The adjutant did not know that this was not actually Zhao Chen’s style: Zhao Chen spoke politely because he was a "surrendered general" and was not familiar with the background of his subordinates, so he dared not easily offend anyone.
The habits cultivated in the Dahua Empire could not be changed in a short ti. Zhao Chen feared offending a "royal family mber" experiencing life and attracting unnecessary trouble, so he always gave orders in an "affable" tone, as if negotiating.
Subordinates naturally felt comfortable with such a commander: his words were like a spring breeze, and he always inquired if there were any difficulties or if more support was needed when assigning tasks.
This ticulous style was a habit Zhao Chen developed while commanding troops in the Dahua military command: if he didn’t oversee sothing, then darn it, there wouldn’t be any outco.
At that ti, he had to personally handle logistics supply, oversee troop movents, and even arrange for soone to monitor attack orders.
This was unavoidable; if you didn’t do it this way, those troops would really pay lip service and might just fire a couple of shots to muddle through an offensive that required life-and-death effort.
He even... needed to inquire about the state of allied forces: you had to know if they could fight, were willing to fight, might run away the next day, and if the commander had a grudge against you...
In short, commanding troops in the Dahua Empire was an art largely unrelated to tactical command, but connected to interpersonal and psychological studies. In fact, Zhao Chen’s capture was due to the inexplicable severance of his retreat.
Although today Zhao Chen was very grateful to Zhao Ji for bailing and selling him to a new master, which led to his current situation, who doesn’t learn from past mistakes?
Fear of being cheated conditioned Zhao Chen to compulsively oversee all details, or rather, it beca a habit: he would repeatedly confirm logistical supplies, allied positions, troop casualties and losses, as well as His Majesty The Emperor’s campaign determination and attitude...
In summary, he managed matters that other Tang Army commanders generally wouldn’t concern themselves with: shouldn’t logistics be handled by logistics troops? Shouldn’t the positions of other units be managed by their own generals?
Yet, his ticulous approach gained the admiration of his subordinates, partly because they admired their commander’s vigorous spirit, willing to inquire about any trivial matter, the flas of gossip burning brightly; on the other hand, they were also touched because their commander truly cared about subordinates, missing no slightest wind or grass.
As for regular schedules and noble deanor... Zhao Chen was originally of nobility. His rest schedule was previously chaotic, and now given a chance, he naturally hoped to adjust it.
Who wouldn’t want to sleep soundly when possible? In the past, while serving as a commander within the Dahua troops, he was frequently awakened at night to address crisis issues, leaving no room to indulge in sufficient sleep.
Things were different now; the 6th Group Army’s assault was swift and fluid, leaving him little to worry about. Each day brought no ergencies needing his attention, and his subordinates rarely needed to wake him from bed.
There was no alternative; the Qin Army was just too "weak." Two months into combat, they hadn’t launched a single decent counterattack; what could possibly warrant the adjutant waking the commander in the middle of the night?
Zhao Chen had seen the Blade dal, having already awarded hundreds of them as a corps commander. He genuinely loved this little thing, as it represented a form of honor.
Soldiers yearn for honor, especially within an up-and-coming military. Such a military has an atmosphere, one where honor outweighs life and death.
In this regard, Zhao Chen must admit that the Tang Country truly got it. Decent uniforms paired with honorable dals, nothing could more effectively fuel a soldier’s desire to win.
Only in the wealthy Tang Country could an army possess training uniforms, regular wear, battle dress, and formal attire in so many sets of military clothing.
Who would have thought that even ordinary Tang soldiers were issued formal attire, which they would wear for award ceremonies, appearing dignified and sacred?
Back then, the Dahua military only had "battle dress" and "regular wear" distinctions, allowing for significant budget savings to purchase other weaponry.
But the Great Tang Empire’s military was different; soldiers owned four sets of military garb, including sumr, autumn, and winter sub-items—amounting to twelve sets altogether!
As a veteran rotated during deploynt, appearing in regular wear and proudly wearing dals at a supply station, even Zhao Chen found it extrely handso.
Soldiers bearing the Blade dal received universal respect, even fetching two extra scoops of at in the ss hall.
From Zhao Chen’s perspective, no military atmosphere surpassed this one. Everything here operated in the best state, seamless and flawless.
Complete training rendered the soldiers perfect in both motion and stillness, with words and deeds standard and firm. In this atmosphere, every soldier was as steel, unyielding.
For ordinary soldiers, that dal was the ultimate recognition of their bravery and the most pride-worthy aspect of their life.
The Tang People genuinely valued honors like the Blade dal, even legislating preferential treatnt for those awarded such honors posthumously. Specific disciplinary departnts monitored these, where issues might warrant reaching the throne.
Hence, when the Staff Departnt’s "envoy" awarded the Blade dal to Zhao Chen at noon, he felt an even greater sense of mission.
That evening, a small-scale banquet was held in the command post, hosted by Zhao Chen. Everyone in the command post received a gift, personally purchased by Zhao Chen at Nanshan Port’s stores.
It was on this day that Nanshan Port was practically secure. The staff officers submitted a plan to deploy troops to Nanshan Port, then board ships for a large-scale landing operation in the Shu Territory.
This plan, nad "Rehearsal," was coined by several staff officers in the command post: its implication being that this landing was a "dress rehearsal" for returning to the Eastern Continent.
Luff approved the plan and forwarded it to Tang Mo. In his view, broadening the battlefield and completely severing the connection between the Dorne Empire and Qin Country was indeed a "thod to speed up ending the war" worth trying.
Soon, Tang Mo also approved the plan. Compared to the previous aggressive madness of having landing troops depart from Linshui, this plan to depart from Nanshan Port seed much more acceptable.
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