Free Web NovelChapter 573: Chapter 394: Fox Race Great Demon, Commander Candidate! (Double-Length)_2
"What you said is very true..." The other officials also agreed on this matter.
"So, who do you propose to take over the Nineteenth Army?" Hu Tomb asked solemnly, without dismissing the matter.
Reestablishing the Nineteenth Army is indeed the most urgent task at hand, but electing a new Grand Marshal is not a trivial matter.
The position of Commander of the First Army is high and powerful, and it certainly requires thorough deliberation and careful consideration. It cannot be decided blindly.
"I recommend the Little Flag Master of the Seventh Army, Hu Guanyang." A high-ranking official immediately stood up and said loudly.
Upon hearing this, Hu Tomb directly shook his head.
"Guanyang, though talented, is still young and lacks the necessary strength. He needs more practice; appointing him as Grand Marshal too early would only harm him."
With one sentence, he dismissed his younger family member without even the hint of consideration.
This decisive action stunned the recommending official, who could only swallow back the reasons he was about to present.
Based on his understanding of Hu Tomb, words spoken in such a tone generally left no possibility of reconsideration.
The remaining officials exchanged glances, clearly receiving an important signal.
That signal was that Hu Tomb’s Hu Family had no intention of competing for the position.
To a certain extent, Hu Tomb could represent the will of the entire Hu Family.
After confirming this point, the officials could make recommendations more boldly.
"I recommend the Little Flag Master of the First Army, Tang Le Mountain."
"I recommend the Little Flag Master of the Third Army, Yu Rui."
"I recommend the Little Flag Master of the Fifth Army, Xu Yuan."
"..."
The recommendations continued without pause, as each senior official had his drafts ready and no further thought was needed.
Cui Bai Dao itself has recruited many quality talents into the Military Department.
Many rising stars are just waiting for an opportunity to prove their strength.
Now that the opportunity has arisen, fierce competition is inevitable.
At this moment, a hesitation arose among one official, yet he stood up and spoke.
"Marshal, the Zhao Family hopes that Marshal Zhao’s younger brother can succeed as Grand Marshal..."
The lively sound of recommendations instantly quieted.
The former Commander of the Nineteenth Army, who sacrificed his life in battle, was from the Zhao Family.
The Zhao Family sacrificed an important clan member and understandably doesn’t wish to relinquish the position of Commander of the First Army.
However, such rhetoric is somewhat difficult to accept, seemingly trying to use family influence to manipulate the Military Department.
Moreover, there is no such thing as succession in the military for the position of Grand Marshal, and the Nineteenth Army isn’t the private army of the Zhao Family.
"The Zhao Family is in a hurry..." The other officials shared this thought, looking at the Grand Marshal seated at the head.
Sure enough, Hu Tomb’s face darkened, and he glanced coldly at the official with a hint of displeasure, saying:
"Is this Grand Marshal under the Military Department, or is he Zhao Family’s vassal?"
"This..." The official’s back began to sweat.
He could roughly guess this statement might aggravate the Grand Marshal and invite public reprimand, but Zhao Family’s offer was too enticing, leaving him no choice but to support it.
He originally thought there might be room for negotiation, but Hu Tomb’s comment was heavy, showing no regard for Zhao Family’s opinion.
Hu Tomb stared at the official for several seconds, making him uneasy, and then lightly asked, "Who is his younger brother?"
"Reporting to Marshal, Second Army’s Little Flag Master, Zhao Jingzhuo," the official immediately replied.
"Seven years ago, he had already unlocked the second Celestial Martial Vein, and the Innate Perfection Realm isn’t far off; in terms of achievements..."
Even without considering Zhao Family’s poorly thought-out tactics, this person indeed qualifies to be a Grand Marshal.
His strength, experience, and achievements are impressive; he’s far from being a mere empty talker.
Of course, the key is how Hu Tomb, the Grand Marshal governing the Military Department, perceives him.
Hu Tomb lightly tapped his fingers on the table, seemingly unconcerned, calmly saying, "Considering Zhao Jingtian’s sacrifice in battle, I can give him a chance. As long as he is more outstanding than the other recommendations, the position of Grand Marshal of the Nineteenth Army can be his."
The moment this was said, the other officials immediately understood.
"The Marshal seeks to gather everyone for a comparative selection?" One official pointed out.
"Indeed." Hu Tomb nodded.
"But this is unprecedented..." Another official expressed some concern.
In prior selections for the position of Grand Marshal, many aspects were considered.
Experience, achievements, family background, prestige, potential, character, ability to command troops, and so on.
Personal strength is just one part of the consideration, and it’s not the most crucial.
Every chosen Grand Marshal has always been the result of extended deliberation, picking the best among the best.
By comparison, Hu Tomb’s proposed approach is simple and direct, yet somewhat careless.
The position of Grand Marshal is unlike other military positions; it represents the Military Department.
The majesty, the face, and the strength of the Military Department!
Thus, other officials were not fully supportive of this approach.
"With the Demon Race as a formidable enemy and in extraordinary times, we should prioritize strength. As long as the strength is sufficient to slay demons, other standards like experience and achievements can be less rigorous!"
Hu Tomb said with a wave, having his own considerations.
If it were like a time of peace, slowly and methodically electing a Grand Marshal would take at least three to five years to finalize the ascent.
Plus, the standards from that peaceful era were rife with numerous influences and constant maneuvering from noble family powers.
The so-called results derived from that, from the Military Department’s perspective, are not necessarily better than his simple, direct approach.
Seeing Hu Tomb’s firm decision, the other officials understood it would be hard to alter, so they piped down with no objections.
"Any more recommendations, report them all. Let’s firstly outline a preliminary list of qualified candidates." Hu Tomb proceeded with the process.
Although he emphasized strength and demon-slaying ability, he didn’t entirely ignore other considerations.
Looking at the candidate list, it is still the result of selecting the best among the best in the military.
Apart from the five-yearly military parades, the Military Department employs many officials, always assessing the officers of the Military Department.
They are Hu Tomb’s watchful eyes stationed in the Military Department.
Suddenly, an official pondered for a moment and mentioned another individual.
"41st Army’s Yang Zhen shows considerable talent across the board, excelling in both military governance and troop command, and in terms of strength, he has mastered two Celestial Martial Veins, ranking among the top Little Flag Masters.
His battle achievements, experience, and character all qualify him. I believe he deserves a spot on the candidate list.
The only shortcoming is his humble background, which limits his family heritage and military prestige as he hasn’t accomplished anything groundbreaking to capture significant attention."
The official finished, looking at the Grand Marshal at the head.
In fact, without a strong family background, in previous times, this would mostly have excluded this person.
But now, since the Marshal emphasized strength first, he felt it was also reasonable to give this person a chance.
"Hmm, alright." Hu Tomb nodded.
The recording official beside, seeing the Marshal’s agreement, promptly added Yang Zhen’s name.
Hu Tomb suddenly thought of something and turned to the officer who previously recommended Yang Zhen.
"41st Army’s Song Changming, how about him?"
"Song Changming?"
The other officials focused attentively, noting that it was Hu Tomb’s first active inquiry in this selection process.
The group immediately began recalling information about this figure.
The official who recommended Yang Zhen showed a bit of admiration and said, "He was also my next intended recommendation. This individual’s strengths and weaknesses are quite clear.
He, too, is of humble origin, with no family background, shallow in experience, and his command and troop management talents aren’t particularly noteworthy, his character is merely acceptable, not outstanding..."
The official initially outlined what he considered Song Changming’s shortcomings, leaving some who were unfamiliar with Song Changming perplexed.
With so many weaknesses and insufficiencies, does this person really warrant recommendation?
Hu Tomb did not interrupt the description, only continued listening.
"But, I believe this individual’s personal bravery ranks among the top three, maybe even first, among all Little Flag Masters!
He is very strong, with major achievements in slaying top Demon Generals, and not just once!
Moreover, some might have forgotten that it was him who slew the Zhao Family Ancestor earlier when he faced persecution from Zhao Family Ancestor!"
Upon hearing this, the officials suddenly realized the reason for recommending Song Changming.
Nothing else; just because he’s strong!
Absolute combat strength should include such talent on a list that prioritizes martial prowess.
Song Changming’s past achievements show that he has already reached the immediate combat power of a Commander, and might even be stronger than some of the Cuiqi Army Commanders!
...
