Fookby Hill Military Camp, as the name suggested, was a military camp on a hill.
However, Claude noticed that the camp didn't seem all that big from the foot of the hill.
After getting off the carriage and waving goodbye to Oask, Claude walked to the sentry post in front of him.
The sentry post was rather similar to the toll stations of his previous world. It was a simple wooden building with a crossbar on top of it. Only vehicles that had been inspected and approved could drive up the hill after the crossbar was lifted.
There were four soldiers on sentry duty and they kept their eyes on Claude as he got off the carriage.
It wasn't a bustling place with people and there wasn't anything new to see. It was rare for someone to be sent over by a carriage, so he became the center of attention.
Claude walked over and took a look at one of the soldiers with a different epaulet from the other three. He took out a conscription order from his bag. "Hello, I've received a conscription order. Where should I report to?"
The soldier with two more red stripes didn't take the conscription order from Claude. Instead, he called out to another soldier, "Charino, take a look. If it's a conscription order, bring him up the hill and look for Lieutenant Hockham."
"My apologies, Mister, I can't read," the soldier said apologetically after yelling at Claude.
"Ugh …" Claude didn't expect the soldier to be illiterate. "I was too rash. I'm sorry. I'm Claude Ferd from Whitestag."
"It's fine.
I only knew how to play when I was young. I got a headache every time I saw these words. I couldn't learn them no matter what. Now, I'm blind.
My name is Walerick Armstrong. Just call me Walerick. "
"Nice to meet you, Officer Walker. We'll be colleagues from now on," Claude said.
By then, the soldier called Charino had finished reading the conscription order. He nodded to Walker. "Sergeant, he's here for officer training. He's here to report."
"Then wait here for a while. There'll be a transport carriage coming later. You can ride it up the hill together. It'll be easier that way.
Come, take a seat in the house. It's cold here. "
After confirming that Claude was there for training, the sergeant, Walker, seemed a little more enthusiastic.
"Thank you."
Claude didn't stand on ceremony and sat down on one of the wooden stools by the wall outside the wooden hut and started chatting with the soldiers.
He soon found out that this Sergeant Walker was also one of the candidates for the NCO training.
He had served in the Bluefeather Regiment for three and a half years and had been nominated for this training due to his outstanding performance.
"Looks like I'll have to ask for your guidance in the future, Captain Walker. You're already a veteran, but I've just joined the army, so I don't know anything.
Looks like I'll have to rely on you to guide me during the training so I don't make any mistakes. "Claude was just being polite, but he didn't expect the sergeant to shake his head.
"I can't help you, Claude."
Sergeant Walker sternly said, "In fact, you and I will be training separately in this NCO training. It's impossible for us to be together."
"Why?" Claude asked curiously.
After Walker's explanation, Claude understood that Bluefeather's NCO training was originally intended for veterans to be promoted to sergeant majors in preparation for next year's expansion.
But he didn't think that the moment the news spread, all sorts of connections and old friends from the higher authorities would send letters asking for one or more slots in the training so that the people they recommended could skip the soldier stage and be promoted to the lowest rank of officer.
Generally speaking, in the kingdom's military system, a recruit would first have to go through three months of recruit training before becoming a private.
If they performed well, they could become a corporal after a year. If they didn't, they could become a corporal after two years.
If they performed well after becoming a corporal, they could be promoted to sergeant after a year. If they didn't perform well, they would have to wait for another two years before they could become a sergeant.
It was the same for sergeants to become staff sergeants.
In other words, even if they performed well, a civilian recruit would need at least three and a half years to become a staff sergeant.
Be it corporals or staff sergeants, they were still soldiers and not officers.
Only after becoming a staff sergeant and gaining recognition from his superiors could he be nominated to be promoted to a sergeant after one or two years.
Sergeants were the lowest rank of officers. From that moment onwards, they were considered to have crossed the lowest rank of soldiers and entered the ranks of quasi-officers.
However, there was another level above that. That was the rank of sergeant majors, also known as second lieutenants.
Above sergeant majors were second lieutenants. That was the official military establishment of the kingdom. Be it in service or retired, any rank above second lieutenants would be an honorary title that would accompany them for life.
During times of peace, most of the kingdom's field corps and local garrisons would only have the basic structure of a corps and a small number of full-strength troops to reduce military expenditure.
But when the kingdom faced war, it would quickly recruit more soldiers to expand its field corps.
From a certain perspective, the kingdom didn't lack high-ranking officers and generals, but it did lack low-ranking officers and officers.
That was because it was these low-ranking officers and officers who trained and commanded the recruits into the battlefield.
Blue Feather Legion's NCO training instantly became a hot commodity in the eyes of all parties. Not to mention becoming a NCO, even becoming a NCO was equivalent to skipping the soldier stage and directly becoming a basic officer. This was equivalent to saving at least five years of training.
Even if they became sergeants or sergeants, they still had to lead the soldiers into the battlefield and there were many casualties.
But life and death were up to fate, and becoming a low-ranking officer had a higher chance of survival than becoming a soldier.
Even if they were injured on the battlefield, they would save the officers first before saving the soldiers.
Because there were too many connections and favors, Bluefeather had no choice but to divide the sergeant training into two groups. One group was the outstanding veterans selected from the army. They would be promoted to sergeant majors after the training.
On the other hand, the other batch were people recommended by those who had connections and connections. The training they received as NCOs would be stricter than what the veterans received, and the duration would also be longer.
Considering that many of the recommended people didn't have any military experience, they were given an additional three months of recruit training before sergeant training.
Alright, Claude finally understood what he was about to face. According to Walker, he would have to undergo three months of sergeant training after the three months of recruit training. It wasn't hard to imagine how tough the next six months would be.
After sitting for a while, a long convoy arrived to deliver food to the camp on the hill.
Claude and the soldier called Charino climbed up the carriage and bade farewell to Walker and the other two soldiers. They sat on the sacks of flour stacked high up the mountain and slowly made their way up the mountain.
Fukby Hill wasn't that tall. It was only 50 to 60 meters above the ground.
However, the path was long and full of twists and turns.
Shalino said that it was actually one of Bluefeather's logistics bases. They weren't stationed there. Instead, they were to the west of Gonigada. There were more than 30,000 people there and close to 4,000 tents. It was a majestic sight to behold.
The carriages traveled for nearly half an hour on the path and finally reached the camp.
That was partly due to the slow speed of the carriages. Claude believed that it would only take around ten minutes to reach the camp from the foot of the hill. The main reason for the slowness of the carriages was that they were carrying too much flour. The two horses pulling the carriages were a little old. Even though they moved steadily, they weren't fast.
Additionally, the carriages had to maintain their distance. If the ones at the front slowed down, the ones at the back wouldn't be able to overtake them.
The Foxby Hill barracks did appear to be, as Charino had said, a logistical base.
The buildings there were all made of wood and stone.
Claude believed that the reason he was there was a huge field there. It was four to five times bigger than the field in the middle school in Whitestag.
There were also rows of greyish-white tents set up at the edge of the field. It seemed that Bluefeather was using the logistics base as a training ground for sergeants.
Charino brought Claude to a row of wooden houses. Claude noticed that the words' Training Department 'were written in white paint on a thick piece of wood on the outer wall of the houses.
When they arrived at the second tightly shut wooden door, Sharino knocked on it. Very soon, a loud voice said from within, "Come in."
Shalino pushed the door open and stood at attention. "Private Shalino, reporting for duty under Sergeant Walker's orders with a conscript."
The hut wasn't big, only around 14 to 15 square meters. There were three desks and only one of them had a square-faced, bearded second lieutenant writing something.
He looked at Shalino and said, "At ease, soldier. Lieutenant Hockham isn't here, but you can hand the conscript over to me and you can go back."
"Yes, Sir."
Charino saluted, turned around, and winked at Claude before walking out the door without a word.
Claude walked up to him and said, "Greetings, Mister Second Lieutenant. I've received a conscription order and am here to report."
The square-faced second lieutenant sized Claude up and rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "Put your conscription order, pass and identification documents on the table. I'll check them."
"Yes, Mister Second Lieutenant," Claude said obediently.
After giving the conscription order a quick glance, the second lieutenant didn't pay any more attention to it.
What he wanted to check was the stamp on the pass and identification documents.
"Why did you stay in Whitewood for a day?" The second lieutenant was very careful. He could tell Claude's itinerary from the stamp on the pass.
"I had no choice. Whitewood was on lockdown for a day to catch a fugitive.
I could only sleep in the inn's guest room, "Claude replied.
"Oh, is that so."
The second lieutenant didn't say anything else. After checking the stamp on the pass, he put it aside and picked up the identification documents.
"Not bad. First in the physical course, a junior high school graduate. Recommended by Viscount Felidos. No wonder you were able to participate in the officer training.
I've finally seen a decent candidate. He's much better than those crooks who tried so hard to get in.
You're Claude Ferd? "
It seemed that this square-faced, bearded Second Lieutenant was a very straightforward soldier. He didn't like those who used their connections and favors to get a place in the NCO training.
Claude hurriedly replied, "Yes, Mister Second Lieutenant. I'm Claude Ferd."
"In the future, you'll have to call me Sir or give me a rank. You can't call me Mister," said the second lieutenant. He then pulled on the bell rope hanging by the wall.
He then took out a form from the drawer and handed it to Claude. "Register this."
It was an application form for voluntary enlistment. All he had to write on it was gender, age, name, address, family members and immediate family relations.
Soon, a knock sounded on the door and a corporal walked in.
"Corporal Gero, what's this you're wearing?"
The second lieutenant looked at the name on the identification document. "Claude Ferd, go to the enlistment office to register as a new recruit. Bring this identification document over and put it on your file. Also, make arrangements for tents.
Wait a little longer. I'll stamp it after he's done. "
"Yes, Lieutenant Gilp," said the corporal as he stood at attention.
After Claude finished writing the form, the square-faced, bearded second lieutenant called Gilp checked it and made sure there weren't any mistakes or omissions. He stamped the form with the stamp on the table and handed it to the corporal along with his identification documents.