Mrs. Legend Chapter 369

Chapter 369: The Vast Mei Family

The re-election of a Grand General required two stages. The first was a nomination vote by the entire military.

Only the top three candidates with the most nomination votes could enter the final candidate list for Grand General.

Gu Yuan's network within the military meant his re-nomination was expected by everyone.

Although he was the Grand General who had been removed due to public pressure, he was an irreplaceable talent in leadership. Under his command, the Diluoya Planet had steadily grown stronger—a fact no one could deny.

Furthermore, Zhou Zhonglin's testimony during the trial lacked evidence to prove Gu Yuan had orchestrated anything. His swift removal from office was simply the result of behind-the-scenes manipulation.

Besides, Gu Yuan had held the Grand General position for many years without scandal. And with another voting round ahead, his confirmation wasn't guaranteed. This was why opposition to his re-nomination had quieted considerably.

Aside from Gu Yuan, two other candidates emerged. One was General Wang Yuan, recommended by numerous minor military families. The other was Mei Zhenqiu of the Mei family, whose nomination was practically guaranteed with the entire Mei family's backing.

When Mei Chuanqi learned of Mei Zhenqiu's nomination, he immediately contacted Mei Feichen: "Father, why is Grand-uncle also in the Grand General candidate nominations?"

Mei Feichen replied, "I don't know any Grand-uncle. I only see a 'Zhenqiu' on the nomination list."

Mei Chuanqi: "..."

He had called Mei Zhenqiu "Grand-uncle" for decades—it wasn't easy to change overnight.

"Father, why is Mei Zhenqiu on the Grand General candidate list?" Mei Chuanqi rephrased. "I believe without the Mei family, he never would have made the nomination."

Mei Feichen sighed, "I initially wanted to teach him a harsh lesson. But aside from his underhanded schemes to seize the family head position, he hasn't caused any substantive damage to the Mei family. This shows the family still matters to him. After much thought, I realized severely punishing him would only alienate other Mei family members. So I decided on a different approach to show Mei Zhenqiu that the Mei family cannot be divided.

"Therefore, pushing his nomination serves two purposes: First, to show him the strength of our united Mei family—that without it, Mei Zhenqiu is nothing. Second, to prevent further secret dealings with Gu Yuan. With both on the candidate list, Mei Zhenqiu won't be foolish enough to direct his supporters to vote for Gu Yuan."

Mei Chuanqi worried, "But if Mei Zhenqiu becomes Grand General, the Mei family will eventually fall under his control."

"The Grand General's seat isn't so easily occupied," Mei Feichen said meaningfully.

Sensing his father had a plan, Mei Chuanqi dropped the subject: "Why wasn't anyone from the Che family nominated?"

If the Che family had put forward their own candidate, General Wang Yuan wouldn't even be in the running.

Mei Feichen chuckled and said, "Gu Yuan is essentially their proxy now. Whether they have an official nominee or not, it makes no difference for the Che family. Nominating a Che family member would only create internal conflict. Enough about them. How's your health lately? Is the baby behaving?"

He had high hopes for this grandchild, wishing Mei Chuanqi would have another child resembling An Si.

Back when Mei Weixian was born, he rarely had chances to hold him. Now Mei Weixian was grown, making cuddling impossible. He could only wait for his son's second child.

"My health is excellent, Father. No need to worry."

"That's good."

Sensing his father's hesitation, Mei Chuanqi asked, "Father, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Uh... how are things between you and Jingteng?"

Mei Chuanqi immediately understood—his father must have heard rumors: "Father, Jingteng and I are fine. Don't worry."

Since attending Gu Yuan's wedding banquet, Feng Jingteng had stopped sleeping in his dormitory—a deliberate move to make Gu Yuan believe they were feuding over the photos.

Later, to convince Gu Yuan that Zhong Gexin's pregnancy was his, Feng Jingteng even met with Zhong Gexin personally.

Worried someone might fabricate more compromising photos or videos to disturb Mei Chuanqi, Feng Jingteng had worn a miniature camera on his chest, allowing Mei Chuanqi to monitor his actions in real-time.

Mei Feichen nodded, "Jingteng is a good kid. I trust his character completely. I just worried you might hear things and overthink. Remember, you're not alone now—take good care of yourself."

"I understand."

After chatting briefly, they ended the call.

With three Grand General candidates now selected, the voting assembly commenced. Only field-grade officers and above could participate.

To prevent cheating or system manipulation, all voters must physically appear at the Central Asian Military Assembly Hall. The process would be broadcast live for all Diluoya Planet residents to witness. Field-grade officers unable to attend must vote via video link.

On voting day, all officers arrived punctually. The assembly hall's parking lot overflowed with densely parked hovercars.

Disembarking senior officers stood straight as white poplars, their solemn faces creating an intensely dignified atmosphere.

First-time attendees couldn't help swallowing nervously.

Junior officers, especially, dared not breathe loudly. In regular military contexts, field-grade officers ranked high—most soldiers would stop and salute them.

But here, field-grade officers meant nothing. Majors represented the lowest rank. Facing generals with constellation stars on their shoulders, they could only stop and salute.

"First time seeing such a grand spectacle," Wu Lang whispered, following Mei Chuanqi since leaving the vehicle.

He'd seen senior officer meetings on military channels before and envied them, but never imagined the on-site atmosphere could be so oppressive.

Zhu Ji beside him also murmured, "My first time too—I can barely breathe under this pressure."

"How pathetic," Lu Kun snorted.

Zhu Ji retorted, "Aren't you nervous? Almost everyone here outranks you."

Lu Kun replied, "Of course I'm nervous. But the more you show it, the more their aura overwhelms you."

Mei Chuanqi smiled, "Lieutenant Colonel Lu is right. The more nervous you appear, the more their dominant presence will overshadow you. Besides, don't assume their ranks will always exceed yours—you might surpass them someday."

Hearing this, Zhu Ji's nervousness transformed into excitement. Imagining someday outranking most people here filled him with motivation, eager to return and pursue promotions.

"I just find the atmosphere tense," Wu Lang said.

Officers here smiled and chatted on the surface, but their smiles concealed knives, making him deeply uncomfortable.

Mei Chuanqi glanced at the handshaking officers ahead and said calmly, "You'll get used to it."

Such scenes were commonplace in military, political, and business circles alike.

"Chuanqi!" A clear voice called out.

Mei Chuanqi turned to see Mei Zhendong leading Mei family officers toward him.

Wu Lang and the others behind him widened their eyes at the approaching crowd. The only word to describe what they felt was: overwhelmed.

Everyone on Diluoya Planet knew the Mei family was a powerful military dynasty, but few truly understood just how big it was. Seeing them all gathered together now, its scale seemed almost absurd.

Just counting: over fifty Generals, three hundred-plus Lieutenant Generals, over a thousand Major Generals, nearly three thousand Senior Colonels, over eight thousand Colonels, fifteen thousand-plus Lieutenant Colonels, and finally over thirty thousand Majors.

Total members exceeded fifty thousand—more than the Shadow Unit's entire strength.

Every officer radiated powerful aura, their stern faces brimming with confidence. Even the lowest-ranking Majors projected presence exceeding officers of higher rank from other families, commanding respect from superiors.

In this solemn atmosphere, the Mei family's arrival stunned everyone present, who hurriedly made way.

Watching this scene, Wu Lang and his companions thought only one thing: The Mei family truly deserved its title as a great military dynasty.