It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 174 | Well Deserved

"They're smart enough to let me cause them trouble."

After hearing what Captain Eugene had to say, Shank was very satisfied.

The Royal Guard was not part of the Hunnic royal army and was not well-regarded from the beginning. However, the Royal Guard proved its honor through the iron and blood of the Battle of Budapest.

This time, the Ministry of National Defense finally stopped making things difficult regarding troop replenishment and equipment.

After briefly inspecting the hundreds of officers and soldiers who had survived countless battles, Shang Ke felt much more at ease. To be honest, the bond forged through dozens of days of shared life and death and the trials of war was etched deep in his heart.

The snowflakes are falling more heavily again.

On the vast plains east of the Danube, Ivanruj's army continued to suffer defeats, with hundreds of soldiers melting away like snowflakes every hour.

For Mr. Shang, this was the most restful night's sleep he had had in nearly two months. He slept for a full nine and a half hours without any dreams.

The next day at dawn, he changed into a brand new set of casual clothes and then hurriedly took a car to Castle Hill Fortress.

Sigrid frowned the moment she saw Mr. Shang.

Huh? You've obviously lost a lot of weight?

Before she could speak, Shang Ke sighed softly and said with a smile, "Good morning, Your Majesty. I didn't expect that more than fifty days have passed since we last parted."

In fact, Sigrid firmly believed that Shang was not dead. Intuitively, she felt that he was still alive, and logically, it didn't make sense.

If he were captured, then due to his special status, the Ivan-Russians would have no choice but to send him back to St. Peter's Castle and publicize it extensively; if he were truly dead, the Ivan-Russians would certainly discover it when they checked their battle results, and would also publicize it.

However, the most awkward thing is that the death and missing persons notices have already been signed, and the process is about to be completed.

As is customary, if a combat-killed soldier is promoted three ranks, then Mr. Shang's honorary rank would jump directly from colonel to lieutenant general.

The dead should be respected, especially a soldier who fought bravely and died. It's not unreasonable to promote him three ranks as a sign of respect.

The problem is that Mr. Shang is not dead, but alive and well, which is a headache for everyone. They should have known better than to rush to conclusions a few days ago.

While the people at headquarters were celebrating the resounding success of Operation Lyonard, they were clearly having a headache over the matter.

Sigrid hesitated for a moment, then finally said softly, "Shang, you've done enough for Hurricane. Don't participate in such dangerous battles anymore."

Having said that, she found a plausible excuse for herself and said seriously, "If something really happens to you, how can I answer your country?"

Awkwardly, Shang Ke couldn't help but want to tease her, so he deliberately downplayed the issue and said, "It seems that Her Majesty the Queen still cares about me."

care?

You absolutely must not be shy or blush at times like this!

Sigrid deliberately kept a straight face and tried to make her tone more serious.

“You are an excellent knight and a brilliant soldier,” she praised earnestly, then changed the subject, saying, “I don’t want your country to hold you accountable; you deserve a good home.”

“I’m lucky, I won’t die. Even Death would be worried.” Shank gazed into her emerald eyes and said humorously, “Perhaps Her Majesty the Queen’s blessing played a big role. Thank you for your protection.” Sigrid couldn’t help but laugh.

Then, they both laughed.

Mr. Shang was also quite free today, so he just chatted with her.

Unfortunately, we are now in Castle Hill Fortress, rather than the more elegant and tranquil Royal Palace, so it is not suitable to go any further.

war of the Damned!
For some reason, Shank suddenly hated war even more at this moment.

He asked in a serious tone, "I remember Her Majesty promised that those who make significant contributions would be given due recognition. You haven't forgotten that, have you?"

“Of course I haven’t forgotten.” Sigrid nodded slightly and said slowly, “Shang, if you don’t mind, I’m willing to confer upon you the title of Baron of Hurricane and request the military to award you the Cross of Merit for War.”

"Why would I mind? This is an honor I earned myself," Shang Ke said easily. "I deserve it."

Sigrid suddenly seemed to remember something, and with a helpless expression, she briefly stated, "By the way, you should know about the issue of killed in action and missing persons. The Ministry of Defense has decided to posthumously award you the honorary rank of lieutenant general, and this matter has also been communicated to the advisory group and the embassy..."

Mr. Shang, on the contrary, was just watching with amusement.

A thought struck him, and he asked curiously, "So you're saying I'm going to be promoted to lieutenant general? This decision has already been approved, right? It shouldn't be overturned, will it?"

Sigrid chuckled helplessly and replied, "Shang, now that you've safely broken through the encirclement, you should definitely rescind this additional honor that honors the fallen."

After she finished speaking, fearing that Mr. Shang might be unhappy, she added, "However, I think the rank of Major General is in line with your outstanding performance."

The various levels of military ranks in foreign languages ​​actually have historical origins for their names, rather than being simply classified as high, medium, and low.

For example, the word "major general" in the Hunnic army in ancient times referred to a "high-ranking military officer who guards the camp," while the word "lieutenant general" referred to a "high-ranking commander."

Skipping the brigadier general rank and rising directly from colonel to major general in honorary military rank seems much more normal and fits with Mr. Shang's remarkable achievements.

Although Sigrid didn't know the concept of 'bad luck', she instinctively felt that it was best for a perfectly healthy person not to be treated like a dead person.

What happened to you during your breakout? What happened after you got separated from them?

"I anticipated the unfavorable situation of breaking through, so I deliberately saved the few tanks that the city defense command had assigned to us for last. But unfortunately, the enemy sent a very powerful new tank, which broke our formation and destroyed our tanks." Recalling the scene at that time, Shang Ke still felt very regretful.

He continued, "After that, I hid in the sewers with a soldier. Fortunately, the enemy was in a hurry and didn't advance step by step. The number of troops used to search for and eliminate stragglers was not large, so I was able to hide here and there. However, because the enemy launched a three-pronged attack on the Capitol Building area, I couldn't find a place to cross the front line, so I had no choice but to continue hiding..."

While recounting his experiences over the past few days, Shank also mentioned what he and Emilia had seen and heard—the series of atrocities committed by the Romanian army were truly intolerable.

"...I can only say that the Romanians' various acts are appalling, no different from animals. The Ivanros are better, at least they only condone robbery." Although Shank shrugged to appear nonchalant, his tone was very heavy.

As he described these events, Sigrid's expression gradually turned grim.

“This is an eternal disgrace, and the Romanian army must be completely annihilated,” she murmured softly.

(End of this chapter)