Chapter 10
The adventurers had left just four days ago. Paddy was already missing his son. He knew that there was a great risk that he would lose another member of his family. Paddy had been working hard at the academy to improve the training regimes of the soldiers. It was something that he would never have imagined doing less than one week ago. That morning, King Henried arrived for an unexpected visit.
“Good Morning, Paddy, how are things here at the academy?” The King enquired, curious to see what Paddy had been up to.
“Good morning, my lord. Things are going really well here.” Paddy spoke in an excited tone. He seemed at his happiest when he talked about the academy. “I have made a number of important changes. We now have three groups in the academy. We have the beginners; for those who have had no training at all. We have the intermediates; people who have been in training for a while but still lack the skill and confidence to be effective on the battlefield. Finally, the advanced group consist of the finest students; those that are well trained but need to learn how to be cleaver with the knowledge they possess.”
“These changes are quite substantial. What was wrong with the old class system that we had appointed; even before you left the army? Surely dividing soldiers into individual groups depending on their potential has to be the best way of training the troops. I am not convinced by a general course for the masses.” The King stated, obviously a little troubled by Paddy’s announcement. When Paddy had worked for King Henried previously, he had been one of the best commanders the military had ever had. Paddy had respect and sound strategies but that was now a long time ago. The King feared that Paddy may have lost some of his leadership skills and may also suffer from the distraction of his daughter being missing.
“The academy failed to produce the best students because consistency was not maintained.” Paddy began in reply. “The old structure tried to train the soldiers differently. It would take their strengths and develop them but it did not address their weaknesses. This is because there was no basic training that each and every man had to go through.”
The King looked on, his face softening with every sentence Paddy spoke. He could see the enthusiasm and confidence in Paddy’s face. This reassured him.
Paddy continued, “The old system was totally detrimental to the workings of a functional army. Because the Infantry, Archers, Cavalry, and Scouts never did the same training, they believed they were individual armies and not a collective whole. It also promoted unhealthy rivalries. Infantry-men would actively intimidate the Archers thinking them weak. The cavalry-men felt they were vastly superior to all in the army. There was no respect from one group to the next. In the new system this will change. Each man will undergo the same Basic and Intermediate programs. These are designed to be all round skills courses. Only when a soldier reaches the advanced course can he choose the military strand they wish to join; with a helping hand from the instructors and I.”
Paddy did not stop there. He continued outlining his plans to the King for another twenty minutes.
“I have to tell you that I am impressed.” The King stated with a smile. “It is quite clear to me that you have put in a lot of thought into how you want the academy to be run. I would very much like to know how you came up with all these plans so quickly?”
Paddy looked at the King and smiled, “If I gave away all my secrets, I may find myself quickly out of work.”
With mock sarcasm, the King replied, “Replaced? You? Now who could I possibly get to replace you?”
“You don’t have another son hanging around here somewhere, do you?”
The King laughed a hearty laugh, “I am glad to see you can now make light of that situation.”
“It has taken a good long time but it is now nothing more than a chapter in history.” Paddy replied also smiling. “Come let me show you the new training in action.”
Paddy’s office was located on the right just through the Academy’s archway entrance. Paddy led the King back into the entrance hall and turned right out of his office. In front of them was another archway, this one blocked by a large set of double doors; each one with a large ring handle.
“After you.” Paddy said, motioning to the door.
The King twisted one of the large handles and opened the door. He had seen this hall many times before but the sight in front of him was awe inspiring. The room was fully thirty feet high. It had an arched ceiling with curved wooden supports. The ceiling itself was covered in intricate works of art depicting majestic and bloody battles. Large, stained glass windows ran from just below the ceiling and stopped about ten feet above the floor. The academy was designed like this to allow maximum usable space without the risk of broken glass. The floor itself had been split into three distinct sections using simple wooden screens. Each section was at least twenty feet square, providing ample space for the numerous soldiers in training.
“Are the divides to allow you to run the three classes?” The King asked.
“No they are not actually.” Paddy began. “This is the advanced class. The divides are simply to focus on separate elements. The Infantry will be trained in one section, the Archers in another and the Scouts in another. As I said before, the advanced class is split to meet individual requirements.”
The King looked around with an inquisitive expression on his face, “Where are the cavalry?”
Paddy looked at the King with raised eyebrows, “Would you have horses running around in here?”
The King shook his head.
“I thought not. They are being trained in the fields outside the city walls.”
The King took a moment to thoroughly get his head around what he was seeing. The look on his face instantly told Paddy that he was impressed.
The King fired one last question at Paddy, “Tell me, who is your star pupil at this point?”
Paddy smiled, “Come, let me show you.”
Paddy escorted the King to another room. This room was an extension to the great hall with lots of floor space but a smaller ceiling. Hundreds of young soldiers were practicing swordplay and battlefield tactics in a mock battle. In amongst the crowd, a young warrior was easily dispatching his rivals.
“There.” Paddy said, pointing to the young man. “That is our star pupil.”
The King’s eyes opened wide with amazement.
“Well, well.” The King began. “I cannot believe my eyes. James, my messenger boy! I only sent him here at the beginning of the week. How is it he has become so good?”
“He was good to begin with. He had all the attributes to be a great warrior; he just needed the thought process to go with them.” Paddy said with a brimming smile; a smile filled with pride.
“He seems to have the thought process now. Look at him. He is amazing.”
The young man had just taken the feet from under three assailants before striking each one in turn, effectively ending their session.
“Tell me, Paddy,” The King continued, “how did you manage to get him to think properly in such a small space of time?”
“He came to me after the first day of training and asked me if I would continue with him. He said that he wanted to be the finest warrior in the land because soon the finest lady in the land would seek him out and they would marry.”
The King nodded knowingly.
“For the love of a lady, a man would do almost anything.” He said.
Paddy looked a little concerned.
“All I can hope for is that this lady does not break his heart. Instead of a level-headed young man, we may be left with a raging bull to control.”
The pair watched the conclusion of the battle. James had made a huge difference in the battle and his side won quite comfortably.
“Right lads,” Paddy shouted, “that was an excellent battle. Tomorrow we will analyse the result and look at areas where you can improve.”
The King looked at Paddy with a bemused expression on his face. Paddy immediately knew what was on his mind.<
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“You are wondering why I have finished so early in the day.” He said.
“The thought had crossed my mind. After all, I am not paying you to take time off.” The King said in jest.
“I am departing to observe the soldiers in the field. At this moment, two armies are marching to a small valley just north of the city. There they will engage in a mock battle scenario. If you please, you can come along and watch. However, I do not wish to advertise this battle or my presence there-at so you would have to come alone; no guards.
“That can be arranged. How long until you leave?” The King asked.
“Within the hour.” Paddy replied.
“I shall return presently.” With that, The King departed. He returned to the palace to make arrangements for his royal court to conduct business whilst he was gone. Retiring to his bedchamber, The King changed into less conspicuous attire before proceeding to the academy once more. Paddy provided the horses and the pair rode out of the city.
They were barely a quarter mile out of the city walls when they could see the dust plumes rising into the air; one to the east, the other to the west.
“The two armies approach with heavy feet.” Paddy shouted over the sound of the horses galloping.
“An army waiting in ambush would see them coming from a great distance.” The King replied.
They continued their gallop, determined not to miss the start of the battle. They arrived just as the army from the east had arrived on the eastern slope. The army from the west appeared ten minutes later. The armies settled and faced each other. The slopes of the valley were nothing more than small hills with a gentle gradient but it was an adequate venue for the practice of a valley battle. A small figure approached the centre of the valley and raised his hands aloft. The two armies fell into complete silence.
“This is the combat instructor.” Paddy whispered to The King.
The Instructor addressed the armies in a loud and powerful voice.
“The rules of this engagement are simple. Once you have been struck in an area of the body that would cause fatal wounds; you fall down and wait until the battle has finished. If you should be struck by an arrow, it does not matter what part of the body it hits, you fall down dead. Play fair for tomorrow may bring a real battle and you need to know if you are ready. Commanders, assume command of your armies.” With that, the instructor raced towards a vantage position so he could observe the battle.
“The army to the east have no cavalry.” The King noted.
“Yes, it looks like they have been cunning. I wonder when and where they will strike.” Paddy replied. The two armies had been evenly matched. It was Paddy’s intention that the battles be about tactics and not numbers at this early stage. More scenarios were planned for later in the year where numbers could make a difference.
Both armies began with a folly of arrows. Men from both sides fell. The commander from the west made the first significant move. He ordered his cavalry to move forward slowly with the infantry following closely behind. The cavalry were armed with jousts in place of the spears used in a real battle. The plan was to break the enemy lines and then have the infantry charge in to create a serious dent in their numbers. The cavalry and the infantry moved. At first the pace was slow. Then they picked up pace to the speed of a human jog. The arrows continued to reign in from both sides. Men were falling but there was no advantage either way as yet. When the cavalry and infantry got to within one hundred yards of the enemy, the cavalry charged. As predicted, the first few lines of the army from the east crumbled. The Infantry followed the horse charge into the breaches; cutting down hundreds of men in mere seconds.
“That was well executed.” The King began. “I would think that the east will not last too long here.”
“I beg to differ.” Paddy said sternly. “If the east possesses the better swordsmen, they will be able to hold out for a long time. The West has created chaos in the first few ranks only. The rest of the army is as fresh and as stable as it was before. The east now has the advantage of the high ground and somewhere, probably flanking the west’s archers, the cavalry are approaching.”
Paddy’s prediction came true. After another five minutes of battle, which saw the west struggling to make ground, a cavalry charge cut down every archer the west had in a matter of seconds. The Cavalry master then focused a charge to cut the enemy infantry down from the rear. The west would now be boxed in, cutting off their escape route, and they would be fighting a battle on two fronts. The east made short work of the brave westerners. With no chance of surrender, the army of the west fell.
At the conclusion of the battle the combat instructor sounded a large horn. The men picked themselves from off the floor and lined up in their ranks.
The King and Paddy went down to address the men. This may only have been a mock battle but the King was shocked by how many bloodied men stood before him.
Paddy spoke first.
“It seems that this was not a fair fight.” Paddy’s voice echoed across the battlefield. “The army from the east did not come to this battlefield with all men present. They cheated.” A murmur went up from both armies. “The tactics used by the east could be seen to be shameful. However, I see them as being both cunning and cleaver. In a real battle the only thing that matters is winning. This needs to be done by taking as few casualties as possible. The west has proved that being noble in battle will only get you killed. There are lessons to be learned for both sides. I will talk to your combat instructors and they will then continue your training. For now though, you are free to make your way back home, or to your camps.
The two armies departed. Paddy had a long conversation with the other instructors; The King listened intently. The instructors departed at the conclusion of the conversation; their job was to go and instruct the commanders and the soldiers to improve their collective battlefield performance.
“By the time this training is over,” Paddy spoke to The King, “our armies will be adaptive and strong. They should also be evenly matched.”
“If you continue to give them such brutal lessons, I should imagine that there wouldn’t be a Kingdom on this planet that would have an army to match ours.” The King said jovially.
“Confidence is always good to have, my lord. Be mindful of being overconfident. That will be the downfall of both a good army and a good leader.” Paddy was stern. The King could see that Paddy was trying to do his part in getting his daughter back alive. If outright war was required, the armies of Thorntonvale would be the best they could be.
They returned home shortly after nightfall.
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Resurrection (Book 1: The Chronicles of Chaos) Page 12
