The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Lena, dressed in a white military uniform, read her speech from the podium.

Perhaps because Lena herself disliked overly formal and convoluted speeches, she didn't say much from the beginning. After speaking casually and straightforwardly, she went straight to the topic that the soldiers cared about most—disability compensation and welfare benefits.

After Lena finished speaking, Lind and Lena together awarded medals of honor to the soldiers who were injured in the campaign.

Thanks to recovery drugs that have become standard issue for soldiers, there haven't been many wounded soldiers since the start of the war. The most severe injuries were probably caused by Hammond's night raid.

This made Hammond, who had just returned to the gray-collar area with Laurie, feel a little awkward, but the soldiers on the stage were extremely excited. After putting on their medals, they excitedly saluted Lind and Lena, and Lena, who was usually not good at etiquette, also returned the salute.

When faced with a soldier in a wheelchair, Linde half-squatted down and helped him put on his medals, completely ignoring the soldier's frantic attempt to put them on himself and urging Linde to stand up quickly.

Hammond immediately recognized this as a tactic to win people's hearts, but he admitted that many soldiers fell for it, and that this governor was doing a much better job than Doug; at least he not only gave them honors but also real money.

These wounded soldiers can choose to work in the rear or retire and live a peaceful life. If they want to go to school, the tuition will be paid by the governor. There is no age limit for technical schools for gray-collar workers.

These people could even choose to remain in the army. Those who lacked the ability could become instructors, and those who were capable could become staff officers. In short, as long as you were injured in the line of duty, the army would never treat you unfairly. Linde also recommended that these soldiers do so.

Hammond seemed to understand somewhat and asked, "Is the Governor deliberately keeping these wounded soldiers in the army to show the soldiers what they're made of?"

It must be said that this method is much more sophisticated than Doug's so-called "eating and living together," especially since Doug's so-called "eating and living together" was more like a vacation in the military camp.

"Yes."

Laurie nodded and said, "The governor said that if we abandon these remnants, then five Grey Collar soldiers can only be used as one person, but if we keep these remnants, one Grey Collar soldier can be used as five people."

Only then did Hammond understand the martyrdom spirit of the enemy during his night raid. Moreover, the thought that these wounded soldiers on the stage were his brothers, even knowing it was a tactic to win hearts and minds, gave Hammond a feeling of unwavering loyalty.

Especially at the end, when Lena shouted to restore the glory of the North, Hammond couldn't help but clench his fists and shout along with the soldiers.

It's not about working for any one person or any family, but about fighting for the North.

However, a few days later, Hammond stood on the watchtower, looking at the burning Betaine Line in the distance, and his feelings were still somewhat complicated.

Hammond put himself in Pétain's shoes and realized that if he were in charge of the defense, even with supplies completely cut off, he could hold out for a year.

Moreover, although supplies were completely cut off, Hammond only discovered from the perspective of the Grey and White Collars that there were still merchants doing business with the Pétain Line, because the Grey and White Collars' population and army were not enough to completely blockade the Pétain Line.

However, this seemingly impregnable defensive line was destroyed in less than a quarter after the start of the war.

"Pétain's defenses are indeed impenetrable."

Looking at the billowing black smoke in the distance, Laurie said, "But the human heart is different; a fortress is often breached first from within."

Hammond remained silent after hearing this. It referred to Pétain Fortress, but wasn't it also a reflection of Doug Lars's current situation?

"This is your first task."

Laurie patted Hammond on the shoulder and said, "Normally, you and your brothers would be completely separated and mixed into the lower classes, starting all over again from scratch."

"But White vouched for you, and the governor also wanted to try out a force composed entirely of professionals, so he gave you this opportunity."

"So keep up the good work, and don't let the Governor down."

Hammond glanced down at his white military uniform, nodded as he recalled the medal-awarding ceremony a few days ago, then jumped off the watchtower and shouted, "Brothers, it's our turn! Let's show these guys what the Lars family's elite are all about!"

Who are these guys referring to? They could be the puppet troops in the Pétain Line, or they could be the army of the Grey and White Collars.

Laurie smiled. It seemed Hammond still had a grudge against him, but Laurie didn't dislike such a passionate man. The military also encouraged fair competition.

Hammond set off with his entire force. Although Laurie said that Hammond's brothers had not been scattered, Hammond's troops had been reorganized. Most importantly, the logistics personnel were completely replaced by white-collar workers, and the entire army received new weapons and equipment.

Tactical backpacks, ray guns, automatic firearms, enchanted plate armor, and new-style melt-cutting spears are all available, because Hammond's current troops are all professionals except for logistics personnel, so they can carry more and more equipment.

To be honest, once he put on this outfit, even if a gray-collar worker allowed Hammond to directly penetrate deep into the North and attack Doug's capital city, Hammond wouldn't even bat an eye.

But what truly shocked Hammond was the logistics of the Grey and White Collars. They had all sorts of potions, supplies, and even military rations were incredibly elaborate. The governor here seemed to have a strange obsession with logistics, especially food. The cooks were even more rigorously evaluated than some ordinary soldiers.

There's also the Melting Spear, which Hammond designed with Laurie and Dalsey on the way back. The letter was sent halfway there, and by the time Hammond set foot on the Grey Territory, the experimental model of the Melting Spear was already complete.

Hammond had never seen such exaggerated logistics in his entire war career. Even if he lost a battle, or even if he lost a single man, Hammond would feel sorry for his comrades who were in charge of logistics.

Hammond once thought that with such a huge equipment advantage, the Grey and White Collars were too slow in their sieges. If this advantage were in Doug's hands, he probably would have launched attacks everywhere and appeared in front of another city the day after conquering one.

So Hammond previously thought that the governor in the gray-collar class probably really didn't know how to fight, and his war experience was probably even less than Doug's.

Hammond still believes that Governor Linde is incompetent in warfare, but his overestimation of the enemy has reached a point that even Hammond finds somewhat alarming.

The army will not move unless the food supply is replenished. When the food is running out, the army will begin to retreat. Although the generals are given enough freedom of judgment and decision-making power, the overall marching style of the Gray and White Collar is still very steady.

If this continues, regardless of whether the governor is a good or bad strategist, Doug will never gain any advantage. This army is clearly very strong, but it is overly cautious.

But composure doesn't mean a lack of offensive capabilities; just look at Hammond's subordinates who received new weapons and equipment.

Controlling recoil is easy for these professionals; even with automatic firearms, they can easily control the recoil while wearing plate armor. But suppressing the smile on their lips is difficult.

At least none of Hammond's men could control him; their mouths were still crooked even after they put on their heavy visors.

Linde heeded Laurie's advice and stopped focusing solely on long-range firepower suppression, incorporating close-quarters combat into the army's considerations. Traditional heavy armor units reappeared on the battlefield.

Hammond also disliked the gray-collar firepower suppression doctrine. For Hammond, who had fought most of his life, firepower was just a cover; what truly destroyed the enemy was close-quarters combat.

Hammond, the only one not wearing enchanted plate armor, led his knights in the first charge toward Pétain's lines.