Building the New Corps

The events of yesterday kept replaying in Zikkel's mind, and a chill ran down his spine. From his forceful appearance at the city gate, to the search for witnesses and the fabrication of charges, to the brutal massacre of all the officers of the 1st and Third Division at headquarters, although every step involved violence, none of his actions could be used as a pretext to attack him. And after killing them yesterday, he acted as if nothing had happened, smiling and bidding farewell to everyone. Faced with such a 'smiling devil,' Zikkel felt his days were numbered!

"Zikkel, it's almost time to assemble, what are you standing there daydreaming about!"

Just as Zikkel was lost in his 'Final Destination' fantasy, he was startled awake by his comrades' shouts. Seeing them already preparing to depart, Zikkel quickly got up and tidied his clothes and appearance. After Zikkel was ready, the group left their quarters together, heading towards that 'hell' that represented death. On their journey, Zikkel and his companions encountered their fellow comrades from the Sixth Division who had survived the previous night.

When these people arrived at headquarters, they didn't see "that person" in the operations hall. Instead, the four division Division Commander who had just been appointed the night before were waiting for them. After everyone found their seats, Kurelle, who had been appointed Division Commander of the First Division, took a parchment scroll from his document bag, stood up, and said to everyone:

"Now that everyone is here, I will convene this operational meeting on behalf of General Oddek! First, I will announce some adjustments the General has made to the Western Border Army. The former Third Division of the Western Border Army is now the Second Division, the former Fifth Division is now the Third Division, and the former Sixth Division is now the Fourth Division. In addition to these four standing divisions, the Western Border Army will also establish Reconnaissance Brigade, Communications Brigade, Medical Brigade, and Logistics Brigade. The former Bell Dragon Rider Regiment are now reorganized into the Guard Brigade, specifically responsible for the security and defense of West City and the headquarters."

After reading Sordil's plan for the reorganization of the army, the adjutant did not stop, but instead pulled out another parchment scroll from the folder.

"Next, I will read out General Oddek's appointment of you, Heradi Sincheretre!"

"Arrive!"

"Heradi Sinchert is appointed Brigade Commander the Guard Brigade, responsible for the security of West City and headquarters."

Heradi accepted the letter of appointment from his adjutant with both hands and shouted, "Your subordinate will certainly live up to your trust, General!"

"Elkley"

Elkley, who was engrossed in observing the situation, suddenly heard his name called. He was momentarily stunned and remained seated. Seeing that no one stood up or responded, Kurelle grew annoyed and called out again, "Elkley!"

After confirming that he hadn't misheard, Elkley jumped up from his seat as if his bottom had caught fire, shouting, "Here!"

"Appoint Elkley Brigade Commander of the Reconnaissance Brigade, responsible for providing accurate intelligence for the army's operations in order to formulate combat plans."

Upon hearing this, Elkley was completely stunned! As a veteran who had fought for many years, he knew how important this position was, and he believed the new Guardian knew it too. Yet, he had still entrusted him with such an important position. A warm feeling of trust suddenly welled up in Elkley's heart. After recovering, Elkley roared with all his might, "Ail will definitely fulfill the General's request!"

The adjutant gestured for Elkley to sit down, then said to the group, "I hope that we won't see a repeat of the situation where no one answers after roll call."

Having learned from Elkley's example, the officers of the Western Frontier Army, who had been sitting listlessly in the hall with their heads down, all perked up their ears and listened carefully to every name called out by their adjutant, for fear of missing their appointment.

"Galipar"

"Arrive!"

"Galipar is appointed as the Brigade Commander the Communications Brigade, responsible for communications between the divisions and brigades."

"Your subordinate will certainly not fail the general's trust!"

Anna

"Arrive!"

"Anna is appointed as the Brigade Commander the Medical Brigade, responsible for treating the wounded personnel of various divisions and brigades."

Anna looked at the letter of appointment handed to her by her adjutant, but did not accept it directly. Instead, she said to her adjutant in a coquettish tone, "Brother Kurelle, could you help me transfer to a combat unit?"

Seeing this, the officers of the Western Border Army sitting nearby slammed their jaws on the conference table, while several officers of the Bell Dragon Rider Regiment suppressed their laughter as they watched the unfolding events. However, the adjutant, who usually obeyed Anna's every word, sternly said to Anna, "Brigade Commander Anna, this is the general's order. Please obey!"

Upon hearing the adjutant emphasize the word "General," Anna deflated like a punctured balloon, weakly replying, "Anna will certainly not fail the General's expectations!"

"Sanko"

"Arrive!"

"Sanko is appointed as the Brigade Commander of the Logistics Brigade, responsible for transporting weapons and supplies to various units within the corps."

"Your subordinate will certainly live up to your expectations, General!"

The Western Border officers, who had initially perked up upon hearing of Elkley's appointments, gradually lost their initial enthusiasm upon seeing that the list of appointments consisted entirely of members of the Bell Dragon Rider Regiment. Just then, the adjutant rekindled their spirits.

"Zikkel, Mures, Sinzo Ole"

Upon hearing their names called, the three immediately stood up and shouted in unison, "Here!"

"You three are hereby appointed as Brigade Commander of the 1st, 2nd, and Third Brigade of the First Division!"

"Zikkel / Mures /Sin-Olie will certainly live up to the general's expectations!"

"Will, Ezra, Dadis"

"Arrive!"

"You three are hereby appointed as Brigade Commander of the 1st, 2nd, and Third Brigade of the Second Division!"

"Will / Ezra / Dadis will certainly live up to the general's expectations!"

"Yelke, Sing Tigmings, Fritter"

"Arrive!"

"You three are hereby appointed as Brigade Commander of the 1st, 2nd, and Third Brigade of the Third Division!"

"Yelke / Sing Tigmins/ Fritter will certainly live up to the General's expectations!"

"Yaglo, Hain, Jin Mingwei"

"Arrive!"

"You three are hereby appointed as Brigade Commander of the 1st, 2nd, and Third Brigade of the Fourth Division!"

"Yaglo / Hain / Jin Mingwei will certainly live up to the general's expectations!"

After the adjutant finished reading all the appointments prepared by Sordil, the officers of the Western Frontier Army, who had previously looked ashen-faced, all became radiant and full of energy. Just as everyone was preparing to go back and celebrate their promotions, the adjutant poured a bucket of cold water on their heads.

"Gentlemen, General Oddek has one more thing for me to pass on. He said that the reason he appointed you as Division Commander and Brigade Commander is not because of your outstanding abilities, but because he had no one else to choose from. Therefore, the general will hold Grand Martial Arts Tournament in a month, where the various divisions and brigades will be compared. Those who perform well will be richly rewarded, while those who perform poorly will be dismissed, and more competent personnel will be selected from the army to fill the positions. The general will also announce this news to the entire army, so you all should be careful and not regret it later due to carelessness."

Upon hearing the adjutant's words, the group, who had been preparing to head to the bar to celebrate, instantly calmed down. The smugness and pride in their eyes vanished, replaced by a fierce fighting spirit and an unwavering determination to never admit defeat.

Just as everyone was about to leave the hall, a very soft voice asked behind them.

"Brother Kurelle, why didn't our teacher attend the war meeting today?"

The Western Border officers, unaware of who Anna's teacher was, paid no attention and prepared to leave to return to their training exercise. However, the members of the Bell Dragon Rider Regiment strained their ears, eager to hear their adjutant's reply, wanting to know what their leader was up to. Unfortunately, the adjutant whispered something in Anna's ear, which the others missed. Just as they were feeling frustrated, Anna said to the adjutant:

"Brother Kurelle, I didn't hear you clearly, please say it again!"

The adjutant had no choice but to say again, "General, after he finished the corps reorganization plan yesterday, he went out to eat and hasn't returned yet!"

However, his voice was quite loud this time, and everyone heard what he said. Upon hearing the word "general," the officers of the Western Border Army instantly knew who Anna was referring to as her teacher. Connecting this to the adjutant's words, everyone in the hall fainted instantly.