Everyone in the 6th Combat Brigade knew exactly who would be taking over command of the troops after they arrived in the Central Plains.
Currently, Ren Xiaosu’s status in the Northwest was known to everyone. If this were the feudal era, he would be a designated successor without any siblings to vie with.
Although some veteran commanders were still watching from the sidelines, no one openly objected to his nomination.
Therefore, when Ren Xiaosu said P5092 would take over the command of the troops, Zhang Xiaoman sat to the side and listened in on the meeting without making any comments.
As a matter of fact, one of Zhang Xiaoman’s greatest strengths was that he was very aware of his own capabilities and knew how much he could accomplish with his abilities.
However, he was also trying his best to learn. Everyone would have to grow up eventually.
When Wang Yun told him about P5092’s background in a whisper, Zhang Xiaoman realized this was the best learning opportunity for him.
At this moment, the four regimental commanders, their adjutants, staff officers, and other commanders of the 6th Combat Brigade were all sitting in the command post. They were looking quietly at the unfamiliar P5092 who was sitting at the end of the long table.
On the way here, Zhang Xiaoman had told them the future command had poached this person from the Pyro Company. He was an outstanding military commander who would join them in the Prosperous Northwest from now on.
Everyone quickly understood what was going on. Quite a few talented people had joined the Prosperous Northwest in recent years. Although some people were not accustomed to the environment and did not get along with the Northwest, most of them were really quite capable.
Of course, there were also some people who grumbled in private that Fortress 178 would rather recruit outsiders than groom their own people. Therefore, they wanted to see just how capable this Pyro Company commander was.
Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin were sitting off to the side and listening in as well. Ren Xiaosu said to Yang Xiaojin, “Earlier on, I—”
“Be quiet. There should be no whispering during the meeting,” interrupted P5092.
Ren Xiaosu was stunned. Then he replied with a smile, “Understood.”
The other officers looked at one another. This P5092 was really quite bold. How dare he make an example out of the future commander to establish his authority?
The role of the future commander was not exactly a high-ranking position. Speaking of which, Ren Xiaosu did not even hold any real power. Even if anyone offended him, it was not like they would get fired or something. There was no such practice in the Northwest.
But the problem was that the future commander was extremely strong in combat. Wasn’t P5092 afraid of getting beaten up in private for doing that?
In any case, everyone here knew about Ren Xiaosu. Just by looking at what the future commander had done before, all of them combined would not be enough to defeat him.
After confirming Ren Xiaosu’s attitude, P5092 said calmly to the other officers, “OK, I want an update of the soldiers’ statuses in each regiment. I need to know what the actual situation of the 6th Combat Brigade is. Which staff officer would like to brief me?”
Wang Yun piped up, “I’ll do it.”
Ren Xiaosu looked at Wang Yun. There was something he was very curious about. Both Wang Yun and P5092 were very smart people, but their talents lay in different areas. As one had a macro view of things while the other had a micro view, he wondered what kind of result would come of their cooperation.
P5092 nodded. “Go ahead.”
“The 6th Combat Brigade is actually a reinforced brigade that consists of four regiments. As we don’t require a supply line, they’re all infantry regiments. The 1st Regiment has 1,497 soldiers, the 2nd Regiment has 1,501 soldiers, the 3rd Regiment has 1,419 soldiers, and the 4th Regiment has 1,521 soldiers.
“For troops with more than three years of combat experience, 1,041 are in the 1st Regiment, 1,011 are in the 2nd Regiment…
“For troops who are over 30 years old, 310 are in the 1st Regiment, 170 are in the 2nd Regiment…
“For those who have been through war before, we have 781 veterans in the 1st Regiment, 691 veterans in the 2nd Regiment…”
When Wang Yun went through the troop numbers, he did it with such familiarity that it felt like he had everything memorized clearly. Before P5092 joined them, he had validated all the data and was supposed to update Ren Xiaosu with it. However, someone even more well-versed in leading the troops, P5092, showed up instead.
These numbers might look normal, but an outstanding commander would understand that if the proportion of veterans and recruits in a fighting force was different, their performance on the battlefield would also turn out to be completely different. Therefore, it was no use to just look at the troop numbers.
This was originally a question P5092 wanted to ask, but he was worried these officers could not answer it. However, he did not expect Wang Yun to answer it so well.
P5092 praised, “Very good.”
But at this moment, Wang Yun suddenly frowned. “No, the number of soldiers who are older than 30 in the 1st Regiment is not 310. I’m sorry, it’s 311.”
“It’s fine. Remembering one wrong won’t affect the overall situation much,” P5092 said.
“It’s not that I remembered wrong.” Wang Yun said, “It’s because someone is celebrating his birthday today, so the number of soldiers over the age of 30 in the 1st Regiment is 311.”
With that, everyone, including P5092, was shocked. Was there really someone with such an excellent memory in the world?
There was a joke about three people who were captured by the enemy. The enemy told them, “As long as you can each answer one of our questions, we’ll release you.” The three prisoners hurriedly agreed to it.
So the enemy asked the first person, “How many people are there in your troops?”
The first person replied, “1,000.”
He was released.
Then the enemy asked the second person, “How many men and women are there in your troops?”
The second person replied, “All of them are men.”
He was released as well.
After that, the enemy asked the third person, “What are the names of these 1,000 people?”
Then the third person was executed.
But a freak like Wang Yun would not be stumped by this question. He could really recite all of the names.
At this moment, Wang Yun continued, “Now, let me touch on the allocation of weapons and equipment…”
This time, Wang Yun could even detail exactly how many bullets each regiment had, not to mention the number of heavy machine guns, grenades, and TNT.
While Wang Yun was speaking, P5092 recorded all the data in his notebook with a pen.
In just half an hour, P5092 knew the entire 6th Combat Brigade like the back of his hand.
Ren Xiaosu observed from the side and realized that P5092’s eyes were brightening by the moment. It looked like he was getting more confident after he gained a deeper understanding of these troops.
Although the 6th Combat Brigade had yet to engage in battle with the barbarians, Ren Xiaosu felt it was the correct choice to poach Wang Yun and P5092 to the Prosperous Northwest.
This was an alliance of two powerhouses!
Then, coupled with Yang Xiaojin’s and his ability to dominate the battlefield, a combat brigade might even be able to have a very big impact on the entire battlefield.
P5092 closed his notebook and said to everyone, “Let’s take a half-hour break. Next, I’ll be restructuring the brigade. Although the current distribution of soldiers is well-balanced, it can sometimes lead to fatal flaws on the battlefield. I’ll need both people who can assault the enemy and those who can stand their ground to defend our positions at the same time. With the different roles, the personnel allocation of each infantry regiment will also be different.”
“And where should we head to after that?” Zhang Xiaoman was suddenly curious. The atmosphere in the command center was no longer relaxed. They had a feeling that a great battle was imminent.
P5092 looked at Wang Yun. “Do you remember the terrain around the Central Plains?”
“Yes,” Wang Yun said calmly.
P5092 thought for a while and said, “I’ll state the conditions so you can help me identify a suitable location. It has to be within 50 to 70 kilometers of Mt. Daniu, close to a water source, and not further than two hours from Wanggan Ridge, which the enemy is using as a retreat route. Furthermore, it should be a place where we can take advantage of the difficult terrain to defend our position and not be easily discovered…”
It took P5092 three full minutes to state all the requirements.
Then Wang Yun stood up and opened a map to point at a spot northeast of Mt. Youyu. “Here, Mt. Zuoyun!”
P5092 smiled and told Ren Xiaosu, “Even if you refuse to let me join the Prosperous Northwest now, I would not leave.”
