Chapter 45: Recuperation

As the weather grew warmer, vibrant flowers blossomed by the small stream in front of the valley's timber keep, breathing a sense of vigorous life into the valley.

With the exception of the Scott family, who lived in a wooden cabin within the keep, all the tenant farmers had relocated to the mid-valley fields. They had already constructed four or five huts of varying sizes on the gentle slopes, surrounding the area with a makeshift fence woven from thorns and withered tree branches to deter wild beasts.

The timber keep had now become the exclusive garrison for the Rangers. It currently housed soldiers returning from Andermatt, alongside newly recruited laborers and miners from Lucessen. Led by Odo and Bath, the early-returning Rangers had already begun training after a few days of rest and reorganization. Meanwhile, the fifteen prisoners of war were held under Odo’s supervision in a temporary shelter built from dry branches near the keep, guarded in rotation by the Ranger soldiers.

During the Battle for the Reclamation of Alsburg a month ago, three soldiers had died in action. Another soldier, who suffered severe facial trauma, could not receive proper treatment, and the infection spread to his left eye. Although he stubbornly managed to survive, his left eye was completely blinded.

Excluding Art, there were currently sixteen combat-ready men left in the Ranger force: four officers and twelve soldiers.

On the third day after the party returning north from Lucessen arrived back at the valley keep, the sun had just risen. While busy feeding the horses, brushing their coats, and trimming their hooves in the stables, Ron heard Art calling him. He hurriedly dumped a bag full of black beans and wheat bran into the long wooden trough, shouted an affirmative reply, and ran toward Art's wooden cabin.

"Ron, the old steward and your father took the newly arrived tenant farmers to the mid-valley fields yesterday. Originally, they weren't supposed to return today, but since I plan to head out tomorrow to recruit refugees and soldiers for Baron Antayas, I need to arrange a few things. Head down to the mid-valley fields shortly and call the three of them back to the keep for a meeting. Oh, and call Simon back as well, and tell him I have other arrangements for him."

Receiving his orders, Ron stepped out of Art's cabin, took a set of horse harness from the stable, crossed the small courtyard, passed through the wooden gate, and hurried into the kitchen where his mother was preparing breakfast exclusively for Art. "Mother, the master is already awake. You can take his food over shortly," he said, and turned to leave.

Ron's mother walked around the stove and grabbed his arm. "Ron, the master's meal is ready. You should hurry home and eat too; Camille is waiting for you. I saved a delicious piece of honey bread just for you."

When Ron returned from Lucessen, he had brought back some spices, salt, and several fermented large loaves smeared with honey, which Emma had been most reluctant to consume.

"Mother, those breads were meant for you and the family to eat. Don't save any for me; I ate long ago. The master has ordered me to rush to the mid-valley fields to call the old steward and my father back to the keep for a council. I must leave immediately." Cradling the horse harness, Ron walked toward the newly built animal shed.

Emma turned, picked up a piece of rye bread from the stove, broke off a chunk, walked over to the animal shed, and shoved it into Ron's arms. "Since the master gave you an order, go quickly. Take this bread to eat on the way."

Ron accepted the bread, tucked it into his tunic, led out a dark-grey mule, saddled it, leaped onto its back, and galloped out through the main gate of the keep.

Less than half a mile south of the keep, along the stream in a large open clearing, Odo was drilling the newly recruited laborers and miners from Lucessen in the basics. Experiencing this kind of training for the first time, the newly recruited candidate soldiers had not yet adapted to commands like forming ranks and advancing. They reacted sluggishly to Odo's orders, and their formations were always crooked. Yet Odo was not impatient; compared to ordinary farmers, these miner and laborer brothers were already doing relatively well at executing orders.

Odo called a halt to the recruits, turned, and roared at Kazak, who was training the veteran soldiers on the other side of the clearing, "Kazak, bring your squad over here to demonstrate for them!"

Obeying the order, Kazak shouted a halt to the soldiers who were practicing charge tactics with long wooden staves. Several soldiers stopped their simulated combat and followed Kazak over to the recruits.

"Pike and shield line, ready!" Kazak and his men formed a neat, orderly row.

"Defensive formation!"

"Roar!" At Kazak's command, the soldiers let out a mighty shout, raised their shields to chest level, held their staves level, stared straight ahead, bent their left legs, kicked their right legs half a step back, and leaned their bodies slightly forward.

The twelve recruits had just arrived in the valley and had never witnessed the training of the Ranger soldiers before. Unlike ordinary soldiers and guards, these men appeared both shocking and novel to them. They had seen lords training their men, but they had never witnessed an army that drilled every single day. In their understanding, soldiers who could train two or three days a week were already considered elite.

"Advance!" The command rang out again.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!" Maintaining their shield-and-staff posture, the soldiers let out three powerful roars and stepped three paces forward toward the recruits.

One of the recruits was somewhat startled by the sudden shouts and took a few steps backward.

"Coward! If you dare take another step back, I'll break your leg!" An annoyed Odo kicked the retreating miner, sending him sprawling to the ground...

On the other side of the clearing, Bath's squad had also ceased training, sitting on the ground as they watched the demonstration across the field.

Tuba, the leader of the second combat group in the first squad, stared across for a moment, then reached out and slapped one of his soldiers on the back of the head. "It's all your damn fault, you idiot! If the short lad hadn't vanished and left us a man short, I'd rather be dead than let you join my combat group."

After returning from Alsburg, the recovered Jason had been temporarily assigned to Tuba's combat group for training. Yet because of this clumsy soldier, the second combat group—always previously among the best—had suddenly become the laggard.

Rubbing his head, Jason offered an apologetic smile. "Big Brother Tuba, I don't know what happens; the moment I step into the battle line, I completely forget how to lift my feet and walk."

Colin, standing nearby, also cursed in frustration. "Jason, I could just strangle you. Tell me, in the few days you've joined the first squad, how many times have we been yelled at by Commander Odo? Your archery and horsemanship are decent enough, but why on earth can't you get the battle formation right? Now that Commander Ron is back, you might as well go back to him."

"I'd love to go back~ They promised to train me as an archer, but I ended up right back here with you lot~" Jason muttered, turning his gaze toward Odo, who was still demonstrating the shield-and-staff posture to the recruits.

...

Back at the keep, Art was instructing Emma regarding the arrangements for the evening feast.

"After you finish making breakfast for the soldiers, start preparing the dinner. If you can't manage it alone, call the carpenter Bard's old woman to help out. Also, although the newly arrived people won't be attending the banquet tonight, make sure to add an extra portion of smoked meat and thick soup to their evening meal."

"Very well, Master. I'll go and prepare right away." With that, Emma pulled the door shut and left.

Art finished the bread-soaked meat broth in his wooden bowl in a few bites, stood up, took the leather knight's sword belt hanging on the wall, buckled it on, pulled open the wooden door, stepped out of the courtyard, and walked toward the keep's main gate. Camille and Bard's little granddaughter, who were playing gleefully inside the keep, curtsied and called out "Master" the moment they saw him emerge.

Art walked over to a twenty-foot-square room beside the keep's main hall, which had now been converted into the keep's carpentry workshop. Old Bard was continuously crafting shields, longstaves, and short spears for Art here. Ever since Art undertook the board and lodging for Bard's family and paid him a regular weekly wage, the old carpenter's enthusiasm had grown steadily. Aside from producing and repairing shields and spear shafts for Art, he also undertook some house repairs and the making and fixing of wooden utensils.

Spotting Master Art appearing at the doorway, Bard hurriedly hurried over. "Good morning, Master."

"Good morning, Bard."

Art picked up a newly crafted spear shaft from the workbench and said to Bard, "The old steward told me what you've done for the keep during this time. You've worked hard."

Deeply flattered and slightly uneasy, Bard replied, "It was you, Master, who brought our whole family back from the outside world, providing us with food, lodging, and wages. Even God does not feed a lazy man, so all of this is only my duty."

Bard pointed toward a large pile of semi-finished timber for wooden shields in the corner of the cabin. "Master, as you have more and more soldiers now, I can't manage everything alone. If you could assign me an assistant, even an apprentice would do; at least they could help me with the heavy lifting. I am old now, and the chopping and hewing tasks require someone to lend a hand~"

Art agreed to the old carpenter's request and promised to arrange an assistant for him as soon as possible.

Art took a brief stroll around the keep, inspecting the granary, the animal sheds, and the surrounding fences, before heading out the main gate toward the training ground outside.

"All units, assemble!" Seeing Art arrive at the training ground, Odo loudly ordered the soldiers to cease training and form up into two lines, veterans in front and recruits in the rear.

Art walked over to Odo and the others standing at the head of the formation and said, "Odo, I'll leave the recruit training alone for now. Shortly, take the veterans and practice the pike and shield line. We already witnessed the power of a tight pike and shield line at Alsburg, but that is far from enough. The soldiers still lack coordination, and when the enemy concentrates their force to break through a single point, the shield line isn't as solid as we imagine. Furthermore, individual combat skills must be drilled intensively. All of you remember: do not fear injury during training. Bleeding and sweating now is so you can keep your lives in battle."

Odo nodded in agreement.

Suddenly recalling something else, Art added, "Oh, right, during the gate-seizing battle at Alsburg, I saw Bath using the flail (iron chain flail) to devastating effect. Unlike arming swords, flails aren't scarce, yet their power is every bit the equal of broadswords and knightly swords, particularly when dealing with enemy shields and armor. Now that we've captured quite a few flails, incorporate flail training into the soldiers' individual combat drills. I saw that Bath is very skilled with the flail—make him the flail training instructor~"

"Understood, my Lord! I will arrange it."

"Very well, Odo, take the recruits over there for training."

"Everyone else, listen up!"

"Pike and shield line, form up!"

"Roar!"

"Defensive posture!"

"Roar!"

...

The roars of Art, Bath, and Kazak echoed across the training ground. Watching the veterans howling amidst the staves, the recruits training nearby found their footwork growing even more chaotic.

After more than two hours of training, until everyone's clothes were soaked with sweat, Art ordered the soldiers to halt training and return to the keep for breakfast.

On the way back to the keep, Art instructed Odo and the others walking beside him on matters to keep in mind regarding soldier training. "The individual combat drills of the soldiers must summarize the most practical lessons from the two battles we've experienced. Our soldiers are not knightly lords who have received sword training since childhood; they care more about how to protect themselves while swiftly killing the enemy. The most important thing is to master the basic moves of parrying, slashing, and thrusting. In addition, you can incorporate those brawling moves you used when fighting guild thugs. They might look ugly, but in battle, the enemy won't spare your life just because your form is pretty. Furthermore, soldiers who are genuinely unsuited for sword training should be assigned to focus on heavy weapons like broad axes and heavy hammers. If we had had a few more soldiers wielding heavy hammers against the mountain bandit leader back at Alsburg, one blow from a hammer would have finished him, no matter how thick his chainmail was."

"The soldiers' arm strength and physical stamina must continue to be strengthened. Every morning, noon, and evening, they must lift stones and heavy logs three times. Once every three days, they will run long distances; those who finish at the front get to eat meat, and those who lag at the end get to eat shit."

"As for horsemanship, commanders at the squad leader level and above must learn it, and any soldiers with a talent for it should learn it as well. The rest only need to manage to sit steadily in the saddle."

"And then there is military discipline." Art halted his steps, turned his head, and stared fixedly at Odo. "There have been quite a few soldiers fighting and causing trouble lately, haven't there? Also, I heard that some soldiers broke into the kitchen last night and stole bread?"

"My Lord, it is true—"

Odo was about to explain, but Art cut him off. "You don't need to explain to me. You are responsible for enforcing military discipline. Find out who did it; I won't severely punish him this time—just starve him for a day. But you need to figure out how to enforce discipline among the soldiers as soon as possible. We have more and more people now, and without military discipline to bind us, we will become a puddle of mud."

Odo nodded with a look of shame and accepted the order...