First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 33
Chapter 33: Arrangement
Jiang Jiake had been repeatedly contradicted by Lian Sheng, which greatly displeased him. Since when could anyone casually criticize the commander-in-chief? Just who was in charge here?
"Challenging the commander's authority repeatedly before battle—how impressive. Did you hear how she addressed me just now? That was clearly mockery." Jiang Jiake snorted roughly. "Not even understanding such basic matters, yet she dares to study in the Command Department?"
Zhou Shirui merely smiled ambiguously and replied, "Is that so?"
Jiang Jiake asked, "Well? What do you think?"
Zhou Shirui lowered his head to continue drawing his map. "About what?"
"The person you recommended," Jiang Jiake said.
"Oh, the instructor seems to think highly of her, so I recommended you instead," Zhou Shirui said. "Actually, you could consider her suggestions. A woman's intuition can sometimes be quite accurate."
"Who fights wars based on intuition?" Jiang Jiake retorted. "She performed well in previous drills, but this isn't an instructor competition anymore. If she can't recognize her own position, she's either unprofessional or getting arrogant."
He unfolded the paper map Zhou Shirui had drawn earlier, scanning the battle lines. Lian Sheng's words stuck in his throat like a thorn—not entirely convincing, yet somehow reasonable. He turned his head and asked, "What do you think?"
"I'm only responsible for providing data analysis. The rest is your decision," Zhou Shirui said, looking up with a smile. "You're the commander-in-chief, Senior Jiang. I believe in you."
After hesitating briefly, Jiang Jiake proceeded to issue several orders according to his original plan. Without Lian Sheng's interruptions, everything went smoothly.
He himself felt that, overall, the plan was feasible. As long as adjustments were made later to handle contingencies, there shouldn't be any major issues.
As for the problems Lian Sheng had pointed out—did he really not consider them? He allowed for a certain degree of casualties. Besides, why should he explain his entire strategy in detail to a mere platoon leader?
Zhou Shirui set down his pen. "Senior, what are you hesitating about? It's about to start. Shouldn't you rally your troops?"
Jiang Jiake crossed his arms and, after some thought, said, "Do you think I should replace the platoon leader now?"
Zhou Shirui squatted beside him. "Changing platoon leaders now would cause internal panic. Given what just happened, everyone would think it's your fault—losing your temper over a few words, unable to handle criticism. You'd better endure it for now."
Jiang Jiake clicked his tongue. "Is that what this is about? I'm worried she won't follow orders! She's leading over twenty people guarding our lower route. From what she said earlier, she clearly doesn't respect me at all. She's a liability—dangerous. The worst thing for a commander is soldiers who think they're cleverer than you. What if she leads others astray?"
Zhou Shirui said, "She won't openly defy you from the start. The consequences of disobeying orders are severe. Even if she dared, no one would follow her. Just keep commanding."
Being muted was equivalent to being silenced. It had been a long time since Lian Sheng had been so thoroughly shut down, especially when she had been offering sincere advice.
As Jiang Jiake gave his pre-battle pep talk, Lian Sheng switched her channel to her platoon's frequency. "Turn off the nonsense in your earpieces. Listen to me now."
One by one, the soldiers switched channels.
Lian Sheng planted one foot on a nearby rock.
"We need to prepare for two scenarios. Once supplies are picked up, they're gone—there won't be a second chance. The duration of this match is unknown. Distributing all ammunition equally to every soldier now is the same as handing a portion of bullets to the enemy along with our early casualties. Those who survive to the later stages will face an ammunition crisis."
Lian Sheng continued, "An army doesn't assign a horse to every soldier. This is a place where strength speaks—fair distribution doesn't apply. Understand what I mean?"
A male student leaning on his gun asked, "Then what do we do?"
"After collecting ammunition, everyone keeps half on their person for emergencies. The other half goes to the quartermaster for centralized management," Lian Sheng said. "The quartermaster will stay in the middle of the formation, heavily guarded. He is your lifeline—no accidents allowed. If something happens, prioritize getting him to safety. If our entire platoon is wiped out, leave the ammunition for other platoons. In later stages, distribute ammunition based on individual performance."
Lian Sheng added, "Not all collected ammunition will suit your weapons. The quartermaster will handle exchanges—"
The group nodded. The proposal seemed reasonable, and no one objected.
"However, there's one drawback," Lian Sheng said. "The quartermaster won't have opportunities to earn points. During enemy encounters, he'll have to stay low, avoid combat, and prioritize survival."
This was a flaw in the exercise design—the scoring system didn't account for logistics personnel.
Lu Mingyuan raised his hand. "Then I'll do it. My combat skills aren't great anyway. I'll just guide you."
Lian Sheng nodded and gripped his shoulder. "Your sacrifice is appreciated."
What a considerate person! Truly someone destined for greatness!
Lu Mingyuan: "Uh..."
With the most troublesome task assigned, the rest was straightforward.
A male student asked, "Senior, weren't you always partnered with Student Ji? Why are you with Lian Sheng now?"
"At school? That was just an assignment," Lu Mingyuan said helplessly, clarifying again. "I only analyze data as part of my duties. We're not permanent partners."
The group gasped. "What?!"
This contradicted their assumptions.
Lian Sheng was also surprised. Had Lu Mingyuan previously worked with Ji Fangxiao?!
Seeing the discussion veering off track, Lian Sheng clapped her hands to refocus attention and continued explaining the plan.
"One more thing. Since we don't know the enemy's strategy yet, slow your advance and hold our front line," Lian Sheng said, rubbing her chin. "To be honest, our platoon's offensive capabilities aren't strong. In a direct confrontation, we're at a disadvantage. There's also a high chance you'll lose your brilliant platoon leader."
The group: "..."
Lian Sheng sensed an indescribable emotion in their eyes.
"I acknowledge my weaknesses—no shame in that." Lian Sheng hoisted her gun onto her shoulder. "But if anyone wants to challenge me to a marksmanship contest, I'd be happy to oblige."
The group fell silent.
Lu Mingyuan glanced at Lian Sheng. He found such leadership reassuring. She sought flexible solutions within limits, minimizing casualties while adapting to developments.
Jiang Jiake hadn't set a speed requirement, so this approach didn't violate his orders while allowing them to observe the situation. If the worst-case scenario occurred, other platoons would report it via comms.
"Our position near the mountainside has one advantage: sticking to the boundary line eliminates the risk of being flanked," Lian Sheng said. "If enemies appear, stay calm and don't scatter. Remember—stick together to maintain numerical superiority. In this terrain, anyone isolated will find it hard to escape elimination."
Lian Sheng asked, "Which platoon is closest to us?"
Lu Mingyuan: "Second Platoon of Eighth Company should be ahead to our right."
Lian Sheng: "Head toward them."
A male student interjected, "But ambushing along the boundary line is risky. People usually avoid that."
Without ammunition, a reckless charge that failed to break through would allow the enemy to encircle them, exhausting their remaining bullets and leaving them doomed.
Thus, few chose this approach—it was practically a last resort.
Lian Sheng: "If I had an elite cavalry unit—"
Lu Mingyuan corrected, "Special forces."
Lian Sheng nodded. "I'd do exactly this." She added, "And they have such units."
The top three point-ranked teams were all on the enemy side.
The group fell into contemplation.
Some among them were Command Department students who understood the implications of her words.
In such operations, as grunts, they rarely received reconnaissance reports. On the front lines, their perspective and thinking were limited. They'd never had the opportunity to analyze things from this angle. Thus, when listening to Jiang Jiake's orders earlier, they hadn't noticed any flaws.
Now, hearing Lian Sheng's analysis, it all made sense.
The plan lacked thoroughness. The framework existed, but the details couldn't withstand scrutiny—a result of insufficient real combat experience and failure to account for variables.
Though compared to Jiang Jiake, they weren't much better.
A male student raised his arm. "Sister Lian! Just based on how our instructor constantly sings your praises, I'm willing to trust you!"
Lian Sheng: "..."
That didn't sound like praise. In fact, it sounded rather backhanded.
Sister Lian said, "Thank your instructor for spreading my fame."
Lu Mingyuan remarked, "It might be because the instructor spoke highly of you that they resent you."
Command was a tricky thing. In theory, anyone could spin grandiose tales, but in practice, countless variables arose. Without a glorious track record, no one would submit to another's leadership.
It was like scholars disparaging each other.
If instructors praised Lian Sheng in front of combat troops, they'd probably just laugh it off. But praising her in front of Command Department students would easily provoke defiance.
After all, Lian Sheng was a newcomer who'd switched fields midstream.
"Doesn't matter." Lian Sheng stroked her gun and looked skyward. "The truth is hard to accept."
The group: "..."
This person was both shameless and narcissistic.
In the monitoring room, a group of instructors gathered to observe their preparations and listen to their analyses.
One instructor squatted on the ground and sighed. "The gap in command ability is too wide."
Another instructor said, "The white team still has Lian Sheng, right? The more I watch, the more mysterious she seems."
The first instructor replied, "Lian Sheng's just a platoon leader, and she's been muted. What can she do?"
A third joked, "So what? They don't need to fight one against a hundred—one against twenty would be enough to dominate!"
The instructors laughed.
One said, "Lian Sheng doesn't strike me as someone who'd stay content as a platoon leader. How could such a small position contain her?"
Instructor Fu shook his head. "If the initial gap widens too much, even a platoon leader can't turn the tide."
Another instructor said, "Let's wait and see. It's not that bad."
Both sides finished preparations, reported to the instructors, and the starting whistle blew.
On the white team's side, everyone collected supplies as ordered. After gathering, Lian Sheng's group took their time sorting and redistributing half the ammunition.
Their advance was slow, but to comply with command, they still moved forward.
"Hey, this is a great hiding spot," Lu Mingyuan called out. "There aren't any better positions ahead."
Lian Sheng waved. "Everyone, search the outskirts for leftover supplies."
A few hesitated.
Whether the enemy would launch a strong assault was just Lian Sheng's speculation. If they didn't, wouldn't delaying here give the enemy an advantage? Moreover, this contradicted the commander's strategy—who should they believe?
Seeing their reluctance, Lian Sheng didn't push them. She figured the timing was about right.
"One minute." Lian Sheng raised a finger. "If nothing happens in one minute, we move out immediately."
Almost as soon as she spoke, a panicked voice came through the comms: "Holy shit! The enemy's attacking head-on! Third Company, First Platoon engaging!"
Another voice followed: "We've got contact here too! Fourth Company, Third Platoon requesting backup!"
The group gasped in unison. "Whoa—!"
She'd predicted it perfectly!
Zheng Lei shuddered excitedly. "Do we run now?"
"No, we're already in the rear. Lu Mingyuan, hide well and fall back. If things go south, we'll cover your retreat." Lian Sheng asked, "Where were the reports from?"
Lu Mingyuan tried to recall. Since he wasn't handling data analysis now, his intel was limited to initial deployment details. Rubbing his head, he said, "Both were from the far right."
Lian Sheng clapped her hands and barked, "Prepare to snipe. Enemy numbers should be low. Take positions and stay alert, brothers!"
In the rear, Jiang Jiake listened to the reports in shock. "They're really launching a surprise attack? Ji Fangxiao isn't this bold."
Zhou Shirui marked red circles on the map. "They're attacking from both flanks. Numbers are probably limited. The left side hasn't made contact yet—warn those two teams."
Jiang Jiake ordered, "Fall back! Everyone retreat! Second Platoon of Eighth Company and First Platoon of Seventh Company, regroup first. Acknowledge!"
Second Platoon leader: "Acknowledged!"
Silence.
A vein bulged on Jiang Jiake's forehead. "Lian Sheng! Lian Sheng, are you rebelling? I said acknowledge orders!"
Lian Sheng: "..."
Was this guy insane?
Lu Mingyuan said, "You muted her."
Jiang Jiake: "..."
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A fool
ReplyDeleteUhh embarrasing
ReplyDelete