Luo Ning's Training

Chapter 16: Luo Ning's Drill

The road was the same one they had traveled yesterday, but Luo Ning's state of mind was completely different.

Yesterday, he had led nine traitors with hearts bent on betrayal; today, his guards were utterly loyal to him.

The column moved at no slow pace, thanks to Count Wiggins's gift of five extra carriages.

With them, Luo Ning could seat all his men aboard instead of forcing them to march on foot and slow the advance.

A caravan of over thirty people, bearing the Wushan Family's "Golden Mountain Range" crest—even if they encountered a small band of bandits on the wilderness road, those outlaws wouldn't dare make a move.

As for the occasional merchant convoy heading to or from Mountain Forest Town, there was even less to worry about.

The owners of those caravans would personally come over to offer Luo Ning their sincere greetings, and one even enthusiastically presented ten jin of premium honey.

Luo Ning accepted with a smile and returned a wish for a smooth journey.

The carriages creaked and groaned forward, adding a touch of musical rhythm to the monotonous journey.

When the sun neared the western mountain range, Luo Ning signaled Macken to halt the caravan.

"We'll camp here tonight. There's a stream to the south—we can draw water."

"As you command, my lord!"

Macken lightly squeezed his warhorse's belly and galloped ahead, signaling the front vehicles to stop.

Once the caravan had settled, Luo Ning stepped down from his carriage and walked to the middle of the road.

After everyone had tended to their carriages, Luo Ning barked a sharp command:

"All hands, assemble here!"

"Form up in six rows and five columns, as I ordered at noon!"

The thirty guards heard him and hurried over at a run.

This was the training drill the baron had arranged after lunch. Though strange and unfamiliar—none of the guards had ever seen anything like it—who could argue when the baron let them eat until they were seventy or eighty percent full?

So at the sound of the order, they remembered the noon instructions and wasted no time.

Before long, the thirty guards had assembled. There were bumps and stumbles along the way; some got the wrong row or column, but in the end they corrected each other.

Luo Ning nodded inwardly. Compared to the sloppiness of yesterday and this morning, the formation now actually looked like something.

"Attention!" Luo Ning issued a short, sharp command.

The guards responded with the corresponding movement.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Luo Ning pointed at the short man in the third row, fourth column, and barked, "Attention means feet together and aligned, legs straight, stomach slightly tucked, chest naturally out. Who are you hunching over for?"

The guard looked young. Being called out like that, his face flushed red on the spot, and he quickly adjusted his posture.

Two of his acquaintances nearby couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

Luo Ning mimicked the tone and expression of a drill instructor, his severity leaving the guards afraid to even breathe loudly.

"If anyone laughs again, you'll skip dinner!"

Between the noble's authority and the lure of food, the guards had no choice but to take it seriously, standing rigidly at attention in the middle of the road.

The scene was somewhat absurd.

"Macken, I've taught you the key points. Go forward and correct anyone who's doing it wrong."

As the baron's guard officer and the strongest knight in the unit, this seemingly simple task brought Macken unprecedented pressure.

To get those noon movements right, he had spent the entire afternoon—every time the column rested—studying the essentials, even consulting Luo Ning several times.

Fortunately, effort paid off; he had grasped it fairly well.

"As you command, my lord!"

Macken acknowledged and stepped forward, beginning a meticulous inspection of the thirty guards.

Luo Ning stood to the side, observing, and also pondering whether this training method was useful, given that this world possessed Supernatural Power.

But soon enough, he came to a conclusion.

What did Supernatural Power matter? Supernatural beings started as Ordinary People too.

This set of drills trained awareness, fostered team spirit, and improved unit discipline—clearly, it was useful.

"Standing at attention is just one part of the training. Next come Military Boxing, sparring matches, and the like."

As he mused, Macken finished his inspection and came before him. "Reporting, my lord! Inspection and corrections complete!"

Luo Ning nodded. "Return to formation."

Macken gave a symbolic salute, then went back to stand properly at Luo Ning's side.

"At ease."

With the new command, the guards executed the corresponding movement.

Luo Ning only gave it a rough glance and, seeing no major issues, didn't have Macken correct anything.

"Today is the first day of my specialized training for you. Any mistakes, I'll just correct them without punishment. But starting tomorrow, if anyone's still careless, don't blame me for being harsh. Understood?"

"Understood~" the guards replied with some timidity.

"Louder! Understood or not?" Luo Ning barked.

The shout startled the guards, and they quickly responded loudly: "Understood!"

"Good. Dismissed for now. According to the midday assignments, start preparing dinner."

Luo Ning said with a smile: "As long as you train well, I won't shortchange you on food and drink."

The guards' tense nerves relaxed a bit upon hearing this.

In truth, they'd heard plenty of negative talk about Luo Ning—things like indulging in banquets, overindulgence, neglecting cultivation, a bad temper, and so on.

But after spending the day with him, they found this Baron wasn't nearly as awful as the rumors claimed.

Originally just following him to Mountain Forest Town for the money, they now felt that perhaps following Baron Luo Ning wasn't a bad choice.

"Master, your honey water is ready!"

Chahar walked over at just the right moment, holding the Crystal Cup.

"Thanks."

Sipping the sweet honey water, Luo Ning felt immensely refreshed.

"We'll camp and rest here tonight. Macken, remember to arrange night watchmen."

Luo Ning instructed, "Make sure to set up two shifts rotating, so everyone gets some rest time."

Though this wasn't inside the Wushan Mountain Range, where powerful Demon Beasts roamed, there were still some weak demon beasts and wild animals around.

Luo Ning didn't want to wake up dead.

"Rest assured, Master. Leave defense to me—I won't let a single enemy near our camp!"

"Mm, I trust your ability. After dinner, light a bonfire. I have a new move to teach you."

"Good, good..."

Macken felt a mix of nervousness and curiosity about what this new move might be.

Luo Ning handed the empty cup to Chahar. "Make sure to tell everyone: drinking water must be boiled before consumption."

Though the air and scenery here were quite pristine, Luo Ning wasn't sure if the stream water harbored troublesome bacteria.

Boiling water to drink was always a safe bet.

"Rest assured, Master. All the water in the skins has been boiled and cooled."

Chahar said respectfully, "I've also informed the other guards handling the cooking. There's no issue with the water."

"I trust your work."

Luo Ning laughed heartily, took his longsword from the carriage, and called out to Macken.

"Come on, time for you to teach me swordsmanship."