The 25,000 new recruits were distributed between the two armies, with 15,000 going to the National Defense Force and 10,000 to the Field Army.
This distribution was entirely random, to reflect the principle of equal treatment.
It is said that brothers fight tigers together and fathers and sons go to battle, so Augustus considered whether or not to put friends and relatives among the soldiers together, and decided against it.
The simplest point is that doing so would require too much work; would he ask everyone to register all their social connections in the army, or who they wished to be with?
This would drive the responsible officials mad.
Although these soldiers came from all corners of the world, everyone had their own social network, especially the noble children; in a limited number of people, there would be fewer, but one after another, there would still be many long chains.
The tangled relationships were a headache to even think about.
Moreover, if this were done, some people would inevitably not get what they wished for, which they would consider very unfair, leading to incorrect ideas, and that would be a big problem.
The army is the guarantee of national security and must never become a threat to national security.
Putting familiar people together has both advantages and disadvantages.
Internal factions within the army, not managed by superiors, should also not appear.
Perhaps this was Augustus's whimsical idea; no one mentioned this matter at the meeting.
Equal status and random assignment were already a matter of course.
As for making a greeting and treating someone specially, that was all done in secret.
With the new recruits joining, Duke was in excellent spirits, as if he had never been so happy in his life, speaking with great enthusiasm, as if he had already reached the peak of his life.
Karl was much more restrained by comparison, but his genuine joy was still evident.
Augustus smiled slightly; this was only the beginning, and there was still a long way to go.
Duke's original old subordinates still numbered 87, all of whom were capable of fighting on the battlefield.
Having fallen to the point of traveling such a long distance with Duke, they clearly had no other good place to go and directly entered the Field Army without going through conscription.
Soldiers who had fought in real battles were precisely what the Papal States currently lacked, not to mention that those who followed Duke had climbed out of one pile of dead bodies after another; their abilities were beyond doubt, and they were absolutely loyal and reliable to Duke.
The situation of the Field Army was still different from the National Defense Force; the National Defense Force consisted of new recruits starting from scratch, and their future development direction was in Karl's hands, so not too many external factors needed to be considered.
The Field Army was different; in addition to the newly enlisted recruits, there were also 10,000 old veterans who had been in the army for many years, with complex internal and external relationships.
If there were no one available, it would be in a very awkward position for a long time.
In this situation, the enlistment of Duke's old subordinates very well compensated for this point.
Duke appointed many of his old subordinates as officers in the newly established Field Army.
Out of a total of fourteen regimental officers, only five were new recruits who had stood out in the selection process; the rest were his old subordinates.
However, the word 'temporary' was added to all of them, meaning that if they did not perform well, they could be replaced at any time.
Duke had shown this list of officers at all levels to Augustus in advance, and Augustus was somewhat surprised by Duke's blatant appointment of his old subordinates.
However, after thinking about it, there was no problem; in terms of ability, there was nothing wrong with this arrangement.
It just had the suspicion of nepotism and was easily criticized.
Of course, from another perspective, it could also be called recommending the capable regardless of personal connections.
No matter how others viewed this matter, Augustus did not object.
Only if Duke had a sufficiently high degree of control over the Field Army could he use this unit effectively.
The opinions of others could be ignored; in this matter, no matter how much others objected, it would only remain at the stage of empty talk.
The camps of the two armies were both located outside Rome, with the Field Army to the east of the city and the National Defense Force to the west.
On the day the new recruits joined, they handled trivial matters such as new recruit registration, welcome ceremonies, situation briefings, accommodation arrangements, and distribution of weapons and equipment.
Duke originally hated trivial matters the most, but this time he was tirelessly busy, looking at the spirited young men one by one, Duke did not feel tired at all.
Karl was also tirelessly busy, and the young faces of the new recruits in front of him made Duke involuntarily recall his own experience when he first joined the army.
At that time, he was full of aspirations for the future, looking forward to the day he could achieve fame and success.
However, many years later, he was still just a low-level officer, and he lost everything in a disaster, suffering great humiliation.
Unexpectedly, after this disaster, he actually gained a blessing in disguise, coming to the Papal States and directly rising rapidly, able to command tens of thousands of people alone, which made people sigh at the impermanence of the world.
This time, Karl would never allow himself to fall again!
During his speech at the welcome ceremony, Karl discovered a problem: the new recruits' emotions were off.
Many people were downcast, as if they had lost a battle; the first day of new recruit enlistment should never be in such a state.
After discovering this problem, Karl suspected that he had overlooked something, but he racked his brains and could not remember what it was.
Unable to figure it out, Karl could not resist and found a new recruit with a drooping head, caring asked: "You don't seem to be in a very good mood; is there anything unsatisfactory in the arrangements?"
"No, everything is arranged very well, even better than I thought before," the soldier answered honestly.
"Then why do so many of you seem so down?" Karl asked, puzzled.
"Alas, you should know that many of us joined the army because we wanted to go to the battlefield and make achievements one day.
We overcame all difficulties, defeated one competitor after another, and finally entered the army, but we were assigned to the National Defense Force, and we might have to stay in the barracks until retirement.
Why are others assigned to the Field Army?
Where are they stronger than us?
Will we still have a chance to enter the Field Army later?" the soldier asked unwillingly.
"Yes, we also want to go to the battlefield," many soldiers around echoed.
Hearing their words, Karl was somewhat amused and retorted: "Who told you that only the Field Army can go to the battlefield?"
"Isn't that true?
Can the National Defense Force also go to the battlefield?
But even if it can, the opportunities must be much fewer than the Field Army, right?" the soldier asked doubtfully.
"Of course not!
You can't just look at the surface; the name of the army doesn't mean anything.
Do you think the National Defense Force can only be used for defense?" Karl said sternly, "The National Defense Force and the Field Army are of equal status; you should know this from the random distribution of personnel.
In fact, in some respects, the National Defense Force is more valued by the Pope, and I am not at liberty to explain the specific reasons; you can guess for yourselves.
I can responsibly tell you that our opportunities to make achievements will definitely not be less than the Field Army!
What the Field Army can do, our National Defense Force can do; what the Field Army cannot do, our National Defense Force can also do!
You just need to improve your abilities as much as possible now, so you don't mess up on the battlefield."
"That's great!" Hearing Karl's words, the new recruits were greatly encouraged.
After understanding the reason, Karl gathered all the new recruits and repeated what he had just said in front of everyone.
Immediately, the gloomy atmosphere in the barracks was swept away, and the new recruits were all eager to try.