A courtyard house; Li Yunlong, a subordinate of the deputy director of Harbin Military Engineering I

After Dean Liu finished writing the record, he glanced at everyone and asked, "Among this batch of trainees, apart from those who participated in the parade, are all here?"

Minister Chen glanced at the list. "No, Comrade Ding Wei from the Fourth Field Army is still stranded in Beiping..."

Dean Liu was furious. "Isn't this ridiculous? Send a telegram immediately, ordering him to report to the academy at once."

Minister Chen then produced a letter, saying, "This is from Comrade Ding Wei, who asked me to pass it on to the dean."

After reading the letter, Dean Liu smiled and said, "I see. Then let him come with Li Yunlong, Kong Jie, and the others after the ceremony."

The letter, though brief, was full of affected tone: "Reporting to Dean, I, Xiao Ding, have a deep personal relationship with Commander Zhang. I've always known that Commander Zhang is your outstanding student; as the saying goes, a great teacher produces a great student. I will persuade him to go south with Li Yunlong and the others."

After reading the letter, Dean Liu said, "That's settled then. Ding Wei's situation is special, so we won't wait. We'll start as normal tomorrow!"

After he finished speaking, he folded the letter and took a few extra glances at the words "Commander Zhang is your outstanding student." He smacked his lips a couple of times, as if savoring a fine, aged wine, and slowly added, "This Ding Wei, he does have some sense; he knows who the real boss is."

Minister Chen stood by, holding back his words, inwardly cursing, "You old man really know how to flatter yourself. Is Commander Zhang your top student?"

That's half your apprentice; the other half is probably being fought tooth and nail between the legion commander and Brigade Commander Chen.

He only replied with "Yes, yes, yes" before turning around and getting busy.

While things settled down in Nanjing, a different kind of excitement was taking place in Beiping.

The Harbin Military Engineering Institute's office in Beiping was located in a narrow alley in the Dongcheng District. The courtyard was small, with the front hall converted into a temporary office area and a few cots placed in the back rooms, which served as a place for passing cadres to stay.

Old Chen got off at Qianmen Railway Station early in the morning. As soon as he entered the office, before he even had a chance to take off his coat, he looked up and saw the People's Liberation Army Daily spread out on the table.

The left side of the front page features a news report on the preparations for the National Day military parade, while the right side contains a summary of the development of military academies nationwide, listing several prominent names...

Old Chen nearly dropped his coat, throwing it onto the chair. He grabbed the newspaper and looked at it again, confirming that he was indeed behind Blind Liu in line. He was so angry that he slammed his cane on the ground three times.

"Damn it, what kind of situation is this? Why am I ranked after the blind man? Is this reasonable?"

He slammed the newspaper on the table, making the teacup lid clang loudly, a sound that was particularly jarring in the quiet courtyard.

Just then, Zhao Gang came in with a cup of hot water. He glanced at the rankings on the newspaper and his heart skipped a beat.

He had followed Old Chen for so many years and knew his old commander's temperament all too well.

Other matters can be discussed, but when it comes to saving face, not an inch will be conceded!

Back in the Taihang Mountains, Old Chen could argue with the political department for three days about which number the 386th Brigade should be listed on the division's bulletin board.

Seeing himself, the dignified director of Harbin Military Engineering Institute, ranked behind Director Liu, he was so angry he could boil two kettles of water.

Zhao Gang quickly put down his water glass, a smile spreading across his face. He took half a step forward, his tone steady and smooth:

"Old brigade commander, don't be fooled by the editor. You didn't lose to the senior officer. This is clearly an order of rank."

Think about it, Jinling Military Academy is at the level of a major military region, and Harbin Military Engineering Institute is also at the level of a major military region. According to the order of their establishment, it is customary for them to be ranked first since they were established a few months earlier.

Besides, who in the know really looks at this ranking?

Moreover, considering their positions during the Taihang Mountains period, weren't we in the 386th Brigade also considered inferior? That's to be expected; officially, rank is determined by position, not by...”

After hearing this, Old Chen looked down at the newspaper for a while, tapping his fingers on the table twice, as if weighing the weight of Zhao Gang's words.

Finally, he slammed his hand on the table, and his anger subsided considerably, but he still tried to put on a brave face:

"It has to be you, Zhao Gang. No wonder you're a top student from Yanda University. It's all about the job ranking. That blind Liu is only holding on because Nanjing was established a few days earlier. Otherwise, would I have let him be ahead of me?"

He spoke toughly, but inwardly he thought to himself, "Scholars are just so cunning."

He turned the newspaper over and put it aside, clearly having been calmed down by Zhao Gang's words.

Zhao Gang secretly breathed a sigh of relief; the tension in his heart was finally eased.

He knew very well that, according to Zhang Renfeng's instructions before his departure, the most important thing to do upon returning to Beiping this time was to submit the rocket engineering department's proposal. If Old Chen quit because of this fictitious ranking issue, how would Zhao Gang explain it to Commander Zhang?

Li Yunlong's plan to transform the Anti-American Independent Army into the Rocket Force is still waiting for Old Chen to go to the Military Commission and slam his fist on the table. We can't let him throw a tantrum now.

Zhao Gang stood beside him, watching Old Chen hang up his coat again, sit down at his desk, and open his folder. He couldn't help but replay in his mind what Zhang Renfeng had told him that day in the tunnels of Harbin Military Engineering Institute—

"Gangzi, the Rocket Force must make this move. Li Yunlong's army is a ready-made framework; we can just change the name and use it. Old Chen is stubborn, but if you use righteousness to pressure him, he'll be more likely to back down. As long as you make him feel that he's bringing glory to the national defense cause, he'll be the first to run away."

The more Zhao Gang thought about it, the more he felt that Zhang Renfeng's calculations were accurate. This old commander was not only ruthless in battle, but also a master at manipulating people's hearts.

If Li Yunlong really becomes the commander of the Rocket Force, then Zhao Gang must be a political commissar.

He absolutely had to get this done.

Commander Zhang is truly something else. Following the right leader means endless promotions. On the other hand, Old Chen, humph, makes everyone work like crazy, but the benefits are that he doesn't share any of it evenly with his subordinates.

Zhao Gang secretly made a mental note of it, his face remaining expressionless, but he had already silently repeated the sentence twice in his mind—

[Old Chen is senile, arguing with his elders over such a trivial matter as apprenticeship. He's no different from a child. He should just stick with Old Zhang!]

Several people entered the office one after another. They were all cadres from the Harbin Military Engineering Institute's preparatory office and sat down around the long table.

Old Chen leaned back in his chair, his cane resting across his knees. He glanced around at everyone present, cleared his throat, and got to the point:

"Regarding the rocket engineering department, I've already discussed the general framework with Political Commissar Zhang in Harbin. Let's refine the plan today and submit it tomorrow. Who wants to speak first?"

The section chiefs below flipped through the materials in their hands and said a few words in turn, which were nothing more than the shortage of teachers, equipment procurement, and the progress of the connection with Soviet experts.

As he listened, Old Chen scribbled in his notebook, occasionally nodding and interjecting with a comment like, "Check that number again."

Zhao Gang sat to the side, a notebook open in his hand, listening intently, but glancing at Old Chen's expression every now and then.

Only after confirming that Lao Chen had completely recovered from his anger at being "behind Liu the Blind Man" did he refocus his attention on the meeting.

Halfway through the meeting, Old Chen suddenly closed his notebook, stood up, and said he needed to go to the restroom.

Zhao Gang nodded without thinking much about it, but after Old Chen walked out with his cane making a clattering sound on the ground, he suddenly realized something.

Given Old Chen's personality, his leaving the bench at halftime is most likely not because he really needs to pee, but because he has something to write in his diary.

Sure enough, Old Chen went into the small office at the end of the corridor, locked the door, took out his hardcover diary, turned to a new page, and began to write furiously:

[Brother Renfeng, you're so cunning! You took three hundred silver dollars from me and still ranked after the blind man! Luckily Zhao Gang reminded me, or I'd have a heart attack from anger. No way, how can I, Old Chen, let this go? Tonight, you go home, but I'm coming to your house as a guest. Like a parched land receiving rain, this kid must be itching for a treat. I, Old Chen, will make you suffer! To avenge your hypocrisy.]

After writing the last sentence, he screwed the pen cap back on, picked it up, and looked at it again, unable to suppress the mischievous smile on his lips.

He was thinking that Zhang Renfeng's wife, Zhang Xiyue, had long since recovered from her illness. The couple, having been apart for a while, were feeling the warmth of reunion and were simmering with resentment with nowhere to vent. If he, Old Chen, were to be so tactless as to sit in their living room, brew a pot of strong tea, and chat until the wee hours, that little devil Zhang's expression would certainly be quite something...