Chapter 131
"Like the instructor?!" Arsinis laughed. "If that's the case, you won't be able to stay at home! Melisande, get up and go jogging … Melisande, don't eat, practice with me … Melisande, hold this stone and run ten laps around the courtyard … "Arsinis imitated Matonis's tone and said exaggeratedly.
"Arsinis, do you want me to tell what you just said to the instructor and see who will run ten laps with the stone?" Melisande pretended to threaten.
Arsinis repeatedly begged for mercy, and Melisande finally let him go.
Arsinis asked again, "Are we really going to attack Lucania?"
"Are we training so hard just to defend against Amendolara?!" Melisande said disdainfully. "It's a waste of our strength!"
"Hey, do you think —" Arsinis became excited. "If we really conquer the land of Lucania, can I find a Lucanian woman as my wife? I've seen a lot of Lucanian wives of the new citizens these days, and they're very good. Tall and plump, and they can do heavy work. They're different from our Greek women …"
"It's too early for you to think about this!" Melisande asked in surprise.
"I'm not like you, with an empty house, and I'm alone …" Arsinis's voice lowered.
"Then let's practice our killing skills together, conquer the Lucanians together, marry Lucanian women, and have a bunch of children!" Melisande quickly encouraged him.
"Yes, let's work hard together!" Arsinis and Melisande's hands clasped tightly together.
… …
After lunch, the recruits did not rest for long. Soon, Arsinis and the others were gathered again.
The training in the afternoon began with practicing individual fighting techniques. However, it was not a random one-on-one fight. Instead, it was a group of three. They held a round shield in their left hand (it was supposed to be a simple and crude wooden shield made of thicker wood, but there was no time and manpower to make it), and in their right hand they held a long wooden stick that was heavier than a spear.
Arsinis found that the wooden stick in his hand was thicker, and his teammates had changed from Melisande and another young teammate to two stronger teammates. He cast a puzzled look at the instructor who was supervising on the sidelines.
Matonis looked at him and said sternly, "If you want to be a warrior, then you have to train harder!"
Arsines now understood what the Consul meant. He didn't argue and just accepted it silently.
At the start of the training, Arsinis was the first to attack. With a roar, he held the round shield in his hand and used all his strength to hit the "enemy" in front of him. "Bang!" The "enemy" staggered. He immediately used the wooden stick dipped in lime powder in his right hand to stab the round shield in the hands of another "enemy" who was hiding behind the "enemy". He had to stab fast, otherwise the "enemy" in front of him would quickly stand firm and block his attack route …
Everyone took turns to attack and block. After ten rounds of attacks, they rested for a while and then began to stride and stab practice. That was, with a round shield and a long wooden stick in hand, they had to accurately hit the head of the human-shaped target in front of them with each step. The person whose wooden shield was hit the most would have to train twice as much.
After ten rounds of practice, they rested for a while and continued the training. It was still a group of three, but this time the long wooden stick was replaced with a short wooden stick, the length of which was the same as the length of the saber. Arsinis' wooden stick was thicker. This time, he didn't have any doubts. The training was still to hit the round shield of the "enemy" in the back, but because the length of the wooden stick was much shorter, it required the attacker to use more strength to hit the "enemy" in front of him and occupy his position in order to stab the "enemy" in the back. There were also ten rounds of practice.
Then came the next round of practice — hitting the human-shaped wooden target. First of all, each recruit was required to use the wooden stick in his hand to hit the human-shaped wooden target that was assigned to him into the mud and stand straight and steady. Then, the recruits held the wooden stick and the round shield and tried their best to stab the "head" and "face" of the wooden target as if they were facing a real enemy. Sometimes they would attack its ribs, sometimes they would stab its calves, and sometimes they would slash at its popliteal fossa …
Under the strict requirements of the instructor, they would step back, jump forward, and do all kinds of stabbing and slashing movements …
When they were done with the training, their limbs were already sore and numb, and they could not muster up any energy.
At this moment, Matonis spoke, "Your performance is better than the last time! It seems like you've been practicing at home every day since you went back, so you can persevere? "
"Yes …" the recruits answered weakly.
"Very good! If you continue training like this, you will soon become a qualified Armendalar heavy infantry, "Matonis said with an encouraging smile. An encouraging smile appeared on Matonis's face. "We'll be adding a new training program next. You'll be returning to your companies and undergoing formation training with the veterans."
Not long after Matonis finished speaking, a bugle sounded in the barracks. Under Matonis's urging, the recruits dressed neatly and picked up their round shields and spears. Since they had been training with thick wooden sticks that were heavier than spears, they felt as light as a feather when they switched to the spears. Arsines remembered what Drillmaster Matonis said when answering the complaints of the soldiers during the first training, 'I let you hold a heavier stick during training, but when you are on the battlefield, you will hold a much lighter weapon in your hands. Then, you will feel more relaxed, and you will be more powerful and energetic during the battle …'
Arsinis also remembered that when he was young, he had watched his father participate in the city militia training. There was only one training session every few months, which was to practice marching in formation under the flag, followed by one-on-one training. The training program was simple and easy, far different from the training he was undergoing now. Not only was it difficult and complicated, but it was also gradual, just like learning to read when he was young. It seemed reasonable, demanding, and heavy. No wonder the veterans could defeat the Lucanian Alliance! It was said that these training methods were from the training regulations in Armendalar's new Military Law, mainly written by the Consul Devers. He was really an amazing man!
Arsinis and Melisande were not in the same company. Before he could say goodbye to Melisande, he hurriedly looked for the third company of the third battalion that he belonged to. According to Instructor Matonis, the captain of this company was called Giogris, and he used to be a comrade in the same tent with him. He was mild-tempered.
'He shouldn't be stricter than Instructor Matonis!' Why did Arsinis think so at this moment? Because after the bugle sounded, thousands of people moved together, and the training ground was filled with dust. The only thing that could be seen was the bright red and eye-catching military flags erected high on the field. Arsinis spent a lot of time looking for them, and he became more and more anxious. Finally, he found the team he belonged to by the number on the flag.
As soon as the captain, Trotidis saw him, he said sternly, "Soldier, you're late! Considering that this is your first time, there will be no punishment for the time being. I hope there won't be a next time! "
Arsinis nodded and quickly returned to his position under the guidance of the captain.
At this moment, a man in his thirties came over and said kindly, "I'm Tipps, your captain."
"Hello, Captain!" Arsinis hurriedly greeted him.
Tipps looked him up and down, then said, "Not bad, you're a strong lad! You're a new recruit? "
"Yes."
"A former citizen of Amendola?"
"Yes."
"I guess so. Which instructor trained you? "
"Matonis."
"What?! That madman! "
"Captain, you know Instructor Matonis?"
"I used to be in his company. Because of my excellent performance, the third battalion forced me to join the army. Matonis didn't want to let me go, but Giogris is his good friend, so I came here and actually met you, a student of Matonis. This is all the arrangement of the Goddess of Fortune!" Tipps sighed. In fact, Matonis thought that he was too naggy, and when the third battalion came to ask for him, he directly recommended him. There was no need to ask him to stay.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of you!" Tipps said seriously.
"Thank you, Captain!" Arsinis said gratefully.
"Tipps, get ready for training. Stop talking!" At this moment, Trotidis shouted from the front of the squad.
"Got it!" Tipps replied, then muttered in a low voice, "You're lucky to be a captain. If I was the first to follow Master Devers, I would have been a captain by now …"
Hearing this, Arsinis felt a little strange.
The soldier next to him said, "Our captain likes to nag, but he's a good person."
I hope so. Arsinis thought.
Due to the high intensity of the previous training, the squad training was just for the soldiers to get familiar with each other and do small marching and jogging exercises. For the soldiers of the First Main Company, this kind of training was just a way to recover their strength, because they were too familiar with each other. For the Third Main Company, it was very necessary, because it was a new army, and the soldiers of the division were not very familiar with each other.
According to the traditional military training method of the Greek city-states, the officers of the army were relatively fixed, and the soldiers were often changed. During the battle, the citizens would be summoned to the square and randomly assigned to the various squads according to order or by drawing lots. This could prevent the soldiers and officers of the same squad from sticking together and affecting the normal political order and democratic elections of the city-state.
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