Ch 87: Londinium
The next morning, Vig arrived at the city outskirts riding school. The place was bustling with activity, gathering four hundred cavalrymen, including Gunnar.
Considering his subordinates’ weak horsemanship, Gunnar decided to focus on one skill—couched lance charge. Holding a shield in his left hand, he would charge with a three-meter spear tucked under his right armpit.
Thanks to the improved high-bridle saddles and long stirrups, the cavalry’s body sway during the charge was significantly reduced, improving the lance’s accuracy.
Vig stood outside, quietly watching their training process.
Under the warm winter sun, twelve Viking knights formed a line formation.
“Forward at a walk!”
The lead knight tucked his training lance under his armpit. He lightly nudged the soft belly of his mount with his spurs. The warhorse snorted, and then started to move towards the distant scarecrow.
After a distance, the lead knight shouted, “Forward at a trot!”
Instantly, all the warhorses started to canter. The yellow dust kicked up by their hooves startled the sparrows on the wooden fence.
Only one hundred paces from the scarecrow, the knight shouted, “Charge!”
In an instant, the sound of iron-shod hooves was as dense as rain. Thirty paces from the scarecrow, all the lances were simultaneously leveled. In a few short seconds, the training lances, carrying great force, struck the target. The scarecrow’s head exploded, and countless flying pieces of straw floated in the air.
The training ended, and an older officer came to check the results:
Five hit the target, three missed, and four lost their target.
“Fool! Fool! Fool! Fool!”
He slapped each of the four men, the force so great that the watching cavalrymen were silenced in fear.
“With this level of skill, how can you defeat experienced Frankish knights? Your Majesty granted you manors; is this how you repay him?”
After scolding them for two full minutes, the next group of knights began their training. Afterward, the officer routinely reprimanded those who missed their targets.
Throughout the training ground, insults like “fool” and “waste” were constantly heard. If the results were exceptionally poor, Gunnar would even personally administer punishment.
After watching for a full half an hour, Vig secretly sighed, “Compared to them, am I too easygoing?”
Overall, to achieve these results within half a year, Gunnar is very suitable to command cavalry. With these couched lan