MTLNOVEL Chapter 229 Training Situation
The straw sandals sank into the soil, squeezing out the brownish-black mud along with the muddy water.
Brune stood stiffly in the rain, not only him but also fifty new recruits of the same squad stood together in the fine rain.
Due to yesterday's one-kilometer collective run, Ke Ruxiu's unit ranked last, so the entire squad was punished.
But in fact, Ke Ruxiu's squad had three people who ranked in the top hundred, and most of the others finished before the second-to-last.
However, since Horn implemented a collective system based on the last person's arrival, Ke Ruxiu's squad ended up last.
"It's not like I was the one who came in last..." Someone murmured softly.
Ke Ruxiu suddenly turned around: "Who, who was speaking?"
The response was a silent calm; after these days of training, they knew speaking without permission would earn them a beating.
"I've reiterated many times, you're not just individuals, you're a squad." Ke Ruxiu said coldly as he circled the twenty new recruits, "Once you're on the battlefield, your achievements are collective, so is your punishment. I just heard someone speaking, so you're all standing for an extra fifteen minutes! Got it?"
"Yes!"
"Louder."
"Yes——"
The cold rain slapped their faces, dripping down the collar to the clavicle, soaking their chests, taking away the last bit of warmth.
Yet they did not dare to move, only glancing toward the fence not far away.
A dozen disobedient new recruits, their hands tied to the pitch-black stakes, their thin pants stripped down, exposing their mottled behinds.
The officers and Child Soldiers wielded long, sleek rods and lashed at the troublesome recruits' behinds. Some Child Soldiers, being young and weak, even needed to run for momentum to achieve the best effect.
"Oh oh oh oh——"
"Eh eh oh——"
Pig-like screams swirled in the rain, echoed in the ears of marching recruits, and lingered in Brune's heart.
In the chill of the rain, he felt his behind burning painfully, as if the cold was slightly eased by the heat, a mark of his old wounds from two days ago.
That was because he turned incorrectly for a left-right drill three times in a row, and Ke Ruxiu singled him out for specialized training.
Brune didn't even dare recall the agony; whichever side turned wrong got whipped, and after the behind was whipped, it was the palms' turn, enduring till 11 o'clock at night.
Eventually, he differentiated right from left, but was always a beat slower, unable to keep pace, and was beaten again.
Though often bullied, he had never been tortured and beaten like this before.
After breaking down, Brune tried giving up, was beaten again, tried escaping, was caught and beaten again, and then locked in solitary confinement.
A whole day, no one spoke, no response, no water, no food, pitch-dark hopelessness.
Yet in that solitary confinement, Brune finally completed a rite of passage essential for survivalists—enlightenment.
His brain couldn't keep up, so he decided not to think at all.
"Turn right!"
After standing for two long periods, Ke Ruxiu, covered in a rain cloak, suddenly shouted.
Stomping through the soft mud, Brune's body moved numbly, turning with his squadmates simultaneously to the right.
This time he wasn't a beat slow and didn't turn wrong, because he abandoned thinking, merely listening numbly to Ke Ruxiu's orders.
"Turn right, turn left, step forward, form lines!"
"Step back, step left, turn back, turn back! Form lines!"
Amidst successive orders, twenty exhausted new recruits lost most of their thinking abilities, merely following Ke Ruxiu's commands numbly.
"Very good, no mistakes today, seems the confinement worked well on you, Brune."
"Yes!"
"Not complimenting you; don't get proud now." Ke Ruxiu smashed the ground fiercely with the rod, splashing up a patch of muddy water, "Everyone, head to the mess hall, move out."
Standing by the roadside, Horn looked at this group of weary and numb soldiers with the hint of a smile.
From Horn's experience, though Brune reacted slowly, he was among the top of the second tier in these new recruits.
Horn's Salvation Army Battle Group used refugee laborers as the primary source; they spent a long time living outdoors, surviving self-sufficiently.
In this environment, they needed to fetch water, chop wood, gather wild fruits and vegetables, doing short-term labor, unable to concentrate on one task long-term.
They developed self-sufficiency, knowledge, and strong will, yet also low efficiency, difficulty focusing, and laziness.
The best-performing recruits were often city laborers or boat haulers.
They engaged in the same job daily and required collective collaboration, adapting best to military life.
The second tier mostly consisted of exiled Armed Farmers and Public Register Farmers.
They occasionally worked together for labor and collective farming, possessing some obedience and experience.
The worst third tier included refugees, beggars, and bandits.
Besides laziness, they also tended to complain, were arrogant, and failed to follow orders.
Horn's frustration was that the third tier's numbers nearly matched the first two tiers combined.
Overcoming their bad habits through training seemed incredibly difficult; so far, Horn had killed over twenty troublesome soldiers.
Ultimately, he even had to send some unable to adapt back, replenishing them with reserves.
The current attrition rate was about 3%.
After ten days of training, driven by money, hatred, and the threat of sticks, these soldiers managed to persist.
These units of new recruits, though perhaps unable to march neatly, surprisingly distinguished themselves from other squads in movement.
For recruits initially resembling turds floating aimlessly, this was quite an achievement.
"Next is the physical enhancement period." Horn flipped through his lacquered notes.
While calling it enhancement, Horn had already integrated physical training during previous drills, laying a solid foundation.
After ten days of training and nutritional supplements, soldiers showed noticeable weight gain, significantly reducing their pale appearances.
"These next seven days, we can introduce some breathing exercises." Jeanne added from the side.
Horn nodded: "Alright, but you must supervise them. Only a part of them should practice, as many haven't adjusted physically yet. I'm worried about accidents."
"Okay."
"Tomorrow starts the physical enhancement period. Tonight, we could have some entertainment, like singing or extra meals, to let them relax." Horn turned to Thomas and Jeska, instructing.
Thomas patted his chest: "Rest assured, Sire, it's all arranged."
"Good." Horn instructed Fuchev to bring the horse over, "Hilov said the new textile machine is ready; I'll go see it. Tonight's matters are up to you."
"Alright, I'll prepare an extra meal, they can have giant spider meat then."
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