[ WP ] A young student is drafted off to fight in a bloody foreign war . He quickly finds that war is the most enjoyable thing he has ever experienced .

As the messenger walked up to my door, I had a feeling of dread that was already weeks old. There had been rumors that the empire had been losing the war ever since they tried to invade the nation of the mountain tribes, and that the upper classes would slow begin to be conscripted into the armed forces. A heavy knock on the door dashed the last shred of hope I had in my gut... only official government types announced themselves with that level of authority. 
 
 As I opened the door, I was greeted by two large men handing a document to me. They did n't even look at me... more like they saw through me: a scared kid who had been promised that hard work and a good education could take me anywhere... apparently my `` anywhere'' would be a bloody battlefield being stared down by a phalanx of this infamous mountain tribe. The two men abruptly turned around and left without saying a word after I took their document, and left me alone with my thoughts and my new orders. 
 
 An hour passed before I even got the will to break the seal on the document. Finally I went through with it and read it... and never felt such relief. Due to my education and upbringing, I was now a Staff Officer in the nation's military. From what I'd heard, this was one of the easiest jobs that one could get. As I read on, my duties were listed: overhead, logistics, and supply... and then the three magic words that sealed the deal: *no combat required*. Of course, I knew that I would have to go through basic combat training and boot camp but I would n't have to try to survive what I'd heard in the nightmare tales of the mountain tribe. 
 
 A few days later, I reported to the local conscription center and was taken to a large grouping of tents, Camp Sisad. This place would be my home until further notice, so I'd better get comfortable. I was called into a meeting less than five minutes after arriving... old men squabbling to gain favor in the eyes of the nation's leader. Even with my lacking knowledge and civilian background, I could easily punch holes in all their plans. They talked a lot but did nothing. No wonder we were losing so badly if this was what the leadership was like for the nation's troops. There was one man in the group who seemed to have his wits somewhat about him, so after the meeting I approached him. 
 
 What was supposed to be a few minutes discussion turned into an hour's worth of ideas that flowed. This man would be my voice, as these old fossils would not listen to a young pup who was still wet behind the ears. We set our plan: wait for the leader to visit our camp and then ambush him with our ideas and give him no chance but to employ our reason. 
 
 It was a few months later, but the leader did make a visit to Camp Sisad. All the usual pomp and circumstance occurred... a small parade, evening feast, feats of strength, and the like. When most of the camp leaders were full of wine and snoozing away, my cohort and I went to discuss tactics with the leader. He was amazed by our forward thinking compared to the others in the camp whose opinions had held weight for far too long. And true to his word, my cohort gave me credit for the ideas I had come up with. The leader immediately promoted us and said we would now be traveling with him where our ideas could be seen in action in real time. 
 
 We traveled with the leader and everywhere we went, it was like a dream that I could n't believe. I could have any girl I wanted, nothing was out of reach, I had the finest clothes, men were fighting amongst themselves to serve me the best. I could n't believe how just some basic thinking and strategy ( and a little luck ) had gotten me where I was. But there was still a war to fight, and I would do my best to end the threat from the mountain tribe. Whatever help I might have given my country and its leader, I know that my leader has bestowed an infinite amount more to me. We will win. For Persia, for Xerxes.
