Chapter 2580

Return to him all the honors that belong to him.

But now…

Li Ruanyu looked toward Zhao Chi; Zhao Chi merely smiled and clapped for her.

Never mind, then.

Li Ruanyu smiled and walked gracefully onto the stage.

Bearing honors on behalf of someone else actually carries a great deal of psychological pressure.

Fortunately, the one she was standing in for was Zhao Chi—one of their own—so Li Ruanyu could feel a little more at ease about it.

The applause continued.

Li Ruanyu faced it with a smile.

Jiang Chen raised a hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.

Then he said:

"Everyone should already know all about Ruanyu's situation.

"I won't say much more.

"I can tell from your applause that everyone fully recognizes it.

"Those outfits and pieces of equipment she made have been a tremendous help to me as well.

"A few of my female subordinates put them on and each became a cut above me, which genuinely saved me a lot of trouble this time.

"For a novice lord, I imagine it must seem like a set of 'divine artifacts.'

"Beyond her equipment contributions, Ruanyu also successively reinforced four state-level battlefields this time, and jointly defeated seven state-level lords.

"Although her equipment contributions shine exceptionally bright, her combat contributions are equally astonishing.

"They simply cannot be overlooked.

"Therefore, this time the Contribution Medal, the Support Medal, and the Combat Medal will all be awarded to Ruanyu alone.

"At the same time, she will also receive the Individual Special-Class Honor Medal and a reward of 10,000 contribution points.

"Besides that—

"Due to Li Ruanyu's consistently outstanding performance, after joint deliberation by the regiment and the army, Li Ruanyu will be promoted to Deputy Captain of the Binghe General Brigade, and will simultaneously be granted the rank of Major General as encouragement.

"At the same time, Li Ruanyu will continue to hold her position as Captain of the Jade Squadron, and will enjoy the highest-ranking treatment within the White Tiger Regiment.

"As everyone knows, the outfits and equipment Li Ruanyu provided this time totaled more than six million pieces. Because the situation was so tense at the time, no exact tally was kept.

"But even without an exact count, a rough estimate alone shows her contribution has already far exceeded the value of over a hundred million gold coins!

"Although the regiment also supplied large quantities of raw materials and various items in parallel, they still cannot hold a candle to the equipment Ruanyu provided.

"So… in addition to all that. Commander Yao and General Yan Ling will also give Captain Li Ruanyu further rewards.

"I trust Ruanyu will receive rewards worthy of her contribution!

"Please invite Commander Yao to the stage to present the awards!"

Crash—

Another wave of thunderous applause.

Yao Feng rarely showed a smile; the weariness and fatigue on her face had also faded considerably.

She looked at Li Ruanyu with a smile, her eyes full of pride and gratification.

Li Ruanyu pressed her lips together, watching Yao Feng walk up to her.

Although the earlier merits belonged to Zhao Chi, the actual combat afterward was her own doing.

Her excellence was real and solid.

Yao Feng took a careful look at Li Ruanyu, then laughed: "You've really grown up. In the blink of an eye you can hold your own. I can hardly remember that competitive little Miss from back then."

Li Ruanyu laughed: "I'm almost thirty already, long past being some little Miss. It's about time I grew up a little."

Yao Feng laughed: "What do you mean thirty? You haven't even had your birthday yet—you're still twenty-eight right now. But… I really do feel like you're somehow completely different from a few days ago? You've changed so much these past half-month or so. I'm not talking about those rapidly improving skills of yours, nor the grain and experience fruits you sold yesterday, but your bearing…"

Li Ruanyu felt a twinge of guilt.

Her gaze wavered slightly, and for an instant she glanced at Zhao Chi.

But her eyes quickly moved away.

Then she said softly: "Once you've been through more, of course there will be some changes."

Yao Feng smiled: "Who were you just looking at? I think I have a pretty good idea. After the meeting ends, come by my place—I have something to give you, and while I'm at it… I'd like to ask about the person who brought about your change."

Li Ruanyu was genuinely a little nervous.

Yao Feng truly had a sharp eye.

Li Ruanyu had only glanced at Zhao Chi for half a second out of habit—how had she caught it?

An old ginger is still the spiciest.

Li Ruanyu could only nod.

Yao Feng and Li Ruanyu's conversation was very quiet; the lords below the stage couldn't hear it.

But they all knew Yao Feng was Li Ruanyu's former instructor, so under these circumstances it was basically understood to be some words of encouragement—everyone was used to it.

After Yao Feng finished speaking, she presented the two medals to Li Ruanyu and walked back down.

Jiang Chen said: "Captain Li, would you like to give an acceptance speech?"

Li Ruanyu smiled and nodded.

Looking at the nearly 3,000 lords below the stage, Li Ruanyu began to speak:

"These two medals truly don't deserve to be accepted by me.

"There are many unsung lords who have also made tremendous contributions, but he… their deeds are not known to others.

"Some… were teammates who never returned from reconnaissance, some were craftsmen who worked day and night making equipment without rest, and others were silhouettes silently standing in the front lines.

"Since the honor has been given to me here, I would also like to thank all those who have contributed quietly.

"Thank you all. This is not only my honor, but yours as well.

"It is also… your honor.

"Thank you everyone for your contributions.

"Thank you."

While saying these words, Li Ruanyu kept looking toward Zhao Chi.

The other lords assumed Li Ruanyu was looking at the Jade Squad, which was of course perfectly natural.

Moreover, what she said sounded very much like an ordinary acceptance speech — nothing unusual about it, except that today she seemed to speak with particular earnestness.

Jiang Chen said loudly: "Please once again thank Li Ruanyu for her contributions to the group!"

Applause rang out once again.

Li Ruanyu returned to her seat amid the applause.

Jiang Chen took the stage again.

Then said:

"Li Ruanyu's contribution this time is truly unmatched by anyone.

"Then let us continue with the next commendation.

"Although our losses in this evacuation battle were heavy, being able to evacuate successfully is still a great fortune amidst misfortune.

"In fact, our original losses might have been even greater.

"But because of one lord's actions, she directly rescued more than half of one main corps, and indirectly rescued two main corps.

"I believe quite a few people can already guess who she is.

"Then please invite the captain of the Phantom Squad — Shangguan Ting — to the stage!"

Shangguan Ting was very surprised.

She stared at Jiang Chen in astonishment, her finger pointing at herself in disbelief.

But Jiang Chen just smiled and nodded at her.

Half of the lords in the back also had no idea what was going on.

Coupled with the fact that Shangguan Ting's reputation had always been poor, the scene fell silent for a few seconds.

But only a few seconds.

A few seconds later, in the central western section of the venue, the rear of the eastern section, and several other spots, fierce applause suddenly erupted.

The lords looked around curiously.

They found that apart from the Phantom Squad, almost all the lords of the entire Binghe Main Corps were also applauding.

Besides this, quite a few lords in the Binghe Main Corps and the Copper Rock Main Corps also took the lead in applauding.