Chapter 386: Practice every day, practice every day

"You have really caused me so much trouble." The first words Bernardo said when he saw Domenico were full of resentment.

Domenico asked curiously, "How did I hurt you?"

Bernardo replied weakly, "My background is sensitive to begin with, and I have been careful to keep it a secret. Now that you ask me this, I guess I will have to be investigated by the Cheka when I go back today."

"What are you afraid of?" Domenico patted his chest. "At worst, I can take you back. The old lady misses you a lot."

Bernardo sighed silently, said nothing, and just led Domenico into the military camp.

Domenico looked up. Although the sun was not out today, a few rays of scorching sunlight still seeped through the cracks in the thick clouds.

In the sunlight through the cracks, the military camp in the distance was located under the Black Mountain Fort.

Neatly arranged barracks were set up along the road, including a temporary pond for firefighting, as well as a special manure pit and a canteen.

Different from the colorful battle flags of the Imperial Army, there are only three kinds of battle flags in the Salvation Army's barracks: the sun gear flag representing the Pope, the Holy Grail flag representing the Saint, and the black and red flag representing the Salvation Army.

Under these fluttering flags, dust filled the air like mist, and even the moist flowers were covered with a powdery coat.

Following Bernardo, Domenico and his party came to a training ground.

"Hold your spears straight!" shouted a captain of the spear monk division.

"Hold your spears straight!" the fifty war monks around him shouted in unison.

They neatly lifted their spears vertically from the ground and placed them in front of their bodies, holding the spears with their left hands at the waist.

"Get ready for the shoulder!"

"Get ready to shoulder it!" the war monks shouted, holding the spear with their left hand to eye level and supporting the lower end of the spear with their right hand.

"Are they practicing spearmanship?" Domenico felt uncomfortable watching the monks move like puppets, "Why don't they do it together? It's not difficult."

"To keep things in order and eliminate fear." Bernardo bent his back and lay on the fence. "You know, most soldiers have a blank mind when they go to the battlefield.

The purpose of doing this is to let them repeat mechanically, so that they can exert their due fighting power even when their brains are blank. "

Domenico stood there for a few seconds, then he stepped forward and said, "Take me to see those holy musketeers."

"Yes, it's just opposite."

Domenico and the other two looked in the direction Bernardo pointed.

On the other side of the training ground, hundreds of Holy Gunners were wearing black military uniforms made of linen blended fabric, short boots on their feet, and blue-black belts around their waists, tightly holding their clothes around their waists.

Footsteps were clacking, each step was a standard two-thirds of a meter, and the officer held a command lance, occasionally hitting someone on the buttocks or heels with the base of the lance.

While directing the team forward, he issued short and powerful commands.

The soldiers followed the order, first marking time on the spot, and then marching forward in unison. Their footsteps were neat and rhythmic, and loud enough to make a strong sound.

"What is that trident used for?" asked an attendant who was familiar with Bernardo, pointing at the lances in the hands of the officers.

With his forearm propped up on the fence, Bernardo pointed at the lance and said, "That's called a lance, it's used by officers for command, it can be used for close combat and can also be used as a gun stand when necessary.

When turning, a division captain would stand in front and place his musket across the chest of the front-row soldiers, and another division captain would stand behind and place his musket across the vest of the front-row soldiers.

This way they can control their turns and speed and keep them aligned with the main group."

Although the Salvation Army has been trained enough, when it comes to some turns and other maneuvers, they still have to switch to normal steps and be controlled by the division captain.

While Bernardo was explaining, the division captain on the other side had already ordered the Holy Gunners to stand still.

There was a creepy sound of gears turning, and the baron, who had participated in the previous Battle of Black Mountain, immediately squatted down.

Several soldiers who were watching the fun nearby immediately burst into low sneers.

Domenico, who almost squatted down with the baron, felt ashamed and cursed at the baron in a low voice: "Aristopho! Where is your courage? You are simply doing this for us..."

"boom!"

Except for Bernardo, Domenico and the other three all squatted down, wishing they could put their heads into their crotches.

It seems that the previous battle left them with too much psychological trauma.

Domenico, with a red face, stood up, coughed twice, and pretended nothing had happened.

Looking at the training ground again, it was filled with people running, practicing military postures, practicing breathing techniques, and practicing stabbing techniques. The number of people was much greater than he had imagined.

He had to admit that these people were much more resilient than his own guards. If the guards had been trained with this intensity, they would have probably been clamoring for drinks and rewards.

"How long do they practice every day?" Domenico asked, pointing at the war monks who were repeatedly practicing formations and stepping.

"They have to practice every day." "Practice every day? No, you mean they have to practice all day?" Domenico even thought that Bernardo was deceiving him, "Don't you have any rest?"

You know, only the armored sergeants will practice once a day. Unless they are new sergeants, most of them will only practice for half a day.

The night watch guards train once a week for a whole morning each time. In some places, they even train once a month. Some people even hire substitutes to train them.

Practice once a day, practice once a day, what kind of outrageous training frequency and time is this?

"That makes sense. Of course, we need to take a rest..."

Domenico finally put his surprise to rest.

"... one day off per week, one extra day off per month, 15 days of annual leave and 15 days of family leave per year."

"Then, the rest of the time..."

"It's just training." Bernardo explained as he led Domenico through the trenches and checkpoints and went deeper into the cave. "They get paid every day. Wouldn't it be a loss if we don't practice?"

"What does it mean to get paid every day?" Looking at the guard standing at the sentry post as motionless as a puppet, Domenico took two quick steps to Bernardo and asked.

Bernardo pulled out the legion's pamphlet and account sheet from his pocket and shook them at Domenico. "Literally, part of my job is to pay salaries. In peacetime, new soldiers get 1 dinar a day, and veterans get 2 dinars a day. In wartime, it doubles."

"Double it? Four dinars a day, one gold pound a month..." The armored sergeant following Domenico almost screamed, "4 gold pounds a year, my God, that's twice my annual income!"

Another accompanying Baron Aristopher pounded his chest in grief and said, "All these precious dinars were given to the soldiers. What a sin."

You know, his family's manor was looted by the Salvation Army, and the real estate was also sold off. Apart from his residence in Ibe Township, he now only has three or four hundred gold pounds in floating assets.

When he thought that all his money had turned into the soldiers' wages, he wished he could bite off a few bites of flesh from these soldiers alive.

Domenico didn't say much, but he had some idea of ​​why the Savior Army was able to defeat them.

This is equivalent to Horn having thousands of half-paid extraordinary infantry knights, even wizards and strange devil's winds. Judging from the quality alone, his side is far inferior.

Seeing this, Domenico knew he didn't need to read any further.

It is impossible for those knight nobles to give out huge amounts of dinars to ordinary people, let alone have the patience and energy to spend all day and night in the training ground.

They cannot replicate the success of the Salvation Army.

"Go back," Domenico said listlessly.

"We're going back now?" Baron Aristopher looked up at the sky above his head. "We've only been out for half the morning."

"Go back, there's nothing to see." Although Domenico tried to cover it up, the sour and bleak tone was about to overflow.

Bernardo suppressed his laughter: "Okay, then I'll take you back."

"Are you going back too?"

"Of course, without me, you wouldn't even be able to pass the level."

"No, that's not what I'm talking about." Domenico looked into Bernardo's eyes. "Aren't you going to be investigated by the Cheka? Are you going back?"

"Me?" Bernardo was stunned for a few seconds. He looked down at his black Salvation Army uniform and shook his head slowly. "Wait until I have my New Year holiday. Remember to say hello to the old lady for me."

Domenico nodded silently, and after a while he murmured, "That's fine, that's fine."

Unlike when they arrived, when they were talking so much, Domenico and his companions were all silent on the way back.

They now believe that if this army is given time, even the empire and the church will suffer an unprecedented setback at their hands.

Domenico was walking on the dirt road, thinking about his future, when he suddenly felt the soles of his feet vibrating.

When he looked up, he saw a horse running quickly from the checkpoint and almost bumping into him.

The galloping horse rushed through the camp quickly, paying no attention to the soldiers who were on patrol.

"Didn't you say that riding horses is not allowed in the barracks?" This gave Baron Aristopher, who was already unconvinced, a handle. "What's going on?"

Bernardo ignored him and walked quickly towards the checkpoint.

Sure enough, the last cavalryman who delivered the message was sitting on the hot steps, drinking mint water in big gulps.

Beside him, a galloping horse lay on its side on the ground, sticking out its pink and black tongue, as if it was about to breathe out its heart and lungs.

"What's going on?" Bernardo has always been popular. He happened to know the messenger, so he walked up to him and asked in a low voice.

The sending of the letter was not kept secret, and there was no need to keep it secret because it could not be kept secret at all.

"The reinforcements from Rapid City have all been destroyed, the city is on fire, and there are heavy casualties. Emergency! Origin! Xiaochi City is under attack by the coalition of nobles. Emergency! Request for help!"

(End of this chapter)