A young Muslim man armed with chainmail, a light hammer, a bow, and arrows was patrolling the streets of Cosenza with his colleague, who was similarly armed and armored. This crew appeared to be in charge of keeping security and order in the city, patrolling the streets, and ensuring that law and order were followed.
Naasir, the young armed guy in question, was in charge of patrolling the streets of Cosenza alongside several of his fellow troops. This had become a routine task for him and his friends, and the General made it his responsibility to make the soldiers see it as such. Corrado clearly did not enjoy wasting resources, thus he employed his army when it was not training to maintain law and order in the recently controlled city.
Because the city was not under siege at the time, the soldiers were assigned to patrol the streets to ensure that no crime or disturbance occurred. This was part of the troops' daily routine, and as such they approached the work with discipline and vigor as they maintained the city's quiet. And this time it was Naasir's turn to take up the work, painstakingly patrolling every street in the city.
''My back still hurt from our training , fucking hell why do we have to bother to do this'' said Naasir to no one in particular , just some complaining on the way. As he was caressing his aching parts he could not help but wonder on the reason for which they were under such a strict routine.
Corrado had put the soldiers through a daily routine focused on drilling before the siege began. He recognized the value of discipline and expertise in an army and sought to ensure that his soldiers were as trained and ready as possible for battle. This included physical training, fighting drills, and other exercises that would help boost the soldiers' physical fitness, resilience, and combat skills. This was an essential part of daily life for the soldiers, and its objective was to make them much more effective in battle and in keeping up with the demands of the siege defense.
Corrado was aware that he only had a small army at his disposal with limited weapons and resources, so he was eager to drill and train the soldiers to the best of their abilities.
He had only a puny army of 200 knights and a company of Muslim foot archers as an elitè force; the majority of his army was made up of peasants who had little if any, experience with weapons or battle. He realized that with such a small and inexperienced force, he would have to use his resources wisely and effectively if he hoped to have any chance of holding the city.
The fact that the army was conducting a defensive siege worked in their favor, since the support of the walls and their allies would have improved their fighting ability. Being on the defensive side undoubtedly helped the troops feel more confident and secure, which may have helped to counteract any feelings of anxiety or uneasiness they may have felt in the midst of the turmoil and bloodshed of a war. Seeing their friends dead around them or witnessing the gruesome reality of battle usually took a heavy psychological toll on the soldier, especially if they had no prior experience with the cruelty of war.
A defensive siege also had the effect of strengthening the hearts of the soldiers, as having higher ground and defensive structures gave them confidence and courage. Having also the effect of transforming the newbies into veteran soldiers, as the constant exposure to blood and warfare could have helped to desensitize them to the horrors of battle and make them accustomed to fighting and the sounds of war.
This could have been a way for the soldiers to toughen up and become hardened veterans, having gone from innocent and inexperienced recruits to battle-scarred warriors. (Also, a bit of note from the author: many people do not realize that the worries and fears of today are pretty similar to those of the past, so most newly recruited soldiers may have been scared to actually kill someone, which was much more difficult in terms of humanity since they had to effectively swing their weapon in close combat, while today it is much easier since we only have to shoot from a distance and not feel the impact of wood or steel on the enemy flesh.)
At a certain point during the patrol, Naasir noticed that one of his companions was deep in thought. This intrigued him as the patrol was a boring affair for him and he welcomed any opportunity to distract himself.
'' So Halib, did you manage to break the new with your family?'' Asked Naasir to his companion, who was also his childhood friend in the community.
Hearing his name, the young man named Halib visibly stopped contemplating as if he had been woken up from a deep slumber.
''Did you say something, Naasir?'' Asked Halib, unsure of what he said.
''I asked if you managed to break the news with your family. ''the worry in Halib's face was not missed by Naasir, who could see that this matter worried him deeply.
''No, I did not. I am thinking that after the war, when I bring home loot from this campaign, I will announce to my family my desire to marry her. '' Said Halib as he made up his mind that if he could face the enemy in battle and witness the life going out of his eyes, then confronting his parents would be a piece of cake. Apart from that, returning from a war to defend the community would deeply increase his popularity in the village, and coupled with the possible gain he will have made from it, the family of her beloved one will surely accept this marriage.
''I am sure that it is going to work out well; after all, your parents love you and want the best for you. Said Naasir was trying to comfort his dear friend.
''Well, I hope that what is best for me is also my happiness'' , Said Halib with a short and depressed laugh.
''You know if you are not so sure they will accept , you could first pluck the flower and then plant it in your garden''
''I hope that you are joking Naasir '' answered Halib with venom in his voice
''I know that it is deplorable but if you and her really love each other why not ?Think about it , in that way her parents will have no choice but accept. It is just a suggestion think it through''
''I am not such villain to do that and betray her and my family trust , if things will not go as we hope , we will...... find something else to do''
As Naasir was preparing to respond to Halib with more encouraging words, intending to provide him with a comforting response and help reduce his anxieties about confessing to the girl's family and his own, he was distracted or interrupted by the ringing of the bell from the local Christian church, which indicated that it was almost time for lunch. Naasir and Halib were eager to return to the camp to join the other soldiers for lunch or some food, since this would have been a welcome way to break up the monotony of patrolling the streets and to have a short break from the duties of the day.
And since their meals were counted, Naasir and Halib lost no time returning to the camp, where they would then be allowed to eat.
''Come on let's go , there is no reason to depress over that let's go eat'' Said Naasir as he took up the march back , clearly trying to distract Halib.
When Naasir arrived there, he put his weapons down in his tent, where he also removed his chainmail and any other armor or protective gear that he was wearing. He then headed over to the food distribution counter, where the cooks handed out the food. He grabbed a wooden bowl and a spoon from the counter and then joined the queue to wait for his turn. He was eager to get his meal and have some time to rest and relax after his time patrolling the city.
After a few minutes, his time finally arrived. He gave a good look to the food and was visually pleased with it, since he would be eating grain and milk porridge along with some bread, which, if one wanted to add some vegetables, one had to buy from the market, but the regular meal was already enough for people who were already accustomed to hunger and fatigue.
In fact, the Southern Europeans had it better than the Northern ones since they could consume grain-made porridge instead of rye, a form of crop that had the same grain quality but lacked taste and consistency. The bread, on the other hand, was hard and could not be eaten instantly as it was even harder than wood
(I am not joking; we have documents that attest that it could have been used as a club, which was sometimes actually done by camp followers when an enemy army arrived at their camp to loot).
There were many ways in which hard bread could be prepared to eat, but the easiest one was to boil water and throw their bread there as they ate their porridge, so that when they took it back, they had a second porridge meal with the boiled bread, which had become softer and easier to eat.
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The third battle of the campaign is arriving so stay tuned, we will finally see the skills of Corrado in battle ( Tomorrow next chapter).