The late autumn season is the best season of the year in the Chengdu Plain, and it is also the harvest season full of joy and hope, during this period of more than 20 days, the sky is always so blue, the wind is always so refreshing, the sun is abundant, and it is always so generous and warm.

At 8 o'clock in the morning of November 1 of the new calendar, there was a lot of traffic inside and outside the majestic gate of the Sichuan Army Military Academy, which is located outside the new West Gate.

Under the guidance of officers and men wearing military uniforms, more than a dozen imported cars of different styles were mixed between various carriages, and they drove to the military academy in an orderly manner.

In half an hour, the graduation ceremony of the first graduates of the Sichuan Army Military Academy and the opening ceremony of the second batch of enlisted students will be held.

The military academy viewing platform in the north of the big field is a tall and majestic, full of national tradition heavy eaves type building, the main building standing on the five-meter-high solid stone foundation is majestic, the open-air viewing platform on both sides of the base above the finely carved bluestone fence, and the main building in the middle is cleverly connected, and it is integrated.

At this moment, the 10 rows of terraced seats on both sides of the viewing platform have been overcrowded, representatives from all walks of life in Sichuan and Chengdu greet each other, beaming with joy, official representatives of European and American countries in Chengdu or Chongqing, representatives of commercial organizations gathered together, looking with great interest at the 300-member military band of boys playing military music under the viewing platform, as well as the neat teams and battle flags that ran into the center of the stadium in full armor.

Tens of thousands of people who were invited to watch the ceremony had already surrounded the 600-meter-long stadium and responded with bursts of applause and cheers to the soldiers who shouted military orders and flocked to the ceremony.

After greeting the envoys of Britain, France, and the United States, the German Consul General in Chengdu returned to the first row of seats adjacent to the central viewing platform. Lieutenant Colonel Schuschel brought the beer prepared by the military academy, and when Fu Diegeng drank two sips and put down the cup, Schuschel asked with a smile: "Sir, what did the British consul pester you to say just now?" ”

Fu Diegeng shrugged, pointed to the hunting banner more than twenty meters high in front of him, and teased:

"The British couldn't figure out the difference between the red Flying Leopard battle flag and the yellow Flying Leopard battle flag, I told him that the yellow flying leopard battle flag with red borders was the battle flag of the Sichuan Border Army's Chuankang Unit, and this flag had appeared in Tibet Province two years ago, but the smile on his face was all gone, haha!"

Schuschel couldn't help but laugh out loud: "At the regular gathering last week, Xiao once joked that if the British did not stop supporting the rebels in Tibetan Province, he would recommend that the Finance Committee of the Provincial Council double the tax on imported tobacco and oil, and Mr. Johnson, who had worked with Xiao for many years, was angry on the spot and threatened to fight Xiao in a duel. ”

Fu Diegeng shook his head: "Xiao is not joking, he is first greeting the importers of various countries, so that the representatives of European and American countries know that although Yanjing Zhengaxe has been suppressing and splitting the Sichuan army, he has the ability to control the situation in Sichuan, including taxation and trade." It's been eight years since I came to China, and I've worked in Sichuan for more than six years, and I have to say that Xiao is the most cunning and toughest local warlord I've ever met, and no one wants to frighten him, including President Yuan Shikai in Yanjing. ”

Schuschel very much agreed with Fu Diegeng's point of view, and the two laughed for a while, and Schuschel pointed to the group of reporters taking pictures around the army on the field:

"Your beautiful daughter is also among journalists from all over the world, and she looks very happy."

Fu Diegeng picked up the binoculars on the table and looked at it, his face was full of loving smiles, he pointed to the Boy Scout Band in front of the viewing platform, and said comfortably:

"Xiao's army is the most modern elite army in China, and if it weren't for the difference between uniforms and caps, I would almost think I was watching a parade performance by our German [***] team! However, I prefer the Boy Scout Band of West China School, their performance is very good, you listen, the "Song of the Yangtze River" played now is very beautiful, the use of various instruments and the arrangement level is very high, I heard that Xiao himself composed the music. ”

"Yes, the young conductor standing in front of the band is Xiao Xing's younger brother, his name is Xiao Xing, he is seventeen years old this year, he studied music with Mr. Merry, a German music teacher at the West China School, four years ago, and soon became Mr. Merry's proudest student, the young man has a very high talent, and he plays the piano and guitar well. By the way, your lovely daughter and Xiao Xing are also very familiar. Schuschel laughed.

"Really? I don't know that."

Fu Diegeng was a little surprised, and when he saw the French consul walking towards him with a smile, he hurriedly put down his beer and greeted him. Although the two countries are currently at war on the European continent, in the far reaches of Sichuan, China, under the protection of the Sichuan political axe and army, each side still maintains the best gentlemanly demeanor.

Directly below the viewing platform is a large and tidy lounge.

At this moment, the 241 graduates of the first class solemnly lined up and saluted more than 10 division commanders, including Xiao Yimin, the principal of the military academy, Colonel Carl, the chief instructor, and Major General Xu Xiaogang, the chief of education, who walked into the hall.

Xu Xiaogang, the director of education, encouraged a few words and reminded the matters that should be paid attention to in the review later, so he asked the principal Xiao Yimin to give a lecture to the graduates.

Xiao Yimin took two steps forward, glanced at the excited graduating students affectionately, and gave one last lecture in his unique way:

"Ladies and gentlemen, in two hours, you will end your one-year study career and return to your respective units to tell the truth, I am reluctant to let you go, and I want you to continue to stay and study for another year or two, but your commanders can't wait, all divisions of our Sichuan Army have established their own teaching regiments, and we very much need you outstanding talents with formal military education to go back and take on the heavy responsibility of passing on the help."

The graduates in the olive tweed army uniforms were very excited, and every pair of eyes stared at Xiao Yimin, the principal who was about the same age as them, but had won their respect and admiration, and many of them were short of breath with tears in their eyes.

In the past year, the principal Xiao Yimin has talked to each of them individually, giving respect and care to any student, enlightening them ideologically, caring for them in life, never putting on a show, and never scolding any student who made a mistake, even many of their poor family members have also received the selfless help of the principal, so Xiao Yimin is both the principal and the elder brother in the minds of the students, and this deep friendship cannot be expressed in words.

Xiao Yimin was also very emotional, he took a deep breath and said calmly:

"I remember when I first entered the school, many of you were very resistant to the internal affairs regulations of the military academy, and I didn't understand why you were asked to fold the quilt into tofu blocks, and I didn't understand why you had to relearn the queue and military posture, and everyone thought that they were veterans and didn't need to learn the most basic things at all. For this reason, seven of you left the military school in a rage, and now I want to ask, do you understand? ”

"Understood!"

More than 200 cadets replied loudly, they really understood, in the past year, they have really developed the character and habits of professional soldiers in the cumbersome and strict regulations, and there have been radical changes, and even the most critical German instructors have smiled at them.

Xiao Yimin nodded with satisfaction: "That's right, it's still the same sentence - many times details determine success or failure, especially professional soldiers!" I hope that after you go back, you will not lose this good tradition, and train other soldiers to make a modern army like yours like a precision machine, and there is no room for the slightest slack, and you are the grassroots commanders in our Sichuan army who really master modern military theory and training technology, and the future Sichuan army can only rely on your efforts to mature step by step, brothers, there is a long way to go! ”

After Xiao Yimin finished speaking, he puffed up his chest and saluted solemnly.

The students immediately returned the salute, and watched Xiao Yimin and a group of generals walk up the steps on the east side, but they were unwilling to put their hands down, until the leading instructor shouted a stern military order, the students put down their hands, and followed the instructor to the field in a neat formation, and the password shouted along the way was particularly loud.

Twelve gun salutes rang out, and the battlefield where more than 20,000 soldiers and civilians had gathered fell silent.

The Boy Scout Band played the march of "Serving the Country with Loyalty", and Xiao Yimin and the instructors of the military academy accompanied more than 10 senior political officials such as Hu Jingyi, the overseer of the Sichuan Army, Kuang Youmin, the speaker of the National Assembly, and Zhang Lan, the chairman of the Mingzhuo Party and the director of the Department of Civil Affairs, and the chief of staff of the Sichuan Army's divisions walked up to the viewing platform together, and more than 10,000 people and the two sides of the viewing platform immediately burst into warm applause.

At nine o'clock, the grand graduation ceremony and opening ceremony officially began.

Under the auspices of Xu Xiaogang, director of education at the Military Academy, Hu Jingyi, a worried overseer, Zhou Jun, commander of the First Army, and Kuang Youmin, the jubilant speaker of the First Army, delivered speeches respectively, giving high praise to the Sichuan Army Military Academy and its teachers and students.

Among them, Zhou Jun's speech was the most thought-provoking, and the sentence "the best and only professional military school in Sichuan" made all the generals and senior officials present full of emotion.

Yes, the earliest "Sichuan Army Martial Arts School", the beautiful "Sichuan Army Crash School", the "Sichuan Army Primary School" directly under the Yanjing Army Department, and the "Sichuan Army Martial Arts Hall" taken over by the former governor Yin Changheng and the current overseer Hu Jingyi have now become a kind of memory and a kind of history, and will never appear in the vast land of Bashu again, but instead of the "Sichuan Army Military Academy" that has attracted the attention of the whole [***] circles in the past year, with 17 German instructors and more than 30 senior domestic instructors, And the principal of this school, which is known as "the most formal military school in China" at home and abroad, is Xiao Yimin, the commander-in-chief of the border army who has 20,000 rich soldiers.

All the generals and high-ranking officials present have seen that in time, Xiao Yimin's students will definitely spread throughout the Sichuan army, and even spread to the armies of the surrounding provinces, and Xiao Yimin's influence will definitely be even stronger, and no one can compete with it.

What most people don't know is that the biggest reason why Xiao Yimin is so high-profile is that he seeks change and survival, and his holding of such a grand and grand ceremony in this delicate period is a form of resistance and showing strength.

Xiao Yimin knew very well that three hours later, Yuan Shikai in Yanjing City and the Kuomintang forces in the Shanghai Concession would all learn about the whole process of this grand ceremony, and they would also see his Xiao Yimin's political orientation and hard-line stance.

"Grant the sword—"

As Xu Xiaogang, the director of education of the military academy, who presided over the ceremony, announced loudly, the Boy Scout Band in the audience played the majestic music of "I am a soldier", and 241 graduates selected by various divisions of the Sichuan Army puffed up their chests and took the stage.

On the field, 250 first-class cadets who still need two years to graduate, 1,500 new second-class cadets who have just entered the school, 2,000 newly formed trainees of the teaching regiment, and more than 10,000 people warmly applauded.

Under the watchful eyes of the public, the graduates received the exquisite swords awarded by the principal Xiao Yimin one by one, and saluted Xiao Yimin one by one, their eyes full of pride and excitement.

The graduates held the sword and stared for a long time, this sharp sword made of horns and alloy steel is called "Army Soul", and the two sides of the sword body are engraved with eight ancient seal fonts of "Success and Benevolence" and "Defend the Family and Defend the Country", as well as a unique Chinese and English number, the meaning of which is clear at a glance, giving people great encouragement.

The graduating students wearing the sword returned to the stage and lined up neatly, standing majestically one by one, their eyes were red, the thousands of soldiers around were jealous and their eyes were green, and the glory of the soldiers burst out with a powerful momentum, which was enough to make everyone's hearts broken and yearn for it!

Xiao Yimin once again established his lofty status and prestige in the Sichuan army through this sword awarding ceremony full of military spirit and even a little tragic, and from this moment on, his position in the hearts of countless soldiers can no longer be replaced.

What's even better is that this sword awarding ceremony alone can make the two major forces of Yanjing and Shanghai look sideways, but they are helpless.

(To be continued)