Yu Lian couldn't help freezing on the spot. "Well, that's an unexpected bonus. They've gone straight for the bridge?"
"Yes. They struck like wildfire and moved like thunder." Lozes offered a word of praise, then added, "Of course, it also helped that the gravity-field bomb deployed in the forward section of the Starsteed. Colonel Walter's troops could immediately launch a suppressive assault on the enemy bridge. Luck played a part, too."
If Yu Lian were the sort of commander who begrudged talented subordinates, would he resent them for stealing the spotlight?
In that respect, Lozes really was an excellent adjutant. Not only did he know how to save his commander's face, he also knew how to make excuses for his colleagues.
Still, Yu Lian felt a little put out.
"Comrade Chester, are you suggesting that I'm the kind of commander who gets jealous and resentful, or even loses his composure, when a subordinate takes the credit for a major victory?"
"Of course not. You'd be the first to throw up your hands and cheer. But people like you aren't the majority among leaders and colleagues. There are far more mediocrities and fools. I'm afraid that if I serve under you for too long, I'll forget how to deal with the ordinary people who make up the real majority. I'm also afraid that a sense of moral superiority might turn into a sense of superiority in rank. Neither would be good for me or the Pioneer Party's cause. So I have to occasionally practice my people skills on you. As our leader, you must understand my predicament, right?"
Yu Lian was silent for a moment, then sighed in admiration. "Comrade Lozes, whatever else can be said, your way of smoothing things over and balancing the scales has become more and more