First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Raid

The infantry captain led over two hundred soldiers back toward the camp, temporarily standing by.

The infantry troops were utterly exhausted, having marched over three hours through mountainous terrain while constantly teetering on the edge of danger. They'd probably logged the highest physical activity among all soldiers.

Compared to those guarding the battle flag, they perfectly demonstrated what class disparity looked like.

A soldier planted his hands on his hips and pleaded, "Comrade up front, please report to higher-ups that we need rest. We require time to mourn the departed—this is outright desecration of life!"

The infantry captain turned back and said, "What you're doing is desecration of points."

Another male student chimed in, "You can't keep shearing the same sheep—we've marched how far already? I request reassignment to the cavalry."

Lian Sheng raised her hand: "I request reassignment to supply transport duty."

"Give me another chance!" the boy hastily amended, "I also request to become a supply officer! I'll bind my life to those provisions!"

The infantry captain scoffed, "Am I any better off than you? I haven't rested either!"

With no orders from command and this being a safe zone, they ambled along at a leisurely pace.

The group began bargaining with utmost sincerity: "So really, this is for everyone's benefit."

The infantry captain covered his ears, then suddenly changed expression, waving urgently: "Fall back! Fall back! The enemy's attacking our stronghold!"

The group looked bewildered: "Attacking? A direct assault?"

The infantry captain urged from behind, shouting, "Run! Now! Any later and your points are truly gone! They've already breached the defenses!"

The soldiers shuddered at this and broke into a sprint toward home base: "Hold on! Tell them to hold on no matter what!"

Lian Sheng followed passively behind the group, keeping constant watch on the kill ratios between both teams.

The point gap still neared a thousand, indicating the Chu team's clear advantage—so why urgently recall the infantry? Though currently idle, they'd been previously assigned to scout side paths and were at least halfway from home base.

Going the long way around? Judging by the infantry captain's expression, this must be urgent.

Midway through their run, they encountered two light cavalry units also rushing back. Multiple forces converged.

Lian Sheng checked again—the Chu team's numbers had suddenly begun plummeting, losing over two hundred in mere minutes, the count continuing to drop sharply.

While infantry had to rely on running, making their pace relatively slow, cavalry from both teams galloped past them, soon disappearing from view.

Shortly after, they heard chaotic hoofbeats approaching from behind, the mountain path trembling faintly beneath them.

Assuming enemies at first, they soon recognized their own heavy cavalry.

Lian Sheng frowned: "Why were so many forces deployed outside?"

No one answered her question.

Lian Sheng continued, "What's the point of recalling everyone? Distant water can't quench a nearby fire—does this mean abandoning all captured territory?"

Even if their stronghold was under attack, such panic seemed unwarranted. With numerical superiority, they could've directly assaulted the enemy's base—better to relieve the besieged by besieging the besieger than this current mess. Unless their defensive line had completely collapsed.

But the strongest forces should've been guarding the battle flag—how could they fall so easily?

"Enough talk!" The infantry captain pointed ahead, "Turn! Head for the supply depot now!"

The group charged onto the main road, diverting toward the supply depot.

Yet before they could reinforce the position, red text scrolled across everyone's vision:

[System Announcement]: Chu Team Supreme Commander has fallen in battle.

The message repeated three times.

The group: "..."

What the hell?!

The infantry captain couldn't help but mutter, "What the fuck?"

The infantry troops froze in confusion, exchanging bewildered looks.

The supreme commander falling mid-battle? What now? How were they supposed to continue?

The infantry captain's ears filled with confused curses and shouts of combat, making individual voices indistinguishable.

A leaderless mob naturally descends into chaos. The situation couldn't possibly worsen.

Command had automatically transferred to the deputy commander handling data analysis. Yet with both enemy and allied forces clashing near the supply depot, and the Chu team reeling from their commander's death, no one could process this development quickly enough to follow his orders.

Lu Mingyuan was overwhelmed. Requests flooded in from all fronts while enemy forces penetrated their formation. With piles of unprocessed data and urgent matters on both sides, where should he even begin? He had no one to consult, lost in the chaos.

No one listened to him, and he didn't know whose orders to follow.

He was just logistics support, damn it!

In such tense circumstances, no one would spare attention for their infantry unit either.

The captain wavered. Should they press forward or temporarily withdraw?

Reading his expression and considering the commander's death, Lian Sheng could guess the situation. Propping a hand on her hip, she sat on a rock and said, "The supply depot must be packed—limited space means sending more people would only worsen the chaos."

Most there were cavalry—each soldier requiring space for their horse.

The infantry captain said, "How can you stay so calm? What died wasn't just our commander—it was points by the dozen!"

With their supreme commander gone, could defeat be far behind?

"Current reality: we're just grunts. Without intel, we shouldn't act recklessly." Lian Sheng crossed her legs, "The enemy's harvesting their strategic gains—that ship has sailed. But we still have numerical superiority, and cavalry have already reinforced them. At worst, we'll suffer heavy losses, not immediate defeat. Trust the deputy commander and wait."

Times like these made her sigh.

Their loss—truly their loss for making her a mere foot soldier.

The frontline situation remained unclear but was obviously dire.

Both teams' numbers fluctuated wildly, especially the Chu team's. The gap had shrunk from nine hundred to under four hundred—who knew how many sacrifices would stabilize their position?

The soldiers could only watch the numbers shift, hearts aching.

The light of victory dimmed—fate seemed truly bleak.

With their commander unexpectedly fallen, the recalled cavalry could only desperately defend their supply depot.

The cavalry arriving as reinforcements could've executed perfect pincer attacks, but the crisis had allowed the Liu team to exploit the chaos, breaking their formation entirely.

Though cavalry excelled in combat, they were ill-suited for confined spaces. With no room to maneuver, panicked horses collided with allies—friendly fire proved deadlier than enemy strikes.

What they needed was infantry, yet the slow-moving foot soldiers found themselves blocked by cavalry outside the forest path.

Lu Mingyuan scratched his head, pulling up the map to reorganize units.

Having remained near the battle flag, he hadn't witnessed the supply depot's chaos firsthand.

After gathering reports, he steeled himself and announced over comms: "Cavalry units withdraw or advance inward—send infantry forward. All captains note: reposition your troops. Defensive stance! Stay calm and steady your forces! If we hold, they'll retreat on their own!"

With most forces recalled, some Chu troops still held outer positions. If they stabilized internally while outer infantry attacked, they could counterattack effectively.

The terrain favored them—they'd chosen this supply depot location precisely to trap enemies.

Yet before they could stabilize, the Liu team withdrew after achieving their objectives.

Lian Sheng's group waited gloomily at the forest entrance for updates.

Soon, the ground trembled faintly.

Lian Sheng barked, "Take cover!"

The infantry captain looked up blankly, "Cover where?"

Lian Sheng stood first, heading into the woods, "Anywhere aside!"

After a pause, the captain followed her suggestion. The infantry belatedly scattered.

Then Liu team forces came charging down the path.

They ignored the scattered infantry entirely unless blocked, focused solely on retreat.

Lian Sheng estimated nearly a thousand enemies.

With momentum on their side and the Chu team still reorganizing, they'd disengaged cleanly. Impressive.

Knowing when to stop—whether winning or losing—tested true mettle.

The current score:

Chu Team (2311) : Liu Team (2267)

Nearly even.

After the Liu team's retreat, Lu Mingyuan's voice came through:

"Chu Team soldiers, this is Deputy Commander Lu Mingyuan. With our supreme commander fallen, I've assumed command." Lu Mingyuan said, "Stay calm—we still hold advantages. Both supply depot and battle flag remain secure. Central checkpoint is still ours. The Liu team's assault was routine combat."

Lu Mingyuan continued, "All units hold position. Captains report your statuses for new orders. Remain combat-ready—enemies may return. Forest path units, move toward camp now. Cavalry exit the supply depot in order."

"Also," Lu Mingyuan asked, "Is Lian Sheng alive?"

Lian Sheng: "..."

Approaching the infantry captain with a gesture, he finally learned her name and reported, "She's alive."

Lu Mingyuan exhaled in relief, promoting Lian Sheng to captain and adding her to the command channel.

Lian Sheng said, "I await tales of your glorious exploits."

A captain asked, "Who's this?"

Another replied, "Never heard of her."

"That's appropriate—this is Model Student Lian." Someone bragged shamelessly, "Our Alliance University Military Department's prodigy!"

Lu Mingyuan cut in, "Quiet, everyone. We're pressed for time—enemies may regroup for another assault. No idle chatter on comms."

"First answer three questions." Lian Sheng massaged her temples, "One: why were most forces deployed outside? Two: how did the Liu team muster enough troops to assault our depot? Three: why did our commander die?"

Lu Mingyuan took a deep breath, "Well... it's complicated. We got played."

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