In the era of large industry, mechanical technology is changing with each passing day, but electrification and information technology are still monotonous and poor. On the way to the Hoffenstey military base, Weiss bought a bunch of newspapers, but did not receive any information about the 11th Defense Division. As for whether its structure is the same as that of the previous batch of national defense divisions, and whether there is any change in the composition of troops and weapons, Weiss is completely blind.

The westbound train finally stopped at Eva Station, more than 2,000 miles from the capital Liberty City. After getting off the train, Weiss found the station staff, showed his ID and explained the situation, and then was able to take a special train to transport military supplies to the Hoventis military base dozens of miles away.

Arriving at the unit where he had officially taken up his military post for the first time, Weiss was in a state of apprehension. After waiting for more than 10 minutes at the military station, where all kinds of supplies were piled up, a young officer drove to pick up the station. He is neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin, and his appearance is very ordinary, and he is a character who is not very eye-catching in the crowd.

Seeing that the officer was wearing the collar and epaulettes of a midshipman, Weiss couldn't help frowning. By the standards of the earth's civilization, the customs and ways of thinking of the Ulster Free Federation are close to those of the West, straightforward and informal, but the combat staff officer is a middle-level officer of the divisional staff department, and only such a mid-ranking officer is sent to greet him.

Although he was a little unhappy in his heart, in the face of this innocent midshipman officer, Weiss did not have any bad words and deeds, but took the initiative to talk to him. This man, Laffor-Max, was a recent graduate of the Norsnod Military Academy, and after graduating as a midshipman in the 41st Combat Division, he stayed there for only two weeks before he was defeated by the Malogos-Sercilo Line, and the troops were disabled, and some of the surviving officers, non-commissioned officers and veterans were voluntarily transferred to the 11th Defense Division.

Max said that the 11th Defense Division not only incorporated some officers and soldiers of the 41st Combat Division, but also received the remnants of the 87th and 89th Garrison Divisions - these two second-line divisions were heavily damaged while defending the Marorgos-Cersillo Line, and then retreated to Heyman City, and before they had time to rest, the Norman army was beaten again, and officers above the regimental level were killed or wounded, and the troops broke up on the way to retreat, becoming the first divisional combat unit of the Union Army to be cut from the battle number. The remnants of the defeated army will all be scattered and organized into the newly formed national defense division.

With a total of more than 3,400 officers and men from the above three divisions, and together with the second batch of 12,000 mobilized recruits, the actual strength of the 11th National Defense Division has reached 95 percent of the scheduled strength, which is close to full strength. In terms of weapons and equipment, they have received a sufficient supply of firearms and eighty percent of their artillery from the quartermaster and baggage departments, and they also have a relatively sufficient amount of ammunition for training. It can be seen that the top military leadership attaches great importance to these newly formed national defense divisions and has done everything possible to provide personnel and equipment support.

When Weiss asked what was the difference between the 11th National Defense Division and the 10 National Defense Divisions formed in the early stage, Max proudly introduced that the second batch of 6 National Defense Divisions was formed, the proportion of officers and non-commissioned officers has increased a lot, and the number of rapid-fire weapons has also increased. Led by Ensign Andres Baseli, winner of the two-time Federal Army Golden Marksman Tournament!

At Weiss's request, Maxter made a detour to the training area. On the huge training ground, thousands of soldiers are practicing technical and tactical exercises. With the same attire and the same equipment, different units show different mental outlooks. As far as one can see, it is relatively easy to identify which units are newly formed and which are units that have been organized and trained for some time.

Max parked the car on the side of the road and pointed not far away: "Well, that's our unit, the 931st Infantry Regiment." Today, the 932nd Regiment and the divisional reconnaissance battalion went out for armed marching training, the 933rd Regiment was conducting tactical training, and the divisional artillery battalion and air defense battalion were at the shooting training range. ”

Weiss stared at the officers and men who were conducting static shooting training, whether they were lying on the mud practicing horizontal shooting or maintaining a standing and aiming posture, the team was not particularly neat, but it gave people a sense of orderliness, and it seemed to be a calm and calm atmosphere, a kind of mentality of enduring humiliation and burden, and lying on the back to taste courage.

After observing for a long time, he said to himself, "Yes, much better than I expected." ”

"Next, do you go to see the 933 regiment training, or go directly to the division headquarters?" Max asked.

Weiss thought for a moment: "Go to the division headquarters." ”

With two feet on the accelerator, the car came to the division headquarters, which was disguised as a mountain bag. Max led the way, and Weiss followed unhurriedly. When I entered the camp, I saw a group of officers gathered around the sand table, as if they were engaged in a war game.

Max reported loudly to the officer in charge, a gray-haired, stocky general, "Report, I've brought back our new Operational Staff Officer, Acting Captain Clumber Haysen!" ”

The officers turned their eyes to Weiss, who was standing at the door of the tent.

The so-called acting captain refers to a temporary military rank obtained due to the needs of wartime situations or other special reasons without being appointed to the official military rank. This temporary rank can be regularized after accumulating a certain amount of experience or military achievements, and may also be dismissed when the war or other special status ends.

Although he was only halfway through his studies at the Delefig Senior Staff College, the brutal experience of participating in the border campaign with the Batton Student Corps allowed Weiss to accumulate valuable battlefield experience and psychological background. Under the thoughtful gaze of the officers, he raised his head and chest, and strode towards the sand table, while the general at the head walked slowly towards him. The two saluted each other, Weiss reported his home, and the general said in a calm tone: "Hello, Acting Captain Clumber-Haysen, welcome to the 11th Defense Division." I am the commander, Major General Emilio de Luca, this is the Chief of Staff, Colonel Philippe Wass Butich, this is the Inspector Lieutenant Colonel Reimer Freuler, this is the Quartermaster Major Ben Sacanio, this is the Intelligence Staff Captain, Captain João Hartbauer, and this is the Communications Staff Officer, Lieutenant Mattia Gosen. ”

Weiss shook hands with the officers one by one in a gesture that was neither humble nor arrogant. In this tent, everyone except Trainee Staff Max was older than him, and looked a lot older. In view of this, he said in a sincere tone from his juniors: "Ladies and gentlemen, due to the needs of the war, my companions and I temporarily suspended our studies at the Delefig Senior Staff College and joined the front-line combat unit as acting captains. Although we lacked experience, I believe that with your help and support, we will be able to quickly integrate into the combat team and make the best contribution to turning the tide of the battle. ”

In the federal army, the Dellefig High Staff Academy is a well-known signboard, and officers can despise Weiss, a acting officer who has not even obtained a diploma, but they cannot despise such a group, let alone deny the military's decision. The Chief of Staff, Colonel Butich, a thick-eyed officer with a seemingly upright appearance, took the lead in responding: "It has been fourteen years since I graduated from the Dellafig Higher Staff Academy, and I still miss my career as a cadet very much. Welcome, my junior brother, Acting Captain Clumber Haisen. ”

Captain Hartbauer, an intelligence staff officer, smiled and said, "As your senior, an old cadet who graduated three years ago, I would like to extend a warm welcome to you!" ”

Major General de Luca also raised his voice accordingly: "After receiving the order of assignment from the General Staff, I spoke on the phone with my old friend General Morgan Schmidt, and he told me that the young man sent to us looked unremarkable, but was actually quite a capable fellow. Well...... A few months ago, you defeated the elite cadets sent by the Royal Norman Army Academy in a wargame deduction, and you seemed to be a member of the Batton Military Academy at that time, right? ”

Mugen-Schmidt is one of the three "treasures" of the Deelefig Higher Staff Academy, and is a well-known tactical expert in the Federal Army. As for the topic of skipping a grade and transferring to a class, Weiss did not shy away from it: "Indeed, I just graduated from the Bathton Military Academy more than two months ago, and because of my expertise in wargame deduction and land warfare, I passed a special examination to enter the Delefig Senior Staff College. ”

The officers present did not look at all surprised by Weiss's statement, and they showed no obvious disgust at the interfering behavior.

Major General De Luca said: "The battlefield is a stage where strength speaks. People who are truly powerful should not be limited by age, qualifications, and so on. Come on, we are still analyzing the Norman army's ability to attack fortified positions in the form of war games. You are our operational staff officer and a master of wargame deduction, and you just help us analyze and analyze. ”

After watching the training of the 931st Infantry Regiment, Weiss felt that this Major General De Luca should have some ability, and since he had asked the authoritative figures, he still couldn't wait to test the ability of the new combat staff officer.

Reorganizing his thoughts and mentality, Weiss followed the officers back to the sandbox. More than 600,000 Federal troops relied on two strong fortresses and a field defense line with a deep system to resist the attack of 400,000 Norman troops.