"I am willing!" Sally replied quite promptly.
How could she not be willing!
A few years ago, her husband and brothers died in the war against the Segestica people. She was left alone with two children, following the surviving tribesmen to escape into the mountains, living quite a difficult life. Especially when the two children often couldn’t sleep due to hunger, she was tormented to the point of having suicidal thoughts...
Luckily, the Nix people came. When the news that "Nix wants to hire people to work and will give a lot of food as payment" spread through the mountain tribes, she was one of the first Aldean tribesmen to bravely come to the Nix Territory, and then she accepted Valerius’s employment...
Although this man was a bit older and somewhat lazy at work, he was very kind, often allowing her to take food back for the children. After the harvest, he even gave her more food... Many widows in these tribes that escaped into the mountains wanted to marry a Nix person who owned fertile land, so such a good opportunity shouldn’t be missed!
Sally’s affirmative answer made Valerius breathe a big sigh of relief, then joy filled his chest, and even after leaving, he still walked lightly on his feet.
Arriving at the entrance of the training ground of the Military Department, the guards were familiar with him and let him in without any questions.
Valerius thought he came very early, but once inside, he found that many were already there. The instructors of the Military Department were shouting continuously inside: "Everyone line up! No testing without queueing!..."
Valerius sensibly lined up at the very edge of a queue and, upon closer inspection, found acquaintances in front and behind him.
"Pro, why are you here too?!" Valerius was very surprised because the old man standing behind him, about the same age as him, had an unusual status. He was one of the earliest slaves to join the rebel army, always working with Volenus. It’s said that if it weren’t for his illiteracy, he might have become a deputy officer of the Agricultural Department, and during the recent harvest celebration, he became one of the three tribesmen awarded for their exceptional personal grain production, earning everybody’s respect, for he taught many tribespeople how to farm better.
"I’m not here to enlist as a crossbow soldier; I’m here to test if I can use the new weapon invented by the leader. If possible, in the future, when our tribe lacks troops, we old guys can also go to war and defend our homes!" Pro said candidly.
He was no longer the scrawny, timid figure he was when he first joined the rebel army. Over three years of battle experience and ample food had reduced his wrinkles, made his body stronger, and he seemed several years younger, exuding an air of calmness and grandeur.
"Uncle Pro, from what you’re saying, are we going to war again?!" A young man standing in front of Valerius turned around and asked somewhat excitedly.
The young man’s name was Leonidas. He joined the troops after the rebel army entered the Apulia Region. He was injured in the Battle of the Womans River and returned to the team after recovering, only to be injured again in the fight against the Segestica army. Although he was healed through the careful treatment of the Medical Camp, his body could no longer withstand intense battles, forcing him to leave the legion and become an unserviceable young tribesman, which he always regretted. Now, it seemed he had a chance to make up for it, so he arrived early.
"I haven’t heard any news from the top about going to war, but since we’ve settled here, will we lack battles?" Pro said candidly.
"Uncle, you’re right, we never run out of battles." Leonidas agreed and then said, "I heard that this time the First Legion helped our allies fight in the south and won a great victory. Many soldiers will probably get promoted because of this, which is really enviable!"
"You don’t need to envy them. If you pass the test later and become a crossbow soldier, you can continue to fight and earn merits like them!" Valerius patted his shoulder, encouraging him: "Of course, if I also pass the test, we can fight side by side from then on!"
"Yes, let’s work hard together!" Leonidas nodded vigorously.
The training ground of the Military Department had already filled with quite a few tribesmen, but most were middle-aged, elderly, or young men who had been injured or disabled, and even a few strong women, yet there were no fully-limbed, healthy young tribesmen because they were already soldiers in various legions or reserve units.
Most of the tribesmen present originally did miscellaneous work in the Supply Camp. After the Twenty Peerage System was promulgated, they were full of envy for not being able to go to war and earn merits. Now, with the announcement of recruitment for crossbow soldiers relaxing restrictions, they were given a chance, so many people came to apply for the test. However, due to unfamiliarity with the new weapon crossbow, many were anxious, and they encouraged each other everywhere.
"It’s your turn!" The instructor waved to Leonidas.
Leonidas gathered his spirits and walked briskly to the wooden table, where the new weapon everyone was talking about—the crossbow—was placed.
As he was inspecting it carefully, the instructor beside him asked, "Do you know how to use it?"
"I watched the people in front of me use it earlier, so I have a rough idea."
Leonidas took a deep breath, picked up the crossbow grip with his right hand, positioned the butt against his abdomen, then grabbed the bowstring with both hands and pulled it back with effort. Although it was quite strenuous, he had maintained training while in the legion and had been plowing fields every day after recovering from his injury, so he was not lacking in strength. He steadily secured the bowstring.
At this time, the instructor came over, providing guidance while saying, "Now hold up the crossbow with both hands level with your shoulder, close your left eye, aim with your right eye along this iron sight, then align with the target... Very good, just like that, hold steady, keep it up for a while... a bit longer... now pull the trigger."
Leonidas watched as the bowstring snapped back, puzzled, "Don’t I need to load a crossbow arrow in it?"
Yes, he had some knowledge of this new weapon because one of his neighbors was a craftsman in the Iron Workshop, and he specifically asked him about it.
"Once you pass the test and become a crossbow soldier, crossbow arrows will be issued to you. Now, follow the previous steps and do it three more times."
Leonidas obeyed and repeated it three times, showing no change in his expression. His originally injured lung didn’t cough violently because it wasn’t a continuous high-intensity confrontation, just a little effort in pulling the string.
The instructor checked his complexion, then took him to the registration area nearby.
At the wooden table, the Military Department subordinate asked, "What’s your name?"
"Where are you from?"
"The Puqieti people of the Apulia Region, Italy."
"Do you speak Illyrian?"
"Do you have any military experience?"
"I was with our First Legion before, and I even served as a centurion until I got injured..."
The Military Department subordinate asked questions while carefully recording the answers, finally raising his head to look at the instructor, "It’s all good."
"Have I passed?" Leonidas asked excitedly.
"You’ve only passed halfway. There’s still another test." The instructor gestured to a soldier maintaining order on the sidelines.
"Take him over there for the next test," the instructor said to the soldier.
Leonidas glanced at the four other tribesmen nearby who were stringing and holding crossbows, then turned back to Valerius and Pro, smiling, "Uncles, don’t worry, this test is very simple, you guys can easily pass it." He said, waving his fist as encouragement.
Leonidas followed the soldier to the other side of the training ground, where a group had already gathered. The instructor there did not immediately start the test, waiting for more first-round test passers, including Pro and Valerius, to arrive.
"Now, follow me and run. I won’t stop, and neither can you. If you can’t keep running, you may voluntarily exit the lineup!..." The instructor finished loudly and started jogging forward.
Seeing this, Leonidas nearly laughed out loud. This was too easy.
Thus, under the supervision of over a dozen soldiers on both sides, everyone rushed to follow the instructor’s jogging pace. They ran about a hundred meters, then the instructor turned back, and so did they...
Not knowing how many round-trips they had completed, Leonidas began to feel discomfort in his left lung, yet he persevered.
When he almost couldn’t hold back a cough, a loud voice came from the instructor in front: "Alright, the test is over. Everyone who is still in the field has passed the test!"
The crowd cheered, but Leonidas didn’t join in the shout to avoid coughing; he did, however, see Valerius and Pro among the cheering tribesmen.
After everyone quieted down, the instructor spoke to the dejected tribesmen on the sidelines: "You don’t need to be disheartened. You can strengthen your running training back home. At the beginning of every month, you can still apply for testing here. Once you pass, you’ll still have the opportunity to become crossbow soldiers. Those who passed the test, follow me for registration."
This time the registration was much more formal. Leonidas and others went to the Military Department—Military Affairs Department office, where a subordinate used a newly devised crossbow soldier registration book to record everyone’s details, instructing them to report here and undergo training every day during the next half-month of agricultural off-season.
Upon exiting the Military Department, Valerius and Leonidas found Pro still waiting for them outside: "How did it go?"
"Everything went smoothly. Now, this kid and I can serve in the military again!" Valerius excitedly patted Leonidas on the shoulder.
"That’s great!" Pro said joyfully, "We haven’t seen each other for several months. Come to my place tonight, I’ll have my wife make something nice, and we’ll have a good celebration!"