A week had passed since Su Yuan returned to China.
The mission of the Russian delegation was nearing its end, and the major conferences were basically over.
The two sect leaders rarely relaxed. The remaining matters didn't require their attention, and their subordinates would naturally handle them.
This was the usual practice.
If even the details had to be discussed by the national sect leaders, they would be exhausted to death.
The sect leader could be considered the helmsman. The nation was a ship, and his responsibility was to ensure it sailed in the right direction.
As for how the ship should sail, that was for the others on board to consider.
However, while the bilateral diplomatic conferences were over, Wei Lao, the helmsman of Daxia's ship, had no time to rest.
A not-so-large conference room was packed with Daxia's military high command today.
At a glance, it was filled with two stripes and three stars, all generals.
Even a lieutenant general would seem out of place in this setting.
The conference room was eerily quiet.
Suddenly, the door of the conference room opened.
Wei Lao strode in. As soon as he sat down in the main seat, he got straight to the point, "I've called you all together today for one thing.
Su Yuan has been back in the country for a week now, and the Russian delegation will soon be returning home. You've all seen the notice regarding some matters, so I won't go into detail. Today, we must resolve Su Yuan's treatment in the country.
What are your thoughts on the notice?"
"I have no objections to conferring the rank of Major General."
As soon as Wei Lao finished speaking, Zhou Li Xun immediately raised his hand. They had already discussed this, and Zhou Li Xun was essentially acting as Wei Lao's vanguard, preventing any unexpected situations.
After all, conferring the rank of Major General would surely draw objections, even disagreement, from many senior officers.
This wasn't directed at Su Yuan, but rather, promotions within the Daxia military followed a set procedure.
Even in special circumstances, a promotion without following procedure required its own special process.
However, even though Wei Lao and General Zhou Li Xun had considered this, and even Zhou Li Xun, as the commander-in-chief of the Air Force system, had raised his hand in agreement, someone still raised a different opinion.
"Wei Lao, Lao Zhou, I have a different opinion regarding Su Yuan's promotion and appointment."
The speaker was one of the bigwigs on the Military Commission.
General Zheng looked directly at Wei Lao. At his level, he spoke freely without much restraint.
If he had an opinion, he would voice it. It was better to say it directly than to keep it to himself.
Besides, the purpose of this meeting was for everyone to discuss, not to hold a one-man show.
General Zheng's words immediately drew everyone's attention.
Several other senior generals who also had their own thoughts fell silent, their expressions serious.
Someone had spoken, which made things easier for them.
If their points weren't addressed, they could always add their own later.
Wei Lao's brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he turned to General Zheng, gesturing for him to continue.
General Zheng cleared his throat and said directly, "Wei Lao, Lao Zhou, I think you both are well aware of the promotion process for Daxia military officers. Su Yuan was the chief instructor of the Russian Air Force, with the rank of Major General. I have no objections to granting him the rank of Colonel upon his return, but I think it's too hasty to directly confer the rank of Major General on him without any military achievements. It might cause resentment among many."
Those who already had their own thoughts nodded in agreement, though they didn't speak.
They had the same opinion.
"Old Zheng, I disagree with that."
Zhou Li Xun's voice immediately rose in opposition, "What you said applies to regular promotions. It's not suitable for Su Yuan."
"Who is Su Yuan?"
"He's an exceptional talent. Exceptional talent naturally has exceptional promotion methods. It would be unfair to Su Yuan if we followed the conventional process."
No one spoke.
Even the generals who had different opinions fell silent.
Fairness?
Of course, it wouldn't be fair.
Su Yuan was already a Major General in Russia. Now, the country needed him, and they were essentially asking for his help, but the treatment offered was inferior to Russia. How could they keep such talent?
Especially someone like Su Yuan, who was an exceptional talent.
For an exceptional talent to follow the conventional promotion process was problematic in itself.
General Zheng considered this and replied, "That's true, but I still think it's too early to directly confer the rank of Major General on a twenty-two-year-old. I think we can first grant him the rank of Colonel and then consider promoting him again in six months, depending on the situation."
"What's wrong with twenty-two?"
Zhou Li Xun retorted, "Heroes rise early. Su Yuan is a genius, a prodigy in the field of aviation. We cannot treat prodigies the same way we treat ordinary people. The same applies to promotions and rank.
Haven't we seen many young people join the Xia Academy of Sciences and become young academicians in the field of science?"
"The field of science is different from the military field..."
Before he could finish his rebuttal, Zhou Li Xun said with a smile, "I think there's no difference. Exceptional talent should be treated exceptionally. And there's one thing everyone needs to consider: We're asking for his help, not the other way around."
"To put it bluntly, he could simply go back with the Russian officer and still enjoy the benefits of a Major General. Moreover, judging from that officer's attitude, he holds Su Yuan in high regard. It wouldn't be surprising if, in a few years, another general emerges from the Russian Air Force."
General Zheng and the others stared in disbelief at this.
A general!
With marshals long gone, generals were considered to be at the pinnacle of the Russian military field.
Did Su Yuan have that much potential?
However, this doubt was quickly dispelled.
A twenty-two-year-old Major General was a miracle in itself.
It wouldn't be impossible to create another miracle.
Seeing that General Zheng and the others were silent, Zhou Li Xun dropped another bombshell, "Of course, conferring the rank of Major General isn't just because of his personal abilities in aviation. It's also because of his talent in training air force pilots."
"In just three years, Su Yuan has trained nearly a hundred excellent air force pilots for Russia. Moreover, he trained a near-ace in only two years. According to the information we've received, this near-ace is currently undergoing ace pilot assessment..."
"I think you all know what this means."
General Zheng looked at Zhou Li Xun.
Silence.
The others were also silent.
Shock!
If Su Yuan becoming a Major General at the age of twenty-two, being the chief instructor of the Russian Air Force, had surprised everyone, then Zhou Li Xun's words had completely stunned them.
In three years, he trained nearly a hundred excellent air force pilots for Russia.
Among them, there was a near-ace who was currently undergoing assessment.
Was that guy really human?
Wasn't he only twenty-two years old?
Wasn't he only in the aviation field for four years?
If Zhou Li Xun wasn't lying, who could rival this young man in the field of aviation?
General Zheng's expression became completely serious.
The others also took a deep breath, clenching their fists. Besides disbelief, there was a glimmer of excitement in their eyes.
The ones sitting in this conference room were the absolute high command of the military. No one wanted their country to be anything less than powerful, especially the increasingly important air force.
Daxia's air force was very strong, there was no doubt about that.
Especially in terms of technology, it was no less than Russia or even Star Alliance countries.
Its overall strength also ranked among the top three.
The only thing lacking was strategic air force pilots.
Specifically, the lack of top-tier ace pilots.
Su Yuan's arrival could solve this problem.
Moreover, it wasn't just about Su Yuan himself. It was about Su Yuan establishing a complete training system that could train ace pilots for the Daxia Air Force.
That was the most important aspect.
Was it excessive to confer the rank of Major General on such a prodigy?
If this had happened before, General Zheng and the others might have thought it was too much. But now, that feeling had completely vanished.
Disagreement?
In the face of such a prodigy, disagreement was unthinkable.
Everyone looked at Zhou Li Xun, then at Wei Lao.
At that moment, they all had only one thought: That kid from the Su family... he's terrifying!
Wei Lao smiled.
It was so interesting!
Just now, there were still many people who disagreed. Unexpectedly, Zhou Li Xun's few words had left them speechless.
Su Yuan was like a catfish thrown into a calm pond. He was bound to bring unprecedented changes to the Daxia Air Force.
Wei Lao smiled slightly. He knew it was his turn to make the decision.
"Does anyone still have objections to conferring the rank of Major General on Su Yuan? If you have any objections, you can bring them up now."
Everyone remained silent.
They would have liked to raise objections, but facing Su Yuan's talent, it would be foolish to disagree.
At this moment, no one thought Su Yuan was young.
Strong!
Prodigy!
At the very least, his abilities and strength were enough to make him a high-ranking officer of the Daxia military without any objections from anyone.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Wei Lao said again, "Since everyone has no objections, then it's settled. Next, there's the matter of Su Yuan's assignment."
As he spoke, he turned to Zhou Li Xun, "Lao Zhou, you can talk about the plan. Everyone can listen and see if they have any suggestions."
Zhou Li Xun nodded, "Wei Lao and I have discussed it. Su Yuan's usage cannot be conventional, it must go beyond the norm."
"I propose a dual appointment. On one hand, he will be assigned to the air force frontline to lead our frontline air force units to grow and develop. On the other hand, he will form a new flight academy, where he will serve as the dean and establish a new training system."
"The commander-in-chief of Haidong's First Air Force Base is about to retire. I suggest Su Yuan take over the position, and there's no problem with the level. Su Yuan could hold such an important position as the chief instructor of the Russian Air Force, so he should have no problem with command."
The crowd furrowed their brows, lost in thought.
General Zheng considered this and then asked, "I have no objections to that, but what about the formation of a new flight academy?"
"Building a new flight academy will take a lot of time. Just setting up the site will take a long time. If that's the case, then Su Yuan's biggest advantage will be wasted, and we'll be wasting several years of his time and our precious development time for the Daxia Air Force."
"Su Yuan, with his own abilities, can train nearly a hundred excellent air force pilots for Russia in three years. Wasting his time would be a shame to the souls of the Daxia Air Force."
General Zheng's words resonated with everyone.
Zhou Li Xun chuckled, clearly having a plan already in place.
He looked at the crowd and said, "It's quite simple. Didn't the National Academy of Sciences plan to establish a flight academy several years ago, but ultimately it fell through because of a lack of flight instructors?
This is a perfect opportunity to make use of that space. We can establish the flight academy at the National Academy of Sciences. Su Yuan will serve as the vice president of the National Academy of Sciences and concurrently as the dean of the flight academy.
The facilities at the National Academy of Sciences are already in place. We just need a little time for simple maintenance, and then produce a batch of primary and advanced trainers, as well as the JX-10 and JX-20 fighters specifically designed for training higher-level pilots. There's no need to worry about wasting too much time.
It can be operational in three months at the shortest, or six months at the longest.
As for recruitment, we can listen to Su Yuan's opinion later."
The National Academy of Sciences?
General Zheng and the others' eyes lit up.
"Good, Lao Zhou. I think that's perfect. Let's do it."
General Zheng slammed his fist on the table. Clearly, Zhou Li Xun's proposal was flawless in his eyes.
On one hand, it would allow Su Yuan to understand the Daxia Air Force system while also injecting stronger vitality into the frontline air force units.
On the other hand, it would allow Su Yuan to unleash his greatest advantage in the fastest way possible, establishing a new training system for air force pilots.
Daxia had struck gold. It had been four years since Russia trained Su Yuan.
Of course, Su Yuan's exceptional talent played a major role, but Russia's unremitting efforts also contributed greatly.
After all, if Russia hadn't trained him, Su Yuan's abilities in aviation might not have been discovered. That was the most important aspect.
It could be said that Daxia had gained a lot from this.
Of course, Russia didn't lose anything either.
After all, judging from the current situation, Su Yuan still held his position in Russia, with no changes. He was still a loyal soldier of Russia.
"Does anyone have any objections?"
Wei Lao asked.
"No, no."
Everyone shook their heads.
If this arrangement had been proposed for anyone else, someone would have already jumped up in protest.
The reason was simple: too much power.
The commander-in-chief of Haidong's First Air Force Base was the strongest air force base in all of Daxia. Just that position alone was enough to make them jealous.
Not to mention, Su Yuan would also serve as vice president of the National Academy of Sciences and concurrently as dean of the flight academy, with full authority over everything related to the flight academy.
Although the flight academy was seemingly under the National Academy of Sciences, it was just a formality. The National Academy of Sciences had no real power to command everything in the flight academy.
In other words, Su Yuan was the supreme ruler of the flight academy. This power surpassed the position of commander-in-chief of Haidong's First Air Force Base.
With two positions of power, even they, let alone ordinary senior officers, couldn't help but gulp, full of awe.
But no one thought it was excessive.
Su Yuan was worthy of such power.
Worthy of such treatment.
Prodigies naturally had their own methods of usage.
…
The Su family.
Su Ming put down his backpack and shouted towards the house, "Grandpa, I'm back."
As he shouted, he walked towards Su Bing Sheng's room.
The door to Su Bing Sheng's room was open, but no one was inside.
He tried calling out to his mom, but still got no response.
With no other choice, Su Ming called Ye Wen Qin.
At that moment, a familiar voice came from the doorway, "Xiao Ming?"
Su Ming turned around instinctively and saw Ye Wen Qin standing at the doorway. He hurried forward, taking the heavy object from her hands and said with a smile, "Mom, I'm back."
"You're back, you're back, that's good."
Ye Wen Qin said excitedly.
Su Yuan had returned, and now Su Ming had returned. This made Ye Wen Qin happier than earning a hundred million.
There was nothing more gratifying than being with her family.
Especially now, both her sons were extremely talented. What more could she ask for?
Looking at Su Ming, Ye Wen Qin's eyes fell on his shoulders, where two stripes and three stars were prominently displayed.
A Colonel?
Ye Wen Qin was stunned, then her face lit up with joy, "You've been promoted again?"
How long had it been? Had it been two years since the last promotion?
Probably not.
Su Ming's talent had left Ye Wen Qin astonished and surprised.
Su Ming, who was not yet thirty, had already reached the position of Colonel in the military. With time, catching up to Su Hai was only a matter of time.
Her son was incredibly talented.
He had been that way since he was a child.
"Where's Xiao Yuan?"
Su Ming asked, seemingly eager to see him.