The hierarchical distinctions in the Norman Empire were pervasive. Within the same camp, at lunchtime, the entire mess hall was divided into seven sections: ordinary soldiers, corporals ate together, sergeants ate together, sergeants ate together, second lieutenants ate together, first lieutenants ate together, and Major Guderian and Lieutenant Colonel Reinhardt ate together. Everyone ate in a clearly defined manner.
With each rank difference, the quality of the food and meals varied. By the time one reached the lieutenant's level, everyone even received a serving of fruit before the meal. In addition to fruit, captains even received a glass of aperitif. Guderian and Reinhardt were personally served by the head chef of the mess hall.
Zhang Tie's eyes were opened.
"With such a strict hierarchy, even meals are conducted according to rank, isn't the Empire worried that this will cause division among the troops?" Zhang Tie asked the lieutenant he was dining with, somewhat puzzled.
"No way!" The second lieutenant who was having dinner with Zhang Tie gave Zhang Tie a strange look. "Then tell me honestly, what are you thinking right now?"
"I was thinking how nice it would be if I could have some fruit before the meal!" Zhang Tie honestly replied.
"That's right, because that's what I was thinking too. Those lieutenants eating fruit are probably wishing they had an aperitif, while those drinking aperitifs are definitely envious of their superiors' treatment. The soldiers are the same; the corporals hope their dishes have an extra piece of meat like the sergeants', the sergeants hope their dishes have an extra piece of soup like the sergeants', and the sergeants dream of having special meals like us, living in officers' quarters, and having beautiful Criminal Slave to warm their beds. Everyone has immediate aspirations. And if you want better treatment in the army, there's only one way: earn merit and improve your skills. So every meal is an inspirational process for everyone!"
Zhang Tie thought about it and realized it was true. This ubiquitous hierarchical system constantly motivated everyone to strive for advancement and reminded each person of their place in the world. Such a Norman Empire was truly terrifying.
Hierarchy is order, and order is beauty!
Zhang Tie then thought of the famous quote that Staff Officer Hans had told him, a quote familiar to everyone in the Norman Empire.
"A country where even the materials used for officers' weapons are graded is truly unbelievable," Zhang Tie thought to himself. "Perhaps from birth, everyone in this country is clearly labeled with different ranks and treatments. Many people probably start striving to improve their social status and rank from their youth."
The Norman Empire's hierarchical system was renowned throughout the Blakerson Human Corridor. Everything in the country, from cities to people, was stratified. Norman Empire cities were divided into nine levels. The people were also divided into many classes and ranks, the lowest being the Criminal Slave class, followed by the Criminal Citizen, then the Criminal Citizen, then the Scholar Clan Noble, then the Imperial Clan Noble. The most prestigious member of the Imperial Clan was the Scholar Clan Merit Clan, with the Norman Empire Merit Clan standing at the very top of the power pyramid.
This is only the most basic class division; specific individuals, such as Criminal Slave, are still divided into several classes.
In the Norman Empire, the lowest class of people was third- Criminal Slave Criminal Slave. If a third-class slave never committed a crime, their child would become a second-class Criminal Slave. Third-class Criminal Slave was lifelong, but if they performed meritorious service, their child could rise from second-class to first- Criminal Slave Criminal Slave. Similarly, second-class Criminal Slave had an additional power: by performing meritorious Criminal Slave, they could become first-class Criminal Slave. After becoming first-class Criminal Slave, as long as they didn't commit any wrongdoing, their children could be promoted another level, becoming Criminal Citizen, escaping slavery, and beginning to possess certain social rights. Among Criminal Citizen, unless they performed meritorious service for the country, they and their descendants could only become commoners. Commoners, on the other hand, possessed more social rights and avenues for advancement.
In the Norman Empire, if an individual or family was classified as a third-degree Criminal Slave, it would take at least three generations of effort for that family member to be allowed to enter mainstream society.
Take Zhang Tie as an example. After becoming a second lieutenant, Zhang Tie had already become Scholar Clan in the Norman Empire —a low-ranking Scholar Clan. In the Norman Empire, only people from families of the Scholar Clan or above could become officials of the empire. Colonel Leibniz was also Scholar Clan. Only those who reached the rank of major general could become Merit Clan.
The social pyramid structure of the entire Norman Empire was as sophisticated as a Difference Engine.
To become Noble, not only in the Norman Empire but throughout human society, there is only one standard: human Noble can only emerge from the war against the Devil Race. Only those who prove themselves with the corpses and blood of Devil Race, only those who have made outstanding contributions in the war against the Devil Race, will gain everyone's recognition. And only such people can become Noble among humans and earn everyone's respect.
Following the First Holy War, the " Humanity's Bright Charter," formulated by nations, major powers, and religious groups across all continents of humanity, explicitly stipulated the rule of granting titles to Noble: "Among humans, only those who slay demons can be granted titles." This rule was unanimously recognized by all people, nations, and powers.
Because they had never exterminated the Devil Race, even Marshal Lin Changjiang, the Northern Frontier Governor of the Norman Empire, was only a member of the empire's Merit Clan, not Noble.
The human Noble of the Black Iron Era were the true elites and heroes of humanity, completely different from any other so-called " Noble " in human history before the Great Cataclysm. They were worlds apart and incomparable.
After spending only one morning at the Iron-Blood Battalion, Zhang Tie found himself starting to like the place. The Norman Empire's soldiers were already very well-paid, but the officers at the Iron-Blood Battalion, a more special unit within the Norman army, received outrageously generous treatment.
In peacetime, the Iron-Blood Battalion Battalion's salary is 1.5 times that of other units. In wartime, the Iron-Blood Battalion Battalion's salary is twice that of other units. As a second lieutenant, the so-called double salary means that Zhang Tie can receive exactly 8 gold coins per month. Before this, Zhang Tie never dreamed that he would have a day when he could receive 8 gold coins per month.
This is just one of the privileges of the Iron-Blood Battalion officers. In addition to gold coins, the officers of the Iron-Blood Battalion also receive a fixed amount of supplies every month. These supplies mainly consist of cigarettes and candy, as well as some other small items, which are scarce resources everywhere.
Besides the ample material benefits, the seniority of soldiers and officers serving in the Iron-Blood Battalion is also highly valued by the higher-ups. In the Iron Horn Legion, all combat commanders at the regimental level must have at least three years of experience serving in any Iron-Blood Battalion to be qualified. Only then did Zhang Tie understand why there was a saying in the Iron-Blood Battalion that people came here to "gild their resumes".
The Iron-Blood Battalion of all divisions in the Norman Empire also has another name: the Double-High Battalion. The "double high" in the Iron-Blood Battalion refers to two things: the highest casualty rate and the highest probability of breaking through the bottlenecks of each stage of the Iron-Blood Divine Fist. Because of the "double high" reason, the soldiers of the Iron-Blood Battalion are basically only two types of people.
These two types of people are: one type consists of troublemakers, scoundrels, and thugs in the army—those who are disliked by their superiors and are unruly, and are usually thrown into the Iron-Blood Battalion to fend for themselves. Besides these guys, there is another type of person in the Iron-Blood Battalion: the real violent and war maniacs who dream of breaking through the Iron-Blood Divine Fist bottleneck through arduous training and repeated battles in the Iron-Blood Battalion.
These two types of people are what Zhang Tie saw when he first came to the Iron-Blood Battalion. The first type lazily rests under the trees and sleeps on hot days, while the second type practices Crouching Tiger Skill on the training ground under the scorching sun, their skin cracking and peeling off layer by layer from the sun.
In the Iron-Blood Battalion, aside from the mandatory one-hour morning drills, there's virtually no training scheduled for ordinary soldiers. Everyone is free to do whatever they like—train if you want, sleep if you want; nobody cares what you're doing. The battles the Iron-Blood Battalion faces act like a sieve, weeding out the unqualified. Your skills are your own; if you lack the ability to survive and kill, being eliminated is perfectly normal—don't blame others.
If the soldiers are so relaxed, Zhang Tie, as a junior officer, is even more relaxed. He doesn't have to worry about big things or small things. On his first day reporting to the Iron-Blood Battalion, Zhang Tie found that by the afternoon, he had absolutely nothing to do.
The 39th Division of Black Flame City is currently on Level II combat readiness. In the Iron-Blood Battalion, this means that after the rest period, no soldiers may leave the camp without orders. Officers, on the other hand, are subject to the "morning, noon, and evening reporting principle." "Morning" means that officers must participate in morning exercises with the soldiers for one hour. "Noon" means that they must have lunch at the garrison. "Evening" means that officers must be back in their barracks by midnight and are not allowed to stay out overnight. Apart from this, the Iron-Blood Battalion imposes no other restrictions on Zhang Tie.
As a result, Zhang Tie discovered that life in the Iron-Blood Battalion wasn't as boring as he had imagined. Before heading to Karur, he had about two weeks in Black Flame City he could do a lot of things... (To be continued, please search for the novel for better and faster updates!)