Chapter 1061
Enjoying the treatment of a full colonel, promoted to the rank of senior colonel
Putting aside the issue of the length of time, let's just say that he has the rank of colonel.
In a place like the military, where the hierarchy is very clear, it was quite abrupt for a colonel to sit in the front row with Liu Huaming and other leaders, especially in such a public setting.
It's not a big deal if we eat or do things privately.
In fact, Su Dingping had wanted to tell Liu Huaming about this matter a long time ago.
"What's wrong with this? If anyone objects, let them come to me."
Liu Huaming gently patted Su Dingping on the shoulder, then looked at Xu Dongguo and asked, "Is everything ready for the conference?"
"Reporting to the commander, yes, everything is ready."
Xu Dongguo reported to his supervisor with a serious expression, "It will start promptly at six o'clock tonight. I just checked the procedures, and there are no problems."
"Well."
Liu Huaming's face showed a satisfied expression, and he nodded slightly.
Time flies like an arrow, and many of the main figures in this commendation and award ceremony are heading to the naval headquarters military base in the capital.
Zhou Qinglei, Cao Youren, Song Haidong, and other front-line commanders who had participated in the war, including nearly thirty captains and quite a few deputy captains.
At 5:10 p.m., more than 100 people were seated in the auditorium of the Naval Headquarters military base.
Their ranks all started with two bars and one star, and there wasn't a single junior officer with one bar and one star.
After all, the auditorium is far from that big, and it simply cannot accommodate too many people.
Those who have made meritorious contributions will be commended, but only individually, with their respective superiors awarding them medals.
When Su Dingping was exceptionally awarded the rank of major, it was Zhang Zhaoxin who conferred the rank, and the process was very low-key, a classic case of being forced into it.
Naturally, this time will be the same; it will be handled by the various detachments or bases under the Navy!
As for the commendation ceremony held at the Imperial Capital Naval Headquarters military base, it was a higher-level commendation ceremony, and the person in charge was once the highest-ranking official within the navy.
At the very front of the auditorium hung an extremely eye-catching banner.
It reads: Naval Commendation Ceremony.
Those six simple words were incredibly solemn and serious, reflecting the seriousness of the military.
Time quickly passed to six o'clock in the afternoon, and the auditorium was already full of people, with a solemn and respectful atmosphere.
Xu Dongguo and the others were about to go to the door to greet Su Dingping when Liu Huaming stopped them.
"Everyone, please don't rush. We just received a notification that another important person is coming."
Big man?
The crowd exchanged glances, and finally all their eyes fell on Liu Huaming.
Liu Huaming smiled without saying a word, but pointed towards the door.
Everyone's eyes immediately turned towards the main entrance, where an elderly man in military uniform was walking steadily toward the auditorium with a warm smile on his face.
"Commander Xue?"
Xu Dongguo blurted out instinctively, "What brings you here?"
That's right, the person who came was none other than Commander Xue, the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Armies. He remembered very clearly that Commander Xue was not on the invitation list, and they had not received any relevant notification.
All of this did not stop them from going to greet them together, and everyone's face was filled with surprise.
"Your navy has made a great contribution this time, and as the Commander-in-Chief of the three services, I naturally have to attend the commendation ceremony."
Xue Shuai glanced at Xu Dongguo and said jokingly, "What, isn't there a place for me?"
"No, no."
Xu Dongguo was slightly taken aback, then smiled and replied, "It's an honor for our navy that Marshal Xue can come. How could there be no place for you?"
He could tell that Xue Shuai was genuinely happy. Xue Shuai was usually very serious, but today he was actually joking.
"I was just kidding, don't be so nervous, I'm not a man-eating tiger."
Xue Shuai raised his hand to check the time. "How is it? Is everything ready? Has Dingping arrived yet?"
Liu Huaming straightened his chest and said, "Everything is ready. We are about to go and welcome Dingping."
"Okay, let's go pick it up together."
Xue Shuai said with a smile, "I haven't seen him for a long time either. It's time for his rank to be changed."
So the group immediately went to the entrance of the auditorium to welcome Su Dingping.
Everyone understood that Xue Shuai's main purpose in coming this time was to see Su Dingping.
Not long after, Su Dingping appeared in everyone's sight, accompanied by Wan Long.
Seeing so many people standing at the gate, Su Dingping was startled and felt truly flattered.
"Commander Xue, Chief, who are you waiting for? If you're waiting for me, it will scare me."
Seeing Su Dingping patting his chest, Xue Shuai's smile deepened.
"Did you see that? Dingping is still as lively as ever."
Xue Shuai responded with a smile, "However, you don't take good care of yourself at all; you've already got dark circles under your eyes."
"Commander Xue, let's go inside first."
Su Dingping smiled and then made an inviting gesture.
He knew that Xue Shuai said this because he cared about him, but with so many people waiting for him at the door, he felt really embarrassed.
"Alright, let's go in."
Xue Shuai stopped staring at Su Dingping and turned to lead everyone into the auditorium.
On the platform, Xue Shuai naturally sat in the center, with Qian Wenbing to his left, Xiao Chongjun to his right, and Liu Huaming to his right.
Below Liu Huaming is Xu Dongguo, and below that is Su Dingping.
It can be said that, apart from Su Dingping, who was a colonel, the rest of them were generals, their gold stars shining brightly.
Behind them, the bright red flags stood out prominently. Below the auditorium, in the first row, sat naval senior colonels, including Zhou Qinglei, Cao Youren, and others.
They were all frontline commanders in this operation, either participating in the battle in the East Asian waters or leading the expeditionary fleet to the European waters.
It can be said that they were highly decorated in battle!
Following them sat colonels, lieutenant colonels, and then majors and other ranks.
It's fair to say that almost everyone who comes to this auditorium is a recipient of recognition; their performance is outstanding and remarkable!
Among these people were representatives from the naval integrated naval factory. They participated in the commendation ceremony as representatives of the factory. The military industry sector also had outstanding individuals recognized in this commendation ceremony.
As for Xie Zhenyu of the Air Force, he only works at the Navy's integrated military factory. He was already pulled back to the Air Force by Ma Zhengbang for separate commendation, otherwise he would have been brought here by Liu Huaming.
After all, Xie Zhenyu made a significant contribution this time.
Without his risking his life to conduct reconnaissance behind enemy lines, it would have been impossible to obtain the relevant intelligence in such a timely manner!
"With Dingping sitting on top, I am completely convinced."
Looking at Su Dingping sitting there, Zhou Qinglei and the others were filled with emotion, and naturally had no objections.
They all knew very well that Su Dingping deserved to be in that position!
These young people gave them the confidence to challenge the enemy and made them, the naval personnel, stand taller, which is why the navy has achieved its current success and accomplishments!
They were also very moved. At the last naval commendation ceremony, Su Dingping was only a colonel, but now he has been promoted to senior colonel. It has only been a short time, less than three years.
If Su Dingping were given more time, he would likely surpass them easily and become a proper leader.
Of course, this doesn't mean Zhou Qinglei and the others are envious, but rather that they are genuinely happy for Su Dingping.
If Su Dingping hadn't appeared in the navy, the weapons and equipment they used would probably still be very outdated, and they would still be struggling to make ends meet. How could they possibly have the ability to challenge the enemy?
Naturally, we wouldn't be able to win major battles, nor would we be able to continuously make contributions and grow as we do now!
With new naval warships being commissioned at an unprecedented rate, frontline commanders like these are gaining more confidence and courage, daring to confront powerful nations like the Eagle Tribe head-on!
On Earth, they have become a formidable maritime force, one that even established Western imperialist nations would have to give them a wide berth.
Sitting on the platform, Su Dingping also saw Zhou Qinglei and the others, and felt a sense of emotion.
He used to sit in the audience, but now he sits on the podium as a leader, and it only took three years.
In these three years, Su Dingping's status and position have undergone tremendous changes, and at the same time, the navy has also undergone earth-shattering changes. It can be said that these changes occurred simultaneously with Su Dingping's!
This change is from the inside out, not only in terms of equipment, but also in terms of morale, which has been greatly improved. Even when talking about the Eagle Tribe Navy, their eyes are filled with confidence and integrity!
In the past, when talking about the neighboring countries, they would refer to them as jackals and call them great powers. But now they have all been trampled underfoot. They even annihilated the naval coalition of several countries and have not yet recovered their strength!
"Everyone stand up!"
Suddenly, Xu Dongguo shouted.
With a whoosh, everyone present stood up in unison, their eyes fixed on the podium.
"I hereby declare the Naval Commendation Ceremony officially open!"
As the host of this conference, Xu Dongguo announced loudly, "The first item on the agenda is the playing of the national anthem!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the stirring national anthem resounded in the auditorium.
After the song ended, a command to "sit down" was given, and everyone present sat down.
"The second item on the agenda is to commend those who have made contributions. Now, please welcome Commander Liu Huaming."
Xu Dongguo then handed the scene over to Liu Huaming.
Liu Huaming stood up from his seat, walked slowly to the microphone, glanced at the crowd, and then took over the proceedings: "Everyone, stand up!"
With a whoosh, Zhou Qinglei and the others immediately stood up, and the atmosphere in the entire auditorium changed abruptly.
Liu Huaming then said, "By decision of the Naval Military Commission, Ma Chao, Li Kangda, Zhao Xuecheng, and others are awarded the rank of Colonel...and a collective First-Class Merit!"
"Zhou Qinglei... deserves the treatment of a full division commander!"
"Cao Youren, Song Haidong, and others will be given deputy military-level treatment!"
It took Liu Huaming a full five minutes to finish reading the list of those who had made contributions and to give them appropriate commendations.
This commendation not only recognizes those who contributed to the war in the East Asian waters, but also naval commanders who accompanied the expeditionary fleet to the European waters for long-range missions, as well as sailors.
They received collective military merits, and their military ranks and benefits changed accordingly; in short, they were all promoted.
It took nearly an hour and a half to finish processing all the naval soldiers' commendations.
Immediately afterwards, the sailors below the rank of colonel left the scene!
After they all left the venue, only a few important leaders remained, along with a group of senior colonels!
"Dingping, it's your turn next."
Seeing that it was almost time, Xu Dongguo turned to Su Dingping and reminded him.
"My turn? They're going to promote me again? Isn't it time yet?" Su Dingping pointed to his nose, looking quite curious.
If he were to advance further, his rank and benefits would be on par with Zhang Zhaoxin's, which wouldn't be a problem in itself. The key issue is that, according to the regulations for rank promotion, neither of them has reached the required level!
From then on, whenever he stood next to Zhang Zhaoxin, he would directly call him Old Zhang.
It should be noted that Zhang Zhaoxin brought his military uniform and personally dressed him in it with his rank insignia.
“You’re different; those aren’t limitations for you.”
Xu Dongguo gently patted Su Dingping on the shoulder, "Your rank and treatment are not something we can decide; it's up to the higher-ups."
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to the sky.
Su Dingping was at a loss for words and felt helpless.
As for Xu Dongguo, he originally didn't know, but since Xue Shuai mentioned it at the door, it proved that the matter was a done deal, and he was just pretending.
Liu Huaming turned his gaze to Xue Shuai, and then it was Su Dingping's turn. He had no idea how Su Dingping would be commended.
"Next, please welcome Commander Xue."
After obtaining the other party's consent, Liu Huaming spoke directly.
Xue Shuai immediately stood up from his chair and walked to the center of the stage: "Comrade Su Dingping, please step forward!"
"Yes!"
Su Dingping stood up from his seat and walked over to Xue Shuai.
"Comrade Su Dingping, in view of your significant scientific research achievements, and the fact that your related research has brought unprecedented technological innovation to the Navy, enabling the Navy's equipment to be upgraded and replaced."
"By unanimous decision of the Military Commission, Comrade Su Dingping's rank of colonel is promoted to senior colonel, and his benefits are upgraded from deputy division-level to division-level, and he is awarded a first-class merit!"
"Given that Comrade Su Dingping led the research and development of the 'Dark Sword No. 1' high-altitude, high-speed reconnaissance aircraft, filling a gap in the Air Force's high-altitude reconnaissance capabilities and bringing about technological advancements." (End of Chapter)