Not particularly. [It isn't modesty. Jade doesn't think of himself as working hard to attain his rank because Jade has always found military service very easy. So a simple dismissal as he moves on.]

[But he raises his eyebrows.] Not if the fonists are well-trained and the soldiers are prepared in advanced. I won't go into the technical details, but a mark can be cast on members of one's own side to ensure that attacks do not affect them. Of course, the markings are only so viable on a battlefield with limited visibility. The commanding officer is responsible for anticipating those problems and working through them on the battlefield, as he or she would for technology-based range weaponry—cannons and the like.

[You do have cannons, don't you?]