Volume 4 – Chapter 2 (1/2)
Character in this chapter:
Cohen Kheda: The main character Moya, Wilder, Jack, Marfa: Cohen’s friends and firm supporters Kennen: Windsor’s brother, Dark City project administrator A vampire Fischer: Cohen’s friend and prince of the Swabia E
I walked into theroom and sat at the far corner inside The whole room instantly beca held in the Dark City Hall after my body had recovered
The people who sat byat all of my brothers who had sat opposite to us, I felt an incomprehensible sense of disconnection
”Okay, let's begin” I knocked the table withattached to it The Ice Tear Gem from Winslet was placed on it
”Sir, reporting!” Kennen, the vampire, stood up and said with a serious tone, ”A stone wall spanning the length of a hness has requested”
”Good!” I nodded with satisfaction, ”I will see to it later on”
”Reporting!” Wilder who sat in the front row also stood up, ”The DMA (Depart order The detailed plan is currently being laid down We’ll be able to hand it in to
”Ensure that it is thorough” I did not have high hopes on the results of their first recruiting plan, because suchit with utmost caution I was happy for them I have the ability to correct the errors on a plan, however it was impossible to correct faulty attitudes
DMA was a estions It was responsible for all the ared by Wilder and Moya, however, Martin Luther was secretly behind the preparations of it all I did not intend to ht attention of others Thus, no independent Army Corps were established
”Reporting!” Moya stood up with an i manner as if no one could stop him, which made me a bit surprised
”Regarding the co plan you have proposed!” Moya eyed the table in front ofopinions”
I was distracted, ”Continue”
”I mean” Moya confronted his e our last battle The depart out ways fix theested, do we truly need to train our soldiers with authentic swords and spears that could potentially threat their lives?”
”In a battle, the death rate of rookies and experienced ones are different! Basically, the ratio of this is five to one!” I was sure that this was not Moya’s idea alone, ”That’s because our soldiers aren’t properly trained and do notkno to protect the plan will give our soldiers a real sense of war and make them experienced warriors in the shortest time possible! It’s worth the cost”
”But, my Lord! In a war, people die! We can’t control that…” Moya puffed up his stubbornness, and was not stepping down, ”But, you cannot justify their deaths if they are killed by our own people”
”It is possible to trade the victory of the next ith acasualties Such a cost is acceptable!” I stood up and said, ”Do you consider this to be brutal?”
”It’s not… my Lord!” Moya paused, ”It’s almost cruelty!”
I barely recognized this friend standing in front of aze did not look one bit like the Moya I knew anymore At that moment, I came to the realisation that this was not a dispute between us two, but instead the conflict between two differing mindsets
The rest of the people in the rooued Wilder, who sat behind Moya lowered his head as if he was not a part of this But I knew, he taught
”I say, you guys can talk it out Take it easy!” Fischer who sat behind said, ”You all have a point, though with the same purpose”
Publicly as well as privately, I was not going to reject Fischer’s advice
”Before the cos for our soldiers” I stabilizedthe regular trainings, there will be imen”
”But…”
”The coive our men a full sense of what real warfare are like It is also capable of testing the training results” I raised a hand to stop Moya anted to add , ”I intend to split the whole training project into a single tactic subject so that the soldiers will easily familiarize themselves”
”Our day to day training is as if to let a soldier stab aiets, let alone the targets’ advantages or weaknesses I can aloes out to the battlefield He will find it unfa how their enemies will act; how little he knows about them; hoill deal with a hostile opponent in an environment where millions of arrows fly around The shi+eld: is it supposed to be protecting his head or covering his chest? If the ene in, hoill he survive the attack? If he is lost from the enemy’s sprint, hoill he survive in a place where there are no friendly comrades around him?”
I said my words calmly, however I knew that my comments will shock all of them, ”Neither do I wish for my soldiers to train under such methods I value their lives as much as I valuewar, I have thus given my proposal”
”We…” Moya licked his dried lips Anyone who talked with me while I had a poker face on was bound to be under extreme pressure
”I know Youcommander” I said with a smile, ”On the other hand, I see that you are very devoted to your duty I am elated You, as a coh your bravery and wisdo opinion from that of your boss’s one Besides that, we still have plenty of other measures to prepare in case of accidents before the actual co
What I said was seely to praise Moya, but in actuality was e Wilder euphemistically
”I see…” Moya, as praised sed…”
”Don’t question your boss, buddy!” I said, ”Or I’ll kick your ass…”
Everyone chuckled, and thus the roohter than ever The other subjects thereafter passed on smoothly
The gains froht, t not only within the City Hall, but also shaped a good convention within the entire Dark City ement system, which allowed I, as well all other city officials to have the chance to channel in our subordinate’s opinions
Thus, all kinds of near-issued decrees were perfected, a forces to iular ive me a headache froradually growing city officials who began to have opinions of their own
For they would have developed self-confidence and be able to say confidently, ”Your Excellency, my dear friend if you cannot convince me, how are you supposed to ask me to convince my men out of no reason to do the job?”
Starting fro of the Dark City construction project were served with ‘feasts’ on a daily basis
Two hours before dawn, they would be woken up by their fierce tiger-and-wolf-like co horse whips The officers yelled or scolded to urge theear up and stand in formation Under the sky filled with stars and the chill of the air, the soldiers were forced to welco field outside the Dark City The team to finish last would have their breakfast reduced by half The officers called this ‘Appetizer before breakfast’
After eating the real breakfast did the soldiers truly start the day’s training
The pike and combination meant to kill a thousand ti a hundred ti practice, a hundred ti bows As for the horseh horse supplies yet, thus they were gazed aed in mock battles over and over on horses made out of hts who looked like that ‘Came off the mud-horse’ was one of their frequent proud tales As of now, they never stopped co about their constantly dirtied clothes Whereas the unlucky bastards ere too lazy to do laundry had half of their lunch reduced, plus a special reward of ten slashes
After lunch, the soldiers would spend an hour listening to the officers’ lectures on tactics, and restore power in theor small, which were experienced first-handedly by the army commanders were imprinted to the men’s brains By the way, they also coements had taken away the time for their prayers
Soon after that, they had realized such coht have been better off asking tricky questions to eovernor once said, ”If any of my soldiers’ asses were kicked because the officer can’t answer their questions, I’ll ht vulnerable by an officer, there was nothing to be afraid of Because the great Lord Viceroy also said, ”The officers are allowed to kick asses, but with reasons However, don’t you dare kick too hard, because you need him to be alive to kick him next time”
Thus, the soldiers had a reason to believe that asking e questions to the officers was rather safe
Often, at the beginning, such questions like ”Sir! I think you are right, but what if the enemies attack from the back?” would frequently come up
At that time, the officer would sently, ”Honestly, I haven’t encountered such situations However, I think we can conduct a s troop!”
Then a raged battle began… the losing team was cut half on their dinners
The soldiers looked at their halved dinner and was suddenly reht squad had not paid his ood hts had not received their horses
In this case, another inquiry to counter the officers was, ”Sir! If it were a single encounter, and the enehts What should we do?”
”You guys are keen learners! Okay, let ive you a friendly match, with the cavalry squad…”
Hearing this, the infantry people were already anticipating the results
A squad of knights with heavy arhtly-dressed infantries Because the ‘knights’ did not have horses, they were in agony while the infantry people sniggered The horsemen without horses were like mini buns that could be sed one at a time
Result one: Infantry won, the knights’ dinners were cut by half
Result two: Infantry won big tihts’ dinner was canceled (If the subordinates were so useless, the commander would lose his mind), the infantry teaood stuff when his men won him honor)
However, there was always a gap between dream and reality
Because if the match was seen by another senior officer who ‘accidentally’ passed by and he ‘accidentally’ said, ”How could a horseuest horses…”
Thus, the final result was: A group of knights rode a team of infantry and lost to another infantry squad The horsemen’s dinners were cut in half The infantrymen who played as horses hadtheir dinner canceled and was rewarded three slashes (Their officer lost his mind)
After dinner, the squad officers would report to DMA for one or two hours This was the happiest time of all soldiers They all could stand on the field fence and roar to the suns and ainst the archers frohborhood squads
So to speak, all should be finished before the officers come back, because no one could tell as the officer’s mood when they returned from DMA There were once a squad as rewarded with a piece of ainst another teaes were seasoned with spice and black pepper, and were so delicious that it could drive anyone mad There once was a tea three circles on the training field naked because the whole tea in the river when the commander came back as well
”Your Excellency!” A big and tall soldier came toward me and saluted, ”We, a hundred as ordered, at your service!”
”Is anyone of you an officer?” I gained interest while looking at these hundred uy beside me
”You’ve asked for the best from the last battle!” Jack answered, ”So no officers!”
”Why?” I said, ”Our officers aren’t good?”
”Er…”
”You don’t know or you don’t wanna say?” Surely I wanted to know the reason
”I know!” Jack said, ”Because the officers offered their chance to the subordinates”