Wang Zhenyu was stunned for a moment before he realized that this somewhat unfamiliar child was none other than his adopted son Shen Quan.

  At first, the purpose of taking this adopted son was very clear, a hostage. Firstly, it would allow Shen Zongyi and others to lead their troops with ease, making it easier for him to subdue the Fenghuangdian army; secondly, this child was no ordinary one, although only six years old, he was already the son-in-law of the Tian family. If such a child became his adopted son, then he and the Tian family, who had a great reputation in western Hunan, would be connected by marriage. From any point of view, it was more reliable than his friendship with Tian Yingkui, an opium ghost.

  Because I've been busy with work until recently, this child has always been taken care of by Ye Zhiwen. Ye Zhiwen also likes this clever and capable child very much, constantly teaching him Mandarin. Although his current Mandarin still carries a local accent, it's already clear enough for people to understand.

  But after Ye Zhiwen became pregnant, Shen Quan was left unattended again. He usually lived in the four bedrooms on the second floor of Wen's house, the one on the far left. This child was still very lively, but now that no one was taking care of him, he had been living here for more than three months and started to wander around. Accidentally, he walked into Wang Zhenyu's study, secretly watching the man he would call father, what a strange father! Shen Quan even felt a little scared and wanted to run away, but his legs wouldn't listen.

  Wang Zhenyu looked at the child and smiled, stretching out his hands: "Qian'er is well-behaved, come to your adoptive father's arms."

  Shen Quan didn't know what to do, and unexpectedly walked towards Wang Zhenyu on his own, then was picked up by him: "Ah, you've gained some weight! This outfit doesn't suit you at all, how about I change you into a military uniform?"

  As soon as Shen Quan heard that she could wear her favorite military uniform, she immediately applauded and then took the initiative to kiss Wang Zhenyu's face. Who taught you this? Wang Zhenyu was so happy that he couldn't help but cry and laugh at the same time, and his mood became much better.

  "Is it fun living here? Who usually plays with you?"

  "Very few people play with me, after Mommy had the little baby, nobody pays attention to me anymore. There's a kid in the house across from us who is about my age, we sometimes play together..."

  Wang Zhenyu thought for a moment, that should be his nephew Jing An, whose age was indeed similar to Shen Quan's.

  "Qin Er, tell Uncle, what do you want to be when you grow up?" Wang Zhenyu asked warmly.

  Shen Quan's little head shook: "When I grow up, I want to be a great general and help my adoptive father kill the bad guys."

  Wang Zhenyu was amused by the child and burst out laughing, drawing in his fifth brother Wang Zhenbang. Seizing the opportunity, Wang Zhenyu teased Wang Zhenbang: "Fifth brother, you're not getting any younger either, it's time to settle down, do you have a suitable partner? Third brother will help you propose."

  Wang Zhenbang's face suddenly turned bright red, and he hastily waved his hand, saying: "No rush, no rush, I remembered that there are still some things to be done in the secretariat, I have to hurry over..."

  After finishing speaking, he turned around and ran away, Wang Zhenyu laughed even more happily.

  He scratched Shen Wan's little nose: "What wish do you tell your godfather, your godfather will definitely help you achieve it. Are you homesick?"

  Shen Quan shook her head: "I don't miss home, this is my home now. I just want to hug my mom."

  The clever answer made Wang Zhenyu feel that it was a child's intention towards his mother, so he put Shen Quan down and took him to the desk. After pressing the electric bell on the table, Zhu Cihang immediately came in: "General, is there anything?"

  Wang Zhenyu picked up Shen Quan again and put her on his lap, then asked: "Deputy Zhu, check if there are any meetings at the Security General Team recently. If someone from the Jingzhou Branch is coming to attend, let them bring their family to my place as a guest. Also, arrange for a boat tomorrow, I'll take Shen Quan to tour the Yuanjiang River. After you've taken care of these things, you can go home and rest for a few days, spend some quality time with your grandfather. I heard that Old Zhu has been in poor health lately, I'll also pay him a visit later."

  Zhu nodded slightly and then turned around to attend to his business.

  Wang Zhenyu lowered his head and teased Shen Quan, saying: "Come on, Quan'er, read this newly published 'Yuanjiang Daily' to your adoptive father, let him see how many characters you can recognize now?"

  “Woooo...” The long whistle sounded on the Yuanjiang River, Wang Zhenyu took Shen Quan to take his own private cruise ship to cruise the Yuanjiang River. Also present were his five-year-old nephew Wang Jing'an and several guards including Wang Hu. He Wen Huan had already been sent to study at the Army Officer School, still in regular class, it would take at least two years to graduate, whether or not he continued his studies depended on his academic performance.

  The boat arrived at the Yuanjiang dock, where a temporary berth was arranged. Looking at the busy dock workers and the giant tower cranes that were constantly turning, Wang Zhenyu felt a sense of vitality.

  Wan Yao Huang recently boarded the ship and made a brief report to Wang Zhenyu, the principal who didn't care about anything, regarding the Xiangxi Army Military Academy:

  The first batch of recruits enlisted 800 people, divided into six departments: infantry, logistics, engineering, artillery, surveying and mapping, and politics. The curriculum refers to the existing courses of the Army Primary School, Middle School, and Rìben Military Academy.

  The first batch of students mainly came from the front-line combat troops, with a relatively large scale of 1,200 people. Among them were 400 advanced military officers, who graduated in June 1913. The remaining officers graduated in October 1914. The study period was two years, and graduates were awarded the rank of army lieutenant.

  The second period had 800 students, from the front-line combat troops, started in January 1913 and graduated in December 1914, with a two-year term. Graduates were awarded Army Lieutenant.

  The third period had 800 students from the new barracks, starting in July 1913 and graduating in June 1916, with a three-year term. Graduates were awarded army lieutenant.

  The fourth period had 800 students from the new barracks, starting in July 1914 and graduating in June 1917, with a three-year term. Graduates were awarded army lieutenant.

  The fifth period consisted of 800 students, from the new barracks, with a start date of July 1915 and a graduation date of June 1918, for a term of three years. Graduates were awarded Army Lieutenant.

  After the sixth term, the semester was changed to a one-year system, and the school was merged into the Army University as a preparatory department. Recruitment began in July 1917, and those who passed the examination entered the Army University for study.

  Regarding the idea of establishing an army university, Wan Yaohuang was very clear:

  The school opened in August 1917, with the first batch of 2,000 students selected from the top four batches of the Army Officer School. In addition, a weekend supplementary class was set up in each division, and outstanding military officers from each division attended classes. Every year, they would go to the university for three months of study. The first and second batches had to return to school for all their studies, with a three-year term, graduating in June 1920. Advanced military officers were promoted one rank, and their positions were uniformly arranged by the General Staff Headquarters. The sixth batch of Army Officer School students and the first batch of 800 students from the Preparatory Department of the University were awarded the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

  Afterwards, Lu Da recruited 2,000 students every year, among whom 1,200 were re-learners and 800 were new recruits for the preparatory class.

  In addition, in terms of treatment, the monthly living standard for recruits is uniformly set at 15 yuan, regardless of grade.

  Wang Zhenyu was very satisfied with this plan, and he pulled Wan Yao's hand and said: "If we can make this military school a success, it will be a great achievement. Our Army University should learn from Japan, if you don't attend this school, wanting to become a high-ranking general is just a dream."

  He cast his gaze at the entourage of Wan Yaohuang and said: "Only by grasping and implementing a military personnel promotion system based on military academy training can our army become the country's army, can it become an army with ideals and culture, and truly fight for the prosperity and strength of this country. So, I entrust you all..."

  A pleasant outing had turned into work, although reality and ideals had a gap, Shen Quan still looked at his adoptive father with a cheerful mood, feeling that his back was tall and great, this was a real big hero.

  In the classroom of Xiangxi Military Academy, a man in his thirties was biting his pen hard, his eyes staring at the test paper on the table as if he had a deep hatred.

  This man was none other than Cai E, who had almost defeated the Ferocious Tiger Corps in a battle at Ma'an by using unorthodox tactics.

  After the grenade exploded, Cai Jun unexpectedly did not die and was rescued by medical soldiers. After recovering from his injuries, he was sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

  Afterwards, the large-scale development of Western Hunan required a large number of laborers. Many captured soldiers from Hongjiang were turned into laborers. According to orders issued by Chief of Staff Yang Wanguo, officers such as Cai Jun, Liu Xuyi and Yang Yusheng were not incorporated into labor teams and were allowed to choose their own destinations.

  Yang Yusheng chose to leave Xiangxi and go to Guangzhou for a look. Cai Junxian and Liu Xuwei, after careful consideration, made a plan in the prisoner-of-war camp and decided to apply to join Wang Zhenyu's army together. Having been a soldier for over a decade, they had no other skills besides fighting.

  Wang Zhenyu was somewhat familiar with Cai Junxian's affairs, so he agreed with a stroke of his pen. However, he had to attend the military school for half a year, which led to the scene of 36-year-old Cai Junxian biting his pen in class. Although he had been roughly literate since childhood, it was really too painful for Cai Junxian, who had been in the army for many years, to return to school after 20 years. Nevertheless, Cai Junxian and Liu Xuyi persisted stubbornly, undergoing military training with those 10-year-old boys and learning cultural knowledge together. Although their performance was not outstanding, they did not fall behind either. This performance surprised Wan Yaohuang, the head of education, so he mentioned this matter in his report this time.

  Wang Zhenyu made a special instruction: "After graduation, both were awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel and served as regimental commanders of the independent division. We need such brave generals, we must trust them and reuse them."

  Then Wang Zhenyu waved his hand to the crowd and said, "Work matters will be discussed here. My two little babies are probably waiting anxiously. Yaohuang, you can go back to work now. I'll take them for a stroll along the Yuanjiang River."

  As she spoke, she got up and took Shen Quan and Wang Jing'an's hands, one in each of hers, and headed towards the deck.