Derek knew that compared with those noble scions, he had nothing.

The only thing he could do was to build a positive public image.

Be grateful and repay kindness! Be generous and open-handed!

Never mind what my origin is. Wouldn't you like a friend like me who's such a big spender?

You like it? If you like it, why not give me a hand? Then the rewards will come naturally in due course.

Cesare's mood at this moment was like taking a flight, soaring straight up into the sky.

He had thought of doing a favor in the hope of getting something in return, but he never expected the return to come so quickly and so overwhelmingly.

He tried hard to refuse, but Derek was even more excited than he was.

He even put on an air as if Cesare would be looking down on him if he didn't accept it, and that they would be at odds if he didn't take it.

With the atmosphere being like this, could he refuse?

Of course not. Cesare walked out of Derek's camp in a daze, leading his warhorse.

It was only when he got back to the middle of the military camp that he came to his senses.

"Derek, Derek.

What a generous guy. It seems I made the right choice in befriending him."

One good turn deserves another. Having received a favor, he surely had to do something in return.

So that very afternoon, Derek saw a group of high-quality recruits reporting for duty.

As the registrar, who could know the composition of the Second Legion better than Cesare?

These guys from knight families or merchant families had no real powerful backgrounds. They brought along a few carefully selected soldiers and joined the Second Legion.

They had clean backgrounds, looked energetic, at least they weren't ugly or deformed, and they had a certain educational foundation, which was enough to ensure their obedience.

They were definitely the best recruits and junior officers.

Even Marco was deliberately separated from Derek. After all, the former was the eldest legitimate son of the Ferreira family. Derek was wandering around alone outside, and there might be some underhanded dealings.

As Derek's friend, Cesare surely had to lend a helping hand.

Thanks to this, the entire Second Legion was quickly reorganized. According to the rules, there was also a herald sent by Count Perez.

Derek's pennant was hoisted high. From then on, he was the master of this thousand-man unit.

Subsequently, he didn't hesitate to start making drastic reforms.

He kept one hundred-man unit intact and mixed up the rest with the newly joined soldiers.

Some knights who brought their own soldiers and soldiers from merchant families were, as usual, granted the positions of ten-man captain or even flag captain.

However, a five-man sergeant must be inserted under the ten-man captain, and there must be ten-man captains who were on his side under the flag captain.

Through this means, he could master this thousand-man unit as soon as possible. Moreover, with the data panel, he believed that he could master the army even better soon.

As the chiliarch who held absolute power, it was too easy for him to get rid of a few people at will.

In the evening, Derek arranged a small gathering. Besides his original subordinates, there were also a large number of junior officers.

For example, Adrian led a whole hundred-man unit and served as Derek's standard-bearer.

It could be said that when one person attains enlightenment, even his pets ascend to heaven.

If it were him, he might not have such an opportunity even if he struggled all his life.

Adrian was even more certain that his choice was correct.

A meal couldn't make everyone wholeheartedly devoted, but it could also increase some understanding.

Derek got to know his new subordinates one by one and said to them frankly: "The army is not a game. Maybe some of you have learned some military knowledge, but it's not enough to take on more responsibilities.

There are many tricks in marching formations, commanding soldiers, and even logistics management.

I come from a military noble family. I served in the Perez Knight Order during my knight career. I think I have more experience than all of you. If you have any questions in the future, you can ask me. Otherwise, when you are on the battlefield and delay the war opportunity, don't blame me for being unmerciful."

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With a justifiable reason, having shown his strength in public, and even having a background and military experience.

Maybe some people were not satisfied with Derek becoming the chiliarch, but those present definitely had no right to be dissatisfied.

Cesare had saved him a lot of trouble. These were truly excellent recruits.

Derek thought that the warhorse he gave away was well worth it.

The next day, the Second Legion set out in batches, winding its way forward.

Although ten thousand people didn't sound like a large number, it was already a huge army in this era.

Not everyone was qualified and capable of commanding such a huge army.

Even when marching, it wasn't a chaotic rush forward.

There were formations, batches, and sequences.

As a newcomer, Derek had no tasks. He just needed to march honestly.

And the direct troops of Count Perez also had to take on the vanguard duty of opening the way.

Some regular officers with kingdom duties were assigned quite a few tasks as well.

And the temporarily recruited army still needed to learn.

It was no wonder that others looked down on this temporary establishment. The difference was indeed huge.

However, the chiliarchs were all experienced officers, so there were no disruptions. As for the rest, they couldn't care about that much.

After trudging along slowly for five days, it had been fifteen days since the Iron Wall City was besieged.

On this day, there were the sounds of horses' hooves. The whole Second Legion was a bit restless.

Derek rode his horse to a high place to have a look. Count Pereira remained motionless. When the cavalry passed the tenth thousand-man unit, he saw a familiar sign.

"It's the Pereira Knight Order!"

The familiar eagle-headed flag, which he could see every day before.

He had been wondering why he hadn't seen the Pereira Knight Order before. He didn't expect it to come now.

Looking at the scale, it had doubled in size, and the formation was neat. These weren't randomly recruited soldiers.

"Knight squires, and knights who had served before."

Derek immediately understood. Every year, there were actually quite a few retired knights and knight squires like himself. Count Pereira couldn't afford to support so many people.

However, over time, even if the count had to lose money, he would still help the surrounding nobles and merchants train knights. He wasn't a saint.

When he needed manpower, with a recruitment order, a large number of former serving knights and knight squires would immediately join the Pereira Knight Order.

Bringing their own horses and weapons, these knights who had completed knight training and survived alone outside had no low combat effectiveness.

Integrated together, it was a powerful knight order.

Once the Pereira Knight Order arrived, the Second Legion of the Northern Province, which had just been preliminarily integrated, immediately accelerated.

During these days, the chiliarchs hadn't been idle either. They had all preliminarily controlled their troops.

The newly joined soldiers and farmers had also adapted to the rhythm of the army.

The sudden acceleration didn't cause any chaos. On the contrary, it looked orderly.

If they could find opportunities to fight a few battles, the Second Legion of the Northern Province would basically form its combat effectiveness.

"Truly a veteran who has been through many battles."

Derek had learned. All of this was the work of Count Pereira.

It seemed that there were no big moves, but in fact, through minor adjustments, the integration had been completed.

Of course, this was also because Count Pereira had a qualified group of officers. If a court noble were to come instead, I'm afraid he wouldn't even have recognized all the people's faces clearly.