108: The intense soldier selection process

"Everyone, quiet down immediately!"

On the makeshift platform, Red scanned the crowd and shouted with a voice imbued with a trace of battle qi energy.

The moment his voice fell, the clamor from hundreds of people vanished into thin air.

Nodding slightly, Red continued, "Today marks the first Soldier conscription that Lord Lister has instructed me to oversee since his arrival in Ironthorn Territory."

"I presume you are already aware of the detailed regulations and requirements, so I won't elaborate further."

"This Soldier conscription will enlist a total of 50 individuals. Next, a comprehensive assessment of your physical abilities will be conducted."

"Your assessment results will be recorded by the instructors responsible for supervising you, and then all assessments will conclude."

"We will compare your assessment results and select the top fifty performers, who will then become the first batch of conscripted Soldiers."

"Next, everyone will orderly queue up for identity information registration, after which you can proceed directly to the assessment."

"Those who successfully pass this selection, while happy, should not become arrogant. Within one month of becoming a new recruit, you will still be subject to evaluation."

"Anyone who violates the Soldier regulations will have their Soldier status revoked. I'm sure this is an outcome you all wish to avoid."

"Therefore, you must always remain vigilant. Unrelenting effort is what you should be doing most."

"And those who are not selected should not be disheartened, because Ironthorn Territory is no longer the barren Ironthorn Territory it once was."

"Under Lord Lister's governance and development, you must have all witnessed the current improvements in Ironthorn Territory."

"So no matter what position you work in, you can shine and become the most dazzling star in Ironthorn Territory."

"Lord Lister has very high hopes for you, and he hopes you will not let his painstaking efforts be in vain."

As soon as his voice fell, the passionate shouts of hundreds of young people rose.

"We won't let you down!"

"We won't let you down!"

"We won't let you down!!!"

...Not far away, Lister, who had taken in the entire scene, wore a faint smile.

Indeed, as Red said, he held great expectations for these young people of Ironthorn Territory.

Due to their pioneering advantage, most of them are very likely to become the mainstays of Ironthorn Territory in the future.

He deeply believed in this.

Under his gaze, the conscription selection process began in an orderly manner.

Since every territory resident had previously obtained their Identity Card, the information registration was very fast.

After one person completed registration, they would be guided by a Soldier Guidance Officer to the assessment venue, without any delay.

After finding no problems, he arrived at the assessment venue.

The assessment venue was located to the lower left of the high slope where the castle stood. It was the usual training ground for ordinary Soldiers, and it was very spacious.

The assessment content primarily focused on physical fitness, further divided into five major categories: strength, speed, endurance, agility, and flexibility.

The assessment method was the most suitable army-style Soldier selection for ordinary people, developed and improved over nearly a thousand years since the establishment of Pedan Kingdom.

After comparison, Lister found that this was indeed the best and most suitable selection method for humans in this world.

Therefore, he did not bring out the assessment methods from his previous life, lest he mislead people.

As for the selection of Apprentice Knights, there was another, more difficult and stricter method.

Accompanied by Red, Lister wandered around the assessment venue, inspecting.

Although he didn't have binoculars, his extraordinary vision as a Knight made him like a human-shaped telescope, with every movement in the venue falling into his eyes.

Looking at the assessment methods he had never seen before, he was amazed and almost clicked his tongue in wonder.

However, even if he had some impressions in his memory, seeing it firsthand was definitely more intuitive and prominent.

As he watched, several young men undergoing assessment nearby caught Lister's eye, making him praise, "Red, those few seem to be performing very well."

"Lord Lister's discerning eye is truly admirable," Red flattered appropriately, then smiled and introduced, "Those individuals have completed three assessments so far, and all of them have achieved first-class results."

"If they can also achieve first-class in the remaining two assessments, they will proceed to the hidden Apprentice Knight assessment."

The hidden Apprentice Knight assessment was discussed and agreed upon by Red and Brutus, and approved by Lister.

The purpose of doing so was to prevent these young people from becoming overly ambitious and neglecting the current Soldier assessment due to knowing about a higher-level assessment.

Although the Apprentice Knight assessment primarily focused on Lister's initial core group, their numbers were ultimately small.

Furthermore, they had previously undergone relevant Knight talent tests, and most had average talent, otherwise they wouldn't have remained in the ranks of Soldiers.

Expanding the scope of this selection now was to prioritize quality over quantity, and also to form the main body for future Knight Soldier selections.

Talented individuals are, after all, rare and hard to come by. Since such talents can appear among those participating in the current selection,

Lister naturally couldn't let them be ordinary Soldiers, otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste of talent?

Moreover, one thing that made him quite happy was that although the population of Ironthorn Territory was small, even with the previously purchased Slaves, it was only around 2,700 to 2,800 people.

However, the proportion of young and able-bodied adults was extremely high, accounting for nearly ninety percent of the total population.

Most of the people participating in this selection were young men aged 16 to 30, roughly six to seven hundred of them, with the remaining nearly a hundred being slightly older, but not by much.

From this, it can be seen that Ironthorn Territory has great development potential.

As for why it was so barren before, it was naturally due to the inaction of the previous lords, who only cared about exploitation. How could it develop well?

A commander without strategy exhausts his army!

But now that Lister had arrived, he would certainly utilize this advantage to the fullest, otherwise, wouldn't he be unworthy of his status as a lord and his divination cheat?

As numerous thoughts flashed through his mind, Lister praised, "To achieve such excellent results is indeed very good. It seems there are indeed many talented individuals hidden among the residents of Ironthorn Territory."

"Perhaps this selection could really yield 20 Apprentice Knights for the Knight Squad, or even more, it's not impossible."

"I agree," Red genuinely echoed.

Due to his rich assessment experience, his judgment for selecting Knight Soldiers was very accurate.

Since the assessment began, he had been carefully observing all participants, and so far, he had found many promising candidates with excellent physical test scores.

And some youths whose scores were not as outstanding, he felt might actually have better talent because they were younger.

Although the talent for cultivating the Breathing Technique is very elusive, he had a strong premonition in his heart... perhaps 20 Apprentice Knights was not just a fantasy.