First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 237
Chapter 237: Extra 6: Instructor Lian and Her Little Companions
Lian Sheng sat on the commander's platform, leisurely swinging her legs as she waited for her little soldiers to assemble.
But clearly, these comrades were quite shocked—or rather, completely dumbfounded. They dragged their feet, taking an eternity to finally gather. Whispering among themselves, their gazes when looking up at the people on the platform were full of gloom.
"Quiet down, everyone, quiet down!" Lian Sheng said. "Let me introduce myself. I'm the chief commander for this operation. You can just call me Commander."
The students' expressions were indescribable as they stared at her. One man raised his hand and asked, "Instructor, you're our commander? Isn't the Red vs. White Faction Battle supposed to be a student activity?"
Lian Sheng nodded. "If I don't take command, you'll most likely lose. So the rules for this faction battle have been slightly adjusted to ensure everyone has a good time."
The students' faces darkened. A good time?! With that cursed team assignment! Given the lineup, honestly, they had never held any hope of winning.
A low mutter came from the crowd: "Damn, which idiot arranged these teams?"
Oh? They were holding back in front of the instructor. Lian Sheng decided not to dwell on the swallowed words.
"Seeing the list, weren't you surprised?" Lian Sheng asked.
The students hesitated, then nodded.
Lian Sheng pointed at Zhou Shirui. "He arranged it."
The students all shot him dark, resentful looks.
Zhou Shirui: "..."
Lian Sheng: "Of course, I told him to arrange it this way."
The students: "..."
"As for why?" Lian Sheng jumped down from the platform, standing at their level, and walked into the crowd. "Do you all think you have no chance of winning?"
A student said, "Isn't... isn't that obvious? Our side has a lot of non-combat personnel."
A bunch of technical support.
Lian Sheng walked further in, and the students turned to follow her with their eyes.
"Then the other side probably thinks the same. That gives us a three-tenths chance of winning—because the enemy will underestimate us."
The command students were relatively more rational.
A male student asked, "Instructor, unquantifiable data like that is meaningless. What are you trying to say?"
Lian Sheng scratched her eyebrow. "You're all students of Alliance University. In this era of thermal weapons, what makes you think we absolutely can't beat them?"
"We're not fast, not strong in combat, not very enduring, and our marksmanship isn't as accurate," a student muttered. "Plus, our teamwork isn't tight, and we don't have much experience."
The others nodded in agreement.
Another student lamented, "Not being fast is deadly. Every time, I get shot in the back. The mountain paths are too hard, and I always fall behind."
"Yeah, exactly."
Lian Sheng almost laughed. "You're quite self-aware. Your self-reflection is thorough, objective, and fair."
The students felt as if an arrow had pierced their hearts. Saying it themselves was one thing, but hearing it from someone else was entirely different.
A male student said gloomily, "We just can't afford to act tough. Otherwise, we'd pretend even if it meant biting the bullet. Instructor, do you have some mistaken impression of us? Hurry up and rearrange the teams, adjust it back."
Lian Sheng: "Then let me analyze your strengths for you."
The students looked at her eagerly.
Lian Sheng: "First, I believe you'll be very obedient and capable of understanding my orders."
Stronger individuals tended to have more of their own ideas, but command students, being less skilled in combat, were more inclined to listen to professionals.
In a combat exercise, there was no one more professional than an instructor.
But hearing this, the students were speechless.
"This is very important. You don't need to understand formations or teamwork. As long as you follow my orders and execute the commands, you can compensate for your lack of combat experience." Lian Sheng said, "As the saying goes, 'A thousand troops are easy to find, but a good general is hard to come by.' Do you know why?"
Lian Sheng smiled. "Second, you have a lot of data analysts on your side."
The students were incredulous. "That's... a strength?"
In past Red vs. White Faction Battles, aside from the four commanders responsible for leading the battle, the rest of the command students were seen as dead weight.
Why bring so many non-combatants to the battlefield? Even as lucky charms, they were excessive. If they couldn't keep up, the others would have to slow down for them.
So, data analysts were usually seen as expendable team members.
Lian Sheng clapped her hands. "Of course. Think about it—during the faction battle, you're not allowed to bring optical computers. Positions become very vague, and there's always a delay and margin of error in relaying information. What does that mean? It means the deputy commanders' effectiveness is severely limited. Do you know how crucial an excellent data analyst can be in battle? Or how unclear orders can affect a team's flexibility?"
Precise calculations meant they could maximize opportunities in lightning strikes, ambushes, and guerrilla warfare. If commanders couldn't get real-time information, soldiers had to make their own judgments—but without knowing the bigger picture, that was a huge flaw.
If the White Team could fix this, their reaction time could largely compensate for their lack of speed.
"'The force of rushing water can move boulders—that is momentum; the speed of a diving hawk can break bones—that is timing.'"
The "speed" in "speed is the essence of war" didn't just refer to movement speed, but more to the rhythm of attack.
"Have some confidence, everyone. Since things are already like this, why not go all out and trust me to fight a beautiful comeback? If we lose, it's nothing to be sad about, right?" Lian Sheng said. "But I'll make you understand what a real team is."
She spoke with such confidence, and the light in her eyes told them she truly believed in victory.
Because of her identity, her words carried weight, and the students gradually began to believe her.
Right, she must have some secret method. Arranging such an unbalanced team must be to showcase her skills.
If they lost in the end, wouldn't it be a joke?
Seeing their expressions, Lian Sheng put her hands on her hips and added, "But I must remind you—victory is never easy. You must be prepared for a tough fight. Winning is something you have to earn. Even if there's only one night left, you must dedicate all your time to learning."
She pointed at Lu Mingyuan and Zhou Shirui. "Now, let's begin our preparations. Split into groups. All deputy commanders, follow this instructor to familiarize yourselves with the mountain map. The rest, come with me for team training. After 9 PM, we'll have a class. I'll explain the enemy's situation. From then until the battle starts, you'll review everything we cover today."
A student asked blankly, "So... no sleep tonight?"
Lian Sheng smiled at him.
A buddy next to him slapped his shoulder, saving his life: "Sleep my ass, get hyped!"
Lian Sheng tilted her chin at Zhou Shirui, who jumped down from the platform with his optical computer.
Lu Mingyuan's modeling was more inclusive—he left room for commanders to improvise while making his own adjustments. Zhou Shirui, on the other hand, was faster and pursued precision and efficiency.
This time, Lian Sheng chose Zhou Shirui.
Leading such a large group of students to memorize the entire map was a daunting task, so the job of precisely dividing the terrain for the command students fell to Lu Mingyuan. The others followed Zhou Shirui for a preliminary overview.
Zhou Shirui didn't project his screen, since the other side was their opponent. He said, "We've divided the exercise area into 36 zones. Each zone is further subdivided by location. You must memorize all the divisions and be able to report your exact zone and orientation from anywhere on the field."
The students were stunned—even the non-command students were shocked by the demand.
"Wait, all of it? But the mountain is just trees and rocks!"
"And grass."
"Damn, I get lost on that mountain by myself! How am I supposed to tell identical places apart into 36 zones with orientations? You're joking!"
"Please don't tell me elevation changes are included..."
"But I don't have a satellite link or GPS on me..."
"Haha, bring a marked rope and measure step by step."
Zhou Shirui waited for them to finish venting before continuing: "No two patches of land are exactly alike. Though the school preserved the mountain's natural state, making many areas look similar, the differences are huge if you look closely. The shape and size of paths, the height and type of trees, the growth of grass, the color and distribution of rocks, even the looseness and moisture of the soil—all these can help you determine your location."
Zhou Shirui said sternly, "This is a skill every data analyst must master. You must understand this terrain better than anyone else. Complexity and scale are no excuse. If you chose to be data analysts, abandon all thoughts of cutting corners."
The students looked at him meekly.
The instructors' back-and-forth was putting a lot of psychological pressure on them.
Lian Sheng added, "If you want to contribute, you must put in the effort. Since you chose this major, don't complain about difficulty—no one has it easier. Or are you used to doing things halfway and relying on others to drag you forward?"
The students, fired up, rolled up their sleeves. "Instructor, stop with the reverse psychology. If it's possible, we'll do our best. But if we follow your orders and meet your requirements, can you guarantee we'll win?"
"Then let's make a bet." Lian Sheng walked up to him. "If we win, you treat me to a meal. If we lose, I'll treat all of you."
The students paused. "Instructor, there are so many of us treating just you—that's no pressure at all."
The reverse, however, was a different story.
Lian Sheng: "I just want you to know—losing isn't a loss. So go all out."
After dividing them into groups, Lian Sheng took them up the mountain for emergency training and explanations.
While the White Team's preparations were in full swing, the Red Team was much quieter.
The two commanders assigned teams, explained the next day's battle plan, and then let everyone rest to conserve energy.
After all... there wasn't much to do. They'd already trained all they could.
Huang Hao and Chen Yuzhou lay in their tents, tossing and turning. The tents next to them were still empty—clearly, the White Team hadn't returned yet.
Was something fishy going on?
They couldn't help overthinking it. But it also felt ridiculous.
How could there be so much last-minute cramming? Weren't they afraid of choking on it?
After some discussion, they got up and went to find the individual combat students.
They pulled open Ding Xuexi and Yu Yang's tent—these two were the most influential and observant.
Chen Yuzhou asked, "That instructor of yours—is she... normal? Anything we should watch out for? They've been skulking around all night. No idea what they're up to."
Huang Hao: "They're not marking the mountain, are they? That's blatant cheating."
Their arrival woke up the surrounding students, who poked their heads out to join the discussion.
Yu Yang said, "No way. She wouldn't do something so dishonorable. The fallout would be terrible."
"The instructors monitor the field to keep it clean. There's no way the whole Alliance University would help them cheat," Ding Xuexi said. "And though she's a bit... unscrupulous, she seems principled."
Huang Hao wasn't sure how "unscrupulous" and "principled" coexisted.
"Guess so." Chen Yuzhou squatted down, clutching his chest. "But I just feel it's not that simple. If they're not back, I can't sleep."
Huang Hao said, "It's guilt—they're working hard while you're sleeping."
Chen Yuzhou said mournfully, "I love studying. That's why I'm just this outstanding."
The others: "..."
Huang Hao figured he might as well ask properly: "Does she have any quirks? Personality or habits?"
The students offered:
"Ruthless?"
"Brutal."
"I think it's her flat chest."
Silence.
"I feel like..." one student said, "my survival instinct is telling me to stop talking."
Yu Yang zipped up the tent. "Proves human instinct is correct."
When Lian Sheng returned to her room, it was past midnight. She quietly freshened up and went to check on Lian Xun.
As soon as she opened the door, a small voice called, "Sis."
Lian Sheng started. Leaning closer, she saw the kid's eyes wide open—no sign of sleep. "Goodness, why aren't you asleep?"
Lian Xun lay on his side, hands under his head, and whispered, "Is being a soldier good?"
Lian Sheng didn't hesitate. "Being a soldier isn't good. It's dirty, hard, exhausting—you owe the world eight lifetimes of virtue."
Lian Xun didn't get the last part but understood "not good." "Then why are you a soldier?"
Lian Sheng felt she had to answer carefully. If she accidentally influenced Lian Xun into joining the military, Lin Lie might actually cry.
She leaned in and asked, "Do you like cilantro?"
Lian Xun's face turned green.
Lian Sheng grinned. "No reason. I just think it's the best thing in the world."
Lian Xun: "..."
Lian Xun had nightmares. His face was still green the next morning—the start of the Red vs. White Faction Battle.
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