Chapter 46: Armored Sergeants
Jerusalem. Constance Manor.
Ryan watched with utter boredom as Moder trained the new recruits. Assembling in formation, marching with staves, left and right turns, squatting and standing, square formation, round formation... A mess of shuffling footsteps kicked up dust throughout the once clean and tidy manor.
"Everyone, stand at attention where you are! No whispering, no unauthorized movements, until the church bell rings!" Moder shouted, his face stern.
With his full beard and an expression that was naturally imposing without anger, he was better suited than Ryan to be a drill instructor for new recruits.
He held a horsewhip in his hand, and if he noticed anyone making an unauthorized move, the whip would immediately descend.
Under the scorching sun, the new recruits, clad in full armor, were already drenched in sweat. If not for the higher wages offered by Constance Manor and a diet far superior to that of soldiers conscripted by the Kingdom of Jerusalem, these men would never have been able to endure such tedious training. In their view, this kind of training was useless, purely designed to torment them, and did nothing to improve their chances of survival on the battlefield. They thought hacking away at a target dummy with a wooden sword would be more useful.
A full quarter of an hour passed before the church bell finally rang. The new recruits immediately let out a sigh of relief, slumping down to squat or sit on the ground.
"Remove armor and rest!" Moder ordered. "Next, I will teach you how to maintain your armor and weapons. I think you should all be very clear about the value of the armor you wear. It's more precious than you yourselves and is the fundamental means of preserving your lives on the battlefield!"
The new recruits' expressions turned grim; they certainly knew how much a suit of armor was worth. Before they came to the Holy Land, when they were conscripted peasant soldiers or city militiamen, their lords would never have given them armor. That was a privilege reserved only for the lord's personal guard. This was one of the reasons the new recruits could endure such training.
Ryan watched Moder explain these basic principles, sitting lazily in the shade of a tree. After a while, the explanation ended. The new recruits began another long process of standing.
Moder walked over, under the blazing sun. If he took off his helmet, water could probably be poured out of it.
"I know Milord intends to train the discipline of these armored sergeants, so they can be commanded with ease on the battlefield and not be easily routed by a cavalry charge. But this kind of training is simply too boring, and none of those subjects brought from Austria are any good either."
Moder frowned. "Ryan, training new troops is inherently a tedious and boring affair. But you must know, this new army is our future foundation. How well they are trained directly affects our future prospects." Moder's eyes flashed with a fervent heat. "Don't you want to be like those knightly lords, clad in gleaming armor, dominating the battlefield?"
"I do, but you've seen them. These idiots can't even tell left from right. Practicing a simple turn, they scatter like a frightened flock of sheep. In such a state, how could they possibly satisfy Milord?"
"Then we add more training!" Moder gritted his teeth.
The training of this group of new recruits was indeed somewhat unsatisfactory. Although they were physically strong, most were illiterate, and very few had ever attended a church school.
If they couldn't even distinguish left from right, how could they form a dense formation and advance in step? If they couldn't even form proper ranks, they were just conscripts in armor—all show and no substance.
Just then, the sound of horse hooves slowly approached from the street. A knight clad in Saracen-style black scale armor slowly rode into the manor, under the astonished gazes of Ryan and Moder.
"Halt, who goes there! This is Lord Lothar's private manor! No visitors allowed!"
"Infidel! You defile this pure land!" Ryan and Moder immediately picked up their weapons and surrounded him. Several subjects on guard duty also followed with their weapons; they had trained the longest and had already acquired basic combat capabilities.
"It's only been half a month since we parted, and you don't even recognize me?" a familiar voice sounded.
The expressions on Ryan and Moder instantly turned to joyful surprise.
"It's Milord's voice!"
"The Master has returned!"
Without Lothar, they were like a body without a backbone. Although Ryan and Moder were good soldiers, they didn't yet have the ability to take charge independently.
The knight removed the face covering and headscarf wrapped around his face. "Ryan, Moder, it's been a long time."
Lothar cast his gaze towards the new recruits who were undergoing standing drill. Although their faces were full of surprise and curiosity, they didn't break ranks and crowd around to watch the commotion. Moder's arguably harsh training was already showing initial results.
Lothar thrust the horse's reins into Ryan's hand and walked straight to the new recruits. "This is my first meeting with you, my soldiers. I am your lord and the one to whom you pledge allegiance, and also the employer who pays your wages. Your training is good. Keep it up."
After speaking, he instructed Moder, "Extra rations tonight. Give everyone some meat to eat."
The new recruits immediately cheered.
"Long live!"
"May the Heavenly Father bless you, generous lord!"
"Praise be to you!"
Hans, Banu, and Fringilla then slowly walked into the manor.
"It's been so long, my dear brothers!" Hans, tears in his eyes, threw his arms around Ryan and Moder.
"L-long time no see." The two were startled by Hans's enthusiasm.
"Brothers, find some reliable men to carry the bags from the horses, and then take good care of these poor beasts. They've had a terribly hard journey!" Hans, no longer needing to do menial chores, felt completely liberated.
Just then, Lothar called out, "Moder, you continue the training. Ryan, come with me. I need to understand what has happened in the manor recently."
"Milord, please follow me first." Ryan led Lothar to the storeroom and, pointing to the neatly arranged military equipment, said, "There are one hundred iron spearheads here, sixty leather-covered round shields and kite shields, various armor plates for repairing mail, and over ten hammers and one-handed maces. There are also three bows and two crossbows."
Pope Innocent II had once issued an edict banning bows and crossbows, strictly prohibiting their use against Christian brothers, but hardly any feudal monarchs paid any attention to it. Forbidding crossbows and all other ranged weapons, that would be like crippling oneself.
Moreover, this was Jerusalem, and Lothar would be using bows and crossbows against the "despicably evil" infidels.
"Well done. Having some bows and crossbows is enough. No need to invest a lot of effort into them. For now, the main focus is still training armored sergeants."
Lothar had no intention of forming large units of light infantry, as light infantry was only somewhat effective against unarmored troops. Against fully armed knights and armored sergeants, they were merely a nuisance.
He also didn't plan to form mounted archers. Firstly, the training difficulty was high; for non-nomads, mastering mounted archery, even shooting from a stationary horse, required a great deal of training. Secondly, mounted archery in this era, due to the much shorter range of cavalry bows compared to foot bows and their inability to penetrate iron armor, was practically useless.
The reason the Tartar (Tatar) cavalry was so powerful was due to their advanced organizational form and the extremely high mobility gained from having a predominantly cavalry force, not because of their mounted archers.
Among the Tartar cavalry, a considerable portion were heavy armored cavalry, and their overall armor rate was far higher than that of most armies of this era, including the Crusaders.
To make an inappropriate analogy, Crusader cavalry were like Tiger tanks, and Tartar cavalry were like T-34s; each had its strengths and weaknesses.
But in this era, the loosely organized, individual hero-wannabe Crusader knights with their rigid tactics stood absolutely no chance against the Tartar cavalry.
He had gained considerable wealth from this raid on Kaukab's castle. If he was to build a force, he had to build the king of this era: heavy armored cavalry. As for where the recruits would come from, he was still considering it.
Leaving the storeroom, Lothar followed Ryan to observe the training of the armored sergeants and couldn't help but nod inwardly.
Unlike Ryan and Moder's high expectations, Lothar knew that to recruit and train such a troop in just half a month was already quite good.
Moreover, many of these sergeants had seen blood. The path of a pilgrim was fraught with danger; those who made it to the Holy Land alive possessed both luck and ability in no small measure. Therefore, this unit of armored sergeants actually already possessed initial combat capability. Another month or so of training, and they should be ready for the battlefield.
Lothar patted Moder's shoulder. "You two have done well during this time. After the training is over, go and procure some seeds and farming tools. While you're at it, see if there are any blacksmiths or carpenters. The smithy and carpentry workshop in the manor can't just be left idle. Is there someone dedicated to looking after the stables? These fine animals need meticulous care. If they get sick, they must be quarantined promptly."
These eight Arabian warhorses they had brought back were all top-quality animals, worth at least three hundred gold coins altogether.
As Lothar was chattering on, a rush of urgent hoofbeats came from outside the manor. A Royal Knight of Jerusalem, wearing a red and white surcoat, stopped at the manor gate and said urgently, "Knight Lothar, His Majesty summons you! You are to go to the palace for an audience immediately!"
Lothar quickly replied, "I understand. Please allow me to change my clothes first."
The knight shook his head. "No need. After you enter the palace, someone will attend to your bathing and change of attire."
***
Hey everyone,
First off, huge apologies for the radio silence on new chapters these past few days! Life sometimes throws a curveball when you least expect it, making it tricky to stick to the usual posting schedule.
There might be days when updates are a little irregular, or I might even miss a day or two. But I promise, I'll always make it up to you with extra chapters or longer ones afterward. Think of it as building suspense, but with a guaranteed happy ending (and more content!).
Thanks so much for your patience and for sticking with me.
Cheers.