Chapter 255 is to live as a human being
One night in May, Roger, who had gone through half a day of city wall combat training and half a day of physical training, fell asleep on his wooden bed and started snoring within a minute.
Just when this light sleep had just begun, I suddenly heard a familiar short whistle.
Roger didn't know why serving in the Antioch Army led to so many nonsense, and Gareth wouldn't admit that he copied a lot of later content when he wrote the infantry training outline.
In short, the night attack crisis that other armies are not easy to handle is almost a normal training for Roger.
At the whistle of the emergency assembly, Roger subconsciously jumped from the second floor of the bunk bed to the ground.
The original fatigue and sluggishness were gone in the blink of an eye. Without thinking, just relying on his "muscle memory", Roger completed putting on his armor. When he went out, he hung up his sword and took out a sword. Spear.
In less than four minutes, this emergency gathering was completed without warning, but the roll call began immediately, making Roger realize that something was wrong.
A standard company with a full strength of 140 people, no matter how you count it, there are only 136 people including the company commander, Paladin, medics, and veteran platoon leaders of each platoon.
Four people asked for leave without any procedures and disappeared from the company.
Company Commander Laurent's expression was very gloomy. He was a veteran figure in the Kingdom of Jerusalem Army. He was present when Leonard led the men to encircle Gallis. In the subsequent battle, he was slightly injured while protecting his comrades.
With the expansion of the Kingdom of Jerusalem's army, their group of people also grew stronger one by one.
The better ones, like Pierre, have become battalion commanders and can command nearly 600 troops. Laurent, who is considered to be from the middle to the top, has become the chief officer of a company.
Perhaps at the beginning, following Garris might have been a moment of excitement, but now the prospects are so clear.
Laurent will also be more ambitious, which also means that the intensity of his training for his men is often higher than that of his brother troops, intentionally or unintentionally.
It's just that because Laurent will personally participate in the training and the training he receives is more intense than that of the new recruits, most soldiers do not dare to complain.
After all, in the eyes of these Antioch recruits, a company commander, a chief officer, is no different in status from the previous knight master.
"This is the first time I have encountered deserters since I served as company commander, and there were four of them in one breath!"
Laurent's face and the faces of the other platoon leaders were terrifyingly gloomy in the moonlight.
Their eyes were like evil wolves, making everyone in the company feel frightened.
Roger didn't understand for a while why these officers or veteran platoon leaders cared so much about deserters.
When he was still working under Bohemond, he had a lot of deserters, but that was all. After all, it was too difficult to catch deserters these days.
Desertion, desertion... these things are almost bound to the army. No army in any era can avoid the occurrence of these things.
There are actually many reasons why soldiers desert. They may be frightened by the brutal battles, they may be abused in the military camp, they may not be able to bear the boring life in the army, or they may simply be homesick.
It can be said that before modern times, being a deserter or even deserting was an extremely common thing.
The low military management capabilities mean that the military system has very weak constraints on soldiers.
After all, the vassals are not my vassals. In other words, they are the soldiers recruited by the lower nobles. At some point, they will assume a quantum state.
Just like the two phases of waves and particles, one can only be sure of its existence by observing it in person.
This kind of thing improved slightly after the Renaissance. Middle- and high-level officers could at least determine the precise number of deserters in their troops, but in many cases they still did not know who specifically deserted.
Take the infantry phalanx in Naples, Spain, as an example. In the four years from 1571 to 1574, a total of 1,290 people were lost, of whom 38% were killed. Of the other 62% who were missing, most of them deserted.
A Spanish phalanx, with a full strength of approximately 3,000 men, lost 1,290 men in 4 years, and 62% of them were missing.
In almost four years, the total number of fleeing soldiers has exceeded 20% of the establishment.
This was based on the fact that Spain colonized the Americas, had abundant gold and silver, and could make large sums of money.
Other armies of the same era would only be more serious than this.
At this juncture in the 12th century, it was even possible to see that the total number of deserters was higher than the number of active troops.
Therefore, it was difficult for Roger to understand why his company commanders and platoon commanders went to war.
"As early as when you were organized into the company, I said that the Kingdom of Jerusalem Army is different from any other army you have experienced in the past."
"This is not only to give you money, but also to let you understand what the kingdom of heaven is."
"If I just want you to die on the battlefield, there is no need to train you all day long!"
"Ask yourself, do you eat as much meat throughout the year as you do here in three months?"
"The prayers organized by Paladin every day are not the salvation of your souls?!"
"Only by sweating more in peacetime can you bleed less during war, and you can survive and become the fire to light up the wilderness!"
"But some of you have become deserters, and there are sentries among you who have become deserters."
When the sentry was mentioned, Laurent, who was standing at the front of the queue, looked even worse.
After such a speech, regardless of whether the soldiers below understood it or not, Laurent went to discuss it with Lian Paladin and still chose to report it.
The entire battalion of Antioch's army was busy because of the desertion.
……
Alam was a little confused. He didn't know whether his decision was correct.
At the beginning of its service, the Antiochian army repeatedly emphasized that the punishment for desertion would be extremely serious.
And unlike ordinary feudal armies, the main force of the Antioch army was not knights, but infantry.
Moreover, the company commander and Paladin registered all the soldiers in their company and submitted them to the Governor's Palace.
The Governor's Office will also send people to each village for verification. In other words, being a deserter in the Antioch Army means that the deserter will be traced to the village where the deserter is located, which will inevitably harm his family.
The Governor-General was not a good man. When Governor Reims took office, he had already executed the two Princes of Antioch.
A Bohemond and a Renard, together with their cronies, were put down with violent efficiency and guillotined.
Of course, even so, people cannot actually measure interests clearly and clearly, and they lack absolute rationality.
An attitude of taking chances, aversion to military life, and fear of the battlefield will always make people take desperate risks.
Alam looked at the three people walking in front, and he slowly slowed down.
He hesitated, not sure whether he should flee.
When he first joined the army, the Governor-General had already advanced half of the allowance for the first few months so that Alam could settle down his family.
He still had his parents in Antioch, and when he took the money to visit relatives, his parents smiled with relief.
This is just mobilization. When Jerusalem is recovered, he can return to Antioch with more money, honor, and everything.
If he continues to flee, what kind of situation will his parents face... Thinking of the decisiveness of the Antioch Governor's Palace in dealing with traitors, he couldn't help but slow down a little.
In fact, military life is not bad, right? There is no beating, scolding or corporal punishment, no bullying or extortion of bribes, except that the amount of training is so heavy that one cannot breathe.
In addition to daily life schedule accurate to the minute...
At least here, he can eat meat every day...which is something he couldn't do in the past half of his life...
If you leave the army, how can you live?
Can he still eat enough?
In this era, hunger is the norm, and except for the one percent of people, everyone else needs to fight to the death for three meals a day.
In this boundless land, countless people are killed by hunger every day and can only compete with birds and beasts for food.
All this is like a huge cross standing in front of the world.
Alam paused in his steps when he came back to his senses.
There was no trace of the three people in front of him, and he was in the wilderness with no village in front of him or any store behind him.
Alam found a tree and sat against it.
I don't know where to go in the moonlight.
What to do next?
Alam felt exhausted physically and mentally. He couldn't help closing his eyes and escaping into dreamland to avoid the discomfort in reality.
……
Medieval armies often lacked unified dispatching capabilities, and this was also very obvious among the troops under Garris.
Not only was the Crusade actually in the form of a coalition, but the troops that Garris could mobilize were actually coalition forces.
Currently, the Garris army gathered near Tire can be divided into four factions.
The standing army directly under the Second Kingdom, the troops raised by the lords of Tripoli, the troops mobilized by the Governor-General of Antioch, and the volunteers assembled in the direction of Cyprus.
In the direction of Antioch, the commanders currently in charge are actually "Insect" José and Russell, one of the earliest Paladins.
As a battalion commander, Pierre is already among the top twenty important figures in the Antioch Governor's Palace.
He clearly knew that the harsh training experienced by these people under his command would inevitably cause discomfort among the soldiers.
But so what?
How can we see a rainbow without going through wind and rain? Sweat more in peacetime and bleed less in wartime.
Every soldier in Antioch's army is a valuable asset.
Each investment the Governor's Mansion spends on these soldiers can easily maintain three to four times the feudal army. If we consider it purely from the cost-effectiveness of military operations, this is very inappropriate.
But if the Governor's Palace wants to truly govern Antioch, it needs talents. What it needs is a large number of talents who can help them govern the place.
These people need to be literate, need to understand the country, and need to be willing to support the ideals of the order.
As long as one tenth of the stubborn stones polished by the army can understand the necessity of the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, then they will become jade in the rough.
As Garris said, there should not be only a few people at the banquet in heaven, but everyone should have a share.
After Pierre heard that four soldiers on Laurent's side had escaped, he was silent for a long time.
But he still personally led the guards to organize this time's search for deserters. The Order is the Order, and if left to its own devices in this matter, what distinguishes them from other armies?
That night, Pierre didn't go too far. After only a hundred steps, he saw a "deserter" sleeping against a tree.
Pierre was silent again, looking slightly strange.
It is indeed a bit difficult to identify this. How can anyone be a deserter and only run a hundred steps?
The other teams that caught the deserters had already walked a few miles away. Only I was too lazy to walk too far, so I met them near the military camp.
After thinking about it, he shook the guy who was obviously sleeping soundly.
The soldier in front of him stretched in confusion,
He had just woken up, but he had not yet shaken off the beauty in his sleep.
So much so that he forgot that he was a deserter, so he didn't recognize who Pierre was, but he just felt that Pierre looked particularly familiar.
Pierre was silent and Alam was confused. The two stared at each other for a long time before Alam realized that he was a deserter, and the person in front of him was his battalion commander.
"Alam, right."
"The prophet once told me some stories. Do you know how the Prussians treated the fleeing soldiers?"
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"Prussia?" Alam had obviously never heard of this name.
Although in this era, the concept of Prussians already exists.
Prussia first appears in literature in its Latin form, as "Prussia" or "Prutenia". This is directly related to the name of the original Baltic Prussians (Prūsa).
Of course, the Prussians that Gallis mentioned were naturally the Prussians of later generations, not those of the same generation.
"The Prussians would strip the deserters of their upper clothes and make them naked, walking in two rows of 200 soldiers. Each soldier was required to hit the prisoner with a wooden stick soaked in water."
"The sergeant major walked behind the prisoner and pushed him forward with a spear, while some non-commissioned officers would use whips to whip those soldiers who did not hit the deserters hard."
"There must be musicians around to cover up the screams of the tortured. The deserters need to go through this kind of thing thirty-six times, which lasts three days."
Amr flinched, knowing full well that Pierre was intimidating him.
"Then have you heard of Switzerland?"
"Neither..."
"The Swiss are relatively simple. They just hang the deserter in public and let his comrades spit on his body."
Alam swallowed subconsciously...
"Batalion Commander." Alam said.
"What happened?"
"I heard that Heike and Tigran said they wanted to take a sailboat from Sidon back to Antioch." One thing Alam didn't say was that this suggestion was actually made by him.
"Very well, then, Alam!" cried Pierre.
"Arrived!" Alam subconsciously stood upright and responded loudly. This was a reaction that had been engraved in his mind over the past few months.
"Soldier! I order you to join my team and start arresting those deserters who have violated military discipline and punish them as they should. Do you understand?"
"Yes!"
It was another subconscious reaction, and he didn't take the time to understand the purpose of Pierre's order.
In this case, Pierre patted Alam on the shoulder again.
"Next time you go out to poop, remember to report to your squad leader, and don't fall asleep in the middle of pooping again."
"Huh?"
It took Alam a long time to realize, had he passed the test?
In short, after having a clear direction, Pierre contacted the Tukpo Light Cavalry and went directly to search.
In the evening of the next day, several other deserters were captured.
The deeds of Heike and Tigran were reported to various military camps in the Second Kingdom. They were sentenced to a week of confinement and a full half-year's allowance was deducted.
As for Alam himself, he was confined for three days and deducted three months of allowances for deserting, but he was not notified on a large scale.
This kind of punishment is actually a bit too light in the eyes of many people.
It seems that soldiers cannot be reminded of the cost of escape without whipping them.
However, Pierre stopped those suggestions of increasing corporal punishment and insisted on confinement and deduction of allowances as punishment.
"We don't need a bunch of puppets who only follow orders. We need people, living people, who know what is good and what is beautiful, who know shame and what is ugly, not people who are simply afraid of the whip."
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In the conference room of the battalion headquarters, Pierre was presiding over a meeting of cadres above the platoon.
"Laurent."
"Arrived!"
"Don't carry out any reorganization in your company, and don't deliberately increase the training intensity. Take a good rest in the next two days. The following devil weeks will be difficult for you."
"Yes!"
Knowing why you fight, being aware of your own ugliness, and being remorseful for your sins cannot be whipped out.
But it requires true faith. This faith is not just words in words, but belief in the bones.
God does not exist alone. God and the kingdom of God—that is, the kingdom of God—are inseparable.
Only by believing that God is the Lord of the Kingdom of Heaven and the poor are the chief guests of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Only by believing that the lives of the poor need to survive, and by believing that God has imprinted His image and likeness on people’s lives.
Then life will be a sacred life, not just a living of flesh and blood.
Pierre sighed, put his hand on a pamphlet beside him, then made the sign of the cross, ending the meeting.
Next, the troops currently being trained by the Kingdom of Jerusalem will begin to enter Devil Week training.
This is the last high-intensity training before launching the next siege of Acre, and is intended to improve the soldiers' siege experience.
To minimize the damage to soldiers, as Pierre said, these soldiers who have lived in the military camps, participated in bloody battles, and received military ranks will become the kindling to ignite the wilderness.
Their battle is not limited to the battlefield, but they must fight against the "eternal" order in heaven and earth that strangles human life.
A strong body, a religious life like an ascetic monk, and experience in fighting on the battlefield will all be turned into nutrients, nourishing them and making them grow.
After two days of rest, Devil's Week begins.
Not only special training, Devil Week is also a competition between the whole army. Whether it is the Antioch Army, the Royal Army, or the volunteer troops, they are all conducting high-intensity assessments on a company basis.
For three consecutive days, there were three emergency gatherings at random events, followed by a twenty-kilometer forced march in full armor.
The training intensity instructions given by Garris have exceeded the limit that the European army can bear in this era.
So much so that when Eden went to visit, his legs could not help but tremble.
These troops who were "loyal" to the Prophet were "fanatic believers" who truly lived as ascetic monks.
Getting up every day is a running exercise singing hymns.
This was followed by the Paladin leading the prayer for the entire company, followed by a simulation of climbing the city in the morning. During the rest period, there were also three hourly prayers interspersed, and the three hourly prayers were also performed before lunch.
In the afternoon, each company will have its own sermon meeting, where the doctrine will be preached and the nine o'clock prayer will be held.
As for evening prayers and bedtime prayers, they are also indispensable.
It is shaping a "crusade" in the true sense.
The piety of this army was beyond that of any other Crusade.
Previously, he had not paid attention to how the troops of the Kingdom of Jerusalem were trained, but when he lost his arrogance, he saw the truth that he had not expected.
I also understand a little bit why the senior officials of the Second Kingdom, such as Balian, are still full of confidence in the cause of the "Crusader".
In those military camps, prayers that were different from those in the past were being repeated over and over again, strengthening the faith of many people.
【The loving Lord, the source of righteousness】
[We come before you with reverence and trust, because you are the refuge of the oppressed and the hope of the poor and oppressed. 】
[Through the mouth of the prophet, you have spoken to the powerful; through the life of Christ, you have broken the shackles of injustice. 】
[Today, we stand for Your truth and cry out for strength for Your justice. 】
[Lord, You see that the battle we face is not just flesh and blood, but a battle against principalities, powers, and the evil forces that rule this dark world. 】
[You know that power and greed have built high walls, and oppression and indifference shroud the earth like shadows. 】
[However, You teach us that no matter how ferocious the enemy is, like a roaring lion, Your love and justice will eventually prevail! 】
[Please give us courage so that we will no longer be afraid of power, and wisdom so that we can distinguish between good and evil. Please open our eyes to see the faces of those who suffer and hear the cries of the oppressed. 】
[May You be our shield, enabling us to use faith and actions to tear down those towers of injustice and liberate those imprisoned souls. 】
[Lord, we pray for those who are walking in darkness. Please turn their hearts to the light. 】
[We pray for those in power. May Your truth shatter the pride in their hearts. 】
[We also pray for ourselves, grant us humility and strength, so that we can become instruments of your righteousness and work with you to build a kingdom of righteousness and peace. 】
"Lord, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 】
[May your people stay alert in battle, find hope in suffering, and see glory in struggle. 】
[In the name of Christ, Amen. 】
(End of chapter)