The First Order

Chapter 1057: Can’t afford to lose

Although the streets were bustling with people, they consciously parted ways for Ren Xiaosu and Zhang Jinglin to walk towards Fortress 178’s Memorial Bell Square.

Everyone knew about this tradition. The first thing the future commander did upon entering the city was to pay tribute to the pioneers who died in battle for Fortress 178.

Zhang Jinglin looked at the residents on both sides of the street as he walked. He suddenly asked Ren Xiaosu, “So do you know what Fortress 178 is fighting for now?”

“More or less.” Ren Xiaosu smiled. “But I still haven’t figured out how to protect them and be a good leader for the Northwest yet.”

Zhang Jinglin said with a smile, “I was the same as you at the beginning. When the old commander told me to take over Fortress 178, my mind was in a daze. I was only a medic, so how did I end up becoming the commander of the Northwest Army?”

“What happened after that?” Ren Xiaosu asked curiously.

“Later, he locked me up in solitary and told me that I was the commander and that I was the only one who could lead everyone to survival. If I didn’t agree to it, he would lock me up forever,” Zhang Jinglin recalled. “He even gave me guidance and said he was also not prepared when the previous commander got him to take over. In the end, he was strung up and beaten until he agreed to it.”

Ren Xiaosu was stunned. Why were the commanders of Fortress 178 all made to take their roles in such a torturous manner?

When Zhang Jinglin saw that Ren Xiaosu was shocked, he continued with a smile, “Speaking of which, it’s quite strange. None of the commanders of Fortress 178 were willing to take their roles at the beginning. It was always the old commander behaving like a thug and forcing the next commander to submit to their pick. So in a way, I can be considered the gentlest commander when it comes to picking the next commander. What do you think? Are you touched?”

“Mr. Zhang, you haven’t changed at all.” Ren Xiaosu sighed emotionally.

Back at the school in town, Zhang Jinglin would plant vegetables in the yard and even smoke cigarettes. Although he was a decent person, he did not give off an oppressive aura when interacting with others.

Ren Xiaosu asked, “But why did they all have to choose someone unwilling to be the commander? There should be a lot of capable people out there.”

“The old commander once told me that I must choose someone who doesn’t care for the position of commander. Because the commander of Fortress 178 does not need ambition or desire for power,” Zhang Jinglin explained.

“Why’s that?” Ren Xiaosu was surprised.

“Because Fortress 178’s duty is to protect. Its commander definitely must not have any intention of expanding the territory.” Zhang Jinglin said in seriousness, “The reason for our existence is these people around us. If this war chariot starts moving for the sake of its own desires one day, Fortress 178 will be on its road to demise. Of course, choosing the fortress commanders this way might not necessarily be right either, but it’s always been done like this in the past. If I make the wrong choice, it won’t be my fault either. It was the old commander who made me do it this way.”

“Wait a minute, why did you suddenly shift the blame?!” Ren Xiaosu was stunned.

“But even so, you still have to work hard.” Zhang Jinglin instructed in seriousness, “Of course, you’re doing great now. I’ve been paying close attention to everything happening at Stronghold 144. Initially, I was worried you couldn’t manage a stronghold since you’re still too young. But the results you’ve shown made me realize I was overthinking things.”

Zhang Jinglin continued, “Using the contract responsibility system to stimulate everyone’s enthusiasm for reclaiming the wastelands is the most suitable solution for the entire Northwest. I have to admit you’re much better than when I first took over.”

Ren Xiaosu asked, “Mr. Zhang, what was it like when you took over Fortress 178?”

“At that time, I only had Fortress 178 to manage, but I was so busy with it. Someone might say they wanted to raise the level of combat readiness today and expand the number of troops. But tomorrow, someone else would say there wasn’t enough food. In any case, just handling these political matters alone was already like fighting a war.” Zhang Jinglin sighed and said, “At that time, the Zong Consortium was still secretly causing trouble for Fortress 178. A lot of problems also arose within Fortress 178, but fortunately, they were all resolved. Otherwise, I really couldn’t face the old commander when I die. However, after experiencing all this, I’ve concluded that no one’s born to be a commander. They’ll naturally improve once they get put in that position, and the pressure will make them grow.”

Although Zhang Jinglin made it sound very simple, Ren Xiaosu knew it would definitely be very difficult when the time came for him to take over.

Zhang Jinglin continued, “You already have your supporters. Many of them are very talented in politics, and you also have a genius military commander in P5092, so that makes me less worried for you. What I’m more interested in is your Prosperous Northwest 2.0 plan. Have you started thinking about the 3.0 plan?”

1.0 was about recruiting highly skilled people, such as Wang Yun, P5092, Ji Zi’ang, and others.

2.0 was to cast a wide net and abduct a large number of refugees to support the development of the Northwest. They would start reclaiming the wastelands and boost their technical talents.

The progression of the 2.0 plan was still rather surprising this time. That was because not all of the refugees were uneducated people. A large group were former technicians, engineers, university professors, and other highly skilled professionals from the Pyro Company and the Kong Consortium. Some of these people even held patents in their names, and this was a very strong supplement to the technological advances of the Northwest.

For example, a scientist among these refugees was one of the program directors who had researched and developed micro pacemakers, and another was a project leader who led the development of single-use endoscopes.

Although these talents were not of much help to the war efforts, a growing force should not always be thinking of war exclusively. The most important thing was to go for an all-around development.

Only those who were truly concerned about the development of their establishments would understand how important such people were.

Truly, Zhou Qingyang was a fool. He only felt the refugees were a burden, but he never thought there would also be a wealth of talent hidden among them.

That was why Zhang Jinglin praised the Prosperous Northwest 2.0 plan. The “abduction” of the refugees this time had really given the Northwest a huge surprise.

As for 3.0…

Ren Xiaosu shook his head and said with a wry smile, “I don’t have any ideas for the 3.0 plan yet.”

“It’s fine, there’s no hurry.” Zhang Jinglin said with a smile, “We still have a long way to go.”

The two of them had already walked up to the memorial bell. A huge copper bell hung in the square where 11 tall stone tablets were scattered. They stood for the 11 wars Fortress 178 had participated in.

Behind the two of them was a dense crowd of Fortress 178 residents. Everyone was watching Zhang Jinglin and Ren Xiaosu’s backs in the square quietly.

Zhang Jinglin said, “Under this monument are the names of the pioneers who died in the previous wars. The casualties total 279,281. Although the 11 wars left Fortress 178 riddled and down and out, we still emerged victorious every time. Xiaosu, as the current commander, I actually have nothing much to teach you. But there’s one thing you must remember. Although victory and defeat are common in war, Fortress 178 must never, ever lose. Look at those people behind watching you with anticipation. You should understand that Fortress 178 can’t afford to lose.”

Behind them were millions to tens of millions of Northwesterners. They really could not afford to lose.

Everyone said a person had to be brave enough to accept defeat, and that failure was not a big deal. What was more important was whether you had the courage to get up and fight again.

But it was different for the Northwest. They had to use their courage, determination, wisdom, and even their lives to ensure that the final victory of every war was theirs to claim.