Chapter 1, Naval Officer

No, but perhaps it will arrive in the next few days

The two individuals arrived at the dining table, and as Lei Shaoqing spoke, he picked up a piece of cake. In preparation for the afternoon graduation ceremony, he had spent the entire morning getting a haircut, shaving, and dressing himself, not even having time to eat lunch

Lei Shaoqing then explained, "I heard that she is from the nursing college. When you were hospitalized, she happened to be interning at that hospital and graduated this year. Don't pretend, I know what you're thinking. If it weren't for meeting her, would you have been able to stay in the hospital for a month?"

A naval vice admiral, around sixty years old, approached Tan Renhao. His name was Nie Renfeng, the director of the Imperial Naval Academy. He was a respected elder who had once fought on the battlefield for the Imperial Navy and had trained over ten thousand outstanding officers for the Imperial Navy over the course of more than twenty years, earning the respect of nearly the entire officer corps of the Imperial Navy. He was a kind-hearted elder.

Three years ago, two childhood friends secretly applied to the Imperial Naval Officer Academy, and both were admitted. They then "ran away from home" to this military school, known as the "cradle of Imperial Naval Officers," and spent three years of military school life together in the same room

Tan Renhao awkwardly smiled, and now he realized that over the course of a month, he had not even asked the other person's name

Among them, the young man standing third from the front, who is 1.8 meters tall, has an upright physique and a resolute appearance, is named Tan Renhao

Tan Renhao, like the previous two graduates, immediately raised his right hand, palm facing forward, with his middle finger aligned with his eyebrow, and rendered a standard naval salute to Nie Renfeng

For many, twenty years old may still seem young; however, for Tan Renhao, he has already matured. Three years of military academy life have transformed him into a thorough imperial soldier, an imperial navy officer he had scarcely envisioned before.

The two individuals greeted familiar alumni along the way, making their way towards the center of the venue

Who

Ningbo Imperial Naval Officers Academy, five hundred and ninety young individuals dressed in standardized naval officer uniforms stood in a large square formation

Over the course of twenty years, Nie Renfeng has sent out two hundred elite members of the Imperial Navy. Many of them have now become senior officers, holding important positions in various fleets, major bases, and on various capital ships of the Imperial Navy, including a number of young brigadier generals and major generals.

This will be the last night for six hundred young officers of the Empire at the Imperial Naval Academy. Now, they are still classmates and friends, but tomorrow, they will each head to their respective posts

They have all received the notification letter in the past few days

On the playground, solemn and dignified, this sentence is witnessed by the oaths that testify to the vicissitudes of the empire, witnessing the rise and fall, glory and disgrace of the imperial navy

Thank you, Principal

Some individuals will become navigators, chief engineers, and gunnery officers on warships, while others will serve as staff officers in the naval fleet, and some will head to naval bases

After Nie Renfeng awarded the Sea Lion Medal to Lei Shaoqing, who stood last, more than fifty senior instructors (officers) of the academy placed shoulder insignias on the other five hundred and ninety trainees

As the sound of the music gradually faded away and ultimately disappeared, under the leadership of Nie Renfeng, hundreds of people simultaneously recited their oath as soldiers of the empire: "We are willing to dedicate our lives, blood, and sweat to the Emperor, to the Empire, to the territory of the Empire, to the subjects of the Empire, and to the Imperial Navy..."

Among those who received the Golden Sea Lion Medal, more than 80% became leaders in the Imperial Navy

The playground fell silent, and the sun disappeared from the western horizon. The evening glow enveloped the earth, and the surrounding lights illuminated.

Nie Renfeng pinned the medal onto Tan Renhao's chest, and then gave a firm pat on his chest

In front of them are ten individuals from the 192nd class of the Imperial Naval Academy, consisting of six hundred cadets. They are the elite among these six hundred, the top ten students of this class.

Tan Renhao looked at his friend with a hint of confusion

The reason is quite simple: Fan Peikun and Jiang Zhongmin are both scions of imperial naval families, while Tan Renhao and Lei Shaoqing come from commoner backgrounds. The disparity in their backgrounds alone is sufficient to divide these two types of imperial naval officers into two major factions, which is indeed a significant characteristic of the imperial navy.

Did you forget? The nurse who took care of you in the hospital for a month!

There is no need to be so polite to them; at least, they will not regard the two of us as the same kind of people

However, this is likely more for the activities in the evening

At the beginning of the party, Tan Renhao shrank to the edge of the playground

I will consider it, but I do not even know where to go myself right now

Moreover, it is said that Nie Renfeng has already nurtured countless talents across the land. This year, he will send the final batch of talents to the Imperial Navy, and next year, he will be able to leave this place, departing from this cradle of officers that has trained tens of thousands of talents for the Imperial Navy over nearly two hundred years!

Tan Renhao shook his head

How about you come with me to the Southwest Fleet? Although the Southwest Fleet is a local fleet, my third uncle, whom you also know, is currently serving there as a combat staff officer. If you go there, you will have someone to look after you, and it is certainly better than going somewhere else

As the military band played the imperial national anthem "The Dragon Flag Flutters" and the imperial navy song "The Sea", two teams of the imperial navy honor guard raised the Rising Dragon Flag and the Zhenhai Flag, which are respectively the national flag and the naval ensign of the empire

Nie Renfeng took a step back and returned a naval salute

There is a large dance floor, and a table with drinks and food is set up next to the dance floor

There is no need for you to see me off tomorrow morning

Lei Shaoqing was clearly dissatisfied with those two individuals

Alas, this can be said to be a matter of bad luck for you

Second Lieutenant, do your best

At this moment, everyone faced the national flag, raised their right hand, and silently sang the national anthem of the Empire

Lei Shaoqing smiled as he held Tan Renhao's shoulder, "I heard that the graduates from the Hangzhou Nursing School will be attending the evening party today. Perhaps you might run into that girl from last time!"

However, there is one person who is an exception

The Maritime Medal of Gold is awarded to the top graduating officer, with only one individual each year having the opportunity to be presented with this medal by the principal

Lei Shaoqing patted Tan Renhao on the shoulder and said, "However, I believe that you are the best. To still achieve third place after enduring such a tremendous setback, to be honest, I envy you greatly"

If you are going to submit your application again, have you thought about where you want to go

Reflecting on his three years at the military academy, Tan Renhao feels as if he had just arrived at the institution yesterday

Lei Shaoqing approached with two glasses of champagne, asking, "Is it because you were unable to obtain the gilded medal that you are feeling down?"

Lei Shaoqing is not only his classmate and fellow schoolmate, but they are also fellow townsmen and childhood friends

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the seventeen-year-old boy has grown into a twenty-year-old young man

Lei Shaoqing picked up a piece of pine nut cookie again, it seemed that he had been starving for a long time

By the way, have you received the notification letter

Here comes Renhao, the star of tonight!

Alright, don't be so gloomy, or else others might think you have experienced a breakup

At this moment, every member of the Imperial Navy facing the fluttering Dragon Flag deeply realizes that over the past thirteen hundred years, and particularly in the last three hundred years, countless soldiers of the Empire, soldiers of the Imperial Navy, have silently recited this oath as they rushed to the battlefield and to the seas, dedicating their lives, blood, and tears for the prosperity, flourishing, and strength of the Empire

A single oath can be upheld by the imperial soldiers for a thousand years; similarly, this oath will also inspire these six hundred young officers of the imperial navy to follow in the footsteps of their forefathers, venturing into the vast ocean to safeguard every inch of the empire's territory

Tan Renhao sighed and said, "Alright, let's not talk about these meaningless things. When are you setting off?"

Renhao, are you daydreaming again

Tan Renhao smiled and punched Lei Shaoqing on the chest

Tan Renhao shook his head with a smile

Tan Renhao shook his head. Upon seeing this year's top graduate Fan Peikun and the second place Jiang Zhongmin looking at him, Tan Renhao smiled and nodded at them

While filling out his post-graduation destination preferences, Tan Renhao was lying on a hospital bed. According to the regulations of the Imperial Navy, he had one more opportunity, although this could only be to select from the remaining positions left by others, rather than determining the order of selection based on graduation grades.

Lei Shaoqing immediately put down the half-eaten biscuit in his hand, wiped the crumbs from his mouth, and followed the crowd towards the group of nurses.

He does not particularly enjoy such noisy occasions; he prefers to spend time quietly alone

Tan Renhao shook his head with a smile. As he laughed and chased after Lei Shaoqing, a sergeant officer approached. Tan Renhao recognized at a glance that he was the aide-de-camp of General Nie Renfeng, the principal.

The imperial navy's banquets exhibit a somewhat European style, rather than the indigenous style adopted by the imperial army. This is closely related to the history of the imperial navy and the nature of the imperial navy itself

At this moment, the venue suddenly became lively, as the newly appointed officers, initially gathered in groups of three to five, surged towards the western side of the venue

Nie Renfeng took the shoulder insignia of a naval second lieutenant from the hands of his aide behind him and pinned it onto Tan Renhao's shoulder. Subsequently, he picked up a dark yellow medal made of pure copper, the Sea Lion Medal, which is specifically awarded to outstanding graduates of the Imperial Naval Academy and represents the young officers who are the future pillars of the Imperial Navy

As in every year of the past twenty years, Nie Renfeng will personally confer titles upon the top ten students of each session and present them with the Shanghai Lion Medal