Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 264 Company
The standing army is not short of armor nowadays, so non-combat personnel such as clerks and shamans can also receive a set of equipment:
Short sword, round shield, helmet, and black standard cloth armor.

In addition, he also received the standard daily necessities issued to every soldier:

A leather backpack, a corset and two sets of underwear, two pairs of heavy studded sandals, personal tableware and a water bottle, needles and thread for mending clothes and sandals, soap, bandages, a whetstone, and a wool cloak to keep out the rain and to wrap oneself in as a blanket at night.

"That's all. Sign here."

The regimental quartermaster yawned and handed over a form to reassure the young-looking rookie, "Don't worry, the clerk and shaman don't need to participate in the battle. You can store your equipment in the company's supply wagons during the march."

Back at the company headquarters, Company Commander Invallon tossed a roster to Frode, saying, "My literacy level is insufficient, and some information is incorrect or incomplete. You'll have the men re-register."

"As ordered!"

Startled by the loud voice of this hothead, the company commander had no choice but to say, "I know, keep your voice down next time. I'm not deaf."

An infantry regiment consisted of six spear companies and three crossbow companies. Frode's company, the Second Company, was composed of spearmen, mostly Vikings, with a small number of Highlanders and Northern Angles.

During registration, he sat behind a long table, using a quill pen to check each soldier's information. Most of them did not have surnames, so to distinguish those with the same first name, they had to be given nicknames or their hometowns as prefixes.

After completing his mission, several veterans approached Frode, asking him to help write letters home—it was part of the paperwork—and Frode did not refuse.

"Hey kid, your handwriting is really beautiful, much better than the platoon leader's doodles."

"Yes, last time I asked the company commander to help me read a letter, but he didn't recognize many of the words and could only guess randomly, which almost scared me to death."

Last June, Britain began a large-scale construction of post offices and relay stations. Post offices, temples, and hospitals have become iconic buildings in every town of the Dominion. Noble territories are also building post offices, but in far fewer numbers.

As a military perk, soldiers in the regular army are allowed to send one letter home each month, which is then delivered to their destination by the postal system.

When ordinary people sent letters, they had to go to the town's post office, pay the postage, and then the staff would stamp the envelope. Vig initially planned to use stamps, but considering various factors, he temporarily shelved the idea.

After a busy day, Frode finally made it to dinner time. He was part of the company and the food was relatively good, with fried fish and grilled sausages.

After dinner, he went to the well to fetch water, quickly cleaned himself, and then went into his tent to rest. As a clerk, he was exempted from the most arduous tasks, such as standing guard, and his situation was far better than that of ordinary soldiers.

Early the next morning, Frode was awakened by a whistle. He quickly tidied his clothes and then helped his comrades dismantle the tents and store them in the company's supply wagon.

After finishing everything, he took out a hard flatbread and ate it haphazardly, complaining about why his parents chose such unpalatable food as military rations. He occasionally drank a sip of water to prevent himself from choking on the food.

Just as he finished the last bite of his flatbread, the bell rang from the central command tent. There were still fifteen minutes before the official departure. Frode was responsible for assisting the company commander in checking the supplies. After confirming that everything was in order, he crawled into the ranks and silently waited for the order to depart.

"Soldiers, the expedition is about to begin. The objective is to quell the rebellion in Ireland, and His Majesty will be the commander-in-chief." After the troops were lined up, the company commanders began their speeches. Invallon's speech was conventional, based on a template he had memorized from his military academy training course, and it did not arouse the interest of the soldiers.

Before long, the military band played a light and melodious tune, and the infantry regiment marched out of the camp in four columns. Citizens lined both sides of the street to watch, adults whispering and discussing the impact of the war, while occasionally a playful child would rush into the ranks, only to be grabbed by the collar and pulled aside by officers on either side of the column.

Near the north gate, the city walls were filled with a large number of royal guards and court servants, and members of the royal family and cabinet were seeing them off. Suddenly, Frode saw his brother Frey pointing at his own column and yelling. Frode glared at him, then silently walked toward the open fields outside Rendinium.

From Rendeneum to Liverpool, there were no enemies along the way, and supplies could be obtained from settlements along the route. The atmosphere in the army was relatively relaxed, and Frode gradually got used to his new identity as "company clerk".

Upon arrival in Liverpool, a large fleet of ships gathered there, tasked with transporting tens of thousands of soldiers and five thousand livestock (warhorses and draft horses) to Duffield.

"Come with me to the regimental headquarters for a meeting."

Invallon patted the clerk on the shoulder, and together they headed to the tent where the regimental headquarters was located. Inside, there were more than forty figures crowded together, and the air was particularly stuffy.

With everyone present, Regiment Commander Brecken cleared his throat and announced, "We will cross the sea in two days. From boarding to docking, we will follow the Navy's orders."

After he finished speaking, he handed the floor to the naval officer next to him.

The man wore a strangely styled black tricorn hat, a black double-breasted coat with brass buttons, and an oak leaf and two horizontal stripes embroidered in gold thread on the collar. He wore a white vest underneath, and white trousers. A light command sword hung at his waist.

Ignoring the envious glances from everyone in the tent, the naval officer took out a document and slowly read it aloud, introducing the ships that each company was equipped with. Frode's company, the Second Company, was assigned two Kirk ships, "Adventure Charlie" and "Quickleg Billy".

Remembering the names and hull numbers of the two sailboats, Frode pulled out his notebook and quickly jotted them down, then listened attentively to what followed, afraid of missing any important information.

After the meeting, he followed Invalon back to the company and heard the latter complaining quietly.

"If only I had applied to transfer to the navy last year, the promotions would have been faster, the benefits better, and there would have been new uniforms designed by His Majesty himself. Alas, it's too late to say anything now."

To be fair, the army officers' armor was also meticulously designed, with brass spikes on the top of the helmets, adorned with black or other colored tassels, and various patterns embroidered on the chest and abdomen of the cloth armor, as well as gauntlets on the outside of the arms. However, when the officers witnessed the treatment of the navy, they couldn't help but feel a sense of disparity.

Annoyed by his superior's nagging, Frode instinctively blurted out some news: "In order to deal with maritime conflicts, the Navy is preparing to form a Marine Corps battalion. You still have a chance."

"how do you know?"

Frode quickly made an excuse, "I overheard the instructors chatting at school, it must be true."

Invalon was slightly tempted, then continued to sigh, "I have no connections, and applying for a transfer rashly will only result in my superiors giving me the runaround. Forget it, I'll just stay in the army and hope to get a knighthood before I retire."

(End of this chapter)