Rebirth in the Dragon Kingdom: The Strongest Blade

Three days after the exercise ended, the Blue Army troops had already begun to return home, but Zhang Dajiang did not leave.

In the Southwest Military Region Command building, Chen Jianfeng was reviewing the exercise summary report in his office when the door was suddenly pushed open with a bang.

"Chen Jianfeng! You old bastard!"

Zhang Dajiang walked in with a dark face, still in his military uniform, his shoulders still covered in mud from the exercise area.

Chen Jianfeng looked up and chuckled, "Oh, isn't this Commander Zhang? What's wrong? You're upset about losing the exercise and've come here to cause trouble?"

"Don't give me that!" Zhang Dajiang plopped down on the sofa, picked up Chen Jianfeng's teacup, and took a big gulp. "You cheated in this exercise!"

"Cheat? How did you cheat?" Chen Jianfeng asked with a smile. "All's fair in war, isn't that what you always say?"

"You..." Zhang Dajiang was speechless for a moment before finally sighing, "Fine, I admit defeat. But Lao Chen, you have to tell me the truth. I know Lin Zhe's family background, but what's the story behind his achievements?"

Chen Jianfeng put down the report, his expression turning serious: "What, are you interested in her?"

"Nonsense!" Zhang Dajiang glared. "In the exercise, they wiped out both of our 'Sharp Sword' squads, six men took down my command post, and even 'killed' me... If this were a real battlefield, I'd be a martyr! Tell me, am I not interested?"

He paused, then lowered his voice: "And I've heard that this kid is twenty-one, a lieutenant colonel, with three first-class merits. He also has some second-class and third-class merits. Old Chen, how did you find such a gem?"

Chen Jianfeng lit a cigarette and said slowly, "He wasn't found; he came here on his own. Three years ago, after graduating from the National University of Defense Technology, he volunteered to come to the Southwest, specifically to the toughest border defense company."

"A border defense company?" Zhang Dajiang was taken aback. "And then?"

"Then he served in the border defense company for more than a year, earned two first-class merits, and killed more than fifty armed men by himself," Chen Jianfeng said. "After that, he produced several technical reports that shocked the old experts in the General Armaments Department. The General Armaments Department wanted to transfer him there, but he refused and insisted on coming to the special operations team."

He took a drag of his cigarette: "Eight months in the special forces, you've raised the level of Hunter Blade to a whole new level. You saw it in this exercise, the Hunter Blade used to be about on par with your 'Sharp Sword,' but now... the gap is quite significant, isn't it?"

Zhang Dajiang fell silent. Indeed, the gap was too great. In the exercise, "Sharp Sword" was like a primary school student fighting a college student—they were not even in the same league.

"A true all-rounder..." he murmured. "He can fight, he can command, and he can handle technical stuff... Old Chen, you've hit the jackpot!"

"Envious, aren't you?" Chen Jianfeng laughed smugly. "But Lao Zhang, I have to remind you, this kid is very principled. The General Armaments Department wanted him, but he didn't go; I offered him the position of deputy captain, but he only agreed after leading his squad to the top of the entire team. You can't just assign this kind of person to anyone."

"I know," Zhang Dajiang nodded. "That's why I came to find you. Old Chen, you'd better keep an eye on my daughter's situation. I'm really satisfied with this son-in-law. His family background, abilities, and character are all impeccable. Most importantly, my daughter likes him too."

Chen Jianfeng laughed: "Don't worry, I remember. But matters of the heart can't be rushed. Lin Zhe's mind is all on the army; he hasn't figured things out when it comes to relationships yet. We'll have to take it slow."

"Alright, thank you for your trouble." Zhang Dajiang stood up. "I should head back too. Although we lost this exercise, we learned something. We need to reorganize 'Sharp Sword' properly when we get back, so we can't afford to lose so badly next time."

"That's more like it!" Chen Jianfeng patted him on the shoulder. "Losing once isn't scary; what's scary is not knowing why you lost."

After seeing Zhang Dajiang off, Chen Jianfeng returned to his office with a relieved smile on his face. Lin Zhe, that kid, is really famous now—even a veteran like Zhang Dajiang has been impressed by him.

Meanwhile, at the Hunter Blade Special Forces camp.

Lin Zhe was sitting in front of his computer, typing on the keyboard. On the screen was a document titled: "Some Thoughts on the Evolution of Future Warfare and the Direction of Our Military's Development."

He started writing this after the exercise ended. His thirty-five years of military research in his previous life gave him a understanding of warfare that transcended his era. Informatization, networking, intelligence... these concepts were still in their infancy in this world, but in Lin Zhe's mind, they had already formed a complete system.

He was engrossed in his writing, working from the afternoon until late at night. The document grew longer and the content became increasingly in-depth—

Future warfare will be information-driven; control of information will determine the initiative on the battlefield...

Individual combat systems will evolve towards networking and intelligence, with each soldier becoming a battlefield information node...

Drones, unmanned combat vehicles, and smart munitions will change the nature of the battlefield...

Joint operations and cross-domain collaboration will become the norm...

Traditional large-scale troop operations will gradually be replaced by small-group, multi-pronged, distributed warfare...

After writing the last word, Lin Zhe rubbed his sore eyes. He had written this report with great care, aiming for foresight without being too ahead of its time, and ensuring it aligned with the world's technological development level.

Even so, this report will certainly cause a stir once it is seen—because it depicts a future that is at least ten years ahead of what the Chinese military currently understands.

Lin Zhe thought for a moment, then clicked send. The recipient was Director Li of the General Armaments Department, with a copy of Commander Chen Jianfeng. He knew that given how much Director Li valued him, this report would definitely be taken seriously.

After sending the message, he shut down his computer and prepared to rest. He had to lead the team in training tomorrow, and a new training plan needed to be developed quickly.

What he didn't know was the uproar this report would cause.

Three days later, in Beijing, at the Central Military Commission building.

A high-level military conference is underway. Attending are more than a dozen generals, all key leaders from various military regions and headquarters. One of the topics on the agenda is the recently concluded "Iron Fist-23" exercise.

The huge projection screen played a video of the exercise. When the clip of the Hunter Blade Special Forces annihilating two "Sharp Sword" squads and destroying the Blue Army's command post was shown, a low gasp of amazement rippled through the conference room.

"Too fast..."

"This kind of teamwork, this kind of tactic..."

"Their equipment is good, look at their individual soldier systems..."

The meeting was chaired by a white-haired veteran general, Yang Zhenguo, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Pointing to the screen, he said, "Comrades, this exercise has taught us a lesson. Look at the Red Army special forces, then look at the Blue Army special forces... the difference is obvious."

He paused, then continued, "It's not that the Blue Army special forces are weak; 'Sharp Sword' is renowned throughout the entire army. It's that the Red Army special forces... are too strong. What makes them strong? They're strong in their equipment, strong in their tactics, and strong in their command."

A lieutenant general spoke up: "Vice Chairman Yang, I've learned that the Red Army Special Forces—Hunter Blade—has made rapid progress in the past few months. It's said that it's related to a newly transferred deputy captain."

"Oh?" Yang Zhenguo asked with interest. "Who is it?"

"Lin Zhe, 21 years old, lieutenant colonel. He previously received two first-class merits in the border defense forces and was later transferred to Hunter Blade as deputy captain. Hunter Blade's training, tactics, and even some equipment improvements are all related to him."

"A 21-year-old lieutenant colonel?" someone exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, thanks to Comrade Lin Zhe's technical contributions, our Central Military Commission decided to promote him exceptionally," the lieutenant general continued. "In this exercise, the decapitation team that took down the Blue Army command post was led by him personally."

The meeting room was abuzz with discussion. A 21-year-old lieutenant colonel leading a team to such a record... this had gone beyond the realm of "excellent."

Just then, the conference room door was pushed open, and a senior colonel hurried in and handed Yang Zhenguo a document.

Yang Zhenguo took it, glanced at it, and his eyes widened suddenly. He quickly scanned it, becoming more and more excited as he read, until finally, he couldn't help but slam his hand on the table: "Excellent! Well written!"

Everyone looked at him.

"Comrades, take a look at this." Yang Zhenguo handed the document to the person next to him. "This is a report that the Southwest Military Region just submitted. The author is Lin Zhe, whom I just mentioned."

The document circulated among the generals. After reading it, everyone's expression changed from curiosity to shock, and from shock to excitement.

"Future warfare...information-driven...network-centric warfare..."

"Intelligent individual soldier systems... Battlefield Internet of Things..."

"Distributed operations...manned-unmanned coordination..."

Some of these concepts they had heard of, but not in such a systematic way; some they had thought about, but not in such depth; and some they had never even thought about!

"This report..." a general's voice trembled, "is at least ten years ahead of our current understanding!"

"No, fifteen years!" another general exclaimed excitedly. "Look at this part, the concept of an intelligent command system... Our current command system is still stuck in the semi-mechanized era!"

Yang Zhenguo stood up, his gaze sweeping across the room: "Comrades, the value of this report is no less than that of a victory! It has pointed us in the right direction and clarified our thinking!"

He paused, then said firmly, "Immediately order: Lieutenant Colonel Lin Zhe, deputy captain of the Southwest Military Region's Hunter Blade Special Forces Team, to depart for Beijing immediately to give a detailed report to the Central Military Commission!"

"yes!"

The order was issued quickly. Three hours later, Chen Jianfeng received a phone call.

"...Yes! Understood! I'll arrange it right away!" Chen Jianfeng put down the phone, his expression complicated.

He summoned his secretary: "Have Lin Zhe come to see me immediately."

Half an hour later, Lin Zhe walked into the commander's office. Chen Jianfeng looked at him and sighed, "Lin Zhe, your report... has caused a huge disaster."

Lin Zhe was taken aback: "Commander, what's wrong?"

"The Central Military Commission just called, asking you to go to Beijing immediately to report to the Central Military Commission leadership," Chen Jianfeng said. "Your report stunned those old generals in the Central Military Commission."

Lin Zhe then understood. He hadn't expected the report to cause such a big reaction.

"This is a good thing." Chen Jianfeng walked up to him, patted him on the shoulder, "but it could also be... a bad thing."

"What do you mean?"

"With your abilities and knowledge, the Southwest Military Region... might not be able to keep you here." Chen Jianfeng's tone was complicated. "The Central Military Commission sees your talent and won't let you stay in the special forces forever. The General Staff, the General Armaments Department, military academies... there are plenty of places that need you."

Lin Zhe was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Commander, I don't want to leave the Southwest for the time being."

Why?

"The training program for Hunter Blade isn't finished yet," Lin Zhe said earnestly. "I promised the team members that I would take them to the next level. Moreover, I can learn a lot in the special forces and accumulate practical experience. This experience will be helpful for my future research and command work."

Chen Jianfeng looked at him, a hint of relief in his eyes: "Good! It's good that you have the intention! But Lin Zhe, the Central Military Commission's orders must be carried out. Go to Jinghua first to report and make sure everything is clear. As for what happens next... we'll talk about it then."

"yes!"

"Also," Chen Jianfeng smiled, "when I go to Beijing, I'll... take care of my personal life. Zhang Dajiang is eagerly waiting for me."

Lin Zhe smiled wryly: "Commander..."

"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore." Chen Jianfeng waved his hand. "Go and get ready. We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning. The Central Military Commission is sending a special plane to pick you up—this kind of treatment isn't something everyone gets."

Back at the special operations team's camp, Lin Zhe began packing his luggage. His teammates, hearing he was going to Beijing to report, all gathered around him.

"Captain Lin, you're going to give a report to the Central Military Commission?" Big Liu asked excitedly. "That's awesome!"

"I'm just going to report on my work," Lin Zhe said. "Training can't stop while I'm away. I've already written the training plan and left it in the office; Captain Qin Feng will make the arrangements."

"Team Leader Lin, will you come back?" Old Ma asked with some concern.

Looking at the expectant eyes of his team members, Lin Zhe nodded firmly: "Of course I'm back. Hunter Blade is my home, and you are my comrades. I promised to lead you to become the strongest special forces team in the entire army. That promise hasn't been fulfilled yet."

The team members breathed a sigh of relief. They were genuinely afraid that Lin Zhe would never return—which organization wouldn't want someone with his talent?

That night, Lin Zhe lay in bed, pondering his trip to Beijing. Reporting to the Central Military Commission... this was a common occurrence in his previous life, but in this life, its significance was different.

He was facing the highest levels of the country's military. What he was about to say was a perspective that transcended this era.

We can't be too far ahead of our time, or it might be seen as wishful thinking; nor can we be too conservative, or it will lose its meaning.

You have to find the right balance.

And then there's Zhang Xueying. I'll definitely see her when I go to Beijing. How should I face her?

Lin Zhe turned over and looked at the starry sky outside the window. The path of this life was more complicated and more exciting than he had expected.

But he has no regrets. A soldier should do what is most appropriate for him in the position that best suits him.