Jerusalem.

Constance Manor.

Laine watched Model train the new recruits with boredom.

Gathering in formation, marching with sticks, turning left and right, squatting down and standing up, square formation, circular formation...

A cacophony of footsteps filled the originally clean and tidy manor with dust.

"Everyone, stand at attention where you are, no whispering, no movements, until the church bell rings!"

Model shouted with a serious expression.

With his full beard and naturally stern face, he was more suited to be the drill instructor than Laine.

He held a whip in his hand, ready to lash out at anyone who moved.

Under the blazing sun, the new recruits in full armor were drenched in sweat.

If not for the higher pay and better food offered by Constance Manor compared to the soldiers recruited by the Kingdom of Jerusalem, these men wouldn't endure such monotonous training.

To them, this training was useless, simply exhausting.

It hardly improved their survival rate on the battlefield.

Better to wield a wooden sword and hack at a target wildly.

A full fifteen minutes later, the church bell finally rang.

The recruits let out a breath of relief, slumped on the ground sitting or squatting.

"Remove your armor and rest!"

Model ordered.

"Next, I will teach you how to maintain your armor and weapons. You should be aware of the value of the armor you wear. It is worth more than your lives and is essential for survival on the battlefield!"

The recruits looked stern, fully aware of how much a set of armor costs.

Before coming to the Holy Land, when they were recruited peasants or city militia, the lords never provided them armor, which was a privilege reserved for the Lord's Personal Guard.

This was one reason why they endured the training.

Laine watched Model explain the basics lazily from the shade of a tree.

A moment later, the explanation ended.

The recruits resumed their long "punishment standing" process.

Model walked under the blazing sun, removing his helmet and pouring out water.

"I know you intend to train these Armored Soldiers in 'discipline', so they can move with precision on the battlefield, not scattering easily under cavalry charge."

"But this training is really too boring, and those brought from Austria are no use either."

Model frowned: "Laine, training new troops is inherently boring, but you must understand, this new army will be the core for our future. Their training directly influences our future prospects."

There was a glint of passion in Model's eyes: "Don't you wish to be like those Knights, dressed in splendid armor, dominating the battlefield?"

"I do wish for that, but you see these fools can't even differentiate left from right, practicing a turn looks like a panicked flock of sheep, how can such a state satisfy you?"

"Then train more!"

Model gritted his teeth.

The new recruits indeed didn't measure up, though strong and healthy, most were illiterate, with few having attended church school.

If they can't distinguish left from right, how could they form a tight formation and march in unison?

Unable to form a proper queue, they're merely armored recruits, mere appearances.

At this time, the sound of hooves slowly echoed through the streets.

A knight in Saracen-style black scale armor entered the manor under Laine and Model's surprised gaze.

"Halt, this is Lord Losa's private manor! No guests allowed!"

"Heretic, you defile this pure land!"

Laine and Model immediately grabbed their weapons and approached.

Several stationed citizens also picked up weapons and followed; their training time was longest, already possessing initial combat abilities.

"Only half a month apart, yet you no longer recognize me?"

A familiar voice sounded.

Laine, Model, and the citizens' faces turned joyful.

"It's the Lord's voice!"

"The Lord is back!"

Without Losa, they felt like they lost their backbone.

Laine and Model were good soldiers but lacked independent capability.

The knight removed the veil and scarf from his face: "Laine, Model, and my people, long time no see."

He cast his gaze toward the recruits standing in training.

Though they looked surprised and curious, they did not rush around, swarming to watch the commotion.

Model's austere training has begun to show results.

Losa handed the reins to Laine and headed straight to the recruits.

"Nice to meet you, my soldiers. I am your lord and the one you pledge allegiance to, as well as the employer who pays your wages. You've trained well, keep it up."

Then he instructed Model, "Tonight, serve extra meat for the meal."

The recruits cheered immediately.

"Hooray!"

"Heavenly Father bless you, generous lord!"

"Praise be to you!"

Hans, Prajna, and Furinjira then slowly entered the manor.

"Long time no see, my dear brothers!"

Hans, with tears in his eyes, hugged Laine and Model tightly.

"So... it's been a long time."

The two were startled by Hans' enthusiasm.

"Brothers, find some reliable people to handle the bags on the horses and take good care of these poor big animals."

"They have had quite a hard journey!"

No longer needing to do hard labor, Hans felt completely liberated.

At this moment, Losa shouted:

"Model, continue with the training. Laine, come with me; I need to find out what's been happening recently in the manor."

"Sir, please follow me."

Laine took Losa to the warehouse and pointed to the neatly arranged weaponry displayed here: "There are a hundred iron spearheads, leather-covered round shields, sixty kite shields, numerous armor patches for repair, hammers, and over ten one-handed hammers."

"Also, three bows and two crossbows."

Pope Innocent III had once issued a ban on crossbows, strictly prohibiting their use against Christian brothers, but hardly any feudal monarch took it to heart.

Prohibiting crossbows and other ranged weapons was tantamount to self-demilitarization, wasn't it?

Moreover, this is Jerusalem, and Losa was using crossbows to fight against the "wicked" heretics.

"Well done, having crossbows is sufficient; no need to invest too much effort. The main focus currently is still on training armored soldiers."

Losa did not intend to organize a large-scale light infantry unit, as light infantry is more effective against unarmored troops.

For fully armored knights and armored soldiers, they wouldn't be more than an annoyance.

He also did not plan to train mounted shooters.

Firstly, the training was challenging—not being nomads, mastering mounted archery required extensive training, even for stationary mounted shooting.

Moreover, mounted archery in this era, due to the riding bow's range being far inferior to foot bows, couldn't penetrate iron armor; it was practically a hindrance.

The strength of the Tatar Iron Cavalry lay in its advanced organizational structure, achieving high mobility mainly with cavalry units, rather than in archery.

A significant portion of the Tatar Iron Cavalry were heavy cavalry, and their armor rate was far higher than most armies of the era, including the Crusades.

It's incorrect to say Crusader cavalry were defeated by Tatar Iron Cavalry, which in turn was defeated by Mamluk; Mamluk Cavalry was once defeated by Crusader Knights.

Leading to the paradoxical conclusion: Crusader Cavalry being less than Tatar Iron Cavalry, less than Mamluk, yet less than Crusader Cavalry.

To make an inappropriate analogy, Crusader Cavalry is like the Tiger Tank, Tatar Iron Cavalry like the T34, each with its strengths.

But speaking of this era, the disorganized Crusader Knights, who worship personal heroism and possess rigid tactics, were absolutely impossible to defeat the Tatar Iron Cavalry.

The recent raid on the Kokb castle brought in considerable wealth, thus began assembling the era's rulers, heavy cavalry.

As for sourcing troops, he was still considering.

Leaving the warehouse, Losa followed Laine to observe the training of armored soldiers, nodding silently.

Unlike Laine and Model's high standards, Losa knew that recruiting and training such a force within just half a month was quite commendable.

Moreover, many of these soldiers had seen bloodshed.

The pilgrim's path was fraught with danger, and making it to the Holy Land alive required both luck and skill.

Therefore, this band of armored soldiers actually already possessed basic combat capability.

With another month of training, they should be ready for the battlefield.

Losa patted Model on the shoulder: "You two have done well during this period. Once training is over, go and purchase some seeds, farming tools, and check for any blacksmiths and carpenters—the manor's blacksmith shop and carpenter's workshop cannot be left idle."

"Is there anyone taking care of the stables? These fine animals require careful attention; if they fall ill, they should be isolated immediately."

The eight Arabian warhorses they brought back were top-class, worth at least three hundred gold coins combined.

Losa was muttering.

Outside the manor, the sound of urgent hooves was heard.

The Jerusalem Royal Knight in a red and white hooded shirt stopped at the manor's entrance and urgently said: "Knight Losa, His Majesty summons you to the palace immediately."

Losa hurriedly replied: "Understood, please allow me to change my clothes."

The knight shook his head and said: "No need, once you arrive at the palace, someone will attend to your bath and change."

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