New Gods of North America.

Chapter 657 Army
The detective agency now has an unwritten rule: when there are many people, the chef might not be able to keep up, so everyone pitches in.
After the new members were settled in, those who were hungry ate some bread to tide them over. Once Inessa, Lina, and the agents who had gone out returned, they started a semi-self-service barbecue and teppanyaki.

To be fair, the cider that Liam had the new members bring over was actually quite good.
Although it doesn't smell great, doesn't look clear, and has a weak aroma, it tastes refreshing and pleasant. It's even better after being diluted with water, and its advantages are enough to make up for any shortcomings.
If it weren't for the fact that alcohol taxes are applied uniformly these days, Wayne would have been tempted to sell it as soda in restaurants.
If it's feasible later, we could really consider having the first office supply the workshop regularly.

As night deepened, the group gradually got to know each other over food and drinks, and the atmosphere around the large campfire slowly became lively.

Some people had already started playing exhibition matches on the sidelines, some were catching up with each other and chatting, and others were gathered in small groups listening to the veteran detectives tell stories and talk about rules and regulations.

Wayne had finished eating and was now chatting privately with a new member named Hope, holding a wooden cup.

One reason is that this guy is somewhat taciturn, and he stands out a little in the midst of the commotion.
On the other hand, it's because Liam has a pretty high opinion of Hope, and Wayne is also curious about his original profession.

Hope was a soldier before, not a so-called "state militia," but a regular member of the federal army.
Compared to the militia, where all eligible individuals could be forcibly conscripted, the Federal Army was a relatively niche and stable profession in those days. The number of people in the latter was only a fraction of that of the former, and the conscription methods and training models were also different. In peacetime, the Federal Army was based on voluntary enlistment, and the service period was longer than that of the militia, with a common starting salary of five years.

The soldiers of this time were certainly different from modern professional soldiers, but they did share some similarities in temperament.

Hope was somewhat serious, but not rigid or inflexible; "shy" or "reserved" might be a more accurate description. He was currently patiently answering Wayne's questions:
"The soldiers in the Federal Army can be divided into commanders and soldiers, which are two completely different systems. The highest rank a soldier like me can achieve in peacetime is different levels of 'non-commissioned officer' and 'sergeant major', but it is impossible for him to be promoted to commander."

"Although a small number of non-commissioned officers became commanders during the war against Mexico, they could only become second lieutenants, and those who retired as first lieutenants were extremely rare. Commanders, on the other hand, were at least second lieutenants from the beginning."

"Correspondingly, according to the traditional command chain, the commanders' combat orders must also be conveyed through the non-commissioned officers, and they are not allowed to bypass the non-commissioned officers and give orders directly to the soldiers. Therefore, in principle, they cannot interfere with the soldiers' daily management and battlefield command. The situation you just assumed does not actually exist."

According to Hope, the commanders of the Union Army are mostly graduates of military academies, come from good families, and some are even "professional families".
Senior sergeants don't actually have a low status; they are valued even more than lower-ranking commanders. Some "king-level" sergeants can even become advisors to generals. However, they still don't belong to the decision-making system and are not the same as "officers" in the narrow sense.

This part falls into Wayne's area of ​​knowledge; what he was just talking about with Hope was actually the joke about "the machine gun moving five meters to the left."
But these days, American commanders seem to be forbidden from micromanaging, and they can't even have too much contact with soldiers, bypassing sergeants. It sounds like they can't "lower their status," and in a sense, it seems like an unwritten taboo. Wayne guesses that this may be related to the Founding Fathers' design, various divide-and-rule strategies, and mutual constraints.

After listening, Wayne nodded slightly, then continued to ask, "So what kind of weapons do the army soldiers use now?"

"The army I served in only had garrison duties. The rifled muskets we used for training were mainly left over from the Mexican-American War. The cavalrymen were also equipped with revolvers. There were newer weapons, but they were mostly kept in the armory and not used for training."

Hope chuckled as she said this, "I had thought about becoming an artilleryman before, but unfortunately artillerymen need to undergo more specialized training, otherwise they can only be responsible for supporting work such as moving or cleaning, so I never had the chance until the end of my service."

rifled muskets...

You have too much inventory that you haven't used up yet, right?

Even in the western part of this world, lever-action rifles are now readily available, yet the ordinary army soldiers are still training with the equipment from the previous generation. Their weapons seem inferior to those of the militia in prosperous states. Lines of soldiers shooting each other on the battlefield are hardly a sign of good civilization.

Wayne then asked, "Being recruited by Cornell first means you must also be an Extraordinary. Are there many Extraordinary individuals in the Army?"

“I’m not quite sure either.” Hope’s expression seemed very sincere. “The reason I volunteered was because I had no other choice. At the time, I didn’t want to become a bounty hunter and preferred a stable job, but the priest didn’t give me any other options besides enlisting as a soldier.”

"I originally thought I would encounter other fallen individuals like myself in the army, but in reality, apart from needing to meet with the chaplain regularly, I seem to be no different from ordinary soldiers, and I'm not allowed to publicly reveal my identity." Hmm... this pattern sounds a bit familiar, but that's not the point.

Wayne couldn't help but have doubts.
Could it be that this guy was quietly eliminated by the military because he wasn't good at fighting?

Wayne tried to confirm: "Did you fight Connor when you were in Kansas City? Who was stronger between you two?"

"Probably around the same time?" Hope didn't seem too sure either. "We were just playing around before. For a while, Connor would often come to me for a fight. But I heard there's an arena with more detailed rules in the detective agency. Maybe we'll have to try it to know for sure."

That probably isn't the reason...

Connor has never minded bullying weaker opponents in the detective agency, but he actually prefers sparring with people of similar fighting ability. Damon McCready, who is currently staying at the detective agency's headquarters with the little girl in George Berg, has often been haunted by Connor's persistent "ghostly spirit".
Recalling Hope's earlier statement about "fallen ones," Wayne then considered another possibility: "Are you a member of the Church of the Holy Spirit?"

Hope finally nodded this time. "Starting from my grandfather at the latest, our whole family has been believers in the Holy Spirit, and we go to the community church every week to attend services."

Understood.

He regularly goes to church, doesn't want to be a bounty hunter, yet manages to associate with Connor and his gang; his joining the army was even guided by a local pastor.

Based on Wayne's observations tonight, Hope seems to be a fairly upright and harmless type in terms of personality and character, the kind advocated and promoted by the values ​​of the Bible.

He didn't serve in a major army unit, so there might not have been any special forces there. It's also possible that, as a devout believer, he received some kind of protection.
Rounding up, it's roughly equivalent to not being officially recognized as a "David Mills" or "Merlin Brother".

I wouldn't hire someone like that if I were to do something bad.

This guy probably wouldn't be suitable to work with Lina's intelligence group. He'd be better suited to be Inessa's henchman or to help Willie with his investigations.

However, he wanted to test their skills first. Wayne already had a preliminary idea: "When we train new employees, I'll have Connor be your arena examiner."

……

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, someone also received news that surprised them.

"That detective agency brought in reinforcements from out of town today, so many that two carriages couldn't fit them all?!"

"Go and inform Mr. Schwartz immediately; they're probably after our sailors' gang."

(End of this chapter)