The King of Urban Mercenaries
Chapter 722: 724: Hawk's New Policy Proposal - Chen Di (Part 1)

Chapter 722: Chapter 724: Hawk’s New Policy Proposal – Chen Di (Part 1)

“Commander, after all, Jiang Yunpeng is a star officer of our Military District. Moreover, the division commander Jiang only has this one son. Regarding this matter, could it be possible to consider a more lenient approach?”

Seeing Jiang Liancheng’s fury and his intention to have the Military Court severely punish Jiang Yunpeng, as well as to make the punishment known throughout the entire military district, Chen Dingguo, who had secretly weighed the options considering the impact on the Azure Dragon Military District, hesitantly voiced his opinion to Jiang Liancheng.

“You mean to plead for him?!”

Seeing Jiang Liancheng’s grim expression and the anger in his eyes, and fearing to get burnt himself, Chen Dingguo immediately shook his head and said, “Dingguo wouldn’t dare. Everything is up to the Commander to decide.”

“Hmph!” Seeing Chen Dingguo shake his head indicating his unwillingness, Jiang Liancheng snorted coldly, sparing Chen Dingguo from his wrath.

However, he then turned his attention to Lin Fei, “Lin, I would like to hear your opinion on this matter. Regarding Jiang Yunpeng, do you think I should forgive or punish him?”

“Uh, Commander, I’d rather not say. After all, I have already left—”

“Just speak when I ask you to, why all this nonsense!”

“Yes, Commander.” Interrupted by Jiang Liancheng’s stern voice, realizing that Jiang Liancheng truly wanted to hear his opinion, Lin Fei found it inappropriate to shirk further.

Gathering his thoughts, and glancing at Chen Dingguo, who seemed to be signaling him, as well as at Chen Qi, who was lying on the hospital bed, Lin Feihu’s gaze turned resolute and he firmly said, “I think something the Commander said earlier was very accurate: ‘Those who disturb the army’s morale cannot be retained!’ No matter who it is, anyone who disrupts the troops’ morale must be punished. The higher the rank, the more severe the punishment should be. Only in this way can we stabilize morale and maintain troop spirit to the greatest extent. If we were to opt for a lighter punishment simply because of Jiang Yunpeng’s background and his status as a star officer, it could be difficult to satisfy the soldiers and might impact the military spirit. Furthermore, it would be unfair to the families of our servicemen.”

After Lin Fei finished speaking, Jiang Liancheng’s eyes hardened and he spoke to Chen Dingguo in a deep voice, “Did you hear that? It’s always beneficial to listen to the opinions of the younger generation. We are an army, not some idle social organization that needs to tiptoe around issues! For a soldier, everything should focus on the morale of the troops and on serving the country! Don’t let me have to repeat these words to you a second time!”

“Yes, Dingguo understands.” Sensing a reprimand in Jiang Liancheng’s words, Chen Dingguo immediately bowed his head in agreement.

Snap! Snap!

Seeing Chen Dingguo bowing in acknowledgment, Jiang Liancheng’s expression softened slightly, and he patted Chen Dingguo on the shoulder as a gesture of comfort, stating, “I understand your concerns. However, before military discipline, everything else is secondary. It’s not only on the battlefield that military law is as immovable as a mountain; it is even more necessary to promote it during times of peace. Only by doing this can we best maintain the cohesion and combat effectiveness of our troops! To maintain our troops’ cohesion and combat effectiveness, let alone a Jiang Yunpeng, even if I were to make a mistake, I too must be severely punished!”

“You’ve been under my command for a long time now, and the reason I’m telling you this today is to remind you: when leading your troops in the future, don’t be too hesitant! We are soldiers, and our only concern should be whether we can protect our country and our homes; everything else is secondary!”

“Rest assured, Commander, Dingguo will keep this in mind. My subordinates will certainly not include anyone like Jiang Yunpeng! If one day my subordinates do produce a Jiang Yunpeng, Dingguo will be sure to punish them severely without mercy!” Upon hearing the reminders and warnings in Jiang Liancheng’s words, Chen Dingguo immediately affirmed.

“If you can think this way, nothing could be better.” Seeing Chen Dingguo’s firm look, not just lip service, Jiang Liancheng’s expression lightened, and a fleeting look of satisfaction crossed his eyes.

“Fortunately, both of you have been my subordinates. If it were the other relatives of this officer Chen who had come here, and such an incident occurred, I’m afraid I would be shamefaced.” After lecturing Chen Dingguo, Jiang Liancheng glanced at Chen Qi, who was still unconscious in the hospital bed, and could not help but express a slight sigh.

“Commander, you’re being too serious. The incident has nothing to do with you. As family members, if we were to blame anyone, it would be Jiang Yunpeng alone—it has nothing to do with the Commander.”

“Uncle Chen is right. There’s a debtor for every debt; this matter has nothing to do with the Commander no matter how you look at it. Instead, we should thank the Commander for personally intervening in this matter.”

Hearing Chen Dingguo and Lin Fei’s successive responses, the hint of melancholy in Jiang Liancheng’s eyes softened. “Though that may be true, as the Commander, I still bear some responsibility for such an incident. Lin, your girlfriend was sent by the Zhonghai police after all. Whether officially or personally, this incident is a failing on the part of our Azure Dragon Military District. It’s just unfortunate that you’re no longer part of our Azure Dragon Military District, otherwise, I might be able to bribe you with some advantage, finding a way to keep you quiet.”

Hearing the implication in Jiang Liancheng’s words, Chen Dingguo promptly took over the conversation, saying, “The Commander jests. This was all Jiang Yunpeng’s doing. My niece is a sensible person. Even if the Zhonghai police pursue this matter in the future, I believe she would clarify the situation proactively.”

After Chen Dingguo finished speaking, Lin Fei also voiced his opinion, “Commander, if you truly want to bribe me to keep me quiet, you might as well arrange a place for me to stay, allowing me to linger here a few more days to spend more time with Qi Qi.”

Hearing Lin Fei’s response, even for someone with Jiang Liancheng’s temperament and composure, he couldn’t help but chuckle, “What kind of bribe is that? After all, you’ve come from our Azure Dragon Military District. You can come back whenever you want, and stay as long as you like.”

With a somewhat stern expression as he spoke to Lin Fei, Jiang Liancheng paused to think, his gaze shifting back and forth between Lin Fei and Chen Dingguo a few times before finally settling on Chen Dingguo. “The Hawk Special Team can be said to be the apple of my eye, and now that Jiang Yunpeng has gotten into trouble, the political seat of the Hawk Special Team naturally becomes vacant. Since there are no outsiders here, why don’t you tell me, Dingguo, who do you think I should appoint to this position?”

“This, with all due respect, it’s up to the Commander to decide.” Suddenly asked by Jiang Liancheng a question concerning a high-level personnel appointment of the elite force, Chen Dingguo’s mind raced as he didn’t grasp Jiang Liancheng’s intention and simply kicked the ball back to Jiang Liancheng.

Hearing Chen Dingguo’s evasive response, Jiang Liancheng was not upset but instead chuckled, “If I remember correctly, Dingguo, your son is also in our Military District, isn’t he?”

Though the question was rhetorical, given the events of the day, Jiang Liancheng had naturally recalled the father-son relationship between Chen Dingguo and Chen Di.

With that question, Jiang Liancheng’s underlying meaning was clear…