Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 300 Family Visitation Leave

Four days later, Mike and Big Grimes returned to Squirrel Village.

McJackie reported to Claude that it took them thirteen days to reach Wang Du and find Baron Normanly's residence. In the evening, Lady Maria received them, read Claude's letter to her and the letter to the Grand Prince, thought about it and said yes, and then instructed the butlers to arrange accommodation for them, leaving them both at the Baron's residence to wait for news.

Since that day, Mike and Big Gummy have lived a happy pig farming life at Lady Maria's house, with nothing but eating and sleeping every day and not seeing Lady Maria. McJackie was fine, borrowed a few books from the butler, and Big Gummy went to the kitchen to help out, and mixed up a lot of food.

More than half a month later, Mrs. Maria suddenly summoned them to tell them that the Grand Prince had returned to the Front Command and that the situation was under control. So they can go back and give them five gold crowns. So they set off the next day and drove back. Order and vigilance along the way were found to be much stronger than when travelling to Wangdu, and from time to time large numbers of men and horses could be seen retreating from the front line.

Mike and Big Grimes did a great job this time, accomplishing the task Claude had given them. Claude gave them a break, and the stronger the hunch, the day would soon come when his team would leave Squirrel Village.

Another three days later, Claude received a message from Major Skerry's Eagle, ordering Claude to integrate the first team out of Squirrel Village and return to battalion within two days. Looks like Sheila and Claude are on their way to the Witch Forest overnight.

“This is my home address in White Deer City, the name of my mother, sister and my brother. This is my national bank account for you, which contains 200 gold kroner. If you go out or need money, you can pick it up at the National Bank. I told you last time, you remember? Also, if you want to send a letter, you can give it to the old man. I have already agreed with him, and the letter I wrote to you will be sent to the tavern for forwarding to you...”

Claude was not tired of saying these trivial things over and over again, and finally asked again, "Sheila, are you sure you don't want to come with me? ”

Sheila entered Claude's arms with tears in her eyes, but she shook her head resolutely. Claude could only sigh silently, holding his soft body tightly in his arms...

After finishing the squirrel village, Claude and Captain Duriolo hugged each other twice before leaving squirrel village. Captain Duriolo stood at the entrance of the village and shouted: "Brother, come to Wangdu later, don't forget to go to my estate, there is a lot of wine waiting for you to taste...”

Claude waved at him, indicating that he heard him, and would definitely visit him in the future.

The battalion found the remaining three battalions packing up when Claude arrived in the town of Rosa, not far from the entrance to the Vietnam Trail, in the southern three counties. Major Scully likewise welcomed Claude with a hug, who had already heard of Claude being almost framed by the noble officers for treason in the kingdom when he was nursing wounds in a treatment camp under Front Line Command, knowing that he had received his involvement, so he showed great enthusiasm.

“Is the list ready?” Major Skerry asked.

“Okay.” Claude gave him the list of five.

“Mike and Gemmy going too?” Major Scully was somewhat surprised: “They're just service men and guards...”

Claude nodded: "This time in the new army, I'm going to send them both down to lead the army, and following me all the time is actually kind of ruining them. ”

“New troops?” Major Scully stunned and laughed. “Claude, did you think you were going to send the five of you to another unit? ”

“Isn't it? Captain Duriolo said I was definitely going to serve in the new army this time. ”

“No, I want your list to send you to training. Look at this.” Major Skerry found a black-skinned folder on the table and handed it to Claude.

Open the folder, which contains a circular from the Front Line Command, requesting units receiving this circular to select a range of excellent grass-roots officers to attend a one-and-a-half year military school training course in Wang, with a total of 10 members in the 1st Battalion of Rangers. The only thing that surprised Claude was that he'd never heard of the school, the Royal Caleban Army School.

“This Royal Calebon Army School has just been established. Major Skerry is obviously aware of Claude's suspicions, explaining:" The Kingdom has decided to form four new Standing Legions, three of which are based in the territories of the three former principalities already occupied. There is also a standing legion, as the kingdom's mobile armed force, temporarily stationed near Wangdu, called the Ranger Corps. As the name implies, it is a corps of field-mobile infantry equipped with horses, and the Kingdom has reached an agreement with the Principality of Kanas to compensate the Kingdom with 80,000 horses within three years. ”

Claude was not surprised that Captain Duriolo had revealed to Claude some time earlier that the Kingdom was preparing to form four new Standing Legions. But Major Skerry's message to him now goes even further, as the Principality of Kanas compensates the Kingdom for 80,000 horses, with which the Kingdom decides to form a Ranger Corps, a corps of field-mobile infantry equipped with horses. What does that have to do with the newly established Royal Caleban Army School? What's the point of sending your own officers to this academy for a year and a half of training?

“These four new Standing Regiments will require all officers at the grass-roots level to travel to the Royal Caleban Army School for training, from sergeants to officers at the school level, without exception. And most importantly, these grass-roots officers who qualify for training at this academy can only be civilian officers.” Major Skerry added.

Claude understood that it was the royal family that was going to strengthen its influence in the army and build the four new standing legions into the dead and loyal forces of the Sterling family. The Royal Caleban Army School was established to train civilian officers of these four standing regiments, with the aim of providing grass-roots officers of civilian origin with the same military education and training as noble officers…

Major Skerry continued to introduce Claude: "Prince Hansburg was the first Rector of this Royal Caleban Army School, while the General Instructor was Michelle Chi, whom the Grand Prince trusted. General K. Priest. He is also the actual head of the military academy, who has dismissed the General Staff of the Blue Feather Legion and refused to be the head of the reconstituted Blue Feather Legion, preferring to be the general instructor of the academy. He thinks it's easier and more enjoyable to develop qualified and excellent officers in military schools than to be a Legion Leader, and he has a great sense of accomplishment...”

Michelle. General K. Priest was a smart man, Claude thought. The war is over, and being the head of an Ace Field Legion in peacetime is a very thought-provoking endeavour that requires not brilliant military talent, but interpersonal excellence in mediating relations between the parties. Both noble and civilian officers within the regiment must be balanced, especially since the Blue Feather Corps has almost been completely overthrown in the Kanas Prairie, and the newly reconstituted Blue Feather Corps will certainly become a place of rivalry and strife between the parties.

“By the way, Claude, in two months, you'll be in the army for five years, right?” Major Skerry asked.

Claude nodded, six months after graduating at the age of eighteen, to join the Blue Feathers Corps for training as a sergeant and officially enlisted in September. Then the war broke out, and he fought for over four years, and this year he's 23 years old, and it's July, and in two months to September, he's five years old.

“Generally, family visit leave of three months is granted after three years of enlistment, but was suspended after the outbreak of the war. Now that the war is over, the regiments have reopened family visit leave, and we, the Rangers, are no exception. You now have two choices, one is to start visiting immediately, and I can give you five months to go home and visit. The other option is to follow us back to Wangdu and start visiting our families, but this vacation is only three months away.” Major Skerry surprised Claude unexpectedly.

Wait, something's wrong... Claude took a half-day to come back: “Sir, what are you talking about? Can I go home on vacation now? ”

Major Skerry nodded with a laugh.

“But I don't understand why I have a five-month vacation right now, and if you go back to the King first, you only have three months of family visit leave?” Claude Bess is incomprehensible.

Major Skerry laughed: "Because the next two months are the dates on which our Ranger Battalion returns to Wangdu, our Ranger Battalion has been integrated into the Ranger Regiment by the Grand Prince and needs to go to the King to regroup. If you don't want to go home first, then take your time on the road with us. When Wang Du has camped, you will go home to visit your family...”

Claude suddenly realized that this was an extra benefit given to him by Major Scully, and that the Ranger Battalion would then march a long way to Wangdu within a two-month deadline. This would be better if you let yourself go home on vacation earlier, then how can you say that you are riding faster than the army marching, there is no need to follow a Ranger Battalion on the road.

“Thank you, sir!” Claude's happy upright salute.

“The first batch of our Rangers on family leave is set for your first battalion. Go back and ask, the number can be set at around 100. Ask them to fill out the application form, which you approve, and then ask them to go to the battalion logistics office to register their names for a salary subsidy and a road pass.” Major Skerry said.

Claude was excited to rush out of the office and tell his men the good news, and Major Scully called him back: "By the way, Claude, your holiday ends next January 15th. In other words, you must report to the Royal Caleban Army School by January 15 of next year, which is the official opening date of the Royal Caleban Army School. ”

“Don't I have to go back to battalion to report for vacation?” Claude asked.

“No, when we get to Wang Du, I'll hand over the names of all five of you to the military academy along with my five selection files, and you can go straight to the military academy and report for vacation. When your training is over, the military academy will reassign you back to the Ranger Battalion. I just don't know if our battalion will call the Rangers a battalion by then..." Major Skerry is a little sloppy, but there is no way, the Rangers a battalion will be integrated into the Rangers Corps, the name will definitely change.

Claude was delighted to rush past and hold Major Scully for a few laps: “Thank you again, sir! ”

Today is the 24th of July, Major Scully asked Claude to report directly to the Royal Caleban Army School by the 15th of January next year, which almost gave Claude another 20 days off, which is why Claude was so excited.

Returning to a large group of makeshift camps, Claude asked McJackie to bring in Diaved and Muried, and Big Gummy again. First, we talked to the five of them about training at the Royal Caleban Army School, and then we talked about family leave.

For McJackie and Big Grimes, training without training doesn't matter, as long as you can follow Claude. As for the family visit leave, it was really a little sad that they were both orphans, which is why they were sent to military service by local recruitment agencies in order to get enough space for recruitment. One was under the age of sixteen, the other was always hungry and was not a suitable candidate for military service, but there was no place to go when sent to the army to stay.

Fortunately, they were both taken in by Claude and slowly grew up next to Claude, who is now an elite veteran in his eyes. McJackie is a sergeant, and Big Gummy is a sergeant. If Big Gummy was literate, his rank would be the same as Mike's. But now that Claude has told McJackie to teach Big Gummy how to read, it's okay to learn slowly, and it's important to remember it firmly.

If Claude returns on family leave, then McJackie and Big Gummy will be fine in the barracks. One of them is Claude's valet, one is a guard, all spinning around Claude, so that they can go back and visit their relatives. Neither will they. Their hometown is not a good memory in their impression, but a grieving memory of being bullied to starve in the garbage pile.

“Forget it, boss, or you can take them home with you. They're homeless anyway.” Finally, Muried's words played a decisive role.

McJackie and Big Grimes followed Claude home to visit, and as for Muriel and Diaveed, they didn't care what family leave was, they were both abandoned by the family. They decided to return home with their troops to visit their families, and let the family members see that their abandoned sons had unleashed a future with their lives in the army and in the war, becoming the official lieutenant officers of the kingdom.

A hundred family visits were about a third of the total for the full first battalion, and the soldiers of the first battalion were almost in a rave after receiving the news. Finally, Claude decided to draw lots to decide on the list of candidates for the holidays, and Veterans Oil Mark Hard took a spot instead of drawing lots using his Squadron Leader position as a lieutenant.

He was telling the truth: I had thought that my life would pass when I was in the army, and I didn't expect to be promoted to full rank in the kingdom. As a lieutenant, he decided to go home and propose to the long-held widow. I just don't know if she will marry again after all these years...

That was a very strong reason, and Claude had to give him a family visit for two days to sort it out. After entrusting the first battalion to Muriel and Diavid, Claude went back to thank Major Skerry and embarked on a journey home with Mike and Big Gemmy.