Time flies, and two weeks have passed in the blink of an eye. The training of the Phalange Corps was intense and busy, as if it was trying to drain every ounce of strength out of the militiamen. The militiamen had no choice and no time to think. They could only devote themselves to boring training and try to turn tactical movements into habitual muscle reflexes.
Every day at dawn, Guzman is awakened by the first ray of light. When he woke up from his thatched bed, the first thing he did was to wake up the members of his team and urge them to get dressed quickly. After a simple breakfast, the militiamen left the crude camp and headed to the nightmare school grounds not far away.
Under the morning sun, I first stood in silence for two quarters of an hour to cultivate some spirit. This is the most relaxing time for Guzman. He can rest for a while leaning on his spear. Then came long marches and formations, accompanied by strict supervision and cruel punishment. Guzman could only gather all his thoughts, fear of cruel punishment, and try to be meticulous. He shouted at the top of his lungs to lead his team, for fear of making a big mistake. As for the small mistakes, they are countless.
This was followed by team coordination exercises. The five teams from each battalion formed a collective formation and then moved closer to each other to form a reliable front. The samurai battalion commander scolded them at first for "moving as slow as turkeys", and then scolding them for "moving in formation like monkeys". After that, he didn't say much and just said, "If they were samurai, they could do better!" ". Guzman also held his breath, hoping to be respected like a samurai.
After squad practice, there's an extra lunch. Under the setting sun, Guzman and his teammates happily ate corn tortillas and black bean puree. Extra meals at noon was a treat that I had never had before as a miner, and many civilian warriors also had two meals a day.
After a short rest, it is time to train individual soldiers in martial arts. This is the warrior career that Guzman longs for. He learned to block effectively with his shield and to stab repeatedly at limited angles with his spear. Although he was beaten down by the samurai he taught every time, he could clearly feel his progress. And when several spearmen formed a team and the spears gathered together, the senior warrior could only retreat, which gave him a strong sense of self-confidence.
Finally, there is a competition between teams. The two teams used shields to squeeze each other to see whose formation was scattered first. The militiamen supported each other front and back and worked together. Guzman had to keep shouting "Steady, hard" to maintain the team's rhythm and ultimately win in the several-minute competition.
There are many types of competitive competitions, such as group running to see which team of people reaches the finish line first. In this kind of game, we need to pay attention to the weakest teammate and lead him forward together. Among the five teams, the Saltworkers have the strongest sense of teamwork and can often gain an advantage in games.
There is also a stabbing competition, where a wooden ball is stabbed on a human-shaped grass target. This is a pure martial art that must be practiced repeatedly. There are no shortcuts. Generally, masonry workers have better physical fitness, are more dexterous and can pick up martial arts skills more quickly.
The most torturous thing is to endure the bow and arrow competition. Two teams stand in the field at the same time and accept the bow and arrow shooting from the two teams of bow warriors. The arrow has been removed, and the wooden arrow shaft crackles on the shield and helmet, like heavy rain at the height of the rainy season.
From time to time, the arrow shaft would penetrate the gap in the shield and hit Guzman's neck, which was wearing paper armor, causing pain. The pain is not a big problem, but the state of being attacked from one side makes people irritated and extremely tests the patience and discipline of the militiamen. When faced with this challenge of patience, gold miners usually come out on top. Guzman's squad often won.
The most difficult match is against the Samurai Squad. The spears on both sides were replaced with long sticks. The militiamen formed a dense spear formation, while the warriors used scattered formations. A group of wolf-like warriors scattered around the gun array, howling and threatening, and repeatedly luring the militiamen on the edge.
Once the formation shows a flaw and the long sticks no longer gather together, the warriors will quickly attack, swing the long sticks, and violently knock down the opponents at the weak point. Subsequently, the hasty adjustment of the gun array often creates more breakthroughs. The wolves will bite the hedgehogs continuously until the breakthrough is large enough, then swarm up and completely shatter the gun array.
The result of every confrontation with the samurai was that the militiamen were completely wiped out, but the spear array could persist longer and longer, and the samurai's casualties were gradually increasing.
In this confrontation, Guzman's understanding became clearer.
"If we fight alone with the samurai, we who have trained for a few weeks will be unable to fight back against the samurai who have trained for several years. Only by relying on the cooperation of our companions can the spears attack at the same time, posing a threat to the samurai, and the shields can also attack each other. Cover up and hold on longer.”
These confrontational competitions are all designed by His Majesty His Highness, and they also carry rewards and punishments from the messengers of the gods. The winning team gets another addition to their dinner, usually tortillas, avocado, and a cocoa nib or two. The losing team must clean the school grounds and toilets, and transport the raw materials for "piling up saltpetre" to the lakeside and hand them over to the carrying boat amidst everyone's laughter and instructions.
In order to obtain rewards and prevent other teams from laughing at him, Guzman tried his best. Following the samurai's advice, he divided the two hundred miners into twenty pieces, and arranged for an old brother to lead each piece. When I have time at night, I discuss it with the chief ministers. Although no one has much knowledge, after discussing together, they can always come up with some ideas, and the relationship between them becomes closer.
And when it comes to the sumptuous dinner, the assistants in the team will come on stage. He was originally a member of the miners, and was later elected as an "aide". I train with everyone every day, and I don’t have time to study God’s revelations. Therefore, he opened his mouth with two newly learned prayers.
"The Lord God Huitzilopochtli is supreme and omnipotent! Those who believe in God will be saved and ascend to the Kingdom of God!"
"Praise be to the Lord God Huitzilopochtli! He gives us food and we will fight for Him!"
Guzman scratched his head, followed the instructions, and repeated with his companions. They have to recite it three times in a row before dinner can officially start. At this time, there would be continuous prayers and praises in the camp, floating towards the distant Kingdom of God.
Guzman believes in the Kingdom of God. He has heard about the eternally peaceful and beautiful kingdom since he was a child. But he was a little puzzled and confused about the main god who was promoted to the God of War. As a miner, he used to worship mainly the Earth Mother Goddess Tral Tekutli or the Fire God Quesaltzin. But now, with daily prayers, new religious concepts were reshaped in his mind, slowly blending all the gods into one supreme figure, rising to the highest sky.
After dinner, the militiamen were finally able to go back to rest. Guzman walked forward quickly, a little impatient, and his whole body ached from the exhaustion of the whole day. Only when he lies on the thatched floor can he feel that this body truly belongs to him.
The sunset has gone and the sky is dark. Guzman walked through the wide camp and looked at the big tent in the center from a distance, but did not see His Highness's reverent figure. Then, he unexpectedly discovered that under the swaying bonfire, Adjutant Tarasco, who was in charge of training, was lowering his head and talking to the guards outside the tent. Soon, the tent door opened and the adjutant came in quietly.
Guzman was stunned for a moment, then moved on. The fatigue of training came like a tide, and his mind was already filled with the desire to sleep.
At this moment, Ezpin was not sleepy at all. He lowered his head and carefully stepped into His Highness's tent. He peeked at the decorations in the tent with his peripheral vision, hoping to discover some of His Highness's hobbies.
Unexpectedly, the big tent was extremely simple, with nothing on the walls, no cotton blankets on the floor, and no gold and silver decorations at all. There was only a large bow, a set of war clubs and shields, a wooden map, and a few new-style paper books on the wooden stand. In the corner is a straw bed and two wooden basins. There is a brazier near the vent, lighting a small bonfire, no expensive candles... This place is more simple and unpretentious than any nobleman's house in Tarasco.
In the middle of the big tent is a newly made wooden table. His Highness, wearing a priest's robe, sat cross-legged behind the wooden table, holding a book in his hand and looking at him indifferently. Behind His Highness is the warrior commander with a weathered look, his gaze is like that of a tiger and leopard waiting to be hunted.
Ezpin's heart trembled, and he didn't dare to peek around or get too close. He knelt down on his knees at the tent door and bowed to His Highness.
"Your Highness, Ezpan of the Mexican Union sends you his regards, may you be reborn like the sun!"
Shulot looked calm. He looked at the training adjutant who was saluting, and then smiled slightly. The opponent specially wore a Mexican warrior uniform, a leather hat with a hummingbird on it, and a string of the latest sun talismans hanging around his neck, showing his meticulousness and care.
After staring at Ezpin with majestic eyes for a long time, until he was sweating all over, Shulot asked calmly.
"Ezpin, you came to me with something to report?"
Ezpin gritted his teeth. He thought of the power of the Mexica people, of the prosperity of the capital city in the lake, and of His Highness's always eclectic staffing, and finally spoke loudly.
"Dear Your Highness, I have some new suggestions for the training of the Lance Corps!"
Shulot's eyes narrowed. He looked at the weathered face of the training adjutant and asked in a deep voice.
"Since you have suggestions, why don't you talk to the training officer? Instead, come to me alone?"
Hearing His Highness's implicit rebuke, Ezpin plopped down on the ground again. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but felt it was inappropriate, so he just kowtowed vigorously on the ground.
Shulot listened to the dull kowtow until he counted twenty times. Only then did he give the order again.
"Okay, Ezpin, tell me."
Ezpin raised his head again, his forehead already covered in bruises. His Highness is about to leave the training camp and this will be his last chance. Thinking of this, he struggled to speak.
"Your Highness, General Barda is good at warrior training. But the spear phalanx is different from the warrior phalanx. It does not focus on individual martial arts, but more on team cooperation! All training should be centered around cooperation!"
Shulot remained expressionless and continued to wait. Under his suggestion, Barda has modified many training plans, and the current training camp is centered around cooperation. There is nothing new in what Ezpin said.
Ezpin paused for a moment, not waiting for His Highness's question. He gritted his teeth again and spoke loudly.
"Compared with the warrior phalanx, the spear phalanx is not that strong. Its advantage is that it can be trained into an army quickly and has a wide source of soldiers. As long as ordinary militiamen and miners are trained rigorously for a few months, they can roughly resist the samurai's attacks. Impact. The training for any qualified warrior is five years."
Hearing this, Shulot became somewhat interested. As a low-level officer, Ezpin is obviously experienced and experienced. The young man waved.
"Ezpin, come closer and tell me the details."
Ezpin stood up, and the warrior commander came quickly to check him again. Then Ezpin approached carefully and knelt down in front of His Highness's table.
"There are many key points in training the pike phalanx, the most important of which is to focus on teamwork. Tarasco's pikemen are divided into different teams according to different mines and areas of birth. Each team has more than 200 people who are familiar relatives or companions. . In order to obey the leadership of the captain and trust each other, we will elect a leader. Then under the witness of the gods, we will hold a blood-breaking ceremony and treat each other as brothers!"
Shulot's expression changed. He heard the concept of blood-sacrifice ritual again. This kind of ceremony witnessed by the gods is similar to the Chinese blood-making alliance, and it is also like cutting off the head of a chicken and drinking rice wine. The participants will even sacrifice part of their own flesh and blood. In the tribal era where people believed deeply in gods, the influence of rituals in people's hearts was far greater than that of an economically developed commodity society. In addition, this ritual can also enhance the presence of the main god.
Thinking of this, Shulot nodded slightly and looked at Ezpan again.
Ezpin saw His Highness's approval from the corner of his eye and was shocked. There was more confidence in his voice.
"The cooperation of the team is reflected in everyone's movements. Each phalanx soldier needs to learn to use a shield to protect his teammates, push forward, and use force together. Then, in coordination with the partners in front and behind, he raises his spear and crosses the shield. Stab out in a fixed area. Several spears cooperate to make it impossible for the charging enemies to avoid."
"The second key point is the cooperation of the phalanx. The weaknesses of the phalanx are on the flanks and rear. The phalanxes need to support each other to protect the weaknesses of other phalanxes. In my opinion, the most useful formation is the triangle Arrange three formations. When a certain square formation is attacked, the remaining two formations can move forward from both wings to protect the weaker flanks and use the strongest frontal force to respond to the enemy."
Shulot thought for a few seconds, then drew the word "pin" on the ground with his hand, and then showed it to Ezpin. The training adjutant nodded repeatedly.
"The third key point is to change the formation. In addition to formation, the square formation must master the ability to change the direction of the battlefield and always face the enemy head-on. If it is surrounded by superior enemies, it must turn into a circular formation for defense. In fact, the spear militia The equipment is not heavy, and the gun array can also be used for assault. However, during the assault, the phalanx must be transformed into a column and formed into clusters for continuous assault."
Shulot thought for a while, the concept of column assault seemed very familiar in his memory. He thought of the ancient Roman legions and nodded slowly.
Ezpin became a little excited. He continued to speak, wanting to express all the thoughts that had been hidden in his heart for several years.
"The fourth key point is discipline. The power of the phalanx lies in the collective. Once it disintegrates and collapses, it will be slaughtered by the warriors. Therefore, without orders, the infantry of the phalanx are never allowed to participate in the pursuit. The deserters who are the first to collapse in the war must be executed in public. To intimidate everyone. In order to quickly form a formation in a war, the team must always stay together and camp together in the open air. They cannot live in separate barracks..."
Shulot thought for a moment and smiled softly. Collective living... During this period, Swiss mountain people's phalanxes also had similar rules to establish closer ties and prevent enemy sneak attacks. He finally smiled and praised.
"Very good! Ezpin, do you have any other ideas?"
Ezpin was a little hesitant. After thinking about His Highness' past reputation, he still suggested it.
"Dear Your Highness, Tarasco's two-handed pistols are actually more powerful. Although they were vulnerable to longbow shooting last time, they were unprepared. Only two additional teams of two-handed pistols were formed. The shield bearer can take advantage of the attack with both hands while resisting bows and arrows.”
Shulot was stunned for a moment. This is a formation similar to the army of the Song Dynasty, with two-handed spears as the main force, shieldmen as cover, and a large number of crossbowmen. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head. For the newly established militia regiments, shields were even more important. This is not only a defensive weapon, but also a source of support for the recruits.
After a moment, Shulot recovered his thoughts. His eyes were like mountains, fixed on the training adjutant kneeling in front of him.
"Well, Ezpin, what do you want to gain from putting forward so many practical suggestions?"
