First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Attention

Lian Sheng led her team forward to confiscate ammunition while the instructors came to claim the "corpses."

After planting white flags, the Red Team members still wore dazed expressions, looking back at them every few steps. Even now, they couldn't quite comprehend what had just happened.

When they hadn't seen any enemies earlier, they'd been extremely cautious, carefully planning each move and considering every possibility.

When they encountered the first wave of attacks, they remained vigilant, knowing there might still be ambushes. Then, as expected, a second wave of enemies appeared, blocking their advance. Followed by a third wave arriving with great fanfare as reinforcements.

That's when they finally let their guard down—and were consequently surrounded and annihilated.

Perhaps everything had happened too quickly for them to process it properly.

But looking back from the beginning, they couldn't pinpoint exactly where they'd gone wrong. Hadn't everything seemed perfectly logical at the time?

"Move along, no need to linger here," an instructor said nearby. "Many of your comrades are down below, and they have plenty to say to you."

The Red Team members: "..."

That didn't sound like they were just heading down the mountain!

The twenty-some soldiers followed the instructor in low spirits. When they reached the base, they found a large crowd gathered there. Red and White Team members were engaged in heated arguments.

The monitoring room had been taken over by instructors and was now overloaded. The only way to guess what was happening on the mountaintop was by counting the changes in numbers here. The statistics showed densely packed rows of people, all red-faced and shouting.

In stark contrast to the situation on the mountain, the White Team here held an absolute numerical advantage and was thoroughly suppressing their Red Team counterparts.

Indeed, what goes around comes around.

"Hey, they're here! Come over!" A comrade in the distance spotted them and waved. "What happened up there? When we came down, the White Team was in complete shambles—how did they turn things around? What kind of disaster struck you guys? Did you self-destruct?"

The group found it both difficult to explain and bursting with grievances. After returning their equipment, they poured out their woes.

The Red Team platoon leader sighed: "Who would've thought the White Team's internal situation was so chaotic? They even changed their commander-in-chief?"

Everyone exclaimed: "Impossible! How could the commander change during a Red vs. White battle?"

All the rules were designed around the supreme commander's position to ensure their decisive authority. And now they were saying the commander had been replaced?

The few White Team members who had died in the first wave of breakthroughs and seen the whole truth sighed deeply, gazing into the distance: "Of course. Our White Team's command has been transferred. The current supreme commander is Lian Sheng."

The platoon leader clapped his hands in sudden realization: "Oh damn! So that's what happened!"

Someone nearby snapped: "What do you mean 'that's what happened'? What exactly happened?"

With information not flowing freely between them, the conversation was like chickens talking to ducks.

From the current statistics, the White Team still had a fighting chance. Both sides' numbers had stabilized, especially after the Red Team's sudden loss of twenty-four members—a rather flashy move that reignited boundless hope in the White Team, who had previously been in despair and even threatened by the Red Team with negative two hundred points.

They were dying to know how the White Team had pulled off this earth-shattering reversal. But no matter how hard they stared at the numbers above, they couldn't see what was happening on the mountain.

Lian Sheng was their hero!

Though they hadn't even properly seen this comrade's face, the fact that Lian Sheng had transferred into the Military Academy from an unexpected major during her junior year could only be fate's arrangement!

Heaven! Has! Not! Abandoned! Us!

"I never believed in commanders' skill levels or their impact on battles before—now I know I was wrong."

"No, I always believed, but I didn't think there could be such a huge gap between students from the same school. Now I know I was wrong."

"No no, I believed all that, but I didn't think command was about innate talent—that a student from another major could be this skilled. Now I know I was wrong."

Several people lamented: "Reality teaches us lessons."

They no longer needed intensive training. The next two days were reserved for rest—practicing marching formations, attending some theory classes, watching educational films, learning military songs, and preparing for the evening party.

So until the competition officially ended, they were free, with no one coming to chase them away.

The Red Team platoon leader looked into the distance and noticed someone lying motionless in the center of the field ahead, wearing heavy equipment with Red Team insignia, facedown on the ground.

Wiping his nose, he asked someone nearby: "Who's that guy?"

His buddy replied: "Your teammate, Fang Jianchen."

Platoon leader: "Uh..."

The platoon leader walked over and squatted beside Fang Jianchen, giving him a nudge: "Aren't you going to take off your gear?"

Fang Jianchen sighed deeply: "My youth ends here. Just feeling its lingering warmth."

The platoon leader comforted: "I got tricked by her too just now. You're not alone."

Fang Jianchen gave him a sidelong glance and said: "Your stupidity is just performing as usual, isn't it?"

Platoon leader: "..."

Platoon leader rolled up his sleeves: "I'm gonna kill you today!"

Fang Jianchen thrashed like a live shrimp: "Ah—!"

Meanwhile, back on the mountain, everyone was enjoying a halftime break.

At noon, instructors would deliver food behind each team's base camp. Both sides chose to temporarily cease fire and eat lunch.

Lian Sheng assigned people to transport the supplies, then dispatched half the team to eat while moving toward the mountaintop. The others continued resting where they were.

Zero casualties while taking out twenty-four opponents—an entire platoon. This achievement was particularly impressive.

The White Team's atmosphere was now harmonious, having moved past their earlier gloom. They were eager and enthusiastic, rubbing their hands in anticipation.

Jiang Jiake didn't know what Lian Sheng had sent the other half to do. Seeing her sitting alone on a rock eating, he couldn't help but approach.

Jiang Jiake asked: "Did you come up with that plan on the spot, or had you prepared it beforehand?"

If it was premeditated, he'd feel slightly better. If improvised—that would be terrifying. What kind of adaptability was that?

Lian Sheng chewed her bread slowly before answering: "You can't learn warfare just from books, because no two battles in this world are identical, nor are any two commanders. Weather, terrain, people—as long as these differ, the entire battle situation changes."

Jiang Jiake said: "I know that, of course!"

Lian Sheng took a sip of water and leisurely added: "Oh."

Jiang Jiake: "..."

Jiang Jiake shifted uncomfortably: "Could you stop being so sarcastic?"

"If you already knew, then there's nothing more to say." Lian Sheng turned to look at him. "I think you've realized that my previous evaluation of you was—utterly worthless."

Jiang Jiake felt a stab in his chest, nearly coughing up blood. Why had he come looking for abuse? Was he sick?

He stood up and turned to leave.

Just then, a report came through the public channel: "Target reached, western frontline."

"Go," Lian Sheng said. "Give them a good harassment, then run. If you encounter strong resistance, regroup at base immediately. They'll be wary of ambushes and won't pursue deeply. But remember not to cross to the eastern side."

The platoon leaders: "Understood!"

Lian Sheng sniffed: "Act disorganized—show them you're undisciplined and demoralized. Bonus points if you can convey your despair and frustration."

The dramatic platoon leaders: "Understood!"

Hearing this, Jiang Jiake quickly turned back, hopping mad in front of Lian Sheng: "Why would you do something so stupid? It's completely useless!"

Lian Sheng looked up from her bread: "Stupid?"

Jiang Jiake: "Stupid! Extremely stupid!"

Lian Sheng continued watching him calmly. Jiang Jiake belatedly realized something, his expression changing: "You're imitating me?"

Lian Sheng glanced at the sky, then nodded: "I do like people with self-awareness like you."

"You're mocking me!" Jiang Jiake's voice and face darkened. "That's enough."

"If you reflect on it, you'll find you're even more foolish than you imagined in creating this situation." Lian Sheng said, "Come on, you theory-rich seniors can analyze this from a third-party perspective now."

Jiang Jiake paused, then snorted coldly.

Lian Sheng: "What was your data officer's name again?"

Jiang Jiake said: "Zhou Shirui."

Lian Sheng called Zhou Shirui's name over the public channel.

Zhou Shirui had been sitting nearby. Hearing his name, he walked over with a water bottle.

Lian Sheng pointed at Jiang Jiake: "Please list Commander Jiang's redeeming qualities in this battle."

Zhou Shirui remained silent.

Jiang Jiake was utterly devastated, his worldview shattered.

Zhou Shirui sat beside Lian Sheng and said: "Senior, I think we'd work well together."

Lian Sheng said: "Oh, really?"

Meanwhile, near the frontline, the White Team was harassing the enemy like madmen.

They acted like they had nothing to lose—firing wildly before running away, all while shouting taunts.

They might as well have been possessed.

The defending platoon leader was furious: "What's wrong with these White Team guys? Are they insane? Split personalities?"

This wasn't guerrilla warfare—guerrilla tactics aimed to compensate for lack of strength with flexibility, mobility, and unpredictability in unofficial combat.

This was pure harassment!

Wasting manpower on such meaningless actions—were they trying to demoralize them and wear down their patience? If they had any guts, they'd push deeper instead of these annoying hit-and-run tactics.

Ji Fangxiao said: "Stay calm, ignore them. They won't dare advance further—they're just wasting ammunition."

"Have they only been active in the western sector?" Cheng Ze said. "I think my theory might be correct."

Zhao Zhuoluo still felt something was off—an indescribable sense of wrongness.

Two commanders would mean a split team and intensified conflict. Half their strength couldn't defeat the Red Team. No commander would willingly take over a team so constrained. This idea wasn't just bold—it was unreasonable.

Zhao Zhuoluo said: "Could Lian Sheng be deliberately making us think this way?"

Cheng Ze replied: "How would she even do that? What kind of monster are you imagining her to be?"

Zhao Zhuoluo thought to himself—she really was rather monstrous.

"Everyone saw how Jiang Jiake led the team earlier. I'm guessing Lian Sheng's group was the one who broke the White Team out," a platoon leader said. "If Lian Sheng is strong-willed enough to seize power when Jiang Jiake lost the team's trust, it's not impossible."

Cheng Ze agreed: "Makes perfect sense."

Ji Fangxiao stroked his chin in silence.

The Red Team was mired in frustration. They'd never imagined they'd struggle to identify the enemy commander—something that directly affected their subsequent strategies and required careful consideration.

"...We'll proceed based on this for now," Ji Fangxiao finally said after a long pause. "Gather the team near the frontline. We'll observe their next moves before deciding."

After finishing her meal, Lian Sheng clapped her hands and stood: "Alright men, form up! Let's move out! All supply officers stay put and await further orders."

The group stood and headed toward the frontline together.

"Remember one thing—the brothers on left and right are now rival factions who've had conflicts," Lian Sheng said. "If you meet in this scenario, start with insults."

The team chuckled and acknowledged the order.

Though Lian Sheng hadn't explicitly stated it, her earlier unusual commands had allowed them to deduce her plan.

As they approached the frontline, Lian Sheng reorganized them. First and second platoons took point, third and fourth stayed central, fifth and sixth brought up the rear. The western team was instructed to maintain formation for quick withdrawal.

Lian Sheng pressed her earpiece: "Everyone listen up—check your magazines and prepare for battle. This is the decisive fight—whether we turn things around depends on now. Stay sharp!"

Just then, Red Team scouts reported: "Enemy approaching eastern frontline. Moving stealthily—likely planning an ambush."

Ji Fangxiao asked: "What about the west?"

A platoon leader replied: "Same as before—harassing."

After consideration, Ji Fangxiao ordered: "When the eastern force gets closer, send two platoons from each side to probe their defenses."

The team Lian Sheng led had just neared their position when a group of soldiers charged out. Simultaneously, the western team reported encountering counterattacks.

So impatient. She'd thought they'd test the waters a few more times.

"They're counterattacking!" Lian Sheng shouted. "All units—scatter and retreat! First and tenth platoons converge center! Everyone else disperse!"

The named platoons—the western team fled chaotically right while the eastern team withdrew orderly left.

Amidst the cacophony of footsteps and gunfire behind them, the two teams nearly collided. Spotting each other, they shouted curses before veering downhill together.

"They're completely uncoordinated!" an eyewitness platoon leader exclaimed. "Different styles, no communication—they definitely have more than one commander!"

Once this narrative took hold, it became hard to correct. People always believed their own deductions most firmly.

Gritting his teeth, Ji Fangxiao made his decision: "The enemy is divided—victory is undoubtedly ours! All units prepare for full assault!"

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