Volume One: The Forest Knight Chapter 27: The Red-Blue Duel

After breakfast, Berion first visited Hama. Recently, there was a need to forge armor and weapons, as well as tools for pioneering and city building—shovels, hoes, spades, saws, chisels, and so on. The workload at Hama's smithy was immense, but Berion had already allocated five more men to him. These men served both as laborers and apprentices. Berion promised Hama that for every qualified blacksmith he trained, he would reward him with fifty denars, so Hama was highly motivated.

Now there were twelve people in the smithy. Although only three were qualified blacksmiths, the use of cast iron molds ensured decent production efficiency. The leatherworker’s workshop was adjacent, and the armor plates and helmets produced by the smithy were sent straight there. With the leatherworker and ten strong women handling the assembly, with two people per process, the armor and helmets were transformed into wearable fabric armor and headgear, forming a natural assembly line.

A few days passed. Both the standing army and militia had been recruited. They all followed Berion's training manual, starting with drill practice. For the standing army, drill was familiar—they had already been trained and had seen action, understanding the importance of strict drill for a military unit’s discipline and appearance. The militia, however, failed to grasp this. In less than two days, many of the new recruits began to complain, and these complaints reached Berion via Tur and Bran. Berion devised a method to show everyone the benefits of drill training.

Benefiting from nearly ten years of military experience in his previous life, Berion knew that military training was the key to turning ordinary people into qualified soldiers. Drill instilled excellent conduct in troops, and such conduct was fundamental to fulfilling combat tasks.

The drill for Nolanburg’s standing army and militia was led by Eomer and Bess, based on a manual Berion compiled, referencing the victorious army from his previous life. It was highly standardized and mandatory, requiring Nolanburg’s soldiers to execute every action precisely, obey their instructors’ commands, and follow orders without question. By enforcing the authority and compulsion of commands, Berion fostered obedience and discipline among his troops.

Berion recalled a great leader from his previous life who said, "Victory in war depends on weapons and logistics, but ultimately, it’s a matter of people, especially their will." Strict discipline, strong will, tenacity, fearlessness, and willingness to sacrifice are qualities unique to soldiers—distinct from ordinary folk. Yet, these virtues are not innate, but forged through rigorous military training over time.

Drill, as a basic military skill, demands the same strictness as other military skills. Mastery of every movement is not achieved overnight, but through countless repetitions, high intensity, and long persistence.

In the medieval era, apart from ceremonial guards of the king and a few nobles, most soldiers were associated with words like "shifty," "ruffian," "drinking, gambling, whoring," and so on. This was not only due to their low status and lack of security, but more importantly, their mindset: they joined the army for pay, and their officers rarely bothered with training.

Even among Berion’s own Brick Court Palace Guard, the elite knightly order managed only one drill every fortnight. As for the other units, whose loyalty and provisions paled in comparison, Berion had heard from his father that some garrison troops in county towns drilled once every two or three years—a rarity. Mostly, they sought a livelihood, and with a lack of training and loose discipline, their image was hardly inspiring.

Proper posture and neat appearance are outward signs of a soldier’s inner qualities, and drill training is a major means of cultivating this. Through daily drill, Nolanburg’s soldiers learned to behave according to regulations, achieving "strict discipline, unified formation, and orderly appearance," thus transforming them and forging a commanding presence.

In his previous life, there was a tradition of military training starting from secondary school. People accepted it easily, and soldiers commanded high respect in society. Ordinary folk liked to imitate soldiers’ mannerisms, so it was easy to promote military training.

But in this world, formal training was limited to formation layouts and martial arts exercises. As a youth, Berion had watched several thousand troops drill north of Wallombre City with his father. The scene was chaotic; thousands rushed about, kicking up dust. Even the cups on the viewing platform were filled with dirt. It was doubtful what effect such exercises would have in real combat.

At night, one might have a thousand plans. In the morning, one sells tofu. Though Berion’s schemes and ideas were sound, the reality of military training was fraught with difficulties. After only a few days, complaints arose. Some officers of the standing army did not fully appreciate the value of drill. They argued that standing and marching were not what soldiers should practice; instead, they should focus on weapon skills, and that drill was a pointless diversion. Not only did they grumble, some soldiers even planned to quit. Who could endure standing motionless in the sun for long periods, or marching and running in neat lines, without knowing the reason?

Berion had Eomer and Bess gather everyone. He mounted the podium and spoke, "Brothers, these past days have been hard. The morning heat is fierce, yet I haven’t handed out weapons for you to practice with, instead making you stand foolishly in the sun. That was my oversight, and I apologize." With that, Berion bowed deeply.

Seeing Berion's gesture, the recruits below felt embarrassed and lowered their heads.

Berion looked out and said, "War depends not on individual valor, but on the unity of many. Thus, discipline and obedience are crucial, and drill is the means by which you are transformed from farmers and fishers to soldiers who follow orders without question. Brothers, this hardship must continue."

His words left the crowd confused. They had thought the lord’s apology meant an end to the "foolish" training.

Berion continued, "Hearing is less reliable than seeing. Let’s test firsthand whether drill is useful. Eomer, pick five men from the standing army. Barrett, pick ten from the militia at random."

Eomer and Barrett, uncertain of Berion’s intent, obeyed and quickly selected men. The chosen soldiers were clueless about their purpose, standing uncertainly in the center of the training ground, forming two distinct groups. On the east were five from the standing army, neatly arrayed, standing straight and motionless, awaiting orders. On the west, the ten militiamen, exhausted from training, sat in clusters, chatting idly.

Mark and the officers on the podium, seeing this contrast, understood the importance of drill, but it was not enough for them to realize it; all fifty soldiers needed to grasp this lesson.

Berion announced from the podium, "Now, divide east and west into red and blue teams. Eomer, distribute rifle shafts (without bayonets) to everyone."

Eomer complied, and Berion continued, "Bran, take the red flag and choose any man as red team leader; hand him the flag. Tur, do the same for the blue team."

Once the wooden rifles and flags were distributed, Berion explained, "Here are the rules: whichever team captures the other’s flag wins. I’ll award one hundred denars to the winners!"

At his words, the crowd gasped. One hundred denars was no small sum for a common household; a family of five or six might earn only forty or fifty denars in a good year. Berion’s prize was equivalent to two years’ savings for a typical family. Moreover, the red team had only five members against ten in the blue—a huge disparity. Surely, the silver would go to the blue team.

Berion turned to the podium and said, "Let’s place bets—red or blue team. Maximum stake is five denars, no more."

Mark, Hama, and others hesitated, but most bet on the blue team. However, the Nolanburg officers who had previously complained about drill all bet on the red team. After they placed their bets, Berion himself wagered five denars on the red team's victory.

The red and blue teams reacted differently to the prize. The red team, though visibly excited, remained motionless, quietly awaiting their leader’s command. The blue team, previously lounging, now clamored, urging their leader to give the order to charge. Their leader shouted, "Brothers, follow me! Grab the flag and split the silver!" The blue team echoed, "Grab the flag and split the silver!"

Berion struck the drum to signal the start of the contest. The blue team surged forward, disregarding formation, charging with wooden rifles, relying on their numbers to overwhelm the red team. In contrast, the red team formed two ranks around their flag. The front row knelt, rifles ready to thrust forward; the back row, similarly armed, stood behind, also kneeling and poised.

As the blue team approached, two broke off from either side to flank the red team. Just as the two sides collided, the front row of the red team stepped back, and the second row rushed forward, quickly knocking three blue attackers to the ground. The first row, now behind, surged forward and felled two more. The red team alternated in thrusts, swiftly routing the blue team’s frontal assault, while the flanking soldiers failed to encircle and were left behind.

In only three rounds, the red team had toppled eight blue members; the blue leader was also struck down, and the blue flag taken. The events unfolded so quickly that the blue team barely reacted, still intent on seizing the flag. The red team formed a circle, enclosing both flags at the center. Whenever blue soldiers tried to attack, they were invariably knocked down by coordinated thrusts. Eventually, the blue team admitted defeat.

Witnessing the red team, outnumbered two to one, decisively defeat the blue, Mark and others who had bet on the blue team looked grim, inwardly cursing the officers who had bet on red—they must have known the outcome from the start. Yet, they had to concede that Berion’s training method was effective; his soldiers truly had the bearing of elite troops.

Gobba, a sharpshooter under Barrett and a militia squad leader, had bet two denars on the blue team. Seeing his side crushed by the red team, he regretted his earlier complaints about drill. He knelt and pleaded, "My lord, please punish me. I was blinded by foolishness, failed to appreciate your intentions, and spoke ill of the captain and vice-captain. I deserve punishment and request to be relieved of my post and subjected to flogging."

Berion hastened to help him up, saying, "Brother Gobba, rise. It was my fault for not explaining the benefits clearly. Your complaints were understandable; in your place, I might have quit long ago. But whether it’s me or you, our goal is the same—to train good soldiers and defend our home. Now you understand the value of drill; just cooperate with your captains and instructors and train diligently. If you wish to quit, I won’t allow it!"

Gobba, rising, replied with emotion, "My lord, rest assured. I will train hard and forge my men into elite troops like the red team, to live up to your expectations and protect Nolanburg!"