"Hello, Sergeant Donnie. I'm Second Lieutenant Sean Winchester. I'm pleased to have the opportunity to work with you..." Sean introduced himself with a calm expression and an even tone. Then he pointed to Torr beside him and said to Donnie, "This is Corporal Thor. He'll be my messenger. Get acquainted with each other first. From now on, I'll issue orders to you through him..."
"Hello, Sergeant Donnie. I'm Lord Sean's attendant, Thor. Pleased to meet you." Thor immediately stepped forward to greet Sergeant Donnie.
"Hello, Corporal Thor. Welcome to the Garrison..." Donnie was noticeably gentler toward Torr, who had been born a commoner.
Sergeant Jason did not interrupt Sean, Thor, and Donnie's first meeting. Only after they had finished did he interject at the right moment. "Sergeant Donnie, you have been appointed as Second Lieutenant Winchester's adjutant. I hope you can help His Excellency the Second Lieutenant familiarize himself with the various regulations and signals of the army as quickly as possible..." After speaking, he fixed Donnie with a stern look and continued, "This is an order personally issued by Deputy Commander Merkel. Sergeant Donnie, I hope you understand..."
"Yes, sir!" Sergeant Donnie's heart tightened. His gaze swept quickly over Sean's youthful face, and he shouted his reply.
"One last thing... Sergeant Donnie, remember that Second Lieutenant Winchester is your direct superior." Sergeant Jason warned Donnie in an unfriendly tone, though Donnie had clearly become more restrained. Only then did he turn to Sean, his tone returning to one of respect. "Second Lieutenant Winchester, if there is nothing else, I'll take my leave. If you need anything afterward, you may come to me. I'll handle it for you immediately..." Jason deliberately said this in front of Donnie, then cast him a cold glance.
"Thank you for your enthusiastic assistance, Sergeant Jason. I'll notify you if anything comes up," Sean said gently with a smile.
Sergeant Jason smiled as well and chatted casually for a few more moments before taking his leave. He first gave Sean a slight bow, then nodded to Thor before turning and departing.
"Sergeant Donnie, please proceed." Sean indicated that Donnie could begin. The warm expression he had worn while chatting with Sergeant Jason was already gone.
"Yes, sir. Please follow me, sir, Corporal Thor..." Sergeant Donnie turned and led the way. After the three of them arrived at the main drill ground, he pointed at a company of soldiers before them and introduced them to Sean. "Sir, according to your appointment, you will directly command a company of fifty soldiers. The men before you are all the soldiers assigned to you."
After a pause, Sergeant Donnie began explaining the basic structure of the Imperial Army to Sean. At the lower levels, the Imperial Army was divided into squads, companies, and battalions. A squad consisted of ten soldiers commanded by a corporal, a company consisted of fifty soldiers commanded by a sergeant, and a battalion consisted of one hundred soldiers commanded by a Second Lieutenant Officer. Since Sean was a Cadet Officer, his command had been reduced to a company of soldiers. As for the names of military units above the battalion level, they were somewhat similar to those from Sean's previous life.
Above a battalion was a company-level unit consisting of three hundred soldiers, commanded by a captain. Above that was a battalion-level unit, made up of three company-level units and one directly subordinate battalion, totaling one thousand men and commanded by a Major Officer. Above the battalion level, there were two different organizational structures: the main combat forces and local Garrison forces. The local Garrison Force formed a regiment-level unit from three battalion-level units, and the Linshui City Guard used this structure. The Empire's main combat regiments, meanwhile, were formed from five battalion-level units, all commanded by colonel-ranked officers. As for higher military structures, Sean had yet to come into contact with them, so there was no need to mention them for now.
Sean listened closely to Sergeant Donnie's detailed explanation. From time to time, he took the initiative to ask about things he did not fully understand, and Donnie did not deliberately brush him off or slight him. Instead, he explained everything as thoroughly as possible.
Standing before the soldiers, who were arranged in five rows by squad, Sean spoke in a cold, low voice. "From this moment on, I am your commander. I hope you will remember that firmly..." His sharp gaze swept over the soldiers before him, and he slowly introduced himself. "I am Second Lieutenant Sean Winchester, a Cadet Officer recommended by Linshui City Noble Academy. From now on, I expect all of you to obey my orders. Do you understand?"
A few scattered responses came from the ranks, making Sean frown.
"Bastards, did none of you eat?" Before Sean could rebuke them, Sergeant Donnie roared. He was not trying to help Sean establish authority; he was simply dissatisfied with the soldiers' listless, perfunctory attitude.
"Yes, sir!" Startled by Sergeant Donnie's roar, the soldiers immediately straightened up and answered in unison.
Sean's brow twitched, and dissatisfaction rose within him. It was not directed at Sergeant Donnie. At that moment, Donnie gave Sean the impression of an orthodox, straightforward soldier: crude in speech, but dedicated in attitude.
Sean knew that his excessive youth had caused the soldiers before him to look down on him. That was the true source of his dissatisfaction, but he also understood that now was not the time to act on it. Keeping a cold face, he continued, "As your commander, I will train alongside all of you for the next month. Also, if I am not in the Barracks, all of your actions must obey Sergeant Donnie's orders." After speaking, Sean gave the somewhat surprised Donnie a slight nod.
Then Sean turned and sneered. "Finally... if anyone doubts my abilities, you are welcome to challenge me at any time..." After a pause, he looked coldly at the soldiers who were beginning to stir. In an indifferent tone, he added, "One more thing. I'm a Rookie Knight... Of course, you needn't worry about your lives..."
Sean looked with satisfaction at the shocked expressions on the soldiers' faces after hearing his words. Even Sergeant Donnie could not help showing surprise, clearly stunned that Sean had already become a Rookie Knight at such a young age.
Afterward, under Sean's orders, Sergeant Donnie took command of the company. Sean and Thor officially joined the company and began a month of basic Military Training.
In the blink of an eye, the month passed. Today was Monday morning, March 1st. The weather was clear, and the temperature had risen somewhat.
After a month of intense training and study, Sean and Thor had basically adapted to life in the Barracks. Both had acquired some of the unique bearing of soldiers. As for the soldiers in Sean's company, their nightmare had finally ended. Because of Sean's displeasure that day, he had shown none of them mercy in every combat training session over the past month. His fists struck flesh as he brutally taught those unruly soldiers a lesson. Still, he had kept himself under control and had not caused any deaths or permanent disabilities.
Of course, the soldiers were not the sort to take beatings without fighting back. Whether they attacked together or tried to ambush him from behind, none of it had any effect. Instead, Sean took the opportunity to beat every one of them black and blue. This completely changed how the soldiers viewed him, and it also gave Sean a little more anticipation for life in the Barracks.
Military Training was not what Sean needed most right now. What benefited him more was learning the army's unique command methods. The Imperial Army used special flag signals to facilitate the command of large-scale military operations, and every Imperial officer had to master them precisely. Sean was very interested in these special flag signals. After all, this world had no wireless communication devices.
Thor had also successfully become a qualified corporal. Sean then appointed him to command a squad of soldiers. The soldiers in that squad had all been carefully selected by Sean over the past month. Not only did they have solid fundamentals, but they also greatly admired Sean's strength. He intended to use this squad as his direct unit.
Of course, Sean had not neglected his knight training over the past month. After more than a month, his attributes had become:
Strength: 2.509 Constitution: 2.517 Agility: 2.7375
Before breakfast, Sean led all the officers and soldiers of the company in a light jog around the drill ground. This was one of the additional training exercises Sean had required. Though the men had occasionally complained over the past month, they had quickly adapted. At that moment, Sergeant Jason shouted to Sean from afar, "Second Lieutenant Winchester, Lord Merkel asked me to convey his orders to you. Please make preparations immediately according to the requirements of the order."
After hearing Jason's words, Sean immediately ordered the company to rest temporarily and walked toward Sergeant Jason himself.
"Sergeant Jason, please give me the order." Sean soon arrived beside Jason and spoke with a smile.
"Please have a look..." Sergeant Jason said no more and handed Sean the order signed by Lieutenant Colonel Merkel.
"Maintaining order at the Sacrificial Ceremony?" Sean asked after lowering his head to read the parchment bearing the order.
"Yes, sir. Not only will the City Lord personally attend today's ceremony, but I hear that many nobles from the city will also be there." Sergeant Jason saluted respectfully. After a pause, he smiled and continued, "Therefore, the Garrison needs to seal off the main roads around the ceremony area and protect the safety of these important figures... Lord Merkel considered that you have already become familiar with your company, so he assigned you the task of imposing martial law at one of the intersections."
"Please inform Lord Merkel that after breakfast, I will depart with the soldiers." Sean accepted the order solemnly.
Afterward, Sergeant Jason hurriedly saluted and left at once, clearly having other orders to deliver. Sean paid it no mind. After gathering all the soldiers, he loudly announced Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's order before the entire company.
Before you continue