I'm playing whack-a-mole in Siberia

Chapter 13 Knight’s Plate Armor
  Nikolai and Georgi must have had a lot of fun at the prince's house, but the next day both of them were listless and yawning again and again.

Langson was not angry either. He finished today's lesson in a leisurely manner, put away his textbooks and left.

He was used to it.

The moment Langson turned around, Nicholas fell down on the desk in front of him, apparently planning to sleep to death.

"It's terrible, I don't even know what the old man said today -" Georgi wailed loudly, showing no respect for Lanson.

Nicholas looked up, as if he had just woken up from a dream, with a confused look on his face.

"George, you must know what the old man said today?" The little boy was anxious. As usual, Alexander would ask questions before lunch.

George said nothing and looked at Georgi with calm eyes.

Georgi slowly lowered his head.

"Uncle George, I was wrong-"

That's right, you're still a good boy if you correct your mistakes.

"The teacher told a story today -" George still had to complete the homework assigned by Alexander.

"After the Rusev War, Uncle Mikhail negotiated with the Ottoman Sultan. When the two of them were bored during the break, they decided to compare whose guards were braver." George told it in French. Georgi listened very carefully, and Nikolai listened. Very strenuous.

"Uncle Mikhail opened the window and asked the guard to jump from the window. The guard cried and said: How can you do this, Marshal, I still have a wife and children. Uncle Mikhail was moved and pardoned the attendant."

"When it was the Sultan's turn, the Sultan's guard jumped down without saying a word. Uncle Mikhail stopped him: Are you crazy? You will die if you jump!"

“The Sultan’s guards also cried and said: I still have a wife and children——”

Mikhail was the youngest son of Nicholas I, the younger brother of Ya Er, the cousin of Nicholas and Georgi, and the supreme commander of the Russian side in the Tenth Russo-Turkish War.

Nicholas was indeed not very smart and did not react immediately.

Georgi almost burst into tears laughing. Soviet jokes are indeed popular among Russians.

"I want to write it down and tell it to my father-" Nicholas laughed after realizing it, took out a pen and paper, and asked George to write down the joke.

George wrote in French.

So Nicholas studied hard with George until he memorized all the words.

Judging from Nikolai's state in class these days, this is definitely the most serious time Nikolai has ever taken.

Seriousness is rewarded. During lunch at the Winter Palace, Nicholas told Alexander the joke in French.

After hearing this, Alexander smiled and said: "This joke must not have been told by Professor Lanson, otherwise it should have happened in Buckingham Palace."

This--

Have the British and French started insulting each other now?
  Alexander has been under a lot of pressure these days, and he hasn't laughed so easily for several days.

So Alexander gave George a look of satisfaction and encouraged George to keep up his efforts.

George finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had a lot of Soviet jokes. If he told them one joke a day, it would not only last until Nikolai reached adulthood, but at least it would be enough for Nikolai to learn French.

Nikolai and Georgi continued to hang out in the afternoon.

George returned to Yekaterin Palace to receive boxing training.

Ye Luoxin did not take action personally, but asked Andre to serve as George's sparring partner.

"Pay attention to your pace and your position. Don't be cornered by your opponent. Keep a distance from your opponent and ensure that attacks and dodges are within one step. Protect your head and abdomen, which are the most vulnerable parts of your body. Parts - Observe the enemy through the gaps in the gloves, and punch at the right time. Attack is the best defense -" ˆ ˆ ˜ George punched out under the guidance of Ye Luoxin, and Andre clasped his hands to protect his head, only defending. Not offensive.

George's learning ability is seriously beyond Ye Luoxin's understanding.

When ordinary people learn something, there is a process from unfamiliarity to proficiency, and it cannot be achieved overnight.

From an ordinary person who has never been exposed to boxing to becoming a skilled professional boxer, even if you have talent, this process requires many years of hard practice.

There is no such thing as a process for George. Ye Luoxin only explained it once, and then watched George go from unfamiliar to familiar, and then skillfully used various sliding steps and cross steps in actual combat exercises.

After an hour of practice, except for George's punching power, his proficiency was no different from that of a professional boxer who had been training hard for many years.

Strength will continue to accumulate with age. George is only nine years old now, and there is still a lot of time to exercise in the future——

Judging from the results of George's physical training, it probably won't take too long.

Although Ye Luoxin was surprised, it was not to the extent of shock. He used to be Ya Er's general attendant and knew that George was famous as a "genius" since he was a child.

Andre had only been in contact with George for a few days and didn't know George well enough. George's learning speed seemed incredible to Andre.

Andrei and his younger brother Peter both began receiving physical training at the age of seven, and Ye Luoxin was their first teacher.

Ye Luoxin had no reservations about her son, imparting her many years of experience in the army to him, and had very strict requirements for Andre.

Andre has made rapid progress and is already considered outstanding among his peers.

Before meeting George, Andre was still very confident.

Then Andre suffered an unprecedented blow from George.

What is a genius?

George was showing him off.

George was now very skilled in using his steps. He used cross-stepping to lure Andre to expose his flaw. He rushed to Andre's side with a sliding step and hit Andre hard with his left fist on his lower abdomen.

Andre held his stomach and fell to his knees, not standing up for a long time.

"How's it going? Are you okay? Sorry, I didn't control my strength well-" George apologized quickly, feeling guilty.

"I'm fine -" Andre's face was covered with sweat in pain.

Although he was fine, George took the initiative to stop. Both he and Andre needed a set of protective gear.

Boxing requires confrontation to accumulate experience. Andre's practice of only defending but not attacking cannot achieve the purpose of training for George.

But if Andre and George were to spar normally, Andre was at a loss and didn't dare to attack at all. Even if he punched, he didn't dare to use force.

It's okay to get beaten, but if George is injured, Andre will be in big trouble.

Protective gear can protect both parties. Although wearing protective gear to practice boxing seems not Russian enough to Ye Luoxin. The next day, Ye Luoxin still got two sets of full-body plate armor like those of heavy-armored knights in the Middle Ages.

George was dumbfounded. With the visor down, this thing looked like an iron can.

The protection effect is really good.

But after putting on this thing, let alone practicing boxing, it's up to you whether you can raise your hands or not.

(End of this chapter)