Chapter 44: Bare Minimum
I had to give out 150 pesos in total to the winners. That was a large sum—maybe a little too large. If I had offered just a peso, it would still have sufficed. The former Martin would have called me impulsive and feckless.
But I almost didn’t feel the loss. The Marinduqueño soldiers giggled and excitedly talked among themselves, probably about what to do with their winnings. They had just been rewarded a laborer’s weekly salary.
The Bulaceño soldiers scratched their heads as they listened to Dimalanta’s grating sermon. I felt guilty, of course—these were the same men who had endured the tiresome journey with me. They could have used a small purse to explore their new place of assignment, as a reward for all that they went through.
But I planned to keep them as my escolta, to provide security to the Casa Real and to my immediate family. That meant they would receive a higher rate of salary, and I would soon give them this week’s wage.
"Back to your formations," I raised my voice. Heads turned, and the order was echoed. A minute later, they were back in the positions I had found them in when I arrived.
I mounted my horse and rode in front of them. The saddle doubled as an elevated stage, and I had in my vision every single soldier. I let them settle until there was only the sound of the waves.
"I have in front of me two different units," I started. "The first one is from Bulacan—the escolta assigned to me as a newly appointed general. These soldiers have been trained in the Academia Militar, knowing all the drills and theories."
"But probably couldn’t hit an elephant right in front of them even for their lives," I continued, and saw Pedro smirking.
"The second one is Colonel Abad’s recruits. They underwent a week-long marksmanship training under me. They learned basic rifle handling, and as you can see, have better marksmanship."