137. The Imperial Training Camp

Amidst the shifting tides of power and the turbulent winds sweeping across the continent, Wade orchestrated the opening of a new imperial recruit training camp. The first to arrive were the 150,000 soldiers of the Doma Empire’s Royal Guard—the only intact military force remaining in Doma and the sole unit tasked with protecting the safety of its imperial capital.

Wade had not anticipated the location’s complexity. To avoid disturbing the Queen of the Elven Kingdom in the Forest of Death, he had set up the camp at a considerable distance from the City of Death, bordering the Goldstone Empire and situated within the territory of the Dragon Rock Empire.

To Wade’s surprise, the second batch of soldiers to enter the camp consisted of 120,000 troops from the Elven Kingdom. Fortunately, anticipating Mo Fei’s directive to train the regular armies of several empires, Wade had expanded the camp as much as possible; otherwise, the arrival of these 120,000 elves would have surely burst the facility at the seams.

Before the military instructors from the Death Empire had even arrived, the Goldstone and Dragon Rock Empires had already sent their own elite forces into the camp. The emperors of these nations had realized that their so-called "elites" paled in comparison to the Death Empire; even the most ordinary soldiers of the Death Empire possessed far greater fighting spirit and combat effectiveness. The realization that their own pride-of-the-realm troops were inferior to the common soldiers of their ally left these emperors feeling deeply ashamed.

Upon learning that the Death Empire had opened this specialized training camp and hearing the empire’s invitation for all allied nations to send troops, the various empires were overjoyed. They scrambled to send their most capable forces. Even the Flying Dragon Empire selected 50,000 soldiers from the 200,000 they had provided to support the Death Empire and moved them directly into the training camp.

Following their joint military operations, the Magic Martial Empire had fully resolved its past grievances with the Death Empire. With some subtle maneuvering, they obtained permission to send 70,000 soldiers from their own lands to join the training.

These empires were all watching, eager to discover how the Death Empire trained its soldiers. It was well known that the individual combat prowess of Death Empire troops—even excluding the Berserkers—was exceptional, as evidenced by the performance of the border guards who had been re-conscripted after being disbanded. The six small empires bordering the other side of the Death Empire had been reclaimed by these very border guards. Although the main enemy forces had been terrified, the occupying troops left behind in those small empires were unaware of the situation. Consequently, the skirmishes between the Death Empire’s border guards and the enemy were raw tests of strength; despite the enemy’s numerical superiority, they fled every city in the face of the Death Empire’s advance. This served as clear proof of the high combat morale and the rapid improvement in both squad and individual tactical capabilities instilled by the Death Empire’s training.

The Dragon Rock Empire had already tasted the benefits of the 200,000 elite soldiers trained by the Death Empire. Moreover, after a secret meeting with a Death Empire envoy following the conclusion of the war, the Dragon Rock Empire had agreed to leave those 200,000 troops under the command of the Death Empire for future campaigns. In return, the Dragon Rock Empire received a significant share of the benefits from all territories conquered by that force.

Though the loss of those 200,000 troops stung, it was trivial compared to the imperial wealth they stood to gain. When they heard that an even larger training camp was being built within their borders, the Dragon Rock Empire agreed immediately, contributing vast sums of gold and promising Wade their full cooperation. When they saw the Doma Empire and others rushing to send their troops into the newly completed facility, the Dragon Rock Empire grew anxious, despite knowing their place was reserved.

Thus, the Dragon Rock Empire sent a newly reorganized army of 300,000 to the camp shortly after the others. Wade was overwhelmed; he had felt obligated to accept the 120,000 elves due to Mo Fei, but now, with the Dragon Rock Empire’s addition... Wade simply fainted from the stress.

When the news reached the Death Empire, Mo Fei laughed heartily. "Why is this difficult? Our training camp isn't just about showing up. Every soldier who enters is treated equally; those who fail are driven out the side door, and only those who qualify remain for training. As for the costs, they shall be shared based on the number of troops sent—whoever sends more people to lose face must simply foot more of the bill."

Mo Fei’s words set Wade’s mind at ease. Just like the training camp in the capital of the Death Empire, soldiers who failed to meet the standards would be discharged early. With this plan in place, Wade awaited the instructors from the empire. Once they arrived, he could return to the Death Empire to handle state affairs—it had been nearly forty days, and a mountain of work surely awaited him. The thought alone made his head ache.

He did not have to wait long. A group of instructors, comprised of Berserkers and Dwarven warriors who could no longer serve on the front lines due to their injuries, arrived with their families. The families were escorted into the City of Death, while the instructors proceeded directly to the camp.

Before they entered, all the soldiers had lined up in columns, waiting for them at the gates. The first rule of the training camp was established: The instructor is absolute; those who do not obey will be expelled immediately.

Wade could finally put the camp affairs aside. Over the following days, he watched as these slightly disabled Berserkers and Dwarves assumed their roles with immense confidence, preparing to drill the recruits from various empires according to the Death Empire’s traditional methods.

In the original training camp of the Death Empire, usually only half of the recruits remained by the end, a testament to the rigorous, almost fanatical standards the empire demanded. This rule held true in the new camp as well.

Less than twenty days after the instructors arrived and training commenced, the Goldstone Empire’s contingent had dwindled to fewer than 1,300 men. The Dragon Rock Empire, bolstered by the success of their previous 200,000 troops, managed to keep 110,000 out of their 300,000. The Flying Dragon Empire’s soldiers lived up to their reputation—of their 50,000 Sky Dragon warriors, only six were sent away, all due to hidden injuries sustained in previous battles. The Magic Martial Empire was left with fewer than 2,000 men. The Elven Kingdom, training exclusively as crossbowmen, saw not a single soldier drop out, thanks to their innate sensitivity to bows and crossbows. Even of the 110,000 troops sent by the Death Empire itself, more than half were discharged early.

Had the Death Empire not also lost half its own men, the other empires might have complained, but the Dragon Rock Empire remained silent. Their original 200,000 elites had been the survivors of over 600,000; having 110,000 remain was considered a success.

The Goldstone Empire felt the most humiliated. Seeing nearly all their sent troops dismissed as unqualified was intolerable for a major power. Gritting their teeth, they sent another 200,000 men. Having learned from the first batch, they placed high hopes on this second group, using a mix of incentives and threats. This time, the majority of the troops remained, proving just how much importance the Death Empire placed on this training.

The training was not segregated by empire. Units were broken up and integrated, fostering intense competition. As the Berserker instructors put it, this current batch was superior to any trained at the capital’s original camp.

Under the guidance of the Berserkers, the forces of these various empires gradually adopted a unified combat style and training methodology, laying the foundation for an Imperial Alliance Army. Even now, the force was taking shape. During breaks, they donned standardized armor forged by master Dwarves and wielded identical scimitars; the crossbowmen were equipped with uniform rapid-fire crossbows. They were now responsible for the security surrounding the major empires, and the borders between these nations had been completely demilitarized. Policing and border defense were now entirely in the hands of these recruits.

With unified training and standardized equipment, this force of over 400,000 gradually became the sole military presence in the region. Long after, these empires discovered that their own military resource allocations were no longer as strained as they once were.

Through cooperation, these empires developed a level of trust never seen before. Their borders were now marked only by simple checkpoints. Residents crossed back and forth without restriction, and the days of tax collectors and border disputes were gone. The mighty Imperial Alliance Army patrolled regularly, and whenever an incident occurred, residents noticed that the slow-moving, long-absent local garrisons had been replaced by this swift, dark-armored force. They always appeared before or shortly after an incident began, nipping problems in the bud.

Though they no longer had local border garrisons, the residents of these empires had never felt safer.