Reborn and returned, sisters swapped

Chapter 119 Whoever possesses strategic skills can fully utilize their knowledge.

She imagined that if these new recruits could learn the "heart-to-heart step," and each of them had the idea of ​​cooperation in their hearts, they could form a solid infantry defense line.

Just as she was deep in thought, she suddenly saw a soldier stumble and fall. The instructor was furious and reprimanded him harshly, scolding him for disrupting the formation.

The soldier lowered his head in shame, looking utterly mortified.

Gu Jinyan watched quietly from the side, but couldn't help feeling regretful: if he could have guided the soldiers to understand the meaning of the formation, their ranks would have been much stronger.

Although these problems are obvious to her, she cannot intervene directly at present and can only continue to silently record these observations.

Through this period of study and observation, Gu Jinyan gradually came to understand a principle:

No matter how much you yearn to achieve great things, you need time and opportunity to wait.

In the stillness of the night, Gu Jinyan sat by the candlelight, gazing at his notes from the past few days, his heart filled with countless emotions.

Although she was unable to make her voice heard in the military for the time being, her efforts were not in vain.

Every morning, Gu Jinyan would enter the camp and first inspect the food and supplies.

As the autumn morning light began to emerge, she walked alone through the thin mist, meticulously checking the tents, weapons, herbs, and other supplies to ensure that logistical support was in place.

Although her gaze remained fixed on the account book in her hand, her mind kept replaying the deployment of the southern city defense line.

While food supplies are important, if the defense line is unstable, no amount of supplies from the rear will be of any use.

She often silently recorded her observations of the defensive line, trying to use this data to draw a complete defensive map.

Initially, her attention was mainly focused on the southern city defense line, but as she made more notes, she gradually realized that to fully understand the military's defense system, observation of a single defense line was not enough.

Therefore, she began to take time to visit other defense areas and carefully observe the patterns in the patrol layout.

Whether it was the mountain road defense line in the east or the water canal defense in the northwest, she tried her best to record the distribution and patrol methods of every soldier, attempting to understand the overall defense system of the military camp.

Through these daily patrols and observations, she gradually became familiar with the soldiers in the camp, especially the infantrymen who walked along the patrol lines every day.

She didn't rush to express her own opinions, but listened quietly, chatted with them, and learned about the daily life in the army and their views on the deployment of the defense line.

Sometimes, she would bump into the soldiers near their tents and ask them about interesting things that happened during their patrols, which would gradually put them at ease.

One day, she met a soldier named Chen Feng. Chen Feng was tall and strong, with the marks of time on his face.

The two sat together in the logistics tent. Gu Jinyan handed him a glass of water and casually asked, "Is patrolling hard every day? I heard that the woodlands in the south of the city are damp and difficult to patrol."

Chen Feng was slightly taken aback, his eyes flickered for a moment, and then he said in a low voice:

"The hard work is secondary; patrolling that woodland in the south of the city is indeed troublesome."

We low-ranking soldiers also noticed some gaps in the defenses, especially in the low-lying areas where no one was stationed, and night patrols were even more sparse.

He paused, then continued, seemingly somewhat indignant, "If the enemy were to infiltrate, I'm afraid no one would discover it for a while."

Gu Jinyan was shocked and secretly memorized these words.

She didn't rush to ask further questions, but instead casually said, "Why not suggest strengthening the defenses? Such an important matter should be reported to the general."

Chen Feng smiled wryly and said, "It's no use saying it."

We are just ordinary soldiers, and the patrol arrangements from above are already set in stone and cannot be easily changed.

Even if we harbor resentment, what can we do? The military has a strict hierarchy; we are merely following orders.

These words made Gu Jinyan realize that many soldiers had already noticed the problem with the defenses, but because of their lowly status, their voices could not reach the higher-ups.

These heartfelt sentiments, like a tide, were blocked beneath the rocks, accumulating over time and gradually lurking in the undercurrents.

While comforting Chen Feng, she secretly pondered that if she could find the root cause of these problems and raise it logically, it might bring a turning point to the military camp.

In the days that followed, Gu Jinyan contacted more soldiers to find out their opinions on the current patrol system.

She discovered that many people shared the same dissatisfaction with the South City defense line, but they could only discuss it in private, complaining silently because of their discontent, but no one dared to mention it publicly.

She thought to herself that if the soldiers' complaints were ignored, the morale of the army would gradually dissipate, and their fighting strength would likely be damaged if they faced an enemy attack.

One day, she met the older archer Wang Rui again.

He sensed Gu Jinyan's thoughts and said in a low voice, "Young lady, I've noticed you've been talking to the soldiers a lot about the defense lately. You must have some ideas on your mind, right?"

His tone was gentle, carrying a hint of elder's concern.

Gu Jinyan hesitated for a moment before smiling and replying, "Brother Wang is insightful. I do have some insights, but I am only a minor logistics officer and it is difficult for my words to have an immediate effect. I can only accumulate knowledge in secret and hope to make a difference one day."

She spoke calmly, but her gaze was firm and unwavering, as if a deep resolve had already been ignited within her.

Wang Rui nodded slightly and said approvingly, "It's good that you have this idea. The military has a strict hierarchy, but the real opportunities often come when the war is urgent."

When the enemy approaches, whoever possesses strategic skills will be able to demonstrate their abilities. As long as your resolve remains steadfast, you will surely achieve something.”

Gu Jinyan was deeply enlightened and his mind became more and more stable from then on.

She gradually accumulated details of the defense deployment, recording the soldiers' words and the defensive problems she observed.

Late at night, she sat alone in her tent, opened her notebook, analyzed her observations and thoughts one by one, and drew up an improved plan for the defensive line.

These accumulated experiences over the days gave Gu Jinyan a clearer understanding of the military camp's defense system.

She knew that she couldn't change these defenses for the time being, but she also knew that when war broke out, it would be the time to test what she had learned.

Gu Jinyan devoted herself to her studies day after day, sometimes reading military books, sometimes sitting quietly in her tent to deduce the battle situation, gradually combining the tactical theories she learned from the books with the actual situation she observed.

In the quiet of the night, by candlelight, she continued to sketch on the paper with her pen.

She drew up a series of defense plans—designing strategies to strengthen the defenses of the southern city line, including adding hidden sentries in weak areas of the line and planning reinforcement routes in case of emergency.

She ensured the defensive line could respond quickly. She also attempted to simulate battle scenarios for different tactics, and to plan various responses to enemy attacks.

Sometimes, she would imagine the enemy's possible tactics and try to set up defensive lines with different formations and troop types.

If the enemy sneaks in from the forest, she will arrange for archers to hide on high ground, using the shadows of the trees for cover;

If the enemy launches a frontal attack, deploy infantry in formation, hold their shields, and use cavalry to flank them.

She wrote these ideas down in her notebook one by one, gradually building a detailed defense system.

After several months of accumulation, her notes have become very detailed, covering everything from the deployment of defense lines and the coordination strategies of various military branches to the preventative layout of key areas.

She even turned her attention to the overall deployment of the entire battalion, outlining a more robust defensive picture from the overall to the local level.

One morning, Gu Jinyan was conducting his usual logistical patrol when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the east side of the camp.

She looked up and saw a surge of people in the direction of the East Camp, with soldiers rushing toward the defensive line.

Immediately afterwards, news came that a small enemy scout team had launched a surprise attack on the eastern mountain pass, and the situation was critical.

Gu Jinyan's heart stirred; this was a perfect opportunity to test her skills. She took a deep breath, quickly returned to her tent, and retrieved her notebook.

He quickly reviewed the defensive line along the eastern mountain path, outlining any gaps in the defenses and corresponding countermeasures in his mind.

Her figure moved through the camp and went straight to the East Camp garrison, where she saw the veteran Wang Rui, the leader of the team, leading his soldiers to assemble and wait for orders.

Wang Rui's eyes were sharp as he was about to set up a defensive line when Gu Jinyan stepped forward quickly, cupped his hands in a fist salute, and said:

“Brother Wang, the enemy is attacking. This place has a dangerous terrain. We might as well deploy our defenses using the ‘Ground Net Formation’.”

She spoke softly, succinctly outlining the plan she had already devised.

After a moment's thought, Wang Rui remembered that Gu Jinyan was always steady and had a good understanding of military strategy, so he nodded to signal her to continue.

Gu Jinyan immediately drew a simple map on the ground, pointed out several key sentry posts, and suggested that archers be stationed on the high ground, while light cavalry be sent to ambush on the flanks, ready to flank the enemy from both sides at any time.

She spoke clearly, word by word, her tone full of confidence, as if she were already on the battlefield.

After a moment of deep thought, Wang Rui finally nodded and said, "Proceed according to your strategy. Soldiers, deploy your troops as Miss Gu instructed!" Upon hearing the order, the soldiers immediately set off and deployed their defenses according to Gu Jinyan's suggestion.

Soon, a small group of enemy scouts rushed into the eastern mountain path. Seeing that the enemy's formation was solid, they advanced step by step but failed to shake our army's footing.

At Wang Rui's command, the ambushing light cavalry and archers attacked simultaneously. The enemy army was caught off guard by the sudden pincer attack, their formation was disrupted, their morale collapsed, and they were defeated in an instant.

After the victory, Wang Rui gave Gu Jinyan a deep look, his eyes filled with respect.

He patted her on the shoulder, his tone filled with satisfaction: "The skills you've learned have finally come in handy. This defense was entirely due to your planning; without it, we wouldn't have been able to win so swiftly."

Gu Jinyan merely smiled calmly, his gaze growing increasingly resolute. This deployment was merely the beginning of his trial by fire.

In the stillness of the night, only a few campfires had been lit around the camp, their low flames flickering in the darkness, as if telling the story of the quiet and solemn atmosphere of the military camp in the wind.

Gu Jinyan had just finished a day of patrolling and recording, and was preparing to return to his tent for a short rest.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the camp.

She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a logistics soldier rushing over, still breathless, bowing respectfully.

He reported in a low voice: "Miss Gu, there are supplies in the grain warehouse that need to be inventoried urgently. There are not enough warehouse staff in the camp, so we would like to ask you to go and assist us."