Temporary Squad Leader

"Name?"

"Jaxon."

"Age?"

"25."

"Where are you from?"

"Hermit Village."

...

The clerk in charge of registration recorded Jaxon's basic information in a small booklet. Finally, he handed Jaxon a wooden badge.

One side of the wooden badge read: Third Brigade, Second Squadron, Fourth Squad.

The other side was inscribed with Jaxon's name.

Holding the badge and with the Blackstone Longsword hanging at his waist, Jaxon quickly found his assigned team.

"New guy? Go stand over there," said a middle-aged man in armor standing at the front of the Third Brigade. He glanced at Jaxon's equipment as he spoke.

Jaxon nodded and took his place in his squad. The people around him were envious of his gear.

It wasn't until noon that everyone in the Third Brigade had assembled.

A brigade consisted of five squadrons, each squadron had five squads, and each squad had ten members. Jaxon's brigade, therefore, had a total of 250 people.

"My name is Zhou Shan, and I am your brigade commander. From this moment on, you are members of the Imperial Swift Bird Brigade's Third Brigade, until the end of your military service," the middle-aged man who had spoken to Jaxon earlier stood in front of the group and announced loudly. He paused for a moment, and his tone suddenly became more somber: "Or until you die on the battlefield!"

There was an immediate stir among the crowd. Many people began to whisper to each other, and an atmosphere of panic and anxiety seemed to fill the air.

"Of course! You don't need to worry too much!" Zhou Shan continued. "Rookies like you won't be sent to the battlefield. Sending you greenhorns into battle would only disgrace the imperial court and make us a laughingstock to the enemy and other nations. So, rookies, be grateful that you won't be sent to the most dangerous places."

Zhou Shan's words relieved the crowd. Who would want to go to war when they could live peacefully? Even Jaxon didn't want to, although this was just a game world for him. Still, getting hurt hurt, and death, though unexperienced, was definitely not something pleasant to think about.

"Starting today, you will undergo a week of training. After that, you will be assigned tasks, mainly transporting supplies and wounded soldiers," Zhou Shan said.

Although Jaxon and the others wouldn't be sent to the battlefield, basic training was still necessary. Without discipline, even simple tasks like transporting supplies might not be accomplished smoothly.

"Next, I will appoint temporary squad leaders for each squad. The official appointments will be made after the training, based on your performance during this period," Zhou Shan said.

Zhou Shan's words caused another round of commotion among the crowd.

Since the five squadron leaders were all experienced soldiers brought by Zhou Shan himself and had already been appointed, the only positions left to be temporarily filled were the twenty-five squad leaders.

Though it was just a temporary position, who wouldn't want to be an officer? The closer to the front line, the greater the danger. Officers were definitely safer than the common soldiers, and they had some authority, which naturally made their lives more comfortable.

Jaxon, however, didn't care much about it. It was just a temporary position, and a minor one at that. He was more focused on completing his three-month military service and then returning to the village to continue being a farmer, carpenter, and miner.

One by one, squad leaders were appointed. Jaxon noticed that the squad leaders appointed by Zhou Shan were all the physically strongest members of their respective squads. In the absence of knowing everyone's abilities, appointing based on physical strength was a reasonable approach. After all, a strong person would generally seem more capable than a weak one.

In Jaxon's squad, he wasn't the strongest. Although he had a good build, there was one man in the squad whose physique was even more robust. Jaxon observed the man's hard muscles on his arms, which reminded him of Old Blacksmith Sun, and the calluses on his hands. He guessed that this man might have been a blacksmith before, or at least had experience working with metal.

"Fourth Squad," Zhou Shan quickly approached Jaxon's squad, glanced at them, and then, unexpectedly, pointed at Jaxon.

"You will be the squad leader."

"Me?" Jaxon was surprised.

"I don't accept this!" the burly man raised his hand.

"Me neither," Jaxon thought to himself. "In other squads, the strongest guy is the squad leader. Why is it different here?"

Jaxon could understand the burly man's frustration.

"Don't accept it?" Zhou Shan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he exuded a dangerous aura. "Do you know where you are? This is a military camp! Your identity now is that of a soldier! A ragtag soldier is still a soldier! A soldier should obey orders, not question them! I'm stating my decision, not asking for your opinion! Do you understand?!"

"Yes!" the burly man shouted. "But I still don't accept it! Even if I'm punished, I have to say, I don't accept it!"

"Don't accept it? You'll have to swallow it anyway!" Zhou Shan said. "If you have the ability, show me during the training. If you perform better than him by the end of the training period, then the squad leader position is yours! However..."

"However, until then, he is your squad leader, do you understand?!" Zhou Shan said.

"Yes!" the burly man replied, then looked at Jaxon defiantly. "This squad leader position will definitely be mine!"

"Good ambition, but remember discipline!" Zhou Shan said. "Since this is your first offense, I'll let it slide this time. If it happens again, you'll be dealt with according to military law!"

"Understood!" the burly man said.

Zhou Shan nodded and moved on to the next squad.

"This squad leader position will definitely be mine," the burly man repeated to Jaxon after Zhou Shan left, but in a much quieter voice, as if afraid that Zhou Shan might hear.

"If you have the ability, come and take it," Jaxon said indifferently, yet his words were filled with confidence.

Initially, Jaxon didn't care much about the squad leader position. It didn't matter whether he took it or not. However, the burly man's repeated provocations had stirred Jaxon's competitive spirit.

You want the title of squad leader? Fine, come and take it if you can, and let's see who really deserves it!

"Don't think that just because you have good equipment, you're amazing. In my eyes, you're just a pretty package! I can knock you down with one punch!" the burly man said scornfully.

"Is that so?" Jaxon replied nonchalantly. "We'll see about that after you become squad leader. For now, I am your squad leader. If you defy me, that's a violation of military discipline, and you know the consequences."

"Humph!" the burly man grunted, but he didn't dare say anything more.