The 3rd Division’s retreat went exceptionally smoothly. Truly, those several rounds of artillery fire were effective, causing the expeditionary army to hesitate to pursue them.
After all, the expeditionary army had used subterfuge to lure the Pyro Company into advancing, so they would not want to commit the same mistake.
But with this hesitation, they missed the best opportunity to cut off the 3rd Division’s retreat.
After returning to the Great Wall, Ren Xiaosu followed P5092 right back to the 3rd Division’s command center. “What kind of punishment do you think those division commanders will receive? If not for their greed and recklessness, we would have scored an amazing victory.”
P5092 fell silent at the mention.
The P5 commanders of the 7th, 1st, and 4th Divisions had all come to pay a visit to P5092. The three of them probably did not rest at all. They had handed over the reorganization of their divisions to their adjutants before coming to see P5092.
When the 7th Division’s commander saw Ren Xiaosu, he was stunned. He was wondering why Ren Xiaosu would help the 7th Division. So it turned out he was P5092’s friend.
Thinking about it now, he suddenly felt ashamed he did not listen to P5092’s advice and even ended up needing to be saved by him.
He greeted Ren Xiaosu and said, “Thank you for your help this time.”
“Gratitude received from P5067, +1.”
Ren Xiaosu smiled and said, “It’s fine, you don’t have to thank me so quickly.”
Logically, Ren Xiaosu should have answered, “If you want to thank anyone, thank P5092 instead. He was the one who asked me to help all y’all.”
But Ren Xiaosu did not say that. Instead, he followed up with, “When I’m done with my work here, I’ll specially make a trip to the 7th Division within the next two days. At that time, you can thank me together with all of your men.”
The 7th Division’s commander was confused.
The three commanders in the command center were all stunned. ‘What the hell? What’s with this unexpected reply?!‘
P5092 smiled and changed the subject. “I know why the three of you came to look for me.”
P5067 said with a wry smile, “This time, we’ll definitely be punished by HQ for attempting to seek glory and our reckless actions. You know how strict HQ’s punishments are. So I’m here this time to ask you as our acting commander-in-chief to speak up for us. It’s not that I covet this role, but the last-minute change in leadership will affect the combat effectiveness of our 7th Division. After the war ends, I’ll personally submit my resignation letter, but nothing must happen to me right now. As long as you can convince HQ to delay dishing out our punishment, I’m willing to write my resignation letter now and place it with you.”
Ren Xiaosu was stunned. What was this?
But from the look of things, the other party really treated P5092 as the commander-in-chief.
P5092 looked at the other two. “You two are going to say the same thing, right?”
“Yes,” the other two division commanders said. They looked at Ren Xiaosu. “Is this your friend? Can you excuse us—”
“There’s no need,” P5092 interrupted. “There’s no need to ask him to leave. I’ll also give everyone a direct answer here. In the future, we’ll still need everyone to work together sincerely for the war. So I’ll help all of you through the difficult times when HQ carries out its investigations. As for quitting your positions as division commander after the war, there’s no need for that. Instead, I feel that a commander who has suffered defeat before will know how to earn victory through cautiousness in the future. The three of you should hurry back and get some rest. The expeditionary army will arrive at the Great Wall tomorrow.”
After sending off the three division commanders, Ren Xiaosu felt a little helpless. If P5092 became the commander-in-chief of the Pyro Company, he could not take him away from here.
Ren Xiaosu asked, “Is the Pyro Company so strict that they would replace their commanders in such a critical moment?”
“Of course.” P5092 nodded and said, “A mistake is a mistake. Anyone who makes a mistake has to be punished. This is a house rule of the Pyro Company. Moreover, in the eyes of the higher-ups, be it me or them, we’re just cogs in a machine. If any cogs break, they have to replace them. That’s their mentality when it comes to running things.”
“Then how do you plan to help them?” Ren Xiaosu asked, “It might be a good choice to pin all the blame on the dead 6th and 5th Divisions’ commanders.”
“No.” P5092 shook his head. “Although they were in the wrong during the pursuit, it was a wise decision from them to stay behind. Furthermore, they’ve already sacrificed their lives for their ideals, so I can’t simply discredit their honor.”
“But you just said that in the view of the Pyro Company’s leaders, those commanders were indeed in the wrong,” Ren Xiaosu said.
“Actually, discrediting their honor is also acceptable, but I can’t bear to let the soldiers of the 6th and 5th Divisions be disgraced as well.” P5092 sighed and said, “Just as you said, from the most logical point of view, I’m sure that even if those two division commanders hadn’t died, they couldn’t have made up for their mistakes this time. However, the soldiers were innocent, so their spirits should be allowed to return home with honor.”
“I didn’t expect you to be so compassionate,” Ren Xiaosu praised. “Then how do you plan on saving those three commanders?”
As he spoke, a group of soldiers in white military uniforms came to the entrance of the command center. P5092 looked out as one of the soldiers said, “Sir, we’re with the military police and have come to investigate the reasons for the defeat. Before this, we learned the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th Divisions were all guilty of dereliction of duty due to glory chasing. We’re here to corroborate with you on whether that’s true.”
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P5092 was silent for a moment before saying, “It’s not their fault. I was the one who ordered them to pursue the enemy.”
The soldier was stunned. “Sir, what did you say? This doesn’t tally with the facts we found.”
P5092 smiled and said, “How doesn’t it? I was indeed the one who gave them the order to pursue the enemy, so it’s only right that I be punished. Take me away. I’ve already handed over my duties. I’m willing to go with the military police to be investigated.”
Then P5092 turned around and said to Ren Xiaosu with a smile, “I wonder when we’ll meet again after bidding farewell this time. If we ever do, I hope you’ll still recognize me.”
This time, Ren Xiaosu was really stunned. He did not expect P5092 to actually hand over his duties in advance. This meant he was prepared to take all the blame from the beginning.
Ren Xiaosu frowned and asked, “Wait, why are you doing this?”
“Because it’s the most logical choice.” P5092 thought for a moment before adding, “Of course, it’s also because I’ve become a little tired.”
He was probably referring to becoming tired of the power struggles that had been going on.
Ren Xiaosu immediately thought of something else. P5092 had mentioned that the 3rd Division was the Pyro Company’s artillery unit. After abandoning their artillery in the forest, the 3rd Division would be reduced to playing a bit role as an engineering unit in the rear due to a shortage of ammunition.
This also meant that even if P5092 were to be taken away, it would not affect the war on the front lines.
On the other hand, if the other divisions that still had some strength left in them were to see a change of leadership at this time, it would cause their combat strength to fall drastically. In fact, a commander and their troops would have to work together for at least two years to gel, and a new commander could not bring out the full potential of their troops in the first two years of command.
It was not that the troops were disobedient, but that the commander-subordinate relationship needed to be ironed out. It was definitely not that easy to lead troops into battle. War was not like playing chess, and soldiers were not chess pieces either.
Therefore, in the eyes of P5092, sacrificing himself to keep the other three commanders in their roles was the most pragmatic choice and also the most beneficial one for the Pyro Company’s victory.
P5092 once said that if he were required to sacrifice himself in a war, he would not hesitate to do it.
Now, it was time for P5092 to do just that.
“What punishment will you receive?” Ren Xiaosu asked calmly.
“I’ll have my genetic modifications undone and be put behind bars for 15 years,” P5092 analyzed. “But I’ll be on good behavior in prison, so I should be out in about 10 years.”
Ren Xiaosu took a deep breath and said, “It’s time for you to fulfill our agreement then!”
P5092 was stunned. “What agreement do we have?”
Ren Xiaosu said, “The Prosperous Northwest!”
P5092 was confused. He wondered when the agreement was made. Why did he not know about it?!
However, Ren Xiaosu did not say much to P5092. He knew that P5092 already intended to go, and now that he had encountered this situation, it was time for him to leave the Pyro Company.
After that, Ren Xiaosu suddenly stepped over to P5092 and hit him on the neck with a knifehand strike. P5092 tried to resist, but his combat strength was not enough to deal with Ren Xiaosu. He immediately passed out.
The soldiers in the white uniforms quickly raised their guns. “What are you doing?! Stop right there!”
However, Ren Xiaosu supported the unconscious P5092 and said to the adjutant at the side, “I’m taking your commander away now. I don’t think you want to see him spending 10 years in prison either, right?”
The adjutant hesitated. “Where are you taking him?”
“To the Northwest, the Prosperous Northwest!” Ren Xiaosu said firmly, “Why don’t you go as well? Forget it, you’re too trash. It’s better that you don’t go.”
The adjutant shouted, “… What the fuck?!”
Ren Xiaosu said to the adjutant, “Let me ask you this: Do you want him to waste ten years in prison? If not, help us get away.”
“OK,” the adjutant replied.
But before the adjutant could order the 3rd Division’s soldiers to place the military policemen under arrest, they suddenly put down their guns. “Actually, we don’t want to see this P5 commander get court martialed either. Everyone knows he’s taking the blame for the other commanders. How about this? You can knock us out too and then escape with him.”
Ren Xiaosu was dumbfounded. What the hell was this?
The adjutant said, “Please take the commander with you and leave first. I’ll knock them out.”
Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment before carrying P5092 and running out of the military base with Yang Xiaojin. During this time, all the soldiers of the 3rd Division saluted the unconscious P5092 to send him off. No one came forward to stop Ren Xiaosu.
“I didn’t expect such a cold-hearted commander to be loved by so many soldiers.” Ren Xiaosu sighed and said, “Let’s go. Such talent is destined for the Prosperous Northwest!”
All the soldiers of the 3rd Division stood at the entrance of their barracks as they watched Ren Xiaosu carry P5092 far away. Some of them even had tears in their eyes.
Actually, P5092 did not treat them well, as he was too strict with them. Their training was strict and their daily routine was strict. It was so strict it was on the verge of being harsh.
Moreover, sometimes, he would even send soldiers to their deaths with just a word.
But for some reason, everyone respected this commander from the bottom of their heart. It was probably because he was true to his ideals.
Their commander had finally gone to the Prosperous Northwest…