Lu Ziqing fixed his gaze on Song Lili as she sat down after answering the question and noticed her eyes drifting away, as if she were thinking about something else.
He was very curious about what she was thinking, wondering what else was packed inside that little head of hers that kept surprising and refreshing him.
Across the entire national army, the majority still relied on a system of officer recommendation.
Most nobles and second-generation officers had no desire or intention to change the system. A few who did consider it dared not voice their opinion for fear of offending the nobility and bureaucrats and becoming a target of public criticism.
Not to mention the ordinary soldiers below ...
"You have all spoken well, and I hope you will often reflect—reflect on yourselves, reflect on a certain matter, reflect on a certain system. Whatever conclusion you may reach in your heart, it’s good as long as there is thought."
Lu Ziqing finally stood up and put his chair back in its original place.
"Everyone has their own unique insights, but one thing is indisputable—if you want to become an officer, you need to have the ability to make your soldiers follow you from the depths of their hearts. What they can’t do, you can; what they can do, you must do better."
As Lu Ziqing spoke these words, Song Lili had already come back to her senses.
Listening to Lu Ziqing, she always felt... that there was a hidden meaning in his words.
"So starting this afternoon, your training will be three times that of the regular recruits. After completing the basic training, return here for self-study. The content of the self-study will be all the military-related cultural books in the campus library. Assessments will be held every two weeks, and those who fail the assessment twice in a row and have more than three incomplete training records will leave the officer candidate class. "
Song Lili knew it—the slyness at the end of his words always meant no good.
After Lu Ziqing finished speaking, someone drew in a cold breath, and there were others...
"What, what? All the military-related cultural books in the library? Xiao Hua, I don’t understand, which book is Instructor talking about?"
Lu Ziqing leaned in with a light laugh near Lin Xinglan,
"Xinglan, when I said all military-related cultural books, I was referring to 216,000 volumes, not just one."
"Instructor, I know this! I know there are more than two hundred thousand military books in the library, but you said there would be an assessment. I asked which one you would assess, because with over two hundred thousand books, we..."
Lin Xinglan was in the middle of speaking when she suddenly grasped the concept, seemingly understanding why some classmates had gasped in shock and why everyone’s expressions were so grim and stiff...
"Hehe... Lu, Instructor Lu, no, it surely can’t be what I am thinking right now, right?"
Lu Ziqing also gave her a mischievous smile, "What you are thinking now is exactly right."
With that, he stood up straight, glanced over all the students in the class, and said suavely, "That’s it for today’s lesson. Next... good luck to you all."
He arrived slowly but left quickly.
The twenty-one people in the classroom looked at each other until Lin Xinglan collapsed, clutching her head and screaming,
"Demon Instructor! He really is a Demon Instructor! 216,000 volumes... might as well just sentence me to death!"
Song Lili’s mood was heavy, but seeing Lin Xinglan , she couldn’t help but find it funny.
Lin Xinglan glared at Song Lili.
"Instructor Lu is very skilled at psychological warfare; don’t let his few words crush you. As long as you work hard, you won’t fail the assessment."