It's about a war between Koukoku (The Imperial country) and Teikoku (The Empire). The main charactor Naoe Shinjo was a First Lieutenant of the Koukoku army. The sudden invasion by Teikoku East division crushed the Koukoku North Defense Forces. Shinjo and his 600 men battalion was ordered to battle in the rear and delay the advance of Teikoku 40,000 men army. Shinjo was thrown into a long desperate war.

Ito adapted Daisuke Satō's [Satou] Imperial Guards (Kōkoku [Koukoku] no Shugosha) alternate-history war novels in Shueisha's Ultra Jump magazine. The Imperial Guards manga was a runner-up in the 9th Japanese Media Arts Awards, the 11th Tezuka Cultural Prize, and the 1st Manga Taisho Awards.

(Source: ANN)