Time passed slowly, and before long, it was time for Sean to pay Lieutenant Colonel Merkel a visit. Sean went straight to the office building, where Sergeant Jason was waiting for him. When Jason saw him arrive, he smiled and discreetly gestured for him to wait a moment before immediately turning around and knocking on Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's office door.
Soon, after a commanding "Come in," Sean pushed open the door and saw Lieutenant Colonel Merkel smiling at him. He quickly stepped forward, saluted, and called out, "Greetings, sir."
"Sean, you're here. Come, have a seat..." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel said with a smile. Sean politely replied, "Thank you, sir," then naturally sat down across from him.
"Did you hear something..." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel asked after Sean took his seat.
"Yes, sir. I am deeply concerned about Frey's situation..." Sean deliberately spoke with some hesitation. After a pause, he continued in an impassioned tone, "Sir, please approve my request. Let me take part in the operation to rescue Frey..."
"Hehe..." A satisfied smile immediately appeared on Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's face after hearing Sean's words. No matter how eager one was to accumulate military experience or earn Military Merit, one could not make it too obvious. That would not only make superior officers look down on them, but also invite the disdain and exclusion of fellow officers. After all, no one liked a colleague who habitually stole credit. Yet Sean's words were entirely focused on his unfortunate classmate, making him appear wholly concerned for Frey.
"Sean, I was just about to have Jason notify you. Yet you came on your own, hehe... Don't worry." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel spoke with a warm and friendly manner. After a pause, he continued with a smile, "Make your preparations... and await orders at any time."
"Thank you, sir... I await your orders at any time." Upon receiving the affirmative answer, Sean gave a slight bow in thanks, then deliberately spoke in a solemn tone. After finishing, he paused before carefully asking Lieutenant Colonel Merkel with a touch of concern, "Sir, do you know Frey's current situation? Is he... safe?"
"Hehe... Don't worry... He should be fine for now. The River Bandit Gang still wants to use your classmate to exchange for grain with his family..." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel smiled slightly at Sean's words, but his expression soon turned grave as he answered. At the same time, he deeply admired Sean for still being so careful not to reveal any flaw even after achieving his goal.
"Exchange for grain? They kidnapped a noble just for grain?" Sean asked in surprise in Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's office.
"Yes... Earlier, the Lord's Mansion imposed restrictions on grain trading..." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel gave a brief explanation.
After asking, Sean immediately understood what was happening. The Southern Region's winter wheat still needed another month before harvest. This period was precisely the season of the Grain Shortage, and with interference from the Imperial Civil Service System, it had likely affected the grain reserves of the bandit groups in the Southern Wilderness Region. What surprised Sean was that they had kidnapped a noble merely to obtain grain...
"Sir, it seems that the so-called guard who fell into the water was actually released by them to deliver their terms..." Sean said.
"Yes." Lieutenant Colonel Merkel nodded, agreeing with Sean's guess. Then he frowned and asked, "Sean, do you have any ideas on how to safely rescue the trapped Noble Cadet?" After speaking, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel looked up at Sean.
"This... Sir, we could organize an Elite Squad and attempt to rescue Frey in advance..." After hesitating for a moment, Sean cautiously offered his suggestion. He knew that the Empire's authorities and the Noble Council would never let bandits who dared to kidnap a noble go unpunished. They would certainly use thunderous measures to utterly destroy anyone bold enough to threaten the nobility.
Even if this group of river bandits immediately returned the Noble Cadet to Linshui City unharmed, they would still face annihilation afterward. In other words, the moment they kidnapped a noble, their destruction had already been sealed.
Thus, Sean proposed the strategy he had often seen in his previous life: launch a surprise raid to rescue the hostage, then follow it with a frontal assault. Of course, they could also pretend to complete the exchange, wait until the hostage was safe, and then launch an attack. That would not only eliminate the enemy, but also recover the goods used in the exchange.
However, this method would bring extremely troublesome consequences in this world. Leaving aside the fact that the Empire's authorities and the Noble Council would never compromise with those who threatened nobles, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel, as the one who chose to implement it, would suffer severe damage to his reputation. During any future promotion, his opponents could freely accuse him of compromising with and indulging bandits. That would become a fatal stain on his record.
After hearing Sean's suggestion, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel fell into a long silence. After a long while, he spoke with a somewhat apologetic expression, "Sean, the method you proposed is very good. Forming an elite rescue squad would be easy, but... who would lead it..."
Sean had not expected Lieutenant Colonel Merkel to toss such a huge pitfall at him. It made him feel as though he had lifted a stone only to smash his own foot. Yet he could not show the slightest hesitation, so he immediately smiled and said, "Sir, I would naturally be honored to be your first choice..." After speaking, Sean gave a slight bow to show his respect. He continued, "However... Sir, our first concern should be gathering intelligence. For example... determining Frey's exact location and the number of bandits guarding him... Only after obtaining such detailed intelligence will we have any chance of succeeding in the rescue..."
The moment Sean finished speaking, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel immediately took his words seriously. After thinking it over carefully, he silently nodded in agreement. Sean had also briefly diverted his attention with this, then struck while the iron was hot and brought up many pieces of common knowledge he had encountered in his previous life.
Lieutenant Colonel Merkel grew increasingly appreciative of Sean as he listened. Although some of Sean's suggestions still seemed somewhat immature, many touched upon aspects that even he himself had never noticed. By the end, he even felt that he had benefited greatly.
When Sean left Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's office, his forehead was covered in cold sweat. That was merely from dealing with Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's barrage of questions afterward. In the end, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel also hinted that he could consider not having Sean lead the rescue squad.
This made Sean breathe a sigh of relief. Infiltrating behind enemy lines, reaching the enemy's core, and causing trouble in the heart of their territory was beyond what the word danger could describe. If anything unexpected happened, his own life could be at risk.
Especially now, when they knew nothing about the enemy's situation, rashly agreeing would have been utterly foolish. But if there were a complete and feasible plan with what appeared to be a high chance of success, that would be another matter. As for the current situation, all he could do was hehe.
Sean had a bright future ahead of him, but if he fell prematurely, everything would be over. He would rather wait safely and slowly than do something dangerous without confidence. When the cost and reward were not equal, one must never make an impulsive choice. Only after calm consideration should one make a decision that suited one's own interests.
Afterward, Sean directly returned to his residence near the Barracks with Torr, who was carrying the Soldier's Leather Armor.
Along the way, Sean continued thinking about Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's final request. He wanted Sean to improve the plan he had proposed as much as possible, both safely rescuing the trapped Noble Cadet and striking at, or even eliminating, the River Bandit Gang that had dared to kidnap a noble. Clearly, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel also found this difficult problem troublesome and had no choice but to gather ideas and broaden his thinking.
In Sean's view, Lieutenant Colonel Merkel had abandoned the idea of having Sean lead the rescue squad because he appreciated Sean's Military Strategy and foresight. At the same time, it was a reward for the feasible plan Sean had proposed of rescuing first and striking afterward. After all, he still hoped Sean could offer ways to improve the plan and increase the success rate of the entire rescue operation.
Sean knew this was Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's recognition of him, but it was also another kind of test.
Of course, it also showed Lieutenant Colonel Merkel's urgent desire to increase his influence within the Garrison and prepare for his later promotion to Garrison colonel commander. Although he had no direct competitors within the force, there was no ruling out the possibility that the Imperial Capital might parachute in a commander.
The two dismounted at the entrance to the small courtyard and stepped through the gate together. Alice was wearing a black-and-white Maid Outfit, her glossy black hair tied into a ponytail by a ribbon and hanging behind her. The moment her lovely face saw Sean, it immediately lit up with joy. At the same time, an alluring fragrance drifted over from afar. It was the Perfume he had specially given Alice.
"Young Master, welcome home. Lunch has been prepared for you." Alice curtsied slightly to Sean with a radiant smile, then spoke cheerfully.
"You've worked hard, Alice. Are Phil and the others here?" Sean smiled as he stepped forward and pinched Alice's pretty cheek, then asked.
"Ah... They're all here. I'll go call them..." Alice said, blushing as she nervously glanced at Torr beside them. After speaking, she gave Sean a mildly reproachful look, then turned and ran off like a cheerful little deer to find Phil and the others.
Sean smiled as he watched Alice leave, then turned to Torr, who wore a strange expression and had turned his head to pretend to observe the weather. "Torr, is there something in the sky?" he asked, looking teasingly at the falsely serious Torr.
Thor looked embarrassed and did not know what to say. He could only scratch his head with his free left hand and reveal a foolish grin.
"Stop grinning like an idiot and come inside with me." Sean said helplessly as he watched Thor's silly expression. With that, he headed forward.
"Yes, Young Master." Thor immediately replied with a smile, then jogged a few steps to catch up with Sean.
When the two reached the dining room entrance, Sean saw Phil and the others, along with Alice, who had gone to fetch them, already waiting at the door. Seeing him arrive, everyone saluted and greeted him. Sean casually waved his hand, then invited everyone to follow him into the dining room for the meal.
Everyone sat at separate tables, with Torr being the only one seated with Sean. In this world, servants were not qualified to dine at the same table as nobles, but as a Knight Squire, Torr could enjoy a meal with his knight.
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