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

After the meeting, Lao Nie kept Zhang Renfeng and Lao Yang behind.

As soon as the meeting room door closed, the footsteps and laughter of the army commanders in the corridor outside were separated by a layer and gradually faded away.

Old Nie walked to the head seat, glanced at Zhang Renfeng, then at Old Yang, and his expression slowly softened from the seriousness of the meeting, replaced by a serious look.

"Besides people from all walks of life in our own country,"

"We have also invited many friendly countries, especially the Soviet Union and Vietnam... These are countries that have established diplomatic relations with us, and there are many more countries that are eager to establish diplomatic relations with us. The Soviet Union, in particular, will send many generals and marshals, which is unprecedented. The entire process will be recorded by the Soviet Union... The leaders are very excited and looking forward to it."

He paused, his gaze falling on Zhang Renfeng, his tone becoming even more somber:

"Commander-in-Chief Zhang and Deputy Commander-in-Chief Yang, you have a heavy responsibility to bear, so you must not make any mistakes."

Zhang Renfeng sat opposite Lao Nie, his back straight and his face calm, but his heart was in turmoil.

He certainly understood the weight of those words—the military parade was not just for the Chinese people, but for the whole world.

Especially the Soviet Union, the big brother of the socialist camp. If even their generals and marshals think our military parade is like child's play, then our momentum at the negotiating table will be significantly diminished.

This is not only about negotiations, but also about the subsequent aid and reconstruction efforts!

Moreover, the Vietnamese representatives were also present; the Iron Whip Instructor's persona couldn't be ruined.

Zhang Renfeng met Lao Nie's gaze and nodded heavily:

"Rest assured, Commander, I personally oversee each formation, and the segmented assessments have already completed two rounds. If any mistakes occur, I will personally submit a report requesting disciplinary action."

Old Yang chimed in from the side, his tone carrying a mature and steadfast certainty:

"Commander Zhang and I have checked that the rhythm and timing of the parade are all on standard, with an error of no more than half a second."

Old Nie nodded, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly.

He glanced at Zhang Renfeng again, his eyes barely concealing his satisfaction, but he said nothing more, simply waving his hand:

"Alright, Lao Yang, you can go ahead and get busy. I'll have a few more words with Commander Zhang."

Old Yang responded, stood up, nodded to the two of them, turned and left the conference room, closing the door behind him.

Only Zhang Renfeng and Lao Nie remained in the room.

Old Nie sat down in the chair, leaned back, changed his posture, crossed his legs, and finally let the smile on his lips completely spread.

He looked Zhang Renfeng up and down, his gaze sweeping from shoulder to waist, then from waist to face, and he clicked his tongue, with the feeling of an elder looking at a junior who had made a name for himself.

"You've shaken me, and the whole world."

When Lao Nie said this, the seriousness he had displayed during the meeting had completely disappeared from his voice.

Zhang Renfeng felt a little embarrassed by his gaze.

He cursed inwardly.

These old leaders are really something. When I returned to Beiping, not one of them thought of letting me go home and hug my wife. Instead, they all pulled me up and said they were "shocked".

Can't I just go home and have some fun with the Queen of the Women's Kingdom? This is driving me crazy!!

Anyone who's served in the military knows... the closer you are to your bed at home, the more excited you get!

In just a few days, several secretaries were shocked! The corps commander was shocked, the teacher commander was shocked, Old Chen was shocked, even Old Xu was shocked, and now even the old father-in-law was shocked.

Was that an earthquake or a hemorrhoid flare-up?

If the earthquake continues, my son won't even recognize what his father looks like.

But while he was internally complaining, he didn't show it aloud, only bowing slightly and saying politely:

"Senior, I am merely..."

"Hey," Old Nie waved his hand, interrupting his polite words, his expression slightly mischievous.

"There's no one else here, so you should at least call me 'Dad,' right?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Renfeng immediately changed his address, calling out "Dad" with a crisp and clear tone.

When Lao Nie heard the word "Dad," his expression was like that of someone who had just drunk a cup of perfectly warmed liquor, soothing his throat and heart.

He felt incredibly happy and couldn't help but make plans with a delighted expression.

Outside, you're the world-renowned Zhang Liangshi, Zhang Baoma, and the Shield of the Republic. But when you come home, don't you have to call me "Dad"?

What good will it do for those cripples, blind men, and veterans who are fighting over it?

He spends all day writing this and that in his diary, trying to figure out whose student Zhang Renfeng was, but what was the result?

It turned out that the person was my son-in-law.

So what if you teach well?

In the end, wasn't it me, Lao Nie, who won?

He almost burst out laughing as he thought about it, but he managed to maintain a respectable elder's demeanor in front of his son-in-law. He coughed lightly, suppressing his smugness, and adopted a serious expression.

"Yes, please sit down. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

He took Zhang Renfeng's hand and made him sit down on the chair next to him, so that the two of them could sit side by side.

Old Nie turned his head, his voice softening slightly: "Today, your Dean Chen submitted an idea to establish a rocket engineering department at Harbin Military Engineering Institute and reorganize the Anti-American Independence Army into the Rocket Force. Honestly, how confident are you in your chances?"

After asking this question, he didn't rush Zhang Renfeng to answer, but instead patted the back of his hand first.

"Don't worry, tell me the truth. I have a son-in-law and a son. I, Nie, have only one biological daughter and one adopted daughter in my life. But in my heart, Xi Yue is no different from my biological daughter. And how is Zhang Renfeng any different from my biological son? You can speak freely. If there really is such a plan, I will have to lend a hand."

Zhang Renfeng knew very well that Lao Nie, as the first vice chairman of the Ordnance Committee, held an unshakeable position in the military industry.

As long as Lao Nie is willing to speak up, the matter will be more than half settled.

But his father-in-law was always pragmatic and wouldn't easily make decisions on things he wasn't sure about.

Such a leader has unlimited potential...

It's easy to control Lao Chen, but controlling Lao Nie is probably not so simple.

Then we have to have something the older generation likes the most...

Zhang Renfeng pondered for a few seconds, as if he were working out a game of chess with Lao Nie:

"At our current level, I'm 50% confident. But if we could recall the scientists on the list, I'd be 98% confident—within five years... within ten years..."

As he spoke, he stood up, walked to the national map on the wall, and gestured across a large area with his hand.

With his back to Lao Nie, his voice deepened, carrying a youthful, irrepressible passion:

"Future warfare will no longer be about coordinated infantry and artillery operations... it will be about land, sea, and air forces, information technology, and even integrated reconnaissance and strike capabilities, all in a comprehensive and systematic manner..."

He didn't talk about things that were too far off; there's no point in talking about those kinds of theoretical discussions.

He turned around, his gaze meeting Old Nie's eyes directly. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail driven into the solid wood table:

"Old Nie... there's something I really want to tell you—"

He paused for a moment, as if pulling a scalding stone from his chest and placing it steadily on the table:

"Dignity lies only on the edge of the sword, truth only within the range of a shot!"

Old Nie, who had been leaning back in his chair, straightened up involuntarily upon hearing this.

Their generation suffered greatly from outdated equipment, especially Old Nie, back then...

Before he could react, Zhang Renfeng continued, "This unit has a very high positioning. Our future goal is to be able to strike every corner of the earth."

"Hidden within the mountains are countless swords; should anything change on the other side of the Pacific, we can cleave mountains and split rocks, unleash the clash of ten thousand swords, and then..."

He turned around, his gaze passing through the conference room window and landing on the gray-blue skyline of Beiping. The certainty in his voice seemed to seep from his very bones.

"The longsword is drawn, a single strike to the throat!!!"