Veteran

Roderick remained calm and composed. With a swift movement, he flicked his wrist, and with lightning speed, his wooden stick slashed upwards, precisely parrying the opponent's strike. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he used the opponent's momentum to deliver a powerful blow to the opponent's chest!

"Ugh!" The soldier groaned, staggered backward from the force, and fell to the ground with a thud. He obediently dropped his stick to indicate that he was "killed in action."

Just then, a soldier playing the role of Sauron Sword and Shield Bearer on the other side, taking advantage of the moment when Roderick sheathed his spear, crouched down and raised his shield, attempting to break into the formation from the side!

Roderick reacted extremely quickly, immediately adjusting his posture. He lowered his left hand to grip the middle of the spear shaft, raised his right hand to control the end of the shaft, and almost leveled the spear with the tip sinking down, using the front of the shaft to firmly press against the center of the opponent's shield!

This is a standard defensive technique for spearmen against close-range enemies wielding shields, utilizing their length advantage to make it difficult for the opponent to move an inch!

"Oliver!" Roderick hissed.

Almost as soon as he spoke, Oliver, the Tangpa standing to his side and behind him, understood perfectly. His long Tangpa shot out like a viper from its hole, suddenly appearing from Roderick's side. With a soft "click," the three-pronged tip deftly blocked the short sword that the "Sword and Shield Bearer" was trying to thrust out from under his shield!

Oliver then pushed forward with all his might, the force of which sent the Sword and Shield Bearer and shield staggering several steps backward, completely destroying his chance to break through.

The entire Mandarin Duck Formation resembled a fortress covered in spikes, remaining unmoved despite the overwhelming force of the enemy.

The Shieldbearer held the front line firmly, the Tangpa- wielders provided flexible support and neutralized close-range threats, while the spearmen seized every opportunity to launch swift thrusts.

Despite their valiant efforts, the soldiers simulating the attack were unable to break through this seemingly simple yet perfectly coordinated jungle of death, with one soldier after another being "stabbed" and falling to the ground.

"Beep! Beep beep!" Squad leader William blew a short, powerful whistle, issuing the order to "advance."

The entire formation moved at the command, as if as a whole, and began to advance in orderly steps.

The auxiliary soldiers in the back row immediately jogged forward, squatted down next to each "fallen" soldier, symbolically made a gesture with the wooden stick in their hands near the other's neck to simulate the action of cutting off a head, and then quickly returned to their ranks.

"Pass! Tenth drill completed! Rest for ten minutes!" Squad leader William blew his whistle and announced loudly.

Upon hearing the order, the soldiers, who had been tense and fully cooperating just moments before, immediately relaxed.

Everyone dispersed, walked to the shade of trees or the earthen slope at the edge of the training field, sat down, took off their helmets, took out their water bladders and drank water in big gulps, wiping the sweat and dust from their faces with their sleeves.

Although exhausted, everyone's eyes held a sense of satisfaction after completing high-intensity training and confidence in their own combat capabilities.

After suffering losses in previous battles, their platoon had just been replenished with three new recruits, bringing it back to full strength of twelve.

The unit remained the same: First Company, First Platoon, Second Squad. William was still the squad leader, and veterans like Roderick, Oliver, and Mark were also present.

Lord Karl did not mistreat these veterans who had made meritorious contributions. In addition to awarding them medals of honor and a one-time bonus, everyone's monthly pay was also increased from one Silver coin and fifty copper coins to two Silver coin, and at the same time, a substantial increase in food rations was provided.

Each person can receive 27 catties of rye, half a catty of salted or dried meat, 0.3 catties of precious salt, and one and a half catties of dried peas per month.

With the Sauron army pressing in and supplies difficult to circulate, the value of these rations, which can fill stomachs and sustain physical strength, even exceeds that of Silver coin.

However, there were no changes in official positions.

William was still a squad leader, and Roderick and the others were still ordinary soldiers.

People would occasionally discuss it privately, but no one thought much of it, generally believing that their achievements in battle were not significant enough, and their seniority was still relatively low.

Therefore, instead of being afraid of the upcoming Sauron siege, they were secretly excited and looking forward to it.

New wars mean new opportunities, more battles mean more military achievements, and military achievements are the hardest currency for promotion!

Their First Company consisted entirely of veterans who had experienced bloody battles. Their daily training had long since skipped the most basic and tedious marching drills, focusing mainly on the offensive and defensive coordination, tactical cooperation, and individual martial arts skills of the Mandarin Duck Formation squads like the one they had just seen.

The training is closer to real combat, more intense, and puts individual soldiers to the test in terms of combat skills and adaptability.

Just then, a loud shout and the sound of wooden sticks clashing came from the side!

William turned his head and saw that Roderick was still training in the open space not far away, instead of resting.

He was alone, holding a long stick, practicing one-on-three combat with three comrades playing the role of the enemy.

The three soldiers coordinated perfectly, launching attacks from different directions. However, Roderick was agile, and his long staff seemed to come alive. He parried, blocked, flicked, and thrust with swift and precise movements, not only neutralizing the three soldiers' attacks one by one but also always finding an opening to counterattack.

After only a few rounds, the three soldiers were forced into a frantic state, and he successively "hit" their vital points, defeating them.

William watched this scene and secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

Roderick's rate of progress is truly astonishing!

I remember when he first joined the army, he was a somewhat reckless recruit. How many months have passed? Through the baptism of actual combat and intense self-discipline, his personal martial arts skills have far surpassed his peers, making him one of the top fighters in the company.

"No wonder this kid got a combat medal..." William thought to himself.

His gaze shifted from Roderick to a larger open space further away from the training field.

There, the noise and the instructors' shouts rose and fell.

Hundreds of new recruits are undergoing basic drill training and spear thrusting exercises in platoons.