Tian Xingjian’s storytelling style is quite different from Russell’s. Russell tends to lay out the battle scenario in front of you and peel it back layer by layer, helping you understand every level thoroughly. In contrast, Fatty talks freely, narrating with the mindset of a military advisor. The listeners who were initially disappointed when Russell reached the climax and changed the subject began to focus intently.
"At the time, I was thinking that landing operations are highly specialized attacks, and also comprehensive. They not only require specialized landing plans but also the support of a country’s overall strength. As for the Federation, we’re much wealthier than our poor neighbors who are our opponents. If I were General Russell, I’d shamelessly use my wealth to crush them. Who said you have to be poorer than me?" The audience erupted in knowing laughter, finding Fatty’s explanation very vivid. Fatty continued, "However, my instructor is a con artist. He told this poor neighbor, ’Look, I’m as poor as you.’ This reminded me of a very old joke, where one poor person asks another, ’How much do you think the Emperor eats in one sitting?’ The other poor person dismissively replies, ’The Emperor eats white-flour buns daily!’" Among the quiet laughter, Fatty continued, "Our poor neighbor might be thinking the same thing. Now it’s time to reveal the mystery left by my teacher. With the notion of eating big white-flour buns, the military genius Stephen deployed creatively across the Eastern Hemisphere. If the Federation executes a pinpoint-to-broad landing plan, they can compress the landing troops onto a single spot, preventing the troops from securing the landing area effectively, creating confrontation lines with no rear forces, and relying only on piecemeal tactics to expand the occupied area. If such a situation truly develops, the Federation Army dispatched from the Newton Star System will inevitably be at an absolute disadvantage. As long as the Gazalin Empire is prepared, the Space Fleet can cut off the Federation’s supply line for a week, leading the ground landing troops to be entirely defeated." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet
The generals and professors sitting in the front row thoughtfully recalled the entire situation and nodded in agreement. The strategic purpose of the Gazalin Empire surfaced; they aim to drag the Leray Federation into a war of attrition and buy time for the Empire’s rear at Lucerne Planet.
"The first phase of the landing operation puzzled me for a long time. Since the generals had already made me their imaginary enemy, I didn’t know every step and route of the landing troops’ plan. At this point, I marked up several strategic points. I don’t believe my instructor would overlook those places. The first phase must have significant importance if... Heavenly God bless me... if I were that unfortunate Stephen, what would I see?"
"At this moment, the second stage of the landing began, selecting the Western Hemisphere of Lucerne Planet. The two landing areas can’t support each other, making me almost think the first phase landing troops had been abandoned. It’s a failed landing plan." The audience listened intently to Tian Xingjian’s deductions. Seeing him shrug again, some sensitive listeners knew Fatty wasn’t offering anything good, and sure enough, he continued, "Since I thought that way, Stephen obviously isn’t smarter than I am. He would certainly be duped." The audience laughed heartily.
"I’m rather fortunate to know the Federation’s transport power is not just white-flour buns. At this point, questions formed in my mind: Why hold such a big hand yet never use it? Could the enemy have methods to counter this big hand?" Fatty pulled up the star map on the computer and pointed to the already-deployed marked map: "In a pinpoint-to-broad landing, timing is the most crucial. Such a landing usually requires one to two weeks to complete, while the Space Fleet can only guarantee safe landing for a week, which makes the timing very tight. If we consolidate all transport power and invest it at once, then we can only choose the Western Hemisphere of Lucerne Planet, as it offers ample strategic space to accommodate the Federation Army. Such a massive troop landing challenges not only transport capacity but is also a huge test for logistics. How to maintain supplies?"
"Since questions formed, it’s time to resolve this doubt. I reviewed the entire execution process again and saw the actions of the first phase landing troops start to become clear from a tangled mess. At this point, I finally discovered that if I were the Gazalin Empire’s commander, I fell for it and had no time to recover. This landing wasn’t just a simple landing, but a large-scale aerial drop operation using Miloke Planet as the rear. The first phase was to disrupt and mobilize the Gazalin Empire’s pre-deployed forces and create breaks, whereas the second phase was to confuse. The landing in the Western Hemisphere doesn’t just establish a strong foothold; more importantly, it diverts the enemy’s attention. When I saw the third phase of the landing, I finally confirmed my suspicion..."
Fatty shrugged and pointed at Russell, saying, "This trickster fooled me. Not only did he never teach me this kind of landing strategy, but he also quietly laid his big hand on the table while playing cards. I didn’t even have a chance to resist." The audience shared a good-natured laugh, looking at Russell’s smiling face, while Fatty continued, "Of course, the most pitiful is Stephen. I heard this is his first real strategic command. Clearly, I passed while he didn’t."
Tian Xingjian’s lecture lasted just twenty minutes, very straightforward and clear. As the audience, the unanimous feeling was that Russell’s pupil had very clear thinking, although his physique was a bit lacking. For his brilliant delivery, the audience rose simultaneously under the leadership of several generals to applaud. After the applause subsided, a student smilingly posed the first and only question of the entire class: "Lieutenant, if you were the Gazalin Emperor or Stephen, what would you do?"
"I don’t know how the female relatives of the two characters you mentioned would protest such a hypothesis, but I think it’s better to surrender early." Fatty, feeling good, couldn’t hide his roguish demeanor. Including the mature generals and professors, the audience burst into laughter. As Russell joined Fatty on stage to thank the audience, the room erupted in its most enthusiastic applause. Amid the applause, Russell quietly remarked to Tian Xingjian, "Look, their applause is the most sincere. I’ve always said that in a desperate environment, you can unleash unimaginable strength."
After the public lecture ended, Fatty went to the Federation Military Intelligence Bureau’s Miloke Intelligence Department next to the Combat Department. Since he had already been dismissed from military service, he could only wait outside. After the guard contacted via the internal line, he informed Fatty that Ann Lei was not there.
Had she gone on a mission or returned home? Tian Xingjian felt somewhat lost. He decided to go home and check it out. Mother Ann didn’t know what had happened between him and Ann Lei, and she had many complaints about Fatty not coming home these past few days. She grumbled, "Ann Lei is on a mission and you don’t come back. I’m the only one at home, with no one to talk to."
"Where did Ann Lei go for her mission?" Fatty anxiously asked. Mother Ann smiled and said, "You know her work is classified; she didn’t tell me where she went. It’s far and for a long time. I vaguely heard her mention something like ’Mezri...’ whatever in a conversation, but I couldn’t hear clearly."
I’ve gone to Moscow, and Fatty’s gone to Mezrich. We’re both far away from home, but is there no sympathy for monthly votes?
(To be continued. For those who wish to know more, please visit WWW.CMFU.COM. More Chapters available; support the author and genuine reading!)