Chapter 29: Joining the Army

  News of the defeat spread like a plague throughout the kingdom of Wieden, countless families praying for their husbands or sons who had gone to war, but the vast majority received only painful news. Only the nobles could slightly ease their minds, as the nobles captured on the battlefield could be ransomed back, so the nobles generally survived, it was just a matter of money.

  Sitting in the study, I frowned at the latest news newspaper. Unlike those small messages to comfort the people, the information source of the nobles is always the most real and fastest, now I'm staring blankly at this latest newspaper.

  Although I don't like war, once the flames of war reach my surroundings, those bloodthirsty armies will not let me enjoy life peacefully, so understanding the situation of war is my daily compulsory course.

  Looking at the twenty silver coins on the paper, I cursed Kent VII's stupidity in my heart. Knowing that it was a deep battle in enemy territory, he didn't even protect his logistics well. The enemy's strategy of clearing the wilderness was clearly to drag the kingdom's army into a state of no supplies, and then defeat them when they were hungry and weak. But this Kent VII was blinded by anger and rushed in head-on, and the entire 200,000 troops were swallowed up in one go. Now that the kingdom has suffered heavy losses, and the enemy is taking advantage of the situation to attack again, how can we fight this battle?

  I also noticed something fresh from the newspaper - Dragon Knights. Although I had heard of their reputation before, it was still unbelievable that 2,000 could defeat 30,000 and emerge victorious. It's hard to say whether the Dragon Knights or the Berserkers are stronger. What would happen if I were to encounter those Dragon Knights?

  In this campaign, a bright new star appeared in the eyes of everyone - Dexter Empire Army young dragon knight Rosaus, it was he who set up this big victory called the Pocket War, with twenty-eight million Imperial Army numbers not much different from the Kingdom's army to annihilate them all at once. For this, Emperor Dexter conferred him as the Miraculous Guardian General. From then on, the title of "Miraculous General" spread throughout the countries.

  No matter how people's wills are expected, what is destined to come will still come.

  In the year 2114 of the Holy Radiance, in June, the Imperial Army of Dexter marched into the borders with a large force. The Imperial Army had gathered most of its strength and numbered around three hundred thousand. They quickly invaded the Gandor province within the Kingdom of Wieden's borders. Duke Nafurle relied on the fortifications of the high Vinno fortress to resist them, but the situation was precarious, and the entire nation began a strategic general mobilization.

  The situation has developed to this point, and the idea of being content with one's own well-being seems to have lost its meaning. It appears that I need to strive for my happy life after all.

  At dinner that evening, I brought up the idea of joining the army. As expected, both women strongly opposed it, thinking that war was a matter for soldiers and seemed like a distant after-dinner conversation to them.

  A woman without foresight. I shook my head secretly, how can there be intact eggs under a nest that has been overturned? By the time the war flames reach here, they will no longer have the life they have now.

  Left ten private guards to guard the manor, I took Na Ba and the remaining ten private guards to a nearby warrior recruitment point. Along the way, Na Ba was excited like he had drunk ten kilograms of good liquor, vigorously waving the giant axe I bought for him, still preferring heavy weapons in his hand over long swords.

  I have not fought in a war, only participated in some small battles, so I don't know the real situation on the battlefield. However, judging from the wounded soldiers who retreated from the front line, the frontline battlefield must be extremely cruel, and good preparation is necessary for this.

  We arrived at the best weapon and armor shop in Heidel City, which was also the one I had extorted before. The owner clearly still remembered me, and his expression turned as if he was about to cry when I walked into the store.

  Bang! Without saying much, I threw a whole bag of gold coins onto the counter, and the crisp sound of the colliding coins instantly changed the face of this shrewd old boss.

  With a flattering smile, he rubbed his hands and came before me: "Respected guest, welcome again to our humble shop. Whatever you require, we will satisfy your every need... Ah, Lord Viscount." Seeing the emblem on my collar that represented my viscount title, his attitude became even more respectful.

  This time I didn't want to extort him either, so I patted his shoulder and said: "The last time I bought something from you, it was very satisfactory, so now I'm continuing to patronize your store. I want to select the best weapons and armor for myself and my warriors. What good stuff do you have here? The price is not a problem."

  The boss looked at those burly men behind me, thought for a moment, and asked: "I wonder if you have any requirements?"

  "Armor should be solid enough that arrows can't penetrate it, the more solid the better. And weapons should be as sharp as possible."

  "Hmm, our store has just imported a batch of top-notch helmets from Verdeland. There's absolutely no better quality available on the market. Each and every one of them is forged with blue steel, and the time it takes to forge them is unimaginable. However, they are two to three times harder than ordinary iron helmets. Let me take you to select some." The boss led us into the store.

  Pushing open the door of the inner room, a row of helmets placed on the shelves suddenly appeared before our eyes, making me, who knew the goods, shine brightly in front of my eyes. Without the bright luster of ordinary ironware, the helmet in front of us emitted a faint blue light, looking very thick and solid, seemingly able to withstand the attack of guns and arrows.

  "Bang!" and just like what I did at the beginning, Ba immediately drew out his giant axe and chopped down fiercely. The giant axe hacked onto the helmet and instantly sparked a burst of flames. Ba's axe, which was capable of tearing through heavy armor, actually got stuck halfway into the helmet, truly a superior product that surpassed ordinary helmets.

  "Woe is me! My goods!" The boss didn't expect that this time, I who had taken action before, did nothing, but instead my underlings started doing the same thing as me.

  I'm very satisfied with the quality of these armors, and I patted the shoulder of the boss who was crying with a smile: "Okay! Don't be sad, I'll buy all of this damaged set, do you have any good shields?"

  In the end, we purchased thirty sets of green steel armor, thirty green steel shields, seventy long spears, forty iron-rimmed bows and forty green steel swords, almost emptying the store's inventory. Although the army would also provide equipment, after all, their goods were far inferior, rather than wearing those cheap goods to die, it was better to add a layer of insurance for ourselves.

  Night has fallen, the bright moon is hanging in the sky, casting a hazy veil over the earth and all things. The people who were busy rushing about for their livelihood during the day have also gradually entered the land of dreams. I ordered my servant to pack up the luggage I will be taking with me tomorrow to report to the army, after being exhausted from a whole day's work, it's time to rest now.

  Pushing open the bedroom door, the room was pitch black, but I had already seen the two mature figures wrapped in transparent nightgowns sitting quietly on the bed waiting for my arrival.

  Normally, if I saw them in such a seductive pose, my heart would be filled with **. But perhaps because of the impending separation, my heart is now filled with faint sorrow and longing. The sword is merciless, and I don't know if I can return to their presence again. I gently hugged them, using an unprecedented tenderness to melt them into the enchanting night colors.

  The next morning, before dawn broke, I got up and gazed at the two lovely faces that were still tear-stained even in their sleep. I deeply kissed their lips. Take care of yourselves, my beauties! I will definitely come back!

  Facing the invasion of a great enemy, the people of the Kingdom of Weiton showed great unity and spirit of struggle. We arrived early enough, but unexpectedly, there was already a long queue at the recruitment office. Fortunately, we were here to report for duty, so we didn't have to squeeze in behind them.

  After checking the roster and looking at our dispatch, the officer in charge of conscription bowed respectfully to me and said: "Your Excellency Viscount, you and your soldiers have been assigned to the Third Battalion of the Black Knight Corps, which is located in a military camp just outside the city. Please report there."

  The Black Knight Legion is a powerful army led by the local lord, Duke William, known for its tenacious style and high mobility raid warfare. The entire legion has around 50,000 people, and it is the main force defending Aize County. However, the main force of the Black Knight Legion had already gone to the front line battlefield, but the severe war situation forced the Black Knight Legion to start recruiting new warriors to supplement its severely depleted forces.

  When we first entered the barracks, we were assigned to the 7th squad of the 5th company of the 3rd cavalry regiment. There are one hundred people in a squad, and except for the ten people I brought with me, the rest look like they have never been in battle before. Since no weapons have been issued yet, they all bring their own, but whatever they hold looks more like farm tools than anything that could cause harm to others. The only reason I can think of why they were able to join this cavalry unit is probably because they all came riding their own horses to enlist.

  "Get in line!!" A loud shout rang out beside our ears, even some horses were startled. A burly officer with a scarred face walked up to us, his fierce military aura hit us head-on. He bellowed: "My name is Charl, from now on I'm your instructor! You must address me as 'sir'! Do you understand, you bunch of cowards who've never been on the battlefield?! I don't care if you were nobles or slaves before, in any case, here you're just soldiers under my command! If anyone dares to disobey my orders, no need for those Dexter mongrels to lift a hand, I'll personally twist off his head!! Did you hear me clearly?! Answer loudly!!"

  "I understand!" The crowd was intimidated by his momentum and responded in unison.

  Wow, how come the more I listen, the more it sounds like the tone of my speech to the slaves? It seems that I was born with the talent of instructing others.

  "You! It's you! Why didn't you respond when I was speaking just now?!" As the officer's hand seemed to be pointing in my direction, I looked around and found that everyone nearby was looking at me with sympathetic eyes, apparently he was indeed referring to me.

  "It's nothing, I was just intimidated by the officer's majestic demeanor and forgot to respond for a moment." After being out here for so long, I've learned to speak to people in their own language, but how can that martial artist guy possibly engage in a battle of wits with me?

  "Damn it!" This guy wasn't stupid, he immediately caught the sarcasm in my words, and his scarred face turned ferocious. "You bastard, how dare you disobey a superior's orders!" He bellowed, throwing a punch at me.

  Facing the fist that came flying towards me, I didn't flinch at all, and just stared coldly at him.

  Bang! The fist was caught by a huge palm just before it reached my face, and a wild cry followed: "If you want to harm my master, step on my corpse!!" It was precisely that tyrant who blocked this blow for me.

  "Damn it..." Charles strained with all his might, the muscles on his hands bulging out, but he was facing a mad warrior from the continent of Wolran, famous for its brute strength. His efforts only managed to make Nubis's hand shake slightly. Irritated, Nubis picked him up and tossed him aside like a child, sending him rolling on the ground.

  "Ugh...... I'm going to kill you!!" Xial, who had been thrown into a state of utter disarray, finally managed to get back up, his mind clouded by rage. He drew his sword and was about to charge forward, while the Berserker's hand was already gripping his massive axe, and it seemed that a bloody battle was imminent.

  "Halt! Lieutenant Colonel Shal!"

  "Sergeant...Sterling." Charlton, who had already blown his top, was like a mouse seeing a cat; the high-flying spirit just now suddenly disappeared.

  So the newcomer was Colonel Stirling of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, I thought to myself as I looked at the suddenly appearing unfamiliar officer. Judging from his age, he's only in his thirties, and it's said that he's also a commoner by birth, yet he's managed to climb up to the position of regimental commander in the kingdom's army - someone without any background must have achieved all this through their own sweat and blood. I still have great respect for such a true military man.

  Ignoring Char, Colonel Stirling instead looked at me with great interest, and I suddenly felt a chill as if some dangerous creature had set its sights on me. After staring at me for half the day, he finally spoke up: "You're that Viscount Vittel who repeatedly refused my invitations? I didn't expect you to voluntarily join my unit today, how wonderful."

  I never thought that the one who would persuade me to join the army would be him. In the past, all those who had persuaded me to join the army were driven away by me without exception, and I didn't ask what kind of person wanted me to join the army so much, only knowing it was a high-ranking official. Who would have thought that I would eventually become his subordinate?

  "Haha, don't be nervous, Viscount. To be honest, I didn't quite believe the rumors about you, but now that I've seen your subordinates are so formidable, I have no choice but to believe in the abilities of someone who can earn the loyalty of a Berserker. With your power, I'm sure the Third Corps' strength will become even greater. Now, I officially appoint you as the leader of the Seventh Squad, these people are under your command, please lead them to fight bravely and I look forward to your performance." After finishing his words, he didn't care about my reaction and turned around to leave.

  "What...what...how is this possible?" Charles was so shocked that he couldn't speak, his subordinate who could be beaten and scolded at will had suddenly become his superior, what was wrong with this world?

  It's not him, even I'm a bit bewildered, suddenly being appointed as the leader of a small team and having to lead this bunch of guys into battle. Looking at the messy troops in front of me, I lamented in my heart: Still fighting bravely? It would be better if we weren't bravely chased by the enemy.