Pub meeting

Uncle Yoshk took off his casual clothes, put them on a hanger, and sat on the sofa nearby. Locke did as he was told and sat on the other side. The two men in military leather shirts were not in a hurry to speak. Locke opened the bottle and filled Yoshk's glass first, then his own. They toasted each other before they got down to business.

"Not bad, you're getting more and more mature. Looks like you've improved a lot these years," Yoshk said first. It was incredible. To outsiders, Yoshk, who was forthright and straightforward, had taught a man to be calm. It seemed that the bearded man was not as simple as he looked.

"You must be joking, Uncle Yoshk. I learned all this from you," Locke said shyly.

"Haha, don't talk nonsense! I didn't teach you that. Am I that kind of person? "Yoshk laughed. After that, the two laughed in unison.

"Uncle, is there any hope for my promotion this time?" Locke couldn't help but ask after he filled their glasses again.

"Locke, I've been grooming you since you were a soldier. It's been four years now. I treat you like my own son. I'll definitely help you this time," Yoshk assured Locke. Yoshk assured Locke. He really liked the smart and capable young man.

"I believe in you, Uncle!" Locke trusted Yoshk and treated him as an elder. "But it shouldn't be enough without your help. Tell me what I need to do, Uncle," Locke said.

"It's not enough with just my support, but I'll ask Old Carl to support you too. You'll have to do the rest yourself." Old Carl was their platoon's deputy jarl. It was said that he had a life-and-death friendship with Yoshk. To outsiders, he was a strict and serious old soldier who could not tolerate any mistakes, but he was very good to his men. Locke had a good impression of him.

"Well, if there's anything else, Uncle Yoshk, just say it. I'm listening." Yoshk obviously had more to say.

"Those who are qualified to propose for the two vacancies in this election are the six platoon jarls, the cavalry jarl, Baron Cardoj, and his eldest son, the current deputy jarl of the cavalry, Young Master Solon." Their battalion had four platoons of infantry and one platoon of cavalry. Locke had seen their cavalry in battle many times. To be honest, he felt that the cavalry could challenge three times their number of infantry in open terrain. Their sturdy armour, straight lances, and the impact of their horses made most of the infantry no match for the cavalry. "Baron Cardoj will not participate in this election, and neither will the cavalry jarl. The only ones who can propose should be the six of us and Young Master Solon. I've already gotten you two votes, so you have to get at least two more," said Yoshk.

"I'm only friends with the deputy jarl of 1st Platoon. I'm not friends with the deputy jarl of 3rd Platoon and the jarl of 4th Platoon. Also, aren't they still recovering from their injuries?" Locke replied honestly.

"Hmph, the tough battle is over. Now is the time to rake in the spoils. Those two fellows have only recuperated for two weeks, and they can't hold it in anymore. They've long since brought the remaining children of their squad and the newly added recruits.

They've already brought the rest of their children and the newly recruited soldiers to 'wander', "said Yoshk disdainfully.

'Wandering 'was a term used in the military, meaning to attack and occupy a village that was still under the rule of Shalor. Rather than calling it an attack, it was more like a sweep. A village-sized resistance force was not strong enough. There were no regular soldiers, and most of them were just militia and reckless villagers. Big villages had one to two hundred people, while small villages only had a few dozen people. A platoon could deal with them. In fact, under Yoshk's leadership, their platoon had been 'wandering' as long as they had time for the past two months.

The main task of their battalion was to attack and occupy the towns that still had some resistance. Merchants, rich farmers, and even nobles would only exist in towns and above. Cardoj and his cavalry were not very interested in villages that didn't have any benefits. Only the four infantry platoons would go there to make some extra money. However, the baron's caravan would buy the resources seized by the soldiers: silver bracelets passed down from the villagers, furs collected by the hunters in the village, and even horses, cows, and donkeys. There were also some decent clothes and shoes that the soldiers would keep for themselves.

The soldiers had their own bottom line. At least, they wouldn't rob food. The higher-ups of the barracks also strictly forbade it. However, it was common for them to catch a few chickens and ducks to improve their meals. Locke was also a villager. Initially, he didn't think it was shameful to bully the commoners, but after experiencing the sacrifices and deaths in the war, he didn't know what kind of attitude he should have towards these Shalorians. There was hatred and also guilt towards the commoners who had been beaten up by them. However, this didn't stop Locke from making a fortune. He also needed to survive and let his family and brothers have a better life. Locke's wallet was full some time ago, and he often sent money home and treated his men to drinks. It was then that he made a fortune.

"Uncle, we haven't been 'wandering' for almost a week. Are we going to start soon?" asked Locke.

"Yes, it has been decided. The baron will join forces with Cashel of Brigade 7 to attack Farlans. This is also the reason why two platoon jarls have to be elected in the near future. Also, there are no other villages nearby that have any profits. " Most cities had walls and moats. It was difficult for a brigade of 500 people to take them down, so the higher-ups often chose to cooperate with friendly forces. It had been two months since they attacked the hinterland of Shalor, and they had fought three city-level battles, all with other brigades. Locke was experienced in sieges. Although the casualties in sieges were not low, the generous rewards after the city was breached and the tacit consent of the soldiers to make a fortune on the day of the siege made everyone's desire for sieges greater than their fear of death. In fact, the soldiers' main goal was to make a fortune on the day of the siege. Baron Cashel's troops had already cooperated with their battalion twice.

The two chatted and drank. After a while, a bottle of ale was emptied. Locke opened the second bottle and filled it up for Yoshk and himself. Yoshk raised his glass and took a sip. "The deputy platoon leader of the 1st Platoon is also from Quarryton, and I'm friends with him. Give him some gifts, and I'll talk to him and try to get this vote. As for the other three, I'm not familiar with them. I don't even deal with them. You'll have to work hard for them. " In the barracks, there was still a lot of dirty talk among the soldiers, let alone the platoon jarls. Even Locke, who was very popular, couldn't guarantee that he had a good relationship with half of the platoon jarls. You might know a person for a long time, but you might not know his heart.

"I suggest you think of a solution from Master Solon," Yoshk added as if he had thought of something. "You and Master Solon are both 18-19 years old and have a common language. You can express your loyalty to him or give him some gifts. But in that case, you'll belong to the young master in the future. " Cardoj had more than one son. Although primogeniture was prevalent in Faustian, the baron's other sons still had a chance to inherit the title. As far as he knew, it was his second son who was temporarily helping the baron manage his territory in Faustian.

"He's a noble. What kind of gift would he like?" Locke said helplessly. "Okay, I'll think of a way."

"I knew you'd have a way. This is all I can do for you. The rest is up to you," said Yoshk as he patted Locke's shoulder.

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