264 Heroes (1/2)

”What? A battalion of private troops has wiped out a group of troops from the Qing Special Forces?!” a general exclaimed in a command center. ”You aren't joking, right? Has it been confirmed yet?”

The staff officer in front of the general said, ”It's absolutely true. It just happened yesterday. We had our people rush to the scene to confirm it after getting the news from a soldier called Chen Wudi they sent back to give a sitrep. The soldiers they killed should be from the Qing Special Forces. It's just that we do not know why this group of Qing troops would enter our military's hinterlands or how they got in.”

”How could you allow our enemies to infiltrate so easily? You might as well wait until they arrive at our HQ's doorstep before you realize they're here!” the general roared.

The staff officer hemmed and hawed before saying, ”We suspect they were sent here to carry out a decapitation strike, so they deliberately traveled in the mountains. They did not bring a full-strength force with them because they wanted to travel quickly and quietly to avoid detection.”

”How did all of them get wiped out then?” the general asked in a composed voice after calming down.

”We have written statements from the private troops who mentioned they were from the Iron Second Battalion. They said they were able to wipe out their enemies this time because their battalion commander is wise and courageous. He took advantage of the Divine Arms Battalion's uniforms they were wearing to fool the Qing Consortium soldiers into believing him and then immediately launched an assault after forcing them to disarm,” the staff officer said.

”Why does this account sound so weird?” the general wondered. He felt that something was amiss, but he did not know where the problem lay.

”I also find it quite weird. However, it does make sense that the Qing soldiers were aware they wouldn't be able to defeat the Divine Arms Battalion.” The staff officer said, ”How should we handle this matter?”

”How many people from this battalion of private troops died in the battle?” the general asked.

”400. It's equivalent to the number of deaths our enemies suffered,” the staff officer said.

The general said with heartfelt emotion, ”A battalion of private troops was actually able to wipe out the Qing Special Forces and their casualties did not even exceed our expectations? This is a great triumph! This is exactly the triumph we need now!”

The staff officer immediately understood what the general meant. Everyone had been very optimistic about the Divine Arms Battalion's mission and hoped they would lead them to their first victory in the war. It would have boosted the morale of the military.

However, the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment. The Li Consortium's higher-ups and generals were crestfallen at the defeat of the Divine Arms Battalion. In the combat meetings held over the past two days, everyone in the command center seemed overwhelmed by a sense of defeat. The combat staff officers did not even dare to cough openly in fear of getting reprimanded.

But now it was great news that they heard a battalion of private troops had wiped out the troops of their enemy's Special Forces.

At their level, they did not actually care about how many soldiers died in the battle. All they were concerned about was how this result would affect the overall situation!

The general said, ”Report this to the Board immediately, and request for the battalion of private troops involved to be commended. I want to rename the Iron Second Battalion to the Heroes Battalion. The active battalion commander will be officially appointed as a major as part of the Li Consortium's combat troops. On top of that, I want them to be equipped with the best gear we have.”

The staff officer was stunned for a moment. This was going to set a precedent for their entire military organization!

Even though there were military ranks in the private army, their soldiers were never officially appointed any rank. Therefore, the officers of the private army were just like regular employees, and they could even pay bribes to get appointed to certain positions in the organization. However, the Li Consortium had never considered the private soldiers as their people before.

But with an official appointment now, everything was going to be different. Someday Ren Xiaosu might even get transferred to the Li Consortium's regular troops and hold an important position!

As for reporting to the Board, that was only standard protocol. At a time like this, the Board would not interfere with decisions regarding the appointment or removal of an officer. As long as the move was beneficial to the war, they would not stop it from happening.

But suddenly the general said, ”After these private troops have been equipped with their gear, deploy them to our most impregnable defensive line. I've received intel that the overall commander of the Qing Consortium military has changed to Qing Zhen.”