Xu Le also didn't expect to receive such courtesy. After a slight pause, he saluted the back of that figure. Sitting at the table, he picked up the cup of ordinary jasmine tea and seriously drank a few mouthfuls.
Du Shaoqing turned around and waved his hand to have Ximen Jin and the other Iron Seventh Division officers leave the room. He walked to the table, removed his iconic sunglasses, took off his military cap, and sat down.
The two of them sat on opposite sides of the table and calmly looked at each other. There were no sparks where their gazes met, nor were there any flashes of swords whistling through the air. There was only silence.
After not seeing each other for some time, Xu Le noticed that Du Shaoqing's sideburns were already visible. That cold, proud, and strict face of the past that was like an ice sculpture also showed some fatigue and haggard.
In the past few years of life on the battlefield, especially in the recent months of the expedition to the Empire, for the undefeated legend of the Iron Seventh Division, for the continuous victories of the Federal forces, Division Commander Du Shaoqing had spent a great deal of effort. However, Xu Le still couldn't get used to this kind of tired and haggard expression appearing on his face.
Du Shaoqing's eyes drooped slightly. He picked up the cup of coffee that had just been prepared by the orderly and took a light sip. He then very casually said, "Slow down the death sentence."
Xu Le was silent for a moment. He picked up the cup of jasmine tea that Ximen Jin had personally brewed and took a big gulp. He raised his head, looked into Ximen Jin's eyes, and said, "No."
…
…
Du Shaoqing put down the cup of coffee. He didn't continue to make things difficult for Ximen Jin and instead changed the topic. He looked at Xu Le's scarred face and said, "Three years ago in the base, we once discussed whether what the army needed was discipline and tactics or a strong individual. I said that there was only one God of War in the universe, and you said no. Now it seems that you have proven to a certain extent that you can do some things that ordinary people can't do. However, I still gave the same answer. If you died, what would happen to the army? "
Du Shaoqing continued, "You miraculously survived and returned with great contributions. Everybody in the Federation, from the president to the vendors, has to show you some respect."
"But I, Du Shaoqing, have never been someone who would give face to others. I don't need to give face to others."
"I understand the importance of military discipline." He looked up at Du Shaoqing and said, "But I believe that Bai Yulan is not a reckless person. He must have his reasons for doing so."
"There is no reason that can explain this." Du Shaoqing said, "I've paid attention to Bai Yulan before, and I know that he's an extremely outstanding soldier. You could even say that he's an extremely rare soldier, but I've never thought of transferring him to my unit, because I know very well that people like him, like you, and like your team members … people like this are not true soldiers at all."
"He went against his superiors, tore off Dongfang's ear, and even cut that crispy meat into 16 pieces … he personally cut off his own path of retreat."
Du Shaoqing stared into Xu Le's eyes, and his voice gradually became cold. "You haven't been a first-class military officer, but you should know very well what this means. If it was one of my men who did such a thing, I definitely wouldn't plead for mercy on his behalf. I would just shoot him to death. "
"I'll repeat myself. I believe that my men definitely wouldn't do such a thing for no reason." Xu Le had no intention of backing down. He stared back into Du Shaoqing's eyes and said word by word, "Teacher Shaoqing."
When the words' Teacher Shaoqing 'came out of his mouth, it sounded exceptionally stiff. It was as if the bones of a cow that had been dried up for thousands of years had jumped out piece by piece from a crack in the dry wasteland. Although it was only four words, the two of them knew very well what Xu Le's unspoken words were, and what he wanted to emphasize.
Gradually, dark clouds gathered between Du Shaoqing's sword-like eyebrows. He said coldly, "In the army, discipline is the most important thing. In the Federation, law is the most important thing. Secondly, evidence is the most important thing … Colonel Xu Le, I respect the verdict of the military court, and I will do whatever it takes to protect the military discipline of the army. "
"I absolutely believe that my men wouldn't do the things that you're imagining. If you have evidence, please submit it to the Internal Affairs Department or the military court. If you don't, please go back."
After hearing these clean and exceptionally unyielding words, Xu Le furrowed his brows and suddenly said, "Teacher Shaoqing, perhaps you don't understand your men as well as you imagine."
Looking at the white hair at the temples of this famous Federation general, he felt something in his heart. This person worked hard for the Federation, and it could even be said that he burned his own life. However, the arrogance and conceit in his bones still didn't change at all.
"People are all complicated." Xu Le looked into Du Shaoqing's eyes and said, "Someone once told me that humans are the first order of machines. Under your training and command, the 40,000 soldiers of the Iron Seventh Division are as efficient and powerful as machines, but … in the end, humans are not true machines. People like Commander Dongfang are no longer the little soldiers under your command. He has his own thoughts. Completely and unconditionally trusting your subordinates is a virtue, but it is also a risk. No one knows if someone will take advantage of this trust. "
Du Shaoqing's eyes narrowed, and a cold light shot out. If Xu Le was trying to sow discord with his words, it would be too stupid, so he knew that the other party was speaking very seriously about this issue. When the aroma of coffee gradually wafted through the air, he couldn't help but think of that rainy day in the capital, that subordinate he once trusted the most …
His gaze naturally drifted outside the room. Du Shaoqing glanced at the back of Ximen Jin in the distance, and his mood was exceptionally cold. It was probably because of this extremely complicated emotion that he didn't want to cast doubt on another of his most loyal subordinates.
"There's no need to talk about this matter anymore." Du Shaoqing waved his hand to stop Xu Le from speaking. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "There's something I have to tell you."
"I still don't appreciate your undisciplined and heroic style, but right now … I really do admire you a bit."
Xu Le's gaze lowered. He stared at the gently rippling jasmine petals in the cup in front of him and understood the other party's meaning.
With Du Shaoqing's temperament, there was no way he would discuss this extremely simple military discipline issue with him for such a long time.
Regardless of whether it was this cup of tea Du Shaoqing personally brewed or the words' reprieve 'that came out of the other party's mouth at the very beginning, it wasn't Du Shaoqing giving Xu Le face. Instead, it was a Federation soldier showing respect to another fairly decent Federation soldier.
Xu Le stood up, put on his hat, saluted, and said his goodbyes. In the end, he said in a heavy voice, "In tomorrow morning's battle meeting, I will request for this case to be reopened."
Du Shaoqing didn't reply, nor did he stand up, only casually waving his hand. However, when he saw Xu Le's figure walk out the door, a rare hint of complicated and lonely emotions appeared in this Federation young great general's eyes.
Tea and conversation, this was a form of respect between soldiers, as well as a form of gratitude.
Thank you for risking the empire's life, for killing Kaedun, for avenging the tiger, as well as for her.
…
…
Half a kilometer away from the new 17th Division's camp, at the corner of a quiet metal tunnel escape door, Xu Le narrowed his eyes and looked in that direction. With a low voice, he said, "You can come out."
There were no immortals, demons, ghosts, or even unexpected beauties jumping out from there, running onto his body, wrapping themselves around his neck to give him a passionate hug. There was only an old butler wearing a black formal suit that silently appeared in his eyes. To be more precise, it appeared in the region of his brain that was in charge of vision.
Under the base's light breeze, Xu Le turned around and leaned against the secluded metal plate. He closed his eyes and stared at the butler in the darkness. For some reason, he felt like this image's wrinkles seemed to be much fewer than a few years ago. He subconsciously asked a rather strange question that both sides understood.
"You … are still you?"
"This type of feeling is a bit strange, but I am still me. Also, long time no see, Colonel Xu Le … this is a greeting sent out on behalf of the other me."
Xu Le sighed. He didn't have the energy to discuss the philosophical questions of whether or not consciousness and intelligence could be split. He reported the data that Gu Xifeng had stolen and said, "I'll have to trouble you to help me check whether or not this military order table has been tampered with."
After a short while, the Federation Charter computer replied, "This order table has been tampered with. The data of the 34 military orders between the standard time 9-887 and 9-992 has been covered."
Xu Le calculated the time. It was the few days before Bai Yulan and the others were attacked in the southern part of Farghar City. His tightly closed eyes couldn't help but tightly knit together. His hands that were hanging by his waist gradually relaxed. He took out a 37 brand cigarette from his pocket, lit it up, and lightly smoked. A trace of a smile appeared on his face.
"Help me get the original data back."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because this is the real-time battlefield order table. According to wartime regulations, the relevant data is temporarily stored in the command center's data box for easy access at any time, and then sent back to S1 within the standard time."
"What does this have to do with getting the data back?"
"The original data didn't have time to be sent back to S1 before it was completely destroyed by three levels of authority."
"Where did the authority come from?"
"S1 was remotely operated by the Bureau of Proclamation."
Xu Le suddenly opened his eyes and immediately thought of the information that he sent back before he went to the Empire. The reason why the seed of the Empire that destroyed the Ancient Bell was able to escape from the purge of the Bureau of Proclamation must be related to the Bureau of Proclamation.
He narrowed his eyes, took a deep breath of the cigarette, and asked in a low voice, "The thing that I asked you to help me with before I came back, how is it going? Also, what's the result of the case that the Federation investigated a year ago? "
"The seed of the Empire is named He Youyou. According to the information you obtained from the Empire and the relevant information, the conclusion is that this person can't access the confidential flight data related to the Ancient Bell. This person can't access the missing data of the Charter network."
"The result of the case a year ago is: Assistant Director Cui Judong was investigated, not guilty. Deputy Director Jiao Shouheng committed suicide. "
Xu Le took off the cigarette and licked his bitter lips. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the foreign sky outside the base. Looking at the dark clouds, his heart became heavy.
"Boss, how's the discussion?"
Xiong Linquan, Da Vinci, and the rest of the team members came over and asked with anxious expressions.
Xu Le woke up, put out the cigarette and said, "Du Shaoqing didn't agree to let him go."
"Then what should we do?" Everyone was extremely disappointed. Xiong Linquan said in a low voice, "Boss … do you want to go and see Old Bai?"
"No, after Old Bai came out, I saw him as a flower." Xu Le thought of the revised military order and spat, "Now we don't need Du Shaoqing to agree."
…
…
Countless dark clouds were floating in the sky, blocking out the beautiful sunlight and casting a shadow that chilled one's heart. Xu Le also had countless dark clouds in his heart. The death of Secretary Jiao, the result of the investigation of Cui Judong, the powerful soldier who assassinated Little Watermelon, and the undercurrent in the military that Tiger mentioned in the West Woods restaurant. There were countless scattered details that couldn't be connected, but gradually gathered together and pointed to a chilling conclusion.
If the attack on the Ancient Bell was really a conspiracy of some big shots in the Federation, how did they do it? Secretary Jiao's death seemed to have completely cut off this clue. Where to start the investigation? Bai Yulan's group had been ambushed. If this was another move by the radical faction of the military, why would they do this? Was it simply to cut off the influence they had left behind? Also … was Du Shaoqing involved in this? Was the lady in the back mountain involved? How many people in the government were involved in this ugly thing?
The central computer of the federation was not omnipotent in the face of the rainclouds that had an unknown number of layers, thickness, and darkness. The old guy could comb through the enormous database and retrieve the data accurately, pinpointing who had met and talked to whom in a certain place on a certain date. However, because of the citizen privacy regulations that were strictly protected by the First Charter of the federation, there was no way to restore a lot of information other than electronic data.
Society was an extremely complex system. A person had to meet countless people every day. When they met, a note, a whisper, or even a look could construct infinite possible conspiracies. This was the simplest form of communication, but it was also the most difficult method for the Central Computer to monitor.
As Feng Yu once said, "The simplest is often the most powerful. It was the same for locks, machines, and people."
While the old guy continued to search for clues in the huge database, Xu Le had to turn his attention back to the base. The impromptu conversation before the morning military meeting was about to determine Magnolia's life and death.
According to his military rank, there was definitely no seat for him in the secret meeting room of the Attack X3 military plan, but he could sit in and listen.
The coffee cups in the headquarters were all broken a few days ago, so today there were only teacups on the table. Looking at the steaming white steam in front of him, Xu Le narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. His eyes gently fell on Du Shaoqing's figure in front of him.
If it was said that he still had respect for Du Shaoqing in the past, then at this moment, this respect had long been covered by the dark clouds. It didn't completely disappear, but it became extremely blurred.
Xu Le slowly stood up under the gaze of the generals. He was so calm that it made people feel a little strange. He said, "I'm not in a good mood today, so I will try to speak faster."
"My subordinate, Captain Magnolia, was accused of assaulting her commanding officer and was sentenced to death by military law. I express my strong disbelief and strong disbelief in this matter!"
The atmosphere in the meeting room froze. Everyone, including Commander Yi, didn't expect Xu Le to be so unyielding as soon as he opened his mouth.
"What I don't understand is … when my team was placed in a dangerous situation by the Iron Seventh Division through shameless and insidious means, and my comrades died tragically, why did Captain Magnolia only tear off one of the ear of the commander of the division?"
There was an uproar in the meeting room.
Xu Le stared at Du Shaoqing's side profile and said, "If it were me, I would never tear off his ear. Instead, I would directly … kill him."
"Colonel Xu Le, I hope you can provide the relevant evidence." Du Shaoqing didn't turn around. His fingers gently stroked the edge of his sunglasses as he said lightly.
This important military officer didn't threaten anything, but the generals in the meeting room could hear his anger from his words. If Xu Le was only venting his anger because of Magnolia, the Iron Seventh Division definitely wouldn't let this matter rest.
Xu Le took out a microchip and handed it to the staff officer beside him. He looked at Du Shaoqing and said, "Commander Du, I remember that during Operation 5460 glacier, Commander Dongfang Yu was punished by military law for deliberately delaying the rescue of a certain Special Forces First Division. Is this person with a criminal record really worthy of your trust?"
Without waiting for anyone to speak, Xu Le stared at Du Shaoqing and continued, "In less than two years, he became a commander again. Doesn't this violate the military appointment regulations? You keep saying that military rules are the most important, but I don't understand. When did … Du Shaoqing's words replace military law?! "
Du Shaoqing raised his eyebrows slightly. His eyes were as cold as ice. He slowly turned his head and stared at Xu Le's face without saying a word. It was as if he was looking at a person who was looking for death.
Under this gaze, Xu Le was like a stone. He didn't feel anything. He narrowed his eyes and said, "You want evidence? I'll give you evidence."
…
…
"What is this?" Commander Yi Changtian frowned as he looked at the list that kept scrolling on the screen. He asked, "It looks like a command list, but what do the comments on the side mean?"
"This is the underlying data." The staff officer on the side suppressed the shock in his heart and explained to the generals in the conference room, "Beside it is the analysis result of the Federal Central Computer's data. It is believed that … this command list has been altered. The original data has been altered and has been destroyed."
"This is the command list of the Iron Seventh Division's First Regiment during that period of time. I don't have the means to completely restore it, but according to the remaining information, I can already see many problems."
Xu Le looked at Du Shaoqing and said coldly, "I can't judge whether Dongfang Yu's brain has become incomparably stupid from drinking too much on his period, or if he's bold enough to frame an ally. However, because of these illogical orders, the remnants of the Empire's army slipped through your First Regiment's defensive zone, and so many of my men died!"
At this moment, Du Shaoqing's expression was still indifferent and calm, but the corners of his eyes were twitching slightly.
Iron Seventh Division's Vice Division Commander Liu Sifu stood up and said with a frown, "Is this record authentic?"
"This is determined by the highest authority of the Bureau of Proclamation. Does the Seventh Division want to doubt its authenticity?" Xu Le said in a deep voice, "I don't care how you explain it. First, explain clearly to me why the original record of this command list was erased!"
Liu Sifu's brows were tightly knitted together as he replied slowly, "Ever since the conflict with the Bureau of Proclamation on planet 5460, everyone has guessed that you have a close relationship with the upper echelons of the Bureau of Proclamation. Who knows if it was you who erased the original record, and then …"
Xu Le's pupils constricted. He didn't expect the other party to be so shameless. He cursed loudly, "This young master was fighting to the death with the Empire at that time. What the f * ck did you change?!"
Liu Sifu's body stiffened. Just as he was about to retaliate with a red face, a roar filled with boundless anger rang out in the conference room.
"Enough!"
Du Shaoqing smashed the teacup in his hand heavily on the table, causing the porcelain shards to fly everywhere. That right hand behind his back that was bleeding incessantly trembled in anger.
His body tensed up as he slowly stood up. His voice sounded like it had been soaked in the blood of the soldiers on planet 5460 for countless years.
"Bring Dongfang Yu to me."
…
…
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