Chapter 4

After Uncle Yashak entered the room, he casually took off his casual clothes, hung them on the coat rack, and sat down on the sofa. Lock followed suit, put away the casual clothes, and sat down on the other side. The two men, dressed in army leather shirts, did not rush to speak. Lock first opened the bottle of wine, filled a glass for Uncle Yashak, and then filled one for himself. After a "clink" of the glasses, they both drank a toast before starting to talk about serious matters.

"Good, you're becoming more steady. It seems you've made a lot of progress these past few years," Uncle Yashak said first. It was truly unbelievable that Yashak, who seemed carefree and rough to outsiders, was teaching someone to be steady. It seemed that this bearded giant was not as simple as he looked.

"Uncle Yashak, you're joking. What progress have I made? I've learned everything from you," Lock said modestly.

"Haha, don't pull my leg! Did I teach you that? Am I that kind of person?" Uncle Yashak laughed and scolded. After that, the two of them burst into laughter again.

"Uncle, do I have a chance of promotion this time?" Lock refilled their glasses and finally couldn't help but ask.

"Lock, I've been your mentor since you joined the army, and I've been with you for four years now. I treat you like my own son. This time, I will definitely help you with your promotion," Uncle Yashak assured Lock. He really liked this clever and capable young man.

"Uncle, I believe in you!" Lock indeed trusted Uncle Yashak, and he also regarded him as an elder. "But, your help alone might not be enough. What else do I need to do, Uncle? Tell me," Lock asked.

"Just my support isn't enough, but I'll get Old Karl to support you too. The rest you'll have to handle yourself." Old Karl was the deputy squadron leader of their squadron, and it was said that he and Uncle Yashak had a life-and-death friendship. To outsiders, he seemed to be a strict and serious old soldier who wouldn't tolerate any nonsense, but he was good to his men. Lock had a good impression of him.

"Okay, Uncle Yashak, just tell me what else I need to do, I'm listening." Uncle Yashak clearly had more to say.

"There are two positions open this time. The six squadron leaders and deputy leaders from our four squadrons, the cavalry squadron leader, and our battalion commander, Baron Kedoch, and his eldest son, Lieutenant Solong, who is now the deputy leader of the cavalry squadron, are eligible to nominate. Baron Kedoch and the cavalry squadron leader won't participate this time, so the nominators will be us six and Lieutenant Solong. I've already secured two votes for you, but you need at least two more." Uncle Yashak explained to Lock.

"I only have a bit of a relationship with the deputy leader of the first squadron. I don't have any relationship with the deputy leader of the third squadron or the leader of the fourth squadron, and I heard they are still recovering from their injuries, right?" Lock answered honestly and asked.

"Hmph, the hard battles are over, and now it's time to gather the spoils. Those two couldn't wait after just two weeks of recovery and have already taken their remaining men and the newly recruited soldiers to 'wander' around." Uncle Yashak said disdainfully.

'Wander' is a term used in the army, meaning to occupy villages still under the rule of the Kingdom of Charlo. It's more like a sweep than an occupation. Villages don't have much resistance; they don't have regular soldiers, just some militiamen and reckless villagers. Large villages have a few hundred people, and small ones have only a few dozen. A squadron can handle them. In fact, their squadron, under Uncle Yashak's leadership, had been 'wandering' whenever they had time over the past two months.

The main task of their battalion was to occupy towns that still had some resistance. Only in towns and cities of that size would there be merchants, wealthy farmers, and even nobles. Baron Kedoch and his cavalry squadron weren't interested in villages with little to gain, so only the four infantry squadrons went for the extra benefits. However, the baron's trade convoy would buy the goods the soldiers seized: ancestral silver bracelets, furs collected by village hunters, and even horses, cattle, and donkeys. Some nice clothes and shoes that the soldiers 'swept up' would be kept for their own use.

The soldiers had their own bottom line; they wouldn't steal food, which was strictly forbidden by the high command. However, catching a few chickens and ducks to improve their diet was common. Lock was from a rural area and originally found it shameful to bully ordinary people, but after experiencing the sacrifices and deaths of war, he didn't know what attitude he had toward these Charlo people. He felt both hatred and guilt for the ordinary civilians who had been displaced by the fighting. However, this didn't stop him from making money; he needed to survive and make life better for his family and his men. Lock's pockets had been full recently, and he often sent money home and bought drinks for his men, all from the wealth he had accumulated.

"Uncle, we haven't 'wandered' for almost a week. Are we about to move out?" Lock asked, returning to the main topic.

"Yes, a decision has been made. Baron Kedoch will join forces with Baron Kashel of the 7th Battalion to attack the city of Frans here. This is why we need to elect two new squadron leaders soon. Also, there are no more villages with much to gain nearby." Cities usually have walls and moats, and it's difficult for a battalion of 500 people to capture them, so the high command often chooses to cooperate with allied forces. They had been in the heart of the Kingdom of Charlo for two months and had fought three city-level battles, all in cooperation with other battalions. Lock had experience in sieges. Although the casualties in sieges were high, the rich rewards after the city was captured and the army's tacit approval of the soldiers' personal gains on the day of the capture made everyone more eager to participate in sieges than to fear death. The real wealth came from the day of the capture. Baron Kashel's troops had already cooperated with their battalion twice.

The two of them continued to drink and talk, and soon the first bottle of beer was empty. Lock opened a second bottle and refilled their glasses. Uncle Yashak raised his glass, took a sip, and continued, "The deputy leader of the first squadron is also from our mining town, and I have some relationship with him. If you give him some gifts and I talk to him, we might secure this vote. As for the other three, I'm not familiar with them and even have some conflicts with them, so you'll have to work on it yourself." In the barracks, there were many dirty dealings among the soldiers, let alone at the squadron leader level. Even someone as well-liked as Lock couldn't guarantee a good relationship with half of the platoon leaders in the battalion. Knowing someone's face doesn't mean knowing their heart, and that's the truth.

"I suggest you try to get Lieutenant Solong on your side," Uncle Yashak added, seemingly remembering something. "You and Lieutenant Solong are both young men around 18 or 19, so you have common ground. If you show him your loyalty or give him some gifts, it might work. But if you do that, you'll be under the young master's command." Baron Kedoch had more than one son. Although the Kingdom of Forstain practiced primogeniture, his other sons still had a chance to inherit the title. As far as he knew, his second son was currently helping the baron manage the estate in the country.

"What can I give a noble that he would even notice?" Lock said helplessly. "Okay, I'll think of something."

"I knew you had a way. I can only help you so much; the rest is up to you," Uncle Yashak patted Lock's shoulder and said.

"Alright, Uncle, I'll work hard. Here, let's finish this glass." Lock raised his glass and clinked it with Uncle Yashak's again.