Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

Li Yunlong was about to pick up his wine bowl and continue the drinking contest when he saw this scene, and his hand froze in mid-air.

His old, bloodshot eyes scanned back and forth between Lin Weidong's granite-like profile and Lin Yang's unfathomable eyes. This veteran general, who had spent most of his life fighting on the battlefield, possessed an almost animalistic intuition for the subtle changes in the air.

He slowly put down the wine bowl in his hand and smacked his lips, savoring the lingering aroma of the wine.

"Good wine. Strong, it hits your throat." Li Yunlong wiped his mouth with the back of his rough hand, then suddenly stood up and picked up the 30-year-old Fenjiu that was still more than half full on the table.

"Yangzi, I caught a chill today, and my kneecaps are starting to ache again. I'll take the rest of the wine in this jar back to the guesthouse and savor it slowly." Li Yunlong shouted loudly, then waved to He Yuzhu, who was standing to the side, "Zhuzi! Go call your dad and have him take me back to my room to sleep. The heating in this room is too strong; it's making my chest feel stuffy."

He Yuzhu was an extremely astute person, and he immediately realized that Li Yunlong was making room for the Lin family father and son. He stepped forward and firmly supported Li Yunlong's arm.

"Alright, sir, I'll take it to you right away."

He Yuzhu turned his head, silently nodded to Lin Yang, then protected Li Yunlong and strode out of the restaurant. The door slammed shut behind them, completely shutting out the cicadas' chirping and the heat outside.

The huge restaurant instantly fell into an absolute silence.

The rich aroma of Tan Family Cuisine and the mellow scent of alcohol wafting in the air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Tian Yu and Ding Qiunan exchanged a glance, and the two intelligent mistresses stood up in unison, cleared away a few sets of bowls and chopsticks, and quietly retreated to a side room in the backyard with their trays.

Now, only the four core men from two generations of the Lin family remain around this large rosewood round table.

Lin Yang sat in the main seat.

He didn't speak immediately, but instead took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket and pulled one out.

Lin Jianguo reacted quickly, immediately picking up a match from the table, striking it with a "snap," and then leaning forward slightly to protect the orange flame as he lit Lin Yang's cigarette.

The bluish-gray smoke slowly rose and dissipated in front of Lin Yang's cold and stern face.

His sharp, knife-like gaze pierced through the rising smoke and landed directly on Lin Weidong, who remained standing.

"Sit down." Lin Yang exhaled a smoke ring, his voice low and calm.

Without hesitation, Lin Weidong pulled out a chair and sat down with his back straight.

"Just now in the living room, I gave you orders to go to the Border Armored Corps and the Northwest Ordnance Research Institute." Lin Yang tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice, making a tapping sound.

"You answered loudly and without the slightest hesitation. As soldiers, and as juniors, your obedience is impeccable."

Lin Yang paused slightly, and a terrifying sharpness that could pierce through people's hearts suddenly flashed in his deep eyes.

"but!"

These two words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, causing Lin Weidong and Lin Jianguo's hearts to clench sharply.

"That was a transfer order issued by the president of the National Modern Reform and Development Association to his subordinates! It's a test to see if you've shed the arrogance and impetuosity that's ingrained in you over the past four years!"

Lin Yang stubbed out the half-smoked cigarette in the brass ashtray, leaned forward slightly, and an overwhelming sense of oppression instantly enveloped the entire dining table.

"Now, this door is closed. There are no leaders here, only my father and uncle. If my sons and nephews, Lin Yang, only know how to blindly follow and only know how to walk in the footsteps paved by their fathers, then at best you will only be reckless soldiers charging into battle, and will never become the masters who control the fate of the nation!"

Lin Yang stared intently at them, his voice carrying an unprecedented solemnity and depth.

"Now, cast aside all external pressure. Cast aside the path I've drawn for you. Look me in the eyes and tell me, what do you truly want in your hearts?"

Lin Fan, who was standing to the side, was stunned when he heard this. He had thought that his younger brother had arranged everything, but he did not expect that the transfer order that had excited the two children was just a test.

A long silence fell over the restaurant once again.

Lin Weidong placed his hands on his knees, the veins on the back of his hands slightly bulging.

He looked into his father's eyes, which seemed to see through all the illusions of the world, and his Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.

After a full half minute, Lin Weidong took a deep breath.

He slowly raised his head, the rigidity of a soldier fading from his eyes, replaced by the depth and ambition of a top-tier political being.

"Dad." Lin Weidong's voice was a little hoarse, but unusually firm.

"If this is your true thought, then I'll tell you. I don't want to go to the armored corps in the north."

Upon hearing this, Lin Fan gasped.

In this era that reveres military merit and considers wearing a military uniform the highest honor, how could a top student who graduated from the Advanced Command Department of the National Defense University say that he doesn't want to join the field army? If this gets out, it would be an absolutely astonishing and unconventional statement!

Lin Yang showed no anger, only slightly raising his chin: "Reason."

Lin Weidong's gaze became incredibly sharp, like a newly sharpened horse-slaying sword.

"During my four years at military academy, I simulated countless armored group clashes and studied numerous tactics of modern warfare. My conclusion is that the outcome of a war is 30% determined by artillery caliber and 70% by the political and economic foundation in the rear!"

Lin Weidong looked directly into Lin Yang's eyes.

"I've worked the saline-alkali land in northern Jiangsu, and I've witnessed the poverty at the very bottom of society. I've also seen how people like Zhao Lichun used their power to smash local laws to pieces."

"Dad, you've been strategizing and controlling things in Beijing, using an iron fist to protect the nation's heavy industry backbone. But if policies don't reach the grassroots level, if the local management system is rotten to the core, then no matter how many tanks we build or how many shells we produce, if the people at the bottom don't have enough to eat, this national machine will eventually be paralyzed from within!"

Lin Weidong stood up, exuding a formidable aura.

"A gun can defend against foreign enemies, but it cannot cure the deep-seated problems within a country. I want to take off this uniform. I want to go to the countryside; I want to enter politics!"

Lin Weidong slowly and deliberately revealed the true ambition he had kept hidden in his heart for four years.

"I want to go to the most remote and impoverished county town, to be an insignificant grassroots supervisor! I want to use the combined arms battalion management concepts I learned in military academy to reshape the administrative efficiency of a region! I want to become your sharpest and most solid political weapon in the local area!"

Quiet.