Chapter 556: You

What's the matter, and it's come to me?

South Sea Fleet, Marine Corps Headquarters.

Cai Zhengbang, who bears the rank of junior general and serves as deputy‑army‑level headquarters director, brewed a cup of Tieguanyin and looked at the two Brigade Commanders before him.

Brigade Commander Feng Yuan spoke first: "Chief, you must uphold justice for us in this matter!"

You go first?

Director Cai Zhengbang blew the tea froth and took a gentle sip.

Feng Ming said angrily: "The Blue Force, the night before the exercise began, snuck into the exercise area and leveled the only coastal sand‑filled position our Red side held!"

"If it weren't for the signboard on the side, my men would have almost not recognized it!"

Pfft!

Cai Zhengbang spat out his tea in one gulp, wetting the documents spread on the table.

He quickly pulled out a tissue to wipe it, looked up in shock at Feng Ming, and then pointed to the "honest man" Zheng Chengfeng standing nearby.

"Your Red side's sand‑filled position occupied such a large area, took several days to excavate, and the Blue Force flattened it all in one night?"

Yes!

Feng Ming, filled with righteous indignation, said: "They hired a contractor! One excavator, one bulldozer, three laborers, and after it was done they even had our Red side personnel inspect it on site and settle the final payment!"

"This is the receipt, and also the most direct evidence!"

He slapped the crumpled document onto the table.

Cai Zhengbang took it over, examined it carefully, and asked Zheng Chengfeng.

"Is what he said true?"

"Report, it's not true."

"You're full of it!"

Feng Ming, fuming, stamped his foot: "How dare you say your men didn't do it, how dare you say it's not true? It's in black‑and‑white on paper; the wages were paid by my people!"

Cai Zhengbang did not draw a conclusion immediately, but asked further: "Zheng Chengfeng, since you say it's not true, tell me what the real situation is."

Zheng Chengfeng said solemnly: "The real situation is that the Red side sent people first to sabotage our outer positions; they built earthen walls, cut off the communication trench connecting the two trenches, and filled the shell‑hole in the trench, which is why we launched a counterattack!"

"We just filled some earth, blocked a communication trench; you used an excavator to flatten our entire position!"

"What you filled isn't earth; it's the lifeline of our Blue Force soldiers!"

"Director, he's twisting words!"

"I think you the villain should be the one to inform first!"

"You, you're utterly shameless, completely unreasonable!"

"You're not shameless? You talk about reason, yet your Red side sneaks around at midnight to do bad deeds, all learned from you; you used to enjoy petty theft, and now it's escalated!"

Zheng Chengfeng retorted sharply: "I now strongly suspect that the past case of underwear theft from the Second Brigade Signal Company's female barracks was orchestrated by you!"

Feng Ming nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood, "This damn thing is pure framing!"

"Director, he's slandering me, he's slandering me!"

"Director, I strongly recommend revoking the Red side's competition eligibility and simply declaring them the losers!"

"Zheng Chengfeng, you're shameless! You should be forced to withdraw from the competition; a team with such moral decay and twisted humanity should not appear on the exercise field; you lack the spirit of competition first, friendship second!"

Zheng Chengfeng seized the slip in his words and quickly added: "Chief, you heard it, you heard it; he says competition first, friendship second, his mindset is seriously deviated, revoke his eligibility!"

Cai Zhengbang pressed his chin, his gaze flickering between the two faces locked in verbal combat, yet he delayed making any decision.

He tapped the table with his finger, and the two fell silent instantly.

"I've directed so many exercises, and I've never encountered anyone like you before?"

"You actually snuck onto the opponent's positions before the exercise began to sabotage each other?"

"Alright, that's enough, let's stop this…."

Feng Ming tried to say something else, but he raised his hand and cut him off.

"Don't say anything more, your arguing hurts my ears."

"How old are you? Acting like children, squabbling like this—where's any sign of a Brigade Commander?"

Feng Ming still wanted to argue on principle, but this round he over‑reached, losing both his wife and his troops.

He must find a way to remedy it; if that fails, let them run the excavators and flatten the Blue Force's position entirely, would that work?

But as soon as the idea was raised, it was outright rejected; Cai Zhengbang sternly criticized: "If it were only the Blue Force acting maliciously, I, representing the exercise directing department, would handle it severely and punish without mercy."

"But now your Red side's rear isn't clean either, and you still have the nerve to criticize others?"

"For now, let's call it even; if you truly have objections, then each of you can take thirty lashes, and we'll handle everything impartially!"

Upon hearing about the lashes, Feng Ming and Zheng Chengfeng quickly shook their heads, indicating they would not pursue the matter further.

They originally came to argue a point; if a penalty were issued, it would be too disheartening.

"Director, the Red side's sand‑filled position was destroyed; restoring it will take at least a day or two. Can the exercise schedule be postponed accordingly?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

Feng Ming was overjoyed.

Cai Zhengbang said lightly: "When you sit in my seat, become the Marine Corps commander, become the chief director of the exercises, and be able to set the exercise rules, whatever you say will be law."

Seeing Feng Ming's sullen, humiliated look, Zheng Chengfeng felt thrilled inside.

Since pulling Lu Yang into the Navy, the once‑dull military life now gets occasional bursts of different fun.

This kid really knows how to stir things up; earlier, when he received a phone report, he almost made the meeting‑going Zheng Chengfeng laugh so hard he fell off his chair.

Cai Zhengbang added a sentence: "On the battlefield, all sorts of accidents always happen; just treat this incident as an extra question."

"Right now, what you should think about is not how to remedy the situation, but to promptly adjust your battle plan and find a way to turn the disadvantage into initiative."

"Yes..."

Feng Ming answered reluctantly, while Zheng Chengfeng responded readily.

Because of their side's problem, Lu Yang had already arranged personnel to restore and reinforce; he even found time to lay many anti-infantry landmines nearby.

"Just this once, not to be repeated; go back now."

"Yes."

Cai Zhengbang issued an order to expel them, and the two saw no reason to linger further.

As soon as they stepped outside, Feng Ming's suppressed anger burst forth.

"Zheng Chengfeng, you sneaky little bastard, did you order them to do this? Without your command, how could they have done it?!"

"What's it to you? This is what they call 'the Dao rises a foot, the demon rises ten feet!'"

"Pah, you're as lacking in virtue as your troops, full of dirty tricks!"

"Same to you, you're no good bird either!"

"Anyway, I'm better than you, you bird!"

"I don't believe it; if you've got the guts, bring it out and let's compare!"

"You think I don't dare!"

"You gonna bring it out?"

"Bring it out then!"

"I'm betting you don't dare, come on!"

"Screw your grandpa, this is the Headquarters, with so many people coming and going—do you think I'm an idiot?"

Feng Ming made a provocative gesture while sitting astride, shouting: "You just wait, in this exercise I'll beat the shit out of you Blue Army, I'll make you take my surname!"

Zheng Chengfeng mocked to the fullest: "Yo yo yo yo~ I'm so scared, scared to death, scared to death; heh, even your bullshit can't withstand a hammer blow—I want to see just how much you Red side are really worth."

"We'll see!"

"See you on the battlefield!"

Both sides exchanged harsh words, then went their separate ways.

Even though the people have left, the lingering gunpowder smell in the air remains strong.

In the upstairs office, Cai Zhengbang stood behind the window, watching and couldn't help but smile and shake his head.

"They're a bunch of lively characters, how did they come up with that; they even hired a construction crew to flatten the position?"

"It seems Commander Gu's decision was correct; although forming the Third Brigade carries great risk, it is still quite meaningful."

"The clash between the Army and Navy really can produce something different. Looks like, in the future, the Marine Corps... no, the whole South Sea Fleet is going to get lively!"