Chapter 412: Water Training

Above the newly built Martial Academy drill ground at the southwest corner of Shimen Lake, Pang Yu's Vice General recognition banner was raised, signaling his arrival at the academy today for inspection.

Dust swirled across the drill ground; amid galloping horses, all manner of human howls filled the air, as groups of cadets in neat formation drilled under the scorching sun.

The Martial Academy's official address was inside the Prefectural City, run by the Anqing Prefectural Office, which brought it into compliance with the imperial system. But that tiny space was utterly incapable of conducting actual training, so under the academy's name Pang Yu had opened two training bases, one on the western shore of Shimen Lake and the other at Baizi Mountain.

Baizi Mountain mainly conducted short-term mountain warfare training, while the western shore of Shimen Lake was the largest training base, encompassing training programs for all land and water troop types under Pang Yu's command.

Beside a pond near the lake shore, Tang Ershuan stood stripped to the waist, several scars visible on his body, holding a long, slender Mao bamboo pole in his hand, staring blankly at two groups of artillerymen dragging cannon carts on a run near the drill ground.

"Brother Tang, what are you doing holding that pole? The cadets haven't even arrived yet — take a break, quick."

Tang Ershuan turned to look. It was Lu Pioneer, wearing a sleeveless white training uniform, and a smile immediately broke across his face. This old subordinate of his had gone on a trip to Jiangnan some time ago and had been promoted to Trial Hundred-Commander upon his return. No one knew what he had done — Lu Pioneer never let slip a single word — but there were some rumors among the Marines that he had gone to help the Canal Gang kill some enemies. In any case, he had rendered meritorious service.

After Lu Pioneer was promoted to Trial Hundred-Commander, he had come to this Martial Academy. Word was he both taught classes and studied. Tang Ershuan couldn't for the life of him figure out what he actually did. Since he still couldn't write his own name, Tang Ershuan wasn't qualified to study at the Martial Academy. This time he had suddenly received orders to report to the academy. The order token didn't say what for. Tang Ershuan had reported in completely baffled, and the academy's receiving officer had told him to wait by this pond. Seeing bamboo poles here, Tang Ershuan figured it had to be water training.

"Brother Tang, have some water."

Lu Pioneer had gone over to greet a few other Marines, then returned to Tang Ershuan's side and handed him a coconut ladle. Though he had been promoted, he was still as warm toward Tang Ershuan as before, without the slightest airs. Once Tang Ershuan took the ladle, he said, "This time I was the one who recommended you to the academy, to help drill the landlubbers here."

Tang Ershuan waved the bamboo pole in his right hand. "This I can do. Same as drilling back in the Land Combat Division. But why do the Land Battalion need to learn to swim too?"

Lu Pioneer waved his hand. "New rule in the Martial Academy. Everyone who enrolls, no matter what their status when they arrived, has to learn to swim. Academy Director Yang set a ten-day deadline for learning water skills in the academy. The order was issued to all Thousand-Leader Headquarters for review. Our Thousand-Leader said, what do you need ten days to learn to float for? Let the Marines drill them — three days."

At these words, Tang Ershuan grinned broadly. Lu Pioneer laughed for a moment too, then said, "Academy Director Yang then said, in that case let the Marines come drill them. Wang Vice-Academy Director picked me. I said I'd find a few old hands from the Land Combat Division. He sent a petition to the Military Office, and you all were transferred here."

Tang Ershuan said blankly, "We drill Marines in three days. What if these landlubbers can't do it in three days? Who exactly are we drilling?"

"These men all came from the Land Battalion. By Lord Pang's military order, a Mountain Battalion Commander Department is to be formed within three months. The Military Office selected twenty trial officers. Most of the Land Battalion men are mountain folk — thirteen of them can't swim. They're landlubbers." Lu Pioneer finished and thumped his chest. "Our Company Commander said three days, so three days it is. Don't care if they're water ducks or mountain ducks."

The two laughed together again. Lu Pioneer tilted his head to look and noticed Tang Ershuan wasn't wearing his uniform. "I heard you were promoted to Second-Class Sergeant, and you've got skill pay too. Combined monthly pay is four taels now."

Tang Ershuan said in surprise, "How does everyone in the camp know?"

"It was printed in the Jiangnan Times. Not just the camp knows — I'm afraid millions of people across Jiangnan know."

For a moment Tang Ershuan didn't know what to say. It was as if he had suddenly become a celebrity, yet in daily life nothing seemed any different.

"These past few months every department and division has been drilling hard. Lord Pang issued a military order the moment he got back — all units are to intensify training, plus there are two large-scale combined exercises coming up. I figured you and the others in the Land Combat Division must be exhausted too, so coming here as instructor is a chance to rest for a few days." Lu Pioneer lowered his voice. "Serving as a temporary instructor at the Martial Academy comes with an extra teaching stipend of two Mace of silver per day."

"Then the Thousand-Leader shouldn't have said three days of training is enough. If we trained them for ten days, we could earn an extra tael of silver."

Lu Pioneer froze, scratched his forehead, then said, "An extra tael and four Mace. Why didn't I think of that? Brother Tang, the moment silver is mentioned your mind works so fast. How come teaching faster means earning less? That's a bit off..."

"Off, off — what these Water Camp Marines do is off."

A voice suddenly shouted from behind them. Both turned in surprise to look. The speaker was a burly man in a short-sleeved training uniform; you could tell at a glance from the clothes that he was from the Land Battalion.

He was holding his head high, shouting to several men around him, "Drill Manual Article 31 states clearly: upon arriving at the drill ground, one shall wear the seasonal military uniform, to be inspected by the duty officer. Those with improper uniform shall receive ten strokes of the military rod, and the entire Squad of Five shall be held accountable under the Mutual Responsibility System. Our Land Battalion isn't this disorderly now. Look at those stripped to the waist — no need to ask, I say they're definitely all from the Water Camp. No rules at all. Greatly off."

A man from the Land Battalion beside him said, "Maybe the Marine drill manual requires them to go bare-chested. They're soaking in the water all day long — what if their clothes rot from the soaking?"

"Still off. Clothes have to be soaked in water to wash — why aren't they afraid of those rotting?" The burly man shook his head like a rattle-drum. "So their Water Camp's clothes are afraid of water, is that it? I say it's just no rules. Off."

Tang Ershuan looked down at his own bare chest, then turned to Lu Pioneer. "Does the Martial Academy forbid going bare-chested?"

Lu Pioneer looked at the burly man and shook his head coldly. "Who cares whether the academy allows it or not. We'll just let them learn our Marine rules. We'll drill them exactly the way we do back in the Land Combat Division."

With that, he stood up, stripped off his short jacket to reveal a lean, dark, muscular torso, put his whistle to his mouth, and blew a sharp blast. The shrill whistle rang out at once.

"Mountain Troops Water Training Team, fall in!"

A group of Land Battalion men hurried over to form ranks. That burly man was, of all things, the Water Training Team leader, responsible for counting off and forming up.

After the man had reported to him, Lu Pioneer swept his gaze across the ranks. "My name is Lu Pioneer, your water training instructor. For the duration of water training, I am your commanding officer. What I tell you to do, you do. There is no 'off' or 'not off.'"

"Shore drill is over. Move to the pondside and prepare for water drill."

The group of Land Battalion men rose and came to the pond's edge. They stared at the pond water before them, looking at each other in dismay, while constantly stealing glances at the several bare-chested soldiers holding long poles around them.

The burly man folded his arms in front of his chest and craned his neck to look at the pond. This pond was a pit dug out, with water channeled in from Shimen Lake. The bottom was lined with some stones. Looking down from above, there was no telling how deep it really was.

The burly man raised his head and looked at Lu Pioneer. "I say, instructor Lu, none of us have ever swum before. If someone drowns, that would be off. How about we just drill on shore today?"

Lu Pioneer looked at him coldly. "Team leader, you're first. Enter the water and drill, now."

The burly man pursed his lips and turned to the bare-chested soldier beside him. "Is this pole for rescuing people? Everyone here is an officer of our Mountain Battalion Commander Department. If you see someone drowning in a moment, you'd better be quick. If anyone so much as chokes on water, you'll be greatly off. Let me tell you, I rendered great merit at the Cart-Horse River... Ah!"

Lu Pioneer drove a fierce kick into his back. The burly man's arms and legs flailed wildly in the air, and with a great splash he crashed into the pond, sending a huge spray of white water flying.

The burly man's head burst up from beneath the surface. He coughed incessantly, his face full of terror, his hands slapping chaotically at the water, sending up another flurry of splashes.

"Everyone here has rendered great merit." Lu Pioneer's voice carried over. "No one is permitted to touch the shore before a full quarter-hour is up."

In his terror, the burly man had no mind for whether the quarter-hour was up or not. He floundered toward where Tang Ershuan stood. By struggling with all his might, he barely managed to keep his head above water. He coughed twice and shouted, "The pole, quick!"

Just as the burly man's head was about to sink, Tang Ershuan extended the Mao bamboo pole over the pond. The drowning man was beyond caring about anything else and hurriedly reached out to grab it.

Tang Ershuan abruptly swung the bamboo pole and began raining blows down on the burly man's head. Caught completely off guard, the burly man yelped in pain repeatedly. He tried twice to grab the pole but failed both times. Tang Ershuan showed no sign of stopping. Unable to bear it, the burly man struggled and swam toward the right-hand shore. His strength was nearly spent; his head submerged multiple times, and he kept choking on water. In his terror, he rallied the last of his strength to keep struggling.

As he neared the right-hand shore, another bare-chested Marine was already waiting there, similarly raising a bamboo pole and striking at his head. The burly man raised his hands and blocked two blows, but his strength was exhausted. After choking on several more mouthfuls of water, his head was about to sink beneath the surface.

Lu Pioneer stood at the pond's edge with his hands behind his back. "Has he passed out yet?"

Tang Ershuan tilted his head and looked. "Passed out."

"Drag him up."

Tang Ershuan and the other Marine immediately entered the water and swiftly hauled the burly man to the shore. The burly man lay sprawled on the ground, vomiting water continuously. It was a long while before he could sit up.

On the other side, more cadets were being driven into the water. By the pondside, the faces of the Mountain Troops' future officers were deathly pale as they watched their colleagues flounder in the water. By the time the third batch of cadets was fished out, the burly team leader was just able to stand. He no longer dared to speak. He tried walking for a moment, then made his way to the pond's edge with his heart pounding in terror, stopping several paces from the water.

Seeing the cadets struggling in the water, the burly team leader hesitated for a long moment, then walked up behind Lu Pioneer. "This, instructor Lu — this way you're training is off!"

Lu Pioneer turned and saw it was him. "Team leader, prepare for your second round in the water."

The burly man recoiled two steps in fright, both hands waving frantically. "I'm not going in, not going in!"

Lu Pioneer jutted his chin toward Tang Ershuan. "Throw him in!"

Tang Ershuan had been enthusiastically whacking away with his bamboo pole. At these words he threw the pole down and, together with the other Marine, went over and grabbed the man. The burly man struggled desperately; for a moment the two couldn't hold him. Tang Ershuan had no choice but to tackle him to the ground first.

Seeing this, Lu Pioneer came over personally and twisted one of the burly man's arms. Tang Ershuan grabbed a leg. The three of them dragged and hauled him to the pond's edge. The burly man let out a shriek of terror, on the verge of tears.

The three men heaved and swung the burly man back and forth, then at Tang Ershuan's shout, they all put their strength together and hurled him toward the pond.

"Oooofff!" Arms and legs flailing wildly in the air, the burly man hit the pond surface with a tremendous splash, sending water spraying everywhere.

Lu Pioneer shouted toward the water flower, "No one is to come ashore before a full quarter-hour!"