For the youth on Rostov, being able to join the Defense Force was a great honor.
The planet's population was mostly composed of Ecclesiarchy Pilgrims and criminals transferred from penal planets, while the ruling class consisted of collectively retired Astra Militarum.
Therefore, they had a strong cultural atmosphere of dedicating themselves to the Emperor.
And joining the Astra Militarum was undoubtedly the best way to dedicate oneself to the Emperor; at least for the common people of Rostov II, it was their best path to do so.
However, in the past, Rostov II did not have the qualification to provide the Department of Military Affairs with Astra Militarum, which meant that a large number of eligible young people on the planet could only settle for joining the Defense Force.
But the Defense Force was also constrained by the planet's economy and could not expand on a large scale, which left many young people unable to serve their country.
But now, after Alex succeeded as Governor, Rostov II not only gained the qualification to conscript Astra Militarum but also had the capital to expand its forces, so when the Defense Force recruited new soldiers, the eager young people almost burst the recruitment station.
Even so, when five regiments of Defense Force recruits were filled, there were still ten times that number of eligible youths eager to join the army and become sharp blades in the hands of the God-Emperor to strike down the Empire's enemies.
This was very evident to Paul.
As a retired veteran of the Defense Force, Paul clearly felt that he was very popular and respected by young people in his neighborhood recently.
Every now and then, young people would find him, occasionally pulling out a bottle of second-best liquor or a few protein bars to get close to him, hoping to find a way through him to join the Defense Force.
Paul did not directly refuse them, after all, the desire to serve the Empire was good, and he couldn't neglect these young people.
But he did not have the connections to get people into the Defense Force, nor did he have the authority to do so, even though he was a secret agent for the Governor's Office.
However, secret agents themselves need to hide their identities; doing certain things ostentatiously would be foolish behavior that exposes one's identity.
But after Paul reported this matter, a former comrade from his time in the Defense Force sought him out.
"Lieutenant Dimitri? You're a Lieutenant now? You've risen quickly!" Paul showed an envious expression looking at the officer's rank on his comrade's collar.
Hearing Paul's envy, Lieutenant Dimitri patted his shoulder and laughed, "If you were willing to stay in the army, you could also be a Lieutenant by now! The Department of Military Affairs conscripted three elite regiments, and the Governor's Office expanded by five more regiments, so the Defense Force is really short on veterans right now.
All the Xeno Hunters from our During the same period have been promoted to officers, and the luckiest ones are now Captains!
As long as they complete their military academy training, they can become Majors!"
At this point, Lieutenant Dimitri looked at the mechanical prosthetics installed on Paul's body, and couldn't help but sigh, saying with some regret, "It's just that you're stubborn. If you were willing to stay in the unit, your rank might even be higher than mine now!"
"So what? I'm already a cripple. Even with prosthetics, I'm not useless, but I can't go to the battlefield anymore." Paul shook his head, not feeling regretful: "A soldier who can't go to the battlefield? Are you insulting me? Staying in a training camp to drill new recruits? That kind of retirement job isn't for me. I don't want to be a burden to the Defense Force for the rest of my life."
Hearing Paul say this, Lieutenant Dimitri said nothing more, just patted his shoulder again, then pulled a bottle of Amasec from his pocket.
"Amasec? It looks like your Lieutenant's salary is quite generous!" Paul's face immediately broke into a smile when he saw the bottle of fine wine, something they couldn't even dream of in the past.
Paul found two cups from the corner, and he and Lieutenant Dimitri sat down at the small table, each pouring a cup.
"To those who died." Paul raised his cup, clinked it with Lieutenant Dimitri's, and then poured the wine into his mouth.
Lieutenant Dimitri also said, "To those who didn't make it."
Recalling their comrades who died on the battlefield, neither of them said anything else.
The casualties of the Rostov Defense Force had always been low in the past, as they were only fighting rebellious criminals or gang-like entities. Even if the Defense Force's equipment wasn't great, there wouldn't be any major casualties.
But after Alex arrived, the intensity of the wars they faced increased significantly.
Although Paul and Lieutenant Dimitri were both Xeno Hunters who survived, having personally experienced it, they clearly knew how cruel the Xeno Hunter assessment truly was.
At least half the people didn't return each time; the casualties were simply tragic.
Not to mention, later they directly faced the attacks of xeno armies, fighting even more fiercely, and losing even more good comrades.
Lieutenant Dimitri saying that all the Xeno Hunters from their same period had been promoted to officers actually indirectly indicated the heavy casualties.
Because only when casualties are huge and the unit is replenished with a large number of new recruits will veterans be promoted on a large scale to fill the shortage of officers.
The two chatted for a few more moments about their time in the army, and then Paul asked about Lieutenant Dimitri's purpose: "Alright, I know you didn't come to me just to drink. Tell me what's on your mind."
"Hmm, it's about the situation you reported. The Governor's Office and the Defense Force discussed it and felt that just leaving these young people idle isn't a solution, so they hope retired veterans like you can organize them." Lieutenant Dimitri said simply.
"Organize them, into a gang?" Paul couldn't help but feel a little disappointed; clearly, this was not the outcome he wanted.
Gangs, one could say, have existed since humanity was on Holy Terra, and they have never been absent throughout humanity's forty-thousand-year history.
For the current Empire, existences like Hive gangs are simply too common.
And don't look down on them; Hive gangs in the 40k era are not like the small-time thugs of the 3k era. There are truly talented individuals among them.
For example, among the Hive gangs of Nekromunda, one serves as a source of Space Marine recruits, and Chapters like the Imperial Fists often recruit from these Hive gangs.
This also led to many Space Marines from various Chapters being rebellious youths who ran with gangs when they were young.
But for Paul, he very much hoped that those young people who yearned to contribute to the Empire would not turn into a bunch of gang members.
"No, according to the Governor's Office's explanation, it should be called the Militia Reserve." Lieutenant Dimitri shook his head, pulled a small booklet from his pocket, and handed it to Paul.
Paul took it, seeing the large characters 'Militia Training Manual' written in High Gothic on the cover.
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