Transmigrated with a Demon-Refining Pot: Hehehe, Refine in an instant

That evening, all the lords of the Independent Legion were summoned to Viscount Daniel's tent.

The tent was crammed with more than twenty people and brightly lit.

Viscount Daniel sat in the main seat. He was in his forties, with a kind face but shrewd eyes.

He was a viscount of the pioneering lands, and this time he brought five hundred men. In terms of strength and seniority, he was undoubtedly the commander of the corps.

"Gentlemen, the defense zone has been determined: the mountain passes on the eastern front." He got straight to the point.

"But our corps has two thousand men, we can't all crowd there at once. We need to divide into four battalions, each guarding a section."

A buzzing sound arose from below.

Daniel raised his hand and pressed it down:

"The brigade organization will be based on the number of soldiers. Those who bring more soldiers will be brigade commanders, and those who bring fewer soldiers will be assigned to other units. If you have any objections, raise them now."

Ron glanced around. There were about twenty lords, most of them with a standard entourage of fifty men, while the rest brought seventy or eighty men.

There was also one that brought over a hundred – Buck Cucumber.

The Marquis's illegitimate son certainly comes from a wealthy family. If his older brother Peter hadn't gone missing, he probably could have become a captain too.

Daniel glanced at the list in his hand and began to read:

"First Battalion, Donnie..."

"Second Battalion, Jack..."

"The Third Battalion, led by Captain Buck Cucumber. Its jurisdiction includes... Eric of Stonewall Territory, Ron of River Reach Territory, and Victor of Beansprout Territory..."

"I will personally lead the Fourth Battalion."

Ron's heart skipped a beat, and he glanced at Buck.

Buck leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, chin slightly raised, his gaze sweeping over the group before finally lingering on Ron for a moment.

He didn't have much of an expression, but the scrutinizing look in his eyes made people uncomfortable.

Victor leaned closer and lowered his voice:

"Ron, we're in the same brigade, that's great!"

Ron nodded. None of the people he knew were grouped with him. It was the guys he'd met after arriving at Ironrock Fortress who were all grouped together.

Ron was wary of this guy who had been sidling up to him from the very beginning.

Or rather, being wary of everyone.

Ron preferred dealing with annoying guys like Buck and Peter.

Buck stood up, his tone flat: "We'll set off at dawn tomorrow, marching in formation. We'll assign tasks once we reach our defense zone."

After saying that, he turned and left without even giving her a second glance.

Victor gave an awkward smile:

"This shelf..."

Early the next morning.

Before dawn, the campsite was already bustling with activity.

The supply train began distributing provisions, with each lord receiving five days' worth of rations and arrows. Ron sent Lauen to collect them, while he stood at the edge of the camp, watching the crowds come and go.

Hart returned from the supply train with a strange expression on his face.

"Sir, I've inquired. Military merits are calculated based on the number of enemies killed. An ordinary orc soldier gets one point, a minor leader gets five points, and a major leader gets one hundred."

He killed the orc, cut off his left ear, and handed it over to the supply train for registration.

"In addition, during the conscription period, low-ranking knight squires will receive one military merit per day, mid-ranking knights two, and high-ranking knights five."

One military merit can be exchanged for a golden dragon at the supply depot.

Ron scoffed, "Is that all? The magic potions you can buy with these military merits are barely enough to replenish your battle aura after a fight."

"What about the core? Will they accept it?"

Orcs have a core within their bodies, formed from the condensation of their cultivation of qi and blood, just as knights have a seed of fighting spirit within their bodies. The original liquid that Ron obtained by refining knights was clearly of higher quality than that obtained from ordinary wild monsters.

Hart was taken aback: "Heart core? Heart cores can be sold to caravans, and they fetch a high price."

Ron laughed: "That's not bad. You can get military merits for your left ear, but keep the core."

As evening fell, the team arrived at the mountain pass on the eastern front.

There were steep slopes on both sides, with a narrow passage in the middle, about two or three hundred meters wide. The passage only had a few simple trenches and fences, and the defensive fortifications were obviously inadequate.

Viscount Daniel surveyed the area on horseback and said in a deep voice:

"The fortifications are too poor. Let's set up camp tonight and start reinforcing them tomorrow."

Each battalion should set up camp according to its assigned defense zone, quickly! Establish your respective camps before nightfall.

Each of the four battalions guarded a section. The third battalion was responsible for the right side of the mountain pass, the side closest to the hillside.

The third brigade has a total of eight lords.

Buck divided the defense zones of the lords: Eric guarded the front line, Victor guarded the rear supply line, and his own men guarded the area near the pass.

Ron guards the gentle slope on the east side of the pass. Although it's not the most dangerous spot, if the enemy wants to launch a sneak attack, his place will be the first target.

Buck rode up and stopped in front of Ron.

"You're in charge of guarding the hillside. Be careful not to let them outflank you and endanger the entire army." He pointed with his riding whip.

Buck's tone was businesslike, seemingly without any intention of making things difficult.

But Ron felt annoyed by his tone.

Damn it, did I eat your rice? You're acting all high and mighty.

The next day, everyone was reinforcing the fortifications.

Fortunately, no orcs arrived; I heard that the main force of the orcs was not in this direction.

Ron and his men's mission was to guard the entire mountain pass and prevent the orcs from crossing through it.

Therefore, Ron and his team were not under as much pressure as they had imagined.

Ron led his men to dig trenches, erect fences, and build watchtowers. Eric was even busier; he was at the forefront, with the most fortifications to build.

Victor was in charge of resupplying from behind, which made things easier for him.

Buck would occasionally ride out on horseback, take a few glances, and then leave.

But every time he passed Ron's section, he would stop for a while, stare at the fortifications for a long time, and then nod or shake his head without saying anything.

Ron didn't care and continued doing what he was doing.

By the evening of the second day, the basic construction work was finally almost complete.

Ron stood behind the fence, gazing north. Occasionally, plumes of dust rose from the distant mountain ridges, the work of orc scouts.

That evening, Viscount Daniel summoned the lords for a meeting.

Eric came over from the front, his expression calm: "Small groups of orcs have appeared ahead, probably scouts. The main orc force is behind us."

Ron nodded: "I can see that."

Daniel issued orders to his lords:

"From now on, the lords' garrisons will be rotated every three days, with those suffering more casualties being rotated earlier."