Yu Lian took a full three seconds to compose himself, then forced a smile. "...Well, this should still be a good thing, right? At least the vice president came bearing medals and promotion papers. That'll be a morale boost for the troops. Congratulations on your promotion, Senior Silvester. You're one step closer to retiring and starting your own entertainment company."
"Heh heh heh. Why do I get the feeling this is just a preliminary ceremony before they formally hand me a marshal's baton?" Lieutenant General Silvester didn't look happy at all. If anything, he seemed a little worried, and there was a strange hint of wariness in the way he looked at Yu Lian. "...Actually, junior, you really don't have to force yourself like this."
Yu Lian decided to take the advice. Through gritted teeth, he said to his adjutant, "Chester, oh, Chester, my dear comrade Chester—you really are a genius at ruining my day!"
"And I've got even worse news. The vice president's secretarial team also sent an advance notice. For security reasons, once he arrives at Sede Fortress, they'll conduct spot checks on our equipment, readiness, supply depots, and so on. Of course, it'll all be symbolic and routine. They hope we'll cooperate and not read too much into it."
"...I thought he was actually coming to award medals, recognize people, and boost morale," Yu Lian said.
"Come on, Yu Lian, you don't understand. When a head of state visits the front lines just to hand out commendations, the troops become the stars of the show. But when they come to inspect things, they get to be the stars themselves." General Silvester spoke like a man who'd seen it all.
During wartime, shouldn't the troops be the stars? Yu Lian really wanted to say that, but he knew