Chapter 27: Phalanx and Interrogation

"One-two-one! One-two-one! Yes, just like that!"

John stood in the hastily established military camp, directing the Irishmen to march in phalanx formation. The Middle Ages in Western Europe was an era dominated by knights. The main issue, however, was not that the knights were particularly strong, but rather that the infantry of the time was extremely poor.

European infantry had long lost the tactical prowess of the classical era, essentially forming tight arrays and then rushing forward to clash with the enemy. From John's perspective, getting the soldiers to march in a phalanx was the most basic training.

But even such a simple training proved incredibly difficult. These Irishmen seemed to not understand instructions at all, marching chaotically without any semblance of order.

Then there was the problem of distinguishing between left and right feet. Initially, John didn't want to fuss over it, but he later realized that uneven steps severely affected the phalanx. So, John decided to have the Irish peasants march in a left-right-left-right pattern.

And then, a scene that made his blood pressure soar unfolded. These Irishmen began to confuse left and right, completely freezing up. The knights were equally stubborn, adhering strictly to their knightly training.

In the end, it was the mercenaries brought by Breton who had the necessary experience. Despite their tendency to slack off, this group of seasoned veterans excelled in training soldiers.

They tied cloth strips around the legs of the Irishmen to distinguish left from right, then used whips to train them one by one. After three days of such training, these Irishmen finally learned how to march in step with the commands.

Next, they endured the grueling phalanx training. Before these Irishmen were trained, the Breton mercenaries had already been subjected to this training. Breton, using some unknown method, had made these seasoned soldiers very obedient. These soldiers then taught the phalanx technique to the Irishmen.

However, the teaching process was filled with cries and wails. Some refused to continue training and were subsequently hung upside down and whipped. After being whipped, they had to continue with extra training, a truly brutal ordeal.

Others who performed poorly were punished by being denied water for a day. Those who tried to sneak a drink were also hung and whipped.

Through this almost dog-like training regimen, these Irish peasants finally managed to form a phalanx. A one-hundred-man, perfectly square phalanx.

Such a formation would be considered rudimentary in later eras, capable only of marching straight and falling apart at the slightest turn. But for this time period, it was beyond impressive.

The Breton mercenaries seemed to have a clearer understanding of the phalanx, enabling them to form the formation more fluently and make some maneuvers while advancing.

Watching these guys march out in formation, John's mood finally improved a bit.

"It's time to give them some additional training," John said, sounding relieved. And next to John, Bleton also seemed to ease up a bit.

"I'll follow the plan," Bleton replied. "So, you mean, you want them to practice using spears?"

John nodded as he spoke, "Exactly, but I need to take a break for a while."

The Irishmen were driving John crazy, and he needed to take a breather. As he walked towards the castle in Dublin, he pondered whether he should go see Orla today.

But things didn't go as planned.

Before John could relax, Jacques appeared in his sight.

The envoy rushed over to John, almost falling off his horse in the process. He stumbled a few times before steadying himself.

"What's going on?" John asked, looking at Jacques with curiosity.

Taking a deep breath, Jacques said, "Your Highness, the mission to sway Lord Cayman in Símis failed. It's my fault, I couldn't persuade him..."

"Oh, is that so," John waved his hand dismissively. "It's okay, if it failed, it failed."

Seeing John's indifferent attitude, Jacques felt like his worldview was collapsing. After all the hard work he put in, the Prince was acting as if it didn't matter, making it hard for Jacques not to question his own importance.

For some reason, Jacques approached and asked, "But, Your Highness, this mission did fail."

John was stunned by Jacques' question, and so was William, who was standing beside John.

William's heart trembled, wanting to step forward and explain to Jacques. But John stopped William and walked directly to Jacques. Although John's physique was not particularly robust within the family, he was still half a head taller than Jacques. Moreover, his complete knightly education made John's body stronger than Jacques'.

Facing John, who clearly stood a size larger in front of him, Jacques showed no fear and stared straight at John.

"You want to know the answer, very well, I'll tell you," John said solemnly. "As a leader, I don't divulge all my plans to subordinates. I will achieve my goals my way, and your job is to do the tasks I give you."

Such an explanation would be accepted by most people who heard it. But Jacques decided to be stubborn.

"So, Your Highness, have you achieved your goal?" Jacques asked.

For a moment, William felt like he was going to faint. Why was Jacques so stubborn? Was he determined to crash head-on into this metaphorical brick wall today?

But John's response surprised everyone. Instead of getting angry, he smiled.

"I have achieved it. Are you satisfied with that answer?" John said.

Looking at John's face, William couldn't believe it. Jacques had been so disrespectful, yet John had not only tolerated him but had also shown concern for Jacques. This was unbelievable.

Jacques could only nod. He knew if he pressed further, it wouldn't end well.

After this little drama ended, Jacques hurried away, and John returned to the castle with his guards. He didn't go see Orla; instead, he went to the hall with the knights.

"Your Highness, that guy was really rude to you just now," Hugo, with his red nose, exclaimed, rushing over from Gloucester.

William didn't argue back but approached John to explain, "Your Highness, I didn't expect Jacques to behave like that. I truly didn't know he was capable of such things."

Watching everyone's reactions, John didn't have much to say. Perhaps Jacques' behavior was a bit presumptuous for this era, but John found it rather amusing.

After all, when everyone is overly deferential all day, having a young hothead like Jacques suddenly appear was quite interesting.

"You all don't understand. You really don't," John said, with a significant tone. "Jacques, this lad, does indeed have a few tricks up his sleeve."

Everyone looked at John, stunned.