Chapter 391: The Future Is Promising, The Future Is Promising!

The chief is still in a meeting; please wait a moment.

Alright.

At the South Sea Fleet headquarters, Zheng Chengfeng sat on the sofa, with a freshly brewed tea prepared by his secretary placed before him.

After waiting about twenty minutes, footsteps sounded in the corridor; Zheng Chengfeng hurriedly straightened his uniform, adjusted his hat, and sprang to his feet the instant the door opened.

Chief, hello!

Sit.

Commander Gu Mingyuan tossed the documents onto the desk and sat on the sofa beside him.

I've been so busy every day I barely touch the ground; I open my eyes in the morning to a meeting, and even after a short rest I have to go to the war zone for another meeting.

With a commander like you, who handles countless affairs without shirking, the South Sea Fleet's entire officer corps...

Stop; don't say anything without substance.

Gu Mingyuan halted him: "Report directly—how is the current progress at the Sea Training Base?"

After the pleasantries, Zheng Chengfeng sat upright and reported: "I just came from the Sea Training Base; the training is proceeding in an orderly fashion; at present, the overwhelming majority of soldiers can adapt and keep up with the pace."

Gu Mingyuan raised a finger, and the other party immediately paused: "So you're saying some soldiers still can't adapt and are falling behind the pace?"

Zheng Chengfeng nodded truthfully: "They are all carefully selected good seedlings from the Army; there are no issues with conventional physical fitness or tactics, but because they come from inland, their swimming ability is a bit lacking."

"Chief, rest assured; we are confident that within three months we can turn them from land tigers into swimming dragons in the water!"

"Good, hearing that puts me at ease," Gu Mingyuan said. "When the Army supports Navy construction by transfusing blood, we have the responsibility to train every soldier well."

"After the Sea Training concludes, I will personally attend the assessment; don't disappoint me."

"Yes, I will definitely give you a satisfactory answer sheet!"

"Not for me..."

Gu Mingyuan pointed to the cap insignia atop his head.

Zheng Chengfeng stood and gave a vigorous salute: "In three months, I will give you—and the unit—a satisfactory answer sheet!"

Gu Mingyuan smiled contentedly, gestured for him to sit, then, seemingly nonchalant, asked, "Did you come back alone?"

Zheng Chengfeng immediately grasped the chief's meaning: "Originally we were supposed to bring everyone back together, but considering there were still handover tasks over there and he was the last soldier stationed at their unit, he applied to me for a return."

"Chief, some interesting things happened during the process."

"Oh, tell me."

Zheng Chengfeng recounted how Lu Yang single‑handedly broke through the Zhencha Daitui.

Gu Mingyuan listened with great interest, chuckling softly from time to time.

"Where did he learn that hard Qi Gong?"

"I later asked; he spent more than half a month training with the local Armed Police's third detachment, and he also learned the Black Dragon Eighteen Hands there. The tuition seemed to be a truckload of Type‑07 combat boots and some camouflage uniforms?"

"Hahaha, hahaha!"

Gu Mingyuan clutched his belly, nearly laughing himself out of breath.

Zheng Chengfeng watched the chief's tears of laughter and truly couldn't grasp what was funny about this.

Gu Mingyuan had no intention of explaining; he took the tissue handed over, rubbed the corner of his eye, and his face hurt from laughing.

This absurd and bizarre "turning weapons into silk" was something the former Eastern Army Political Commissar hadn't imagined; a truckload of shoes exchanged for a set of skills and even a good fate, overall it was Lu Yang who benefited.

But the crucial point is that even Gu Mingyuan underestimated his learning talent and speed of progress.

As a light infantryman, in less than two short years of service, by chance he acquired so many abilities.

Moreover, it wasn't superficial learning; he mastered almost everything, for otherwise he couldn't have persisted under a reconnaissance battalion commander for so long and even managed a successful counter‑kill.

Although there were some shortcuts, they are part of his own ability; a dull soldier could never achieve this in a lifetime.

"Didn't you say best two out of three? After winning, why did you play another game?"

"Here's the story: Division Commander Luo got so angry at losing that he gathered people to try to turn the tables, offering three elite scouts from the Zhencha Daitui in exchange for one, and then…"

It was heard that during the opposing drill, Lu Yang single‑handedly eliminated a three‑person encirclement, and cleverly chose to ascend the mountain from another direction.

Gu Mingyuan's smile never faded, because every step the kid took surprised him.

But for some reason, it always felt somehow reasonable.

"So, when faced with that soldier's desperate pleas, did Lu Yang finally act ruthlessly and seize that flag?"

"Yes, I even asked him about that specifically."

"What did he say?"

"He said, when you lose you admit it, stand at attention when beaten; honor isn't begged for, nor can it be given by the enemy. As a soldier you must abandon all unrealistic fantasies."

"A soldier should discard fantasies and be ready to fight at all times; dignity and honor are forged with fists, and the enemy won't reason with you just because you're weak."

"Showing weakness only makes our enemies more reckless and more ferocious!"

Zheng Chengfeng remained silent, but he clearly understood what the chief was alluding to.

From the First Opium War to the Sino‑Japanese War, the Songhu Battle…

Longguo, through successive chapters of humiliating blood and tears, has proven the principle that a weak nation has no diplomacy.

Lagging behind invites attacks; being weak invites beatings; and currently, our navy's strength is far behind that of Western powers.

That is why the unit now must devote all effort to developing maritime power and draw a large number of elite troops from the Army to strengthen the Navy System.

Zheng Chengfeng spoke up: "Chief, I may have taken the liberty to make a promise; before the competition, to motivate Lu Yang, I promised him that if he could achieve three wins out of three, I would assign him after the Sea Training to a unit with his former comrades."

"No problem," Gu Mingyuan waved his hand. "In a familiar environment, facing familiar people, it will better help this kid perform."

"I even painted a picture for him, telling him that after joining the Navy, as long as he works hard, he could aim for a staff officer within three years."

"The difficulty is not small, but not great for him; so, where do you plan to assign him afterward, which unit, which post?"

Zheng Chengfeng shook his head: "I haven't decided yet; many outstanding Army candidates came in the same batch. Although Lu Yang stands out, we still can't let him get what he wants without passing any assessments."

Gu Mingyuan glanced at his watch: "For the specifics, arrange as you see fit. I have to leave now; later, regarding this kid's latest status, you can report to me directly."

"Yes!"

Zheng Chengfeng gave a salute.

Following him downstairs, he watched the leader's car depart, feeling moved.

"Lu Yang, Lu Yang, you kid are not only strong in ability, your luck is also off the charts; before even joining the Navy, the Commander pays you this much attention—truly a promising future!"

"Ah, if only I had such a big shot's favor back then, who knows, I might already be a senior colonel by now."

"Oh no, I got caught up talking about Lu Yang and forgot to tell the leader about Xiong Yao's matter; his application report is still on me!"