Emerging from the Privy Council, it was already early evening. Despite his immense exhaustion, Zhu Shijian still had to muster his energy.
"Principal."
When the secretary summoned the insulated food container, Zhu Shijian waved his hand to indicate his lack of appetite, conveying to the secretary that there was no need to trouble themselves with dinner.
Despite being the esteemed Principal of the countless officers of the Imperial Navy, Zhu Shijian was not of an advanced age, only turning sixty the following year.
Over twenty years ago, Zhu Shijian was the most talented in the Imperial Navy and the youngest of his cohort of officers, with boundless prospects ahead of him.
However, he was also a man of great passion and sincerity.
At that time, the only person qualified to compete with him for the seat of Navy Commander-in-chief was Zhou Kuande, who was three years his senior.
The two were classmates and shared a close bond akin to brothers.
Contrary to rumors, Zhou Kuande did not betray their friendship for power and influence by marrying into the Liu Family; instead, he was taking the fall for Zhu Shijian.
Because of this, Zhu Shijian stepped forward, unhesitatingly shouldering the responsibility.
The previous night, Zhou Kuande had not retired to his hometown but sought to serve his country through death.
Although the gun was not aimed precisely and the bullet went astray, the guards rushed to the scene upon hearing the shot and immediately transported Zhou Kuande to the Navy General Hospital for surgery. Still, to this moment, he hadn't passed the critical postoperative stage and could succumb at any time.
The bullet had penetrated the skull, leading to severe intracranial bleeding, meaning that even if his life were saved, he would suffer grave, lasting consequences.
The Imperial Authority did not disclose the truth, using retirement as a cover, merely to prevent exacerbating the situation and affecting the morale of the troops.
After Zhou Kuande fell, only Zhu Shijian was capable of bearing the weight and moving forward.
Thinking of the letter of recommendation he received from the Grand Secretary, written personally by Zhou Kuande, Zhu Shijian felt a ridiculous mix of humor and despair.
More than twenty years ago, it was a letter of recommendation from Zhu Shijian that set Zhou Kuande on the direct path to becoming the Navy Commander-in-chief.
Now, it was another letter of recommendation, with Zhou Kuande returning the favor.
Truly, what goes around comes around, without fail!
"Principal, the food is still hot, please eat at least a little. The meeting tonight may last until midnight, and if your wife finds out..."
"Has everyone been notified?"
The secretary nodded, looking rather helpless.
"Alright, I'll eat while it's hot."
Hearing Zhu Shijian say this, the secretary dared not dally any longer, immediately picking up the insulated container and taking out the meals prepared from home that morning.
Critically, these meals were personally cooked by the Principal's wife.
In this world, there was only one person, the one who, more than twenty years ago, made Zhu Shijian give up a promising career and willingly stay on as a teacher, to whom he was utterly devoted.
In fact, it was no secret that Zhu Shijian was henpecked.
Whenever faced with a difficult issue, Zhu Shijian would often tactfully decline by citing his wife's disagreement, and over time, this became widely known.
But this could also be seen as shrewd.
After Zhu Shijian finished his meal, the car returned to the Navy headquarter.
The courtyard was filled with vehicles, all sporting military license plates, primarily sedans, along with some rudimentary military vehicles.
Out of courtesy, the attendees arrived half an hour earlier than the notified time.
All were influential figures in the Navy, primarily composed of senior officers.
Strictly speaking, there were but two Senior Generals present. One was He Yongxing, who had recently been promoted to Admiral and appointed Commander of the Domestic Fleet. The other was Liu Changhe, He Yongxing's chief rival and the current Admiral and Commander of the Southern Fleet.
The other participants all revolved around the two of them.
In terms of personal capability, He Yongxing was indeed superior to Liu Changhe.
However, Liu Changhe was not someone to be taken lightly.
First of all, he was Zhou Kuande's brother-in-law.
Second, among his generation in the Liu Family, he held the highest position and was the most qualified candidate to replace Zhou Kuande as the Grand Secretary in charge of the military affairs.
From this perspective, it was only proper that he should succeed Zhou Kuande as the Navy Commander.
Lastly, in the past two years, the Southern Fleet under his command had been steadily achieving victories without any major mistakes and had even gained several military achievements.
Even if it were just for the sake of rewarding merits, he should be promoted three ranks.
Of course, the crucial factor still lay in his relationship with Zhu Shijian.
He Yongxing was Zhu Shijian's student, and even as the Tiger of the He Family, he must respect his teacher and could not recklessly oppose him without just cause.
Liu Changhe was different.
He was a peer of Zhu Shijian, only almost a decade younger.
Moreover, Liu Changhe had returned to the Imperial Capital at the beginning of the month and had been actively lobbying ever since. Although no one could predict that Zhou Kuande would resign from his position as Navy Commander by shooting himself, the Empire had suffered a disastrous defeat, and there undeniably needed to be someone to take the blame, someone who could convince both the military and the civilians. So, it would be reasonable if necessary to ask the Commanders of both the Army and the Navy to offer apologies.
So, it was evident that Liu Changhe perhaps had already considered himself to be the next Commander-in-chief.
Little did he expect to be preempted by someone else.
The feeling was akin to being informed that you're not the groom only after entering the bridal chamber.
Speaking of which, Liu Changhe must have utterly despised Zhu Shijian.
How could he know that it was his brother-in-law who had recommended Zhu Shijian, not Zhu Shijian actively volunteering for the role?
More than two decades earlier, amidst the overt and covert struggles between the two great families, Zhu Shijian chose to retire bravely and preserve his integrity.
If Zhu Shijian had been the kind of person who sought personal gain by fawning over others, he would have married into the Liu Family more than two decades ago and rightfully become Liu Changhe's brother-in-law.
Now that the house was about to collapse, would he be foolish enough to stand beneath the crumbling walls?
It wasn't only Zhu Shijian who understood this, even Bai Zhizhan, an officer at the basic level, knew that the person to replace Zhou Kuande as Navy Commander could very likely become the scapegoat.
If Liu Changhe had to hate, it should be his brother-in-law whom he should hate.
Inside the meeting room, the officers from the two clearly demarcated camps sat on either side. Even someone with face blindness could distinguish them by their appearances.
Overall, the officers from the Southern Fleet tended to be a bit bulkier, while those from the Domestic Fleet appeared more fit and nimble.
There was nothing surprising about it.
In the past two years, ever since the Newland Federation and the Saiyi Imperial Kingdom had entered the war, the Domestic Fleet had borne the entire burden, while the Southern Fleet had been virtually on extended leave.
Of course, one couldn't blame the officers and soldiers of the Southern Fleet.
Due to extremely tight resources, particularly after the Ter Empire's defeat and the loss of its main oil fields, the activity of the Navy had significantly decreased, and many battleships could only stay docked at the port. The Southern Fleet had only a few raid vessels occasionally venturing out to sea. Conversely, in the battle zones under the Southern Fleet's jurisdiction, essentials such as food were not as scarce, allowing for an open supply policy.
When Zhu Shijian arrived, the secretary at the headquarters was busy preparing tea.
The seats were prearranged, with name tags placed on the positions in the front rows, and many seats remained empty in the back, enough to accommodate all participants.
Only after Zhu Shijian sat down, did the secretaries from the headquarters start to leave one after another.
Among the secretaries, many were also officers or civilians who had received training, and strictly speaking, they could also be considered students of Zhu Shijian.
The last secretary took the room's door with him as he left.
Once the door closed, all the officers who were speaking shut their mouths, and the noisy meeting room instantly fell silent.