323: Chapter 258: His Battle Tactics Gain Fame, Earning the Title of "Civilized War General"

Time, like a ripple in the river of civilization, passed quietly amidst the busy and fulfilling courses and practical training at Xinghai University.

The core junior year course, "Divine Kingdom War Studies," was nearing its end.

Virtual Star Domain, Large-Scale Practical Exercise Field No. 7.

This simulated an alien Star Domain fragment that had just been occupied by initial "Boundary Erosion" but was far from completing "Civilization Erosion."

The environment was harsh, with rules deviating by approximately 17.3% from the main world, and the air was filled with pale purple [Underworld Dust] that possessed weak mental corrosive properties.

The terrain was complex, riddled with jagged dark crystal veins and bubbling acidic swamps.

The subject of this practical exercise: "Coordinated Defense and Counterattack of Divine Kingdoms in Extreme Environments."

Background setting: Two student teams (defenders) needed to establish a temporary outpost here to jointly defend against a mixed legion simulated by the course System and commanded by a specially invited high-Rank teaching assistant (playing the enemy commander).

The legion consisted of [Abyssal Lesser Demons (LV35-LV40)], [Wraiths (LV30-LV35, Spirit Body)], and a small number of [Abyssal Worms (LV45, Large Siege Units)].

The attack would come in three waves, with increasing intensity.

Defender Team A: A mixed squad from the Hundred Schools Society with Lin Zhou serving as the temporary commander.

Core members included Wang Meng (Behemoth Divine Domain, Vanguard), Qin Qing (Judgment Angel Divine Domain, Center/Support), and three other members from the society specializing in defense, support, and engineering.

Lin Zhou's own divine kingdom served as the mobile command core and rule support node.

Defender Team B: Another traditional defensive-type divine Domain team led by a senior, with [Mountain Giants] and [Rune Dwarves] as the core, specializing in holding ground and positional warfare.

Attacker: A serving officer of the military department with Mid-Tier Divine Power (LV620) and a [Lava Purgatory] divine Domain served as the commander.

His tactical style was known for being violent, changeable, and skilled at utilizing the environment.

At this moment, the second wave of attacks had just been repelled.

Outside the temporarily constructed joint defense line, the ground was covered with the charred remains of Abyssal Lesser Demons and the dissipating ashes of Wraiths, but the defenders had also paid a price.

Two of Team B's Mountain Giants had fallen (severely injured within the divine kingdom, requiring time to recover), and some of the defensive fortifications constructed by the Rune Dwarves had been corroded by the acid of the Abyssal Worms, their light dimming.

The concentration of Underworld Dust in the air seemed to have increased, continuously inflicting the negative effect of [Mental Pressure: Reduces morale by 1 point per minute, weakly corrodes divinity link] on non-Abyssal kin.

The captain of Team B, a senior with a determined expression, wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead (Divine Thought projection) and said in the joint communication channel with a grave tone: "Junior Lin Zhou, three Abyssal Worms appeared in the second wave. The intensity of the next wave will likely double."

"My Giants and Dwarves have suffered significant losses, and repairing the fortifications takes time. Your... um, those thought auras, how much longer can they hold?"

His gaze swept across the battlefield.

Above the defense zone responsible by the Hundred Schools Society, a pale gold [Vast Righteous Qi Domain] and a translucent [Net of Law] overlapped and flickered, effectively purifying most of the Underworld Dust and causing considerable continuous damage to the rushing Abyssal units.

The automatic Ballista constructed by Mohist Mechanisms operated efficiently under the control of the Dwarf engineers (Tiangong Dwarves), while the [Gentle Breeze] Formation condensed by the Daoists was slowly repairing the land eroded by acid.

The banners of the School of Military fluttered, mobilizing the blood and energy of the kin.

The entire defense zone appeared orderly; despite the bitter battle, the core combat strength remained relatively intact.

Lin Zhou's Divine Thought projection hovered beside his own divine kingdom phantom (a miniature sanctuary surrounded by the river of civilization).

He replied calmly upon hearing this: "Don't worry, Senior Zhang. Vast Righteous Qi and the Net of Law have significant suppression effects on Abyssal attributes, and the consumption is within a controllable range."

"The top priority is to deal with potential aerial units or stronger rule erosion in the next wave. I suggest..."

Before he could finish, a piercing alarm exploded in everyone's consciousness!

"Warning! High-intensity spatial disturbance detected! Third wave of attacks early! High-energy reaction detected... suspected Abyssal Lesser Lord projection descending!"

"Energy level estimated: LV180 (equivalent to Peak Faint Divinity kin hero unit)! Accompanied by a large number of aerial units [Gargoyle (LV38)] and ground reinforcement units [Demonized Armored Lesser Demons (LV40)]!"

In the distant sky, space was torn open like a rag, and rich Abyssal aura mixed with the smell of sulfur spewed out.

An [Abyssal Balrog (LV180, Lord Projection)] over fifteen meters tall, with tattered fleshy wings on its back, curved horns on its head, and covered in dark red lava armor, stepped out amidst flames.

It wielded a burning greatsword in its hand, and just one glance from it made people feel their Souls burning with pain.

Behind it, a dark swarm of Gargoyles poured out like locusts, emitting sharp hisses.

On the ground, Demonized Lesser Demons, larger in size, wearing crude metal armor, and holding heavy weapons, began to advance with heavy steps.

"It's a Balrog projection! And aerial suppression!" Senior Zhang's expression changed.

"My Rune anti-aircraft towers haven't been fully repaired! Giant anti-aircraft defense is a short board!"

Qin Qing's cold voice rang out: "My Angel Legion can ascend to intercept the Gargoyles, but the numbers are vastly different. We need ground support to suppress the Balrog and avoid its area-of-effect attacks."

Wang Meng roared: "My Behemoths can go up and entangle that big guy! But I need healing and resistance buffs; that fire carries rule burning!"

The situation became critical in an instant.

Lin Zhou's eyes were sharp as lightning, and his brain synthesized all information within a fraction of a second: the comparison of enemy and our forces, the pros and cons of the environment, the specialties and losses of each team, and... the deep intent of the course assessment (it was definitely not just about holding the line).

"Everyone, listen to my orders!" His voice spread through the joint channel via Divine Thought, carrying an unquestionable calmness that strangely smoothed out the momentary panic.

"Team B, Senior Zhang, immediately activate all repaired [Mountain Barrier Generators] (Rune Dwarves special building, unfolds physical protective field), shrink the defense line to the second barrier, and defend against ground impact with all your might, especially the Balrog's area splash!"

"Your Giants retreat temporarily as a reserve force and barrier repair force!"

"Senior Qin Qing, do not let the entire Angel Legion ascend! Split half of them, carry [Holy Light Binding Chains] (Judgment Angel special skill, requires channeling), hover at low altitude, and listen to my target orders!"

"Wang Meng, retreat the Behemoth Legion thirty meters, enter 'Immovable as a Mountain' Formation, take [Clear Heart Pill] (Daoist refined, temporarily increases fire resistance and mental resistance by 15%), and wait for the opportunity!"

"Li Mo (Tiangong Dwarves hero unit), activate 'Yi-3' plan, all [Chain Earth-Fire Crossbows] adjust targets, lock onto the area under the Balrog's feet, load [Armor-Piercing Explosive Arrows]!"

"Ai Wen (Literary Heart Elves hero unit, has promoted to Great Scholar), lead all scholars, recite the eighth chapter of 'Song of Righteousness' in unison, focus on the Balrog, and perform 'Definition Strike'!"

A series of instructions were clearly, quickly, and accurately conveyed.

Each instruction was aimed at the current situation, leveraging strengths and avoiding weaknesses, and implied follow-up linkages.

Although Senior Zhang had some doubts about letting the Behemoths retreat and not letting all Angels ascend, the ability Lin Zhou had shown in defense layout and resource scheduling had long since convinced him.

He executed without hesitation: "Team B, execute!"

The battlefield situation changed subtly due to this abrupt order.

The defender's defense line seemed to have "retreated," and the aerial interception force also "weakened."

The Balrog projection let out a deafening roar, seemingly thinking the defenders were cowardly.

It pointed its burning greatsword, and the Gargoyle swarm took the lead in accelerating, while the Demonized Lesser Demons also began to charge.

Just as the Gargoyle swarm was about to fly to the front of the defense line and enter the optimal attack distance—

"Now! Senior Qin Qing, Holy Light Binding, target: third batch, slightly left of the center of the Gargoyle swarm!" Lin Zhou shouted sharply.

The half of the Angels who had been prepared instantly pulled up, and the chains condensed with light shot out.

They did not attack single targets, but intertwined in the air to form a huge net of light, precisely covering the area of Gargoyles designated by Lin Zhou!

That area happened to be where the Gargoyle swarm was relatively dense and where the command nodes (a few slightly larger Gargoyles) were located due to the natural Formation caused by flight speed differences!

The light net enveloped them, and the holy binding power erupted.

The Gargoyles within the range suddenly felt like they had bumped into glue; their speed dropped sharply, their Formation fell into chaos, and they struggled with hisses.

"Li Mo! Earth-Fire Crossbows, fire!"

"Boom, boom, boom, boom!" Dozens of Mohist special Ballista hidden under camouflage rock layers fired simultaneously.

The special Armor-Piercing Explosive Arrows did not shoot at the bound Gargoyles, but drew an arc and slammed into a piece of soft swamp land a hundred meters in front of the Balrog, where the Demonized Lesser Demons were bound to charge!

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

The violent explosion not only splattered mud everywhere in the swamp, but also triggered unstable underground energy pulses (which Lin Zhou had detected and marked with Daoist Formations in advance), causing a small-scale elemental turbulence!

The charging Demonized Lesser Demons were suddenly thrown into chaos, their speed was hindered, and their Formation was severed.

"Ai Wen!"

"The world has Righteous Qi, mixed and flowing... below it becomes rivers and mountains, above it becomes the sun and stars... for people it is called Vast Righteous Qi, filling the vast firmament!"

The Literary Heart Elves Great Scholar Ai Wen led hundreds of scholars, their voices shaking the Universe.

The majestic Vast Righteous Qi was no longer dispersed, but under Lin Zhou's guidance and Ai Wen's mobilization, it condensed in the air into a huge [Sword of Righteousness] purely composed of golden characters, carrying the absolute suppression will against "Chaos Evil," ignoring physical defense, and slashed directly at the Soul core of the Balrog projection!

The Balrog had just swung its sword to slash away a few incoming Holy Lights and was about to cast a large-scale Flame Nova, when it was hit hard by this Sword of Righteousness that had gathered the beliefs of hundreds of Literary Heart Elves, was blessed by Lin Zhou's [Education] divine office, and had been "defined" (this attack targets "Chaos Evil Origin")!

"Awoo—!!!" The Balrog let out a painful roar, its huge body shaking violently, the light of the lava armor on its surface dimmed, and its Soul was damaged.

The Flame Nova Spell it was brewing was directly interrupted and backfired!

The Abyssal flames around it withered for a moment.

"Wang Meng! Now! 'Fierce as Fire', target the Balrog! Senior Qin Qing, remaining Angels, cooperate to clean up the remaining Gargoyles, focus on clearing those who broke free from the binding!"

Wang Meng, who had been holding back for a long time, roared.

The Behemoth Legion, having taken the Clear Heart Pill and having been in the "Immovable as a Mountain" state for a long time, instantly switched to "Fierce as Fire"!

All Behemoths had red eyes, bulging muscles, and their speed and attack power soared by 150%.

Like a torrent of steel, they slammed into the Balrog, which was suffering from Soul damage, Spell backlash, and whose minion support had been slightly disturbed by the elemental turbulence in front!

And the other half of the Angels commanded by Qin Qing took advantage of the Gargoyle swarm's confusion due to partial binding, the overall Formation being chaotic, and the shock from the explosion and Vast Righteous Qi below, to efficiently perform precision kills, quickly seizing local air superiority.

Senior Zhang's Team B was not idle either.

The Mountain Barrier steadily blocked the long-range throwing attacks of the Demonized Lesser Demons, who were slightly messy due to the Balrog's injury.

The Rune Dwarves took the opportunity to quickly repair the fortifications, and the retreating Mountain Giants caught their breath and began to prepare for a counterattack.

The subsequent battle became almost a one-sided rhythm control.

The Soul-damaged Flame Demon projection's strength was greatly reduced, and it was tightly entangled by Wang Meng's Behemoth Legion.

After cleaning up most of the Gargoyles, Qin Qing's Angels also began to coordinate attacks on the Flame Demon.

Li Mo's Earth-Fire Ballista and Ai Wen's Vast Righteous Qi auxiliary attacks never ceased.

Team B steadily advanced, cleaning up the separated Magic-corrupted Lesser Demons.

Fifteen minutes later, accompanied by an unwilling wail from the Flame Demon projection, its massive body dissipated into sparks filling the sky.

The morale of the remaining Abyss troops collapsed and they were quickly annihilated.

[Field exercise concluded. Defensive side victory. Comprehensive evaluation: S+.]

[Calculating combat data...]

[Defensive Team A (commanded by Lin Zhou): Total casualty rate 7.2%, key target kill contribution 68%, environmental utilization efficiency rating: Excellent, tactical coordination Execution rating: Perfect.]

[Defensive Team B: Total casualty rate 23.5%, key target kill contribution 22%, defensive line stability rating: Excellent.]

[Individual outstanding contribution assessment: Lin Zhou. Tactical formulation and on-site command contribution accounted for 45%. Recorded accordingly.]

The light of the exercise field dissipated, and everyone's consciousness returned to their respective observation rooms or Divine Kingdom connection pods.

After a brief silence, an uproar broke out.

"S+! Another S+! In the seven large-scale field exercises Lin Zhou led this semester, he won all of them! Four S ratings, three S+ ratings!"

"That command just now was godly! He precisely predicted the weaknesses in the Gargoyle Formation and used Holy Light restraints to disrupt them; he detonated the environment in advance to create obstacles and divide the ground troops; he condensed Vast Righteous Qi to focus on the Flame Demon's Soul and interrupt its ultimate move; and finally, the Behemoth's all-out attack... It was interlocked!"

"The key is that he always seems to find that fleeting 'moment of imbalance' between the enemy's strongest and weakest points, and then uses the lowest cost to leverage the greatest results."

"Did you notice? His tactical core never seems to be 'destroying the most enemies', but rather 'disintegrating the enemy's combat System with the minimum cost'. Fighting the Mechanical Divine Domain involved using ideological infiltration to trigger logical contradictions, and fighting the Abyss involved using rule suppression and environmental utilization to create local advantages..."

"No wonder even a logic machine like Karls was convinced by him... This is simply the art of war!"

"I heard that several old professors from the War College are already jointly compiling new supplementary textbooks, and several core combat cases in them come from Lin Zhou's performance this semester!"

"That's not all! My cousin is interning at the military staff department, and he said some combat case briefings have already been sent there, sparking small-scale discussions."

"Have you heard? Students are now privately calling Lin Zhou the 'Civilization War Commander'!"

"Civilization War Commander? Fitting! His fighting style is indeed full of that... um, feeling of using brains, culture, and rules, completely different from those who only know how to charge blindly or stack defenses."

In the observation room, Lin Zhou slowly opened his eyes, withdrawing his Divine Thought completely from the virtual battlefield.

Beside him, Wang Meng excitedly punched his shoulder (virtual projection): "Boss, awesome! Another S+! That Flame Demon was beaten so miserably by us! Hahaha!"

Qin Qing also nodded slightly, her cold eyes filled with approval: "The command was precise, and the resource allocation and timing were impeccable. Especially the combined application of Vast Righteous Qi and Holy Light restraints."

After many collaborative battles, this Head of the Enforcement Department, who once questioned the Hundred Schools of Thought, had long been won over by Lin Zhou's practical abilities, becoming a firm promoter of Legalist thought within the society and a loyal executor of Lin Zhou's tactics.

Su Yueyao's communication request arrived quietly.

After connecting, her beautiful face appeared on the light screen, a faint smile on her lips: "Congratulations, another textbook victory. The title of 'Civilization War Commander' is getting louder and louder."

Lin Zhou shook his head and smiled: "Just empty fame. It's just relying on a deeper understanding of the various schools of thought and being able to flexibly combine and apply them. War, in the end, is a contest of comprehensive strength."

"You are too modest," Su Yueyao said seriously, "Being able to translate thought so exquisitely into practical tactics and achieve overwhelming results is strength in itself, and it is strength that is extremely difficult to replicate. I read the battle report analysis; your utilization of the battlefield environment this time, especially the moment you detonated the underground energy pulse to create chaos, was superb in both timing and location. This is not just thought; it also requires extremely strong insight and calculation power."

Lin Zhou felt a warmth in his heart, knowing she was one of the few who truly understood the essence of his tactics.

"It also relies on everyone's effective Execution. Wang Meng's Behemoth switching states without hesitation, Qin Qing's Holy Light restraint release being flawless, Li Mo's Ballista placement, and Ai Wen's Vast Righteous Qi guidance were all just right. This is not my victory alone."

"This is another manifestation of your 'Way of Civilization', isn't it?" Su Yueyao's eyes sparkled with intelligence, "Being good at integrating different forces, bringing out their respective strengths, and forming an effect where one plus one is greater than two. This is much more difficult and much more brilliant than simply pursuing the strength of an individual or a single race of dependents."

The two exchanged a few more views on the tactical details just now before Su Yueyao cut off the communication.

She could feel that although Lin Zhou appeared indifferent to empty fame, his heart was full of confidence and firmness regarding the practice and verification of his own path.

This confidence stemmed from success after success, from the tangible growth of his dependents and comrades, and also from the deepening tacit understanding and... appreciation between them.

A few days later, the electronic textbook "Xinghai University War College · Divine Kingdom Warfare (Junior Year) Classic Combat Case Analysis and Tactical Innovation (Seventh Revised Edition)" was officially released and updated to all relevant major students.

Lin Zhou received a version with special annotations from the editorial board.

He opened the table of contents and was surprised to find that in the newly added Chapter 4, "Application of Special Rules and Ideological Systems in War," more than one-third of the content cited combat cases from his practical classes this semester.

Including but not limited to:

Combat Case 7-03: "The Linkage of Hundred Schools of Thought for Infiltration and Counter-measures Against the 'Absolute Logic' Domain" (Against Karls).

It focused on analyzing the entire process of the river of civilization demonstrating inclusive logic, triggering the opponent's logical contradictions, and ultimately leading to a truce through debate, accompanied by some publicly available data comparisons after Karls's rule mutation.

Combat Case 7-08: "Defensive Counter-attack Tactics of Multi-dependent Coordination in Harsh Environments — Taking the Abyss Mixed Legion as an Example" (The Flame Demon battle that just ended).

It detailed every step from early warning, command issuance, to Holy Light restraint crowd control, environmental detonation and division, Vast Righteous Qi Soul-slashing, and the Behemoth's all-out surprise attack.

It analyzed the practical application of concepts contained within, such as the School of Military's "Deceptive Way" and "Momentum", the Legalist's "Holding Names Responsible for Reality" (Defining Strikes), the Mohist's "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature" (Environmental Utilization and Equipment Coordination), and the Confucian's "Vast Righteous Qi" (Attribute Suppression and Spiritual Attacks).

There were also simplified analyses of several other confrontations against different opponents (Elemental Legion, Zerg Raid, Undead Scourge, etc.).

At the end of each combat case, the textbook editorial board added a unified [Tactical Thought Extraction] and [Editor's Comments].

[Tactical Thought Extraction]: Emphasizes thought first, rule insight, systemic confrontation, precision strikes, and cost control.

The core lies in "waiting for the enemy to be vulnerable while ensuring one is invincible", being good at discovering and creating key contradictions or weak points in the enemy's System, and using the most appropriate ideological tools and tactical combinations for targeted disintegration, rather than blindly pursuing annihilation.

[Editor's Comments (Written personally by the Vice President of the War College, former three-star military general, God King Lu Qingcang)]:

"This student's (Lin Zhou) tactical practice has shown us a new path that transcends traditional power confrontation and resource consumption. Its core is not some bizarre trick or single powerful skill, but a whole set of war methodology based on deep civilizational heritage and philosophical speculation."

"He has sublimated war from 'barbaric conquest' characterized by simple Divine Power bombardment, dependent slaughter, and resource consumption, into a 'high-dimensional game' of understanding rules, applying thought, and interpreting and spreading civilization."

"His tactics can often, while disintegrating the enemy's combat power, shake its Foundation of existence (such as logical Systems or belief cores), and even trigger the opponent's reflection on their own path (such as the Mechanical Divine Domain mutation), reaching a higher Realm of 'subduing the enemy without fighting' or 'becoming stronger by winning' (absorbing the reasonable components of the opponent)."

"This 'Civilization Tactics' places extremely high demands on the commander's comprehensive quality (breadth of knowledge, depth of thought, insight, and decisiveness) and is difficult to simply replicate. However, the concepts it contains, such as 'winning with wisdom', 'systemic breakthrough', and 'rules are king', are worthy of deep thought and reference by all war commanders. We hereby grant this student's tactical System the code name — 'Game of Civilization'."

"We suggest monitoring their development."

This comment carried immense weight, especially the final "We hereby grant this student's tactical System the code name" and "We suggest monitoring their development," which almost elevated Lin Zhou's tactical thought to the level of founding a school, implying his huge potential for the future.

Once the textbook was published, it quickly spread throughout Xinghai University and even the surrounding university circles.

The titles of "Game of Civilization" and "Civilization War Commander," accompanied by God King Lu Qingcang's personal comments, were completely solidified and plated with a layer of dazzling light.

Lin Zhou's status and influence among Xinghai University students reached a new Peak.

Long queues formed in front of the recruitment threshold of the Hundred Schools Society.

Inside the Divine Kingdom, Lin Zhou stood alone in front of the Hundred Schools Temple, watching the river of civilization flow quietly.

The discussions of his classmates, Su Yueyao's affirmation, and the heavy comments in the textbook seemed to still echo in his ears.

"Civilization War Commander... Game of Civilization..." He whispered to himself, his gaze piercing through the river, as if he saw a more distant future, saw interstellar battles, saw the collision of civilizations, and saw that path destined to be full of challenges and glory.

He knew this was just the beginning.

The stage of university was about to draw to a close, and the real cosmic battlefield was waiting ahead.

And he, carrying his "Game of Civilization" and leading his Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom, would go play an even bigger game.

With a slight thought, he brought up the latest Divine Domain panel:

[Deity]: Lin Zhou

[Divine Rank]: LV435 (Lesser Divinity, High-tier)

[divine office]: Education (Stable), Law (Stable)

[Divine Power Reserve]: 58420 / 120000 (Daily natural recovery + faith conversion approx. 3000)

[Divine Kingdom]: Hundred Schools Divine Kingdom (Prototype)

[Area]: Approx. 320 square kilometers

[Core Dependents]:

Literary Heart Elves (Average LV38, Hero: Ai Wen, LV55 Great Confucian)

Tiangong Dwarves (Average LV36, Hero: Li Mo, LV52 Divine Craftsman)

Law Fishmen (Average LV35, Hero: Not yet named, LV48 Grand Justice)

[Fusion Card Quantity]: 48 / 50 (Already approaching the current Divine Rank limit)

[civilization points]: 17200 points

[Special]: river of civilization (Manifested), Temple of Civilization (Conceptualized), Fire of Civilization (Fused/Purple), God King fragments (Slowly absorbing)

The data was growing steadily, and the road stretched out under his feet.

"Civilization War Commander..." The corners of Lin Zhou's mouth curved into an arc, "This title, it sounds pretty good."