General Yang Guanglian recounted the engagement incident in full detail, laying everything out one by one, striving to be fair and impartial. Although he had only arrived at the very end of the matter, he was still quite clear on the specifics. In front of the Chairman, he wouldn’t dare to falsify anything.
The Chairman listened carefully from the side, nodding as he listened. At certain points, he would interrupt to ask about specific details.
General Yang Guanglian fully understood the Chairman’s caution. After all, both the Zhang and Li families were no small matter—they were prominent families in Yanjing, with many of their descendants and even collateral relatives holding high positions and important posts both in the capital and elsewhere. This was not something that could afford any problems.
After hearing Yang Guanglian out, the Chairman finally nodded, a hint of fatigue showing in his deep-set eyes. He spoke slowly: “So, this Zhang Yanzheng has really gone too far. If Xu Ze had actually died on the spot, setting aside the Li family’s reaction, just the fact that he was out there risking his life for the country while someone back home was stirring up this kind of trouble—and then he comes back to suffer such misfortune—if word of this got out, I’m afraid the soldiers would all be disgruntled, and no one would dare to serve the country with all their heart in the future…”
“What the Chairman says is most true…” Yang Guanglian nodded in agreement from the side.
Remembering that young man from that day—spirited yet slightly shy—who not only had godlike medical skills but could actually shoot down enemy aircraft with a gun… Such bravery… The Chairman sighed inwardly: “Talent like this is truly the hope of Huaxia’s future… If he had really been killed by Zhang Yanzheng with a single shot this time… that would truly be…”
He then sighed and said: “The Zhang family has lost face this time. Even Old Zhang, I hear, was lectured by this young Xu Ze. Let’s just let it go this time… As long as they know their limits going forward…”
Hearing these words from the Chairman, Yang Guanglian finally breathed a sigh of relief. With the Chairman speaking this way, the responsibility was mainly placed on the Zhang family’s side, and Xu Ze ultimately had no major problems.
“This Xu Ze kid isn’t bad actually. Although he’s a bit showy, he still knows his limits… Hmm… brave and decisive, careful and meticulous, and he’s got some spirit… With proper training and guidance, he’ll definitely be a pillar of support in the future…” The Chairman nodded slightly. These words made Yang Guanglian overjoyed. To receive such an evaluation from the Chairman—not only did this kid have a boundless future ahead, but it was also an honor for the General Staff. As the department head, he would share in the glory.
Seeing the smug smile on Yang Guanglian’s face, the Chairman couldn’t help but chuckle softly and said: “This little fellow has come back with such meritorious service this time, helping you out greatly. How do you plan to reward him?”
Hearing the Chairman bring this up, Yang Guanglian’s face showed a hint of difficulty. He looked up at the Chairman and said with a bitter smile: “A few days ago, when Old Master Li heard that Xu Ze had gone missing after falling into the sea over there, he came storming over!”
“This mission was dangerous to begin with. At the time, I thought it would be good enough if he could just bring the intelligence back… But seeing the situation then, I thought it was really hopeless… I could only comfort the old master by saying that if Xu Ze really could bring the people back safely, I’d give him the rank of Major General…”
Speaking of this, he shook his head and smiled: “Who would have known that for a mission like this, not only did he complete it, but he actually brought the people back safely… Now I’m really in a bind. Xu Ze was only promoted to Senior Colonel a month ago. Promoting him to Major General would be too much… I was planning to first record a First-Class Merit…”
“First-Class Merit?” The Chairman saw General Yang Guanglian’s troubled expression and then burst out laughing: “I remember this kid already has two First-Class Merits, right? Adding another one would make three…”
“No choice… I can’t exactly record a Special-Class Merit…” General Yang Guanglian also smiled helplessly. Special-Class Merit was mostly awarded posthumously for those who died in the line of duty after tremendous contributions… To put it bluntly, if Xu Ze had actually died in the line of duty, posthumously awarding him Major General and adding a Special-Class Merit would all be normal…
But right now, this merit was really hard to calculate…
The Chairman lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then smiled and said: “Forget it… He’s rendered such great service. If we don’t reward him, it really wouldn’t be justifiable… How about this… You tell him that the Major General rank will be kept for him. Tell him to work hard, and as long as he makes progress, then by August, there’ll be a spot for him among the Major Generals…”
“Ah…” Hearing the Chairman’s words, Yang Guanglian was stunned for a moment, then his face showed a hint of joy. But he still hesitated somewhat: “Chairman… is this… appropriate?”
“He’s a bit young, but what should be rewarded should still be rewarded… Besides, there needs to be a conclusion on this matter. Since Xu Ze has rendered such great service, then receiving this reward is only right. And the Zhang family is not exactly a benevolent household. If they get this news, at least they’ll restrain themselves somewhat… For these children who are wholeheartedly devoted to the country, we should still protect them more…” The Chairman said slowly.
“Yes… Chairman…” Yang Guanglian nodded slightly from the side, thinking to himself that the Chairman had considered things thoroughly. He indicated his understanding…
At the Zhang family villa in Xishan, Old Master Zhang’s hawk-like eyes were red. He violently smashed a fine Jingdezhen porcelain cup to the ground and looked at his son, saying in a deep voice: “That little bastard really deserves to die…”
“Father… don’t be angry. That kid has the Li family protecting him, and he’s at the height of his popularity right now. It’s not good for us to move against him… Don’t worry, in a few days, I’ll definitely make him regret it so much he won’t have time to…” Zhang Yanzheng said with a cold face. In his decades of life, he had truly never suffered such humiliation as that day. The fire in his heart was no less than Old Master Zhang’s. He said in a deep voice: “A mere Senior Colonel is nothing in the eyes of our Zhang family. We can play him to death anytime we want…”
“Hmm…” Old Master Zhang nodded slightly, then said in a deep voice: “Yanzheng, we need to keep a low profile recently too. Don’t draw too much attention. Understand?”
“Yes… Father!” Zhang Yanzheng nodded, then sighed: “Tomorrow I’ll go back to the military region… I’ll do my best to push things forward there… Alas… it’s just that we’re short on fuel rods…”
“Hmm… That is troublesome. Unfortunately, the Sun family has also been pulled over to their side… Otherwise… sigh…” Old Master Zhang sighed helplessly, then said: “You go ahead… We’ll do our best to think of something… But safety comes first. If this leaks out, it’ll be a huge problem…”
Zhang Yanzheng was about to speak when the phone rang. He picked it up and listened. Hearing the words on the other end, his expression changed: “What? The information is confirmed?”
After hearing the confirmed reply from the other end, Zhang Yanzheng hung up the phone with a gloomy face…
Seeing Zhang Yanzheng like this, Old Master Zhang asked in surprise: “What is it?”
“There’s news just coming out saying that little bastard might be awarded Major General in August…” Zhang Yanzheng said coldly.
“What?” Hearing this news, Old Master Zhang was also shocked. He said in alarm: “How is that possible? That little thing should only be twenty-two. How could this be possible? Is the information confirmed?”
“The information should be correct!” Zhang Yanzheng nodded, his eyes full of cold malice.
Clang Hearing this, Old Master Zhang was so angry he smashed another cup. After a long while, he finally said in a gloomy voice: “It seems the Chairman has noticed this matter and is somewhat dissatisfied with us… From now on, we must be even more low-key…”
“Yes… Father…”
In the conference room of the General Staff Department, Xu Ze was once again awarded a First-Class Merit medal and certificate. General Yang Guanglian smiled and said to Xu Ze, who was wearing his officer’s uniform: “This time it’s not the Chairman awarding you the certificate and medal… You won’t mind this old man doing it, will you?”
“Minister… please don’t tease me…” Xu Ze held the certificate and smiled at General Yang Guanglian: “I’m already very satisfied that I can get another First-Class Merit this time…”
Seeing Xu Ze’s modest appearance, General Yang Guanglian couldn’t help but laugh heartily: “You kid also know that getting another First-Class Merit is enough to satisfy you… I thought you really wanted to become a general…”
“Uh… this… I’m still young… hehe, no rush, no rush… Otherwise, who knows how many seniors in our department would want to exploit me down to the poverty class…” Hearing General Yang Guanglian bring this up, Xu Ze was full of embarrassment and quickly said with a dry laugh.
“Oh… so you really don’t want to be a general…” General Yang Guanglian, who usually had a serious face, today wore a strange smile that made Xu Ze feel a bit uneasy.
Xu Ze was startled. Could it be that General Yang Guanglian really intended to give him a Major General rank? Was that possible? Impossible, right?! If it weren’t for the Zhang family mess, maybe there’d be some chance for Major General… But now, still impossible, right…
Facing Xu Ze’s expression of shock and anxiety, of worrying about gains and losses, Yang Guanglian finally laughed triumphantly. Being able to make his usually utterly calm little subordinate look like this—he was truly proud of himself…
Poor Xu Ze was at this moment worrying about gains and losses, his heart in turmoil. Seeing the minister laughing so proudly, he became anxious. Looking at Yang Guanglian, he secretly grumbled: “You’re a big department head. What are you laughing so smugly for… Aren’t you afraid people will laugh at you…”
Seeing the mix of shame and anger on Xu Ze’s face, Yang Guanglian really felt great. He laughed for quite a while before finally holding it in and stopping. Then he patted Xu Ze’s small shoulder and said proudly: “Kid… keep it up… You didn’t get the Major General this time, work hard for next time…”
“Work hard for next time…” Xu Ze pouted in disappointment. He really thought a pie had fallen from the sky… Turns out it was just teasing me…
Seeing Xu Ze’s utterly disappointed look, General Yang Guanglian finally forced himself to hold back his laughter. He patted Xu Ze’s small shoulder again with a straight face and said: “Hmm… the Chairman said… if you work hard… that… hmm…”
“What did the Chairman say?” Xu Ze blinked his handsome eyes, finally successfully confused by General Yang Guanglian…
“Hmm-hmm… the Chairman said… if you work hard… the next batch of promotions… hmm… there’ll be a spot for you…” Seeing Xu Ze starting to look confused, General Yang Guanglian finally stopped teasing him and laughed heartily: “As long as you work hard and don’t embarrass me, in August… you’ll be made a general…”
“What? August? Become a general?” Xu Ze blinked blankly, then looked at General Yang Guanglian, who was smiling like a strange little old man. It took him a while to come back to his senses. This mischievous minister… who teases their subordinates like this…
“General my foot… I *&@#%**” Xu Ze cursed inwardly while keeping a straight face, looking at his minister… to see just how long he could keep laughing?
“Ahem… cough cough…” Seeing Xu Ze staring at him with a resentful look, General Yang Guanglian finally felt he had gotten a bit too carried away today. He quickly cleared his throat a few times to dispel some of the awkwardness…
But looking at this handsome young man before him, General Yang Guanglian felt happy. Whether he was deliberately keeping a straight face or had murder in his eyes, General Yang Guanglian found this kid interesting—it gave him that feeling of a younger generation achieving success, that mix of pride and excitement that elders feel.
“Ahem… alright, alright… don’t keep that straight face. You’re about to become a general…” General Yang Guanglian said with his hands behind his back, lecturing with a solemn face: “The Chairman said that although this little thing is a bit showy… but… he’s still brave and decisive, careful and meticulous, and he’s got some spirit… He can be cultivated. As long as he’s ambitious enough… in August he’ll be given the rank of Major General…”
“Did you hear that? Don’t embarrass me. In August, our General Staff will produce the first Major General under thirty in the entire military. Understand?” General Yang Guanglian stared fixedly at Xu Ze and said in a deep voice.
Only then did Xu Ze figure out that he really had somehow gotten a Major General rank, except there was still a half-year probation period… But as long as he didn’t make any mistakes in this half year, and if he could earn even a small merit, then it would basically be set in stone… He immediately stood at attention and saluted excitedly: “Yes!”
When Xu Ze returned to the Special Operations Division, his subordinates had all long since received the news. Xu Ze had gotten another First-Class Merit this time, and there were also well-informed people revealing that Xu Ze had hope of getting the Major General rank this year…
Although most people didn’t believe it, regardless, today’s First-Class Merit was solid and real. So the usually generous Deputy Division Chief Xu was once again coaxed by his subordinates into treating everyone at Quanjude. Only Division Chief Lin Beijia made an excuse about having something to do and was absent that evening.
Sun Lingfei happened to be in Yanjing, so she was also dragged out that evening. When she heard that Xu Ze not only wasn’t punished by the higher-ups but had also received a First-Class Merit, she was naturally very happy. Sitting beside Xu Ze, she was like a little bird clinging to its mate, making all the Special Operations Division subordinates green with envy…
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Xu Ze returned to the old master’s place. Having already heard that the Chairman had approved the Major General rank for August, Old Master Li was grinning so wide his mouth wouldn’t close. He had originally thought there was no hope for the Major General rank this year, but now it seemed a big pie really had fallen from the sky.
And this wasn’t just about the major general rank—the fact that the Chairman personally gave his approval under these circumstances… What did that mean? It meant the weight that Xu Ze and the Li family now carried in the Chairman’s eyes…
Also, the Zhang family had definitely lost a lot of standing with the Chairman this time, otherwise the Chairman wouldn’t have shown such obvious protectiveness toward Xu Ze…
“Kid… you’ve hit the jackpot!” Old Master Li patted Xu Ze on the shoulder with a chuckle, saying excitedly: “Work hard—these next six months are crucial. If you don’t make it with such a great opportunity this time… then you might not have a chance next year…”
