Fulkby Hill Military Camp, as its name suggests, is a military camp located on a hill. But Claude discovered that the size of the military camp did not seem to be large from the bottom of the mountain.
After getting off the carriage and waving goodbye to Uncle Osker, Claude walked towards the sentry in front. This post is somewhat similar to those toll stations in previous lives. It is a simple wooden bungalow with a crossbar on the road. Only vehicles that have been inspected and obtained permission can drive onto the road up the mountain after the crossbar is raised.
Three or four soldiers were standing guard, and they kept staring at Claude who got off the carriage. This is not a busy place with people coming and going, and there is nothing new and interesting to see. It is rare for a person to be brought here by a carriage, so he becomes the object of everyone's attention.
Claude walked over, made a distinction, and came to a soldier whose epaulette was different from the other three soldiers. He took out the recruitment order from his backpack: "Hello, I received the recruitment order. Where should I report? "
It's just that this soldier with two more red lines on his epaulettes than the other soldiers did not take the conscription order from Claude. Instead, he shouted to another soldier: "Sharino, come and see, the conscription order has come to us." If he reports, you take him to the mountain to find Lieutenant Hokum."
"Sorry, sir, I can't read." After shouting with the soldier, the soldier said apologetically to Claude.
"Uh" Claude didn't expect others to be illiterate: "I was too rash. I'm sorry. My name is Claude Field, from White Deer City."
"It's okay." The soldier laughed: "I used to play around when I was a child. I got a headache when I saw these words. I couldn't learn them. As a result, I am now blind. My name is Wallerick Armstrong. Just call me Walker."
"Nice to meet you, Chief Walker, we will be colleagues from now on." Claude said.
At this time, the soldier named Sharino had already read the recruitment order. He nodded to Walker: "Sergeant, he is here to receive non-commissioned officer training and reports to us."
"Then you wait here for a while. A transport carriage will arrive later. You can sit together and go up the mountain. This will save you some effort. Come on, go sit here first. It's cooler here because it's windy." Confirmed Crowe After De came to receive sergeant training, the sergeant named Walker became obviously more enthusiastic.
"Thank you." Claude was not polite. He sat down on a row of wooden stools against the wall outside the wooden bungalow and started chatting with the soldiers. Soon he learned that the sergeant named Walker was also one of the candidates to receive the non-commissioned officer training this time. He has served in the Blue Feather Corps for three and a half years and was nominated for this non-commissioned officer training because of his outstanding performance.
"It seems that I need to ask for more advice from you in the future. Chief Walker, you are already a veteran, but I have just joined the army and I don't understand anything. It seems that I need more guidance from you in this non-commissioned officer training to prevent me from making mistakes." Lord was just polite, but Sergeant Walker shook his head.
"I can't help you, Claude." Sergeant Walker said sternly: "In fact, you and I are training separately for this non-commissioned officer training, and it is impossible to be together."
"Why?" Claude was curious.
After Sergeant Walker's explanation, Claude understood that the Blue Feather Legion's current non-commissioned officer training was originally intended to select personnel from veterans. After non-commissioned officer training, they would be promoted to sergeant major to prepare for next year's military expansion. . But I didn't expect that as soon as the news spread, various connections, old friends from higher-level departments, etc. all wrote letters requesting to obtain one or several training quotas, so that the talents they recommended could skip the soldier stage and directly obtain the qualification of the lowest-level officer.
Generally speaking, in the kingdom's military system, a new recruit must first undergo a three-month recruit training and then become a private soldier. If you perform well, you can become a corporal after one year, and if your performance is average, you can become a corporal after two years. If you become a corporal and perform well, you can be promoted to sergeant after one year. If you perform well, you have to go through seniority, and it will also take two years to be promoted to sergeant. The same goes for going from sergeant to staff sergeant.
In other words, even if you perform very well in the army, it will take at least three and a half years for a civilian recruit to become a sergeant. Regardless of whether they are corporals or staff sergeants, they are still soldiers and do not belong to the officer class.
Only if your outstanding performance after becoming a sergeant is appreciated by your superiors, you may be nominated for promotion to a non-commissioned officer one to two years later. Non-commissioned officers are the lowest level of officers. From this moment on, they have transcended the lowest level of soldiers and entered the level of quasi-officers or junior officers. But there is another layer above this, which is the sergeant chief, also known as the second lieutenant reserve. The rank above the sergeant is second lieutenant. This is the official military establishment of the kingdom. Regardless of whether they are in service or retired, military positions above second lieutenant can be regarded as honorary titles that will accompany them throughout their lives.
In peacetime, most of the kingdom's major field legions and local garrison troops only retain the legion structure and a small number of full troops to reduce military expenditures. But once the kingdom faces a war, it will quickly recruit troops and expand various field legions. In a sense, the kingdom does not lack senior officers and generals, but it lacks junior officers and low-level officers. Because it is these junior officers and junior officers who train and direct new recruits onto the battlefield.
The training of non-commissioned officers of the Blue Feather Corps has suddenly become a hot topic in the eyes of all parties. Not to mention becoming a sergeant, becoming a non-commissioned officer is equivalent to skipping the soldier stage and directly becoming a grassroots officer, which is equivalent to at least Five years saved. Even if you become a noncommissioned officer or a master sergeant, you still have to lead soldiers onto the battlefield, resulting in heavy casualties. But life and death are determined by fate, wealth is in the sky, and becoming a grassroots officer has a higher survival rate on the battlefield than becoming a soldier. Apart from anything else, even if someone is injured on the battlefield, the officer should be rescued first and then the soldier.
Because there were too many favors to build relationships with, the Blue Feather Army had to decide to divide the personnel for non-commissioned officer training into two groups. One group was outstanding veterans selected from the army. They would be directly promoted to sergeants after the training. The other group is those recommended by connections and favors. The training they receive as non-commissioned officers will be more rigorous and longer than that received by veterans. Considering that many of the recommended personnel have no experience in enlisting in the military, they are all given an additional three months of recruit training, and then undergo non-commissioned officer training.
Well, Claude finally understood what was going to happen to him. According to Sergeant Walker, after receiving three months of recruit training, he would have to undergo another three months of noncommissioned officer training. It is conceivable that Do you know how difficult the next six months will be
After sitting for a while, a long transport convoy arrived, delivering food to the military camp on the hill. Claude and the soldier named Sharino climbed into the carriage, said goodbye to Sergeant Walker and the other two soldiers, and then sat on the high pile of flour bags and swayed up the mountain.
Fulkby Hill is not very high, and is only about fifty or sixty meters above the ground. However, the mountain road is very long and full of twists and turns. Xialino said that this is actually a logistics base for the Blue Feather Legion. The legion is not stationed here, but to the west of Conigada City. There are more than 30,000 people in the camp there and nearly 4,000 tents. The past is boundless and spectacular.
The transport carriage walked on the mountain road for nearly half an hour and finally arrived at the military camp. This is actually because the speed is too slow. Claude believes that the faster walk from the bottom of the mountain to the military camp is only about ten minutes. The main reason for the slow carriage is that it carries too much flour and is too heavy, and the two pack horses pulling the carriage are a bit old. , although walking very steadily, the speed is not fast. In addition, the convoy must keep a distance, and if the front speed slows down, the ones behind cannot catch up.
Fulkby Hill Barracks did indeed appear to be a logistics base as Sharino said. Because all the houses here are large warehouses with stone and wood structures. Claude thought that the reason why he reported here was probably because there was a large playground here. This playground was very large, nearly four or five times larger than the playground in the junior high school in Bailu Town. Moreover, rows of gray-white tents have been set up beside the playground. It seems that the Blue Feather Army may use this logistics base as a training ground for non-commissioned officers.
Soldier Sharino led Claude towards a row of log bungalows. Claude noticed that the words "Training Department" were written in white paint on a thick log on the outer wall of the row of log bungalows. Arriving at the second closed wooden door, Sharino knocked on the door, and soon a loud voice inside said: "Come in."
Pushing the door open and walking in, Sharino stood at attention: "Report, Private Sharino, on the order of Sergeant Walker, bring a conscript to report."
The wooden house was not big inside, only about fourteen or five square meters. There were three desks inside, but behind only one desk sat a square-faced and bearded second lieutenant, writing something. He raised his head and looked at Sharino: "Soldier, take a break. Lieutenant Hokum is not here, but you can hand over the conscripts to me, and you can go back."
"Yes, sir." Sharino saluted, turned around, winked at Claude, and left without saying a word.
Claude stepped forward: "Hello, Mr. Second Lieutenant, I received the recruitment order and came to report."
The square-faced and bearded second lieutenant looked at Claude briefly and rubbed his forehead with his fingers: "Put your recruitment order, pass and identity documents on the table. I'll check them first."
"Okay, Mr. Lieutenant." Claude obeyed obediently.
After casually glancing at the recruitment order, the square-faced and bearded second lieutenant no longer paid attention to it. What he wants to see is the stamp on the pass and the identification document.
"Why did you stay in Baimu City for a day?" The second lieutenant was very careful. From the stamp on the pass, he could tell Claude's itinerary.
"There is no way. Baimu City wants to arrest fugitives and close the city for a day. I can only stay in the guest room of the tavern and sleep for a day." Claude answered.
"Oh, that's right." The second lieutenant didn't say much. After checking that the stamp on the pass was correct, he put it aside and picked up the identity document.
"Yes, I graduated from a junior high school with the first place in physical education and was recommended by Viscount Felidos. No wonder you can come to participate in this non-commissioned officer training. I finally found a decent candidate, which is more troublesome than those crooked people who put in effort to give gifts. It’s much better to get in. Your name is Claude Field.”
It seems that this second lieutenant with a square face and a big beard is a very straightforward soldier, and he doesn't like those people who seek favors to obtain the qualifications for this non-commissioned officer training. Claude quickly replied: "Yes, Mr. Second Lieutenant, I am Claude Field."
"From now on, in the army, you have to be called "Sir" or have a higher rank. You can't be called "Mr." The second lieutenant with a square face and a beard said, and then he pulled the bell rope hanging by the wall with his hand. He pulled out another form from the drawer and handed it to Claude: "Register."
This is an application form for voluntary enlistment in the military. All that needs to be written on it is gender, age, name, home address, family members and immediate family relationships.
Soon there was a knock on the door and a corporal came in.
"Corporal Gro, what are you bringing this with you?" The square-faced and bearded second lieutenant looked at the name on the identification document again: "Claude Field went to the enlistment office to register as a recruit. This identification document is for you. Bring it over, put it in the file, and make arrangements for the camping tent. Wait a moment, after he finishes writing this form, I will stamp it and you can leave."
"Yes, Second Lieutenant Gilp." Corporal Gero stood at attention and said.
Claude had finished writing the form. The square-faced and bearded second lieutenant named Gilp checked it and found that there were no errors or omissions. He picked up the seal on the table and stamped the form, and then handed it in along with the identity document. To that Corporal Gro.
"Go with Corporal Gro, Claude, you have to remember that from today on, you are a soldier of the Blue Feather Legion." Second Lieutenant Gilp said.