The Fourth Calamity never believed in the steel torrent!

Chapter 103 The Special Military Command's Interrogation
"Sigh, making soldiers understand why they are fighting is no easy task, but we definitely need to improve communication between officers and soldiers!"

Lieutenant General Matvey sighed. From his perspective, he felt that there were indeed significant problems with the Cambrian Empire's officers.

Officers promoted from the grassroots level are more likely to empathize with their soldiers, but their limited education and cultural background often limit their achievements.

And sometimes, these officers are actually the most corrupt in the army. Compared to the well-informed aristocratic officers, these commoners are more likely to become addicted to power.

However, this does not mean that noble officers are necessarily better than commoner officers. Similarly, noble officers also have their own shortcomings.

One of the biggest problems with aristocratic officers is that they find it difficult to empathize with ordinary soldiers.

Although the empire has liberated serfs for decades, strictly speaking, the empire has not actually completed the work of liberating serfs at all. After all, what is the difference between those bonded laborers with 50-year labor contracts and serfs?
This led many noble officers to view ordinary soldiers as nothing more than a bunch of talking, gun-wielding animals, disdaining to communicate with them and only giving them orders.

In addition, many aristocratic officers lacked grassroots experience. Although they received more systematic education in military academies, they often had the problem of being good at theory but not practice.

As a result, the Cambrian Empire's army did indeed have many problems, but unfortunately, they haven't been able to find any particularly good solutions yet.

"Forget it, I'll use your case as an example and publicize it throughout the army when I have the chance. Those aristocratic kids really need to curb their arrogance and stop looking down on everyone all the time!"

"Since there's nothing else, you can go ahead..."

Lieutenant General Matvey waved his hand, just about to dismiss Andrei, when a special forces soldier beside him suddenly spoke up:
"Wait, Lieutenant General, we have a few more questions to ask Vorontsov. There are some things we'd better clarify in person; it's better for everyone that way!"

Upon hearing this, Andrei's heart tightened; he knew the crucial moment had arrived.

He nodded to the special garrison commander, signaling him to ask.

"Captain Vorontsov, I must admit, I've heard quite a few rumors about you, but none of them seem to be positive!"

"For example, I heard that when you were studying at the military academy, you were one of the worst students in the entire academy. You were undisciplined, unruly, and disrespectful of authority. You always used your various whimsical ideas to refute the teachers, and you even had to repeat a year because of it!"

"So I don't understand, what exactly did you go through to transform from a poor student into a military genius? Is there such a thing as sudden enlightenment?"

Andrei suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and couldn't help but curse his predecessor. He wondered how badly this guy had performed back then, which made him look so unreliable!
But Andrei naturally couldn't express these thoughts, so he simply retorted forcefully:

"Sir, I need to remind you of something: being good at fighting doesn't mean you're good at answering questions and taking exams!"

"And if I may be frank, a large part of what we learn in military academies is already outdated. On the battlefield, this content is simply not practical!"

Recalling the staff officer in the replenishment regiment, Andrei said with a look of disdain:

"For example, when they set up anti-tank guns now, they're thinking about prioritizing a wider field of fire rather than concealment!"

"Honestly, with our current firepower and accuracy, and the enemy having overwhelming firepower, setting up artillery in this way is no different from turning our own artillery into live targets." "Not to mention, we've encountered so many high-tech gadgets from the enemy on the battlefield, but when we look back at our own army, none of them have appeared!"

Seeing that Andrei seemed poised to go on and on, the special garrison commander waved his hand impatiently and said:
"That's enough, Captain! You can raise the issue of our education system with the principal later. We're not responsible for handling these matters."

"You pass this question, but we have other questions. For example, why didn't you follow the main force during the breakout, but instead launched a counter-charge against the enemy?"

To this question, Andrei simply sneered and said:
"Heh, I did want to retreat with the main force, but that sudden barrage of artillery shells not only cut off our retreat route, but also killed many of my soldiers!"

"Damn it, a round of artillery fire blew us and the enemy up. By the time we crawled out, the enemy had already launched their final attack!"

Immediately afterwards, Andrei said, somewhat agitated:

"So sir, let me ask you, if you were in this situation, what do you think you should do? Order the soldiers to turn around and run, exposing their backs to the enemy's guns when they are 100 meters away?"

"I don't understand those grand principles, but I do know one logic on the battlefield: only the brave survive!"

"When the enemy launches an attack, their defenses are inevitably at their weakest. So I used some smoke grenades I found as cover and charged with my bayonet with reckless abandon, and finally managed to break through!"

"But at least half of the soldiers who broke out with me fell there, which is why I had to break out in the opposite direction!"

As soon as Andrei finished speaking, Lieutenant General Matvey began to applaud.

"Well said, so well said! That's a true warrior!"

"It is always foolish to turn your back to the enemy on the battlefield. Only by showing courage can we defeat the enemy!"

After being rebuked by Andrei, the special garrison commander took two deep breaths, feeling that he had lost face.

He had originally planned to take advantage of Andrei's inability to answer to accuse him of secretly colluding with the Black Hawk Empire, which was why he had turned around and run to the enemy's position.

Unfortunately, Andrei's reasoning was so sound that it made his accusations seem like nonsense.

But it's okay, he still has one last trump card!

"Well, Captain Vorontsov, you're absolutely right. You've got a good tongue, no wonder you're a young man who dreams of becoming a great poet!"

"But there's one more thing I think you urgently need to explain: why do your soldiers know how to drive enemy armored vehicles?"

(End of this chapter)