It was four in the afternoon and most of them were awake. Locke got out of bed and called his men over. "Let's go out for a drink! It's so hot that I couldn't even sleep! "Locke complained.
"Hooray, boss!" Locke's men were excited to enjoy the free drinks. On such a hot day, only iced ale could soothe the hot hearts of these soldiers.
"Kane, take the men to Green Palm Tavern first. Give everyone a glass of ale and book a private room for me. Tell the owner to put the bill on me. Hans, come with me to find Jarl Yoshk," Locke instructed.
"Yes, boss!" The two replied.
Locke brought Hans to Yoshk's tent. "Uncle Yoshk, let's go have a drink!" Locke shouted at Yoshk, who seemed to have just woken up.
"Got it. Keep your voice down, kid. You're shaking my head," Yoshk joked.
"Uncle, let's go. I've already arranged for someone to book a private room at Green Palm Tavern in Giza," Locke said.
"Okay, let's go." Yoshk put on his casual clothes and set off with Locke. "This is Hans, right? You've grown a lot stronger." Yoshk had a slight impression of the young man from the same town.
"Yes, Uncle. I'm very satisfied with my body now. I can beat three Shalorian barbarians without a problem," Hans said.
"That's why he's so strong. He can eat twice as much as me in one meal," Locke joked.
"Soldiers have to eat a lot! Look at how much I eat in one meal. Although you have a good physique, you're still a little thin. "
Yoshk wasn't very satisfied with Locke's physique. Locke was now 1.76 metres tall, which was actually a little taller than most soldiers. He was well-proportioned and weighed 150 kilograms. Compared to Yoshk who was 1.9 metres tall, 150 kilograms was nothing. Even Hans was 1.8 metres tall and weighed more than 200 kilograms.
The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked out of the camp.
The town of Giza outside the camp used to be the territory of Shalor. Two months ago, after Faustian attacked Felmo Canyon, Shalor no longer had any natural barriers or resistance. The three major corps divided into three routes and attacked the depths of Shalor's hinterland. They headed straight for Audis, the capital of Shalor, and had been crushing all the way until now. The Eagle Legion was attacking from the south. Because the resistance along the way had been sporadic, the Legion Commander decided to split up the troops. The four infantry regiments had 20,000 soldiers, with each battalion having an average of 500 soldiers, and they would participate in the attack on the villages and towns. For the cities or large territories, they would be reorganized into regiments. Each regiment had 5,000 soldiers, and the Legion Command left 10,000 cavalry and logistics regiments to guard the military headquarters.
Giza was a small town in the south of Shalor. This small town had just experienced the baptism of war. Along the road, one could see burnt houses and dark-skinned beggars everywhere. These people lowered their heads and peeked at Locke and the others with fear and panic in their eyes. The Faustian army's uniforms revealed their identities. Things would always be destroyed in war. Two weeks ago, Locke's battalion captured this place. The lessons of blood and fire made the remaining residents of the town accept these strangers.
The owner of Green Palm Tavern was a wonderful man. It was said that he had betrayed his motherland before the Faustian army arrived. By selling out the town's defensive forces and personally capturing the town's mayor, the owner of Green Palm Tavern had successfully obtained an olive branch from the actual controller of Locke's battalion, Cardoj, after offering a large sum of money. Green Palm Tavern should be the only business in the small town that was still in business. Its customers were the soldiers in the barracks.
As for why so many soldiers were willing to drink outside the barracks, there were very few high-ranking officers in the barracks. The highest level was only a squad jarl, so these soldiers could talk freely, drink freely, and play finger-guessing games. Secondly, the cost of living here was very low. As an occupied area, the original set of currency in Shalor was almost useless. Now, thalers were the hard currency. A large mug of ale only cost one copper thaler, which was half the price in the barracks. Also, there were other part-time businesses here. Because of the war, many women from poor families came here to earn some extra money. Some of them did it voluntarily, while others were forced to do it. But now that the laws of the warzone had not been established, no one would care about them. Because they were cheaper and fresher than the women in the supply camp, no matter how strict the military discipline was, they couldn't control the hearts of this group of eager soldiers. As the hidden business of Green Palm Tavern grew bigger and bigger, the higher-ups turned a blind eye to it. In fact, this was common in the occupied areas. How could the civilians of Shalor farm in peace this year because of the war? If they didn't farm, what would they eat? They could only sell their blood and flesh...
Locke and the others arrived at Green Palm Tavern. As soon as they entered, they were greeted by a strong smell of sweat and noise. It seemed that many people had come to visit. Sure enough, after seeing many familiar faces, Locke and the others smiled and nodded to each other. Yoshk was even more popular. After all, there were many boys from his platoon here. As one of the four platoon jarls with real power in their battalion, Yoshk was considered a high-ranking officer. Many people came up to greet him. Yoshk just nodded slightly.
"Boss, over here!" Kane and the others had occupied a few tables in the corner of the tavern. Looking at the untouched mugs of ale on the table, it seemed that they were still waiting for Locke and the others.
Yoshk was still socializing with the people around him. Locke took Hans to their table first. "You guys drink first. I still have something to discuss with Jarl Yoshk. Kane, order a mug for Hans too," Locke instructed his team members.
"Okay, boss." Kane nodded and handed Locke a key to the private room upstairs.
"Hans, you drink with your brothers. I'm going to discuss something with Yoshk," Locke said to Hans.
"Okay, go ahead." Hans nodded. He saw that Kane, who was standing at the front desk, had already brought him a large glass of Ice Staff Ale. Hans smiled, revealing his yellow teeth. This guy really likes this stuff.
"Brothers, drink first. I'll come down later," Locke said and walked towards Yoshk.
"Boss, go ahead." "Okay, boss." "Boss, we'll wait for you." The members of the team said one after another.
"Uncle, let's go up," Locke said to Yoshk. Yoshk was still greeting the soldiers who greeted him. He nodded at Locke and said to the people around him, "I still have something to do. You guys go ahead and drink." "Okay, Jarl." "Bye, Jarl." "Jarl, come down and have a drink with us."
The surrounding soldiers nodded in agreement as well. Locke calling Yoshk 'uncle' wasn't without reason. It showed that he had an unusual relationship with the platoon jarl. Fights were everywhere in the barracks, and a small title also showed that Locke had a strong background. If someone with a certain level of influence heard it, it would also increase Locke's influence. Moreover, people of a certain level could roughly guess what he was talking about with the platoon jarl at this time. A few of the soldiers' expressions changed slightly.
Locke and Yoshk went up the stairs from the corner of the front desk. Along the way, they nodded to Rachel at the front desk. She was a charming woman with red curly hair. Her name was Suzanne. After all, they had to meet the host while drinking and talking. Suzanne winked at him to show that she understood. What a charming vixen, Locke thought.