The rules for this mock battle training drill were straight forward.
1) Stamina is greatly reduced in all terrain other than the three main routes.
2) There are neutral zones; once anyone leaves the neutral zones, depending on whether they are on the East or West side, they will be able to receive stamina buffs. On the east side, the Eastern Army will be buffed with extra stamina. On the west side, the Western Army will be buffed with extra stamina. Anyone who is defending their home ground will have the upper hand.
Surprisingly, the rocky terrain was a neutral zone and instead of stamina buffs, everyone would receive a penalty.
3) Any players who are defending the command center of their home ground where the flag is located will receive a massive stamina penalty. This penalty has been created to prevent a human wall of defense around the flag zone.
Han selected the rangers to be students who have high stamina and ranking for weapon arts. The eyes of the youths in the Eastern Army glimmered with excitement. Their opponents also held the same anticipation in their eyes.
"Let's win!"
"Let's go!"
"WAAAH!"
The battle tactics meeting ended. The East and West army both roared out with their battle cries.
drill instructor Wei stood on the second floor observing the students of class B. The second floor was designed so that one would easily be able to take in the battlefield from a bird eye's view.
'As I expected, Han took the role as the leader.'
The mock battle drills tested battle competency during unexpected situations and their problem solving skills.
drill instructor Wei narrowed his eyes. He had already been aware of everything that happened during the survival drill.
Han had been judged as a good candidate for a squad leader in the future. This mock battle had in fact been created to test Han's skills.
The East Army's defenders were divided into three groups and had been scattered throughout the three main paths. Han and an additional four students were selected to be the rangers to tackle the rocky terrains.
VVRRRRr.
Han's sensor vibrated. He received a penalty for entering the rocky terrain zone. His uniform color shifted to a lighter color to announce this development.
"WAAAH!"
A battle broke out in the route below. The roaring shouts of the youths echoed. The Eastern Army defenders pretended to start a conflict while slowly retreating back.
This was their tactic to preserve their stamina. There were too many members of the Western troops stationed throughout the three main routes of the opponent's side.
-The western army does not have designated rangers.
Han received a message from the Eastern Army. Han nodded and increased his speed.
-The defenders designated on the bottom route: split into two groups and join up with the top and middle path defenders. The rangers will withdraw from the top rocky terrains.
Han also sent a message. The defenders at the bottom route moved out to join the top and middle route defenders.
"Everyone break through the bottom route!"
The Western Army observed the lower number of defenders in the lower route and decided to start their breakthrough. The defenders of the lower route tried their best to buy as much time as they could for the rangers as they battled.
"Let's go."
Han arrived at the West side's central command center. There were a few people designated to guard this place. Han commanded his team of rangers to attack.
"The stamina of those guarding this place will have much lower stamina than ours. They will be no problem."
There was a huge stamina penalty to prevent a whole army being placed around the flag. Their stamina would be reduced much more than the rangers traveling through the rocky terrain. The uniform of the home ground defenders changed to a color that was near-black.
"Damn! They broke through via the rocky terrain!"
The Western army scurried to move after much time had passed. The Western Army had strained much of their strength to breakthrough through the main lower path, but there was a concentration of defenders and it was not easy breaking through at all.
Ta!
Han grabbed the flag. He promptly sent a command to his East Army.
-We will break through via the upper rocky terrain. Defenders at the top and middle routes, engage all enemies and buy us as much time as possible.
The Eastern defenders rushed forward. It didn't matter that they died; all that mattered was Han's survival and they would win this battle.
"There!"
The Western Army charged into the rocky terrain. The remaining rangers remained standing to buy as much time for Han as possible.
'We've passed the neutral zone. Now we're in the Eastern zone.'
Han tried catching his breath while looking back. He made it past the middle where the East and West meet. Now he was in the Eastern territory. His support forces suddenly increased and the enemies who had been chasing after him were defeated.
"Eastern Army, winner!"
Han planted the flag into the Eastern Army's central command center. drill instructor Wei rose his hand and announced the winner.
"WAAAAH!"
The East army youths roared with cheer. This had been a complete victory. The Western Army didn't have a main tactician, while the Eastern Army had Han who was used to giving out commands.
"Now, now, quiet. Who is the leader of the East Army? Come forth."
"The leader is Han Lee."
Jose shouted.
Han stepped forth with an embarrassed expression. drill instructor Wei patted Han's back and spoke.
"The military is not a democracy! Fast action and decisions are essential in war. You need only one brain! It doesn't matter if you believe the orders are wrong; the army must go forth as one. If a single cogwheel breaks down, it doesn't become a single person's problem, but affects the army as a whole. The Western army didn't have a leader, right?"
The western army lowered their heads in shame and fell silent.
The western army youths made small groups of 3-4 friends and adapted based on the circumstances. Therefore, there was no way they could carry out a plan as a whole. Drill instructor Wei had predicted this outcome and spoke while laughing.
"The East and West Army each had 30 members. This is an average size of a single military platoon. A squad leader is essential to move out a single platoon. Underneath the squad leader there are several squad commanders. Within a platoon, the commander is in charge of leading a second military operation if need be. The full potential of the military can only be achieved through following a hierarchy system of command. The West Army went forth without a single concrete plan. The defeat of the Western Army is due to the absence of a hierarchy of command and choosing to become an army who would adapt to the circumstances."
Every single word he spoke was the truth. The youths of the Western Army nodded. The students who took this drill as nothing but a game learned a huge lesson.
"Han, break down your military tactics for everyone. From today onward, the commander will come forth and explain their team's strategies. Through these discussions, think about the weaknesses and strengths for your next victory."
Drill instructor Wei patted Han's back once more and sent him forward.
Han projected the hologram map of the mock battle grounds up into the air. Han explained why he had deployed his team to the designated positions and their roles.
"I divided the roles into two: defenders and rangers. The rangers would be responsible for traveling over the rocky terrain so they were required to be fast and agile; the remaining had been designated as defenders. I had the defenders attack and retreat their forces in rotation. I didn't have them force their way forward, but instead I had them retreat back if need be to receive the stamina buff from our own zone. Once the ranger captured the flag, I had the defenders officially start engaging the enemy while defending the flag bearer at the same time."
Drill instructor Wei reproduced the process of the battle through the hologram. Everyone could see the actions of the East and West Armies. The soldiers that had been marked as dots moved around in various directions. Sergeant Wei added to Han's explanation.
"With a bird's eye view, you can see the Western Army's sporadic movements and wasted actions. In the end, they observed the fewer number of Eastern soldiers in the lower path, and decided to blindly charge in that direction. There was nobody in command to observe the overall battle situation and so the Western Army could only make actions based on short-sighted observations. At that time, the Eastern Army Rangers had infiltrated into the flag zone of the Western team. Time wise, even if the Western army had infiltrated into the enemy flag zone, it would have been too late."
Drill instructor Wei briefly glanced toward Han. It was rare for a student to understand and use the rules to their own advantages like this. Additionally, they had been given only fifteen minutes to plan.
'He is fast to understand his opponent. His insight was magnificent as well.'
Following the end of the lesson, the youths of class B continued to discuss various things about the mock battle.
The class president had been chosen to be a student that didn't particularly stand out. The youths didn't care about the class presidency anymore and prioritized the mock battles.