"Aunt Natalie, Uncle Zahirak, I've troubled you for the past year and a half. Now that I've received a military order to take up a post elsewhere, I'll be leaving soon. Once again, thank you for taking care of me."
After bidding farewell to Natalie's family, Claude brought Myjack and Gum with him and packed a box of books he bought. He didn't want anything else.
Doris's belly was clearly showing. She didn't say anything to Claude and only looked at the three from the window on the second floor.
Claude glanced at her before he left the hospital and nodded before getting into the carriage. "Let's go to the military academy. Give this box of books to Manrique and we'll go to Chateau Christophe."
The chest of books was worth around ten or so crowns. They were all bought by the students who went to the royal capital on official business over the past year.
However, Claude didn't plan on bringing the huge box of books with him to his new post. Since Manrique was busy with the construction of the academy's library, Claude decided to donate the box of books to him. It would be a memento of his one and a half years of training in the academy.
After bidding farewell to Manrique, Claude led the forty lieutenants to Chateau Christophe.
These 40 or so junior officers were all trained cadets in the military academy and had been assigned by their superiors to join the independent reinforced combat battalion.
Apart from Myjack and Gum who stayed by Claude's side, the rest of Moriad's 20 junior officers had followed Schnake and Siegfeld to Chateau Christophe two days ago.
Christophe Castle was originally one of the four great citadels of the Royal Capital. It was built to be the frontline defense fortress of the Royal Capital, guarding the important transportation routes in the north of the Ibinister Plains.
But as the Aueran military expanded, they gradually annexed the various duchies around the Ibnister Plains. In the end, Christophe Castle lost its original purpose as a military fortress and developed into a mid-sized commercial city.
It took him a day and a half to reach Chateau Christophe and report to General Michelic at the place where the folk were stationed.
The general looked at the bustling streets through the window worriedly and greeted Claude tiredly, "You're here, Claude. Make yourself at home.
The official organization and serial numbers of your Independent Reinforced Combat Battalion are on the table. Take a look for yourself. "
Claude saluted and took the official document of his battalion from the table. He found that his battalion's serial number was near the front: Tribe 131.
The first number '1' represented independence. They would only obey the direct orders of the division headquarters. Other superior units had no right to commandeer or order this combat battalion.
The second number three meant to strengthen, indicating that the official establishment of this battalion exceeded that of other battalions.
The third number 1 was the battle order, representing the first rank among all the battle battalions in Ranger.
From then on, Claude's battalion would be known as Tribe 131.
"General, I have a request." Claude stood at attention once more.
"Speak!"
"I hope that Tribe 131 can find another place to camp."
"Why?" He turned around and glared at Claude.
"This place is too prosperous. It's not good for the training of the soldiers."
Michelic let out a long sigh. "You noticed it too?
Chateau Christophe is no longer suitable as a military base. It's a huge mistake to build Ranger here.
However, the higher-ups hope that Ranger can be stationed closer to the royal capital. Also, it's more convenient to resupply their supplies here.
However, none of us expected that the troops sent here from the frontlines would fall so quickly in just two years. "
"Look at the huge stack of disciplinary documents on the table. They're already three feet tall.
I've been patrolling the area for the past two days and noticed that the troops stationed here have broken many rules due to lack of discipline. There are even some who have started businesses in the barracks.
They're forced to sell their goods at a profit. The snitches from the merchants and the residents here could form a line a mile long. "
Michelic felt a huge headache coming on. The royal family only cared about the loyalty of the lower-ranking officers and neglected the lower ranks of the soldiers.
They deployed the units that performed well during the war to Chateau Christophe and stationed them there.
Most of the lower-ranking officers were sent to the royal military academy in Calleben for a year and a half of military training. The troops were stationed there to wait for the officers to return and form Ranger.
There was always a huge difference between imagination and reality. Most of the lower-ranking officers were sent to receive training and the remaining officers weren't able to effectively control the soldiers.
The higher-ups made another wrong move. They picked a few of the remaining officers to form Ranger. Skri, for example, was appointed as Ranger's logistics officer and left 1st Ranger Tribe.
Without the forceful control of the soldiers, the soldiers in the barracks were completely freed. Apart from having their meals in the barracks, they spent the rest of their time strolling around the towns outside.
After nearly two years, the soldiers were no longer like soldiers, and the barracks were no longer like barracks. Especially the veterans, they were like fish in water in such an environment, forming cliques and seeking personal benefits for themselves.
On the way into Chateau Christophe, Claude saw many uniformed soldiers strolling around the streets. There were even two cases of soldiers getting into a fight.
There were many soldiers and civilians around them, but they didn't seem surprised at all. It was as if they were used to it. Some even cheered excitedly.
There weren't even any sentries at the entrance of the camp. He even saw a few soldiers and civilians huddled together to haggle over the price of a cart of goods. There were even a few gorgeously dressed women coming out of the dormitories of the camp.
That was also the reason why Claude requested for Tribe 131 to set up camp elsewhere when he met with Michelic.
Michelic didn't think that he would be taking over such a mess, especially when Ranger hadn't even been formed yet. There wasn't even a commander in charge of the various units and he didn't know who to look for. He couldn't very well ask the first man of Ranger to clean up the mess himself, could he?
"General, I think we should immediately let all the officers return to their original units. We should first announce the start of the reorganization and confiscate all the weapons and ammunition. Then, we should give the order to close the camps and impose martial law. After that, we should go through the camps one by one and arrest all those who violate military discipline.
After that, we should investigate the culprits and not interrogate them. Also, we should encourage those who expose the culprits and reward them. That's the only way we can stabilize the situation in the shortest amount of time possible, "said Claude.
Michelic's eyes lit up. Claude's suggestion was like a ray of sunlight peeking through the dark clouds in the sky, allowing him to see the direction ahead.
His original plan was to set up Ranger's basic officer structure and command system for the higher-ups before filling them up with the soldiers waiting to be reorganized.
Now, facing the vast number of soldiers who had lost their restraints, the most difficult thing was that they didn't know where to start. After nearly two years, these soldiers who had been through the trials of the battlefield had become scattered.
Michelic had thought that it would be better to disband the soldiers and recruit new ones, but the higher-ups wouldn't agree to that. After all, they were still fifty thousand elites.
That's right, I can send the basic officers back to their original units and regain control of the various units.
He used the news of the reorganization to confuse the soldiers, and after taking back their weapons and ammunition, he locked them up in the barracks. The entire Christophe Castle was put under martial law, and the barracks were searched one by one to enforce military discipline and weed out the black sheep.
That way, the rest will be able to become elite soldiers of the kingdom again.
I only want 32,000 of the best and most elite soldiers and send the rest back to the war ministry. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Claude's suggestion was feasible. The officers who were sent back to their original units could be sent back to Ranger after the incident was over. Then, he could reorganize the soldiers.
"Your suggestion is very reasonable. Is there anything else you want us to help you with?" Michelic was delighted and felt that he should reward Claude with something else.
"Well …" Claude gave it some thought. "Let Tribe 131 have the first pick. Also, we don't have any herbalist in our medical team yet. I need them to check on the soldiers and record their health reports."
"Alright, I'll agree to that."
Michelic nodded. "As for the medical team, I can give you an order. You can go to the treatment center and get four herbalists and the medics you need.
Your battalion is the frontline unit of our folk, so I can arrange for you beforehand. "
Claude went to the infirmary outside the city with the order given by Michelc. The place was much more well-organized than the military camps in the city. The soldiers stood at attention with their spears at attention.
Before they reached the entrance, a second lieutenant waved for Claude and the others to dismount and stop them from entering.
"Why is this place so heavily guarded?" Claude asked as he handed his identification to the second lieutenant.
"This is the office of the logistics department and the medical center. They're in charge of training medics for the various divisions.
Some time ago, some bastards tried to sneak in to steal some healing concoctions. When they were discovered, they tried to burn down the storehouse and escape. We killed four of them.
The one in charge of the logistics department, Skri, is furious and has increased the number of patrols and personnel on duty. As you can see, the security here is very tight, Sir, "the second lieutenant on duty said simply.
"You said Lieutenant Colonel Skri works here?"
Claude didn't expect his old superior to be there. After his promotion in November, Skri stayed in the academy for a while before leaving. Claude had wanted to look for him when he returned to Chateau Christophe, but he didn't think he'd bump into him here.
"Yes, Sir. Head left after you enter the main entrance. There are three three-storey limestone buildings there. That's where the logistics department is located.
Lieutenant Colonel Skri's office is on the third floor of the one in the middle. You'll need his approval to deploy the herbalists and medics, "the second lieutenant said as he led Claude the way.
"Alright, thank you," Claude hurriedly said.
The three limestone buildings were built in the Hogo style, just like Claude's red brick house.
However, it was obvious that the history of these three bluestone buildings should be very young. They were built later, probably around ten years old.
Skri's office was huge and so was his desk. There were all sorts of documents piled on top of it.
Several young logistics officers kept bringing documents to Lieutenant Colonel Skerry, and then took away the documents that had already been reviewed and signed, and assigned them to be executed. It could be seen that Lieutenant Colonel Skerry was extremely busy.
Claude stood in front of the desk and watched as Skri buried his head in a pile of documents.
Skri felt that there was someone in front of him, but he thought it was his aide and said, "Parker, pour me a cup of black tea."
Claude shrugged. "Sir, I don't know where you keep your tea."
Skri was taken aback. When he looked up and saw that it was Claude, he couldn't help but laugh. He walked up to Claude and hugged him tightly. "You bastard, why didn't you say anything when you came? I thought you were someone else."
"I'm here to report for duty. I'm here to receive General Michelic's dispatch order. First, I'll take care of the medics of Tribe 131. That way, we can perform a physical checkup on the soldiers who enter the battalion," Claude said as he handed the order to Skri.
"Alright, let's get this done first. Us brothers will have a good drink tonight to celebrate."
Skri took out a document from the cabinet beside him. "There are a total of 137 herbalists in the medical center. Twenty-one of them are mid-rank herbalists and the rest are beginner herbalists.
Tribe 131 is an independent, reinforced battalion. You'll be given one mid-rank herbalist and three beginner herbalists according to the regimental structure.
Take a look at the list yourself. However, the mid-rank herbalists have quite the temper. Whether or not you can convince them to work for your battalion will depend on you. "
Claude flipped the document open and asked, "Why are there so many herbalists here?"
Skri smiled bitterly. "All the commoner herbalists in the kingdom's corps have been sent here. Nominally, they're here to train medics and exchange knowledge in herbalism.
Actually, the higher-ups want to satisfy Ranger's herbalists first. Once Ranger is reorganized, the remaining herbalists and medics will be returned to the corps. "
Huh … That works too?
Ranger really lived up to its reputation as the royal family's most trusted force. They were always the first to take care of anything good.
He then saw a familiar name. Mid-rank herbalist Dr. Remppert, the former head medic of Bluefeather's 11th Field Battalion. There was also a note next to his name: Novice herbalist. Promoted to mid-rank in September, Year 582 of the Sacred Light Calendar.
"I want him," Claude said, pointing at Dr. Remppert.