The representatives all thought it over and asked Zhou Lirong and Luo Zhiqun some hypothetical questions such as the problems in the development of the Lingtian Independent Army. They were asked questions about how they would resolve these problems.
Finally, when the conference was about to end, one of the representatives finally asked Qi Long a question.
“Major General Qi has mentioned that you would be developing the Lingtian Independent Army into a mecha army. However, this is considered to be something that has no precedents. So, Major General Qi, how can you guarantee its success?”
Qi Long thought for a moment and said, “It"s just as you have said. This is unprecedented with no previous doc.u.mentation. I can"t guarantee what the final outcome will be so I cannot make any promises, but I will try my best to complete it. The world didn"t have roads in the beginning, and only had roads after humans created them. However, if there wasn"t someone who took that risk to build them, then roads would never be so common. This plan may be very risky, difficult and could have pitfalls without a way back. Among the candidates, I have the least amount of merits and the least amount of experience. The advantage I have is that I"m young and I am not afraid to fail. No matter what the outcome will be, I want to walk forward on this path. I hope everyone can give me this chance and let a mecha army exist in the Federation"s military.”
Qi Long"s expression was serious, but spoke those words very sincerely. However, his honest face also leaked out terrifying killing intent. The honest-looking and hardworking expression he had was embedded into everyone"s mind. Just by looking at his face, everyone was willing to trust him and give him a chance to achieve his dream.
After Qi Yaoyang saw all that, he turned his head down as he tried to get rid of the surprise and joy he had in his eyes. Although Qi Long"s choice of words were not the most optimal for a speech, those words were real and from the heart. When combined with his expression, it was quite easy for him to affect the people among the representatives who were neutral.
After that question, the question and answer round had finished. The host of the conference announced that after 10 minutes, they would enter the final voting stage to finally determine the final candidate for the commander of Lingtian Independent Army.
Qi Long slowly walked back to his seat. Yang Mingzhi, Liu Furong and his other comrades all stood up to welcome him back. They didn"t say anything and only b.u.mped their fists against his fist to show that they supported Qi Long all the way.
After sitting down, Qi Long saw Lan Luofeng, who was sitting in front him, slowly nodded at him. Her expression was warm and her eyes had a hint of encouragement. Just that look almost made someone as strong-willed as Qi Long burst into tears. Boss"s mother also acknowledged him. This acknowledgment was much more treasured by Qi Long than those from others.
After 10 minutes, the host announced that the final voting would begin.
No matter if it was Zhou Lirong, Luo Zhiqun or Qi Long, they all had serious expressions on their faces.
Waiting for the result was the most anxious thing that could happen to someone. Qi Long took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he turned extremely calm. Just as Boss had said, if he did everything he could do well, then he shouldn"t be afraid of anything.
The change in presence from Qi Long made the many people, who were focused their attention on him, smirk slightly. No matter what the final outcome was going to be, Qi Long had made an impression on these people so they would remember him in the future. This was definitely good for Qi Long"s future development.
In order for a person to get what they wanted in the military world, their own capabilities were the most important. However, it was similarly important if that person could make an impression on these people. In the most important moment, someone with a good impression would instantly let the scales tilt towards them when they were at a disadvantage.
Soon, the final result was counted and then sent to the host of the conference.
The host saw the final name and raised his eyebrows in surprise. He looked at Qi Long and then smiled as he announced, “The position of commander for the Lingtian Independent Army will be given to Major General Qi Long.”
After this result was publicized, everyone from Lingtian cheered. Didn"t they work so hard for so long just for this result?
Qi Long"s eyes teared up as he clenched his fists. “Boss, are you seeing this? I did it. I will hold onto Lingtian and wait for you to come back one day.”
In Qi Long"s mind, Boss definitely would one day be a marshal. He would then be the sharpest blade in Ling Lan"s hands and go wherever she pointed him towards.
This result was somewhat surprising but not really. The people who voted all had a slight moment of surprise on their faces and then understood the reason.
Those who entered the military headquarters were although part of many factions, they were still fully loyal to the Federation. Integrated divisions were commonplace. This new type of mecha armies Qi Long mentioned did indeed make them curious. They also wanted the Federation"s military to be stronger. As long as there was even a slim chance, they would want to try it. That was why when Qi Long mentioned a possibility of becoming stronger, they had already been won over by him. In addition to the full support of the third faction, the neutral factions and those, who were somewhat neutral from the other two factions, were all willing to give Qi Long this opportunity. That was why Qi Long was the top voted candidate.
However, this was only just an appetizer of sorts. Everyone knew that the real brutal compet.i.tion was about to begin. A new independent army, even if it had a future, was still only in the future. On the other hand, the voting for the commander of the 23rd Division was the one that had its benefits shown in the present.
When the host of the conference began speaking about selecting the next general of the 23rd Division, the First Marshal, who had his eyes closed all this time, slowly opened his eyes.
After he opened his eyes, the Second and Third Marshals instantly had serious looks on their faces. The atmosphere of the conference room instantly became anxious.
This was the First Marshal. Just any action from him could affect the mood of everyone in the vicinity.
“There are also three candidates for the position of general in the 23rd Division.”
“The first candidate is the 2nd Division"s deputy general, Lieutenant General Qiao Zhenyu. The second candidate is the 3rd Division"s deputy general, Lieutenant General Yang Tie. The third candidate is Lingtian Independent Army"s commander, Lieutenant General Ling Lan.”
“Hoo~” After hearing Ling Lan"s name as the third candidate, the entire conference room was in uproar.
Ling Lan"s disappearance was the reason the military headquarters had to choose a new commander for the Lingtian Independent Army. If someone who disappeared could compete for the position of a general, then it would have been better to let him continue to have his original position. At least that way, his subordinates would still be loyal and trust him.
“With Lieutenant General Ling Lan having not returned, if he is to be chosen, Major General Lan Luofeng, General Ling Xiao"s widow, will be acting on behalf of the general,” the host calmly added. When he received the list of candidates, he was just as surprised as those seated below. After seeing the statement afterwards, he felt it made sense.
As expected, after adding that statement, the uproar within the audience instantly lowered. However, at the same time, there were many discussions that began.