123: Chapter 123 Simulation

"Instructor Lauren..."

"Hmm?"

"Is it really necessary for Ship Girl Commanders to learn traditional naval tactics?"

"If you don't want to learn, get out."

"Wait, I want to learn, I want to learn..."

Watching the interaction between Cliff and Instructor Lauren, Li Ming fell silent for a moment, looking at the sand table he was leaning against.

Dozens of people in a class were crowded around a large sand table, listening to Lauren explain the basics of naval warfare.

Basic formation choices, how to change formations according to different situations, and which formation to use under what circumstances.

Do they really have to teach these from scratch? Li Ming thought to himself.

After all, these basic column and Line Formations had existed since the Age of Sail; Li Ming, who had played some weird RTS games, knew a bit about them.

But obviously, not everyone liked war games as much as he did, especially the kind that spanned from 5000 BC to 2400 AD.

After explaining formation maneuvers, Lauren had everyone start using electronic devices for one-on-one combat.

"Hey, Li Ming, you seem a bit distracted today," Cliff said as he squared off against Li Ming.

"Do I?"

"You do."

"Fooled you. Just because I'm taking notes doesn't mean I'm actually listening." Li Ming curled his lips.

"Huh? How do you do that?"

"It's not that hard. I usually call it multi-threading. And..." Li Ming paused. "As long as your note-taking speed exceeds the teacher's speaking speed, you'll find you have plenty of time to daydream."

"...You're something else." Cliff twitched his lips and dragged his fleet forward in a Line Formation.

"I'm not." Li Ming watched the fleet's movements. Honestly, given that both sides knew each other's moves and the space was limited, this formation really could only force the opponent into an engagement.

But...

"With this formation of yours, wouldn't you be finished if I went with a column?" Li Ming arranged his fleet into a single column and cut diagonally into Cliff's Line Formation.

Although this gave Cliff a chance to deal damage, it still separated a small portion of his fleet. Thus, as long as that small portion was dealt with first, Cliff would immediately fall into a disadvantageous position.

At this point, Cliff's move should have been to quickly change formation and have the fleet on the other side close in to surround him.

"Aren't you being too reckless?" Cliff had the fleet on the other side accelerate to surround him.

"After all, this is a formation duel. We both have twenty Destroyers of the same type, and the map is only this big." Li Ming didn't bother with the surrounding enemies and instead prioritized taking out the small, isolated section. "You used a Line Formation to prevent me from evading the fire, but the time it takes for your other side to enter effective range is enough for me to deal with that small portion of yours."

Real naval battles aren't fought like this. After all, in reality, it's impossible to know the opponent's advance layout and on-the-spot formation changes in real-time.

"True." Cliff bit his finger. He had originally thought Li Ming would choose a center breakthrough or a split assault, which would have allowed him to use a Crescent Formation to gain a tactical advantage.

Due to the performance of the electronic equipment, the accuracy of any shot gradually decreased with distance. It couldn't account for the environment or training levels; it was purely a probability calculation. Once the distance was close enough, the accuracy approached 100%.

Therefore, Li Ming prioritized wiping out Cliff's isolated fleet. Instead of turning back, he continued forward, turning behind Cliff's fleet to maintain the tactical advantage with his Single Column Formation.

At this moment, because of the turn, Cliff's fleet was unable to form a column to engage in a line-of-battle exchange with Li Ming.

Next, they could only be picked off one by one by concentrated fire.

Without a doubt, Cliff lost.

"Li Ming, did you predict this, or was it premeditated?" Cliff raised an eyebrow.

"Neither. Actually, I was also guessing how you planned to fight at the start. Generally, a double column or single column maximizes firepower advantage." Li Ming shrugged. "In that case, I really would have had no choice but to go head-to-head with you."

Cliff nodded. "In that case, I still fell into a trap."

"Not really. If both sides had Fog of War, I would likely have gone for a center breakthrough, or sent a few ships ahead to scout your firepower or just jam your communications." Li Ming stretched. "But this equipment is a bit old—or rather, it's just beginner equipment. Both sides' vision is transparent."

Lauren, listening from the side, stopped in front of their table.

"Fine..." Cliff shrugged. "Anyway, have you ever been in a war? Why do you know this so well?"

"You've played war games, haven't you?"

"No."

"Uh... never mind." Li Ming facepalmed. He had no actual combat experience, or at least hadn't fought an enemy head-on. But that didn't stop him from understanding some practical operations.

But that was normal; everyone has their own interests. Li Ming's hobbies just happened to shift from sports cars in his childhood to big things like tanks and warships. It was no big deal.

"But then again, what if we didn't know each other's moves and positions from the start? What then?"

"Gather information," Li Ming shrugged. "A long time ago, my ancestors... there's a saying from the ancestors on my side: 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles.'"

Then Li Ming tilted his head toward Lauren. "Ask the instructor."

"He's right." Lauren nodded, looking around at the other tables. Most were still maneuvering or dueling.

This session was just about basic formations and getting to know the equipment. Although Fog of War wasn't implemented, it was just a beginner-friendly optimization. Expecting a bunch of rookies to handle multi-tasking—arranging troops while gathering information and simultaneously analyzing and deducing the opponent's line of thought—would be too difficult.

However...

Lauren looked at Li Ming. "Student Li Ming, you spoke very well. Can you tell me which game you learned that from?"

"Hmm... a very old game." Li Ming fell silent for a moment. "I've already forgotten the name."

Half-truth. Lauren concluded, but she didn't press further.

After all, the incongruities about him could only be noticed by those in the know.

The leader of Horizons Edge... She narrowed her eyes and said, "It would be better to find it if you can."

"Of course." Li Ming raised an eyebrow. "I'll go back and look for it."

Lauren left. Li Ming turned his head and saw Cliff's searching gaze. "Why do I feel like you two are talking in code?"

Li Ming held up his hands. "I don't know, but I want to see if this equipment has any other modes. Anyway, our training is over."

...

...