Due to the war, the taverns in Waming Town were not doing much business.
There are only a few scattered guests sitting here drinking today, and young people are few and far between. After all, with the presence of a certain special guest, young people coming here would be like lambs to the slaughter.
Nelson was this special guest. As a subordinate of Grand Duke Giles, he had recently been assigned a rather important task—recruiting soldiers. Especially given the heavy losses suffered in recent battles, Nelson's work was particularly crucial.
His purpose in coming to Waming Town was not to target the local residents, as the blood tax paid by several lords in the South was about to arrive. His goal was to take in these new recruits. However, if he saw any strong young men he fancied along the way, he wouldn't mind taking them into his fold as well.
Mr. Nelson wouldn't let his work interfere with his enjoyment. Early in the morning, he kicked open the door of Waming Town Tavern and ordered a large glass of every kind of liquor. Since he was waiting for someone, what was wrong with savoring a drink while waiting? Besides, the recruits might be delayed by a day or two due to the long journey.
He had his attendant stand at the door and watch the intersection, while he went inside and got himself completely drunk.
"Boss… another… five more glasses of this…" Nelson mumbled, his hand trembling as he pointed to the third glass in the row of glasses in front of him.
The tavern owner asked cautiously and ingratiatingly, "Five cups of Dragon Flame?"
"Yes, yes... hiccup! Five cups of Dragon Flame!"
Bang!
Just as he was about to start the second round, a loud bang was heard, and the servants guarding outside rushed in, their faces full of panic.
"Lord Niels, an army has entered the town! But they seem rather strange."
"Huh, the army?" Niels, his eyes still blurry with drunkenness, burped. "Oh, oh, oh, the Grand Duke's new blood has arrived. What's so strange about that?"
Remembering his work, he greeted the tavern owner: "I've got some work to do. Don't clear the drinks off the table yet. Come back and continue drinking when you're done."
Find out which territory they came from, take a headcount, and arrange a place for the soldiers to rest. It won't take too long.
His servants were frantic. "My lord, they don't look like they're from our side."
Indeed, the soldiers sent by the various vassal states were all in disarray, with their equipment and clothing in a chaotic mess. Many of them were carrying pitchforks and hoes and were gathered together noisily.
The attendant had never seen soldiers so uniformly dressed and so orderly before —he had always been busy with logistics work with Nelson and had never seen the Kingdom Army in action.
Nelson shoved the servant in annoyance. "You ignorant fool! If they're not on our side, are they on the enemy's? Eagles Beak Pass hasn't fallen yet. How could the enemy be in the rear? Be careful the Grand Duke hears this and hangs you."
He put on his hat, rubbed his eyes, which were glazed over from being drunk, and tried to make them bright again. He then swaggered out with a rather imposing air.
Sure enough, an army was marching towards the center of town.
Commander Ed Chambers of the Royal Infantry Second Regiment walked alongside his troops as they traversed the mountains inside the devil's belly. The Second Regiment's horses were lost, and the officers had to walk alongside the soldiers.
Something unexpected happened. The townspeople avoided them like the plague, but a man who had just emerged from a tavern walked towards them with a swaying gait.
This person was chubby and wore light armor. His two feet seemed insufficient to support his body weight, causing him to wobble like a ball when he walked.
Even from several meters away, Chambers could smell the alcohol wafting on the breeze; it seemed he had encountered a drunkard.
"Hiccup!" Nelson's imposing manner didn't last long before he reverted to his previous drunken state and asked, "Who's the boss among you?"
No one responded. "Who's the leader?" Nelson asked again.
Still no one responded. Nelson grew annoyed, puffed out his chest, and shouted, "How rude! I am Lord Nelson, the recruiting officer sent here by Grand Duke Giles! You newly arrived soldiers must all listen to me! Answer my question now!"
Ah, Giles's men.
Chambers, expressionless, ordered, "Take him down!"
Two soldiers grabbed Niels's thick arms from the left and right, and slammed him to the ground.
"Damn, that hurts! Are you trying to rebel?" Still drunk, Nelson hadn't reacted yet. Alcohol and anger made his face flushed, and he shouted, "Which lord sent you? I'll report your treasonous act to the Grand Council!"
His servants, however, realized what was happening, but it was too late to run, and they obediently became prisoners.
"You're the ones who rebelled!" Chambers stepped forward and slapped Nelson twice across the face. "Listen up, we are the glorious Aldor Royal Infantry Second Regiment! We're here to suppress you traitors!"
"Royal...you're from the royal family?" Nelson jolted awake, finally snapping out of his daze. "That's impossible! Has Eagles Beak Pass already fallen?"
In his mind, it was unacceptable for a large army to bypass Eagles Beak Pass by traversing rugged mountain roads.
"Don't worry about that, just go to jail first!"
Nelson and his entourage were not the only ones taken prisoner; a squad of fifty rebel soldiers stationed in the town also took the prisoner. These men had been idle in the town all day, drinking and gambling in the outpost when the Royal Army surrounded them, without even sending anyone to keep watch at the crossroads.
Chambers couldn't help but be puzzled by what he had seen. In the previous battles, he had witnessed that Giles's army had no shortage of brave warriors, especially those known as the Undead Army, who were very troublesome. But he hadn't expected that the rebels' second-line troops would be so degenerate and lax.
Was the Kingdom Army held off by a group of guys like this in the last war?
Chambers was born into a noble family in Crystal Radiance. He received a complete traditional knightly and military education and served the Kingdom Army many times. For example, he once followed Harrison to suppress the pirates in West Port. However, he was the kind of knight who came when called upon, arriving with his squire when there was a battle and returning home when there was no battle.
He had never been assigned to command an army before, nor had he spent a long time in an old-style army. As a nobleman, he did not interact much with ordinary soldiers at the bottom of the ranks.
When Rodney XVIII was building his new army, young noblemen like him, who were knowledgeable in military affairs and had little influence from the old army's practices, were welcomed and appointed to various important positions. Chambers wholeheartedly agreed with the military system and discipline that came from the western bay, believing that this was how an army should be.
It wasn't until he went south to attack Giles that he "opened his eyes" to the fact that while the troops directly under the Greedy Wolf Grand Duke were somewhat commendable, the armed forces of those local lords could hardly be called an army.