First Battlefield Commander! - Chapter 240
Chapter 240: Extra 9: Instructor Lian and Her Little Companions
When Lian Sheng successfully exploited the Red Team's unfamiliarity with the terrain and poor spatial awareness to silently flank them from behind, everyone already understood—the Red Team was going to lose.
Yet the Red Team continued to mock the White Team's arrangements.
One squad leader said: "Chaos is starting to show. They won't be able to hold out much longer!"
"Victory is waving at us!"
"They've held out for so long, truly impressive. They deserve a consolation prize—far better than I expected."
Chen Yuzhou said solemnly: "The opposing side really performed well. We used nearly half our ammunition just to push their defensive line two-thirds of the way. Ignoring their offensive capabilities, their formation maintenance was practically perfect. Facing the same situation, I don't think you all could do it."
"Commander, stop jinxing us!"
"Who says we can't? We just haven't had the chance, okay?"
"The other side has more command students. Probably every squad has a dedicated commander assigned, so while their offensive power is lacking, they're more stable."
"Looking forward to seeing that instructor lose. Should we mock her or save her some face? After all, she is a woman..."
The instructors watching from the sidelines already had indescribable expressions.
Understanding.
They understood completely.
Yu Yang aimed at his target when a moment of hesitation flashed through his mind.
He recalled Lian Sheng talking about cooperation. She'd accused them of merely sharing the same frame rather than truly collaborating.
Yu Yang couldn't help wondering—if they were the ones suffering the numerical disadvantage, could they maintain their formation and buy enough time like the White Team?
The answer was no, because they'd already experienced it during the instructor combat drills.
Their retreat had been utterly pathetic. Forget maintaining formation—they hadn't even had one, nor the awareness to create one.
Yet the White Team had done it.
Though the White Team's sacrifices appeared heavy, they'd stood firm like an iron wall. If their offensive capabilities had been slightly better, or if they'd had the Red Team's equipment, the situation might have completely reversed.
Yu Yang felt irritated. Ding Xuexi did too. He felt trapped in an inescapable net.
No matter how they fought, they couldn't break through. Anyone would get frustrated.
What they couldn't shatter wasn't just the White Team's defensive line, but their morale.
He clearly sensed the shift in team atmosphere. The White Team hadn't slackened or collapsed, but the Red Team was already becoming complacent.
The younger members seemed to be celebrating victory prematurely, which made Ding Xuexi deeply uncomfortable.
The White Team's condition alone convinced Ding Xuexi that the other side had reserves waiting—and they were utterly confident.
As vice-commander, Huang Hao was the first to feel uneasy. He shouted into the comms: "Stop chattering! Everyone report positions—something feels off!"
Though they'd been joking around, the team responded swiftly to orders.
As Huang Hao and Chen Yuzhou cross-checked positions on their maps, rustling sounds came from ahead, accompanied by faint shadows moving closer.
Huang Hao instinctively looked up: "Who's there?"
The squad protecting the two commanders shifted into defensive stances, shielding them.
Chen Yuzhou realized: "...Shit?!"
The attackers didn't waste words—they charged out immediately. Shockingly, they'd already surrounded the Red Team from three sides. The enemy rushed forward recklessly, unleashing suppressing fire.
With numerical superiority and overwhelming firepower, the Red Team was quickly wiped out. Huang Hao didn't even have time for last words.
Before falling, Chen Yuzhou did manage to appoint two new commanders.
Then the broadcast blared—Red Team command eliminated. The two newly appointed commanders had to take charge immediately.
The two froze upon hearing the news.
Without Huang Hao's data analysis, unaware of the current situation, and lacking knowledge of squad positions, even if they wanted to intervene, they were powerless.
"Everyone report positions again! Tian Yuan, where are you? Update immediately!"
"Dammit, I don't even have a map! No pen or paper either! Come find me first!"
"Forget that, stabilize the squads first!"
"Squad leaders improvise! Don't panic—we're taking over now!"
"Fuck! How did they get behind us? When did that happen?"
"Stop fucking cursing! It's useless now! Report positions and shut up! Don't clog comms!"
After eliminating the enemy command, the White Team's assault squad swiftly turned to attack the front lines.
Morale soaring, the White Team shifted from passive defense to active offense, launching pincer attacks from the rear.
After the command was eliminated, the Red Team's flaws became glaringly obvious. Their coordination fell apart, quickly descending into chaos.
When one squad got attacked from behind, the unstable morale led to inconsistent reactions from soldiers.
The new commanders, unaware of squad positions, couldn't even deploy reinforcements properly, worsening the situation further.
The tables turned so dramatically it drew sighs of amazement from observers.
An army in retreat collapses as quickly as an exhaled breath.
What followed was inevitable.
Lian Sheng directed the White Team to abandon defense, weaving through Red Team ranks to harass and disrupt their positioning.
They struck fast and retreated faster, with such precise positioning it seemed like they had god-mode cheats. Their flexible maneuvers and rational deployments made them appear far more numerous than their depleted numbers.
The Red Team never recovered. Still scrambling when the mountain broadcast declared the exercise over.
Bewildered.
They couldn't comprehend when the turning point had occurred. How had the White Team slipped through their defenses?
Chen Yuzhou lay on the ground, reaching a trembling hand toward Huang Hao, feeling like he might burst into tears.
"Comrade Huang Hao..."
Huang Hao pounced to strangle him.
Chen Yuzhou exclaimed: "Why are you hitting me?"
Huang Hao: "You garbage commander!"
Chen Yuzhou retorted: "You garbage vice-commander!"
Nearby Red Team members: "..."
They'd said it all—what was left for the others?
After a brief but intense scuffle, their frustration remained unsated. Finding it pointless, they got up and headed for the central rally point.
Arm in arm, they tried to minimize their presence, hiding among the crowd.
Yu Yang, near the rally point, sat on a rock after assembling.
Upon losing, his first emotion wasn't shock—it was inevitability.
Ding Xuexi paced nearby, stretching while looking for a White Team member to interrogate.
The defeat was too humiliating. The Red Team's atmosphere was thoroughly depressed.
Soon, Lian Sheng appeared from the rear mountains with Zhou Shirui.
Cheers erupted along her path. The White Team gazed at her with shining eyes, practically ready to kneel and call her daddy.
Lian Sheng stood beside the nameless tree she'd personally split in half, raising a hand to summon them: "Gather here!"
The White Team members approached with proud little steps, wishing they could get closer, then looked up at her eagerly.
Lian Sheng glanced at the awkwardly standing Red Team members and said: "You too, come over. What are you doing? Don't you want to hear the battle analysis? I'm your instructor—do you understand what that means? Why are you being shy with me?"
The Red Team rubbed their noses, calling distant comrades to join Lian Sheng's gathering.
With the noisy crowd, Lian Sheng turned on her amplifier. Standing on a rock, she looked down at them.
"First, the White Team performed exceptionally well." Lian Sheng clapped. "This isn't about me being commander—it's an objective evaluation. Your execution was strong. During battle, all sorts of accidents can happen. While I can't forgive their occurrence, I also can't prevent them entirely. Soldier quality is the biggest variable on the battlefield, and you successfully minimized it. This victory belongs to you—you should feel proud."
Delight showed on their faces.
They couldn't quite explain whether their excitement came from Lian Sheng's praise or their victory.
Perhaps they valued Lian Sheng more.
Lian Sheng coughed and continued: "During the exercise, I'm sure some people mentally lit candles for me. If you had such thoughts, you need serious self-reflection. What I say next isn't just for the Red Team—it's for everyone. When formulating strategy and analyzing battles, first recognize what the most influential latent factor is. The answer differs for every battlefield."
Lian Sheng looked at the bowed Red Team members and said slowly: "In Red vs. White battles, what determines the outcome isn't temporary numerical superiority—it's the survival of command. Because in these exercises, data is complex and difficult to preserve and transmit. Command responsibility can't be inherited. When squad information can be synchronized, whoever holds the latest data controls the battle."
Given the Red Team's earlier advantage, if they'd had someone who could instantly absorb data and coordinate the entire battlefield, they might still have won.
But they didn't. They were a collection of combat specialists.
Lian Sheng originally wanted to analyze them thoroughly, but held back.
Nothing she had to say would be complimentary. Better to wait for Lu Mingyuan's analysis report to crush them. For now, she'd give them breathing room.
Lian Sheng checked the time and said: "Alright, the match is officially over. We still have plenty of time today. Everyone, collect yourselves and gather equipment. Line up to return to base for headcount. Finally—reflect deeply when you rest tonight."
A male student whispered: "I've been meaning to ask—was this tree struck by lightning? How did it split like this?"
Silence.
A White Team member raised his eyebrows and started singing: "Summer summer, quietly passes, leaving little secrets~"
"Hidden deep hidden deep, can't tell you~"
"..." Lian Sheng. "..."
Red Team: "..."
This song was officially blacklisted.
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