The good times were short-lived, and as the seven days passed, Sergeant Cardwell reluctantly said goodbye to his new wife and returned to the station before the allotted time.

In the following two weeks, the junior officers and ordinary soldiers of the regiment took special leave one after another. With the arrival of batches of brand-new "Irish Leopards" at the station, the main battle equipment of the whole regiment was restored to full strength, and the reserve soldiers who had replenished the casualties were also in place in time.

When the heat came, the newly reloaded 1st Armoured Regiment of the United Kingdom left its temporary station and headed for combat training at Monmouth in eastern Wales – unexpectedly, the imaginary enemy of this training was actually a "friendly cameo" from the 1st Guards Brigade of the Royal English Army. Since the fall of the Kingdom of Britain, Ireland and England have been close neighbors who have been close neighbors in the cold, and their relationship has improved rapidly, and was sublimated in 1946 during the "Pakistan Sovereignty Dispute" that almost led to England and Scotland going to war. Since then, the new United Kingdom and the Kingdom of England have reached a series of strategic cooperation agreements, and the former is basically responsible for the national defense construction, army reorganization, and weapons replacement of the latter, thus establishing the interdependence of the two sides in the field of national defense and military affairs......

In the face of the elite troops on which the English had high hopes, the Irish boys of the 1st Armoured Regiment showed no mercy at all, and they used their best skills of assault intersperse, roundabout point grabbing, and dynamic defense to the fullest, and the new British army still won a big victory in this "friendly game" despite the influence of the air force.

After the exercise, the 1st Armored Regiment did not return to its original station, but conducted a march and training that spanned five counties and covered a total distance of nearly 300 kilometers. Most of this training was carried out in the wilderness, opening roads in the forest and building bridges in the water, and the conditions were so bad that they completely exceeded their previous treatment on the battlefield in Italy. Even so, at the end of the four-day exercise, the non-combat attrition rate of the regiment's combat equipment was still controlled below 20%, which means that most of the "Irish Panther" and "Mule" armored personnel carriers have withstood the test.

Upon arrival at their new station in northern Wales, the 1st Armoured Regiment received new instructions to maintain their weapons and equipment in a meticulous manner, and soon after the news came that the 3rd, 4th, and 6th Armoured Regiments had arrived in Wales, the famous 1st Marine Division and the paratrooper assault unit had also appeared in Wales, and the English were actively deploying troops across the border. As a result, the credibility of the rumors that the new United Kingdom and the Kingdom of England had joined forces to go to war against Scotland skyrocketed!

Early that morning, Cardwell and his companions had just woken up when they received a special order: to rinse the chariot from top to bottom and keep themselves in order from head to toe, because a big man would come to inspect the troops that day.

So, while cleaning the chariot, the lads speculated about who the big man really was.

More than two hours later, a group of military police officers marched into the garrison and carefully inspected the barracks, warehouses, and sentry posts, and their appearance undoubtedly pushed the speculation of the officers and men to a new height.

Could it be that it is a big man at the level of a leader, and maybe even His Majesty the King in person?

What does it mean if Joachim I was there to inspect the site?

Cardwell smelled war.

Soon, the whole regiment received an order to line up the chariots in front of the barracks, and everyone stood by the chariots.

When several black cars appeared at the end of the road, escorted by a group of military vehicles, the curiosity of the officers and soldiers reached its peak: was it the Minister of National Defense, the Chief of the General Staff, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, or the legendary monarch who made everyone present reverence?

Cardwell is also a figure who has seen the big world - not long ago, he received the Golden Clover Medal, the highest military honor, from the hands of Marshal Beinke, the current Minister of Defence of the New United Kingdom, who has made it possible to speak hardly, but after the experience, he will find that being received by the big people and talking to the big people is actually just that.

"Attention all...... Attention! ”

With the loud slogan of Colonel Andrews, more than 2,000 officers and men straightened their chests and followed the convoy heading for the station.

"All...... Salute! ”

Under the gaze of a group of officers and soldiers, an extremely familiar figure emerged from a black sedan in the convoy. Although this man was not a native of Ireland and did not have even one percent Irish ancestry, his contribution to Ireland was unmatched in nearly a thousand years. Ireland was liberated by his efforts, becoming an independent and sovereign kingdom, and in just two or three decades, it was transformed from a poor and backward agricultural country into a thriving industrial and military power.

"St. Patrick of the New Age", "Caesar of the Irish", "Founder of the Golden Clover Dynasty", "Creator of the Miracle of Small Nations"...... These prestigious titles, some given to him by the Irish, and some internationally recognised reputations, are legends that deserve to be remembered forever in history.

Including the early arrival of the gendarmes, the more than 2,000 officers and men of the New Kingdom, the vast majority of whom were Irish, were inspected with great respect by His Majesty King Joachim I.

No one moves, no one speaks, and the whole team is like a carefully planted poplar forest.

In addition to the neat military appearance and tall posture, the pair of bright eyes and faces full of expectation and pride made the reviewers even more proud.

Upon approaching, His Majesty noticed Cardwell, the armored sergeant wearing the Order of the Golden Clover and the Military Order of Maria Theresa, a knight. He stopped, stretched out his hand, shook hands with him and said, "Very good! Very good! These two medals are usually awarded only to the best fighters! What is your name? ”

Unable to suppress the surging in his heart at this moment, Cardwell replied in an excited trill, "Your Majesty, Sergeant Gareth Cardville of the New United Kingdom Army Armored Corps salutes you!" ”

"Oh, Sergeant Cardwell, our ace chariot commander in the Italian battlefield is really young and promising! Sergeant, as a front-line operator, what do you say about our Leopard tanks? I want to hear what you mean from the heart. ”

Cardwell might have been "stuck" for anything else, but he answered the technical question with little thought: "It's easy to handle, it's superb in acceleration and steering, and the two-way stabilizer provides strong support for accurate shooting at medium and long ranges." I think that compared to the current equipment in Germany and the United States, our 'Irish Leopard' is undoubtedly in the leading position in technology. On the Italian battlefield, its firepower was so powerful that it was even a little redundant, not only could it easily penetrate Italian tanks from two kilometers away, but it could also help the infantry sweep away the strong fortifications of the Italians. If 100 points means absolute perfection, then I think our 'Irish Leopard' can score 98 points! ”

His Majesty smiled slightly: "So, what two points are we missing from the standard of perfection?" ”

Cardwell's answer was not even a moment's hesitation: "In my personal opinion, if our 'Irish Leopard' can be equipped with radar equipment to achieve all-weather precision combat capabilities, and reduce the noise of the engine by half, it will be truly perfect!" ”

His Majesty patted Cardwell's right arm with satisfaction: "Your answer is very good, sir, if all this is your personal opinion, it means that you are a young man who is good at thinking and has a bright mind, and if you work hard, you will definitely be able to become a pillar of the army in the future." ”

Being affirmed by the monarch is not only an honor, but also a bright future for a military career. Cardwell knew the meaning behind these words, of course, but luck had come so suddenly that he didn't know how to express his excitement for a moment, and just watched in a daze as His Majesty continued towards the end of the line.

Although this monarch is still vigorous and energetic, and the speed of thinking is estimated to be incomparable to most young people, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, the white silk on his temples and the vicissitudes in his eyes still give people the feeling of "heroic old man".

This rather abrupt review lasted only half an hour. For the 1st Panzer Regiment, which has a "long" history of 33 years, it has long been commonplace to be inspected by His Majesty the King, but for most of the officers and men on active duty in this unit, such a scene has been encountered for the first time, so after the review, the topic of heated discussion among the young men was not the real intention of His Majesty the King to come to inspect the troops, but to exchange their impressions of such a close encounter with His Majesty Joachim I.

The heated discussion continued until lunch, and while our Cardwell was energetically dealing with the food on his plate, the herald at the regimental headquarters suddenly told him to report to Colonel Andrews's office immediately.

Cardwell dropped his dishes, hurriedly wiped his mouth, put on his military cap, and hurried to the regimental commander's office under the envious eyes of his colleagues. After entering the door, Colonel Andrews, who had made great achievements during the war, said in a loud voice:

"Hey, Sergeant, you're in luck today! Because Your Majesty is optimistic about your ability, they decided to promote you to an alternate officer and enter the Kingdom Armored Forces Academy for further study without examination, and they recommended you to report to the armored forces command major, which is the 'palace' that I have been able to enter after more than ten years of hard work! ”

Happiness ensued, and Cardwell froze once again, bewildered.

"What, not happy? Have another idea? Colonel Andrews looked down at the file on the table, "Oh, there are still 5 months to retire from, and you want to retire and go home?" Just married? ”

It was a reminder to Cardwell that his newlywed wife was waiting with anticrity for him to finish his last months of service and return to stay with her day and night.

"Yes, sir, I'...... It's been less than half a year since we got married, but ......," Cardwell said with some stumbling, "Sir, it is my long-cherished wish to enter the military academy for further study, and to be appreciated by His Majesty Joachim I is an honor I could never have dreamed of......"

Colonel Andrews raised his eyebrows and said, "So what? ”

In the space of a few seconds, Sergeant Cardwell made a decision that changed the course of his life: "So, sir, I accept the recommendation to go to the Kingdom Academy of Armored Forces for further study. ”

(End of chapter)