First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 59
Chapter 59: Result
After dozens of arrows flew past, two figures collapsed with a thud. Fang Jianchen didn't dare relax, ordering two more arrows to confirm their deaths before ceasing the attack.
The soldiers clutched their weapons, unsure how to react.
They had just killed their own captain. A heavy sense of guilt settled in their hearts... mixed with excitement.
Fang Jianchen planted his hands on his hips proudly. "I told him to dodge, right? It's his own fault for reacting too slow!"
A nearby soldier muttered, "...I think he was also on your revenge list."
"Nonsense! Our brotherly bond runs deep!" Fang Jianchen's expression turned stern as he barked orders. "All units, positions! Enemy forces will attack soon—defend the battle flag at all costs!"
The vice commander who witnessed everything frantically radioed his team: "Report! Fang Jianchen killed Zhao Zhuoluo and seized command! My rank's higher than his and I'm terrified!"
Commander Liu from the opposing team screamed hysterically: "Stop fooling around! This is no time for games! Secure that flag!"
Fang Jianchen replied cheerfully: "I am securing it! The enemy hasn't arrived yet. How's your side?"
Commander Liu gritted his teeth. "Don't worry, we'll be there soon!"
With dramatic flair, he roared at his frontline troops: "Charge! Unless you want our base destroyed by our own people!"
Fang Jianchen protested: "Don't phrase it like that! This isn't friendly fire—I'm acting for the greater good! Compared to public safety, sacrificing one outstanding comrade is totally worth it, right?"
Meanwhile, Ye Buqing led his cavalry at full speed toward the conflict.
He hadn't expected Lian Sheng to survive the map reveal, let alone hold out this long. But his forces were blocked from leaving their camp.
Being cavalry against mostly infantry—especially heavy infantry—their already small unit quickly fragmented into three groups.
Capturing the enemy flag required blitzkrieg tactics. What could a handful of soldiers accomplish?
Ye Buqing wheeled his horse around to rally his troops: "Double time, brothers! Reinforcements needed at the flag—victory is ours!"
As the words left his mouth, the system announced Lian Sheng's death.
Though anticipated, the news still shocked everyone.
The Chu team commander froze. Checking the player count, his assault team's position, and their dire situation, his heart sank like a stone.
Just as Lian Sheng predicted. If they lost this match, he'd be in deep trouble.
"Hold the line!" he shouted hoarsely. "Buy time for our flag defense!"
The two armies clashed amidst countless fallen soldiers. The battle flag fluttered on a nearby platform, one corner lifted by the wind.
In the stadium, the crowd erupted in chaos, their attention diverted from the match.
They'd imagined legendary grunt Lian Sheng's glorious rise—but never this trajectory.
One moment cheering her god-tier maneuvers, the next witnessing divine downfall. The whiplash felt like having one's breath abruptly cut off. They'd hoped for a final struggle, even just reflexive movements!
From unknown soldier to the center of attention in hours, having just won them over—how could she fall like this?
"I demand instant replay! 360-degree view! Petition the school for footage!"
"Sanyao! However much Lian Sheng paid you, I'll double it! I want to experience that mounted combat high!"
"New cavalry gameplay potential! Use this footage! Sanyao better pay GG fees!"
"Fang Jianchen had a point though. Leaving her alive would've been disastrous."
A student turned to ask: "She's dead? That was death, right?"
"Does this count as forcing my girl to feed?"
"...I saw the beginning yet still didn't predict this ending."
"This is just comic relief, right?"
"I'm about to cry. Crowdfund some pants for my girl—this has gone too far!"
"She needs a proper sword more."
When ejected from the system, Lian Sheng felt dazed. She hadn't expected them to kill their own commander.
But with numbers on their side, they could afford such whims.
The pod door opened as a robot approached: "Please vacate the training chamber. Forced ejection in three minutes."
Stretching stiff limbs, Lian Sheng walked out without checking the results—they no longer mattered.
Victory... though contrary to her wishes, the gap between sides had been objective reality.
Tactics were fickle things, essentially gambling victory on opponents taking the bait. And Commander Liu had swallowed it whole.
As a soldier, she could accept this outcome. But as a former general accustomed to absolute command? Unacceptable.
Once you've held command, you can't tolerate being demoted. No compromises.
En route to her dorm, Lian Sheng pulled out her optical computer and called Lin Lie.
Still processing what she'd witnessed, Lin Lie startled at the chime. Excusing herself from the department head, she took the call outside.
"I'm done," Lian Sheng stated simply.
Lin Lie hesitated before lying: "Oh? I was working and couldn't watch. Sorry."
"No problem."
An awkward pause followed.
Leaning against the wall, Lin Lie asked: "How was it?"
"Standard grunt work. Smooth early game, rougher late game." Lian Sheng got to the point: "Did you arrange for someone to boost my points earlier?"
Another pause. "I'll have him contact you later. Watch for messages."
"Thanks. Get back to work."
Before she could hang up, Lin Lie blurted: "Do you really enjoy commanding?"
"Of course." Lian Sheng's eyebrow arched. "I refuse to witness another failed campaign. I'll climb to the top and won't relinquish that position until someone better appears."
"What about weapons? Don't you like those?"
"Weapons? Sure. They're not mutually exclusive. What's not to like about icing on the cake?"
Lin Lie's voice sharpened: "Icing?!"
"Fine—'wings on a tiger'?"
"..."
Though the match continued after Lian Sheng's departure, its climax had died with her. The Chu-Liu showdown became anticlimactic, leaving a bland aftertaste.
No further reversals occurred.
Fang Jianchen's grain depot garrison got bogged down by heavy infantry.
Ye Buqing's cavalry charge met fierce resistance from archers and lancers.
Having waited all day for this moment, Fang Jianchen's troops—their battle lust previously stoked but unsatisfied by Lian Sheng—fought with heightened morale.
Before Ye Buqing could touch the flag, Liu's forces captured Chu's banner instead.
The system declared the match over.
Chu's commander dropped his weapon, watching the celebrating enemy and fallen flag with complex emotions as he awaited ejection.
They'd had chances to turn the tide but squandered them, marching step by step toward defeat.
Infighting, power struggles, poor decisions—nothing had changed their downward spiral.
Slow infantry movement wasted critical time. The undermanned assault team lacked quality fighters. Grain depot reinforcements arrived too late to matter.
This cascade of errors proved irreversible.
What if Lian Sheng had taken 500 instead of 300 soldiers? What if the assault team had been cavalry?
They'd been so close!
He wondered what Lian Sheng thought now. Furious? Smug? Indifferent?
Oh right—she still had zero points. She probably didn't care.
In hindsight, her analysis had been correct. But in the heat of battle, doubt had taken root before reason could intervene.
Why did people blunder at crucial moments? Yet these moments decided everything.
Unsurprisingly, Lian Sheng became the match's main talking point.
Alliance University students proudly stormed Sanyao's forums to continue the discussion under existing threads.
"Our new goddess Lian Sheng. Also my girlfriend. You're welcome."
"Draw your blades, gentlemen."
"Breaking out the rocket launchers."
"Mech deployed. Coordinates?"
"Who's Lian Sheng?"
"The Soldier Goddess. My new pre-match ritual!"
"...Pretty sure her broadsword has other plans for you."
"She's definitely getting professor bonus points this round. How many?"
"At least 100."
"100? God-tier moves deserve 300!"
"Are points on sale? Since when?"
"What'd I miss? Who's this 300-point phenom?"
"Today's tournament—start watching from hour four. Read this thread simultaneously for best experience~"
"Start from the beginning! My girl's clothes-stripping move was legendary."
"Joking aside—she died early as a grunt in a losing match. Points won't be high."
"Disagree. Her predictive commands alone warrant high marks, not to mention solo infiltration and map reveal. Add legendary horsemanship and swordsmanship? Both strategy and combat skills are top-tier. Professor scores are just references—I predict 500 total."
"Wait—who's to blame for losing?"
"Who indeed?"
"Why are all these posters from Alliance U? This isn't our thread. Where are those other guys?"
"Rereading those two threads is therapeutic. Textbook example of instant karma."
"Mods say they're petitioning for deletion."
"Cowards!"
First Military and Allied Academy students remained silent.
"Want to hear from Chu's two commanders."
"Would love First Military's thoughts."
"Actually curious about Commander Liu's reaction to the analysis. Will his pride survive?"
Without Lian Sheng, Liu's decisive victory would've been the headline, his early strategic calls praised. Instead, he became an afterthought.
Chu's successive commanders fared worst. Losing wasn't shameful—even seasoned commanders blunder in war's chaos. Their performance hadn't been terrible.
As students, they deserved some slack. Maybe even consolation.
But their alumni from First Military and Allied had thrown Alliance U under the bus to deflect blame. The backlash made the new commander the internet's favorite punching bag.
Mockery. Universal mockery. Unprecedented.
Fang Jianchen strutted from the training pod, only for Zhao Zhuoluo to immediately headlock him.
"Easy there, bestie! Our alloy-strong bromance! You're hurting me!" Fang Jianchen yelped. "Is this how you treat your victorious leader?!"
Zhao Zhuoluo remained impassive.
"Oh right—you know we won, yeah?" Fang Jianchen tilted his head.
A vein bulged on Zhao Zhuoluo's forehead.
Who cared about winning? He'd scored zero points!
"Steady, brother!" Fang Jianchen patted his chest reassuringly. "This too shall pass."
Emerging from his pod, Chu's new commander found dozens of eyes locked onto him.
A friend approached cautiously: "Hey... don't freak out, but—"
Ignoring him, the commander checked his optical computer.
Eyes narrowing, the friend asked: "What're you doing?"
"Booking tickets."
"Where to?"
"Alliance University."
"Holy shit!" The friend grabbed his arm. "You're going to fight her?!"
"I'm going to apologize," the commander said. "And see who she really is."
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