Ethan Rhea and his group honored their agreement, standing quietly to the side and watching Yang Hui curse people out. At the same time, their attention was more focused on the screen in front of Yang Hui.
To maintain real-time control over the entire training exercise, a large number of drones were deployed around the perimeter for live surveillance. As a result, Ethan Rhea and the others could clearly see the Twelfth Independent Technical Division's training, whether in the air or underwater.
"They're all elites, and most of them are aces!" Ethan Rhea exclaimed in shock.
He didn't have any MS yet, so he didn't know the difference between live-unit training and simulator training, but anyone with a brain knew that live-unit training was much harder than simulator training!
He had also inspected the simulator training of the Mobile Suit pilots selected from his command. Without a point of comparison, he couldn't see the gap, but now that the comparison was right before his eyes, the difference was like a chasm.
Moreover, the MS of the Twelfth Independent Technical Division were using Underwater Specialized Equipment and Aerial Combat Equipment, shifting the battlefield environment from land to high altitude and underwater, which further increased the difficulty.
So... with the difficulty raised by so many levels, Ethan Rhea was surprised to find that none of his men could perform the maneuvers of the MS still active on the screen.
"Colonel..."
"Keep watching."
"Understood."
The mock battle didn't end until half an hour later. Ethan Rhea quietly asked Brad and learned that it was a chaotic combat drill. Four squads fought for themselves—four equipped with Aquatic Specialized Backpacks and four with Aerial Combat Packs—engaging in a massive free-for-all. The last squad standing would be the winner.
"Major, the exercise is over. First Squad has won three in a row."
"Those idiots! First Squad used the same tactic three times and they didn't see it? Are they all shit-eaters? Even if the others couldn't see it, couldn't Jung and his team figure it out? First Squad is stupid too, using the same tactic three times in a row. If they ran into a smarter opponent, the grass on their graves would be a zhang high by now! Don't they know how to adapt?" Yang Hui ranted, snatching the communicator from the communications controller and continuing to yell, "You bunch of trash! First Squad was short a man, and I wasn't there, yet you still let them get a three-win streak. All of you, get back here and eat shit!"
"Un... Understood!" came the chorus of replies.
The thunderous response was filled with fear; anyone who heard it could imagine them sweating and trembling.
"Tally up the results of this training session."
"Understood."
Only then did the training exercise officially conclude, and Yang Hui formally received Ethan Rhea and his party.
"My apologies, General Rhea. I couldn't get away during the exercise and was unable to greet you personally."
"It's no trouble. If not for this, we wouldn't have been able to witness such a spectacular exercise."
"Not at all. As you probably just heard, they still have much to learn."
"They are already outstanding, Major Yang Hui." Ethan Rhea shook his head. "Not a single one of my subordinates can reach their level, not even in a ground-based simulator."
"You flatter me, Colonel. Please."
"Please."
Yang Hui led the group out of the command center, took them on a tour of the entire base, and then arrived at the Hangar. Everyone from the MS units was lined up neatly, waiting for Yang Hui. The anxiety in their hearts was unbearable. The moment they saw Yang Hui appear, their legs began to tremble.
"You... did a beautiful job."
"Huh?" The crowd was bewildered.
"So beautiful that you've lost face all the way back to your grandmothers' homes!"
Yes, this is the familiar flavor, everyone thought with a nod.
"Colonel Rhea just witnessed your performance. He previously introduced us as an Ace Unit, a legendary unit. Is this the kind of performance you give him? How can you live up to the words 'ace' and 'legendary'!? With skills like yours, how are you going to protect the lives and property of the people!?"
"We are deeply sorry!" they chorused.
"Jung! You discovered First Squad's intentions, why didn't you stop them sooner!?"
"Sir! Because First Squad was missing the Major, if we attacked them directly, wouldn't that be bullying..."
"Bullying my ass! What is an exercise?"
"An exercise is real combat!"
"Then what's this talk about bullying? Besides your teammates, everyone else is an enemy! What is your job?"
"To eliminate them!"
"Then what were you just saying!?"
"Major, I was wrong!"
"And the rest of you, a bunch of cowards! Your MS skills are unpolished, and your squad tactics are a complete mess! Everyone, you have four hours from now until the next night exercise. Each of you will write me a satisfactory post-action report. Understood?"
"Understood!" they chorused.
"Hmph, during the night exercise, if I find any of you making a mistake you shouldn't have, heh heh..."
"Eek~!!!!" Feeling Yang Hui's Scorn, and a completely opposite, cold, sinister aura enveloping them, everyone shivered subconsciously and shook their heads, shouting that they wouldn't dare. After being dismissed, they vanished in a flash, Cima Garahau among them.
Although Cima Garahau was already Yang Hui's woman, he didn't go easy on her at all when it came to training her piloting skills and teaching MS squad tactics. In fact, his demands on her were even stricter than on others.
Ethan Rhea watched quietly from the side as Yang Hui lectured his troops. At first, he thought Yang Hui was using this as an opportunity to sarcastically mock the excessive praise he had given at the welcome banquet. But he soon realized that Yang Hui's anger was not fake; the force of his wrath made even him feel a sense of dread, and his own anger dissipated.
In its place grew respect and admiration. To put it bluntly, if even one of his own subordinates could match the performance of any single person present, he would have enshrined them as an ace. Yet Yang Hui was not the least bit satisfied, instead chewing them out mercilessly.
Then there was Yang Hui's control over this unit. Despite being berated so harshly, not a single person being reprimanded showed any sign of defiance, resentment, or anger. They were all filled with fear and self-reproach. This also extinguished Ethan Rhea's thoughts of poaching them.
Next was their military bearing, discipline, and execution. The sweat covering their faces showed that they had been waiting here for Yang Hui ever since the exercise ended. Yang Hui had taken Ethan Rhea and his group on a tour of the base, a half-hour wait, yet there were no complaints.
Then, after they were dismissed, Ethan Rhea heard people saying things like, "Hurry up and write, then we can rest!" and "We absolutely can't make any mistakes in the night training." This was self-discipline and execution—consciously completing the tasks assigned by their superior with the highest efficiency.
Formidable strength, perfect control, extremely high execution and self-discipline. Before seeing it with his own eyes, Ethan Rhea would have truly doubted whether such a unit could exist in the world.
And even though they were already so outstanding, Yang Hui still held them to an even higher standard.
A unit like this truly deserved to be called a legendary unit.
"Heh, I thought it was all hype before. Only after seeing it today do I understand that a great reputation is well-deserved. The Twelfth Independent Technical Division is truly the Federation's legendary unit!" Ethan Rhea praised sincerely.
"You're too kind, Colonel Rhea. They still have many shortcomings."
"The truth?"
"..." Yang Hui paused for a moment, then smiled. He knew Ethan Rhea's attitude towards him had shifted somewhat, so he naturally acted a bit more relaxed. "Every one of them was raised by a mother and father. Since they are under my command, I have to be responsible for them. Even if it's just to increase their chances of survival by a negligible amount, I will hold them to the strictest standards."
"..." This statement left Ethan Rhea and his group speechless, especially Ethan Rhea himself. He found it hard to imagine that a young major like Yang Hui would have such thoughts and awareness.
A major in his twenties with real power was a first in the history of the Federal Army. Such an achievement hadn't caused this young man to lose himself in fantasies of a meteoric rise. He wasn't considering how to gain more merits or how to advance his status and power more quickly, but rather... how to bring his subordinates back from the battlefield alive, as many as possible.
This was a point that not only young officers but even old high-ranking officers like Ethan Rhea had never considered. In battle, they treated their subordinates as chess pieces, and they were the players. For the sake of victory, what were sacrifices? They were merely pieces.
But awareness was one thing; it didn't mean Ethan Rhea would change his own views. After all, he had been in a high position for a long time, and many of his concepts couldn't be reversed with just a few words.
Moreover, their position was different from Yang Hui's. They needed to look at the overall situation, not just one or two units. The goal of a general was singular: to win. And to win, they would do anything.
"Major Yang Hui, having them familiarize themselves with aerial and underwater specialized equipment now, this isn't just routine training, is it?" Ethan Rhea asked.
"Of course not." Yang Hui couldn't be bothered to get involved in factional struggles, but when it came to military affairs, he wouldn't be muddle-headed. He didn't hide anything from Ethan Rhea. "The Zeon forces in the Philippines are waiting for reinforcements from Australia. They plan to gather the forces of two theaters to break through the Federation's defensive zone in the East Asia Theater in one fell swoop."
"...And the reason?"
"Us."
"You?"
"Yes. No matter how formidable we are, our numbers are limited. A large-scale army group steamrolling is the bane of small elite units. They intend to crush the Federation's defensive line with overwhelming force, preventing us from utilizing our full strength."
"Hmm..." Ethan Rhea agreed with Yang Hui's assessment. If the enemy were to press forward with a massive army, the Twelfth Independent Technical Division's effectiveness would be greatly diminished in a frontal engagement.
"But how can you be so sure that Zeon is waiting for reinforcements from Australia?"
"I've looked at the defensive line you've set up. It's perfect, the tightest deployment for the current stage, but it can only delay Zeon's advance, not stop their attack."
"...And?"
"It's a tactic aimed at us. If I'm not mistaken, Kycilia Zabi is in Australia right now. Once Australia is completely stabilized, she will lead a large army north."
"Kycilia Zabi!"
"Yes. We fought against her in the North American theater. She's a tricky one."
"Even so, you could still conduct sabotage deep behind enemy lines..."
"Is trading the East Asia Theater for the Philippines a good deal?"
"..."
"Besides, even if we took the Philippines, with the East Asia Theater above us lost and Australia below us being Zeon territory, it would be a piece of meat that Zeon could eat however and whenever they wanted."
"You could also go to Australia."
"If you can think of that, do you think Kycilia Zabi, who has studied us in depth, wouldn't?"
"...I'll be heading back first."
"Alright. Colonel Rhea, once the war starts, the Twelfth Independent Technical Division will operate independently and will not take orders from your command."
"...I understand."