The horrific state of the front lines and the Players' cries quickly reached Robert.
He remained calm, as though everything was under control. First, he had someone summon the two scouts from before—Name and Moth.
"Why didn't you report the enemy positions when you were scouting earlier?" Robert asked calmly, without the slightest hint of blame.
The two scout Players looked at each other, seeming a little aggrieved. Name spoke up first. "Company Commander, when we went there before, there wasn't any position at all! It was just an empty processing zone. We did see that trench execution wall, but there weren't any defensive structures around it, so we thought it was just a steep slope for dumping waste. We didn't think much of it at all..."
Robert nodded, and the expression on his face actually relaxed considerably. "So the enemy position was put together temporarily. It doesn't even count as a semi-permanent fortification. That makes things simple. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have known how to fight this."
Name asked curiously, "Then how should we fight?"
A faint smile curled at Robert's lips, and a tactician's gleam flashed in his eyes. "Very simply: infantry-artillery coordination, creeping barrage."
"Infantry-artillery coordination?" Moth asked in surprise. "Isn't that too advanced for us at this stage? We haven't even had basic coordination training. At the very least, shouldn't we find time to practice first?"
"Who said we need proper infantry-artillery coordination?" Robert countered, as if it were only natural. "In fact, for Players like us, the infantry just needs to keep charging while the artillery keeps firing. As for how many people get killed by our own shells... that isn't important. As long as we win in the end, that's enough."
He paused, then added, "Besides, actual combat is the best training, isn't it?"