Chapter 95

The ground was hard yellow earth.

Stepping on it, it felt very flat and even.

The women stood on the training field, all looking at Zhao Chi.

Zhao Chi said:

"Training is a long-term, and tedious process.

"During training, you may very well get injured, and you may feel very tired. You all need to be mentally prepared.

"I am a man, so I don't really understand the psychological state of you women.

"But if any of you experience a bout of low spirits, or a lack of confidence, you can come find me. I can use the 'Encourage' skill to help you.

"Previously, Tang Ruan fought alongside me while in the 'Newborn' state.

"She should be able to share some experience and insights."

Tang Ruan nodded.

But she was a little puzzled:

"My lord, that feeling is hard to describe. It's a feeling that blends excitement, confidence, happiness, and hot-bloodedness.

"It has some similarities to our talent 'Fearless', but it's also very different.

"It really can't be fully described in words.

"And our talent 'Fearless' has already taken effect on all of us now. If you use the 'Encourage' skill on us again, will its effect be diminished?"

The other women didn't understand what they were talking about.

They all looked blankly at Zhao Chi and Tang Ruan.

Only Gu Qing seemed lost in thought.

Zhao Chi nodded and smiled:

"Good, Tang Ruan. The same goes for the rest of you — if you have questions, feel free to ask me.

"Morale is morale, and your talent is your talent. They are completely independent; they are not the same thing.

"Your Fearless means being without fear, able to fight to the death without retreat.

"Facing any enemy, you won't be intimidated.

"But morale affects enthusiasm.

"You have Fearless, so when your morale is low, although you still don't fear death, you also won't fight with excessive enthusiasm.

"Ordinary people don't have Fearless, but if their morale is high, even though they fear the enemy, they will still attack actively and fight with all their might.

"The difference lies right here.

"Morale is enthusiasm!"

The women nodded.

They all understood the difference now.

Tang Ruan asked, "Morale affects enthusiasm, so if we raise the morale of all the craftsmen, they'll work more actively too?"

"Right, commonly known as a shot of chicken blood."

"Oh, haha, I get it now." Tang Ruan laughed lightly.

From the system, he could see their current morale.

Gu Qing was at 81%.

Tang Ruan was at 86%.

The other female militia were all around 70%.

This wasn't real combat right now.

They were in a normal state of mind; their morale hadn't been stirred up yet, and their enthusiasm was also at an ordinary level.

If it came to real combat, they would start getting serious, and their morale would rise somewhat.

Normally speaking, 100% morale is the moment when one exerts their full ability.

But morale can exceed 100%.

It can even far exceed 100%.

For example:

When those invaders dare to invade our home again.

Zhao Chi talked on and on.

He lectured them continuously for an hour.

It was all sorts of things to note.

And a lot of Zhao Chi's own insights and experiences.

Zhao Chi himself had 10 points in Saber Technique, so he had even deeper insights into saber arts.

But after considering it, he still planned to let these female soldiers use spears.

In close combat, spears might be at a disadvantage — after all, the spear shaft is long and not as agile as sabers or swords.

But in team combat, spears can play a very strong role.

The spear shaft is long, the attack range is far, and there's no fear when fighting cavalry.

They can also attack through the gaps between friendly troops in front.

These are all advantages.

The female soldiers listened and nodded repeatedly.

The lecture finished, then came actual practice.

The women all held tree branches and stood facing each other in two rows.

Gu Qing suddenly asked, "Lord, should we take off our clothes before training? We're all wearing new clothes, and they're white, so they get dirty easily. Plus we'll sweat during training, and then the clothes will be full of sweat smell."

Tang Ruan instinctively nodded; she also thought it made sense.

The other female soldiers couldn't help but nod as well.

But after they reacted, their expressions turned hesitant again.

Zhao Chi was silent for a moment.

This Gu Qing…

Is quite good at making suggestions.

But Zhao Chi couldn't possibly agree.

Training is a serious matter; one can't be distracted.

Not all women have her kind of personality.

Zhao Chi shook his head and said, "No, training must be done with full concentration. Although we're practicing with spears, there are also many leg-lifting movements. I don't mind myself, but you would definitely feel too self-conscious, which would affect the training results."

Gu Qing laughed and said, "I didn't say take everything off. Aren't there those short vests and shorts? Just wear those, and they're easy to dry after washing."

"Oh… that could work."

Change clothes.

Begin training.

The first practice had no particular method.

It was just a wild flurry of strikes.

For a time, screams rang out everywhere.

The female soldiers' skin was struck with clearly visible red welts.

Gu Qing and Tang Ruan sparred.

Both of them had great strength; after just one clash, the tree branches all snapped.