The gates of Tavitsky City grew ever clearer in the distance. Colorful flags fluttered atop the walls, where crowds jostled for a view.
Lawrence Darnell led his somewhat weary soldiers among the vanguard of the Dirac Corps. He could clearly feel his comrades' irrepressible excitement and the relief that had loosened the tension in them.
"We're home!"
Someone cheered under his breath.
"When I get back, I'm going to drink my fill and stay drunk for a whole day and night..."
A heavy sigh came from beside him, the words carrying an undisguised craving for alcohol.
Lawrence said nothing. He merely straightened his back and unconsciously licked his lips... Speaking of alcohol, he was feeling a little thirsty himself.
The Blue Banner Army was a good place to serve, though its regulations were rather strict. The military supervisors repeatedly stressed that neither soldiers nor officers could drink during operations. Anyone who did would be flogged, and anyone caught hungover would be shot outright.
Lawrence had lofty ambitions, and he had always kept himself and his soldiers in check, making them stay away from alcohol. Even when they seized liquor during mopping-up operations, they simply broke the jars and poured it away.
Although drinking alcohol was forbidden during military operations, honey water was allowed. Under the regulations, Lawrence's Hundred-Man Company could draw at least a hundred and twenty bottles of honey water each day, with a liter in every bottle.
The honey water was pleasantly sweet and tasted better than beer, so the soldiers could tolerate the ban on alcohol.
With home almost within reach, Lawrence instinctively looked down at himself. His uniform was covered in dust, and the fresh scar on his cheek, left by a skirmish outside Suvano, still ached faintly.
His Hundred-Man Company had departed at its full