Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 493 Rebuilding the Nation (Part 9)
The “preparatory meeting” clearly did not intend to give the participants time to prepare in advance.

Because there was only one day between the issuance of the exam notice and the actual exam.

On the day of the exam, Houdel got up very early, first taking a refreshing bath in the river, then returning to his tent to shave his face carefully, and finally changing into clean clothes.

By the time all this was done, it was already broad daylight.

Houdel yawned and dawdled as he walked toward the camp gate.

Upon arriving at the gate of the military camp, Houdel did not rush out. Instead, he stood in front of the notice board and pretended to look at it for a while.

Houdel didn't come to his senses until Doug patted him on the shoulder from behind.

Doug brought Hoddle a piece of coarse bread with bacon and sauce. The two ate it while checking their badges and registering their entry and exit at the gate before leaving the camp.

There are two roads outside the military camp gate.

The road on the left leads to Maple Leaf Castle, which is where Houdl often takes it recently.

Because the Iron Peak County Army, under the supervision of Tribunal Mason, is working hard to repair Maple Leaf Castle, everyone except the wounded and sick who cannot move has to work.

The road on the right leads to Maplestone City, a road that Houdel rarely takes.

My few trips into the city were only to pick up or deliver things to your home, and I always went and returned on a fast horse.

Houdel has yet to get a chance to properly explore the "big city" that others describe as prosperous, bustling, and full of money pits.

But today, Houdel desperately wants to go to the left.

But there was nothing he could do; the exam wasn't in Maple Leaf Castle. Houdel could only exchange a glance with his friend before setting off towards Maple Rock City in the morning light.

The military camp of Tiefeng County is very close to Fengshi City.

Before they had finished their bread, Hodl and his friend had already walked from the side path to the main road. Once on the main road, the gates of Maplestone City were right in front of them.

The flow of people on the main road suddenly became denser.

Farmers carrying vegetable baskets, butchers leading livestock, water carriers driving horse-drawn carts... all sorts of figures walked along the main road, so many people that it looked like a sacrament procession.

Although their clothes were similar, Houdel could still easily distinguish civilians from soldiers in the crowd entering the city:
Because the former came to the city to make a living, although they carried heavy loads on their shoulders and were drenched in sweat, they walked with great energy and spirit.
Although their shoulders and hands were empty, their steps were sluggish and incredibly heavy, because they were going to undergo a "test".

Houdel soon spotted some familiar faces in the crowd; they were reserve officers from other companies.

They exchanged brief greetings and silently continued on their way.

However, on this short stretch of road leading to Maplestone, some new faces joined the crowd.

Unlike the civilians entering the city and soldiers like Houdl, the new faces wore cleaner clothes, and the fabric of their clothes was also better.

They weren't wearing the straw sandals and soft-soled leather sandals uniformly issued to the Iron Peak County Army—the latter of which Houdel usually couldn't bear to wear—but genuine boots.

Houdel wouldn't be jealous if he were simply not as well-dressed as others.

What struck Hodel as jarring was the arrogant, carefree expression of those new faces.

“Look,” Houdel whispered to his friend, “the one in boots, what’s his background?”

Doug picked up the last crumbs of bread from his hand: "A friendly commissioned officer."

"They also have to take the exam?" Houdel asked in surprise.

"There will be a test," Doug replied succinctly. "That's what the announcement said."

“We take the exam because we want to get into Your Excellency’s school.” Houdel frowned unconsciously. “They take the exam too. Does that mean they can get into Your Excellency’s school as well?”

That should be the case.

Houdel remained silent for a long time, then spat indignantly, "Why?"

"Do you want more?" Doug asked his friend.

Houdel lost his appetite and handed the small half of his bread to his friend.

Doug cleaned up the rest of his friend's bread, then said calmly, "Perhaps they are also wondering why you and I can attend your school."

Houdel wanted to refute but had nothing to say, so he simply turned his head away, refusing to look at the wealthy young men in boots, and kept on his way.

But sometimes, the things we don't want to see are the things that end up in front of us.

Upon entering Maplestone City, one must pass through a checkpoint at the city gate.

The scene in front of the checkpoint was literally "a thousand troops crossing a single-plank bridge," so everyone had to queue.

The same goes for Houdl and Doug.

Waiting is frustrating; even moving forward a small step in the queue feels like it will take a whole hundred years.

Houdel sighed as he looked at the crowd ahead, when at that very moment, a burst of laughter drifted into his ears from behind.

Turning his head, Houdel was surprised to find those rich kids in boots not far behind him, chatting and laughing as if they were going on a picnic.

Houdel turned his head away and plugged his ears in annoyance. But the more he tried to hide it, the more irritating the chatter became, fueling his anger.

Finally, Houdel's patience reached its limit.

He had an idea. He turned around, took a few steps, patted the shoulder of another reserve officer behind him, and took the initiative to greet him.

The reserve officer summoned by Houdel was named Claude Lee, who had been recommended by Battalion Commander Samukin to become a reserve officer.

Claude was a little younger than Hodel, but he had been in the military for several months longer. Although he knew Hodel, they were only nodding acquaintances and he couldn't say they were very close.

Therefore, Claude was puzzled by Houdel's sudden enthusiasm.

He subconsciously replied with an "okay," then continued to stare at the tips of his shoes, clearly not wanting to say anything more.

Houdel, however, was not about to let the matter rest. He grabbed Claude's arm and deliberately started talking loudly about how the "Second Battalion Commander" was about to become the "Second Regiment Commander."

Behind him, the commissioned officers from other counties were startled by Hoddle's loud voice, and their laughter stopped abruptly.

Claude initially responded politely for a few moments, but quickly grew tired and finally pleaded with a wry smile, "Monkey, I really don't have the energy to chat with you right now... Go find someone else."

"Not in the mood?" Houdel asked knowingly. "Why not?"

"Stop playing dumb with me." Claude was both amused and exasperated. "Aren't you going to take an exam too?"

Houdel spat dismissively: "What are you afraid of with a little test? You're such a loser!"

Claude slapped the monkey's hand away, angrily saying, "Stop bragging to me! I've heard that if someone doesn't do well on the exam, their chances of getting into military school are over! Look at you, you even took a bath, shaved, and changed into new clothes!"

"Who said I specifically took a bath and shaved?" Houdel vehemently denied it, then grabbed Claude's arm with a grin: "I take a bath and shave every day! You don't believe me? Smell me!"

Claude laughed and cursed, "Get lost!" "I'd like to ask you," Houdel said, noticing that the commissioned officers behind him were all eavesdropping, so he raised his voice even higher, "who told you that you can't go to school if you don't do well on the exam?"

Claude stammered, "Anyway, that's what they all say..."

"Bullshit!" Houdel roared, startling the surrounding civilians who took a few steps back. "How could Blood Wolf not let us go to military academy just because we didn't do well on the exam? Don't you think so, Doug?"

Doug replied calmly, "The announcement only said there would be an exam, but it didn't say what the consequences would be for doing well or poorly."

"That's right!" Houdel clapped his hands, put his arm around Claude's shoulder, and deliberately spoke in a gruff voice: "I'm asking you, who runs the military academy?"

“Lord Montagne,” Claude replied immediately.

“Yes, it was Blood Wolf who did it.” Houdel glanced around defiantly, finally fixing his gaze on Claude: “I’ll ask you again, who are we?”

Claude was stunned and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

Before Claude could respond, Houdel thumped his chest with boundless pride: "We are the Blood Wolves' personal guard! We are wolf cubs who have fought our way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood! Who has the Blood Wolves wronged? How could they possibly wrong us? You can rest assured!"

Hearing the monkey's words, Claude's expression darkened. He looked down, fidgeting with his fingers, and said nervously, "You...you're always around him, of course you're not afraid. I...I've always worked under Battalion Commander Samukin, managing ships, supplies, and prisoners. I've never fought a major battle with you, nor have I ever spoken to you. You don't even know who I am..."

Houdel suddenly felt a little ashamed, and he quickly comforted Claude: "You are still a hundred times better than some good-for-nothings who have no skills, have never fought a war, and have only bought their positions with a few stinking coins! A thousand times better! If they can get into Blood Wolf's military academy, I don't believe you can't."

As he spoke, Houdel deliberately glanced at the "Boot Boys" behind him.

The appointed officers finally figured out who this skinny, monkey-like fellow was after, and most of them looked rather grim.

Just then, a cheerful voice came from ahead.

"Monkey! I heard it from afar!" A veteran with a sword walked over from the checkpoint ahead, laughing loudly: "You've come out again to embarrass the First Battalion?"

The veteran with the sword had bright eyes and a tall, thin build. Although he was a veteran, he was actually only in his early twenties, in the prime of his life. However, he walked with a slight limp in his left leg.

Upon seeing the veteran approach, not only Houdel but also Claude quickly stood at attention and saluted: "Sergeant Ish, what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it because I'm afraid you'll cause trouble that they sent me to guard the gate?" the veteran replied with a smile.

He gave Houdel a warning look: "Monkey, you just shouted 'that' again, didn't you? Be careful that His Excellency doesn't hear you, or he'll punish you by making you move stones in Maple Leaf Castle again."

Houdel was extremely embarrassed and immediately made a gesture of "sewing his mouth shut" and then lightly slapped himself.

Other reserve officers who were queuing up also stepped out of the crowd, saluted, and greeted the veteran: "Sergeant Ish!"

The veteran meticulously returned each greeting.

……

Sergeant Ish Sweetwater was a very special figure in the Iron Peak County army.

In terms of seniority, his military service is as long as that of Tamas and Bart Sharing;
However, the latter has now been promoted to battalion commander and acting regimental commander, while Ish Sweetwater is still a sergeant.

People say it was all because Sergeant Ish was wounded on the eve of the Battle of Bloodsludge, causing him to miss the Battle of Bloodsludge, the Battle of Shovel Harbor, and the Battle of River Valley...

In short, Sergeant Ish was both unlucky and lucky to miss all the major and minor battles between the Battle of Bloodsludge and the Battle of Artemis while he was in his sickbed, and he did not return to his unit until the siege of Maple Leaf Castle.

Therefore, his rank remained that of a sergeant.

However, no one in the Tiefeng County army dared to look down on this lowly soldier because of this; everyone treated him with utmost respect.

……

As more and more reserve officers of the Iron Peak County Army gathered around Sergeant Ish, the ordinary people who had just been trying to stay away from Hodl and Claude consciously retreated to even more distant places.

A large "no civilians zone" was cleared in front of the checkpoint.

A mixture of fear, curiosity, envy, and disgust emanated from the eight directions to the west, directed at the soldiers of the Iron Peak County Army in the middle of the "no civilians' zone."

Ish, the head of Ganshui Town, noticed this and immediately told Houdel and the others, "Don't queue anymore, just go straight through the checkpoint."

"Is that alright?" Houdel was overjoyed.

"Don't let it interfere with your exam." Ish didn't explain further, but simply reminded him, "But be mindful of your appearance, don't embarrass Your Excellency."

Ish gave the order directly: "Everyone, listen to my command—single column."

Houdel and the other reserve officers instinctively stood at attention.

“You don’t need to queue either,” Ish said kindly, looking at the commissioned officers behind him. “Just follow along.”

The appointed officers hesitated for a moment, then nodded gratefully to the soldiers of the Iron Peak County Army and left the crowd.

"All hands on deck!" Ish boomed the command: "Start—go!"

The neatly lined-up reserve officers of the Tiefeng County Army passed through the checkpoint in single file, like a long dragon.

The appointed officers, their steps slightly unsteady, followed in small groups behind.

As if being inspected, Houdel walked with particular seriousness; when he noticed that the "Boot Boys" behind him couldn't even stand in formation, he puffed out his chest even more forcefully.

However, the ranks of the Tiefeng County army did not last long. Due to the lack of a clear commander, the column broke up as soon as they entered the city, turning into a chaotic mess again.

Houdel tried his best to urge everyone to maintain formation, but nobody listened to him.

Everyone was like a "country bumpkin" entering the city for the first time—of course, a considerable number of reserve officers were indeed stepping into Maplestone City for the first time—looking around and finding everything novel.

Furthermore, Houdel's outburst at the checkpoint quickly dispelled the gloom that had been hanging over everyone's hearts, and the reserve officers soon reverted to their lively and energetic nature as young men—strictly speaking, many of them were still just children to begin with.

On the contrary, the appointed officers appeared quite calm and composed, walking down the street as if they were at home.

Witnessing his comrades' "disappointing" performance, Houdel couldn't help but sigh.

"What were you thinking, Your Excellency? Why did you let us into the city like sheep being herded without sending anyone to supervise us?" Houdel complained. "Why didn't you just take the exam in the military camp? Why did you have to come into the city?"

“You’re right.” Doug said thoughtfully, “Why not hold the test at the camp? Why not send a team leader?”

"Aren't you just repeating what I said?" Houdel asked irritably.

Doug smiled kindly.

Fortunately, even if they entered the city like a flock of ducks, they didn't have to worry about getting lost, because there were military police on duty at every intersection to guide them.

A large group of young reserve officers chatted and laughed as they made their way to the examination hall.

Until they were actually standing outside the examination hall.

The laughter and chatter ceased.

Because standing before them was the Maple Rock Cathedral.

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