Change, cause & effect

Did we cut a sentence out of this next snippet?

For context: when this snippet begins, an impoverished young man has left home to seek his fortune.

From that point on, do you see any gaps in the chain of cause and effect? Anywhere that events don't quite hang together?

Do you find this one more challenging than the others?

Fairytales move so quickly that they tend to skim over events and details, which makes it hard to judge where to expect more information.

Nevertheless, add one sentence where you think more explanation is needed.

Here's the text for you to copy:

The king of a nearby country was a powerful ruler, and at that time he was waging war. The young man enlisted in his army and soon found himself at the front where a great battle was being fought. The bullets flew like hail, the danger was hideous, and his comrades were falling dead all around. 

The men followed him as he led the charge, and they soon had the enemy on the run. When the king heard of the young man's part in the victory, he promoted him to field marshal, gave him gold and treasure, and bestowed on him the highest honours in the kingdom.

How did you go?

We did cut something out of the original. Here it is:

You could have added detail in any number of points (for example, why did the young man think enlisting in the war would help him make his fortune?).

But arguably the biggest gap in the story is how did someone who just enlisted come to be leading a charge?

The answer is that the general died, then the young man rallied the fleeing troops.

Cause, effect.

Now, cast your mind back over the last three pages.

Have you noticed anything that the sentences we cut all have in common? Anything grammatical?