Post by Gongsun Chao on Nov 18, 2009 4:17:50 GMT
One morning, the young noble Gongsun Chao ordered his new cavalry unit into the fields for training. He had his other men build dummies that could be used as practice targets for horse charges, and they were set up in a barren field. Chao led his cavalry brigade, accompanied as usual by his bodyguard Zhang Ci. He first bade Zhang Ci show each of the men how to properly use the force of the charge.
The bodyguard spun his spear as his horse charge, the muscles in the great mare's body bulging. He leveled his spear as they approached the dummy, and at the last second, thrust his spear forward, sticking it deep in the wooden dummy. One of the spearmen quickly ran over and removed it.
Each of Chao's men followed suit, practicing their charges under the watchful eye of Zhang Ci and Gongsun Chao. Chao gave the signal.
"Charge!"
This group did well, their spears mostly all piercing the target as planned.
"Charge!"
Again, these men were more skilled than Chao had originally thought, considering he had just hired them from the Changsha area. They, however, once again hit their mark.
"Charge!"
Failure. These men were obviously the least well-trained of the new cavalry brigade. A few of them had managed to pierced the dummies, but more than a few had missed. One had even fallen off his horse during the charge.
Chao bid these men try again, first allowing one of the more experienced Armored Lancers to show them the mechanics. Chao himself helped a few, showing them how to level the spear and brace themselves for the powerful impact. One of the soldiers spoke up:
"'Ey, why don't ye be tryin' this, m'Lord? It's fun, eh?"
His men began to echo the chant "Charging Dragon", obviously excited to see their young Lord in action.
Chao smiled to his men. This actually would be fun. He prepared himself mentally for the charge, taking up the spear Legacy in his hands. His mind raced a prayer to the Heavens that he would not fail and humiliate himself in front of his men.
"Watch carefully, men, for someday you will join me in the power of the Charging Dragon!"
With that the young Lord's white horse began galloping full speed towards a combat dummy. He pulled the reigns to the side, angling the charge so that his spear would pierce the dummy correctly. He wasn't a fighter, but he'd had so many riding lessons in the capital, that he knew he could do it. As the horse approached the side of the dummy, Chao thrusted with all the might in his young arms. It wasn't a very powerful thrust, but the weapon, the Legacy of his father's Holy Dragon Spear, was so well made that it pierced the dummy's shoulder. All his men cheered and began chanting "Charging Dragon".
Chao rode back and bade them each return to their training.
"You too must ride like a Charging Dragon, for it is your spears that will bring about a new age of Peace."
It was as if his men had acquired a new vigor. They each mounted their horses and charged, trying until they had gotten the motions down. Zhang Ci continued to help those struggling, but their improvement was fast, since the weaker lancers were outnumbered by their stronger Armored Lancer allies. They soon began to pick up the correct methods.
"Charge!"
This time they all did it well. Chao smiled wide, a gesture his men took to heart. They were all pleased with the work that had been done today.
The bodyguard spun his spear as his horse charge, the muscles in the great mare's body bulging. He leveled his spear as they approached the dummy, and at the last second, thrust his spear forward, sticking it deep in the wooden dummy. One of the spearmen quickly ran over and removed it.
Each of Chao's men followed suit, practicing their charges under the watchful eye of Zhang Ci and Gongsun Chao. Chao gave the signal.
"Charge!"
This group did well, their spears mostly all piercing the target as planned.
"Charge!"
Again, these men were more skilled than Chao had originally thought, considering he had just hired them from the Changsha area. They, however, once again hit their mark.
"Charge!"
Failure. These men were obviously the least well-trained of the new cavalry brigade. A few of them had managed to pierced the dummies, but more than a few had missed. One had even fallen off his horse during the charge.
Chao bid these men try again, first allowing one of the more experienced Armored Lancers to show them the mechanics. Chao himself helped a few, showing them how to level the spear and brace themselves for the powerful impact. One of the soldiers spoke up:
"'Ey, why don't ye be tryin' this, m'Lord? It's fun, eh?"
His men began to echo the chant "Charging Dragon", obviously excited to see their young Lord in action.
Chao smiled to his men. This actually would be fun. He prepared himself mentally for the charge, taking up the spear Legacy in his hands. His mind raced a prayer to the Heavens that he would not fail and humiliate himself in front of his men.
"Watch carefully, men, for someday you will join me in the power of the Charging Dragon!"
With that the young Lord's white horse began galloping full speed towards a combat dummy. He pulled the reigns to the side, angling the charge so that his spear would pierce the dummy correctly. He wasn't a fighter, but he'd had so many riding lessons in the capital, that he knew he could do it. As the horse approached the side of the dummy, Chao thrusted with all the might in his young arms. It wasn't a very powerful thrust, but the weapon, the Legacy of his father's Holy Dragon Spear, was so well made that it pierced the dummy's shoulder. All his men cheered and began chanting "Charging Dragon".
Chao rode back and bade them each return to their training.
"You too must ride like a Charging Dragon, for it is your spears that will bring about a new age of Peace."
It was as if his men had acquired a new vigor. They each mounted their horses and charged, trying until they had gotten the motions down. Zhang Ci continued to help those struggling, but their improvement was fast, since the weaker lancers were outnumbered by their stronger Armored Lancer allies. They soon began to pick up the correct methods.
"Charge!"
This time they all did it well. Chao smiled wide, a gesture his men took to heart. They were all pleased with the work that had been done today.