stjorthotic Chapter 16 Arrangement
Chapter 16 Arrangement
This was the first time Gerns had eaten in the central tent of the military camp since being promoted to company commander.
This is where all of the Baron's company commanders eat.
The camp was situated in a very spacious area, and there were at least three small teams patrolling around it.
Before this, when Gerns was just a private, he had longed to come here. Now that he had actually reached the point where he could eat here, he was filled with many emotions.
"What are you waiting for? Go inside."
Uncle Reggler patted Gerns on the back and went inside first.
After Gerns followed him inside, he found that all the other company commanders, except for himself and Uncle Reggler, were already seated in their tents.
Since it was Gerns' first time dining here, all the company commanders present took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him, and Gerns quickly became friends with them.
Choms arrived earlier than Gerns and was naturally flattered by the company commanders, but he clearly sensed that Gerns was more popular than him.
Lunch officially began when Baron Keynes, Lord Holmes, and the Baron's butler arrived.
The baron's butler clapped his hands, and several maids and servants filed in. The attractive maids quietly filled everyone's glasses with wine, while the servants meticulously served one exquisite dish after another.
"This is a specialty wine of the occupied territory of Claude. It has a low alcohol content and is very fragrant. One glass with every meal."
Since Gerns was sitting at the end of the table, Uncle Regler moved over to accommodate him. Therefore, it didn't seem abrupt for Uncle Regler to lean slightly closer to Gerns and speak in a low voice.
"War is about to break out, and we can only enjoy such exquisite food during times of stability. Cherish it while it lasts."
After saying that, Uncle Reger fell silent.
The food on the table was indeed much more exquisite than the previous dishes, but Gerns remained calm and composed, neither overly nervous nor overly surprised.
During the meal, the Baron inquired about Gerns's life with a touch of concern, and Gerns reciprocated by expressing his loyalty and gratitude.
"I heard you're an orphan, without parents or siblings?"
Baron Keynes ate his food, glancing occasionally at Gerns, who sat at the end of the table.
As the captain of a squadron of one hundred men, Gerns was considered a high-ranking person under him, so naturally, Gerns would have all sorts of inside information.
"Yes, sir."
Seeing that the Baron knew his bottom line, Gerns did not hide anything and answered honestly.
"You can also consider the military camp your home. Work hard, young man. You're still young, and you have a bright future ahead of you."
The two didn't talk much, but it was the first time Gerns had spoken with the Baron, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't excited.
Late in the afternoon, the Baron announced the appointments of Gerns and Choms. Although everyone present already knew, it was only after the Baron officially announced it that the election of squadron leader was officially concluded.
This attack on Luggs City also became the first large-scale operation that Gerns had conducted after being promoted to company commander.
Two days later, in the evening, in a tent located in the southeast of the camp, the third company commander, Choms, the deputy commander, Gerns, and the other squad leaders of the third company were discussing matters.
Prior to this, Gerns had already reserved a spot for his family in the quartermaster's caravan.
Upon hearing Gerns's request, the caravan's fat foreman immediately patted his chest and agreed.
It wasn't just Gerns who had women; other company commanders, when fighting in foreign lands, would also have a few women of varying degrees. Since they couldn't take care of others during combat, they would arrange for their women to be placed in the logistics department so that the logistics personnel could help look after them.
Gerns wasn't the first officer to make this request; the fat steward was quite adept at this kind of thing.
The battalion's appointments have been issued. The current Third Company is composed of personnel drawn from other companies. As expected, the original Third Company commander took his elite troops with him before leaving.
The Baron had anticipated this, which is why he ordered each squadron to send some of its key personnel to the Third Squadron.
Gerns and his colleague were well aware that they had been parachuted into the Third Squadron. They preferred to use their own veterans and bring in fresh blood, as this would make it easier for them to control the squadron.
At this time, some of these squad leaders were quite capable and were promoted by the two of them, some were transferred from other companies, and some rose to their positions through special means.
In the past two days, Gerns has received thirty silver coins as tribute, more than he had ever had before.
Of course, there can't be too many people who get in through connections, otherwise it will cause trouble. He and Jomus each reserved a squad leader position for such people.
This method may seem dishonorable, but from a certain perspective, the fact that they were able to obtain the position of squad leader through this means indicates that they possess a certain level of economic strength.
Why isn't economic strength a type of strength?
After all, those who joined the army were not wealthy people. If you wanted to exchange tribute for the position of a squad leader, the prerequisite was that you had to survive and obtain some wealth from the post-war looting.
The person who can amass enough wealth to secure a squad leader position likely possesses considerable strength.
Gerns' original squad also came along, and in his squad, only Enzo and Korog were qualified to be squad leaders.
Since Korog was a scout and his strength was weaker than Enzo, who was a swordsman and shieldman, Gerns assigned the position of squad leader to Enzo.
Ten squads were formed, with Gerns and Choms each appointing five squads.
These past two days, Choms has also learned about the relationship between Gerns and young master Holmes, so he is not arrogant because he is the captain. Instead, he shares power with Gerns and discusses matters with Gerns.
"We're about to launch an attack on Luggs City. I believe you've all received the news. As for the mission to clear out the goblin lair, I won't go into detail; it's just something we'll handle incidentally," Jomus said unhurriedly. "Since our squadron is newly formed, we'll be in the fourth wave of the siege..."
Siege warfare puts the greatest pressure on the attacking side compared to plains warfare.
The attacking side usually launches an attack in four waves, with the first wave suffering the greatest losses and then retreating. The fourth wave is the final assault, at which point the city gates are usually breached and the cavalry rushes straight to the city lord's mansion.
Gerns' own squadron was in the third wave of the attack, which was when they encountered the least resistance.
Their squadron's mission was to first capture the city gate with the main force, and then follow Lord Holmes and the Baron's cavalry into the lord's mansion. As for occupying the city walls, that was left to the other infantry squadrons.
Although breaching the city walls meant victory was near, storming the city lord's mansion was the highlight of the battle.
Accompanying the Baron in storming the city lord's mansion indirectly shows that the Baron did indeed intend to groom young master Holmes. At the same time, due to the principle of loving someone because of their love for them, Gerns, who was favored by young master Holmes, was also able to lead his squadron to storm the city lord's mansion.
However, if the city gates are not captured, it means that the cavalry cannot enter the city, and the city's interior and exterior cannot be combined. This siege will either come at a great cost or fail.
In short, their squadron had a significant mission this time; it was their first battle, and both Gerns and Choms were well-prepared.