That's not how you use a witch!

Chapter 54 Remembering the Heroes

When he heard the militiamen shouting "Lord!" and saluting according to military regulations, old Neil thought he had arrived in heaven.

He knew that Ronan was young, promising, and approachable. The Thorn Territory's current status was thanks to this remarkable lord—such a great man must be very busy, how could he have time to care about a dying man like him?

However, the eyes do not lie.

As Old Neil's vision blurred, he saw the militiamen part to make way for him: Ronan walked towards him, still wearing the armor he had been wearing in battle; behind him, the three witches had also arrived.

"My lord..."

Old Neil wore an expression of being both flattered and helpless. "I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I can't bow to you..."

"No, it is I who should bow to you."

Ronan saluted and solemnly expressed his respect to him and all the militiamen.

He then told old Neil not to worry about his funeral arrangements, as his wife and daughters would be well taken care of. They would receive a generous monthly pension, as well as various subsidies including food, clothing, and charcoal.

He took this opportunity to announce to all militia members that the militia would establish a department called the Military Family Affairs Office, which would be responsible for taking care of the families of the wounded and killed soldiers. The personnel would be selected directly from the militia to ensure that the families of the heroes would not be forgotten or neglected.

This suggestion received unanimous and strong support from all the militiamen present, and several of those in Old Neil's group immediately expressed their willingness to join.

Old Neil's wife and daughters, who had already stopped crying, couldn't help but start crying again, and they cried even harder than before.

"Thank you for your grace and kindness, now I can leave in peace..."

Old Neil closed his eyes, tears streaming down his face.

Ronan approached Iron Nail again, and seeing the latter excitedly trying to get up, he quickly stopped him and bent down instead.

"I remember you."

Ronan said softly, "I'm sorry, I accidentally gave you an unfair judgment back then."

"No... sir... thank you, thank you so much..."

Perhaps because of excitement, or perhaps because of habit, Tie Ding stuttered a little, as if he was trying very hard to pronounce each word clearly.

"Zhi, no one has ever treated me like a human being before... You, you are different, Thorn Territory is different. I am very happy to become a member of the militia."

After saying that, Tie Ding paused for a moment before remembering that he had been specially recruited into the army. Strictly speaking, he was still in his probationary period and had not yet been officially enlisted.

"But, unfortunately..."

Iron Nail sighed haltingly, "I'm not... not a real militiaman..."

"No, you already are."

Ronan placed his hand on his forehead and declared, word by word, "In the name of the Thorn Lord, you are one of the finest and bravest militiamen I have ever seen. I am proud of you, and the militia is proud of you!"

After he finished speaking, a round of applause broke out around him.

Iron Nail laughed, tears blurring his vision, but he saw that Old Neil, the team leader lying beside the bed, was also laughing.

"Thank you, thank you so much..."

Iron Nail closed his eyes. "If there is an afterlife, I will return to Thorn Territory and serve as your militia again..."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

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That night, Old Neil and Ironnail left Thornhold in peace.

Ronan stayed with them until their last breath, along with the militia representatives present, and then buried them together with the militiamen in the forests on both sides of the Fulong Valley.

In a calm atmosphere, Ronan presided over a simple funeral, which was attended by all the battalion commanders and group leaders, with the remaining militia members participating voluntarily.

Apart from a few militiamen on duty and patrolling, most people arrived at the scene.

After properly burying the six martyrs, Ronan erected a monument among their graves:

Eternal glory to the heroes who sacrificed their lives in the fight against internal and external enemies, in defending their homeland and striving for happiness!

After the funeral, Fermi stood before the tombstone, lost in thought for a long time.

People die in war; that's only natural. When he was defeated by the rebels in the North, many of his comrades died, but he didn't feel this way then, nor did anyone else.

They simply obeyed orders numbly, faced the enemy numbly, fled numbly, and lived numbly.

When did they start to change?

What changed them?

As Fermi pondered, he saw a familiar figure beside him—his battalion commander, Howard, had also arrived. Before being incorporated into the Thorn Territory, Howard had been the superior of many.

Although he gave people a refined and cultured impression at that time, he would never be affected by the deaths of a few soldiers.

At that moment, however, he saluted the grave of the nail, even though he was not particularly close to the militiaman.

Yes, it was the Thornhold that changed him, and changed them...

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The next morning, Howard knocked on Ronan's office door.

"Did you need something from me?"

Ronan poured him a cup of tea.

"Sir, I suggest that we add the remembrance and commemoration of war heroes to the school curriculum, and we should especially teach these things to children..."

Huo Dewei took the teacup but didn't drink it. He talked a lot in one breath, from the educational significance and sense of belonging to the cohesion, to the specific implementation measures, including adapting the relevant deeds into stories for dissemination, and organizing the leaders to regularly sweep the tombs and commemorate them.

"sure."

After listening attentively and taking some simple notes, Ronan smiled and said, "To be honest, I'm both surprised and pleased that you brought these things up with me. You have indeed changed a lot."

"Thanks to your guidance."

"What about Grant? He must have been involved in these ideas too."

"Yes, in fact, he contributed more than I did... but after the funeral, Grant locked himself in his room to write and hasn't slept a wink all night."

"That's good, he's a child with a good personality."

Ronan chuckled and waved his hand, "Remind him to also take a break and not exhaust himself. The battle is not yet won, we still need to work hard."

No sooner had Howard left than Madonna walked into the office and silently placed a plate of fried eggs and bread in front of Ronan.

"You should eat breakfast."

"Don't worry, I remember..."

"You said that half an hour ago, but you didn't eat it. This has been reheated."

Ronan had no choice but to surrender, promising never to do it again, and then finished his breakfast in front of the girl.

The girl's slightly puffed-up cheeks relaxed a bit. While Ronan was eating breakfast, she went behind him and gave him a massage.

"You've actually been planning to commemorate those militia members who sacrificed their lives and establish a military dependents' home for a long time, haven't you?"

"Yes. From a practical point of view, remembering heroes is an indispensable and powerful force for increasing combat effectiveness and cohesion. An army without heroes is an army without hope. Putting aside utilitarian considerations, they deserve our remembrance."

At this point, Ronan sighed.

"Although I know that battles inevitably bring sacrifices... when the sacrifices actually occur, I still can't remain indifferent."

"Don't overthink it. You've already done a great job."

Meidel paused, then asked with a hint of anticipation, "If I were to sacrifice myself one day, would you also..."

"That day will never come."

Before she could finish speaking, Ronan cut her off decisively, saying, "As long as I live, that day will never come."

"I mean, if..."

There are no "ifs".

"All right."

After being interrupted twice in a row without any reason, the girl raised the corners of her mouth and smiled brightly.

Just then, Scarlett flew into the office and landed on Ronan's bread slice with a raptor-like landing.

"This is bad! Do you know what people outside are saying about you?"

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