Early the next morning, it was snowing heavily. Mavey had breakfast, put on his coat, and took Yunia to the Kremlin next door.
The palace was warm as spring, which was completely different from the ice and snow outside, but it only stayed warm for a while. Katerina, wearing a black coat, took Mavey to the courtyard.
There was enough snow to reach the knees, and the guards had cleared a snow path. In the center of the courtyard, Bodelinov, wearing a green military uniform and a velvet hat with ear protection, was lecturing a group of shirtless soldiers.
"You are soldiers of the empire! The enemy's bullets are colder than winter! If you can't hold on, get back!"
Their skin was red, and the soldiers put their hands behind their backs and looked forward, letting the snowflakes wet their bodies without saying a word. They all had strong backs and strong waists, as strong as bulls.
Hearing the footsteps behind him, Bodelinov looked back and shouted: "Stand at attention!"
"These are the Olympians I picked from the military."
Katerina walked around the soldiers: "The one hundred people selected from one million soldiers are all one in ten thousand. There is no doubt about their physical fitness or loyalty."
“Isn’t the Romanov Kingdom planning to hold auditions?”
"Auditions will also be held. I will form an Olympic team from the civilian winners, have a fair competition with the soldiers I selected from the army, and select the top three in each event as contestants."
Katerina exhaled a white breath: "In this Stockholm Olympics, the Romanov Kingdom will definitely shock the world."
As if to show the strength of the soldier in front of Mavey, Katerina glanced at Bodelinov, who understood and immediately gave the order:
"Everyone turn right! Run forward!"
The soldiers moved uniformly and steadily, moving like a hundred horses, well-trained.
"Okay, Father, let's go ride the carriage."
When the soldiers ran out of the courtyard, a king's carriage came. Katerina said: "The destination is the army camp outside the city."
"Are they running there? This place is dozens of miles away from the city."
"It's just a warm-up." Katerina said disapprovingly: "If they don't even have this bit of endurance, they won't be selected."
It's freezing outside, but the carriage is as warm as spring. There is a red-hot carbon stove under the carriage. The structure is very special. Only heat can be transferred into the carriage while harmful gases are emitted outside. The carriage driver will constantly fill the coals to ensure the temperature.
There are two pull ropes in the car, one red and one black. Pulling the red rope once means adding coal to heat up, pulling the red rope twice means stopping the car, and vice versa for the black rope.
The most extravagant thing is that Katerina even prepared snacks for Junia. There is also a teapot in the car so that you can drink hot tea. As a king's carriage specially designed for Katerina, the craftsmen have exhausted their skills.
There is a faint aroma lingering on the tip of the nose. It is the smell of Katerina's special perfume. It has a light fragrance, like a gardenia blooming. It smells cool, and it should have been added with mint.
It smells much better than Dino's rose pepper cinnamon essential oil.
"Father, try this."
Katerina picked up a hazelnut cookie and handed it to Mavie. Mavie took a bite and before chewing it twice, she heard her ask: "Is it delicious?"
"You did it?"
"If so, would you say it's delicious?"
"Why not." Ma Wei smiled: "It tastes pretty good, but it's a little burnt."
"As long as you like it."
The smile on Katerina's face gradually disappeared: "When I woke up this morning, I found that all the cats in the Kremlin were gone. Father, is this your order?"
Ma Wei did not expect that Katerina would directly tell the matter. This should have been tacitly understood by everyone.
"Mosk is very safe now. St. Basil's Cathedral is right next to it. The cats protecting the palace can be transferred to other places." Ma Wei said tactfully.
With the arrival of cold winter, many cats have to hide indoors to avoid the cold. The colder the weather, the fewer cats there are on the streets, and the cat army will also face a shortage of manpower.
"Is the same situation happening at Buckingham Palace?"
"No, there are many cats in London, there is no need to draw them from the palace."
Katerina nodded: "It seems that you are aware of it, Father."
"Realize what?"
"Arthur is not safe around him." Katerina said: "His ability is no less than mine, but the situation he faces is different from mine. There are too many people with different intentions around him, and I rely on my father to stay."
Yuyin controls the government, Bodelinov and others are loyal to the Romanov royal family, but the people around Arthur are loyal to themselves."
While Mavey was thinking, Katerina added: "If you think this is me talking bad about Arthur, then I have nothing to explain, but I believe you have realized this, Father."
Arthur's power is indeed different from Katerina's.
Most of Katerina's supporters are veterans from the time of Peter the Great. Other nobles and high-ranking officials were all killed by Mawei. The new batch of people who took office also expressed their loyalty to Katerina, and they were also
She is very reliable.
On the other hand, among the Knights of the Round Table formed by Arthur, except for Gurihana, codenamed Lancelot, which one of them, Gawain, was not from a noble family?
The Knights of the Round Table are able to gather together not because of simple and pure beliefs, but because of interests.
In Arthur's final years, the Knights of the Round Table could provide him with great help, but now that Arthur has become the king, he no longer needs the assistance of the Knights of the Round Table, but it is time to start fulfilling his original promise.
This relationship is not solid, because Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table no longer have common interests, but have become antagonists.
Arthur can be trusted, but the people around him...
"Father, you should trust me more than Arthur."
Katerina sat next to Mavie, put her fair and slender hand on the back of Mavie's hand, and breathed out from her red lips: "As long as I am here, the Romanov Kingdom will always support the Church of Truth, the church I founded.
The secret police is also to prevent one's own people from rebelling. In this materialistic era, there are always very few like-minded friends, right?"
My law?
Ma Wei's eyelids twitched, and he looked at Katerina with a strange look. He quietly moved to the side: "You are right, I should really remind Arthur of this problem and let him be careful about the people around him."
Katerina took back her hand, looked out the window, and said softly: "We're here."
While talking, the carriage has arrived at the suburban camp, where the 1st Mosk Front has been stationed for a long time. It is located next to the Mosk River. Near noon, the soldiers have begun to drill, and they are not hiding in warm houses because of winter.
Bodlinov also led the soldiers to the camp. After a long run, the soldiers' skin was as deep red as blood. The snowflakes turned into water droplets as soon as they touched them, and their whole bodies were radiating heat, as if they had just been boiled.
of hot water.
Mawei was about to get out of the car, but was stopped by Katerina: "No need to get out, just watch it in the car."
Bodelinov brought the soldiers to the frozen river. He held the tool in his hand, drilled a hole in the ice, inserted a stick of explosive and lit it. There was only a "bang" sound, and a big hole was blown out of the ice.
.
Following the same pattern, Bodlinov blasted a total of ten holes in the ice. This was not for fishing, but...
Scuba diving.
Ma Wei has never tried winter swimming, but he knows what it means to swim in weather that is more than ten degrees below zero, let alone snorkeling.
It seemed that Bodelinov planned to make these one hundred soldiers swim a thousand meters continuously, using only ten holes in the ice for ventilation.
This is no longer a matter of physical fitness, but a matter of life!
But Bodelinov didn't hesitate at all. After the soldiers became familiar with the water temperature, he immediately ordered them to jump into the water and swim under the dim ice. The narrow darkness was pressing in from all directions, but the ice was glowing with light. But you
But you can't break free from it. Fear and pressure accelerate the consumption of oxygen, and the biting cold paralyzes your limbs, taking away your remaining body temperature...
Wow!
A soldier's head poked out of an ice cave a hundred meters away. He exhaled the turbid air in his lungs. After taking a deep breath, he plunged under the ice and swam toward the next exit.
At this time, Ma Wei suddenly discovered that this training was more cruel than he imagined.
Every hundred meters, there is only one ice hole for ventilation, which means that latecomers have to wait. How long can a normal human being hold his breath in the ice water?
A few minutes is already the limit.
Only by making yourself faster, faster than others, can you snatch oxygen!
Looking at the soldiers desperately trying to breathe, Katerina showed no pity. She knew her soldiers well, and having led soldiers, she also understood the principle of not being in charge of soldiers.
Gentleness, politeness, and pity do not exist in the army. The so-called army only has patience, persistence and obedience!
The first one to reach the finish line was a little man - a small man compared to others, but he was actually taller and stronger than ordinary people, with strong muscles as straight as fish fins.
"Akinov."
Katerina nodded with satisfaction: "He is a child who lives by the sea and is a good swimmer."
Cold is synonymous with the Romanov Kingdom. Relying on the cold, the Romanov Kingdom shattered Napoleon's hopes for the Northern Expedition and shattered his empire. The people living here have long been accustomed to the cold.
"Well done, Corporal Akinov!"
Bodelinov kicked the wooden box next to him, which made a clanging sound and was filled with vodka: "Come and collect your reward!"
Akinov picked up a bottle of vodka, unscrewed the cap, drank half of it in a few gulps, and looked as fierce as a beast.
"You served in the Royal Navy, Father." Katerina looked at Akinov and asked, "You should understand how powerful such a soldier is."
"Really rare."
Ma Wei sighed in admiration. He did not mean to compare the Royal Navy and the Romanov Kingdom Army. He had indeed been in the Royal Navy, but that was before. Now he is the Pope, and he is still the Windsor Kingdom and the Romanov Kingdom.
As a co-pope, your judgment must be fair and impartial, and you cannot favor the Kingdom of Windsor just because you have served in the Royal Navy.
The soldiers emerged from the ice hole one after another. Twenty or thirty people failed the challenge and emerged from the ice hole at the back. They were not qualified to drink, and they were even scolded by Bodlinov.
Most of the soldiers who failed the challenge had one characteristic in common - they were tall and tall.
Being too strong will make it difficult to swim underwater, especially in winter swimming. Ice water will stiffen the muscles, and too many muscles will become a burden.
This is why swimmers tend to have slimmer bodies than weightlifters.
Without much rest, Bodlinov started the second training session. He took the soldiers to an open space. There were only a few cages covered with black cloth around them. The roars coming from inside...
There should be a few black bears inside.
"Come and get the weapons! Idiot!"
Bodelinov shouted, gave each soldier a forearm-long dagger, and said: "Everyone spread out!"
Now Ma Wei understood why he put swimming first.
The ones who come out on top are most likely slender soldiers. They are often afraid of black bears when they see them. In order to train their courage, drinking alcohol is a good way.
That box of vodka was originally given to them to boost their courage.
There were twenty cages containing bears, which meant that Bodlinov had brought twenty black bears. In such a cold weather, the bears should be hibernating, but from their roars, it was obvious that they were awakened.
They are extremely angry.
The black cloth was lifted, and the cages contained adult black bears. If they stood up, each one would be two or three meters tall, with one paw larger than a human head. They were violent and restless.
Under Bodlinov's order, twenty cages were opened at the same time, and the black bear knocked open the cage doors, surrounded by a hundred soldiers with only daggers.
Hundreds of eyes looked at each other, and I don't know who roared first. Then a hundred soldiers and the black bear roared at the same time, and stepped forward to confront each other.
Ma Wei has never seen such a scene. One hundred elites selected from the army dared to fight twenty adult black bears with only daggers. To describe them as brave and fearless is no longer enough. This is simply crazy.
!
The black bear is extremely powerful, but the soldiers are not vegetarians. They are also as strong as cattle. A soldier was pinned down by the black bear and directly blocked the opponent's bloody mouth with his left arm. His bones were instantly chewed to pieces, but his dagger was also the same.
Inserted into the belly of the black bear.
Just as the black bear attacked the soldier, other people swarmed up and stabbed him in the neck or butt, all of which were fatal. These were the black bear's most vulnerable areas.
"Ouch!!!"
The black bear roared shrilly and became more violent, but what waited for it were the crazy soldiers around it.
Blood splattered everywhere, and a bear's paw was chopped off. The injured black bear screamed, turned around and ran away with a whimper. The previous violence disappeared, and the voice was full of fear.
As the first black bear escaped, more black bears fled. The screams of their companions awakened their most primitive instincts. Some black bears had their stomachs cut open and their intestines scattered on the ground, but they still crossed the frozen ground without looking back.
He Mian fled into the mountains, if it could survive...
I'm afraid that when I see a human being, I'll run away in fear.
After defeating the black bear, the soldiers who were still standing roared like beasts. As for those who were injured, Bodlinov did not give up and called the military priest.