Chapter 798: Zhenhai

Indeed, ever since one day when a certain shipgirl mentioned it, as Qin Ge prepared to hold the oath ceremony, the entire gangqu's attention was diverted.

After all, regarding the matter of changing ships, they had already known about it after such a long time. Moreover, only a few people in the gangqu had succeeded in changing ships, so many did not expect it to be their turn anytime soon.

Now, with Qin Ge preparing to hold the oath ceremony, the atmosphere in the gangqu changed instantly.

However, the ones who are happiest lately should be the Donghuang and Sakura Empire shipgirls.

When Qin Ge first returned from outside, he only gave a ring to Biyu, and after that there was no further word. They thought they would have to wait a long time before possibly receiving a ring from their commander, but they didn't expect to wait so short a time.

"I didn't expect the commander to finally ask me out like this; I thought I'd have to wait until we go to Donghuang again. It seems the recent rumors in the gangqu have been giving you a headache, so you used this method to divert attention, right?"

On a small path in the southern gangqu, Qin Ge and Zhenhai walked side by side; the sea breeze blowing on their faces was pleasant, yet Zhenhai's words made Qin Ge feel somewhat uneasy.

"Cough, as expected of Zhenhai, you guessed that so quickly." Qin Ge gave a light cough.

"Hehe, I could also guess that this must be Tiancheng's idea; ever since she went to your office that day, such talk has spread throughout the gangqu." Zhenhai laughed.

"Ha, actually I was also planning to hold the oath ceremony soon; after the New Year and before going to Donghuang, this period is relatively idle." Qin Ge chuckled, but also revealed that this was indeed Tiancheng's idea.

"Actually I didn't say this idea is bad, or that among events suitable for diverting everyone's attention in our gangqu right now, this is the best one."

"Or rather, speaking personally, I also lean toward this. Commander, what do you think I am like?" Zhenhai asked.

"Zhenhai, speaking personally, your mind is very meticulous; when faced with matters you remain calm and unflustered, making you an excellent strategist. You usually treat companions gently, like a mature older sister; altogether you are a very formidable person." Qin Ge replied.

"Hehe, I didn't expect that in the commander's eyes I appear as such a person." Zhenhai smiled, but from her confident smile Qin Ge felt this statement was absolutely a lie.

With Zhenhai's perceptiveness, could she not see my opinion of her? Qin Ge knew, however, that Zhenhai was best at discerning people's hearts.

"That's right, because my usual strategists are you and Tiancheng, so I've interacted with you longer and understand you better." Qin Ge smiled.

"Perhaps Tiancheng, as your strategist, wants to help you gain more assurance of victory, while I, as your strategist, am merely lacking in strength?" Zhenhai said.

"Ah? I never thought that way." Qin Ge hastily waved his hands and said, "I believe everyone has their own strengths, just as Enterprise excels at combat, Bisimai excels at management, Tiancheng excels at strategy, and you, Zhenhai, are the finest strategist."

War has never been merely a contest of strength; if it were that simple, each battle would only need to pick the few strongest individuals.

War has always been a contest of comprehensive strength—whether it be logistics, tactics, strategy, battlefield communications, arrangements, and so on, all are part of war. Everyone involved has a role and division of labor, each playing a crucial part in securing victory in a battle.

"Hehe, Commander, you certainly have a clear view of war." Zhenhai smiled.

"This is all what you usually teach me, Zhenhai; I merely remembered and integrated these ideas." Qin Ge said.

"It's good to see you have gained something, but walking aimlessly like this without a goal is rather dull. How about we find a place to play chess while we chat? I want to see whether you can, in the chess game, integrate what you just said as you described." Zhenhai said.

"Sure, I remember that when I came here before, there was a table not far ahead where we could rest." Qin Ge said.

"It seems you're quite familiar with this generation, so do you usually bring them here for dates?" Zhenhai laughed.

"Well, it's not that I come here often; it's only occasional, after all this island is large, and every direction has nice scenery. Rather, compared to the tree-lined path, they also prefer going to the beach."

"However, since the weather is nice today, there will surely be many people on the beach, so I still chose to bring you here; I hope you don't mind." Qin Ge replied.

"How could I mind? On the contrary, I'm rather happy, because as the gangqu's population grows, the time I can spend alone beside the commander keeps dwindling. Even I am like this, let alone others, so for this moment I still feel fortunate." Zhenhai laughed.

"Indeed, before I could still accompany them out to play, but now that there are more people, each day we can only meet and exchange greetings before rushing off to attend to other matters."

"Only when they serve as my secretary ship can I then, under the pretense of patrolling the gangqu, go on dates and such." Qin Ge said.

The two walked and talked until they reached the table Qin Ge had mentioned. Only then did Zhenhai take out a chessboard from her ship equipment space, place it on the table, and they each sat on opposite sides.

"Commander, before the chess game begins, how about our other wager?" Zhenhai said, holding the white pieces and smiling.

"What kind of wager?" Qin Ge asked.

"The loser must promise the winner one thing, no matter what it is." Zhenhai smiled.

"Ah? That scope is too broad; otherwise let's narrow it down—between the two of us, whatever the matter, it must not involve others." Qin Ge said.

"That works; then, Commander, please give it your all."

"You too."

Thus the chess game officially began; after a long while, looking at the board before them, Zhenhai smiled and said, "Ah, I was careless—me, who is usually adept at strategy, actually made a mistake here... Well, congratulations on your win. So, as the loser must obey the winner, tell me what your demand is; anything goes, hehe~"

"So, marry me." Qin Ge said, producing the oath ring.

"But this was already agreed upon beforehand, right? So the commander can, besides this request, also put forward another request." Zhenhai laughed.

"Hiss... can I think you're trying to tempt me?"

"What does the commander think?"

"Um."