First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Handover of Power

Jiang Jiake roared furiously, "That's bullshit—!"

Retreating now would mean the end of his command in this battle. Or rather, the subsequent battle situation would no longer be under his control.

This was completely unexpected and unacceptable to him.

In the history of combat exercises, there had never been an instance where a team voluntarily surrendered their own base right at the beginning.

Lian Sheng walked straight over, leaned close to Lu Mingyuan's ear, and shouted into his communicator: "If you still send them to fight head-on now, the losses will only be more devastating! Not only will you lose your stronghold, but your soldiers will die for nothing! Run! Didn't anyone teach you to retreat when you can't win?!"

Lu Mingyuan felt his eardrums were about to burst. He took a big step back, signaling Lian Sheng to calm down.

Jiang Jiake, now beside himself with anger, retorted: "Whose fault is this? It's yours! You delayed military intelligence and kept changing your mind! As a platoon leader, you repeatedly challenged me and undermined morale—don't you bear any responsibility?!"

Lian Sheng took a deep breath, patted her forehead, and said: "I don't have time to lecture you here, nor to argue with you under these circumstances. I've given all the advice I can—you're on your own now."

Jiang Jiake bellowed: "Right flank, assemble!"

Beside him, Zhou Shirui said: "Senior Jiang, calm down a little."

Their commander-in-chief had been provoked into anger by his own platoon leader. Just who was the spy sent by the enemy here?

The surrounding soldiers could feel Lian Sheng's icy aura and momentarily fell silent.

Lian Sheng adjusted herself, then waved her arm: "Follow me!"

Zheng Lei asked quietly: "Where to?"

Lian Sheng said: "The Red Team's base. They've already emptied out—it's the safest place now. We need to replan and recuperate. There, we'll actually have breathing room."

Lu Mingyuan said: "But that's equivalent to handing over all our point-loss locations."

"There are no rules against recapturing positions. Even if it's a stronghold, we can take it back after giving it up. It's just swapping places with the enemy—can't we start over?" Lian Sheng said. "As long as it's not the final moment, there's always room for reversal. What's our ultimate capital? People! Not some point-loss locations! If we cling to those now, how can we formulate plans? How can we fight flexibly?"

Sending soldiers to meaningless sacrifice was the worst decision. This kind of reckless battle might as well be surrender—at least that would preserve some dignity. Dragging it out until the last moment, getting beaten to a pulp—would that showcase his bravery?

It would only reveal his incompetence and stupidity. Those without capability should step down.

Lian Sheng led her platoon straight toward the Red Team's base. The remaining soldiers hesitated.

They didn't know the overall situation, but Lian Sheng's confident words inevitably swayed them. Moreover, Jiang Jiake was visibly unstable—his subordinates could clearly sense his impatience and unease.

If even the commander-in-chief showed such emotions, how could the soldiers fight with peace of mind? This was equivalent to saying before battle: "Hey, I'm losing control here—go die first to buy me some time while I think."

—Who the hell would play along with that? Asking for trouble?

Thus, the rear troops began deliberately slowing their pace. Since Jiang Jiake's orders weren't absolute, they could slightly adjust within permissible limits to observe the situation.

Meanwhile, the right flank, waiting in vain for strong reinforcements, realized they might have been abandoned. Fighting halfheartedly while retreating, they began to collapse.

Once their decline became apparent, the enemy attacked like tigers, launching a fierce assault.

As the saying goes, a rout is like a landslide. The White Team soldiers were scattered in disarray, calling for help.

Just as predicted, the White Team's base had been taken, and their soldiers were now fleeing helter-skelter, with most falling in the retreat.

Jiang Jiake received report after report, clenching his fists. A suffocating pressure built in his chest, growing heavier by the minute.

He considered many things—personal, collective, past, future. None painted a pretty picture.

He recalled his professor's words:

"Command is a matter of life and death. Command well, and you take others' lives. Command poorly, and you take your comrades' lives—which means taking your own. So those without command talent truly shouldn't take this role. This isn't ridicule—it's a warning."

Jiang Jiake held his breath, feeling blood rush to his head, his eyes dry and aching.

No one around him was urging him, yet every second felt excruciating. In the end, just as Lian Sheng had said, he ordered: "All units, disperse! Retreat!"

Zhou Shirui stood up, gathering the maps to prepare for relocation with the troops.

Although they had escorts here, the enemy was an entire faction—no elite force could hold against that.

"Senior Jiang, from a data analysis perspective, please prepare for the worst possible outcome," Zhou Shirui paused for emphasis, "Given current developments, the worst really might happen."

"Reaching this point is already a major strategic error in early decisions—we must admit that. Since this is the result, we must change tactics." Zhou Shirui said, "Right now, it's not that we're choosing to abandon our base—we're forced to."

What was the worst possible outcome?

The White Team was now at an absolute disadvantage. The Red Team had occupied their territory—they could leave a hundred, even two hundred troops to hold it, then send the rest to hunt them down.

If they wiped out the White Team entirely, a negative two-hundred-point combat result wasn't impossible.

Unprecedented, unique in history—he might achieve legendary status.

Just thinking about this made Jiang Jiake break out in cold sweat.

The exercise's total points would be multiplied by twenty in the academic system. Negative points times twenty... He might very well be taken out by his own teammates.

If they anticipated this outcome, the White Team members would gladly disobey orders to incur the penalty of total point reset.

Was that even a penalty? That was basically bonus points! Was this actually a protective circuit breaker?!

"If we can't stabilize the situation soon..." Zhou Shirui listened to the reports in his earpiece, then glanced at the map in his hands, tactfully adding: "Panic is about to set in."

The troops were already scattered, and enemy forces had fully invaded their territory. They saw no hope of victory—perhaps they never had from the start. But they were beginning to see their miserable tomorrow.

This was truly an irreversible collapse—at least beyond his current ability to salvage.

He was flustered, unable to calm down or strategize, utterly lost about the future.

Jiang Jiake tilted his head back, inhaling sharply, then asked: "What do you think we should do?"

Zhou Shirui didn't answer directly. Rolling up the map, he said: "I think you should ask the frontline personnel. After all, we're too far away, and information is chaotic now—hard to discern."

Jiang Jiake frowned.

Zhou Shirui said: "Lian Sheng is at the frontline—she knows more and has more experience. Others might not explain clearly, so have her elaborate."

In other words: ask Lian Sheng how to command. You can hand over your authority now.

Jiang Jiake's expression darkened, though those beside him couldn't see.

Seeing his silence, Zhou Shirui added: "It's normal for a commander to consult platoon leaders about battle conditions. Senior, no need to spite her."

They couldn't stay here—they had to move. The two began relocating under escort.

Finally, Jiang Jiake lifted Lian Sheng's mute status and called for her in the channel, trying to sound casual: "Lian Sheng, what's your situation there now?"

"Us?" Lian Sheng lay on the ground, legs shaking. "Sunbathing, cloud-watching."

Jiang Jiake was livid. Here he was, worried sick, specifically asking about her situation, and she responded with such flippant defeatism: "What kind of time is this? Can't you be serious?!"

Lian Sheng said: "What time? Not the time for dying—the time for enjoying life."

They really had nothing to do now. Two were out searching for leftover supplies, four were scouting, Lu Mingyuan was counting bullets, and Lian Sheng was peacefully sunbathing.

What else were they supposed to do?

Jiang Jiake took a deep breath, suppressing his temper: "I wanted your thoughts on the current situation."

"Hmm?" Lian Sheng tilted her head, stopped shaking her legs, and plucked a blade of grass to fiddle with.

What did this mean? Was he willing to follow her command now?

Controlling her tone, Lian Sheng said coolly: "If you're asking for my input, maintain this stance until the end. I won't accept being muted or overruled midway."

Multiple interventions, multiple commanders—this was taboo. If the situation improved, Lian Sheng couldn't guarantee he wouldn't reclaim command. After all, he was the commander-in-chief, and she was just a platoon leader appointed by him. This hierarchy couldn't be changed in this battle.

If that really happened, it would be utterly disgusting.

"If the general follows my strategies, victory is certain—keep him. If not, defeat is certain—dismiss him."

In that case, she would truly wash her hands of it. Let him fight however he wanted—she wouldn't interfere.

Jiang Jiake gritted his teeth.

Holding onto command now was pointless. He was at his wit's end. If Lian Sheng could turn this around, he wasn't shameless enough to steal credit.

This was just a Red vs. White battle, but the shame could last a lifetime—not worth it. Being suppressed by Lian Sheng like this just rankled him.

Jiang Jiake curled his lip: "Fine."

This was truly handing over command.

Hearing this, the entire platoon understood what these words meant. A strange excitement surged as they all looked at Lian Sheng.

Lian Sheng sat up, enthused: "Remember your words—I don't tolerate backtracking. Everyone here can bear witness! All platoon leaders, acknowledge!"

The platoon leaders: "..." This was so damn awkward!

One by one, responses came through the channel, though morale remained low.

Though Lian Sheng sounded passionate, she wasn't in the thick of battle. Their dire straits made it hard to feel optimistic.

Lian Sheng rallied them: "Prepare! Everyone, listen to my orders! First, find safe positions. Report your locations, numbers, and nearby enemy activity. My deputy—chief data analyst—will record everything."

The newly appointed "chief data analyst" Lu Mingyuan: "..."

Since when did he have this honorary title?

"We seem to be at a complete disadvantage—that's true. This battle seems about to end—that's an illusion! Comrades, it's still early—this is just the beginning! Steel yourselves and prepare for orders!" Lian Sheng rallied them. "Think of the Battle of Julu, where Xiang Yu's twenty thousand defeated four hundred thousand Qin troops! Or the Battle of Fei River, where Eastern Jin's eighty thousand annihilated nearly eight hundred thousand Former Qin soldiers! Compared to them, what are our circumstances? Nothing!"

Lian Sheng nearly roared: "Show me your fighting spirit! Until the very end, don't lower your weapons! Don't bow your heads!"

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