"Civil War" (Monthly Ticket Request!)

Henzine, a province in central-western Poland.

In a marching column several hundred strong, Herbert Schmitz hummed a tune he had just learned:

"Poland Forever, Forever Strong!

As long as I still live,

Whatever the enemy steals from here,

I shall reclaim with my blade!

Forward, Kościuszko..."

It was the famous Poland Will Never Perish, the future Polish national anthem. Only this time, its author Józef Wybicki had named it Poland Forever Strong, and words such as "perish" had vanished from the lyrics.

In history, the Russian Army had already surrounded Warsaw at this time. But now, Poland's defensive line still stood along its eastern border.

Schmitz marched to the beat of the War Drum, his fingers feeling for the letter in his pocket.

His elder brother had sent it last week. He said he had already set out for Poland with his corps and should be able to meet him soon. Then they would devote themselves together to the glorious Holy War.

Yes, his elder brother Mort Schmitz was a Captain in the Austrian Royal Carpathian Corps.

But his officer's rank also held him back.

Herbert Schmitz himself had run from his hometown of Nowy Sącz to Poland over half a month ago. He had obtained the rank of Sergeant in the Holy Crusader Corps and was now hurrying toward the battlefield.

His brother, meanwhile, had only just departed.

Perhaps by the time his brother saw the Russians, he would already have risen to nearly the same rank as him.

Herbert Schmitz let his imagination roam, a smile tugging at his lips. A Crusader Holy War—what a romantic experience!

The army marched on for quite some distance. Just as they estimated they had reached the outskirts of Warsaw, several horses suddenly galloped up from behind the column, and a Polish