18 Steal the Flag 2 (2/2)

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.