Chapter 572: The Final Position, I

Night fell, and smoke swirled inside the Blue Army Headquarters.

Commander Wang Zhongxi was discussing the upcoming operation plan with the staff department and several junior commanders stationed near the Headquarters.

Suddenly, a communications soldier stood up and loudly reported the front‑line situation.

"Report, Commander: multiple defensive positions in sector 5 have been seized by the Red side!"

"Company Commander Ma has led the participating troops to withdraw to sector 6 to reorganize the defense!"

Silence fell over the makeshift conference table, and the already smoky Blue Army Headquarters grew even gloomier.

Immediately after, reconnaissance officers Zhou Kaidong and Guo Yongwen rushed in from outside, bringing even worse news.

"Report, chief: based on our multiple reconnaissance reports, several Red front units are massing troops toward sector 5!"

"Furthermore, we have detected that the Blue Army is transporting a large amount of supplies and ammunition from the coastal region to the front, apparently preparing for a major battle!"

"Understood, go out."

"Yes!"

The two exited the command room, and Wang Zhongxi jammed his cigarette butt into the ashtray piled like a small hill, speaking in a slightly relaxed, joking tone.

"It seems the Red side doesn't even want to leave us any chance of survival; are they preparing to cut us down like a hot knife through tangled rope, wiping us out?"

"The current situation is just that; we estimate that the Red side will launch a full‑scale attack as early as dawn, and at the latest by four or five tomorrow afternoon."

"I want to ask your opinions: at this moment should we continue to hold, or should we press forward and launch an offensive?"

As soon as the words fell, Staff Officer Zhang was the first to stand and speak; what else could he demonstrate now?

"Report, Commander, I take the offensive!"

"Oh, tell us, why do you want to go on the offensive?"

"I believe that attacking is the best defense!"

Staff Officer Zhang said earnestly: "Given the current situation, defense alone will never hold; we must have the courage to burn our boats in order to seize a sliver of hope!"

Wang Zhongxi smiled, waved his hand for him to sit down: "Well said, does anyone have a different opinion?"

A deputy company commander immediately stood up: "Report, Commander, I will hold the line, gathering all remaining troops to die‑hold the last position; as long as we can repel the enemy and reduce their combat power in battle, we can buy more time."

"Moreover, in times like this, staying still is better than moving; the Blue Army's satellite watches our every move from above, and the larger our actions, the easier we are detected by the enemy."

"I disagree with that view; moving a tree kills it, moving a person saves it. Since the depth strategy is ineffective, we should change tactics now rather than simply retreating!"

"That's not retreat; it's strategic defense. A porcupine isn't very aggressive, but when prey attacks it, it becomes covered in quills. We should act like a porcupine now, curl up and lay traps and anti‑infantry landmines around us, waiting for the enemy to crash into us!"

"I also disagree with Chief Staff Officer Zhang's view; we've already tried a proactive attack before. We even feigned weakness to lure the enemy in, then arranged follow‑up support to counterattack, but the Red side never fell for it. As long as the Red side's 'Heaven's Eye' remains, this method will never work!"

"Then we cut off their logistics, find a way to destroy their supply lines so their front‑line troops run out of ammunition!"

"That's easy to say, but how many reconnaissance troops have we lost these days? Even seasoned veterans like Zhou Kaidong almost fell into the hands of the Night Tiger men, let alone the other soldiers?"

"Report!"

At that moment, another staff officer slammed the table and stood: "I will feign surrender!"

The words made all the junior commanders burst into laughter.

Staff Officer Zhang kept shaking his head, silently muttering two words: "idiot!"

Seeing everyone laughing, the staff officer grew anxious, fearing Wang Zhongxi might misunderstand, and quickly added an explanation.

"Commander, I mean a fake surrender!"

"First defend, pretend we can't win, then pretend to surrender; but the key is to surrender only in front of their Red commander!"

"Find a way to lure them over, then ambush the surrounding troops and deliver a fatal strike from the shadows; as long as we eliminate the Red side's supreme commander and cripple their command system, we might still have a sliver of hope!"

Wang Zhongxi pulled out a cigarette, tapped it on the table, smiled, and said nothing.

Tan Yuanzhou, sitting nearby, squinted and looked at the soldier advocating the fake surrender.

"Putting aside the Red side's absolute advantage and their ability to crush us in one go, why would we accept surrender?"

"Um..."

"Secondly, why do you simply assume the Red supreme commander would willingly come here? War is not a game; exposing oneself to danger is the most foolish act."

Tan Yuanzhou took the cigarette Wang Zhongxi handed him, relit it, and said: "Finally, even if all you say comes true and we actually kill the Red commander, what then?"

"If the Red commander is gone, the deputy commander, Political Commissar, and Chief of Staff can all take over; what we need to do is destroy the supreme command system, not just behead one of them."

"Your warrior theory class needs to be re‑forged; after the exercise, stop staying in the staff department and go manage the Warehouse in Logistics."

"......"

The staff officer slunk down, bowing his head, almost burying it under the table.

He had thought it was a chance to earn merit, but it backfired completely.

The conference room fell silent again, and Tan Yuanzhou looked to his left at the ever‑silent Gao Feng.

"Gao Feng, any thoughts?"

"I will defend."

"Reason?"

"If we hold and repel them, we have a chance."

Gao Feng, shedding his former irritability and haste, became the most composed in the meeting.

The Red side's hard power and the Night Tiger Reconnaissance Battalion's swift, precise, ruthless tactics made him fully see the disparity between the two sides.

After more than half a year of pursuit and effort, even though they have exhausted all means, their unfamiliarity with amphibious warfare and lack of overall insight keep them in a very passive position.

Thus, in this situation, reckless advance equals courting death.

At that moment, Wang Zhongxi's phone in his pocket vibrated.

He took it out, glanced at it, then nudged Tan Yuanzhou beside him.

Gao Feng could clearly see a flash of light in their eyes, likely indicating news from elsewhere, and he sat up straight immediately.

Sure enough, Wang Zhongxi took a sip of tea and formally announced the next plan: "I will unify the Political Commissar's opinion and also defend; but the purpose of defense is not merely to hold this last inch of land."

As for the concrete action plan, I won't go into details, it's classified throughout; but what you can know is that the longer we hold, the greater our odds of victory.

Once the battle erupts, holding for six hours raises the odds by twenty percent; holding for twelve hours raises them to forty percent.

If we can hold and stall the enemy for more than twenty‑four hours, our odds will at least reach seventy to eighty percent!

Wang Zhongxi's voice was very stirring, yet it failed to ignite the spark of hope in a few people.

They all knew well how hard the fight would be when the Red side massed huge forces and had a god‑like overview.

Given the Blue army's current strength, even defending for four or five hours is extremely difficult.

Six to eight hours is basically the limit, let alone twelve hours.

As for twenty‑four hours, that's pure fantasy—a task absolutely impossible to accomplish.

Even if a temporary defensive line formed by Ma Qing'an and his men on the outskirts were used to blunt the Red side's assault, it would still be impossible to hold for that long—truly a fantasy.

Wang Zhongxi swept his gaze over the junior commanders stationed nearby; wherever his eyes fell, they looked guilty, bowed their heads, or dared not meet his stare.

The staff officer who earlier misspoke and was demoted to guard the Warehouse is the best example; nobody wants to follow his path.

"Report!"

But just then, Gao Feng stepped forward on his own: "For the final position, the Second Company will hold it!"