NOVEL NEXT Chapter 78: 78. Military training
The group of small business owners organized by Odover planned to leave for Winterfell in the north tomorrow. They wanted to buy popular goods early to make a good profit.
Unlike Odover and the other small business owners, Bert Bancroft, a wealthy trader from Golden Tooth City in the west, had an easier time acquiring land. He used his connections with the nobles in Golden Tooth City to his advantage.
One piece of land he acquired looked like a bull and weighed 8.73 kg. For this rare gold nugget, Bert not only paid a high price but also sold hundreds of gel pens, sheets of white paper, and thousands of bars of soap to the baron at a discount.
Although he lost some money on this deal, Bert believed that if Lord Jason liked the bull-shaped gold nugget, it would benefit him in the long run. For Bert, the real advantage was not about discounts. As one of the top traders in Golden Tooth City, he was pleased with the price of this highly sought-after item.
What Bert really wanted was to build a friendship with Lord Jason. He hoped that if Jason introduced new products that sold well, he could be the first buyer in the Western Region. That was enough for Bert.
Bert entrusted the business to his son while he headed to Winterfell with his carriage convoy, carrying three bull-shaped gold nuggets, including the largest one. Although he had handed over the business to his son, the paper, pens, and soap he bought from the north over ten days ago had sold out in just two days. His son was left managing the less profitable traditional businesses.
Bert had become somewhat disdainful of low-profit ventures after seeing the popular products from Jason. As a major trader, only lucrative businesses excited him!
In the winter market town of Winterfell, Jason Liu was training his 110 soldiers in an open area. Jon Snow watched from the side, curious about Jason's training methods inspired by the Imperial Army.
Then Jon saw something that confused him. Jason Liu first asked the soldiers, including McCann, Bud, and dicken, to identify their left and right. Half of them, sons of farmers, couldn't even tell the difference.
Frustrated, Jason had to remove their shoes and put them back on the correct feet to help them learn their left from right.
As they practiced commands like "turn left," "turn right," and "walk along these lines," Jon noticed that more than half of the young soldiers made mistakes. Some turned the wrong way and bumped into each other. Others turned too quickly and swayed side to side. Some were too focused on their feet, moving slowly and unable to keep pace.
Even when they marched forward, some took long strides while others took tiny steps. Jon watched, his serious face twitching at the absurdity of it all.
When Jason took a break, Jon couldn't help but voice his thoughts. "Master Jason, I mean no offense, but I really don't see how this simple training is useful in combat!"
Jason Liu accepted a bottle of mineral water from the young girl, Bella, and sat down next to Jon. Jon declined Bella's offer of water and followed him to the chair.
"You think this training is useless?" Jason asked, leaning back in his chair casually.
He had imagined military training from his college days to be more organized and interesting. But when Jason commanded his soldiers to follow military steps he remembered, he was shocked. Many of these peasant boys struggled even to distinguish left from right, which frustrated Jason, who usually had a good temper.
It was the first time he felt the urge to yell at his subordinates for not improving, despite their minor progress. Eventually, he had to scrap the original training plan—running drills and kicking steps—and focus solely on "turn left," "turn right," and "walk in unison."
In that moment, he understood the frustration instructors felt when faced with uncoordinated students. He was tired, wanted to shout, and felt like giving up.
However, he didn't agree with Jon that his training was pointless. Jon clearly thought the training, which seemed childlike, was absurd for someone trained in swordsmanship, riding, and archery since childhood.
After Jason asked Jon his opinion, Jon replied without hesitation, "Yes, I think this playful training is useless!"
Looking at Jon, who was now growing facial hair and seemed serious, Jason smiled. "Jon, let me ask you something. Do you think war is just about being brave?"
Jon paused to think before answering carefully. "Of course, it's not just bravery. The number of soldiers, weapons, and army commanders all affect the outcome of war."
"Yes, those factors matter," Jason nodded, "but I don't think they're the most important!"
Jon was confused. He was nearly of age, but all he knew about war came from soldiers at Winterfell who boasted over drinks. They bragged about their heroic kills in battle, thinking that was all that mattered.
"If you want to understand what truly matters in war, aside from supplies, weapons, and decent commanders, the real competition is teamwork!" Jason raised a finger. "Teamwork is essential on the battlefield!"
Jon looked puzzled. No one had ever told him these things.
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