These staff officers were characters who were developed in their brains but not their bodies. Furthermore, the opponent was currently someone from the special forces. This fatty, who initially had an expression of consideration and honesty and gave off an appearance of someone who was seemingly easy to bully, had suddenly changed so drastically. Ke Lun had been knocked over by him immediately without having the chance to retaliate; he became sluggish, thinking that this fatty was playing with his feelings.
Tian Xing Jian waved the document in his left hand before placing it on the table in front of Ke Lun as he sneered, “Even though I say it’s trash, you don’t believe. If we were to execute based on this plan of yours, do you know how many people in the front lines would die? Seeing your defense map, you ignored the flanks of the enemy by placing the majority of the soldiers at Point R. Others could simply outflank this group of soldiers, surrounding it before gobbling them up. Do you think that fighting a war is a competition between who has more soldiers?”
Wetting his finger with his saliva, Tian Xing Jian flipped over a few pages before pointing at a certain set of data. “Do you think that a ground-based aviation soldier is someone who can do everything? You think they don’t need to eat or sleep? You dare to place an Aviation Battalion with only an average of an hour of flying time against an opponent who had flown more than 1200 times? Are you an idiot or what? Just by assigning the armored military to the western location, do you really think that is enough to defend against an all-encompassing attack from the reorganized enemy’s military at points E to H when their air forces are dispatched?”
Letting go of Ke Lun, Fatty threw the documents in his hand before sneering, “You better wake up and look through this carefully. Right now, what’s happening on the battlefields isn’t a set of parallel battle lines—but a set of intertwined battle lines! There are enemies amongst us, and there are also our soldiers amongst the enemies. Even if it is a set of parallel battle lines, the depth of our battle lines would be destroyed by you. Without having two Armored Regiments prepared as reinforcements, you want to defend for three hours against an all encompassing penetration attack by the enemy? Are you dreaming? How old are you now to calculate only with your own abacus? [1]”
Ke Lun angrily retorted, “You are spouting nonsense! If we don’t place the military power at Point R, we will never be able to defend against the direct assault from the enemy. We still have a fully mechanized infantry regiment over on the flank, and they are stationed on a high ground, so how could the enemy charge in with just a single assault?”
The major standing behind him woke out from his stupor before mocking, “A first lieutenant who is responsible for merely looking at the deduction calculated by the computer dares to teach a high-flyer of the capital’s military institute? This world feels truly inverted to me!”
At this moment, the director of the 6th Research Unit came over. Seeing this state where swords were drawn and bows were bent [2], he immediately hurried over to help resolve the dispute. He laughed before saying to Ke Lun and his staff officers, “If there’s anything, let’s discuss this with words. First Lieutenant Tian has just arrived recently, and so there are many things which he isn’t familiar with. I hope everyone will pardon him for his mistakes.”
Several staff officers from the 6th Research Unit had also helped him speak some good words. Ke Lun’s expression became calmer from their placating words, though that major was unwilling to forgive as he shouted out, “What exactly is happening with your 6th Research Unit? Was it not enough for a traitor to have come from your unit? And now you even have a first lieutenant who dares to say our plan is trash and doesn’t admit his mistakes before hitting us! Now that everything is over, you want us to pardon him for his actions, pardoning all you jackals who came from the same tribe and are currently colluding together?!”
After his words came out, everyone’s expression immediately changed. Even though the current director of the 6th Research Unit had been bullied from the left and right because of his predecessor, everyone were still ultimately colleagues. There had not been a case of such direct arguments despite all the hate happening behind everyone’s back.
Immediately, the entire place was filled with uproars. The staff officers of the 6th Research Unit had suffered enough hate from the rest, so how could they withstand it at this juncture after being directly scolded by someone else? Everyone felt indignant at this injustice.
Pater might have been assigned over from another unit, but he was still the current acting director of the 6th Research Unit. Being scolded so directly by someone would still make this extremely amiable person feel angry. He coldly questioned him, “Then, how should this matter come to a close from your perspective?”
That major knew that he had committed a mistake the moment he finished speaking, but he was long used to looking down on the people from the 6th Research Unit. If he were to move back, then it would be a strong start with a weak finish. Firming up his heart, he took on a tough line, “Ask that fatty to kowtow to us and admit his mistake, and ask the 6th Research Unit to publicly apologize to us!”
The place instantly went into an uproar!
Pater sneered, “What if it’s really a problem with your plans?”
That major was startled as he looked over at Ke Lun. Being a high-flyer of the capital’s military institute, Ke Lun, who expected himself to have a meteoric rise to the top, had complete confidence in himself. He would naturally not believe the criticism of his plan by a first lieutenant. He resolutely said, “Impossible!”
Naturally, the major would follow Ke Lun’s decision. The moment he heard it, he immediately replied, “If our plans truly had a problem, then we’ll kowtow and admit our mistake. The 2nd Research Unit will also take another route whenever we see someone from the 6th Research Unit!”
Tian Xing Jian, who had always been observing from the side with an expression of ridicule, could not help but laugh, “What is your position within the 2nd Research Unit? Can you represent all the people from the 2nd Research Unit?”
That major was stunned. He knew that he had spoken too outrageously and did not know what to say for a moment. Turning embarrassment into indignance, he replied, “You don’t have to care about this! Just know that your head is set to roll [3] !”
This major was rude and unreasonable, and the people from the 6th Research Unit had long been unable to hold themselves back. They immediately lashed out, bringing out all the repressed anger within them with several of the more rash staff officers rolling up their sleeves in preparation to hit someone.
The staff officers who came with Ke Lun from the 2nd Research Unit did not want to be outdone. Since their reputation had been long torn apart, everyone could not care less anymore. The 6th Research Unit was originally not highly regarded by the others, and thus these staff officers knew that other research units would definitely stand on their side. Even if today’s matter became huge, those who would suffer would only be those from the 6th Research Unit.
Seeing this group of people that were about to start fighting with each other, the director of the 2nd Research Unit, Compton, rushed over. This colonel who had brought Fatty into the combat planning department huffed and puffed as he stood in between the two groups before asking, “What are you all doing!? Nobody move right now!”
Seeing the director coming over, the people from the 2nd Research Unit became calm. Only that major felt unwilling to let this down as he spoke in an eccentric manner, “Director, there is a first lieutenant from somebody’s 6th Research Unit who dares to bully others from our unit.”
Who would have thought that the moment Compton’s breath started becoming even, he jumped up and was the person to scold back, “So what if he is a first lieutenant? This first lieutenant is much more formidable than all of you! All of you are people who just eat plain rice [4], and instead of thinking of a good plan during the day, you come running over to the 6th Research Unit to stir up trouble? All of you, go back to your office at this instant!”
The major had been chewed out by Compton in front of everyone; he was scolded to the point where his ears turned red. He was about to mumble in retreat, but Ke Lun grabbed onto him.
Ke Lun said, “Director, you shouldn’t blame this matter on him. It was me who asked all of them to accompany me over. This first lieutenant has calculated the data of my plan incorrectly.”
Compton angrily retorted, “Even if it’s a mistake, do you think you can just come to their doors and look for a fight?” Glancing towards the unperturbed Tian Xing Jian, he continued speaking to Ke Lun, “First Lieutenant Tian is someone who came to this position under my personal orders. Instead of pondering over your own importance, you came over without a diamond drill and still dare to retort against the words of an artisan [5]?”
That major was an idiot; he did not understand what the figurative meaning of Compton’s words. Instead, he said with disdain, “He is just a first lieutenant, so how mystical can his words be when it’s simply based on the deduction done within the 6th Research Unit?”
Compton felt his head becoming bigger. He felt like giving this idiot a resolute beating and hanging him on the tree under the sun for three days and two nights before cleaning up the urine in his brain by evaporation.
For a moment, Compton fell into a dilemma. The forward command needed to keep to their words—keeping the work of Tian Xing Jian that turned him into a genius in deduction a secret. Yet, the people from the 2nd Research Unit were unwilling to admit their mistakes. It was tradition for the higher-ups to shield their own people. If instead of doing that, he decided to develop someone’s ambition, then in the future, who would be willing to be under this leader’s command?
[1] Calculating and planning based on one’s thinking alone without taking into account other factors.
[2] All-out hostility.
[3] Figurative meaning.
[4] Free-loader.
[5] Competing with someone without even having an understanding of one’s own abilities.