Four Major Factions (Part 1)
Hearing the familiar voice, seeing 'Meat Bun's' practiced movements, and noting the slightly changed but still recognizable demeanor, the two soldiers below the stage instantly guessed his identity. They exchanged a glance, understanding their company commander's earlier performance, and feeling fortunate to have escaped with their lives.
"Meat Bun" Kurelle was unaware of the discussion between the two soldiers below him. Of course, even if he had known, there was nothing he could do to stop them. Kurelle was straining to open his eyes, swollen to slits, to decipher the contents of the parchment. Then, he read out the new competition rules word by word.
"The fifth item of the Martial Arts Tournament is a live-fire exercise. The rules are as follows: All units of the Western Border Army are divided into four camps, distinguished by four different colors: red, yellow, green, and black. Each camp includes one standing combat division, plus the combat personnel of five auxiliary brigades. The combat personnel of the auxiliary brigades are uniformly allocated to each division by members of the General Staff in an equal distribution manner. However, the senior officers of the five brigades need to be recruited by each division itself."
"After the faction division is completed, the commanders of each faction must report the list of members of their own faction to the General Staff, and then choose the color representing their own faction and the garrison camp. After the troops arrive at the camp, the commanders of each faction must also send members of their own faction's Logistics Brigade to the headquarters to collect the weapons, protective gear and flags and other supplies needed for the exercise."
"In this exercise, the team that eliminates the other three factions within four days wins! If, at the end of the exercise after four days, no faction is eliminated, then the team that inflicts the most damage on other members while suffering the least loss itself wins!"
"The exercise is now officially underway! Each division has two hours to recruit allies. Please confirm your faction members as soon as possible and report to the General Staff!"
After reading out the competition rules, Kurelle hurriedly controlled his 'bulky' body and rushed towards Anna and Heradi. The other division Division Commander on the stage, not wanting to be outdone, also rushed towards their chosen allies, fearing that someone else would beat them to it. The soldiers from various units below the stage watched the fierce battle for talent with bewildered expressions.
West City, Headquarters of the Western Border Army
"General, the four Division Commander have gone to their respective garrison camps. The Magic Crystal used by our General Staff for monitoring have also been installed and are ready to report the status of the exercise to you at any time."
Sordil, already troubled by his hangover and Erza's situation, nodded upon hearing the new staff officer's words, indicating he was aware of the matter. He then waved for the officer to leave and sat alone in the main seat of the hall, pondering a solution. Seeing Sordil's furrowed brow, the new staff officer wanted to offer some words of comfort, but couldn't think of anything to say, and finally silently left the room.
"Chief of Staff, does the general often do this?"
Faced with his new subordinate's question, Chief of Staff Lockett recalled for a moment, then said, "How could that be! You don't know, when the upper echelons of the Western Border Army collapsed, the general faced it calmly and then unraveled the matter perfectly. He has never looked so worried as he does now."
"General, could it be that he has some health problem?"
Lockett lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then agreed, saying, "That's possible! Yesterday afternoon, the general had an upset stomach, and then got completely drunk last night. Perhaps his body is protesting against him right now!"
The new staff officer wanted to say something more, but Lockett didn't give him the chance.
"Alright! I understand how you feel. I share your wish for the general to recover as soon as possible. But these things are not our concern. Our most important task now is to help the general complete the live-fire exercise."
After saying that, Lockett, without further ado, pulled the new staff officer away from the hall.
Red Army camp, command center
"Anna, my dear brother Heradi, I hope you two can put aside your past grievances and reconcile. Only then can the three of us join forces to win this battle, right?"
Looking at Kurelle, who stood at the head of the tent advising them, Anna and Heradi nodded in unison, indicating their agreement with his suggestion. Anna even took a step forward to apologize to Heradi, clearing up the friction and misunderstanding between them.
"Heradi, I apologize to you and the brothers of the Guard Brigade for what happened yesterday. I hope we can work together to win the championship!"
"Haha! Anna, what are you saying! Yesterday, our Guard Brigade was outmatched and lost the game. We have no one to blame but ourselves."
Seeing the two reconcile, Kurelle's heart, which had been pounding in his chest, finally returned to its rightful place. Then, he took out the intelligence from the other three factions sent by the General Staff and handed it to Anna and Heradi.
"Gentlemen, now we should discuss how to deal with the current situation and how to defeat the other three parties to become the champion!"
After receiving the intelligence, Anna and her companion quickly scanned it, then went to the map to verify the information in their minds. At the same time, they pondered how to achieve victory.
Huang Jun Camp, Command Post
"Division Commander Dabo, you'd better come up with a plan quickly! How can we defeat those guys from the First Division and successfully win the championship!"
Seeing Dabo pacing back and forth, Elkley asked anxiously.
"Brigade Commander Elkley, don't be in such a hurry! The First Division was already strong, and now with the help of Brigade Commander Heradi and Anna, their strength has increased even further. If we want to defeat them, we must first formulate a rigorous action plan before putting it into action. So you need to give Dabo Division Commander Dabo enough time to think about the plan!"
"Brigade Commander Galipar, I don't like what you're saying! What do you mean the First Division was already strong? What do you mean that with Heradi's help, their strength has increased even further?"
Dabo stopped in his tracks, standing silently watching the two arguing figures, Elkley and his companion, without uttering a word. Only after they ceased their argument did Dabo speak, "Brigade Commander Elkley, I know you were somewhat displeased with your loss to that idiot Heradi yesterday! However, there are some facts we must face, otherwise we will never truly prevail!"
Upon hearing Dabo's words, Elkley wanted to defend himself, but before he could even open his mouth, Dabo cut him off.
"Brigade Commander Elkley, I know what you're going to say. Yes! Your abilities are no less than Heradi's, and in some aspects even surpass his. However, the strength of my Second Division is far inferior to that of the First Division, so even with your assistance and Brigade Commander Galipar's, we still cannot engage in a direct confrontation with Kurelle and his men. In order for us to defeat the First Division, please give me a little more time, okay?"
Dabo said all that, Elkley had no choice but to suppress his dissatisfaction and nod.
Not long after Elkley was persuaded by Dabo, the tent flap was lifted, and a member of the Communications Brigade rushed in and whispered a few words in Dabo's ear.