Chapter 1460: Chapter 29: Negotiation (Final) (Part 3)
On the pulpit, Gessa Adonis—now a brigadier general—spoke with a stern expression and a harsh tone:
“…The appointment letters in your hands are your final appointments.
“You may be dissatisfied, you may be resentful, you may be indignant.
“But, orders are orders!
“No delays allowed! No appeals allowed! No refusals allowed!”
Gessa waved his hand: “Now, by command—open them!”
The officers in the cathedral simultaneously broke the wax seals, unveiling their fate.
—————–
[Camp Outside the City]
[Outside the Reserve Officers’ Dormitory]
Houdel hid in the corner outside the dormitory, tightly closed his eyes, and forcefully opened the notice.
After grimacing and preparing himself mentally for a while, he summoned the courage to open his eyes again.
As soon as he glanced at it, he quickly searched the letter with his eyes scanning line by line.
The official officer who handed him the envelope had already told him, “Blue means ‘yes’, red means ‘no’.”
Suddenly, someone patted Houdel on the shoulder from behind, startling him.
The only person daring to mess with Houdel at such a moment was Claude Lee.
“How is it?” Claude asked.
“What do you mean, how is it?” Houdel felt a bit like crying but forced back the tears, pretending to act nonchalant, “Who am I? I’m His Excellency’s personal soldier! Could there be a problem?”
Yet Claude clearly saw Houdel cradling the notice in his arms like a fragile treasure.
—————–
[Camp Outside the City]
[Iron Peak County Military Shooting Range]
“Senior Mason!” Woods—now a major—tentatively paused outside the office door, shouting inside, “I’m taking the cannon away now!”
A beast-like growl came from deep within the room:
“Get out!”
“Alright! I’m getting out of here now!” Major Woods scrambled to leave.
But before leaving the shooting range, he was still repeatedly instructing a sergeant with a terrifying birthmark on his face.
“You need to console Senior Mason,” Major Woods grabbed the birthmark sergeant’s sleeve, repeatedly urging, “Tell him not to be too upset. If there’s anything unusual, inform me immediately.”
The birthmark sergeant—’Demon’ Ongs—nodded indifferently.
The horses pulled the Iron Peak County Military’s cannon away from the shooting range; now, they belonged to the newly formed New Army Artillery Regiment.
Along with the cannons, most of the artillery and their ammunition and equipment were also reassigned.
After the jingle from the bells faded, the Iron Peak County Military Shooting Range suddenly became cold and quiet.
Demon Ongs stood at the entrance to the shooting range for a while, silently closing the gates.
He walked sorrowfully into Richard Mason’s office, unsure of what to say.
Yet he found Mason—also a major—lying on a camp bed, holding a small model cannon in his hand, secretly smiling with joy.
—————–
[Camp Outside the City]
[Cavalry Grounds]
Like the artillery, the cavalry originally belonging to the various counties of the Newly Reclaimed Land was formally reorganized into an independent cavalry regiment.
Seber Carrington, a major, sat under the shade of a tree, fiddling with his new hat, half-jokingly complaining, “This poor place in the Newly Reclaimed Land, the tailor’s craftsmanship is really not up to standard.”
Andrea Cherini, a major, stood under the shade of a tree, one hand behind his back, silently practicing Ned Smith’s stabbing technique, stroke by stroke.
—————–
[Somewhere in Iron Peak County]
Captain Danzel Moro’s residence received a rare visitor—the once young pony boy, now a grown man, Anglu.
“Major Moro.” Anglu solemnly presented the letter of appointment, trying his best to avoid looking at the iron mask on Danzel Moro’s face, “I have brought your appointment.”
—————–
[Maplestone City]
[Corey Brothers’ Tailor Shop]
“I’m a blind man,” John Jeska coldly asked, “what use is there in making clothes for me?”
“You are already a general,” Anna gently reassured, “naturally, you need clothes befitting a general.”
Unexpectedly elevated to the rank of general, John Jeska snorted lightly. Though his attitude remained cold, he cooperated with Anna’s directions, allowing the tailor to measure him.
Winters winked at Anna from the side—this old superior of his showed no kindness to anyone, except for Lady Navarre, whom he respected greatly.
So, Winters had specifically brought Anna out of seclusion.
“Shouldn’t you also get a new uniform made?” Jeska asked unexpectedly.
“Yes,” Major Montaigne replied with a smile, “I also need to get a few officer uniforms made.”
—————–
[Maplestone City Great Hall]
The first formal plenary session of the National Assembly was underway.
The person in the Speaker’s seat loudly asked, “Representatives from Maplestone City?”
In the Maplestone City seating area, one person stood up to respond, “Honorable Acting Speaker, we nominate Sir Kai Morland to speak on behalf of Maplestone City in the Supreme Committee!”
Acting Speaker: “Supporting representatives from Maplestone City, please stand!”
Representatives from Maplestone City stood up.
The Acting Speaker knocked the gavel: “Passed!”
“Representatives from Iron Peak County?”
“We nominate Sir Gerard Mitchell to speak on behalf of Iron Peak County in the Supreme Committee.”
“Representatives from Vernge County?”
“We nominate Sir Bard to speak on behalf of Vernge County in the Supreme Committee.”
“Thunder Group County…”
The same procedure was swiftly completed.
The six counties and one district of the Newly Reclaimed Land each “nominated” a member to “speak on behalf of each electoral district” in the National Assembly’s Standing Committee.
Obviously, this seven-member Standing Committee was the brain and heart of the National Assembly.
The subsequent proceedings were relatively uneventful.
However, this was not the case for some—Kai Morland fixed his gaze jealously on a figure in the Vernge County seating area, his eyes almost bleeding from envy.