A week later, at the new recruit training ground outside Wood Fort, more than thirty Soldiers dismissed by the Legion and newly recruited young adults were still undergoing training here under Tuba, the Third Company Commander, and Bangda and Klaus, two Squad Leaders.
“Guys, you’ll have to work hard these next few days. Art has already ordered an assessment for the Soldiers of the New Recruit Team to begin in two days. This is to test your training results. The best performing recruits will be promoted to Soldiers and form the Third Company; qualified recruits will be dispatched to the Patrol Team, Border Outpost, or merchant caravans; Soldiers with poor performance will be removed from the army to become farmers in Wood Fort and will automatically transfer to the Valley Guard’s farmer-Soldiers. If the army expands, the Valley Guard’s farmer-Soldiers will be prioritized for recruitment.”
“The new recruit assessment in two days will mainly consist of two parts: first, an assessment of individual combat skills, including physical endurance, weapon usage, and multi-person combat. Second, an assessment of new recruit battle formation training. The content of this battle formation assessment will mainly be the new type of battle formation we have been practicing in recent days.”
“Alright, now Bangda and Klaus will each lead you in training.”
Bangda and Klaus took their orders and each led a dozen new recruits to begin training.
After the new recruits began training, Tuba turned and bowed slightly to Art, asking, “Sir, what do you think?”
Art’s eyes were fixed on the new recruits training the new battle formation with sticks and wooden shields. He said to Tuba, “Odo, Angus, and I have recently been busy training the Soldiers to familiarize themselves with the new battle formation, so we haven’t had time to attend to the New Recruit Team’s training. You few will have to put in more effort. I told you before that most of the Soldiers for your Third Company will be selected from the New Recruit Team. If you train the new recruits well, your Third Company’s combat power won’t be too bad in the future. Klaus has experienced hundreds of battles and is a rare warrior. You must utilize him well and seek his guidance often. Although you are his superior, there’s nothing shameful about humbly seeking advice.”
Tuba nodded, accepting the instruction.
“Oh, by the way, I plan to officially form an Archery Squad soon. We are already selecting archers from the Soldiers. You should also select some from the New Recruit Team.”
“Yes, Sir!”
On the other side of the training ground, Odo was selecting Soldiers who were relatively good at archery but not strong in close combat to be considered as crossbow team candidates. The several Company Commanders and Squad Leaders standing by looked displeased at having people poached from their teams.
In front of the archery target nearby, Jason, formerly of the Sentry Cavalry, was testing the selected crossbow candidates with Smith, a mercenary archer who had recently joined the Legion.
Watching a Soldier’s arms start trembling after only firing five arrows, the slightly stuttering Smith quietly said to Jason, “J-Jason, b-brother, th-this w-won’t do. He has no strength in his hands. He can’t pull the string many times.”
This was Jason’s fourth time changing teams, from infantry to cavalry, from cavalry to infantry part time archer, then back from infantry to cavalry, and now he was transferred to form a specialized Archery Squad. However, Jason was truly happy this time because Art had promoted him to be the Captain of the newly formed Archery Squad, which was a promotion.
Smith, who was beside him, was a mercenary archer who had recently joined the Valley. After completing basic training in the New Recruit Team, he, along with Lusignan and Felix, Art’s brother-in-law, were directly promoted to Legion Soldiers. For a mercenary who had experienced battles, this was the generous treatment he deserved. After being promoted to Soldier, Smith was not good at battle formation training, and his personal combat skills were very average, but his archery was excellent. Therefore, Art directly treated him as an elite archer and assigned him to Jason, who was forming the Archery Squad, to serve as Deputy Captain. Art’s original intention was for Smith to be Captain and Jason to be Deputy, but mercenary Smith had only recently joined and didn't speak fluently, so Art was not entirely at ease, which is why he made him a subordinate. However, Smith was very pleasantly surprised, because in his previous mercenary legions, archers were not treated favorably; even the treatment of ordinary infantry was higher than his.
Jason looked at the Soldier currently shooting arrows and turned his head, replying helplessly to Smith, “There’s no choice. All the officers cherish the Soldiers in their teams and won’t easily let them leave. They only pick out the weakest and least capable Soldiers for us to choose from.”
What Jason said was true. The Soldiers who had been selected months ago were basically the elite backbone remaining in each Company and Squad. How could the Squad Leaders and Company Commanders easily send them to the Archery Squad? So, after much picking and choosing, only two or three Soldiers with slightly inferior combat power were sent to Jason for consideration.
“Th-this won’t d-do. Art wants us to pick four more archers. Th-this isn’t enough.”
Aside from the two crossbows and two bows allocated to the Border Outpost and the Patrol Team station in Jushi Town, the Wood Fort armory now has more than a dozen bows and four crossbows. Officers and Soldiers in the Legion who can shoot arrows have been individually equipped with bows. Additionally, Art plans to form a six-person specialized crossbow team to provide long-range fire support for the army.
“Art also anticipated this outcome, but even if we select enough Soldiers now, it’s not easy for them to immediately meet the requirements for combat. As an archer, you must know that archery is not like a heavy hammer or chain; it takes at least three to five years of training to develop. So, Art told me that the Archery Squad will primarily use crossbows, as they are easier to train with and Soldiers can pick them up more quickly.”
North of Wood Fort, at the edge of the dense forest in the valley.
Angus, the Legion Lieutenant, was leading the Sentry Cavalry on a patrol mission, also taking the opportunity to train the cavalry. Since Lusignan and Felix, Art’s brother-in-law, joined the Sentry Cavalry with two cavalry attendants, the Sentry Cavalry’s combat power instantly increased by several levels.
When there are more talented people, conflicts are inevitable. Those who can join the Sentry Cavalry are all capable individuals, and naturally, they are not easily swayed.
First, there was Lusignan, a mercenary cavalryman who was the second son of a knight. He was not born a commoner, had participated in the Holy War, was experienced and knowledgeable, and possessed strong martial Arts skills. Therefore, he was not very impressed with the young Sentry Cavalry Captain, Roan. Since he joined the Sentry Cavalry and became Deputy Captain, he had always felt discontent towards Roan. However, Roan was Art’s personal bodyguard and confidant. Although young, he had experienced many battles and shed much enemy blood, so Lusignan could grudgingly accept him.
But Lusignan’s attitude towards the newly joined Young Master Felix was not so friendly.
Felix was not essentially a dandy, but he was indeed the Baron’s only son, inherently possessing a sense of arrogance. Coupled with his accustomed authority in Sap Fort, after joining the Arthur Legion, he did not show much reverence or friendliness towards others, except for his brother-in-law Art and his similarly aged friend Roan. His relationship with Lusignan, who came from a mercenary background, was particularly strained.
Lusignan considered himself experienced and battle-hardened, and often acted as an elder brother or senior towards the fifteen-year-old Felix. Furthermore, as a knight’s second son, Lusignan felt an inexplicable aversion towards Felix, who was a first-born son. Therefore, Lusignan often used his position as Deputy Captain to make things difficult for Felix; and Felix, relying on his status, ignored Lusignan’s orders. Both had their pride, and neither would yield to the other.
Roan, the Sentry Cavalry Captain, was not good at handling such complex relationships, and Angus, the Legion Lieutenant who directly oversaw the Sentry Cavalry, disdained to meddle in such matters. As long as it didn’t affect combat, he didn’t care about the petty squabbles among Soldiers. As he told Art, only those who had crawled out of a bloodbath together would become brothers.
On the wasteland at the edge of the dense forest, several rows of wooden stakes with straw dummies stood about a hundred paces away. A line was drawn thirty paces in front of the straw dummies. Angus sat on his warhorse, with five javelins (spears) in the saddlebag behind the saddle. He smoothly took out a javelin and held it in his hand, saying to Lusignan and Felix, who were staring at each other on their horses, “Listen carefully, aren’t you two both unconvinced? See those straw dummies over there? Gallop seventy paces on your horse, then throw the javelin at the line. Five javelins each. The one who hits more wins, and the loser will groom the winner’s horse for three days.”
“Lusignan, you first!”
Upon hearing this, Lusignan lightly squeezed his horse’s belly, and his warhorse stepped forward. Although Lusignan had received cavalry training since childhood and had been fighting on horseback for years, the skill of throwing a javelin while galloping was something he had only recently encountered. He turned sideways, pulled a javelin from the saddlebag, raised his hand over his shoulder, and gently kicked his horse with his spurs. The warhorse beneath him began to move forward slowly. After about twenty paces, the horse’s speed suddenly increased. The tip of the javelin in Lusignan’s hand tilted upwards. Before reaching the line, Lusignan threw the javelin using the horse’s speed. The javelin flew high with astonishing momentum from the galloping warhorse and Lusignan’s arm strength. Then Lusignan turned his horse’s head and galloped sideways along the line on the ground, looking very dashing.
However, the javelin did not hit; to be precise, it flew over by more than ten paces.
“Mere showmanship,” Felix scoffed at Lusignan’s performance.
“Your turn!” Angus said to Felix.
Felix was more serious when learning to throw javelins. He recalled the javelin throwing techniques Angus usually taught, made his warhorse run at a steady speed, and at the line, forcefully threw the javelin in his hand. The javelin hit a straw dummy’s thigh. Seeing their master hit on his first try, Felix’s two attendants cheered loudly.
However, Lusignan, having adjusted his strength, then hit twice in a row, while Felix’s next three javelins all fell into the gaps between the straw dummies.
In the end, both of them only hit two javelins out of five.
Both returned defeated. Angus glanced at the two of them, then gripped the reins horizontally and sharply squeezed his horse’s belly. The warhorse neighed and charged forward. About thirty paces before reaching the line, Angus threw a javelin. The javelin arced through the air and hit the straw dummy’s abdomen directly. The excitement wasn't over yet; after throwing the first javelin, Angus leaned back and pulled another javelin from the saddlebag. Before the horse’s hooves reached the line, the second javelin had already flown out, hitting again.
Angus turned his horse’s head, and the warhorse lifted its hooves and turned sideways, galloping along the line on the ground.
Returning to the gaping crowd, Angus yelled at Lusignan and Felix, “Useless things! All you know is squabbling all day. You two, groom the entire team’s horses for three days!”