151: Chapter 151 Lieutenant to Major General? An Unprecedented Promotion!

Looking at these soldiers, the sense of guilt in Li Mo's heart grew even heavier.

He walked to the side and immediately called Zheng Jiahao over.

"Zheng Jiahao, you know the background of all these people. Go count them up and give me a list of the fallen. I will go to the higher-ups to demand their pensions, and you must make sure their families are well comforted."

"If they couldn't return home alive with dignity while with me, at least they must return to their homeland with dignity in spirit!"

Zheng Jiahao sighed upon hearing this, then said, "Sigh! Alright!"

Not long after, Zheng Jiahao brought over a list of the fallen, filled with the information of those four thousand-plus men.

Although the entire Great Xia army had just experienced a major battle and desperately needed reorganization, Li Mo still took the list to Marshal Zhao Zhenyuan's central camp.

Seeing Li Mo covered in bandages, Zhao Zhenyuan asked in confusion, "Li Mo, why aren't you resting properly? What are you doing in my tent?"

"Let alone the fact that there is no fighting right now, even if there were, it wouldn't be your turn to go!"

Li Mo was naturally aware of this, so he handed the list to Zhao Zhenyuan.

"Rest assured, Marshal Zhao, I'm not some war maniac. The Vanguard Battalion is in dire need of rest right now, and I've come to do something for the brothers of the Vanguard Battalion."

Upon seeing the list, Zhao Zhenyuan's expression tightened.

With Zhao Zhenyuan's wisdom, how could he not see that many people on the list were prisoners from the mining area? However, according to regulations, prisoners were not entitled to death pensions.

Moreover, when Li Mo led the Vanguard Battalion on this expedition, Zhao Zhenyuan had promised him quite a few benefits in advance, including high pensions.

If these mining area prisoners received the same pensions as the people in the Vanguard Battalion, the total amount would be substantial.

Thus, Zhao Zhenyuan said in a deep voice, "Li Mo, these men are all good soldiers, worthy of being called Great Xia soldiers! But I cannot provide this batch of pensions."

Hearing this, Li Mo's expression changed instantly, and he flew into a rare rage.

They were never afraid of enemies on the battlefield, but being stabbed in the back by their own people was even more heartbreaking.

Li Mo raged, "What do you mean by this? They are all my brothers in the Vanguard Battalion; there is no distinction between prisoners or not! Since they followed me, Li Mo, and recognized me as their battalion commander, I must fight for what is rightfully theirs!"

"If you won't issue this pension, do you want to chill the hearts of all the brothers in the army?"

Zhao Zhenyuan looked helpless, as if he had expected Li Mo to fly into a rage, so he continued, "Let me finish. This pension isn't to be issued by me, but by you! There hasn't been any movement from the Baiou Empire side yet, and I estimate that we and the Black Earth Tribe will remain stationary for the next few days. Tomorrow, the entire army will hold a commendation ceremony, and you will understand then!"

Seeing Li Mo's expression soften slightly, Zhao Zhenyuan continued, "Li Mo, you haven't been in The Military for long, and your foundation is currently shallow. Although you've gained fame because of this battle, the old-timers in The Military might not necessarily respect you!"

"You must remember that these people currently in the Vanguard Battalion will become your foundation in the future!"

Li Mo seemed to understand Zhao Zhenyuan's meaning and nodded silently.

When the next day arrived, the commendation ceremony mentioned by Zhao Zhenyuan took place as scheduled.

The Vanguard Battalion was present in full, and almost all of them were seated in the front rows.

After resting for a day, the bandages on Li Mo and the others had almost all been removed.

Zhao Zhenyuan stood on the stage and first expressed his affirmation for all the soldiers who participated in this war; without their brave fighting, they certainly could not have annihilated so many enemy troops.

This was a rare major victory in the last twenty years.

Next, Zhao Zhenyuan specifically singled out the Vanguard Battalion for praise.

"Comrades, in this great battle, the ones we should thank the most are the brothers of the Vanguard Battalion! Without them, perhaps there wouldn't have been this war, nor our great victory!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Because Zhao Zhenyuan's words were indeed true; every single person in the Vanguard Battalion had displayed the strength of one against ten, truly deserving the honor.

"I have decided that every brother in the Vanguard Battalion will be promoted by one rank and receive a collective first-class merit! I hereby confer the title of Collective Combat Heroes!"

A collective first-class merit was extremely rare in the entire history of the New Calendar, yet not a single person stood up to question it.

After commending all the brothers of the Vanguard Battalion, Zhao Zhenyuan mentioned Li Mo.

"Li Mo, as the battalion commander of the Vanguard Battalion, everyone should have heard of him more or less. He deserves the top credit for the victory in this battle! He annihilated ten thousand enemy medical troops, secured hundreds of thousands of kilograms of star crystal for the country, and even used himself as bait to help us secure this victory!"

"I hereby announce! I am specially promoting Vanguard Battalion Commander Li Mo from the rank of Second Lieutenant to Major General!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire crowd gasped.

They naturally understood the enormity of the merit Li Mo had achieved this time, and of course, they knew Li Mo would receive unprecedented recognition.

But this award was simply too heavy!

Promoting from Second Lieutenant to Major General, what kind of concept is that?

It was a direct promotion of a full six ranks!

Moreover, Li Mo was not even twenty years old; in the history of our army, no one had ever reached this rank at such an age!

Except for that human hero, Marshal Chen Han, the youngest major general in our army was over forty-five years old, and that was built on the foundation of having made many major contributions in succession.

This couldn't even be called a jump in rank; it was a rocket promotion.

Even Li Mo himself was shocked; he really hadn't expected that with one sentence from Zhao Zhenyuan, he would be on equal footing with those old-timers in The Military.

The Great Xia army had always valued seniority, and there had never been a precedent for young officers to hold power. This promotion by Zhao Zhenyuan pushed Li Mo directly into the spotlight.

Only then did Li Mo truly understand the meaning behind Zhao Zhenyuan's words about the old-timers in The Military not respecting him.

This was both an honor and a shackle!

Sure enough, as soon as Li Mo stood on the stage, many old generals in The Military cast disdainful looks at him.

They didn't say anything out loud, but in their hearts, they were all thinking that at his age, Li Mo didn't deserve this honor at all, and his strength was simply not up to par.

Hindered by the fact that Li Mo had just made a major contribution, the old-timers in The Military did not flare up on the spot.

On the other hand, the young people under forty who were present let out thunderous cheers.

Li Mo looked a bit awkward, but he still had to accept the Major General badge personally awarded by Zhao Zhenyuan.

He said softly, "Marshal Zhao, you are setting me up!"

Who knew that Zhao Zhenyuan would reply, "Young people are supposed to be high-spirited to be called young! What's the point of being afraid of those above and below you? Don't worry, there is more reward for you to come!"