Volume 1: The Empire Awakens Chapter 2: Hidden Rules (Part 1)
General Nie Renfeng's office is spacious but the decoration is very ordinary. All the decorative items inside are related to the army and soldiers without exception.
Including more than a dozen trophies and dozens of medals in the cupboard; a sword hanging on the wall; a model of the "Taihu" battleship placed next to the coat rack by the door (Nie Renfeng was once the captain of the ship, and later when he served as the fleet commander, this battleship was his flagship); and more than a dozen portraits and photos on the bookshelf on the left hand side of the door, all of which are imperial naval generals who have emerged from more than ten generations of the Nie family!
"Imperial Navy Lieutenant Tan Renhao is here to report!"
Tan Renhao's voice is not loud, but it is very resonant.
Nie Renfeng looked up at Tan Renhao from behind a pile of documents, then nodded.
"Lieutenant, pour yourself a cup of coffee, just something casual!"
Of course Tan Renhao was not so casual. He still stood straight by the door.
After Nie Renfeng signed his name on the document, he asked his secretary to take the document out. Then he took off his reading glasses and walked out from behind the desk.
"Sit anywhere. Now, you are an official officer of the Imperial Navy. How do you feel?"
Nie Renfeng was easygoing by nature. This was the consensus of all the teachers and students in the school. He went to pour a cup of coffee. "This is what General Gan Yongxing brought back from the Gold Coast last time. I've kept it for more than half a year and never had time to drink it. Let's try it and see how it tastes!"
"Thank you, Principal!"
Tan Renhao quickly took the coffee cup. Major General Gan Yongxing was a graduate of the 173rd class, the recipient of the Gold Sea Lion Medal that year, and one of Nie Renfeng's most proud disciples. He is now the chief of staff of the Empire's Fourth Fleet, the South Atlantic Fleet.
"Sit down, sit down, you've been standing all day!"
Nie Renfeng smiled and patted Tan Renhao's shoulder, then sat on the sofa. "The last car accident was indeed an accident, but you are a strong child. It is a miracle that you can fully recover. What surprised me even more is that you are the third place among this year's graduates. I think if you hadn't encountered that accident, I would have been the first to give you a medal!"
"Principal, in fact, Lieutenant Fan Peikun has always been better than me. Even if I hadn't encountered the accident, I wouldn't be better than I am now!"
Tan Renhao was a little too modest. For three years, he was the best among the students in this class. If he hadn't had the car accident, Fan Peikun would have never had the chance to stand in the rightmost position in the first row.
"Children must have confidence in themselves!"
Nie Renfeng gave Tan Renhao a meaningful look and said, "Fan Peikun is indeed excellent, but you are different from him.
The Fan family is one of the most prominent naval families in the empire. Starting from Marshal Fan Shien, the Fan family has produced more than 20 generals, including many outstanding generals.
However, you are of a commoner origin, and just with this one point, you have already done better than any other student.
Of course, every founder of an Imperial Navy family started out as a commoner. I believe that one day, you will become the most prominent general in the history of the Imperial Navy!"
"Thank you, Principal. Actually, I just want to do my job well and do my best for the empire!"
Tan Renhao smiled a little shyly. This is his character.
"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. I believe that in ten years, maybe five years, I will be proud of you!"
In Nie Renfeng's eyes, every young officer he sent out was like his son.
"Now, I want to know, where are you going to serve?"
Tan Renhao hesitated for a moment and said, "Principal, I will go wherever you need me."
Nie Renfeng nodded slowly, stood up and picked up a document from the desk. Seeing Tan Renhao also stood up quickly, he pressed his hand and told Tan Renhao not to be polite.
Then he walked over and placed the document on the armrest of the sofa next to Tan Renhao.
"Originally, according to the college's rules, you missed the first opportunity to fill in your application form and should have been ranked last.
However, someone had already discovered you in advance and came to me half a year ago to ask for you.
Do you know General Liao Hanxiang of the Fifth Fleet? "
Tan Renhao nodded immediately.
General Liao Hanxiang can be considered a super outlier in the Imperial Navy.
He was originally a cavalry (armored force) battalion commander of the Imperial Army. Before the last war, he took the initiative to apply to join the newly established Imperial Army Flying Corps, which is now the Imperial Army Aviation Corps.
He is a true believer of "airplanes win" and also a crazy aviation enthusiast.
Less than two years after the end of the last war, for a special reason, Liao Hanxiang left the Imperial Army Air Force and "jumped ship" to the newly established Imperial Navy Flying Brigade, where he single-handedly established the Imperial Navy Air Force. He was the first to propose a new naval warfare concept in which aircraft carriers would be the decisive force in future naval battles, and a year ago, after the Empire's first three fast fleet aircraft carriers were put into service, he began to form the Fifth Fleet.
This is the only fleet in the Empire that is completely based on aircraft carriers.
Nie Renfeng gestured for Tan Renhao to look through the documents, and said, "I have read the paper "A Brief Discussion on Naval Aviation Operations" that you published last year. Of course, this does not mean that I completely agree with your point of view.
General Liao Hanxiang has also read this paper and asked me to assign you to the Fifth Fleet.
Of course, according to the rules of the Imperial Navy, you can decide whether to go or not.
With your achievements, you can find a position for yourself in any fleet or any regional naval command.
Moreover, the Fifth Fleet has just been established and everything is still in the planning stage. The promotion speed there will definitely be much slower. If you cannot become a captain in the first five years, you will lose the opportunity for further promotion. "
"Principal, if General Liao Hanxiang really wants me to go to the Fifth Fleet, I won't refuse!"
Tan Renhao said it very tactfully. If he had filled out his application form at the beginning, he would definitely have chosen the Fifth Fleet as his first choice.
"Have you decided?"
Seeing Tan Renhao nodded, Nie Renfeng laughed, "Okay, young man, forty years ago, I was the same as you. Of course, I believe that with your ability, no matter where you go, you will become one of the best. Tomorrow morning, you can take a plane to Naha Naval Base!"
"Early tomorrow morning?"
"Yes, it's a seaplane carrying mail!"
Nie Renfeng patted Tan Renhao on the shoulder and said, "Now, the dance is about to begin. Don't miss the first round, otherwise this dance will be overshadowed!"
