First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 86
Chapter 86: Commentary
Lian Sheng emerged from the equipment, rolling her neck. She dragged out the chair in front of the desk and sat down directly.
She pulled out her optical computer and sent a communication to Zhou Shirui, asking, "How do you feel?"
Zhou Shirui had also just come out of the equipment. He raised his head, lips pressed together without speaking. He looked completely dazed.
Lian Sheng laughed, "Nervous? Excited?"
Zhou Shirui looked at his hands, which were trembling unconsciously.
How could he not be nervous? With so many people, the outcome of the entire battle might have rested on their naval forces.
If he gave wrong directions or missed the timing, he might have accidentally harmed their own troops.
He had to keep an eye on every single person, check every enemy soldier by the riverbank, and issue commands directly—there was hardly any time to think.
If this had been a routine training exercise, he might have performed better. But in such circumstances, he couldn't help hesitating. Every arrow he slid down made him second-guess himself afterward.
This was why he disliked frontline combat.
Data was straightforward, unadorned. He could maintain absolute neutrality and calm.
But frontline command was brutal, real—it didn't allow for the slightest mistake.
The two were completely different.
Lian Sheng said, "This is the difference between a commander and a deputy commander."
Making decisions was difficult because soldiers followed your orders. If you made a mistake that led to a reversal in the battle, you bore the primary responsibility.
"So, commanders are actually very prone to wavering. They are the ones who should be most afraid on the entire battlefield. If they aren't strong-willed enough, they can easily be influenced by those around them. Yet, to stay clear-headed, they can't do without reminders from their comrades." Lian Sheng said, "In situations like this, the support and advice of your fellow soldiers are invaluable."
Zhou Shirui clenched his fingers and didn't speak.
Suddenly, his optical computer vibrated, notifying him of a message.
Zhou Shirui glanced at the sender and said to Lian Sheng, "I'll hang up now. There's something else."
Lian Sheng waved, "Oh, goodbye."
Zhou Shirui paused, then said, "Thank you."
Lian Sheng: "For what?"
For being the kind of person who became a commander.
Zhou Shirui tugged at the corner of his mouth, then ended the call. He checked the message he'd received.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger always sent messages in rapid-fire succession.
Big Brother: "She really is an outstanding commander. Learn well from her."
Big Brother: "Doesn't seem like a rookie at all—more like a seasoned veteran. [fear]"
Big Brother: "Your Brother Liang and the others said she's fierce and cool, hahaha, gave me goosebumps!"
Big Brother: "Ah, the younger generation is rising too fast."
Big Brother: "Oh right, the selection matches will start next semester, but you can't participate yet. Hold onto her tightly and get her to invite you—it'll save you at least a year of hard work!"
Zhou Shirui held his optical computer, then replied after a moment.
Zhou Shirui asked: "Big Brother. Are you just going to take orders on Sanyao from now on?"
Big Brother: "What's wrong with taking orders? Good money, less effort, and I can even mentor the younger generation. Hahaha, just now, my orders were practically overflowing!"
Big Brother: "Lately, your Brother Liang wants to start a new business. He's decided to sell himself out to compete because he's just too bored. Too bad military academies don't let us play—next time there's an opportunity like this, call us, okay?"
Is this how it ends?
The most talented data analyst, the sharp-eyed and iron-willed Zhou Lion, Zhou Shiren, who never knew fear or retreat.
Wasn't that a position that couldn't exist without you? Wasn't that a team that couldn't function without you?
And it just ends like this?
Big Brother: "What nonsense are you talking? I haven't given up. Maybe one day we'll meet again in the Expeditionary Force."
Big Brother: "Coming over to Big Brother's place for dinner? I'll give you a red envelope. [drool]"
Big Brother: "After leaving the military, Big Brother got rich. [smug]"
Zhou Shirui raised a hand to cover his face and slumped over the desk.
Just as Lian Sheng ended the call, there was a rapid knocking at her door.
She walked over and opened it. Several roommates rushed in, surrounding her with screams.
"Ah—! Ah!!"
They had run all the way back from the stadium and were still slightly flushed.
Roommate A: "Commander!"
Roommate B: "God-tier!"
Roommate C: "Hubby!"
Roommate C's head was once again subjected to rough treatment.
"When you were in Materials Engineering, you let us copy your homework. Now that you're in Military Studies, you can be our hubby. Being your roommate is just too blissful," Roommate C shouted, undeterred. "Hubby!"
Lian Sheng smiled, "It's not just my achievement alone."
Roommate A urged, "Quick, check the official site—it's completely dominated by our Alliance University now! Don't you want to go up and give a summary, gain some fans?"
Roommate C spun around, laughing, "I've never felt so vindicated before, hahaha, this is amazing!"
Lian Sheng logged into her optical computer, curious to see the reactions.
In the previous inter-military academy competition, Lian Sheng had just been a foot soldier, and their faction had ultimately lost. Most of the debates had revolved around hypotheticals and disputes over the commander's skill. This time, as the challengers who had prepared thoroughly together, their opponents had lost outright—and it was embarrassing. The facts proved it really was a matter of command ability.
However, Hundred Meter Flying Dagger had salvaged their dignity. Thanks to his presence, the front page was flooded with fans of Brother Dao, making the military academy alliance's defeat seem less pathetic.
Like last time, opinion overwhelmingly favored Alliance University. But whereas the previous rhetoric had been vicious, this time it leaned toward academic discussion and praise—overall, much more harmonious.
Piaoqi Great General posted on the official site, sincerely expressing her feelings:
—"Thank you to First Military and Allied Military for inviting me to the competition. I'm very happy. I hope you'll invite me every month."
That way, she wouldn't have to be a foot soldier anymore.
Liu Hao and Zhang Ce quickly responded as well.
"This time, we concede wholeheartedly. In terms of command, I'm no match for you. Let's meet again at the next inter-military academy competition."
Lian Sheng: "..."
At the inter-military academy competition, you won't be seeing me.
Less than an hour after the match ended, professor commentaries appeared on the site.
The speed of these evaluations was unusually fast—especially shocking when opening the voice commentary to find an unprecedentedly long essay. The inter-military academy competition had dragged on from morning until now without concluding.
Under her roommates' urging, Lian Sheng opened the page.
Professor Commentary:
This was an exceptionally brilliant match! And that's not just empty praise.
Initially, when several professors and I received invitations to judge, we weren't particularly interested. Especially after seeing the list of participants, we felt puzzled and unenthused. Because the initial gap between the two sides was far too wide.
Team Liu had five thousand people, almost all top students from military academies. They were organized, disciplined, and had professional experience. Their points were all above sixty thousand, with over a thousand exceeding one hundred thousand. You could say they were the elite of Sanyao.
This elite group had issued a challenge to a rookie commander with just over two thousand points. And the soldiers this commander had gathered included over three thousand with fewer than sixty thousand points, and over a thousand with fewer than ten thousand.
What did this gap signify? Roughly the difference between the Expeditionary Force and military academy students.
I'm not saying points absolutely represent strength, but they do, to some extent, represent experience—and experience, to some extent, represents skill.
So, what was the key to Team Lian's ultimate victory?
The most important factor in Lian Sheng's team was probably the individual combat strength of each company commander.
Were these individual soldiers important? To Team Lian, yes, because they truly became the pillars of the entire force. To the overall battle situation, no, because this was a massive battlefield of ten thousand people.
Several professors and I mapped out the match's progression on the spot.
The first clash occurred on the plains. Team Liu used underground tunnels to strike the first blow, gaining an early advantage. Team Lian adjusted quickly, stabilizing their formation and denying the enemy a chance to press their advantage.
Afterward, Team Liu retreated to the cliffs, planning to leverage the terrain to maximize their foot soldiers' strengths. But Team Lian mixed their forces, deploying low-, mid-, and high-tier mechs in combined tactics, forcibly reclaiming short-term combat superiority on the cliffs.
The entire cliff area became a battleground. The skirmish on the narrow path ended early—it was just a diversionary attack.
Team Lian sacrificed one high-spec mech, nearly a hundred mid-spec mechs, and over a thousand low-spec mechs to take out nearly two thousand of the enemy's low-spec mechs.
Then came the most intense and direct phase of the match—the desert region.
Here, Team Lian suffered heavy losses. In less than twenty minutes, nearly two thousand mechs were lost. Because the majority of their forces were low-spec mechs, and in the desert, low-spec mechs were little more than lambs to the slaughter.
Team Liu seized this chance to recover from their earlier numerical disadvantage, reopening a lead of over five hundred kills.
At this point, Lian Sheng ordered a retreat.
In the desert, she wasn't fighting for victory—she was calculating her losses.
She controlled the gap between the two sides before entering her final counterattack.
It wasn't until the end that I understood Team Lian's strategy. Perhaps from the very beginning, Lian Sheng had planned to win through naval combat.
Given the disparity in strength, any form of direct confrontation would have guaranteed their defeat. Their only option was an ambush. Yet the entire map was relatively flat and straightforward—the only suitable ambush point seemed to be the underground tunnels Hundred Meter Flying Dagger had used.
Lian Sheng turned her attention to naval combat.
In summary, she needed to accomplish two things:
1. Ensure all forces returned to the final river region.
2. The number of arriving mechs had to be small. Otherwise, they wouldn't hold, and their own battle flag might be toppled.
Thus, the intermediate stages didn't matter. The goals were simple: Maximize attrition on both sides. Cede enough advantage to lure the enemy into chasing them to the river map without suspicion.
She succeeded. That's why the final phase resembled a desperate, against-all-odds reversal—while the middle stages left people utterly baffled.
Where did Team Liu begin to fail?
Team Liu's command team was also formidable. Hundred Meter Flying Dagger had abundant combat experience and exceptional modeling skills. He repeatedly saw through Lian Sheng's strategies and maintained their advantage until the final phase.
Several professors and I generally agreed that there weren't major mistakes in the early stages. Their failure had only one cause: They didn't see through Lian Sheng's naval combat strategy in time and failed to respond accordingly.
One side guessed the other's plan; the other didn't. That's all.
This is the charm of tactics.
If Team Liu relied on precise understanding of the map, then Team Lian relied on rational utilization of the known terrain. Knowing the map inside-out is good—it shows thorough preparation and rich experience. But on the battlefield, such opportunities aren't always available. What's more important is the ability to make decisive judgments the moment you see the terrain.
Lian Sheng is an outstanding commander. The victory in this match is truly something to be proud of.
Its brilliance matches its intensity—I hope to see your matches again.
Finally, the scores are as follows.
Lian Sheng received five thousand points outright. Combined with the base points for winning, she got an extra three hundred.
Zhou Shirui performed excellently in the early stages, but his temporary command later stood out more. Taking on the commander's burden in a crisis without panic was a major contribution. Three thousand five hundred points.
Bright Bulb, with his exquisite combat skills, became the vanguard exemplar for the entire team. His role was indispensable in such unfavorable circumstances. With various bonuses, he earned nearly two thousand points.
Super Bright Bulb, though a support-type Fengyi, still displayed frontline combat prowess. His coordination with teammates was seamless. One thousand eight hundred points.
Zhao Zhuoluo, Ye Buqing, and other military academy students held off the enemy's fierce assaults, contributing significantly to the final battle situation. With high kill counts, they earned nearly two thousand points.
Fang Jianchen, despite early setbacks, reacted swiftly and remained unshaken in crisis. His naval combat performance later was outstanding—total score, one thousand five hundred points.
Hundred Meter Flying Dagger, with his awe-inspiring professional modeling skills at the start, unconditionally received four thousand points.
Liu Hao's evaluation boiled down to one thing: not assertive enough. That was the lack of confidence military students showed when facing the Expeditionary Force. But his performance still had merits worth encouraging—one thousand points.
This month's competition has officially concluded.
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