Darrell passed away just a day later.
He was very calm before he died, and said with a smile: "I really envy the ancients..."
Wu Qiao: "Huh?"
Darrell said: "Before the ancients died, they drank a jug of wine and recited a poem. It's not like this, with pipes stuck all over their bodies."
Wu Qiao: "..." There are indeed many tubes on Darrell, some for breathing, some for heartbeat, and some medicines for treatment.
"What the hell, you unplug it for me," Darrell said. "I can't do it, I know it."
"..."
"Won't you listen to me?" Darrell said, "Then I'll pull it out myself."
After speaking, he moved his hands and roughly tore off the tube.
Then, Darrell slowly closed his eyes, as if he was a little tired. After nearly two hundred years of war, he needed a rest.
Darrell slept for hours.
For a while, Wu Qiao felt something was wrong, reached out to touch it, and found that it was already cold.
The base issued an obituary recalling Darrell's life. On the obituary, he listed his numerous military exploits and his expectations in detail.
The base held a farewell ceremony for him, and some key people came to the main ship as a final farewell to Darrell.
Everyone is very sad. If they died at the base, then everyone can participate, but now they are outside. They are still fighting key battles, and the main ship cannot accommodate so many people to enter.
The lights on the ship seemed to be shrouded in light veils, and the dim light shone weakly on the ground, always giving off a bleak atmosphere.
Wu Qiao delivered a speech, thanking Darrell for everything he had done, and said that he would inherit his behest and make this base even better.
"Why did you get sick all of a sudden..." The people in the base had no reason to say, "It was fine before the expedition..."
"..." Only Wu Qiao knew what was going on, but he wouldn't go and talk about it.
Darrell, he was so sad, his old body couldn't bear the impact, so he couldn't stand up anymore. Wu Qiao thought, if the person he likes, Tan Yan, who is as talented as Nicole, is treated like that, and finally sees him again, and opens the opponent's mecha with hope, but finds a more cruel truth, then The truth is enough to make the deceased unable to sleep peacefully, and he might collapse in an instant.
"The major general asked him to carry the coffin to go to the battle." Someone said, "But there is no coffin now."
Wu Qiao thought for a while, and then added a sentence: "The boxes for shells are not too different in size, so let's just make do with it for a while."
"… Oh."
"After you go back, change it."
"One more question," someone asked again, "Where will he be buried in the end? He doesn't seem to have a family either?"
"Probably not." Darrell's parents couldn't possibly be alive. Nicole had already died, and she didn't have a child as she hoped. Earlier, Darrell said that he had no brothers or sisters, and envied Wu Qiao very much. He said that if he had brothers and sisters, after his parents passed away, there would still be someone to talk to about those shared memories—about that family, about a family people's common memory. At that time, Wu Qiao was surprised that a tough guy also had a tender side. So, Darrell, probably, indeed, has been alone for more than a hundred years.
Wu Qiao regretted not asking him where he wanted to go after death.
After thinking about it, Wu Qiao said, "Send him back to his hometown and find other relatives."
So, everything about Darrell's funeral was settled.
After the ceremony, Wu Qiao stopped several brigadier generals: "Brigadier General Ren Shen, Brigadier Lu Rong, Brigadier Ling Zhi, we need to discuss the battle strategy."
"..."
Wu Qiao could tell that the three of them were unwilling to obey orders from him.
After a while, only Renshen nodded, "Okay."
Ling Zhi didn't have any special reaction, but Lu Rong said directly to Wu Qiao: "I still have something to do, so I have to go first. After you discuss it, tell me the result."
Wu Qiao: "..."
As soon as you come up, give yourself a blow...
Ren Shen was just promoted to Brigadier General. Wu Qiao understood what Darrell meant, which was to let Renshen replace Olivier. The base was still the same as before, with three brigadier generals leading three teams, and he himself was equivalent to the former Darrell, commanding the entire army.
Renshen was at the same level as Wu Qiao before, and he had just been promoted, so he was more polite than others and didn't want to confront him head-on.
Wu Qiao was also very aware of how lacking prestige he was.
He is still very young, like a kid, and he just came to the base not long ago. Just yesterday he was learning from others as a "newcomer".
Darrell is 196 years old and has fought all his life. The people at the base have long been accustomed to being led by "veteran".
When Wu Qiao was a lieutenant colonel, he only led a small fleet of 6 mechs. Not long ago, after being promoted to colonel, he commanded 5 ordinary fleets consisting of 35 small fleets, with a total of 210 mechas. Lu Rong and Ling Zhi have been brigadier generals for many years, and each has 150 ordinary fleets and about 6,000 mechs under their command. The two of them had always been Wu Qiao's superiors, but they suddenly became subordinates. They were really reluctant to listen to Wu Qiao's orders.
In their eyes, apart from the fact that Wu Qiao kills more enemies each time, he really doesn't see any talent in the military.
Ling Zhi's gender is female, and it's not very intense, but Lu Rong is very obvious, obviously he doesn't take Wu Qiao seriously.
He also knew about Olivier. In his heart, after Darrel's death, he should be the successor, because Olivier himself withdrew from the competition. After learning of Olivier's betrayal, Lu Rong was very happy, as if the pie had fallen on his head, just waiting to be eaten! For a while, every time he thought of this incident, he wanted to laugh out loud!
He took it for granted that he was the number two man on the base, second only to Darrell, and that was actually the case during that time.
As a result, Darrell was promoted to Wuqiao!
A silly kid!
Just promoted to brigadier general, you are going to command the base
How can this make him bow his head and surrender? !
The whole base was watching his jokes—if they really listened to Wu Qiao, it would be too embarrassing!
Lu Rong shook his hands and left, the meeting had to be abandoned, Wu Qiao was very upset.
And he knew that this was just the beginning.
Sure enough, after that, Lu Rong got worse.
He didn't listen to Wu Qiao's orders at all, and even openly opposed them.
He always pretends to be an elder and a mentor, telling Wu Qiao what to do. He wants to suppress Wu Qiao, a young officer, and act as the actual behind-the-scenes commander.
Once, after Wu Qiao formulated a supply plan, Lu Rong directly stated in public that it would not work: "Brigadier General Wu Qiao."
Wu Qiao: "..."
"This supply plan is really too naive."
Wu Qiao suppressed his anger.
Lu Rong said again: "You are still young and have too little experience, so you can't completely blame you for formulating this strategy. I will write one and you can use it."
"Oh?"
Lu Rong immediately drew up a plan.
After reading it, Wu Qiao put the paper aside and said, "I have my own considerations. The reason why I chose this kind of supply ship is that each of them can carry 30,000 tons of materials, which can be used by 15 fleets for 10 days." .According to the regulations, the ship still has mecha braking materials at least 50%, and it must not be less than 90% before the war. In the battle two days ago, our side suffered a lot of losses, and then another fierce battle, the supply There must be plenty!"
"That's why you said your idea is naive." Lu Rong knocked on the table, "They do have a larger capacity, but at the same time the defense is also weak, we should make sure to arrive first!"
"Large capacity can reduce the number of trips to and from the base. From the perspective of defense, there is no sacrifice." Wu Qiao said displeasedly, "I have decided to use this plan."
"Defense is fundamental, don't always take risks." Lu Rong said, "Hey, think about this carefully, let's talk about the next topic first."
"No need!" Wu Qiao said with a cold face, "I've made up my mind." Wu Qiao knew that if he had changed his proposal just now, Lu Rong would still disagree with him.
"How did this happen?" Lu Rong shook his head, "It's very bad not to listen to advice and go your own way, not to mention that you are still so young. This is not the case when the old and young generals are still alive. Don't get angry with me and just insist on you From my point of view, this is the top priority at the moment, and it involves the lives of soldiers, so you must think twice before you act, so as not to disappoint the major general."
"…" Darrell was indeed open-minded at the time. However, that situation is different from now, and Darrell is not a "puppet".
Wu Qiao scanned everyone present.
Obviously, everyone was influenced by Lu Rong.
It seemed that if I didn't "reconsider", I would be angry and irresponsible.
They don't necessarily think that Lu Rong's approach is right, but they support Lu Rong. They seem to think that isolating Wu Qiao and letting the troops "listen" to Lu Rong is the best way under the current situation.
They thought Wu Qiao was just a child.
Wu Qiao was so angry that his hands trembled slightly.
However, he is not really "willing to go his own way."
Finally, he said noncommittally, "Let me think about it again, but it should be this."
Just one day later, it happened again.
Wu Qiao continued to organize the conference arrangement plan.
It is still their fleet that undertakes the raid mission again, so they need to arrange a plan.
He walked into the conference room and found that Lu Rong hadn't arrived.
"..."
After a while, Lu Rong came late.
"Sorry I'm late." Lu Rong greeted everyone present, "Let's start now."
In a word, he said it as if he was the boss.
"Lu Rong." Wu Qiao stared at him and asked, "Why did you take it upon yourself to let the soldiers rest for a long time?"
"Ok?"
"Moreover, Lingzhi and Renshen are also united, and the three formations rest at the same time!"
What time is this now? The attack is about to start again!
Wu Qiao felt a little disheartened.
Lu Rongling, Zhirenshen, and the three brigadier generals all wanted him to hand over his command
Let Lu Rong take command of this battle, and just retreat behind the scenes with peace of mind
They don't trust themselves that much
Wu Qiao knew very well in his heart that Lu Rong had made his own claims many times without letting himself know!
Moreover, he notified Ling Zhi and Ren Shen directly, and indirectly commanded the entire fleet. Ling Zhi and Renshen really listened to him, and the three of them teamed up to empty themselves!
"Oh," Lu Rong leaned back on the chair, "I don't think I need to let you know."
"..."
"This is a matter for several of our formations, and we have the right to make such arrangements."
"Then," Wu Qiao stared at him and asked, "may I know the reason for this arrangement?"
"You don't need to know." Lu Rong said again, "We can do all these things by ourselves, just worry about other things."
Wu Qiao felt angry again.
He restrained himself, tried not to breathe heavily, and said, "I want to know now, please explain."
"You really don't want to worry about it too much." Lu Rong treated Wu Qiao like a child, and he had no fear at all, "You can't manage too much."
After a pause, he said again: "Let's deal with those ordinary things."
"Please explain!"
Lu Rong shrugged.
"Brigadier General Lu Rong." Seeing his slack posture, Wu Qiao's voice became a little serious, "Stand at attention, stand still."
"You told me to stand at attention?" Lu Rong seemed to have heard something funny, "You told me to stand at attention?!"
"..."
Lu Rong still didn't move.
"Since you insist on disobeying orders," Wu Qiao felt that he couldn't bear it anymore, "according to military discipline, you will be demoted and demoted."
"… Ok?"
"Go back and wait for the official notice."
"Hmph." Lu Rong stood up, turned around and slammed the door away.
Ling Zhi and Ren Shen looked at each other in blank dismay.
Wu Qiao felt a little surprised.
Demotion plus demotion is a very serious matter for a soldier.
But Lu Rong didn't seem to care...
Wu Qiao carefully promoted a person and let him command the previous formation of Lu Rong.
That person was in Lu Rong's team before, and Wu Qiao felt that the other party would understand the formation better.
At this time, it is really not a wise choice to call someone who is not familiar with the formation.
It is really taboo to change coaches just before the battle.
But "handsome" didn't listen to him, so Wu Qiao really had no choice.
But soon after, Wu Qiao discovered that the situation hadn't changed much.
Lu Rong, with the attitude of not being ordered, acted like a commander.
— New commander, listen to Lu Rong.
Like Ling Zhi and Renshen, he was not disobedient on the surface, but in fact he didn't take Wu Qiao seriously.
They opposed Wu Qiao, but their tone was okay.
Being a sandwich biscuit is also quite difficult.
He is Lu Rong's old subordinate, and he is used to obeying orders.
However, in Lu Rong's formation, who is not his old subordinate
Wu Qiao realized why Lu Rong was so confident that day.
Compared to being a brigadier general commander who obeyed Wu Qiao's orders, he would rather have actual control like this.
As long as he can get the support of the base people, it will be a matter of time before Wu Qiao is driven out. At that time, he will naturally be able to return to his post and even get what he wants.
This kind of troop opposition to the chief has happened in the past. Sometimes the military chooses to support the chief, and more often it doesn't.
"..."
When Tan Yan contacted him, Wu Qiao was depressed.
He felt a deep sense of frustration.
Wu Qiao lay there with his arms folded, and buried his head in his arms.
"How is it?" Tan Yan asked, "Are you happy?" According to Wu Qiao's personality, he must feel very happy.
"... Mmm." Wu Qiao raised his head, not wanting to let Tan Yan know that he was indeed very uncomfortable at this moment.
"Is there anything wrong?"
"… good."
"What's wrong with you?" Tan Yan asked.
"fine."
"What exactly is going on?"
"It's really all right." Wu Qiao buried his head in his arms again, "General..."
"Ok?"
"I miss you."
"me too."
"..." Hearing these words, Wu Qiao felt that it wasn't that difficult anymore.
He didn't want to ask Tan Yan or Dou Jiang for help for the time being, this matter needs to be resolved by himself.
Even if he brings in rescuers to talk about Yan, the people at the base still won't accept him, just like a squad leader who finds a class teacher, the squad leader himself is still not taken seriously.
He has to go through this stage on his own.
Of course, he will ask for help if need be.
He didn't ask Tan Yan what he did at that time, because Tan Yan didn't do anything at all. Tan Yan has always been called a genius, and he can always win by surprise by performing military exploits, and he is promoted step by step, which is not the case with Wu Qiao.
Wu Qiao wanted to try to overcome the difficulties by himself.
As a person who is determined to be different from others, I don't want to rely on my lover every step of the way.
After the communication was over, Lu Rong and the new commander of the formation came.
"The matter of the supply ship," Lu Rong sat down on the chair, "how do you think?"
"I still think the plan at the beginning is the best."
"Why are you so stubborn." Lu Rong said, "Newcomers should listen to opinions more."
"I am the commander here," Wu Qiao stood there straight, "You can make your suggestions, but I have the right to decide whether to adopt them or not, and I will bear the final responsibility! If I say no, you can just I can obey orders!"
"I can't watch the scales tend to fail in vain." Lu Rong said, "Think about it again, I will come over after dinner." After speaking, Lu Rong got up and patted his military trousers.
"..."
When Lu Rong walked by, Wu Qiao was so angry that he dropped a teacup!
This kind of uselessness is really unbearable for him!
In the past, he often saw Lu Rong. At that time, he felt that Lu Rong was not easy to get along with, but he never thought that Lu Rong would be so lawless one day.
What can I do... It seems that everything is wrong.
Just thinking about it, Ji Yao came.
"Ji Yao." Wu Qiao managed to pull himself together.
"Wu Qiao, I heard that the three brigadier generals ignored you."
Wu Qiao smiled wryly: "You've heard that too."
"So, what are you going to do." Ji Yao asked again, "Now, Lu Rong seems to be the leader."
"I know." Wu Qiao's mouth was a little astringent.
"So you let him do that?"
"Of course not," Wu Qiao replied, "I'm trying to find a way."
"any solution?"
"Well," Wu Qiao sighed, "Lock up Lu Rong, and get him under control first."
Ji Yao: "..."
"What's wrong?"
"that's it?"
"And something else."
"What else do you mean?"
"Seek support from the general, let Tan Yanlai tell them that my orders are his orders—I believe I can do this."
Ji Yao: "..."
After sighing, he said to Wu Qiao, "I don't think this is the best way."
Wu Qiao: "..."
Ji Yao continued to explain: "The confinement is too light and has no deterrent effect. It will come out soon and is not painful at all. So what if Lu Rong is locked up? Will the other two be afraid of you? ? No, they still don't fear you or think you're just a kid."
"..."
"It can only make Lu Rong disappear temporarily, but what if he doesn't come out to make trouble now? The indifference of the three brigadier generals to you will still not change. Lu Rong was locked up, and they immediately regarded you as a Personality—there's no such thing as a good thing."
"Even the demotion didn't improve the situation, the situation just got worse. It's the same no matter who you replace now. You have no reason to remove the current three people. Moreover, you can't always change the commander. Officer, right? That makes you look like a big joke, and you can’t shake the people in your own base. You must fundamentally change the status quo, quickly establish your majesty, and let everyone be afraid of you, afraid of you, and never Dare to put you in my eyes."
After a pause, Ji Yao said again: "Go ask the general to support you, and it will not change the status quo. Yes, this trick will definitely work, but it can't change the essence. Even if you have some scruples about the general, and temporarily listen to orders For you, it doesn't matter in my heart, and I won't take you seriously."
Wu Qiao also understood this point very well.
Ji Yao said again: "This matter must be resolved, and the sooner it is resolved, the better. The longer it takes, the more unfavorable it will be to you and the more it will endanger your authority."
"..."
"Now that the war is coming, this is very fatal." Ji Yao said again, "Thinking that the commander is just a child, the troops can at most exert half of their strength."
"So what's your suggestion?" Wu Qiao asked Ji Yao.
"In my opinion," Ji Yao replied, "Demotion and rank, punishment and confinement... These methods are too routine, as if they are acting according to the textbook."
"...?"
"If you want to establish your majesty and make others fear you and dare not make mistakes in front of you, you must do a very ruthless thing... very ruthless, something no one thought you would do."
"Ok?"
"I mean, do something very cruel to Lu Rong, because now other people are learning from Lu Rong, and decide what they should do based on his actions. Lu Rong is a target."
"But what else can I do?" Wu Qiao felt a little headache, "How else can I treat Lu Rong?"
Ji Yao's face was calm, he said: "Kill it."
"Are you crazy, Ji Yao?!" Wu Qiao was terrified, "How did you come up with such a suggestion? How could you point the gun at your own people?!"
"What Lu Rong has done is beyond your imagination. He violated many military disciplines, and it would not be a pity to kill him." Ji Yao looked as usual, "Do you know how much property he embezzled during the construction of the base? He has always been They were all daring, often all-or-nothing, never thinking about failure. They were, and they are.”
"Stop talking," Wu Qiao interrupted him, "These things can be dealt with in accordance with the law, and they can't be executed secretly. I won't do it if the name is not right and the words are not right. Using this method to deter people is not acceptable. Convinced."
"In this special period, the most important thing is not to convince the public," Ji Yao said again, "but to build up your prestige first, so that your subordinates are afraid of you, dare not resist your orders, and have no half-heartedness about orders. Let’s talk about other things later, if you lead them to win the war, they will naturally believe in you.”
"No." Wu Qiao flatly denied him.
"Why can't you?" Ji Yao frowned, "From ancient times to the present, which person who gained great power at a young age has not done this kind of thing?"
"It's not the time of the ancient earth! It's not easy to kill people and build power!"
Ji Yao's face remained calm: "That set will be useful no matter what time it comes."
"..."
"If you can't do it, I'll kill him for you." Ji Yao said, "I said earlier that I want to fulfill Su Yiqing's last wish and help you reach the top of the military. With your innocent personality, you are absolutely Impossible to do."
"..."
Wu Qiao looked at Ji Yao. In the past, Ji Yao was not like this. After Su Yiqing's death, he actually became like this, daring to do anything for that so-called "last wish".
Ji Yao said again: "Will he come again tonight? I'll do it at that time."
"No." Wu Qiao closed his eyes, "I don't allow anyone to shoot at my own people."
Ji Yao shook his head, as if hating him for not fighting.
"Go first, Ji Yao."
"I'll be over tonight."
After Ji Yao left, Wu Qiao only felt weak all over.
Although he didn't want to admit it, he had to admit that what Ji Yao said was right.
Just using conventional tricks, textbook-like conventional tricks, will still be regarded as a brat.
The war is imminent, and this atmosphere is very unfavorable.
But he can't do it by killing one to warn others. No matter how many people were killed in the past, Wu Qiao resisted this kind of practice from the bottom of his heart.
Suddenly, he had an idea in his mind.
But... It's still hard for him to accept.
Wu Qiao hesitated for a full three hours.
During this period, drawing lots, tossing coins, counting odd and even numbers... all kinds of methods have been used, and all methods let him not hesitate, but he is still unable to make a decision.
He didn't want to do that, but...
The current atmosphere is really problematic.
If you can't make people fear yourself, maybe you will really have a big problem.
Wu Qiao thought about the powerlessness he felt when Sheng Chongguang and Su Yiqing died, and finally made up his mind.
"Ji Yao." Wu Qiao turned on the communication device.
"Have you decided?"
"Yes." Wu Qiao said, "tonight, you and I will lock up Lu Rong, and after this battle is over, we will hand it over to the military court."
"..."
"Then..." Wu Qiao paused to allow himself to breathe smoothly, his hands and palms were all sweaty, and he said in a trembling voice, "It will be announced tomorrow morning that Lu Rong died tonight."
They both came to tell a lie—
Let the three brigadier generals be afraid of him first, and stop treating him as a timid, uninitiated, and at the mercy of others.
As for the matter of convincing the public... When it is announced that Lu Rong is not dead, he will no longer be unable to convince the public.
Ji Yao: "... yes."
…
— Early the next morning, Wu Qiao called all the main generals to the main ship and announced that Lu Rong was dead.
The night before, he was killed on the main ship.
After dinner, Lu Rong entered the main ship with a gun and forced the chief to sign and adopt his supply suggestions. After the officer flatly refused, he took out his gun to intimidate the officer. Seeing this scene, Captain Ji Yao drew his gun to stop him, and killed him by mistake.
"The corpse was also placed in the shell box." Wu Qiao tried his best to use a calm voice, "Under the circumstances at that time, Captain Ji Yao drew his gun to stop it. There was no mistake. This matter will be judged by the military court when we go back."
"..." There was deathly silence below.
The atmosphere was so serious for the first time.
For the first time no one was joking.
No one thought that such a thing would happen.
No one expected that Lu Rong's confrontation with Wu Qiao in the past few days would end up like this in the end.
After all the explanations were over, Wu Qiao stopped Ling Zhi and Ren Shen who were about to leave.
"Lingzhi, Renshen." Wu Qiao said, "Let's discuss the battle plan at 10 o'clock."
Lingzhi: "... yes."
Inshin: "... yes."
Looking at them, Wu Qiao felt that maybe, as Ya Jiu said, he had really changed.