From that day on, Grayne and Trinville officially became squadron leaders and ordinary soldiers in the Apodoli Guards.
The First Squadron they belong to is the most elite and noblest team in the kingdom. Most of the soldiers in this two-hundred-strong army came from noble families. They have always received the most attention and respect from the kingdom, and everyone has developed the habit of being arrogant and defiant.
The proud heritage of the Guards Corps is clear. Because the leader of the Guards Corps, Prince Mars, is the proudest legion commander on the continent. He is handsome, courageous, with a pale face and melancholy eyes. He is the perfect embodiment in the hearts of every girl in the kingdom and the lover of her dreams.
His undisguised arrogance not only did not alienate him from his regiment, but made the soldiers admire and love the Guards commander even more. Mars always said to his soldiers: "A proud army is the one that breaks the enemy's heart and makes them invincible."
Prince Mars is as cold as a piece of ice and as warm as a ball of fire. He strictly manages every young and aggressive soldier under his command and will never tolerate anything that damages the reputation of the regiment. In Apodoli, the Blue Eagle Guards only take orders from one person! He, the young commander of the Mars Legion—the eldest son of the king and the crown prince of the kingdom. Therefore, given his special status, no one has ever dared to challenge his authority. Even the most senior generals showed respect to him when they saw him. It's not all his noble titles that keep them in awe.
These generals know very well what kind of tiger and wolf army Prince Mars leads! Who would provoke him without a wink? Under his leadership, the Blue Eagle Guards became the most fearless army in Apodoli and even on the Palinkabakama continent, as well as the most arrogant and rude army.
Glenn, who was born as a civilian, wanted to become a squadron leader in such an extraordinary team. He had heard all kinds of legends about this army. Now that the country has been at peace for a long time, there are no more life-and-death wars, but the Guards Corps is still the most legendary unit. When he had no choice but to agree to the king's appointment, he had already foreseen that this would also be a difficult responsibility, and he also expected that all kinds of inconveniences and even embarrassments would be waiting for him.
But since the king trusted him and he accepted this responsibility, he could only accept all challenges calmly. He just wants to be a squadron leader with a clear conscience.
He settled Althea and said goodbye to his delighted mother. The look in his eyes and the bright smiles on their faces from the two women who were connected with each other made him feel extremely excited and gave him great confidence.
Of course, Trinville also received their sincere blessings. When they parted, Glenn smiled and said to his complacent friends: "Don't you want to say goodbye to your friends? They are all waiting for you."
Trinville jumped on his horse and said with a smile: "When I put on that uniform and have my own story, I will go."
They looked at each other and smiled, flying horses and whips. What they have to do now is to report to the Supreme Commander of the Guards. They thought about what it would be like to meet Prince Charles. But I can't imagine it.
The main camp of the Guards Corps is located in the northwest outside the King's City of Babukele. Among the three knights, in addition to the Storm Knights stationed in the main camp, the other two troops also have their own stations. This kind of defense can protect the royal city from three directions. It is the tradition of the kingdom to maintain a strong guard regiment, and its main camp rarely changes.
In order to allow the young soldiers to always remember their responsibilities as soldiers and keep a clear mind, and to avoid being too indulged in comfort and losing their fighting spirit, the camp was built flat and vast despite the construction of several generations of Guardsmen. There are only blue tents, letting everyone who sees them know that this is the base camp of the world-famous Blue Eagle Guards. The largest tent in the middle is the army commander's tent. He, like his soldiers, has become one with the Guards.
Grayne and Trinville galloped forward and arrived at the camp just after noon. The camp was quiet, and a few guards standing guard like javelins were patrolling outside the camp gate.
They came to the gate of the camp and dismounted. Trinville took the reins of the horse, and Grayn stepped forward and handed over the letter of appointment signed by the Imperial Council. The guard leading the team saw the two people in front of him. Although his face did not show contempt, he was definitely a little surprised. He sent someone in to pass the message, and Grayne and Trinville could only wait outside.
Glenn was very happy and angry, but Trinville was a bit worried.
"Did you see it? Glenn. They looked at us as if we weren't here to serve as soldiers! Are we monsters?" he growled.
Glenn just smiled slightly, he winked and whispered: "You don't have to care what they think of you now. You know, only the strong will be respected in the military camp. All you have to do is to be stronger than each of them. I hope and I believe it won’t be long before they look at you with even more surprise.”
Trinville also laughed in a low voice: "Of course. I am no longer ashamed of the contempt I have received. Even you can face it calmly, what else do I have to complain about? But, I Feeling sorry for my old Solpie. I have to say a good word for him. He is a good horse. But he is a bit old now, so thin that you can see the bones, and he has lost a lot of hair. . I guess there will be no horse as old as him in the Guards. What should I do if they make fun of my horse? Do I have to seek justice for it?"
Glenn looked at his old Thorpi and nodded. The reason why he didn't laugh out loud was because he was afraid that Trinville would be sad.
"Trinville, before you ask for justice for this, should you think about how we got here. That should calm you down."
Trinville sighed: "It seems that's all we have to do. My old Solpi is destined to be laughed at." He endured it for a long time, and finally laughed, "I must admit, it is a bit ugly. .The reason why I bought it is because I spent almost all my money on buying a hunter's outfit and couldn't afford a better horse. But I like it, even if they give me the best horse. I won’t change a good horse.”
After a while, he asked in a low voice: "Grain, do you think they will replace our horses and weapons?"
"Yes. They don't care whether you want it or not, my friend. Even if your Solpi is more handsome, he will be ruthlessly replaced by them. Moreover, when marching long distances, you will get two to three A horse. I promise! You will also receive a beautiful armor. When the weather is cold, it will be your cotton coat, even if you are frozen like an ice cube in the armor and shivering. And in such weather," he raised his head Squinting at the sun, he said, "It's more passionate than a stove. You'll be sweating profusely, but you can't take it off. Is my answer satisfactory to you, my friend?"
Trinville looked at the sun and sighed again: "I seem to be starting to regret it. And you remind me of Blueberry Daddy's refreshing beer."
They stood in the midday sun, sweating profusely.
Still no one paid attention to them. The military camp resounded with drill orders.
Glenn looked at the jubilant camp of men and horses through the fence, with a sneer on his lips. Then, he suppressed his smile and said, "Trinville, do you know that there is a so-called 'intimidation' on recruits in the army?"
Trinville scratched his head: "What is that? It doesn't sound friendly."
"Instead of asking for friendship, it is better to strive for it with action. Come, old friend. Let the proud Guards see our pride."
He strode up to the sentinel, head held high. Trinville was cheered up, and Greene's few simple words aroused the heroism in his heart. He didn't have to hear an explanation, he just stood next to Gray, head held high in defiance.
Pride is the inner pride of a pure-hearted person.
The sun was setting in the west, and the guard sentries had been replaced several times. As they passed Grayne and Trinville, they could not forget to look at them curiously. The two steadfast friends remained unmoved and kept their eyes open. Patrols passed in front of them again and again, and groups of cavalry turned back to their barracks. After all, no one paid attention to them.
Trinville was naturally proud, and the more he was despised, the more energetic he became. Helplessly, my stomach growled, and I secretly cried out in my heart. He secretly glanced at Grain and saw him with his hand on his sword, his waist straight, his expression focused and completely forgetful of himself. When I thought about sharing the honor and disgrace with Gray En, I immediately ignored all the sufferings such as hunger and thirst. He sneered in his heart: "What a show of force! Is this the only ability of the Guards? What a beautiful idea! My big guy Vika won't be afraid of going hungry."
Prince Mars neatly dressed up his uniform and led his soldiers to inspect the camp. For a moment, the torch was bright, the command was loud, and the voice was passed down from voice to voice. Ever since he joined the Guards at the age of fifteen until he personally commanded the Blue Eagle Guards Corps, which was also five years since he became the commander of the regiment, he has never missed a night patrol. The young leader of the Guards knows very well that taking the lead and sharing the joys and sorrows are the source of trust and support for soldiers. It's just that today he was uncharacteristically patrolling the camp early.
Wherever he went, soldiers looked dignified and stood tall, led by officers to pay tribute to their regimental commander. Every time he passed in front of a soldier, he would stop and say hello. When he turned to leave, he could still feel the admiring eyes of his soldiers behind him.
It's just that today he patrolled very quickly and ended early, seeming a little absent-minded. When he reached the door of the tent, he stopped and waved, asking the flag officer to step forward quickly. He asked, "Where are they?"
"Squadron Captain Glenn and Soldier Trinville, they are still standing by the sentry post." The flag officer replied.
"Didn't they ask why no one met them?"
"Yes, Your Highness. They didn't say a word, they didn't ask anything."
He couldn't help but sneer: "Let them go. I want to see how long they want to stand." He was about to walk into the tent, then he thought, "Okay, let's go and have a look. Look at Your Majesty What kind of captain did you send us?"
When the sentries saw the commander of the Mars Army and his personal attendants patrolling the sentry post, they all looked straight and held hands in salute. Glenn and his friends stared straight ahead, motionless.
He jumped off the horse, waved the riding crop in his hand, walked slowly to Grayn, and stared into his eyes.
Mars' handsome face was expressionless, but Green still saw ridicule and contempt in his eyes. In fact, Prince Charles had no intention of hiding his inner feelings.
Grayn was unmoved. He looked directly at Prince Mars calmly.
After a long time, Mars asked casually: "So, you are the person highly recommended by His Majesty the King? You are the one who wants to be the squadron leader of my army? You must have something to make the King look at you differently. Extraordinary, right?"
"Reporting to the commander of the legion, I am just an ordinary Apodoli countryman. Thanks to your majesty's love, I am honored to join the Guards and serve Apodoli and your majesty in the legion." Grenn replied in a neither humble nor condescending manner.
Mars sneered. He looked at Grayn and his equally energetic friend beside him. He said: "Those who speak loudly often say the most beautiful things. Mr. Glenn, I don't care who you are! Don't think that the king personally appointed you and you forget about it. The Guards only believe what they see." , those legends cannot bring you respect from others.
In my army, people like you who have no idea why the army fights and who have never even thought of joining the Guards before today will not be recognized by the soldiers! And this kind of life is incompatible with your previous experience. If you are not ready yet on how to become a real Guards soldier, I advise you to think carefully about where to go. "
Green's eyes were bright and he said loudly: "Yes, your Excellency, Legion Commander! I know this clearly. I believe that my friends and I will do better. We will be qualified Guards soldiers and will never give Guards smear.”
"Yes, your friend! Your friend!" He tapped his riding crop on his other hand and walked slowly around them. "I heard that your friend is a brave man, isn't he?" He sneered.
"Report to the commander of the army! Even if our definitions of bravery are different, everyone who knows Trinville will say so!" Grein never gets angry easily. Prince Mars had somehow been causing trouble for him from the beginning. He didn't mind his cynicism, but he couldn't tolerate him despising his friend.
"What about you? Do you think you are also a brave person? Or do you think that being lawless and reckless and competitive is brave in itself?" The young legion commander still sneered, "Yes, the Guards legion needs brave men. Warriors. But if those self-proclaimed knights and desperate criminals dare to claim to be 'brave', don't you think it's a bit ridiculous?"
Trinville stood aside, seeing the leader of the legion making things difficult for his friend, and he had been suppressing his anger for a long time. But when he heard the word "criminal" come out of Prince Mars' mouth, he became furious. But Glenn's firm eyes stopped him in time. Trinville gasped, his face flushed, but he held back his silence.
Mars ignored their feelings at all. He continued to pace and said: "Since you have shown me your determination to join the Guards, from today on, you and your friends, it is best to Remember, the bravery of the Guards is: loyalty to the country, defending honor to the death, and sacrificing life in the pursuit of victory. Apart from this, the Guards have no other bravery. If you think you are so brave If you are different, let me and all the Guards soldiers see your so-called 'bravery'."
Glenn replied forcefully: "You will see it, Your Highness."
The young legion commander did not answer, turned around and left with his eager personal soldiers and attendants. After only taking a few steps, he turned around and said, "How about we all wait and see from now on!" He gave the order loudly,
"Sentinel, return to your barracks. Now, Captain Grayne will take over the sentry position. Put them into military uniforms and let them learn to be qualified sentries first before joining the Guards."
He left without looking back. Grayne and Trinville looked at his back and shouted loudly: "Guard Squadron Captain Grayne and private Trinville, we are ordered to be on duty."
The torch shined, casting two long, lonely figures. The military camp was quiet, except for the occasional snoring of war horses and the sound of horse hooves scraping the ground from afar.
Trinville said bitterly: "What is this? Glenn, why did this prince treat us like this? What did we do wrong? Well, if I don't deserve to join the Guards, what about you, Glenn? You are The squadron leader appointed by the king himself! Do we really have to stand here all night? This is too stupid. Anyway, I can see that he doesn't want us at all. Let's just leave and return to Barbuckle. Back to the Blueberry Tavern. We have lots of friends there.”
Glenn smiled calmly and said: "Wearing this military uniform, we are already soldiers. If we leave, maybe it is what he expects. Although I don't know why, he wants us to retreat in spite of difficulties. We just We will not be deserters when we encounter this little difficulty. Trinville, cheer up, let us prove together that at least he is wrong about one thing - there are many kinds of bravery. We should thank Prince Charles for showing us pride opportunity. Besides," he looked at his friend seriously, "this military uniform looks really beautiful on you."
A few words from Glenn relieved Trinville's anger, and he couldn't help but laugh. Moreover, he did not want to bear the reputation of being a deserter. He said: "Okay, Glenn. I won't leave you anyway. If you can do it, I can do it too. Just tell me what I should do."
Glenn looked at him with a smile: "You don't have to do anything to let them see the unique sentinel."
The nights in the military camp were long and grim, and their Guards career had truly begun.
