Yu Zhou Ji finished reading.
Jiang Ye was quite pleased.
"Alright, I'll call him in." Jiang Ye stood up.
Pei Lu was faster, quickly standing up and rushing to the door to open it. "The Commander wants to see you!"
Pei Lu left, and Yu Xiangyang entered.
"Any news about Wheeler Star?" Jiang Ye sat back down in his chair.
"Reporting, we've been monitoring it closely," Yu Xiangyang stood sternly.
"Sit," Jiang Ye poured a glass of water. "Have some water."
Yu Xiangyang obediently sat down, accepted the glass with both hands, took a small sip, and put it down.
"What's your assessment of the current situation on Wheeler Star?" Jiang Ye asked.
"It's beyond my expectations," Yu Xiangyang said. "I now believe your strategy is correct, and my previous strategy was flawed."
"The truth?" Jiang Ye chuckled.
"I wouldn't dare to say anything false," Yu Xiangyang nodded. "From what I understand, the number of escapees is over fifty thousand per day, and Gante's territory is shrinking rapidly, like it's gradually dehydrating. If we were to achieve this effect through military force, the financial and human resources required would be more than ten times what we're using now. Our current strategy is like using a feather to deflect a thousand pounds, using a chicken-slaughtering knife to kill a cow."
"I'm very happy you can think this way, it means the past six months of study weren't in vain," Jiang Ye praised. "How has your learning been over the past six months?"
Yu Xiangyang was silent for a moment. "Not good."
"Not good?" Jiang Ye was slightly surprised and picked up a report card from the desk. "According to the school's exam records, you've consistently been first in the class, and the gap between you and second place is very large."
"The teachers said this is the worst graduating class. Except for me, all the students in my class failed. My own grades aren't outstanding either; I'd only call them barely passing," Yu Xiangyang said. "I feel the same way. The textbooks are vast, and I've only grasped the superficial aspects."
Jiang Ye burst into laughter.
"The lie of 'the worst graduating class' has existed since ancient times, I never expected it to still be around now," Jiang Ye chuckled. "This military academy has a tradition of giving out questions beyond the syllabus."
Yu Xiangyang blinked, seeming to realize something.
"The questions given to you are all designed by your teachers to be as difficult as possible. After you finish the exams, the teachers will nitpick and find ways to heavily penalize your scores. For example, for a ten-point question, if you answer it correctly and earn eight points, the teacher might give you five or six points," Jiang Ye explained. "This is an old tradition since the founding of the academy, intended to stimulate each student's potential. As officers, the ability to withstand heavy pressure is essential."
"So, as long as you can score above the passing line, your level is considered good," Jiang Ye said. "You're an expert in combat; military texts are just references. Most of the time, it relies on your own judgment."
"You are correct," Yu Xiangyang nodded.
"We are now preparing to form the Fourth Star Conquest Army Group, and we're short of a commander," Jiang Ye picked up his water glass and took a sip. "You'll take the position."
"I feel I'm not ready for such a heavy responsibility," Yu Xiangyang said. "My studies in space warfare have only just begun."
"Am I here to discuss this with you?" Jiang Ye smiled.
Yu Xiangyang stood up and saluted. "Understood!"
"Sit," Jiang Ye poured him more water.
Yu Xiangyang sat down obediently, his blinking rate noticeably faster, and his breathing slightly irregular.
For him, it was perhaps too sudden.
He had thought being sent to study was a form of being sidelined, or akin to house arrest, but he was unexpectedly promoted to such a high position.
From a junior officer fighting in a city ruin to the commander of a space fleet army group, it had only taken a little over a year. This promotion speed was incredibly fast.
Yu Xiangyang felt as if he had merely swung a racket and hit a shuttlecock, but this shuttlecock had broken through the fourth cosmic velocity and shot out of the galaxy. The speed was completely incomprehensible, leaving him utterly stunned.
After a brief moment of daze, Yu Xiangyang's gaze refocused on Jiang Ye.
The shuttlecock's high velocity wasn't without reason; immense energy had been concentrated onto it. This energy was the commander before him.
"The Fourth Star Conquest Army Group's mission is to attack Pingdao Star," Jiang Ye said casually. "There are no people on Pingdao Star currently. The dominant indigenous creatures are a type of self-detonating giant lizard. They are a bit troublesome, but ultimately, they are just lizards."
Yu Xiangyang listened with a serious expression.
"You're right, your studies have only just begun. You can learn on the battlefield. After the war, you can return to the classroom. Then, you won't need to attend crash courses; you'll be taking proper classes," Jiang Ye said. "The mission on Pingdao Star is not very difficult; it's primarily ground combat, and you'll have the assistance of intelligent bacteria and AI. It's a demanding task. As a newcomer, to gain the respect of Jiang Ye's army, you'll need to put in more effort."
"Understood. Your subordinate guarantees mission completion," Yu Xiangyang said. "Commander, what are intelligent bacteria?"
"They are a type of bacteria that, when gathered in sufficient numbers, can generate extremely high computational power and collective consciousness, essentially a super-intelligent entity," Jiang Ye explained. "The human brain has about a hundred billion neurons, and many are for controlling limbs. The number of intelligent bacteria can easily reach tens of trillions, with the vast majority dedicated to computation and thought. Honestly, no matter how smart we are, we can't compare. We are fundamentally different, like the difference between a hand-crank generator and a nuclear fusion generator."
Yu Xiangyang was somewhat awestruck. He had heard of intelligent bacteria but hadn't delved into what they were.
"How has your life been recently?" Jiang Ye suddenly changed the topic.
"Quite good. I eat and live at the school."
"And your family?"
"I bought them a house in the suburbs of Binhai City, and they've all moved there," Yu Xiangyang said. "Almost all our relatives are there, and most of them have found jobs. They've adapted well to life there; the environment in Binhai City is better than our hometown."
"At your age, you should be settling down, right?" Jiang Ye smiled. "Are you seeing anyone?"
"No," Yu Xiangyang shook his head. "I've been quite busy."
"Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, then bring peace to the world. You can't have the ends high and the middle low," Jiang Ye said. "The organization can't provide you with a wife; you need to put more effort into this yourself. If you fancy someone nearby, you need to talk to them yourself. If you fancy someone further away, you can tell me, and I can help you arrange something, like a dinner party."
"This..." Yu Xiangyang was somewhat surprised. "Is that possible?"
"Do you remember Deputy Commander Huang? His wife is the television actress Mei Dandan. It hasn't been publicly announced, but they're already married. Old Huang saw Mei Dandan on TV and thought she was good, so he mentioned it to me, and I arranged a dinner for them," Jiang Ye said. "At first, the girl didn't fancy Old Huang. Old Huang had buck teeth back then and was quite unattractive. Later, Old Huang had cosmetic surgery to fix his buck teeth, and their relationship gradually warmed up."
"Then..." Yu Xiangyang hesitated, speaking haltingly.
"You've actually taken a liking to someone?" Jiang Ye sounded curious. "If so, just say it."