CHAPTER 410: CHAPTER 353 FIRST DAY_1

Yan Xing led thirty Armored Gryphons into the fray, swiftly altering the predicament of the Eternal Domain’s aerial fleet.

The fighter squadron retreated in an orderly manner, with some damaged planes heading back towards the Eternal Domain.

Facing the blockade of the Armored Gryphons, the forces of the Wildwind Principality showed no determination to fight to the death. After losing more than a dozen Divine Beasts and a number of griffons and gargoyles, they also gradually disengaged from the battle.

After all, it was the first day of combat.

Since there was no opportunity for a breakthrough, a probing attack was sufficient.

Gathering intelligence on the enemy’s tactics and firepower deployment was essential to prepare for the next attack.

After being bombed by Dive Bombers, the ground infantry strode back to their starting positions.

As the sky gradually quieted, only the contest between both sides’ long-range heavy artillery remained.

Yan Xing, riding Fei Ying, landed at Outpost Fort.

Continuous roars of cannons echoed from the west, as large groups of planes circled overhead.

After dismounting Fei Ying, Yan Xing immediately sent someone to notify the military commanders of all fronts to come to Outpost Fort for a meeting.

Outpost Fort was initially a military fortress built through cooperation between the Eternal Domain and Nuta City. Its purpose was to prevent Elf armies from breaking through Riftfort and threatening both the Eternal Domain and Nuta City.

Now, Outpost Fort stood as a barrier before the Eternal Domain, and the Eternal Domain army’s forward command center was also established here.

Military commanders from all fronts arrived at Outpost Fort promptly upon receiving Yan Xing’s orders.

「In the war council room.」

Yan Xing spoke little; instead, he had his generals watch videos on a large screen.

The footage consisted of combat imagery captured by cameras Chui Chui had deployed across the battlefield. It had been edited and enhanced to reconstruct the course of the battle comprehensively.

The two-dimensional tactical map also displayed charts of both sides’ offensive and defensive situations.

Yan Xing and his generals watched quietly, reviewing the recent battle from a third-person perspective.

They watched for a full two hours, reviewing a battle that had lasted just over an hour from start to finish.

After the video ended, Yan Xing took a sip of water before addressing the military commanders in the conference room. "This battle, overall, has met our strategic objectives. Namely, to hold our positions and reduce our casualties while inflicting maximum possible damage on the enemy.

"I observed many strengths on the front lines, but also many deficiencies.

"Mistakes are inevitable for an entirely new army like ours. The key is to recognize our mistakes, find solutions, and ultimately prevent their recurrence.

"These post-battle self-critique meetings shouldn’t just be held by us at this level; you must also conduct them when you return to your units.

"Generals must identify their own mistakes, and soldiers must identify theirs.

"Would anyone like to begin?

"You can also point out the mistakes of allied units."

After Yan Xing finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Truth be told, everyone thought the battle had gone quite well. They had been waiting for their Lord to praise them, but instead, he asked them to find faults.

How... how could anyone bring themselves to say that?

When none of the commanders spoke, Yan Xing waited a moment before continuing, "An army needs unity to win battles. However, this unity shouldn’t be born of compromise. If there are dissatisfactions, voice them in the meeting. Only by speaking up can everyone be informed, allowing issues to be resolved and fostering better cooperation.

"If you remain silent, merely trying to spare a colleague’s feelings, tolerating problems, and letting resentments fester... that kind of unity is only superficial. When issues eventually surface, they become major problems.

"The unity I seek is forged in struggle.

"We must not only struggle against our enemies but also find the courage internally to confront our mistakes and conflicts. True unity is achieved when these internal struggles resolve our issues.

"Only a truly united army is capable of achieving continuous victories!"

The Eternal Domain’s army was not only new but also very diverse in its composition.

Humans, Werewolves, and Lizardmen formed the core of the Eternal Domain army, with a small number of Elves also serving among the human forces.

It included ’veterans’ who had been with Yan Xing from the start, as well as recent recruits.

Some were well-trained, others less so.

A single battle had exposed many issues previously unseen.

Yan Xing could discern some of these problems, but he knew many more remained hidden from his view.

Each of these issues represented a hidden danger.

If not brought into the open for discussion and resolution, these issues could fester into resentments, and resentments into conflicts.

The instructor had once said, ’Seek unity through struggle, and unity will prevail; seek unity through concession, and it will perish.’

This is the path to victory.

To not put this into practice would mean one wasn’t a true youth nurtured under the red flag.

After Yan Xing finished, the room once again fell silent.

However, some individuals glanced around, looking eager yet hesitant to speak.

Yan Xing singled one out: "Commander Lianzu, I see you have something to say. Please stand and share your thoughts with everyone.

"Say whatever is on your mind. Don’t hold anything back.

"Understand this: the people at this table are your comrades-in-arms. If you withhold your thoughts, they remain merely colleagues..."

Lianzu was the division commander of the Lizardman First Division.

In the Eternal Domain’s military hierarchy, this infantry division was as new as they came.

Even the Qiao She Division, formed at the same time, had the advantage that its members were fellow Werewolves.

Lianzu’s infantry division was positioned on the left flank, slightly to the rear of the main line, and hadn’t faced significant pressure during this battle.

However, numerous issues had been exposed.

These included problems stemming from their own insufficient training, as well as issues involving allied units.