Chapter 56: Burn Crap
The NCOs of my escolta had done an excellent job instructing the recruits in the drills and formations they had learned in Malolos. By the third day of Week 1, they looked sharp and cohesive—a spectacle for the townsmen as they marched and drilled in the plaza.
The drills and formations, derived from Spanish military doctrine, were ideal for instilling discipline, building a sense of identity, and teaching obedience to command. They also served well in introducing military customs and culture.
However, the war that was likely to come would prove this doctrine obsolete outside the parade grounds. It was a system created in the time of single-shot rifles and smoothbore cannons. The tight and rigid drills and formations would spell disaster and slaughter once faced with repeater rifles like the Krag and the Mauser—and against the destructive power of the overpowered American artillery.
That was why modern military theory advocates looser and more flexible formations. On Thursday, I decided to once again take over the instruction of the recruits.
Early in the morning, we were marching again toward Buliasnin. Our procession was the same in composition and unit order as the first time. What changed was the spacing. I had the recruits march with a two-meter interval between them. And to avoid hogging the road entirely, I made them form a thinner, longer, but looser formation.
Instead of keeping to the head of the procession, I realized it would be better to ride alongside them. Doing so made it easier for me to nitpick every mistake.
Halfway through, I was already barking rebukes and corrections. The moment the recruits began to tire, they lost discipline and started to clump. Though only slightly, the looser formation slowed the pace. They would need to adjust their stamina and develop the mental focus needed to maintain the new spacing.
After our rest in Buliasnin, I decided to teach them yet another lesson—one not even taught yet in Western military institutions.
"If you’re in the field—say, marching just like what we did—how would you know when to stop... or when to move forward?" I asked the recruits, who were standing in formation according to their platoons, facing me with their backs to the shore.