"Bordering my domain in the North, West, and East is the 6th-Rank Demon Lord, Xuanlong of the Jin Kingdom. Xuanlong is the king of a rich mercantile kingdom that controls many vital trade routes. For this reason, most nations leave them alone. The Jin Kingdom has a well-armed army, but they don't have any intention to invade us." Meilin said, pointing to the nation on the map.

Then she moved her finger down south, to an even larger nation. "This is the one which we should be careful of. This is the Bronze Horde, led by the Khan Batuul." Meilin said, her voice carrying a sense of caution as she pointed at the horde on the map. "This is a medium-sized empire focusing mostly on conquest. However, they are currently locked in a brutal war against the United Kingdom of Siberheim, so they haven't had the resources to attack anyone else. A few years ago, Khan Batuul threatened to invade my domain if I did not marry him, but since the start of the war he hasn't had the chance, but he may in the future."

"What is the state of their military forces?" Henry further asked as he leaned forward, trying to find out more about the horde.

"They use weapons of bronze and iron and ride horses. They are most well-known for their horse archery." Meilin explained. "But I don't think it's external threats you should worry about. Within the Shenwu domain, there are many dangers. For instance, these forests," she pointed at some dark patches on the map "Have many predators and goblins that sometimes attack villages and the palace itself. In the past, we sent out patrols to make our strength known, but now we can't do that obviously..."

"Goblins? Like little green men?" Major Wang asked, chuckling a little under her breath, amused.

Demon Lord Meilin blinked in surprise and replied, "Yes, do you perhaps have those in your old world?"

"Not exactly, in our world, goblins could only be found in works of fiction, like fairytales," Henry answered.

Major Wang turned to Henry and said with a scoff. "Sir, these goblins don't seem like much of a threat, perhaps our focus should be put on the border and bandits? Our early reconnaissance reports show that there have been gangs roaming the highways of the domain..."

Henry nodded in response. "All right, but I still want to get some more information first before we formulate an operational doctrine of how we're doing things here."

...

A squad of 11 soldiers from the Second Platoon walked down the dirt road up north, their boots kicking up dust as they observed the scenery and took note of various details in the environment to report, such as landmarks and settlements.

As they continued their march, the distant silhouette of a wagon travelling south on the horizon caught their attention. The NCO in charge of the squad raised a hand, signalling for everyone to stay alert.

With every step closer, the creaking of the wagon grew louder. Then, in a sudden and unexpected twist, disaster struck. One of the wagon's axles snapped, causing the entire vehicle to lurch and collapse to one side. Dust and debris filled the air.

"Watch out ahead!" the NCO in charge of the squad cried out/

Amidst the chaos, a desperate cry echoed from the wreckage. "Please! Help!" It was a feminine voice, and the soldiers, now on high alert, quickly assessed the situation. There, within the toppled wagon, they spotted a young girl clad in green and white robes. Her eyes were wide with fear and her voice trembled as she pleaded for assistance. "Oh, will you please help me? I'm but a poor girl from the Jin Kingdom who can't fix this axle... Please, will you help me?" she cried, pleading.

The squad of 11 cautiously approached the wagon, when suddenly a large group of about 30 bandits brandishing daggers and swords, and even a mage appeared from their hiding spots on the side of the road.

"Alright! Don't move!" cried out one of the bandits. "Hand over all your money and belongings! And don't try anything!"

The soldiers immediately grouped up together and raised their rifles, undeterred by the bandits' threats, which prompted the bandits to laugh cockily.

"Awwww! Are you scared? What are you going to do with those sticks of yours? Poke us?" the mage joked, brandishing his staff to create sparks.

"Open fire!" the squad leader's command rang out, and the 11 soldiers were weapons-free. Their rifles unleashed a storm of bullets, and in just 10 seconds, all 30 of the ambushing bandits were silenced, defeated by the soldiers' overwhelming firepower.

With the enemy defeated, they moved to check on the wagon, where they found the young girl hiding in the wagon, holding a dagger.

"G-get away!" she cried "Who the fuck are you? How the hell did you kill 30 of my comrades? Get the fuck away!"

Hearing that she was with the bandits, the Corporal leading the squad smacked the dagger out of her hands and dragged her out of the wagon as the rest of the squad checked the lifeless bodies of the bandits, getting as much intel as possible.

The Corporal tied her hands up with zip tie and tossed her over his shoulder. "Alright, let's RTB and report this to the boss!" he ordered.

...

Meanwhile, in a forest near the Demon Lord's palace, a large number of goblins gathered around a fire, weapons in hand, listening to an elder goblin speak.

"I hear that the hero that passed through yesterday managed to destroy much of that Demon Lord's army... Brothers, the time to strike is now!"

The goblins raised their weapons in the air as the elder laughed manically.

"We will be kings!"