Our Own Soldiers

When they arrived at their destination, Alexander Hayes finally let Lily Evans down.

"The armaments are hidden here?" Lily Evans looked around. This mountain, once a mining site, now had a hollowed-out interior with a complex structure—many large caverns, their dark openings making it an excellent place to stash things.

"That's right, it's here." Alexander Hayes nodded, snapped his fingers, and a guard emerged from one of the caverns in the mountain.

Led by the guard, Alexander Hayes and his party entered one of the caverns.

The cavern looked pitch-black at first, but after turning a corner, it opened up into a vast space, with rows of neatly stacked wooden crates.

Inside those crates were the armaments and weapons brought back this time.

"So many!" Alexander Hayes exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he looked at the crates.

Lily Evans smiled, "All the silver we earned from selling overseas goods went into buying these armaments, so of course there's a lot. I even paid for those spices myself."

Seeing Lily Evans flash that rich-lady grin, Alexander Hayes suddenly felt like he really was the guy living off his wife's fortune.

Though Alexander Hayes had the gold mine to support him, most of that money went to supplementing the soldiers' pay and improving their lives. If any of them died in battle, he wanted to make sure their families received generous compensation—only then would people be willing to risk their lives for him.

Raising tens of thousands of Hayes Regiment soldiers costs a fortune.

Without Lily Evans's silver, Alexander Hayes would have struggled to purchase such a large quantity of armaments.

The two opened several crates and inspected this batch of armaments.

Lily Evans said, "This batch of armaments was bought from Edward and the underground black market arms dealer. They're even better than the first batch we brought back."

Alexander Hayes took a handgun, carefully examined it, and said, "I've already selected the best of the Firestorm Battalion. Now everyone is secretly assembled here."

"Really that efficient?" Lily Evans blinked in surprise. Alexander Hayes had already rounded up the troops as soon as the armaments arrived.

"Come on, let me take my wife to review the troops!" Alexander Hayes said with a grin.

It was Lily Evans's first time reviewing the troops. Knowing they were her husband's soldiers, she couldn't help but feel excited and expectant.

The guards led a few men behind Hayes Mining Mountain. The area looked deserted, with nothing but excavated caverns, yet inside, these caves had been transformed into barracks housing three thousand elite Firestorm Battalion soldiers.

"Are there really three thousand elite soldiers here?" Lily Evans looked at the quiet cave entrances, amazed that so many could be hidden within.

Alexander Hayes said proudly, "Wife, all three thousand Firestorm Battalion elites were personally selected by me. The Hayes Regiment is filled with talented soldiers. This secret base is meant to stay hidden, so they must keep quiet most of the time."

With that, Alexander Hayes blew a special whistle. Suddenly, from the cave entrances, a mass of elite soldiers emerged.

The elite soldiers moved swiftly, assembling in perfect formation upon hearing the signal, ready for inspection by their general and his wife.

Among the three thousand elite soldiers, one with pale skin and short stature emerged from a cave. The moment he saw Alexander Hayes, his face lit up with wild joy.

But when his eyes fell on the woman beside Alexander Hayes, his expression suddenly turned dark and unreadable...