dognovel Chapter 422 Temporary Promotion
Chapter 422 Temporary Promotion
Chapter 422 Temporary Promotion
Eugene Stephens felt that his life had been swinging back and forth between extreme luck and extreme bad luck.
As Yoda's special envoy, he went to Binsene to persuade the nobles to surrender, but was unfortunately captured and suffered a cruel memory recovery. However, after he surrendered and confessed, and betrayed Yoda's General Adam, he redeemed himself and was invited to join Blackwatch.
Afterwards, Eugene followed the mercenary group to fight in the Kingdom of Midland, the Grand Duchy of Grant, the Kingdom of Lana and other places. The high-intensity war almost crushed him, and several times he fell among the piles of corpses during the charge.
Fortunately, John expanded the army before leaving, recalled experienced officers like Eugene to the territory, and immediately appointed him as a captain. Therefore, Eugene spent another half a year of relatively leisurely time in a fortress in Niland under John's control.
However, the good times did not last long. As Yoda's army approached, Eugene received an order from the Earl's Castle to defend the fortress for a month and then cover the local residents' migration to the Forest Territory. So, Eugene held out for another month amid the roar of the siege artillery and the waves of attacks from Yoda's soldiers.
By the time they evacuated to the vicinity of Nilan City, only half of the original full-strength team of a thousand men was left, and the rest were all injured.
Eugene stood on the city wall, staring at the rolling smoke in the distance. The iron hoofs of the Yoda army were getting closer and closer, and Nilan City would be their only line of defense. Only here could they withstand the fierce bombardment of those huge caliber artillery.
Suddenly, a scout hurriedly climbed up the city wall. His breathing was a little rapid. After saluting to Eugene, he said anxiously:
"Captain Eugene, the envoy from the Earl's Castle has arrived. He requires us to convene a meeting of all the captains immediately."
Eugene immediately ran down from the city wall, mounted his warhorse, and galloped towards the inner castle. He knew that the arrival of the special envoy meant that the higher-ups had begun to pay attention to the war situation here, and even if no troops were sent here, at least they might be given some supplies to support them through the cold winter.
When he arrived at the hall of the inner castle, he saw the envoy standing in the middle. Unlike the gentle and refined official he imagined, the envoy looked more like a veteran who had just come off the battlefield. He looked at the centurions with sharp eyes, as if he wanted to stab anyone he saw.
The envoy looked around at the centurions present, and then said:
"According to the decision of all the lords in the Earl's Castle, Nilan City, as the largest city in Nilan Territory, must not fall into the hands of the Yoda Empire!"
"Currently, due to the invasion of Yoda's army in the south and east, it will be difficult for Nilan Territory to get direct support from the army in the short term."
The envoy's voice was a little heavy, but he continued:
"However, the rear is actively taking action, and the militias from various territories are gathering together for training. At the same time, we have also sent out a distress signal to the Black Watch Mercenary Group and our allies. According to reliable intelligence, King Balden has responded to our request and sent troops to the Earl's Castle. Once the reinforcements arrive, it will be time for us to counterattack!"
Eugene's tense heart relaxed a little after hearing this, but he didn't completely relax because he didn't know if this was just empty talk.
The envoy's voice echoed in the hall, interrupting Eugene's thoughts:
"According to the order of Military Minister Hawke, the existing centurions of Nilan Territory shall select a temporary commander in accordance with wartime rules to unify the command of all Nilan Territory stationed troops."
Eugene frowned slightly. What wartime rules? The training before I came here to be a centurion didn't mention any wartime rules.
The special envoy stood at attention and shouted to the centurions:
"Now, starting from the front row, report your 1,000-man team numbers and their military ages one by one!"
"Yes!"
The first captain on the left of the first row immediately reported after hearing this:
"Captain of the 8000th Squadron, six years of military service!"
As the captains reported one by one, the atmosphere gradually became tense. Soon, it was Eugene's turn, and he followed suit and shouted:
"Captain of the 5000th Squadron, 11 years of military service!"
After everyone finished reporting, the hall fell into silence. Eugene felt something was a little strange, because he saw the envoy above looking at him, and the captain next to him was also staring at him.
"Captain of the 5,000th Squadron, step out!" The envoy's order was like a thunderclap, breaking the silence in the hall. Eugene's ears were buzzing, and he could hardly believe his ears. He stood up quickly and walked onto the central carpet with firm steps, his heart filled with tension and uneasiness.
When he walked in front of the envoy, the envoy's slightly murderous look made him shudder. He took a deep breath, tried to stay calm, and waited for the envoy's next instruction.
The envoy opened his mouth slowly, and declared firmly and forcefully:
"According to wartime rules, the senior officer with the highest number and the oldest military experience on the battlefield can temporarily serve as the supreme commander when there is no superior command during wartime, and so on."
No, buddy, are you serious? Eugene couldn't believe it. He thought this special envoy came to command the local army, but now he is directly made the temporary commander. If the city is lost, he will be blamed when the reckoning comes, right?
The envoy continued:
"From now on, the captain of the 5,000-man team will be temporarily promoted to the commander-in-chief of the entire Nilan army and the lord of Nilan City to ensure that Nilan City will not be captured by the Yoda Empire."
Just as Eugene was about to speak and try to persuade the envoy to choose someone else, he saw the envoy suddenly draw his sword, and the tip of the sword drew a cold light in the air.
His words were like a chill wind:
"At the same time, the higher-ups have sent me as a special envoy to supervise the battle. Any soldiers who desert or disobey orders can be executed first and then reported!"
This sentence was like a thunderbolt, making everyone present silent. Eugene's words got stuck in his throat, and he felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet.
After all, he had said that anyone who disobeyed orders would be killed. If I had said that, he might have gone mad and killed me. That would have been so worthless. He would have died on the battlefield but at the hands of his own supervisory team.
At this point, Eugene could only take on the task himself. He looked around, and every centurion stared at him. He used his little literary knowledge to think for a while and then said:
"My fellow centurions, the fate of Nilan Territory is now in the hands of each and every one of us! We are shouldering not only our own glory, but also the future of our descendants!"
"If we win, we will not only be able to return to our long-cherished homeland, but also pave a bright road for our descendants. They will live in peace and prosperity and enjoy the fruits of our struggle!"
"But if we lose, what fate will our descendants face? They will either become slaves of the Yoda nobles, working all their lives and enduring endless suffering; or they will be forced to wander around, drifting in foreign lands, enduring endless hardships and sufferings!"
"So, fellow centurions, now is the time for us to show our courage and determination! We and all the soldiers must unite as one. For the survival of Nilan Territory and for our descendants, we must do our best to drive out the army of the Yoda Empire!"