Charisma was a very mysterious thing. It was very difficult to say whether it was a combination of temperament and way of doing things, or a pure combination of appearance and expression. However, it did exist. It could persuade people, attract people, comfort people, and bewitch people.
Just like the two most famous people in the Federal military in recent years. Their ages were very different, their social class was not small, and their styles of doing things were completely different. They simply could not accept or even loathed each other's way of doing things. However, with the passage of time, although they still loathed each other's way of doing things, they had to admit that each other had a kind of charisma that could attract the attention of onlookers.
Of course, there was absolutely nothing in common with the charisma of the two people. If one really wanted to carefully study it, it would probably be the silent perseverance that would occasionally jump out when facing difficulties.
Du Shaoqing expressionlessly looked at the spring snow outside the window. He inexplicably thought of that rainy day more than a year ago. He held a gun and aimed it at Ximen Jin's forehead. Then, the kind-looking Vice President Byron moved his round body and entered. He casually took off his raincoat and wet hat very naturally and casually. Then, all his anger was completely extinguished by the rain.
Now, the kind-looking Vice President and Ximen Jin were both dead. They died on Parliament Hill. At this moment, another person appeared in his office. A person that made Du Shaoqing feel a little tired, a person that he did not want to face.
General Lee Jae-do, chairman of the Federation's Joint Chiefs of Staff and Commander of the First Military Region, calmly looked at Du Shaoqing behind the table. His hands steadily crossed in front of his stomach. He said, "Back then, when I introduced you to the Association, you very directly expressed to me that in many aspects, you did not agree with my father's tactical philosophy."
Du Shaoqing looked at the sunglasses on the table and did not say a word.
Lee Jae-do calmly looked at the other side of the sunglasses on the table and continued, "But I know very well that you have always maintained a certain degree of respect for my father. As a child, saying such words is somewhat awkward, but I think this is the truth."
Du Shaoqing's gaze was focused and not chaotic. He said in a deep voice, "The Marshal is truly a role model for soldiers. Shaoqing has spent his life learning."
"I don't have my father's charisma, nor do I have Mr. President's charisma. In fact, I've always thought that I was just a very ordinary military instructor."
Lee Jae-do moved his gaze away from the sunglasses and looked at Du Shaoqing with a smile. "For so many years, I have been trying to tell you and many other people what I think is right. But from what I saw a while ago, the content of my lectures couldn't get your full approval."
"Mr. Chairman." Du Shaoqing was silent for a long time. He gently held the leg of his sunglasses and said, "I am a soldier. I only obey orders."
"Very good."
Lee Jae-do stood up, took out his military cap, and put it on. "I hope you remember what you said today. When the Federation needs you, when the order arrives, you and your troops must ensure that they are on the right path."
Du Shaoqing slowly stood up from behind the table and raised his right arm. He put his five fingers together and pointed diagonally at his temples as he silently saluted.
Looking at Lee Jae-do's back, he suddenly said, "Shi Qinghai is dead. Xu Le will definitely come back. At least … he will come back to take a look."
Lee Jae-do stopped at the door. After a while, he replied, "I have already rejected his request. As a soldier, leaving his post without permission is an unforgivable mistake."
"Xu Le has done a lot for the Federation. In my opinion, he is at least an excellent soldier." Du Shaoqing's pair of handsome eyebrows slightly twisted, like a sharp sword struggling between sheathing and sheathing.
"There are a lot of things that we don't want to see happen. But the countless failures in history, especially the bloody facts and painful lessons in front of the Parliament Hill a few days ago, tell us that this is a great and magnificent change. We can't allow any tenderness or hesitation."
Lee Jae-do turned around and looked at him as he spoke calmly.
Du Shaoqing looked at him and suddenly said, "Teacher, I hope you are right."
Lee Jae-do was silent for a moment, then replied, "You are the most excellent and proud student I have ever taught. You are even prouder than a tiger. You have never really treated me as a teacher, so naturally, you have never truly believed in me.
"But since someone was able to convince you to join this great cause … then it doesn't matter if I am right or not. As long as you believe that the person you want to believe in is right, that is enough."
The door closed. Du Shaoqing sat back in his chair and leaned back slightly to look at the raindrops outside the window. There was an indescribable sense of loss between his handsome and cold brows. For the sake of that perhaps great goal, he and his troops had already retreated along certain lines. Where would they end up in the future? Would it be a bottomless abyss?
…
…
After leaving the Iron Seventh Division's office building in the capital, Lee Jae-do did not go home. Instead, he hurried to the garrison area's Erh Camp, south of Wangdu.
The seventeen mechanics who had returned from the front lines were stationed at the First Military Region's southern base. Many of the high-ranking officers in the division headquarters were instructed by the Department of National Defense to gather at Erh Camp to receive the relevant Imperial language and cultural education. Among them was the new Seventeenth Division's commander, Yu Chenghai.
"Uncle Yu, how could I trouble you to come out personally?"
Lee Jae-do looked at his old friend who had specially come to the main entrance of the camp to welcome him. He quickened his pace and took a few steps forward, then extended his hands.
Commander Yu Chenghai smiled and did not say anything.
Then the two of them had an extremely long conversation in the Erh Camp's office. Because it was a private meeting and did not involve any important military matters, there were no records. No one knew what the current number one figure of the Federal military, General Lee Jae-do, had specially come to visit the Army God's old subordinate. What exactly the Seventeenth Division's commander had said today, and what he wanted to do.
Five dark green bulletproof military vehicles were driving at high speed on Highway 3. The military vehicle at the front of the convoy hummed in a low voice, and all kinds of vehicles on the black road gave way to it.
An officer at the back of the military vehicle looked at the screen on the workbench in his hand and asked in confusion, "General, since the mission has already been activated, why do we still need to specially deal with the Seventeenth Division? The target will not be able to return to the capital ring alive. This will be a problem. "
Lee Jae-do, who was resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened his eyes. He was not displeased by his loyal subordinate's questioning. After a moment of silence, he calmly explained, "Because no one can be sure whether the target will come back alive, even if we activate a level one mission. You know, I have never underestimated anyone … "
He turned his head to look at the vehicles that were quickly overtaken outside the window and said, "Especially a young man who has the First Sequence authority of the Bureau of Proclamation."
…
…
The warship seemed to be moving slowly in the universe with a dark background, but in fact, its speed had already increased to level two. This new subfeather class warship had not yet been delivered to the military. It still needed to go to the Ministry of National Defense's general assembly base to install the relevant weapons system, so its speed was astonishing. In only 27 hours, it had already shaken off the gravitational pull of the West Woods system, passed through an auxiliary torsion hole, and began to dock with the Federation's space inspection station.
The spaceship traveling through the vast universe was actually using the torsion holes of different levels to pass through one star field after another. The Federation had set up high-level space inspection stations outside the large torsion holes between several star fields that had important strategic positions in its territory. These inspection stations were like security doors inside a building, controlling the traffic between star fields.
At the front of the long and narrow star field in the West Woods, close to the Night Scorpion Nebula and the Gary Corridor, there were two giant torsion holes that led to the Empire, and there was no way to set up a complete defense. The torsion hole further ahead and below led to the Bermuda Triangle star field, which undoubtedly faced the most complicated situation, so there were the most space inspection stations here, and they were also of the highest level.
All spaceships that passed through the torsion holes had to be docked at the giant space inspection station, and all spaceships had to be scanned by the entire ship. At the same time, all living things had to be scanned inside the inspection station. In order to prevent the Empire people, especially the refugees from the Bermuda Triangle, from sneaking into the Federation, the scanning procedures were very strict and detailed.
Xu Le stood by the porthole with a cup of coffee in his hand, looking down at the bottomless black universe below his feet. His brows furrowed slightly. It would take about 40 minutes to complete the scanning procedure. It was not a long time, but he was a little anxious.
Unlike many people who were worried that he would be impulsive and crazy because of the death of his friends, at least he thought that he was very calm and just wanted to complete a farewell trip. However, this trip seemed to not be really peaceful.
Not long after the warship left the Sunset State, he received an interstellar delayed call from Brin, the director of the Office of the President's Residence. On the phone, Director Brin conveyed the President's intention, hoping that he would not leave his post and return to the capital. But was this really the President's intention?
Xu Le narrowed his eyes and took a sip of the bitter coffee. He turned back and leaned against the transparent porthole, feeling a little tired.
Hundreds of Gu Clock Company employees responsible for driving the warship were sitting in the lounge, waiting. Some were watching movies, some were reading electronic newspapers, but more were curiously looking at the corridor at the end of the hall.
In the corridor, dozens of elementary school students were curiously looking at everything in the space inspection station, excitedly and nervously discussing something. The fully sealed reinforced glass partition completely separated the corridor from the hall, but it could not block out the sound of the children chattering like birds.
The elementary school students walked into the transparent operation room at the end of the corridor one by one. A sharpened Type-II mechanical arm quickly installed strips of metal bracelets on the children's wrists.
Xu Le narrowed his eyes and looked at the other side of the transparent partition. He subconsciously rubbed his metal bracelet.
This was a spring vacation group of elementary school students from Bermuda. They were sponsored by the Sitong Fund, which was backed by the Federation government, and were invited to visit the capital ring. The Federation government had just started this kind of cultural absorption activity less than five years ago, and its impact on Bermuda was certainly unpredictable. However, even with this kind of activity, these elementary school students from Bermuda had to wear a temporary chip bracelet to enter the Federation.
Xu Le looked over there with a cup of coffee in his hand. He thought of his old friend in Bermuda and wondered how he was doing now. Suddenly, his hand holding the cup of coffee tightened.
On the other side of the transparent partition, the elementary school students from Bermuda who had already put on the chip bracelet began to line up. They curiously touched the hard objects in their hands, and then under the guidance of the teacher, they loudly hummed a very old song.
"The first glass of wine, the sun shines, the ivy outside the window crawls into my eyes. The second glass of wine, the spring breeze gently ripples, the leaves gently brush my eyebrows. The third glass of wine, the birds sing, gently pecking at my heart … "
Xu Le curiously raised his eyebrows and then smiled. This was really a good song.
…
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