After the graduation ceremony, the current principal Leno left the scene as usual, giving people the feeling of being a big man with all kinds of opportunities, while the old headmaster Van Luo was still so amiable. A group of graduates in military uniforms gathered around him, talking about something very lively. Although Weiss had a good impression of the old headmaster, he especially didn't like to burrow into the crowd, so he just stood quietly aside. waited until the students gradually dispersed before they stepped forward to say a few words.

The gray-haired old man patted him on the shoulder: "I know that you are a different person and have a bright future, but no matter what time and what role you play, you need to keep a cool head at all times. ”

Weiss didn't take this kind of words to heart at first, he answered the sentence "Thank you for the teaching", and was about to say goodbye, when the old headmaster Van Luo asked: "Have you already chosen which unit to go to?" ”

Weiss replied matter-of-factly, "Still considering." ”

The old principal smiled: "You might as well consider one more option, our national defense division." ”

Weiss thought for a moment: "Is this a military reform that has been brewing for a long time?" ”

The old headmaster nodded, "Yes, that's right. ”

In Nikolai's absence, Weiss was not as timely as he had been. However, in the past few days since he returned to the military academy, he still heard some information about this military reform from his companions. There are 10 national defense divisions formed in the first batch, and in terms of combat establishment, they have replaced the relatively rigid four-four system with the relatively flexible three-three system, that is, each division has three infantry regiments under its jurisdiction, and each regiment has three infantry battalions under its jurisdiction. The structure of the unit seems to be thin, but at the battalion level, a light artillery company equipped with light rapid-fire guns has been added to the original four infantry companies, and at the division level, a divisional automobile battalion and an air defense battalion have been added. As a result, a standard defense division is slightly less numerous than a combat division and more than a garrison division and a reserve division, but it is equipped with 40% more rapid-fire artillery and 25% more field artillery than a combat division, and its comprehensive combat effectiveness on paper is superior to that of a combat division.

The concept of a national defense division may be very attractive to others, but in Weiss's view, this approach may only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. Therefore, he did not agree to the face-to-face invitation of the old principal Van Luo, but said politely: "Okay, I will consider it seriously." ”

The old headmaster didn't say anything more, nor did he show even the slightest expression of displeasure. He leaned on the officer's cane and walked away calmly.

As soon as Weiss returned to the dormitory, he was summoned to the office of Headmaster Leno.

When I got to the top of the stairs, I was met by Otto Lunders walking towards him. Weiss nodded at him as a greeting, and Rundes smiled slightly. As the two were about to cross each other, Weiss heard him whisper to himself, "1st Defense Division."

What does it mean?

Walking down the long hallway, Weiss came to the door of Headmaster Leno's office.

Assistant to the Headmaster, Johansen, stood outside the door, and he knocked on Weiss's door, "Mr. Headmaster, Mr. Clumber-Haysom is here. ”

"Let him in!" The voice coming from the door was deep and powerful, but it was not discernible from the tone and tone of the speaker's emotions whether it was good or bad.

"Yes, Mr. Headmaster!"

Johansen pushed the door open with just the right amount of force and motioned for Weiss to enter the office.

Such treatment had not been seen in the last time he was summoned.

"Thank you!"

Weiss nodded to Johansen. In addition to administrative duties, the tall, thin, white young man was also in charge of the cadets' first aid course, and had an impeccable level of expertise in medical care.

"Good luck!" Johansen said to him in a very low voice, "Also, don't make him angry no matter what." ”

Before Weiss could ask why, Mr. Principal had already taken the initiative to greet him, and the cold face that had remained unchanged for almost a thousand years was actually smiling at this time!

Cadet Long Klumber Haisen...... Uh, it's time to call you Mr. Officer. Graduating with a good overall ranking is a testament to your outstanding intelligibility and ability. You are the pride of our Baseton Military Academy and the hope of the Union Army, and we believe that one day, your name will be engraved on the stone wall of the Baseton Hall of Fame, and there will even be a statue made especially for you standing in our square. All this is not just a dream, the road is at your feet. ”

At this moment, Weiss felt that the person standing in front of him was not a high-ranking principal, but a professional HR, a headhunter, who was recruiting talents in a way that he thought he was smart.

Under Leno's confident and expectant gaze, Weiss diverted the topic without hurry, humility or arrogance: "Graduation should be an exciting thing, but war is surging like a flood of beasts. In the past few weeks, we have watched as our classmates and friends have fallen one by one, dying for their country on the battlefield. Those who are alive are fortunate and miserable, because this war is far more difficult than we imagined, and we still have a long way to go in the future. ”

"The enemy is not terrible, but what is terrible is that we ourselves have lost courage, lost faith, and lost faith in freedom. As I usually say, a few of us have a bad mentality, blindly worship power, worship aristocracy, and thus have the idea of secretly collaborating with the enemy, which is really terrible! When Leno said this, he suddenly changed his tone and brought the topic back to the talent session: "I have seen your graduation applications in the past two days, and I was worried that there would be people who would be afraid to fight, but the situation is much better than I expected, you are all great guys!" In fact, with my rigor, it is impossible to recommend flawed graduates to combat units. ”

As he spoke, Leno picked up a piece of paper from his desk with a lot of handwriting on it.

"Because of your outstanding performance in the border campaign, the commanders and chiefs of staff of many units have called and written in the hope that I will be able to recommend the best graduates to them. Lo and behold, there are the 1st Corps General Staff, the 2nd Corps General Staff, the 5th Corps Headquarters, the 3rd Garrison Command, the 6th Garrison General Staff, the 7th Garrison General Staff, as well as the division headquarters and staff headquarters of the 9th, 17th, 18th, 24th, and 31st combat divisions...... These are some of the most famous troops! ”

Weiss pondered for a moment: "With your knowledge and experience, you should be able to give us very good advice." ”

"Of course!" Like an angler who sees a fish bite the hook, Leno deliberately suppressed his joy and said solemnly, "There is probably no one in this world other than your parents who wants to see you succeed in the army more than I do." The medals that will be worn on your breasts and the stars that will be on your shoulders in the future will be my glory and pride. So, I will do my best to recommend you to the best units to gain experience and build merit, and based on the qualities you have shown during your time in military school, I think ...... You should choose between the Staff of the 2nd Corps or the 3rd Garrison Command, and I personally prefer the former - their chief of staff, General Alrensen, was quite a formidable figure, not only a master of wargames, but also a staff officer to Admiral Castillier in the last war, and a major contributor to the victories at the battles of Gödlink and Lorherster. ”

Weiss was noncommittal: "Presumably you are familiar with this General Alrenson?" ”

"Of course!" Leno said triumphantly, "Don't mention anything else, as long as you go to report with my handwritten letter, you can choose a suitable position in the staff department, and if you have the opportunity to further your studies and promotion in the future, my old friend will definitely give priority to you." ”

This person is already an official master, and when he gets carried away, his demeanor and demeanor are very disgusting. It was only at this moment that Weiss finally knew why Lunders was saying "1st Defense Division" to himself. decisively rejected Leno's invitation and resolutely defected to the old principal, the slap in the face, the effect was not ordinary happiness!

Seeing that Weiss's reaction was not enthusiastic, Leno paused and continued: "Of course, the 2nd Corps is fighting against the Norman army on the Western Front, and the battle may start at any time, if you choose to go to the 3rd Garrison Headquarters, the situation will of course be more stable, but the opportunity to accumulate military merits will be relatively small." ”

Thinking of the assistant principal's reminder, Weiss pondered his wording a little, so as not to slap his face too directly and provoke the bureaucratic principal.

"Before the border battles, I thought I was omnipotent and a great military genius, but after seeing the real battlefield and the brutal killing of the blood type, I realized how arrogant I was in the past. What is the way forward, I have been thinking about it these days. As a first step after leaving the military academy, I tended to go to the grassroots army to accumulate more practical experience. ”

Listening, Leno's face darkened. After listening to Weiss patiently, he snorted coldly: "Do you also plan to tell me that you are going to report to the 1st National Defense Division?" ”

Weiss replied, "Actually, it's one of my alternatives. ”

Seeing that Weiss didn't give a clear answer, Leno's expression softened slightly: "Then do you know that these newly formed national defense divisions, soldiers and equipment are only partially in place." With the current state of war, it is unlikely that they will have sufficient time to train and prepare, maybe two months, maybe four or five weeks, and they will have to rush to the front. When you join the National Defense Division, you can indeed get a good job when you first go, but when you get to the front line, you will find out how sad it is to be in the company of a group of rookies! To be honest, one of the things I regret the most so far is not stopping the Baston student group from heading north. In the National Defense Mobilization Program, the reason why the Baston Student Regiment was deployed in the 8th Garrison was originally intended to allow you to stay away from the front line in the early stage of the war, coordinate with the Allied forces, and then wait for the opportunity to be sent to the front line to fight. Unexpectedly, the 8th garrison became the front line, and the carefully cultivated cadets of the Batton Military Academy suffered heavy casualties under the stormy attacks of the Normans, and those defense divisions may not have reached the combat level of the Bathton Student Corps when they went to the battlefield. I think so...... If you really want to go to the grassroots army to be sharpened, you might as well go to the 9th Combat Division under the 2nd Corps, which is a famous iron army, and its combat effectiveness is definitely comparable to the elite troops of the Norman Empire. ”

Principal Leno's words did not impress Weiss, but made him understand one thing: the reason why Otto Lunders is willing to join the 1st National Defense Division, in addition to the personality charm of the old Principal Van Luo, another very important reason is that the new National Defense Division provides aspiring young officers with opportunities to challenge themselves, improve themselves, and show themselves. If a unit that is not favored can be trained to be strong in combat effectiveness in a relatively short period of time, it is enough to prove that it has excellent organization, training, leadership, and command capabilities.