Chapter 262: How to Win Over an Army

Chapter 262: How to Subdue an Army

How does one utterly bring under control a legion that does not belong to oneself?

First, defeat them upon the battlefield.

Second, defeat them beyond the battlefield.

Third, lead them to vanquish the enemy they could never have overcome on their own.

The steps are simple, yet their execution proves exceedingly arduous.

And now, Chen Jian has completed every one of those steps.

Alas, even so, the elite guard regiment has not slipped smoothly beneath his banner.

After all, they are a force bound by faith.

——

Even a foolish belief is still a belief; to change them is no simple matter.

Yet, though Jin Zhong still rebuffed the invitation to ‘surrender to the Huaxia army,’ he was no longer the utterly unmoved man of before.

From his expression, Chen Jian could read a clear hesitation.

The string in his heart was near breaking, and the once‑impregnable wall was, strike after strike, growing ever thinner.

It was an opening.

If this elite guard could be coaxed into his ranks, there is no doubt the Huaxia forces would gain a swift and potent boost.

Thus Chen Jian’s task was straightforward.

Do not rush; give him time, let him see with his own eyes, let him taste the experience.

Chen Jian trusted that before the true wasteland succubi, no mortal could resist temptation.

And now, a perfect chance lay before him.

The wounded guards required treatment, and the exhausted troops needed a safer haven to recuperate.

The regiment had no reason to decline Chen Jian’s invitation.

And indeed, they did not.

After clearing the wreckage and sorting their gear, Jin Zhong led a hundred‑strong detachment, trailing Chen Jian’s party back to Base 011 by carriage.

It was their first ride in a massive conveyance beyond steam locomotives; the hushed engine gave them a modest awe, which quickly turned to puzzlement when they learned the wagons ran on electricity.

Electricity?

They were not strangers to it.

But the problem lay in its luxury: to generate power required sprawling facilities and intricate wiring, and beyond a few great cities, most territories under the Mechanist Church could only rely on batteries and small generators.

Illuminating a single lamp was already the limit.

Propelling vehicles?

That seemed extravagance beyond measure.

At that moment, a thought flashed through Jin Zhong’s mind.

He recalled that the ‘Three’ of the Supreme Trinity once encompassed ‘electricity.’

Yet after the previous saint ascended, the importance of electricity waned, fading from the sight of the majority.

Only gunpowder and steam remained, still active on battlefields and in human life.

Perhaps this had always been a mistake?

Perhaps the Huaxia army’s usurpation was truly meant to correct that error?

The more Jin Zhong pondered, the more reasonable it seemed, and even his gaze toward Chen Jian shifted.

Unbeknownst to Chen Jian, he had already closed the logical loop by a method no one could have guessed.

Back at Base 011, Chen Jian promptly ordered Shen Yue to assemble a handful of Huaxia soldiers trained in basic medical aid to tend the Mechanist Church’s guard warriors.

Because of the long delay, the gravely wounded could not be saved.

Nevertheless, once the situation steadied, Jin Zhong expressed his gratitude to Chen Jian.

‘Twenty of the injured survived—a remarkable miracle.’

‘I had thought that at least half of them would have their souls claimed by the heavenly realm of the Supreme Trinity.’

‘In our camp, mentioning heaven, saints, or any religious notion is forbidden.’

Chen Jian cut Jin Zhong off; the latter blinked, then nodded, indicating no objection.

No mention of religion?

Indeed, from any angle, the Huaxia forces would not tolerate anyone invoking beliefs unrelated to them.

That was hardly surprising.

In the era before the Mechanist Church grew strong, when a tapestry of other faiths still blossomed across the land, its own saints had imposed the same rule.

Recalling this, Jin Zhong cleared his throat and said:

‘I overstepped; I will abide by your rules.’

‘For the next few days, my unit will have to remain at Base 011 so the wounded may receive further care and rest.’

‘We will find a way to repay the effort and cost you have borne.’

‘Is there anything you need us to do?’

‘Yes.’

Chen Jian replied without hesitation:

‘Our manpower is severely lacking; we need you to lend us assistance on the battlefield.’

‘Understood. What exactly?’

‘Taiping City.’

Chen Jian raised his hand toward the southwest, then continued:

‘From Taiping City all the way to Tongling City.’

‘We assess that the human settlements along that waterway will be the primary target of the beast tide.’

‘Intelligence indicates new monster traces near the Shijiu Lake area southeast of Taiping, though they have not yet struck the city.’

‘We must eliminate them before they cause grave damage, lest they pressure us by assailing human hamlets.’

‘Thus your task is simple: advance to the target zone, locate the monsters, and destroy them.’

‘It is our duty…’

Jin Zhong gave a solemn nod, then said:

‘In truth, even without your request, I would lead my troops to do this.’

‘We came to eradicate the monsters; even if we were to be annihilated, we would not retreat.’

"I will not let your entire army be wiped out."

Chen Jian waved his hand with a smile, then continued:

"As I said, we need your men to clear an entire human residential zone."

"It stands to reason, then, that allowing your forces to perish before that clearance is complete would be an utter waste."

"Therefore, we shall provide you with a measure of assistance."

"This includes, but is not limited to, tactical, material, equipment, and logistical support."

"So long as you fight with the sole purpose of slaying monsters, you may have everything you require."

"Everything?"

Jin Zhong asked, struck with astonishment:

"Do you mean to say you will provide every piece of equipment we need, entirely without condition?"

"Of course not without condition,"

Chen Jian shook his head, replying:

"You must earn it with the fruits of battle."

"The greater your achievements, the more splendid the armaments you can claim."

"Should your victories prove grand enough, and your objectives sufficiently compelling, it is not out of the question for us to lend you our 30A—what you call the Holy Icon."

The Holy Icon.

The word collided violently within Jin Zhong’s mind, utterly disrupting his entire system of values.

With scarcely a moment's hesitation, he replied:

"I will do it!" Chen Jian nodded in satisfaction, then immediately added:

"Yet all of this hinges on one prerequisite: you must lead your men through a certain degree of training."

"As I remarked, you are permitted to use the Holy Icon."

"But at the very least, you must know how to wield it, correct?"

"Correct."

Jin Zhong nodded slowly:

"That is a reasonable demand... So, when do we begin?"

"Right now."

Chen Jian pointed toward the Cathayan soldiers drilling in the distance:

"Take your men and join them; what they are practicing now is the foundational training."

"I believe such exercises will prove useful to your forces as well."

Over the ensuing days, Jin Zhong remained at Base 011 as planned.

Life here was far more monotonous than they had imagined, yet every detail was saturated with a "novelty" they could scarce comprehend.

Every member of the Praetorian Brigade found himself involuntarily drawn to it, though they lacked the leisure to savor the experience.

For their "training regimen" was packed to the absolute limit.

On the first day, all Praetorian soldiers still capable of combat were assembled.

They were ordered first to strip off their heavy armor and were told explicitly that in all subsequent battles, they were never again to wear these encumbrances—whose ceremonial function far outweighed their practical utility—and would instead use simple markers to denote their identity.

For the Praetorians, this demand was not difficult to fulfill.

In fact, upon shedding the armor, most felt a long-forgotten sense of liberation.

Truth be told, they had long since forgotten the original purpose of donning such gear.

Its protection was deficient, and its toll on their mobility was downright fatal.

Yet somehow, everyone had come to believe that wearing it was a badge of honor.

In the end, was it not merely a blind pursuit? —

Only Jin Zhong knew that this armor was itself but a clumsy imitation of the genuine "mechanical battlesuits" worn by the Cathayan military.

Now that the true suits of armor were active upon the battlefield, the harness upon their own breasts naturally lost all meaning.

Thus, the directive was swiftly executed.

Immediately thereafter, the second command followed in close succession.

All Praetorians were ordered to lay down their weapons and adopt the Type 75 rifle provided by the Cathayan military as their uniform armament.

Initially, the men harbored no small resentment toward this.

After all, they had grown accustomed to the Conqueror twin-linked guns in their hands, and they instinctively resisted any unfamiliar weapon.

Yet, the moment they truly felt the formidable power of the Type 75 rifle, all displeasure dissolved in an instant.

Though the firearm was austere to the point of deprivation, lacking the ornate, intricate embellishments of the Conqueror that were so steeped in faith, the unceasing storm of metal it spat forth was its most undeniable testament.

Expending a full day, the Praetorians adapted to their new weapons.

And on the third day, Chen Jian finally commanded Huang Yu to begin the tactical instruction of the Praetorians.

They had much to learn, but there was only one phrase they truly needed to commit to memory.

"The Three-Three System."

Three men to a team, three teams to a combat unit, three units to a larger tactical formation.

Cover, assault, maneuver...

Through simple and highly repetitive drills, Huang Yu successfully impressed upon every Praetorian their specific duties.

They were no common civilians, and their existing combat experience quickly allowed them to grasp the sophistication and might of these tactics; within a remarkably brief span, they captured the essence of the Three-Three System and rapidly began to expand upon its maneuvers.

And it was at this stage that the hour arrived to bolster their weaponry and firepower.

Without the slightest hint of stinginess, Chen Jian brought forth a sufficient quantity of rocket launchers, grenades, and a small number of grenade launchers to bestow upon the Praetorian Brigade, beginning the division of battlefield roles among the soldiers.

Who would press the assault, who would provide suppressing fire, who would be responsible for the decapitation strike...

As these duties became bound to their gear, the soldiers of the Praetorian Brigade felt, for the very first time, the true weight of the word "systematization" that Chen Jian so frequently invoked.

Of course, if they were to truly manifest a systematized combat efficacy, they were still a long way off in terms of time.

Yet so long as the seed was planted, it was enough.

When the fourth day of training concluded, the regiment appeared, in Chen Jian's estimation, to have acquired a certain "proper shape."

Though the identity of the Praetorian Brigade and the faith in their hearts could not yet be erased, in appearance at least, they differed little from the Cathayan soldiers.

Particularly when they marched past the open ground, chanting their newly learned commands in unison, scarcely anyone could distinguish whether they were the Praetorian Brigade or the Cathayan military.

This outcome slightly exceeded Chen Jian's expectations; thus, he intended to apply a heavier hand to this crucible.

It happened that Shen Yue had previously mentioned holding a democratic life meeting to conduct criticism and self-criticism, so Chen Jian, under the guise of a "tactical discussion," took the opportunity to invite Jin Zhong and a dozen of his core officers to participate.

At the outset, Jin Zhong truly believed this was nothing more than a "tactical discussion."

But when he saw Chen Jian's subordinates, especially those “grass‑roots soldier representatives,” begin to voice criticisms at the meeting, he was utterly dumbfounded.

What shocked him was not the words of the resident representatives.

In fact, the suggestions and criticisms they offered were mostly blunt, hardly sharp, certainly unprofessional, and even a little laughable.

Yet the mere act of “letting people speak” already exceeded Jin Zhong's comprehension.

Obedience without question—this phrase is the cornerstone of the Guard Brigade's existence.

To reinforce that cornerstone, the importance of faith even outweighs the authority of a commander.

And now these Huaxia troops are doing the exact opposite??

If any rank‑and‑file soldier can freely utter criticism, how can this unit possibly be managed?

Jin Zhong's mind was a tangled mess; that night, he and his men said not a single word to each other.

And as they left the conference room, a little dazed and dispirited, the faces of those who remained—Chen Jian, Shen Yue, and the others—bore a meaningfully enigmatic expression.

".How do you think, will this meeting have any effect?"

Lei Jie opened the question.

"For us, the effect is minimal—there's no way to achieve results on the first try,"

Chen Jian said with a wry smile:

"Didn't you hear what everyone said? They don't even dare to bring up the real ideas,"

"This scene feels oddly familiar,"

"But that's all right; we’ll run it a few more times, and once the restraints are lifted, it will gradually improve,"

"The crucial point is that this format still packs a hefty punch for those Guard Brigades,"

"One day, they will suddenly realize it— even if it's merely a formality, some people still refuse to grant it to them,"

"And we will strive to turn the form into substance,"

"Indeed,"

Shen Yue, thoughtful, nodded and then asked:

"But putting it plainly, do you truly think this unit has hope?"

"Certainly,"

Chen Jian smiled cryptically, then continued:

"They have already tasted the good things,"

"Having moved from luxury to simplicity is hard; after tasting pork, they can no longer swallow greens,"

(End of Chapter)