Chapter 527: Are you in this tribal war? !

Chapter 527: Are you in this tribal war? !

In the northwest of the Xingluo Empire, Yuming City.

Less than 100 kilometers away from the Mingdou Mountains and about 500 kilometers away from the border of the Tianhun Empire, there stands a military town. This city is the key military stronghold of the Xingluo Empire against the Sun and Moon Empire, and is also one of the main supply bases for the front-line camp.

There are two reserve corps stationed there all year round. The reserve corps usually has 50% more troops than the regular corps, and the training standards are exactly the same as those of the regular army. When the regular army on the front line loses personnel, they will be supplemented by soldiers drawn from these reserve corps.

The two reserve armies in Yuming City always maintained full strength. Because the commander of the Western Army Group, Duke Baihu, was strict in his military discipline and had to guard against the Sun-Moon Empire's army that might invade at any time, no one dared to falsely report the number of soldiers. Therefore, the two reserve armies, totaling 15,000 soldiers, were always in a state of combat readiness and could rush to the front line within two hours at any time.

In addition, Yuming City is also an important food and grass storage center for the Western Army Group. The city has strong fortifications and strict defenses, and has always been governed by the trusted generals of the White Tiger Duke.

The troops stationed here are the 4th and 6th Reserve Corps of the Western Army Group. Recently, these two corps are recruiting new soldiers because a group of over-age veterans have retired. Facing the military threat from the Sun-Moon Empire, the Xingluo Empire has already extended the military service period, especially retaining those veterans with actual combat experience with generous treatment.

However, time is not forgiving, and after the age of 40, the physical functions of ordinary people begin to decline, making it difficult for them to maintain the peak state required by the army. Therefore, every year, a group of veterans retire from both the regular army and the reserve army.

After the veterans retire, new soldiers are needed. Recently, the Sixth Reserve Corps of the Western Army Group is recruiting soldiers. The Fourth Reserve Corps just finished recruiting soldiers the day before yesterday. Due to the tense situation on the border, many families in border areas are reluctant to let their children join the army. After all, joining the army means facing the danger of the battlefield. Therefore, the recruitment process is not very smooth.

But joining the army also has its advantages. For civilians, it is the most direct way to change their destiny. Military merit is the best bargaining chip for promotion, so there are still many young people with strong physique and extraordinary courage who come to sign up.

The Sixth Reserve Corps is stationed on the west side of Yuming City. The recruitment office is located near the city gate and can be clearly seen by pedestrians entering and leaving the city. At this moment, several veterans are shouting to young people passing by: "The Sixth Reserve Corps is recruiting! The treatment is generous, and the monthly salary is four silver soul coins. There will be no arrears! Three meals a day are provided, and two meals are guaranteed to have meat. Military uniforms and weapons will be issued immediately after passing the review! It is glorious to join the army and defend the country! Welcome to join the Sixth Reserve Corps!"

The propaganda of the veterans was quite effective. Most of the recruits were from poor families, and military pay and food and clothing were what they needed most. In the first month of enlistment, they could receive an advance on their pay, which was enough to improve their family's livelihood.

There was a long queue in front of the conscription office, with 20 to 30 young men registering. The scene was simply decorated, with two veterans and a middle-aged man who looked like an officer sitting behind a long table. Judging from his attire, the officer's rank should not be high.

The officer is asking the applicant to show his identity card. In the Xingluo Empire, every citizen holds an official identity certificate with a simple watermark and the official seal of the city-state where he was born. This kind of document is highly resistant to counterfeiting and can be used to trace a person's resume when necessary.

The recruitment test is very simple, mainly testing basic physical fitness, followed by recruit training. Unless the performance is particularly outstanding, soldiers must undergo at least one year of training before they can go to the battlefield.

In the military system of the Xingluo Empire, the ranks of soldiers from low to high are privates and privates. Although there is only one letter difference between these two levels, there is a significant difference in treatment.

The upper-class soldiers enjoy more favorable treatment. In addition to the standard military uniform, they can also be equipped with simple leather armor, and the standard weapon is a long spear. The monthly salary is as high as six silver soul coins. In contrast, the lower-class soldiers can only receive a monthly salary of four silver soul coins, and their equipment is also more simple, with only two sets of coarse cloth uniforms and a broadsword.

This classification system not only reflects the strict hierarchy of the military, but also provides soldiers with a clear motivation for promotion. For soldiers of civilian origin, promotion from a private to a corporal means substantial improvement in living conditions and combat equipment.

Two young men with outstanding temperament stood in front of the recruitment notice board. They were Huo Yuhao and the auspicious emperor beast transformed into a human form.

Huo Yuhao glanced at the conscription notice board and sneered, “A monthly salary of four silver soul coins? Two meals of meat a day? The dogs raised by ordinary families in Longcheng eat better than this!” As far as he knew, the treatment of the armies of the Sun-Moon Empire and the Sky Soul Empire was far better than that of the Western Army of the Star Luo Empire.

Of course, a big part of the reason why he showed contempt was because of his personal grudge with Dai Hao.

He did not deliberately lower his voice. His remarks immediately caused a great uproar. The young applicants who were registering glared at him. Even the officer behind the table frowned and subconsciously pressed his right hand on the sword at his waist: "Since you despise the treatment of our army, why are you stopping here?"

The dark-skinned young man at the head of the line clutched his identity document tightly, his knuckles turning white: "A young master like you who wears gold and jade, I'm afraid you can't even lift a machete!"

Huo Yuhao shrugged and said, “I’m just telling the truth.” He had originally wanted to cause some trouble for the White Tiger Duke’s rear, such as cutting off the food supply to the entire Western Army Group. After all, ten thousand years ago, the generals of the Heaven Dou Empire were also amazed by the Sea God Tang San’s plan to cut off the food supply to the Spirit Empire, and called it a brilliant plan.

However, when he arrived here, he discovered that all the soldiers were ordinary people. The recruitment conditions did not take into account martial spirits and soul power, but simply tested strength, and used the primitive method of lifting stone locks.

Oh my god! I don't ask you to use the physical test soul guide, at least it should be more formal, right? Is this the level of the soldiers led by Dai Hao? Fortunately, he came quickly, otherwise before the beast tide advanced to the Sunset Forest, Orange's army would have arrived at Xingluo City!

When Huo Yuhao was young, he had thought that he would rely on his own abilities, just like the former Duke of White Tiger, to accumulate military merits step by step and climb to the pinnacle of power. He wanted to use his strength to prove to the world that he was better than the Duke of White Tiger. One day, he would stand before the Duke of White Tiger openly and surpass him with his outstanding military exploits. Only then would he reveal his identity and use his prominent position in the Star Luo Empire to clear his mother's grievances and avenge her blood debt!

But there was no need for that anymore. He had learned an important principle of conduct from Mu Xing - "Rules are meant to be broken", which now came in handy.

After all, with his current status and strength, even if he wanted Dai Hao's head, the Xingluo Emperor would have to offer it to him respectfully with both hands.

Huo Yuhao had no intention of arguing with them. He and Fu Rui's figures faded away without warning, like mist blending into the sunlight. They were standing in front of the sign one moment, and the next moment there was no one there.

The officer's hand on the hilt trembled violently, and the sword fell to the ground with a clang. His face turned pale, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat. He was not a soul master, but his years of military experience made him realize that such means were definitely not something that low-level soul masters could achieve. The young people in line were even more stunned. The dark-skinned young man who had just made a sarcastic remark had a rolling Adam's apple, and the edge of the identity document that he was holding tightly was wet with sweat.

Huo Yuhao's spiritual power quietly unfolded, and invisible detection ripples spread across the entire military camp like water. In his perception, the training ground was incredibly vast, almost extending to the end of his vision. At this moment, the field was dusty, and neat infantry formations were changing formations according to orders. The cavalry team whistled past like a steel torrent, and the sound of horse hooves shook the ground slightly. This was the scene of the daily training of the Sixth Reserve Corps.

Under the precise scanning of the spiritual detection, the organizational system of the Xingluo Empire army was clearly presented in his mind. The regular army consisted of six divisions, with 8,100 combat troops, plus auxiliary arms such as logistics and supplies, with a total strength of about 10,000 troops. The reserve army was even larger. Each reserve army contained nine fully staffed divisions, with a total strength of up to 15,000 troops.

Huo Yuhao noticed that although these soldiers were slightly inferior in equipment to the regular army, their training intensity was not reduced at all. After all, under the rule of Duke White Tiger, any troop must be able to be deployed into combat at any time.

The spiritual detection continued to sweep across the training ground, and Huo Yuhao had a full view of the entire training scene. The veterans who were training were solemn and their movements were in unison. The sound of their spears piercing the air was continuous, and they were obviously elite soldiers who had experienced many battles. In sharp contrast, the hundreds of new recruits on the other side of the training ground were slack. Some of them stood crookedly, and some in the back row even secretly sat on the ground to rest.

In front of the new recruits, three officers in metal armor were giving a speech. In the military system of the Xing Luo Empire, those who could wear metal armor were at least squadron leaders. Huo Yuhao's spiritual power keenly detected that there was no soul power fluctuation in these three people. They were obviously officers who were ordinary soldiers.

In the military system of Douluo Continent, there are usually two paths for officers to be promoted. One is to accumulate military merits, and the other is to rely on personal force. However, officers who are promoted purely by force are often difficult to serve as commanders. Ordinary soldiers do have the opportunity to be promoted to senior generals through military merits, but this path is much more difficult than that of soul masters. After all, in this world where martial spirits and soul power are supreme, an ordinary soldier without soul power is almost doomed to fail when facing a soul master. Although the three officers were extraordinary, if they really met a soul master in the enemy army, they would probably find it difficult to resist even the simplest soul skills.

There isn't even a soul master. How can they fight like this?! Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth secretly. Any commander from the Sun-Moon Empire could suppress the Star Luo Empire, not to mention a military talent like Ju Zi. But the real elites are all on the front lines, and soul masters generally don't start as ordinary soldiers... Thinking about it this way, Dai Hao is really hypocritical!

Since he was planning to take revenge on the White Tiger Duke, Huo Yuhao had naturally done his homework. As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy will ensure victory in a hundred battles. While collecting information, he also heard a lot of rumors about the White Tiger God of War of the Star Luo Empire.

The rise of Duke Dai Hao of White Tiger is almost a legend in the Xingluo Empire Army. He joined the army at the age of thirteen under an assumed name, and was promoted step by step based on his military merits. He started from the lowest level of private soldier, and worked his way up through the ranks of corporal, squadron leader, squadron leader, battalion commander, and division commander, until he led the entire army at the age of twenty-three. What is even more amazing is that in his ten-year military career, no one had ever discovered his identity as the eldest son of Duke Dai Hao of White Tiger.

It was not until after that decisive battle that Dai Hao was recalled to the imperial capital to be conferred a title for his outstanding military exploits. The old emperor discovered that the young general's features were exactly the same as those of the White Tiger Duke, and only then did he uncover the mystery of his origins. The emperor, who was delighted at the time, immediately gave him the command of the most elite Central Corps of the Western Army Group, and declared in front of all the civil and military officials in the court: "With Dai Hao here, the empire will be worry-free for a hundred years."

This past event was particularly harsh to Huo Yuhao. He stared at the army flag flying on the parade ground, thinking that there were people who believed this nonsense? It was just to deceive the ignorant people. How could a person who could become a legion commander at the age of 23 hide his origins? Not to mention that he was from a top family like the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.

Once the White Tiger Spirit is released, its unique spirit skills and characteristics cannot be concealed at all. How could Dai Hao not release his spirit for ten years in a life-and-death battle? Even if he deliberately concealed it, would the military high-ranking officials allow a spirit master of unknown origin to take up an important position?

What's even more ridiculous is the so-called "recognize by appearance". As one of the most prominent families in the Xingluo Empire, the children of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion have to receive royal audiences since childhood. How could the emperor not recognize the son of his most trusted minister?

It was just an inspirational story carefully fabricated by the nobles. This set of rhetoric was nothing more than to create the illusion that "no matter your origin, you are promoted based on your talent" so that the common people would be willing to work for the empire. The truth was more likely that Dai Hao had enjoyed unimaginable preferential treatment and resources since the first day he joined the army.

Thinking of this, Huo Yuhao suddenly felt sick. That man enjoyed the protection of his family, but he pretended to be self-made; he clearly rose to prominence by relying on the power of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, but he made up a lie that he "started as an ordinary soldier".

Some time ago, before dawn on the border, the sky above the Mingdou Mountains suddenly lit up. Groups of green light flashed from the west, heading straight for the White Tiger Duke and his guards. These green lights were gourd-shaped, and it was difficult to judge their exact size because they were too far from the ground, but the flames they emitted in the night sky were particularly dazzling. The target these light groups locked onto was the only way for the White Tiger Duke to patrol.

In any country's military stronghold, airspace has always been a restricted area, and the air control in Mingdou Mountain Range is particularly strict. In recent years, the three countries that originally belonged to Douluo Continent have paid more and more attention to the development of soul guides, and Duke Baihu is no exception. Although he cannot directly participate in the development of soul guides, he also pays more and more attention to the strategic value of soul guides on the battlefield.