Major The Qing's Request

In just one year, he had risen from private to major. He was twenty-year-old Major Han Qingyu of the Azure Huaxia Front, as well as the legendary "that man" of Xilang Peak... Thus, Major The Qing, or Major The King. Though the foreign representatives present were few in number, neither their enthusiasm nor their voices were small. They tried cheering for him in Chinese, hoping he would understand, yet they still stubbornly called him "The Qing" or "The King." They simply could not manage a smooth, connected pronunciation of the three syllables in "Han Qingyu." In the end, what came out was this hybrid Chinese-Western moniker. Though rather awkward on the tongue, mingled among the applause and cheering in his honor, it sounded amusing. At the same time, when one gave it some thought, there were probably quite a few majors in the Huaxia Front whose names contained "Qing." Calling him this way seemed more distinctive and specific. Right there on the spot, led by the young women, people began mimicking the foreign representatives' pronunciation, chanting, "Major The Qing!" "Keep an eye on the box for me," Han Qingyu whispered to Wu Xu. Amidst the applause, he rose to his feet. Clad in his combat uniform with twin blades strapped to his back, he strode with steady steps through the crowd and onto the stage. Today, he would be the only non-flag officer to step onto the stage and have his epaulets replaced personally by Commander-in-Chief Chen Buer. There was a ninety-nine percent chance that he would become the next—and the Huaxia Front's second—Star of Azure. Calls within Azure for him to receive the honor were currently deafening, and not just from the Huaxia Front. "He was supposed to get an exceptional promotion to captain, and suddenly he's a major. How are us old-timers supposed to keep up with this?" Regimental Commander Li feigned dissatisfaction, muttering a complaint under his breath, but a look of sheer, smug delight curved the corners of his mouth. His eyes remained fixed on Han Qingyu's back until the youth walked steadily onto the stage and came to a stop. Li Wangqiang drew a deep breath and exhaled in relief. "Not bad. Steady enough, didn't pull any crazy stunts. If he embarrassed me on an occasion like this, I'd give him a thorough thrashing once we got back." His voice softened toward the end, his eyes gradually reddening. Without turning his head, he continued watching the stage and asked, "By the way, have you guys in the squad discussed an Eraser color in private? I had someone look into it. Factoring in the combat record from Xilang Peak, 1777 will very likely take first place among all Erasers in total points this year. As long as you take first again next year, or make the top three in both of the next two years, the color is yours." Realizing he might be getting ahead of himself, Li Wangqiang felt a little embarrassed after asking, yet he couldn't resist talking about it. He had waited far too long for this day. Earning a color in the Ninth Army was extraordinarily difficult. Placing in the top three for three consecutive years was challenging enough, but harder still, across those three years you had to surpass every existing color Eraser squad and take first place at least once. Or better yet, finish first two years in a row, which granted it outright. "We haven't really had a formal talk about it," Wen Jifei said with a laugh. "We joked a few times about calling ourselves the Blood Calabash Baby Squad, but Captain Lao wouldn't let us. He loses his temper every time we bring it up." "That's utter nonsense! You kids are fooling around too much—ridiculous!" Li Wangqiang also bristled slightly. "Then it'll probably be called Blood Eraser. I remember Captain Lao mentioned it once, saying it could count as carrying on the legacy of our 425's Red Eraser... And Qingzi said at the time that Instructor Zhang would probably like it." *Blood Eraser, then? It really does sound good when put that way. And it's rare for that kid to still keep old Zhang in mind...* Li Wangqiang murmured the name twice under his breath, then said, "It's quite good. Still, doesn't it sound a bit inauspicious?" "He Tangtang asked the same thing back then," Wen Jifei replied. "Captain Lao said that as Azure frontline soldiers, there's no need to deceive ourselves with silly superstitions. Besides, in 1777, spitting blood doesn't count as an injury." Regimental Commander Li pondered it. "Fair point." Up front, amidst the thunderous applause and the echoes of "Major The Qing" ringing across the hall, Chen Buer stepped forward once more, halting directly before Han Qingyu. The entire assembly quieted. "Up there are two Stars of Azure. And one of them is my buddy." Watching the scene on stage, Wen Jifei suddenly murmured under his breath. He was rarely one to get serious, but looking back now at his buddy Han Qingyu, and that train from back then... a wave of emotion inevitably washed over him. Two simplified, abstract bars shaped like tactical blades flanked a silver star in the center. An Azure private's epaulet star was black, a company officer's bronze, and a field officer's silver... Under the gaze of the entire hall, Chen Buer personally affixed the major's epaulets onto Han Qingyu's shoulders. Then, just as he had done earlier, he raised a hand to pat the youth's shoulder. "The era you must shoulder has arrived." The old man's voice carried a weighty entrustment. As he looked at Han Qingyu, his eyes first showed deep gratification, before his brow suddenly furrowed in an expression of quiet helplessness. In truth, that sentence held a subtle difference from what he had said before. But the audience below didn't catch it, and naturally, Han Qingyu didn't notice either. "Thank you, Commander-in-Chief." Nobody had taught him the proper protocol for such a moment, so Han Qingyu simply snapped to attention, saluted, then turned to salute the audience below. Another wave of applause and cheers gradually died down. Chen Buer had already returned to his seat. The presiding officer stepped up beside Han Qingyu, leaving him momentarily bewildered, unsure whether he should step down or wait. "Major Qing! Was that last Red Shoulder blown apart in midair by you just like that? The video they just played didn't finish explaining!" A rough-voiced man from some unknown army corps suddenly shouted from the audience. *A question-and-answer session? Surely not.* Han Qingyu turned his head, only to see the presiding officer looking at him with a warm nod of encouragement. Resigned, he answered earnestly, "No. Before that, it had already been gravely wounded by the super combatant Lieutenant General Akshay. I merely tore the wound open further, piercing through it. The Red Shoulder didn't die when it hit the ground; it managed to stand back up..." "It didn't die?! Then what happened?!" "It self-destructed afterward. Army Commander Liu Yiwu urged it to surrender and scolded it a bit, and then it suddenly self-destructed." Han Qingyu gave a simple yet earnest explanation. Down below, gasps rippled through the hall. "Huh?!" "Whoa!" Technically, Han Qingyu's account was entirely accurate and an honest statement of facts. However, the audience heard it with a completely different emphasis. Their takeaway, boiled down to its essence, was that Army Commander Liu Yiwu had scolded a Red Shoulder to death. Far away on the battlefield of Xilang Peak, General Liu Yiwu suddenly shivered. At this moment, Army Commander Liu had no idea that from this day forth, he would become a legend: the first human to cross the language barrier between two civilizations, and the first to badger a Great Spike to death without even fighting. With that question concluded, Han Qingyu took advantage of turning his head to shoot frantic glances at the presiding officer, signaling that he didn't want to continue and wished to step down. The presiding officer nodded, acknowledging the cue, yet continued with a warm smile, "Well then, Major The Qing, do you have anything you would like to say yourself?" He was likely hoping Han Qingyu would seize this opportunity to deliver a few inspiring, heroic words. Such an address would become a cherished clip, both for the hall and for future historical records. In that split second, *Oh no.* Below the stage, Wen Jifei and Rusty Sister exchanged a horrified glance. Even Wu Xu involuntarily adjusted his posture. He wasn't worried; if anything, he felt a flicker of anticipation. As for Regimental Commander Li, he was practically about to leap to his feet to stop him. Regrettably, he couldn't very well shout in such a setting, and though he tried signaling with frantic looks, Han Qingyu wasn't looking his way. On the stage, Han Qingyu considered it. *I'm allowed to do that? What a fortunate coincidence.* Then he wouldn't hold back. Adjusting his tone, Han Qingyu said, "Um, I heard medals are scheduled to be handed out tomorrow... I have a few coming. Could I take them all today in advance?" A few... all... in advance... *Major Qing, this is the All-Army Conference!* It was far too abrupt, far too blunt. The entire hall fell dead silent, struck with astonishment and utter confusion. The presiding officer froze as well, blurting out, "Why?" "Because I want to return to Xilang Peak," Han Qingyu answered calmly and earnestly. The hall plunged into complete silence. They understood. While everyone was captivated by his glory, he only wanted to return to the battlefield. The Flag War was not yet over, and his comrades were still there... At that moment, the presiding officer on stage and ninety-nine percent of the crowd below felt an overwhelming realization... followed by profound emotion. The scenes they had just witnessed played repeatedly in their minds. Some even felt ashamed for having misjudged him as tactless and blunt just moments before. Yet they were soldiers, and soldiers were not accustomed to giving voice to such emotions. They conveyed it through the profound silence and focused gazes that filled the hall. *Moved, my ass! You don't even know why he's asking, and you're already tearing up!* Wen Jifei muttered under his breath, lowering his head to keep from bursting into laughter. At moments like this, he couldn't help but admire Han Qingyu. That shameless bastard felt zero embarrassment or awkwardness; because his head was consumed entirely with thoughts of metal blocks, his demeanor came across as utterly natural and composed. Beside him, Rusty Sister gave a small nod and a quiet "Mm," ducking her head as she set her armor into silent mode. In the distance, Xin Yaoqiao let out a soft sigh. The sense of unfamiliarity that had briefly settled over her vanished; the Qingzi she knew had returned. *Won't this heroic image of his become the greatest misunderstanding in Azure history?* she wondered. If this dialogue and the earlier footage were one day shown to the world, how many people would be stirred to passionate reverence? By contrast, Regimental Commander Li looked completely lost. Even he now believed that was truly the reason, and he felt somewhat moved as well. "Can that be arranged?" Chen Buer suddenly spoke from behind. "At the earliest, late tonight," an officer beside him explained. "There are gold ones among them, and the Alliance won't have them delivered until tonight." "Then give them to him tonight. First thing tomorrow morning, let them fly over on my plane." With that, Commander-in-Chief Chen Buer settled the matter. Major The Qing would return to Xilang Peak tomorrow. With this, the morning agenda of the All-Army Conference came to an end, and word of the events spread rapidly outward... On this day, across nearly every member nation of the Alliance, people once again brought up that past feat, recalling how they had witnessed him at the Nepal trial grounds, twin blades in hand, carving a path of slaughter through the deadly canyon. On their journey, the young women of the propaganda troupe from Research Institute 2 of the Azure Huaxia Front heard the news and bustled with excited chatter. "Next time, we definitely have to visit 1777 and make him stand guard for us for real! So what if he's Major The Qing? Isn't he still going to miss our performance?" A young girl named Wan Xiujing, still studying at a medical system school, stood before a display case of posted newspapers and told her classmates, "My cousin said she'd bring him to school to see me this time! I told you, my cousin is full-armor Shen Yixiu, Second Lieutenant Shen... Next time! Next time I'll definitely have him come so you can look all you want... He's afraid of me, you know." Medical Station 101 hung a banner directly over its main gate: [Our Qingzi is a Major Now — Major The Qing] Doctors and nurses gazed at the photograph in the newspaper, pulling out flower petals pressed between book pages. The wounded soldiers from that time had mostly returned to their respective squads. Upon hearing the news, they spoke of Han Qingyu once again and recalled their interactions with him, all agreeing that he was a fine lad who had always been worthy of the Legion Saber Insignia on his chest. His elder sister figure, Ran Qiuling, was no different. She wept as she read the newspaper, her eyes red as she smiled and told her squadmates, "My little brother is doing better and better. Next time we meet, I'll have to give Major Qing's cheek another good pinch."