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

A few days later, Zhang Renfeng returned to Beiping.

Li Yunlong, Kong Jie, and other army commanders, along with some of the engineering divisions they had brought back, were handed over to the cadres of the North China Military Region for arrangement.

They were immediately picked up by a car from the central command.

The Central Military Commission meeting lasted two days and one night, covering everything from the overall strategic situation to national defense construction, from prisoner-of-war exchanges to the layout of the military industry. The leaders kept asking Zhang Renfeng all sorts of questions, and there was no rest even during meals.

Even Lao Nie couldn't have a chat...

By the afternoon of the next day, the business was finally finished, but before Zhang Renfeng could even catch his breath, reporters from major newspapers arrived, filling the room in a huge crowd, their flashes blindingly bright.

It's obvious that this was intentionally arranged by the leaders.

The Xinhua News Agency reporter was the first to stand up. He asked some fairly serious questions, including about the course of the battle, tunnel tactics, and future plans for national defense.

Zhang Renfeng answered each question in turn, saying what he should say and not uttering a single word that he shouldn't.

The People's Daily reporter then asked about Zhang Renfeng's strategic assessment of the United States. Zhang Renfeng picked up his teacup, took a sip of water, and pondered for two seconds before speaking:

"The US is eager to negotiate now because they can't fight anymore, and we need to be prepared... They lost two divisions in a year, and there are more protests and demonstrations at home than soldiers on the front lines..."

His words were perfectly worded, neither arrogant nor lacking in confidence. The reporters below jotted them down quickly, and the flashbulbs went off again.

When it was the PLA Daily reporter's turn to stand up, the question veered off-topic, taking on a military flavor:

"Political Commissar Zhang, you commanded these two battles so brilliantly. May I ask who your main tactical thinking came from?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Renfeng's smile remained unchanged, but inwardly he was cursing.

He had guessed someone would ask this question while he was in the car. He was tired of hearing Brigade Commander Chen's jack-of-all-trades style of speaking back in the Taihang Mountains. Every sentence, such as "learning from the older generation," "the crystallization of collective wisdom," and "achieving victory under the leadership of the Party," was flawless, but in essence, it said nothing at all.

But the situation is clearly different now. This reporter seems to have a good relationship with the teacher, and this time he has been paid by three parties.

Brigade Commander Chen's 300 silver dollars, Dean Liu's one million, and the 100,000 yuan red envelope that the corps commander specifically named for his son—although not much, it was still something. You can't take the money and not do the job.

His mind raced. "Since that's the case," Zhang Renfeng said, "let the bullets fly for a while."

"Well, first of all, I have to thank the organization for its training. Without the organization's trust and support, even if I, Zhang Renfeng, had three heads and six arms, I wouldn't be able to command them. All the credit goes to the officers and soldiers on the front lines..."

I grew up in the great melting pot of the People's Army. From the Seventh Red Army to the Third Red Army Corps to the Eighth Route Army to the People's Liberation Army, every senior leader taught me something.

For example, the great superiors... Mr.... For example, the teachers... For example, the old... For example, the corps commander... For example, our Dean Chen at Harbin Military Engineering Institute now... And for example, the millions of soldiers and grassroots commanders, the people... They are the real teachers.

His words were perfectly logical; in short, listing everything would ensure there was no mistake, and there would always be a correct answer.

This is the same principle as doing long-answer questions. Write more, and if you happen to guess one correctly, you'll still get points.

The reporters present exchanged glances, unable to find fault for a moment. Inwardly, they thought, "This isn't right, it's kind of like that Chen...?"

The reporter who had inquired about the teacher's lineage was persistent; after all, he had been entrusted by Dean Liu, and he insisted on getting to the bottom of it by asking one more question:

"Which leader do you think has had the greatest influence on you?"

Zhang Renfeng smiled slightly, adopting Brigade Commander Chen's usual shrewd and versatile tone:

"Hey, that's a very insightful question, comrade. Honestly...actually...I think..."

"In short... they're all very important, and none of them can be missing. If you absolutely have to choose one, it's the organization. It's the organization that nurtured me from a little Red Guard to where I am today."

This answer was neither offensive nor unkind, and the reporters refrained from pressing for further questions.

Pei Shiqiang immediately stepped forward and stopped the reporters to prevent their questioning from turning into interrogation. All I can say is, the teacher is amazing!

But Zhang Renfeng knew in his heart that although Brigade Commander Chen's rhetoric was slippery, it was indeed the safest way to answer in the current situation.

If you designate someone, the other senior leaders, though they may not say it, will surely have their own thoughts.

It's better to play it safe and let everyone feel "I'm one of them".

When the time comes, everyone will continue to argue, and I, Zhang Renfeng, will reap the benefits.

The next morning, brief reports from major newspapers were published.

Zhang Renfeng's words were condensed and relayed, listing the names of several senior leaders in descending order of rank, with the secretaries at the top...

Zhang Renfeng sat at the dining table in the guesthouse, glanced at a copy of the "PLA Daily," and couldn't help but laugh.

He knew perfectly well that, throughout the entire army, there were no more than five or six people who truly cared about the issue of lineage...

At this moment, far away at the Jinling Military Academy, Dean Liu was sitting in the conference room presiding over a meeting, with the newspaper that had just been delivered spread out in front of him.

He glanced at the text in the newspaper, his gaze landing on the words "teacher," and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips before he regained his refined and composed demeanor.

"Look at you!"

Dean Liu pushed the newspaper to Director Zhong of the Political Department next to him, his tone carrying a calm and unhurried quality.

"Among the people mentioned here, I'm still ranked ahead of Xiao Chen."

Director Zhong took the newspaper and glanced at it; his expression immediately became somewhat subtle.

I'm speechless. I don't know why, what's wrong with Dean Liu lately?

How did he, who has always been steady and refined, suddenly become so competitive?

Therefore, in order to make Dean Liu see reality clearly, he had no choice but to speak out for justice.

He hesitated for two seconds, but couldn't hold back any longer, and spoke up righteously: "Dean, this ranking is clearly arranged by the newspaper editors according to their rank. During the War of Resistance, Old Chen's rank was actually after yours, so it's unreasonable for him to be ranked before you."

Upon hearing this, Dean Liu shook his head repeatedly, maintaining his refined and composed demeanor, and slowly and deliberately spoke:

"Director Zhong, you don't understand, do you? Aren't we all students of the higher-ups? It's natural that the higher-ups are listed first, so shouldn't the second-ranked teacher be listed second? The editor must have considered this when writing the article."

He pushed up his glasses, glanced around at everyone present, and spoke with a nonchalant air of "you wouldn't understand."

Seeing this, Minister Chen of the Training Department, sitting opposite, quickly stepped in to smooth things over, clearing his throat and saying: "To avoid further entanglement in this issue and to ensure the meeting proceeds smoothly..."

"I think Dean Liu's analysis makes a lot of sense. After all, we're ranked third from the bottom, one more than Old Chen and two more than the general public."

This shows that the ranking is definitely not based on rank. We are a government where the people are the masters, and if the people are at the bottom, it means it has nothing to do with rank. In my opinion, it's probably ranked by age.

Dean Liu's lips twitched slightly; he was already satisfied. As long as he didn't lose to Xiao Chen and had one more than Lao Chen, he would have won.

Seeing everyone speaking enthusiastically, he tapped the table lightly with his finger, steer the conversation back on track:

"Alright, let's begin the meeting. Regarding the curriculum, I think we should include the two battles that annihilated the American division."

I've heard that the Frunze Military Academy and West Point are also conducting research on this. This is our first decisive battle against a foreign army, so..."

As he said this, his gaze swept over the several specially appointed teachers present.

"Comrades Chang Naichao and Liao Yaoxiang, you two are specially appointed instructors of our college. How about you two be the main lecturers?"

Chang Naichao, who was pretending to look at his notes with his head down, suddenly looked up when he heard this, and his expression was quite interesting.

He opened his mouth, his mind churning: "Hey, I've always heard that this Dean Liu is known as a military genius. It's fine to just play along at the meeting, there's no need to drag me, Chang, into this! Besides, I was captured by Li Yunlong. You want me to talk about Zhang Renfeng's annihilation battle? Isn't that putting me on the spot?"

But he still had to keep his word, and after hesitating for two seconds, he spoke: "Dean Liu, the one who led the battle was your beloved student, Commander Zhang Renfeng. It's probably inappropriate for us to give the explanation, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Liao Yaoxiang, who was standing next to him, immediately pushed up his glasses and thought to himself, "Brother Naichao is truly a role model for us all!"

Things have come to this point, there's no need to pay any attention to that senior Chen. Besides, I was captured by Ding Wei, and I'm not talking about a battle of annihilation. If we can avoid it, we should.

He quickly added, "Yes, yes, I've always heard that the 129th Division is famous for its ability to fight tough battles. Commander Zhang Renfeng's skill in tackling such difficult situations must be a direct result of Dean Liu's teachings. I suggest that it would be best to invite Commander Zhang himself to give the lecture."

Upon hearing this, Dean Liu couldn't suppress the smile on his face, and he was overjoyed inside—that's why they say the KMT generals are so shrewd.

He glanced at his colleagues and sighed inwardly, wondering why they were so inconsiderate.

Then, unhurriedly, he said, "Well then, in the name of the academy, we should submit a report to the Military Commission, inviting Comrade Zhang Renfeng to give lectures in Nanjing."

At this moment, Director Zhong raised his hand and subtly reminded him, "Dean, I'm afraid this is inappropriate. Political Commissar Zhang is busy with the military parade preparations, the construction of Harbin Military Engineering Institute also depends on him, and there's also the preparatory work for the Second Ministry of Machine Building. I'm afraid he won't be able to handle it all."

Minister Chen, usually taciturn, chimed in, "Hey, what are you saying? Others might not be able to do it, but our Dean is Commander Zhang's mentor. Wouldn't it be a matter of just a word from him? If you ask me, just submit the report, and leave the rest to the organization and the Dean to discuss."

Dean Liu chuckled and nodded, getting more and more engrossed in the discussion, feeling like he was about to take off. To avoid losing his composure, he immediately ended the discussion.

Immediately afterwards, he took out his notebook, opened it to the first page, picked up his pen, and wrote a few lines:

[The news from today's meeting mentioned that Xiao Feng, a sensible child, listed everyone as teachers. I was lucky enough to beat Xiao Chen by one place; a small victory is a great victory, and I'm delighted. It was decided after class that Xiao Feng will come to Nanjing to teach, and we will welcome him with the respect due to a teacher. Let's see what Xiao Chen has to say then. Also, Director Zhong was a bit talkative, but Minister Chen was tactful; I'll remember that.]