In his previous life, Oliver Sheng was just a lowly worker enjoying the so-called “007 blessings.” Now, he had suddenly become a sergeant. How could he not be thrilled?
In the Great Wei Dynasty, a sergeant was a Ninth-Rank Military Officer, which meant he was no longer a commoner.
Moreover, in the army, he could command a hundred men.
In a modern factory, this would be equivalent to a managerial position.
Oliver was appointed as the sergeant of the Tenth Squad. The previous sergeant had died in the defense of the city yesterday, and most of the soldiers in the Tenth Squad had also perished.
The squad was now at full strength because new recruits and forced volunteers had been added.
“Kid, lead these hundred men well. I’m entrusting them to you,” the Martial Colonel said, patting Oliver on the shoulder.
“Yes, I will lead them well,” Oliver nodded.
For the first time, he felt the thrill of being in charge, and he was a bit excited.
The Martial Colonel looked at Oliver, unsure why General Who Pacifies the North had taken a liking to him and given him this appointment.
In the army, sometimes even military merit wasn’t enough for a promotion.
Especially in the border army, far from the emperor’s reach, promotions were often decided by the officers themselves.
“Today, our camp has no battles. Everyone should rest well; more battles await us,” the Martial Colonel said before leaving.
Oliver sized up his squad, and the soldiers of the Tenth Squad sized him up in return.
“Brothers, you may not know me yet, but I am now your sergeant. My name is Oliver Sheng. Remember me. In future battles, I will charge ahead of you and fall before you do,” Oliver said loudly.
His words earned him some recognition from the soldiers of the Tenth Squad.
Other sergeants in the camp were also curious about Oliver, who had suddenly appeared and become the sergeant of the Tenth Squad.
Many in the camp knew Oliver. They had fought together, and in battle, they had helped each other, so his face was familiar.
“It’s him, the Divine Hand who stabs kidneys,” someone whispered.
Bennett Deng’s face turned green as he looked at Oliver. How did this Divine Hand become their sergeant?
“It’s over, it’s over. Why him?” Bennett whispered.
“What’s wrong? You know him?” Yuan Yong asked.
“Of course, I know him. The Divine Hand who stabs kidneys. I’ve told you about him,” Bennett said.
“That’s him? He doesn’t look like it!” Yuan Yong looked at Oliver incredulously.
He looked like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old scholar with a delicate face.
“Doesn’t look like it? That’s because you haven’t seen him on the battlefield. He stabs enemies in the waist without blinking,” Bennett said, swallowing hard.
“What are you two whispering about?” Oliver noticed the whispering and recognized one of them.
“Nothing, nothing, Sergeant!” Bennett quickly replied.
“Good.”
Oliver nodded, thinking they had objections to him being the sergeant. Since they didn’t, it was fine.
“Alright, everyone disperse and rest well. Be ready for battle at any time.”
Oliver dismissed his squad.
New armor, military knives, battle robes, and waist tags were distributed, and he was now a small officer.
Wearing new armor, a battle robe, and a military knife at his waist, his demeanor instantly became more imposing.
He looked for the veterans.
“Uncle, I’ve come to see you,” Oliver said.
“You’re here to show off, aren’t you?” Ian Zhang said with a smile.
“How could I? You’ve misunderstood me, Brother Ian. Am I that kind of person?” Oliver said.
“You are that kind of person,” Zane Wang said sourly.
He had enough military merit and cultivation, but he hadn’t been promoted to sergeant.
He hadn’t even been promoted to corporal and was still a regular soldier.
He didn’t know what kind of luck Oliver had, but it seemed like he had a cheat code. He had been promoted to sergeant just three or four days after joining the army.
If he didn’t know that Oliver had been captured as a forced volunteer a few days ago, he would have thought Oliver was an aristocratic young master training in the army.
This promotion speed was terrifying, almost like rising a rank a day.
“I smell jealousy. Brother Ian, do you smell it?” Oliver said with a smile.
“Alright, stop joking. Since you’ve been promoted to sergeant, you must lead your soldiers well. It’s not easy to rise up. Now, go back and get some sleep,” the veteran said.
“It’s not even noon yet. Why should I sleep?” Oliver was puzzled.
“Just listen to the veteran. Go back and sleep,” Tom Li said meaningfully.
The veteran’s squad was also replenished. Oliver was transferred to the Tenth Squad as sergeant, and Jerry Li was seriously injured and receiving treatment.
Six new faces had joined the squad.
“Get lost. Seeing you annoys me,” Zane Wang said irritably.
“You’re just jealous,” Oliver said, flashing his sergeant’s waist tag.
“Careful, or I’ll beat you up!” Zane pretended to be angry.
Oliver returned to his quarters. Although the veteran hadn’t explained why, Oliver followed his advice.
He now had his own room, small but not shared with others, and it was next to the Tenth Squad’s quarters.
Outside the city, the Huns continued their attacks, and the fighting on the walls was relentless.
Today, the Huns sent over ten thousand soldiers to strengthen their assault.
Ten thousand soldiers were a dense mass of people.
It was like a forest of men.
By dusk, the Huns still hadn’t breached the walls.
Oliver woke up from his nap in the late afternoon and stretched, noticing that the Hun attack had just ended.
Another day had passed. The setting sun cast a cool light on his face, and Oliver felt the chill of the Northern Frontier.
In his previous life, he had dreamed of the battlefield. Now, after two or three days of fighting, it still felt unreal.
He looked at his clean, slender hands. Who would have thought these hands had already killed a hundred or two hundred people?
“Are you Sergeant Oliver Sheng?”
A messenger ran over, pulling Oliver out of his daze.
“I am. What’s the matter? Is there a military order?” Oliver asked.
“The Colonel has summoned you. You need to go,” the messenger said before hurrying off.
Without waiting for an explanation, Oliver headed to the Martial Colonel’s tent.
Inside, there were already about ten sergeants.
The Martial Colonel sat at the head, flanked by two tribuni.
Each tribuni commanded a thousand men, and a camp had two tribuni.
Oliver found a spot near the door and sat down, noticing the silence.
Soon, all twenty sergeants of the Seventh Camp at Peace Pass had arrived.
The Martial Colonel began to speak slowly, “Some of you may have guessed why you’re here.”
“General Who Pacifies the North has given us a mission to raid the enemy camp. This task falls on our camp.”
Many sergeants’ faces changed upon hearing this.
Oliver finally understood why some sergeants looked so grim when he arrived.
A raid meant attacking the enemy camp at night, a mission with a high chance of death.
The Hun camp outside the pass had at least seventy thousand men.
Their camp had two thousand men. Charging into the enemy camp would be suicidal.
Now, he understood why the veteran had told him to rest earlier.
The veteran had already guessed it.
“Now, I’m giving you the mission orders. Go back and gather your men. We’ll exit through the south gate, circle around to the rear of the Hun camp, and cause as much chaos as possible to delay their daytime assaults and buy time for the defense.”
“Understood?” the Martial Colonel asked loudly.
“Understood!” the sergeants responded.
“Good. Now go gather your troops. I’ll be joining you,” the Martial Colonel said.
Oliver and the others returned to their quarters to gather their soldiers.
“Gather up, we have a military order!” Oliver shouted to his soldiers.
Hearing about a military order, the Tenth Squad quickly assembled.
In the army, delaying a military order was punishable by death!
“Sergeant, what’s the order?” a corporal asked.
Each squad had two corporals, each in charge of fifty men.
A squad consisted of a hundred men, divided into two platoons.
“Don’t ask unnecessary questions. It’s not time to relay the order yet. Just follow me,” Oliver said calmly.
Without further questions, the soldiers followed Oliver.
Under the cover of night, they quickly arrived at the Martial Colonel’s tent.
Other squads had also gathered.
The Martial Colonel and the two tribuni stood together, and once the soldiers were assembled, the Martial Colonel simply said, “Move out!”
The Martial Colonel personally led the two thousand men out through the south gate under the cover of darkness.
Many veterans had already guessed their mission.
Only the new recruits and recently added soldiers were still in the dark.
After an hour and a half of trekking through mountains and valleys, they reached the outskirts of the Hun camp.
Another half hour later, they circled to the rear of the Hun camp.
“Tribuni Tu, take five hundred men and attack from the left. Tribuni Li, take five hundred men and attack from the right. I’ll lead a thousand men to attack from the rear,” the Martial Colonel ordered.
“Yes!” the two tribuni responded.
“It’s midnight now. We’ll attack at dawn. Cause as much chaos as possible. Understood?” the Martial Colonel asked.
“Understood!” the tribuni and sergeants responded quietly.
“Alright, move out!”
Tribuni Li led five squads, including Oliver’s, to the right side of the Hun camp.
From a distance, they could see the campfires in the Hun camp.
At five hundred meters, they stopped. In the firelight, they could see Hun soldiers patrolling.
The moon was hidden by clouds, making the night visibility poor.
“Tribuni, are we attacking from here?” Oliver asked quietly.
Tribuni Li knew Oliver was one of the newly promoted sergeants.
“What do you suggest?” Tribuni Li asked.
“At this distance, charging will make too much noise and alert the Huns. I suggest we move to within a hundred meters. It’ll be easier to charge and less likely to alert them,” Oliver said.
“You make it sound easy. Getting within a hundred meters of the enemy camp isn’t that simple. If we fail, we’ll lose our heads,” Tribuni Li said.
“Tribuni, I have a way to get within a hundred meters without being detected,” Oliver said.
Tribuni Li looked at Oliver, skeptical.
“I swear on my life. If I fail, I’ll take full responsibility,” Oliver said confidently.
In this darkness, if they couldn’t get within a hundred meters, how could they raid the camp?
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