First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 83
Chapter 83: Decline
Zhou Shirui's fingers trembled slightly as he momentarily lost focus. Suddenly snapping back to attention, he warned: "They're coming."
At the edge of the desert map, Liu Hao's team launched a fierce artillery assault. Zhao Zhuoluo's squad couldn't advance and dared not engage directly, beginning a fighting retreat.
"They're about to emerge while our forces remain disorganized. Everything's scattered from earlier engagements," Zhou Shirui analyzed while studying the map. "Unit spacing is too wide, reorganization difficult. All companies are mixed together with their commanders still in the rear. Mid-tier mech losses are severe, troop numbers insufficient. What should we do now?"
Zhou Shirui's expression hardened as he surveyed the dire situation. The battle developments were far from optimistic—they seemed to have encountered every possible misfortune.
Lian Sheng had suggested relinquishing advantage to lure the enemy out of the desert terrain. Now that the opponents had indeed emerged, a single misstep could see them burned by their own fire.
Disregarding context and analyzing purely by the numbers, Zhou Shirui saw no path to victory—the situation appeared irreversibly bleak.
The comms remained silent as Lian Sheng issued no orders to company commanders. Even as deputy commander, Zhou Shirui couldn't discern her strategy. With circumstances this dire, why were officers still deployed on the frontlines while regular soldiers fought separately from their commanders? Was this genuine tactics or feigned composure?
Lian Sheng crossed her arms and declared: "Zhou Shirui, I have a mission for you."
Zhou Shirui looked up: "What? Reorganization?"
Turning toward her mech, Lian Sheng replied: "I need you to lead an infantry squad."
"Infantry?" Zhou Shirui questioned, "What use are infantry in this situation?"
On this terrain, infantry lacked effective weapons. Sending them out now would be like offering them to enemy mechs as stepping stones.
Already climbing into her mech via tether, Lian Sheng's voice came through the comms: "First, connect me with soldiers across different mech types. We're initiating free combat."
This presented difficulties—different mech types were scattered across various companies. Even Fang Jianchen's sniper team and Ye Buqing's recon unit included other mech types as contingency.
The simulated battlefield's limitations required manual operation of many functions. Between collecting enemy data and now commanding infantry, Zhou Shirui felt overwhelmed.
Lian Sheng asked: "Can you handle it?"
Zhou Shirui gritted his teeth: "Of course!"
Lian Sheng smiled and broadcasted to all channels: "All units prepare! The final battle commences now—follow my orders!"
Meanwhile, on the opposing side...
Seeing Lian Sheng's forces retreat, Liu Hao instinctively sighed in relief before rallying for counterattack.
"We now outnumber the enemy by five hundred troops. Their mid and high-tier mechs are less than half our numbers! The enemy flees in disarray—you know what this means. Brave warriors, go claim your victory!" Liu Hao commanded. "Low-tier mechs follow behind, elite squads pursue—maintain formation! Left flank's Sixth Company is too clustered—disperse! Maintain proper spacing!"
Lian Sheng's forces collapsed completely.
Mountain terrain obscured visibility of Zhao Zhuoluo's rear forces, but the rearguard's fierce resistance at the cliffs indeed stalled their advance. After intense exchanges, the enemy—fearing casualties—only began rapid withdrawal upon reaching straighter paths.
Frontline reports revealed the rearguard consisted almost entirely of high and mid-tier mechs—meaning Lian Sheng had let regular troops flee first.
This baffling order's only conceivable explanation was internal rebellion—grunts disobeying commands, leaving Alliance University students and commanders struggling to maintain cohesion.
Yet such fortune seemed too good to believe.
The retreat from cliffs to plains marked complete failure of Lian Sheng's earlier offensive.
Liu Hao hadn't anticipated such rapid reversal, constantly expecting some brilliant countermove that never came. Anxiety gnawed at him.
On the open plains, recon units bypassed Zhao Zhuoluo's forces at full speed, quickly overtaking fleeing enemy soldiers who scattered chaotically without formation.
Verified sightings appeared as red dots on maps, shocking Liu's forces.
"Damn, did they actually collapse?"
"Unbelievable. Just suddenly fell apart? They held strong at the cliffs."
"Makes sense—collapses never announce themselves. Calm always precedes storms."
"The brave ones at the cliffs are this rearguard here now."
"Who sacrifices their best troops as rearguard to let grunts escape? This makes no sense!"
Liu Hao remained silent.
Even without Hundred Meter Flying Dagger's input, Liu sensed profound strangeness.
When complex situations yield only one answer—and that answer seems too simple—suspicion grows.
First Company's commander requested: "Should I take Fengyi units to intercept their stragglers?"
Liu Hao hesitated: "Wait. Could be a trap."
"What trap could they set now? Where could anyone hide on these plains?" the commander retorted. "Brother Dao, any ideas?"
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger replied: "Unless terrain changes, no."
The commander pressed: "See? Situation's clear!"
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger mused: "Still feels off. Lian Sheng's never this straightforward."
Liu Hao agreed: "Right. Her feint attack showed strategic depth—she's cunning."
The commander countered: "Weren't all her plans exposed? Major morale blow, no?"
Someone laughed: "Probably bragging earlier until reality hit—priceless!"
Liu Hao forced a smile.
As commander, he had to consider worst-case scenarios. With no leads, humor escaped him.
"You didn't see it from the rear, but we witnessed their chaos since the desert," First Company's commander argued. "Only their elites performed decently. Makes sense—most are random Three Meow recruits who disobey when things go south. Piaoqi Great General's Three Meow fame comes from solo combat—she's new and lacks command authority. Now she's stuck commanding from the rear."
The recon commander added: "Their disarray's undeniable. I've sent footage—Brother Dao, forward it."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger marked enemy mech types on the map.
Vanguard units had entered the final map zone. Low-energy recon units dared not advance but confirmed from distance the enemy's complete lack of discipline in positioning, speed and mech types.
"Sending their best mechs as rearguard proves desperation. Command structure's collapsing—what tricks remain?" First Company's commander urged. "We hold absolute advantage—why hesitate? Strike while the iron's hot!"
Liu Hao looked to Hundred Meter Flying Dagger.
"Do you trust your eyes or your instincts?" Hundred Meter Flying Dagger asked.
Liu Hao: "...I trust you."
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger: "..."
Chuckling awkwardly, Hundred Meter Flying Dagger asked: "Do you even have another choice?"
Every soldier clamored for action. Morale ran high—the situation seemed perfect.
First Company's commander pressed: "So do we attack or not, Commander?"
Regardless of enemy plans, they had to reach the river.
"Attack!" Liu Hao pursed his lips. "All units stay alert for surprises. Maintain formation—beware ambushes. Move out!"
Cheers erupted as victory seemed assured.
What ambushes could exist between plains and rivers?
The broadcast administrator, under pressure, had prioritized military academy league matches—the mainstream event—sparking student protests.
Comparisons between endless positional battles and this rapidly shifting, high-stakes engagement made the choice obvious. Students demanded the feed's return.
Even without direct Lian Sheng versus Hundred Meter Flying Dagger action, their commentary alone warranted attention—fans craved any involvement.
But control wasn't theirs.
After ten, then twenty minutes without reversion, impatience grew. Students checked time repeatedly, frustration mounting.
Finally erupting, protesters banged railings:
"Ten minutes ago this guy was in grass—still there now! What are we watching? Pose practice? We refuse!"
"Enough! We know it's a still image! Show us Brother Dao! We don't care about Three Meow's details!"
"These tiny unit skirmishes... since when did matches become this lame?"
"Administrator! We're leaving if this continues!"
Some stormed out to confront the control room.
Five minutes later, the feed returned.
Last seen was the cliff battle where Lian Sheng's forces held advantage, her commanding presence suggesting total control.
In under thirty minutes, the situation had shifted to near the river—Lian's forces in disarray, Liu's team triumphant.
Viewers rubbed their eyes in disbelief.
"Did we cross dimensions?"
"What happened? Am I hallucinating?"
"I think I missed a billion-dollar development!"
"Tears incoming—demand replay! Full rerun!"
"One match needs slow-mo, the other could fast-forward straight to conclusion."
"Formal complaint filed. Unacceptable."
The stadium buzzed with confused chatter as spectators scrambled to understand.
Checking First Military and Allied Military academy sites revealed equal bewilderment there—even full-view witnesses remained clueless about developments.
One truth emerged: never guess a woman's thoughts.
As audiences wrestled with their displays, someone shouted:
"Hey! Lian Sheng's reorganizing over there!"
Want to dive deeper into the story? You can request bonus chapters or grab the complete Part 1 (147 chapters) as an EPUB from my Ko-fi shop!
Comments
Post a Comment