The Choice of Magic - Michael G. Manning Page 0,122

shoulder-to-shoulder and face-to-face. The only effective thing you can do at that point is thrust, and we’ll make sure you get plenty of practice at that. Any questions so far?”

Again, no one spoke.

The sergeant gestured to two men standing off to one side. They carried a large, weighted pell onto the field. While most of the practice pells they had seen before were wrapped with leather and padding, this one was different in that a standard padded linen gambeson had been placed over it and tied in place.

“Do any of you know why the padded jack is the one piece of armor we issue to every soldier?” asked the sergeant.

A voice from the back answered, “Because they’re cheap.” A ripple of laughter followed.

“That’s true,” said Sergeant Eckels, “but it isn’t the only reason. Anyone else?”

“They’re warm,” said someone else.

“Also a good point,” said the sergeant amiably, “but we use them even in summer. Why do you think that is?” He waited a long minute before continuing. “The main reason is because it is the single most effective piece of armor you or I will ever wear. Short of something solid, such as a breastplate or helm, it is the only thing that will protect you from blunt impact.”

“I’d rather have the breastplate,” said a bolder voice in the crowd.

The sergeant tapped his own highly polished breastplate. “As would I, but you don’t wear one of these without first putting on an arming jacket or similar padding. The same is doubly true of mail. A thick gambeson will stop most cuts, lessen the impact of a sword blow, and sometimes even save you from more dangerous things. The biggest danger to you while wearing it is a thrust, or an arrow.” He pointed at one of the men sitting close to the front. “Lend me your sword, trainee.”

The man unsheathed his weapon, which was standard for most of them, a short falchion with a blade no more than two feet long. The sergeant inspected the edge with his thumb and then whipped the sword across in a fast cut that hit the pell so solidly that it rocked back despite its weighted base. The gambeson had only a shallow cut in it.

“The falchion is one of the most effective types of cutting swords, but as you can see, it wouldn’t have gotten through. In an actual fight, it probably would have been even less effective, because men don’t generally stand still when you swing at them. That’s one reason we will be teaching you how to effectively sharpen them. These swords need a very sharp edge if you’re to have any hope of cutting through padding.”

Sergeant Eckels returned the sword to its owner and unsheathed his own weapon, which appeared identical. He repeated his slash, but this time the sword cut through the gambeson entirely, though it only lightly scored the leather underneath. “With a very sharp blade and good technique, it is possible to cut the man wearing a padded jack, but it still isn’t much of a wound most of the time.” Then the sergeant stepped in and stabbed the pell, causing his sword to sink deeply into the pell. “As you can see, a thrust is much more effective, whether your sword is sharp or not.

“The enemies we will face are all wearing similar armor to what you have on now, and the most effective weapon you have for getting to them is the spear you carry, or failing that, a sword thrust,” finished the sergeant. “Questions?”

“What if they’re wearing mail?”

Sergeant Eckels nodded. “Good question. Mail does give a man better protection, so long as there’s padding beneath it. The principle is the same. If he’s got mail, a cut won’t work. Ever. Your best bet is still the spear. A solid thrust can pierce mail, though you probably won’t get as deep as you would otherwise. Failing that, your best bet is to hit them with something heavy enough to break the man under the armor. Anyone else?”

“If they’re using spears, and we’re using spears, and everyone is stabbing, what’s the point of wearing padding?” asked a man somewhere in the middle.

“In the middle of a battle, you may get hit several times, but most of those hits won’t be good ones. With a padded jack, your chances of getting wounded are much lower, but the gambeson isn’t your only protection.” He gestured to one of his other assistants, who carried a shield over to him. “This