As Marshal stepped onto the stage, he was met with a warm round of applause from the audience below. It was applause from the heart, a recognition of the old man's thirty years of governance.
Standing on the platform, Marshal waved to everyone and began speaking, "I would like to thank Chairman Pandecayev and Director Anna for arranging this farewell gathering tonight. In fact, this is not the first time. One hundred and fourteen years ago, on a night like this, I graduated from Alpha Academy. I stood in this auditorium, right where I am standing now, as a student representative addressing everyone. Back then, I thought it would be my last time speaking in the academy. I never imagined I would return one day, and yet here I am, after thirty years. These have been the best thirty years of my life. Here, my greatest discovery was that the joy of nurturing students far exceeds the satisfaction of defeating enemies."
Applause erupted once more.
Marshal continued, "Alpha is an outstanding military academy, home to the brightest talents in the universe, and provides them with the most rigorous training. Let me share some data. Each year, over a hundred thousand qualified graduates from various military academies specialize in starship command, but there aren't a hundred thousand captain positions waiting for them in the military. This means that the vast majority of graduates can only start from the lower ranks after graduation. Some, if lucky, may become first officers in three or five years, while many will remain in that position for life, never getting the chance to command a starship. However, at Alpha, over half of the graduates from the starship command program immediately become first officers upon entering the military, with ten percent becoming captains right after graduation, and sixty percent becoming captains within five years. Less than five percent of graduates fail to become captains... That's Alpha Academy, the great Alpha Academy with its illustrious legacy."
Another round of enthusiastic applause followed.
Marshal gestured for silence before continuing, "The glorious history of this academy is the pride of every Alpha citizen. It is because of this glorious history that we come, and tomorrow, as we step out of this academy, we will be writing new history. That is our mission. As an elder here, I want to give you all some advice. Whatever achievements you may have in the future, I hope you remember that you are all graduates of Alpha Academy. If one day you feel lost or disheartened, if you succeed or suffer, no matter what emotions or experiences you encounter, just come back here. As you walk through the classrooms where you once studied, tread the playgrounds where you once sweated, recall the words of the teachers who once taught you, you may find some different feelings, perhaps even the answers you seek in life... That is the only expectation I, an old man, have for the students present here."
"That's all I have to say."
The old man's words were concise yet powerful, eliciting thunderous applause once again.
As Marshal stepped down, the new dean, Kautman, took the stage.
Standing there, he spoke with enthusiasm, "Just moments ago, a hero finished his farewell speech. I must say, it is a great loss for Alpha Academy. General Hamilton Marshal is an extraordinary hero, his life is full of brilliance, and the changes he has brought to Alpha Academy are evident to all. I am honored to succeed such a heroic figure and become the new dean of Alpha Academy. To be honest, this puts great pressure on me. But I do not fear this pressure, on the contrary, I feel delighted, because the pressure from my predecessors is the driving force for later generations to strive for excellence."
"Over the past thirty years, Alpha Academy has experienced a period of flourishing growth, but like a high-speed starship, when it enters warp speed, it inevitably leaves deep space tracks during flight and causes irreversible damage to the engines to some extent. Almost every organization that experiences rapid growth will have some problems. These problems may not be obvious at first, but they will gradually magnify over time. This requires someone with precise thinking to solve them bit by bit. And this is my approach to governance. In the days to come, I believe I will bring something different to everyone. More precision, more meticulousness, more humanity, to truly make the academy a home for every student."
The applause was equally fervent.
No matter how people perceive this new dean, at least basic courtesy is always necessary for the position.
Of course, there are those who don't like him.
Li Zonghan whispered, "The old man reminisces about history, the newcomer looks to the future. Behind the accolades lies the denial of the past."
Little One leaned in and asked, "I know you respect the old dean, but do you think you might be biased against this guy?"
"Try having bias, and you'll know," Li Zonghan replied.
He suddenly raised his hand.
Kautman saw it and gestured for him to speak, "Do you have a question?"
Li Zonghan asked loudly, "You just mentioned that during the rapid development of Alpha Academy, there are inevitably some problems, and you hope that the future Alpha Academy will be more precise, meticulous, and humane. I'd like to ask, do you have any specific plans?"
Kautman nodded, "Certainly. For example, I've heard that there is violence against students during classes at Alpha Academy, and there have even been cases of students being seriously injured. Some teachers have been complained about, like one named Dandy Bag. Complaints about him have piled up in a drawer in the academy."
Reno immediately interjected, "Dandy Bag is a good teacher!"
"Perhaps, but obviously not every student thinks so," Kautman replied with a smile. "Although Alpha Academy is a military academy, it also needs to be humane. We cannot allow violence to permeate the campus, and we must respect the opinions of the majority. So I have decided to dismiss Dandy Bag. In fact, this decision has received unanimous approval from the committee."
This statement shocked everyone, especially Marshal, who glared angrily at Chairman Pandecayev and Director Anna.
Both of these prominent figures of the academy wore expressions of embarrassment, clearly not expecting Kautman to announce this at this time, but at the same time realizing that it was probably intentional on Kautman's part.
Marshal's influence in the academy was too great, and since he was gone, there was no need for his influence to remain here.
The dismissal of Dandy Bag was a unanimous decision because his teaching methods had long caused backlash from many students, and if it weren't for Marshal's protection, he would have been expelled long ago.
It was reasons like these that made the committee dissatisfied with Marshal. Excessive violence in training led to the withdrawal of many students, and each dropout meant a significant loss in tuition fees.
Alpha Academy needed a good reputation, but it also needed enough students to sustain it, so bringing in a "politically savvy" person to manage the academy was born out of this necessity.
But now, the first thing this politically savvy Mr. Kautman did was to undermine Marshal's prestige. Although his words sounded beautiful, his actions almost stepped on Marshal, putting the academy committee completely against Marshal.
In fact, Marshal had already anticipated that after he left, Dandy Bag wouldn't last long.
He just didn't expect this day to come so soon.
However, things didn't end there.
"Furthermore, some actions of the students will also be restricted. I heard recently that some students from the Mecha Division participated in Shigwani's Mecha Tournament privately and unfortunately died during the event. This is truly regrettable. You are all outstanding students and should not die because of such competitions. The academy should fulfill its obligation to protect students. Before you graduate, you should not be allowed to take such risks. So, after I take office, I will also prohibit all students from participating in competitions like the Mecha Tournament."
There was another uproar in the crowd.
The students from the Navigation Division were somewhat okay, but those from the Mecha Division were excited.
You see, students from the Mecha Division of Alpha Academy are regulars in Mecha Tournaments. They train themselves by participating in various Mecha Tournaments, earning money, and improving their skills.
Although Mecha Tournaments do have a certain degree of danger, this danger is kept within certain limits. Most competitions have decent safety controls because no organizer wants deaths in their competitions.
Alpha Academy itself prohibits unlimited competitions, but now Kautman is going for a complete ban.
Reno was already beginning to feel that with this Mr. Kautman taking office, Alpha Academy was destined to be different.
Yet, this was not the end.
Kautman continued unabated.
He said, "There is much more we need to do. Alpha Academy has always adhered to a strict admission and expulsion policy. Under this policy, too many talented individuals aspiring to enter Alpha Academy have been denied the opportunity due to temporary setbacks. Those who manage to enter the academy may have inadvertently made some mistakes and are forced to leave. While the strict admission and expulsion policy has significantly increased the elite rate of the academy, it has not been beneficial for the long-term development of the institution. It should be noted that every graduate of the academy who becomes a general often forms close friendships with their alumni. The biggest problem of Alpha Academy lies in having too few alumni, which has prevented the formation of a strong force within the military. Look at these individuals—Generals Hannibal, Brisbane, Haggis—they are all top-notch commanders in the military, yet the most outstanding among them can only become local officials and cannot become influential figures in commanding the entire military. This has prevented Alpha Academy from forming a powerful faction within the military. The best solution to this problem is to expand the size of the academy. Therefore, in the next year's enrollment, I will relax the standards, triple the enrollment, and lower the graduation requirements to increase the graduation rate."
"Triple the enrollment and increase the graduation rate?" There was an immediate uproar in the crowd.
Kautman still wore a smug smile on his face. "Yes."
Someone raised their hand and said, "But the current size of the academy is not enough to accommodate so many students."
"No need to worry," Kautman replied. "If there's not enough size, we'll expand the size. Some large corporations are interested in investing here, which will allow the academy to expand."
"Investment? What's there to invest in a military academy?" People were surprised.
"We will engage in a series of collaborations with these corporations. For example, we will use the mechs and simulation pods they develop for training, open up some special enrollment slots, and so on," Kautman answered.
Marshal couldn't hold back any longer. "The Blaze II may not be the best mech at the moment, but it's definitely the most comprehensive, with high comprehensive performance and comprehensive functions, best suited for student training. The mechs designated by those corporations may have more prominent features, but they don't help students understand the characteristics of mechs comprehensively. The same goes for starship simulation pods. They are students, not your cash cows. And what's this about opening up special slots? Does that mean anyone with money can enter Alpha Academy? I know there are some corporations that use capital to impress military academies, using this method to give their children a layer of gold and smoothly enter the high ranks of the military. Is Alpha Academy planning to do the same?"
Kautman replied politely, "Regarding your question, General Marshal, perhaps I should provide you with some data. Under your leadership, Alpha Academy has indeed produced countless elites over the past thirty years, but the revenue of the academy has plummeted to the lowest point in history."
At that moment, everyone finally understood why Marshal had retired.
Obviously, the Academy Committee had been unable to tolerate this pursuit of fame without profit.
At that moment, Marshal looked deeply at Kautman and said, "Perhaps you're right, Mr. Kautman. I admit that during my tenure as dean, I haven't brought any profits to the academy, but I hope everyone here can think about the Lumberton Star Battle, think about that most disastrous battle in human history. The reason we lost so miserably in that battle, in addition to not understanding the strength of the Divine Tribe, was also because there were too many generals in the military at that time, precisely entering the top levels of the military in this way. They came from illustrious backgrounds, but were incompetent. They relied on their backgrounds and wealth, used cheating methods such as memory inputs to obtain degrees, focused on power struggles, occupied high positions, blocked the paths of outstanding juniors, and ultimately caused millions of excellent soldiers to die tragically on the battlefield due to their incompetence. And the reason we were able to withstand the Divine Tribe is also because that war eliminated too many vermin! And now, do you want to turn Alpha Academy back into a breeding ground for vermin?"
Kautman's expression remained unchanged. "Perhaps you're right, General Marshal, but idealists are destined to accomplish nothing... The academy needs profits."
"But soldiers need victory!" Marshal retorted. "Every pursuit of profit on your part is irresponsible for the lives of soldiers on the battlefield!"
"Sorry, that's not something I need to consider. I'm not responsible for war, I'm only responsible for the academy. And I believe that even if Alpha Academy changes, it won't affect the entire federation. Besides, there's no need to depict the changed academy in such a dismal light. Students who come here will still learn everything they need to. We will teach them how to become outstanding soldiers. As for their future, it should come from their own efforts. Even under your leadership, Alpha Academy has produced criminals, hasn't it? Conversely, no matter how much you oppose it, I believe the future Alpha Academy will still produce outstanding soldiers."
"Just because of you? A politician?" Marshal shook his head and smiled bitterly.
He was completely hopeless.
He knew Kautman was right. Whatever Alpha became in the future, it wouldn't have a significant impact on the entire federation, but it would be of great significance to Alpha itself.
People wouldn't sacrifice their own interests for the federation, perhaps that's why humans always rise and fall.
After hearing Kautman's words, Marshal suddenly seemed to age ten years.
Seeing his appearance, Kautman's expression finally softened.
Like a victor, he concluded, "Don't underestimate politicians, General Marshal. Politics is an art that requires a lot of knowledge, including compromise. General Marshal, I admit you're very talented, but your biggest problem is that you don't understand compromise."
"Perhaps," Marshal replied, "because I'm a soldier, and soldiers... never compromise!"
He turned and left the banquet hall.