After Lü Yanlin finished speaking, a subtle silence fell over the Wargaming Hall.
Everyone exchanged glances.
No one wanted to be the first to speak.
Ruan Xingwei leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the others.
Zou Qishen lowered his head, pretending to study his fingernails.
Tang Huaiqian stroked his chin, looking up at the ceiling as if there was something worth examining there.
Chen Qingyu stood there, a faint, almost imperceptible smile at the corner of his mouth as he watched these seasoned veterans pass the buck to each other.
The Wargaming Hall was so quiet you could hear each other's breathing.
Lü Yanlin waited a few seconds.
Seeing that no one spoke, he slowly began.
"I think..."
He paused, then continued.
"The following rewards should be given."
Everyone's gaze simultaneously fell upon him.
Lü Yanlin spoke word by word, deliberately.
"In terms of military rank..."
"Promote him to Vice Admiral."
"A leap of three ranks."
A low murmur of discussion arose in the Wargaming Hall.
Vice Admiral.
A 22-year-old Vice Admiral.
This was indeed rare in Federation history.
But considering Qin Bei Wang's combat record, it was not excessive at all.
Lü Yanlin continued.
"In terms of official position..."
He paused, then went on.
"Appoint him as Commander of the Pluto Fleet."
"As for the fleet's classification..."
His gaze swept over everyone present.
"Duke-class Fleet."
The Wargaming Hall fell silent for a second.
Then, expressions of surprise appeared on some faces.
Not surprise at the military rank.
Surprise at the official position.
A Duke-class Fleet?
That's it?
One veteran couldn't help but speak up.
"Chief of Staff Lü..."
He took a breath, then continued.
"We have no objection to the rank of Vice Admiral."
"But regarding the official position..."
He hesitated for a moment, then said.
"Isn't a Duke-class Fleet a bit too low?"
Several others nearby nodded in agreement.
Chen Qingyu also spoke up.
"Yes, Chief of Staff Lü."
"That kid destroyed thirty-five thousand Imperial warships, and then took out another fifty thousand at the Warp Point."
He held up eight fingers.
"Altogether, over eighty thousand ships!"
"With that kind of record, you're only giving him a Duke-class Fleet?"
He shook his head.
"It's too low."
Tang Huaiqian didn't speak, but his expression held the same question.
Lü Yanlin watched their reactions, a slight smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
He waited for the murmurs to subside a little, then slowly spoke.
"Everyone..."
He paused.
"Let me explain."
The Wargaming Hall quieted down.
Lü Yanlin walked over to the Star Chart, reached out, and tapped the marker for the Pluto Fleet.
"First..."
His voice was steady, his reasoning clear.
"Senior Colonel Qin Bei Wang's combat style, as you all just saw."
"Primarily focuses on infiltration and sabotage, supplemented by mobile maneuvering."
"It's not about having many warships..."
His finger traced an arc across the Star Chart.
"It's about having elite ones."
Everyone nodded thoughtfully.
Lü Yanlin continued.
"A Joint Fleet, with over twenty thousand warships..."
He shook his head.
"Its logistical supply is a major problem."
"When operating deep in enemy rear areas, you simply can't bring that many supply ships along."
"If we really gave him twenty thousand ships, he wouldn't be able to fight so smoothly."
A low murmur of agreement rippled through the Wargaming Hall.
Some nodded.
"That makes sense."
"That kid's style of warfare really doesn't need too many ships."
"To pull off something this big with just four hundred ships... giving him twenty thousand would probably just tie his hands."
Lü Yanlin waited for the discussion to subside before continuing.
"Of course..."
"This Duke-class Fleet is naturally not an ordinary Duke-class Fleet."
The eyes of everyone present lit up.
Lü Yanlin went on.
"A standard Duke-class Fleet is composed of eight mother-class fleets."
"Total strength, around three thousand ships."
"But the Pluto Fleet..."
His gaze swept over each person in the room.
"I intend to establish it as..."
"A Super Fleet within the Duke-class."
"The organization will be directly expanded to..."
He paused for a second.
"Four Duke-class Fleets."
The Wargaming Hall fell terrifyingly silent in an instant.
Zou Qishen's eyes widened into perfect circles.
His lips moved, uttering a whisper even he could barely hear.
"Four Duke-class Fleets..."
Tang Huaiqian's fingers subconsciously tightened around the armrest of his chair.
Four Duke-class Fleets.
That meant twelve thousand warships.
Twelve thousand warships.
A fleet of that scale could independently handle defensive fleets within a single star system.
It could even launch frontal assaults on some core star systems with weak defenses.
Looking around the room, Lü Yanlin continued.
"The reward I'm offering, for now, is this."
He placed both hands on the table, leaning forward slightly, his eyes sweeping over everyone present.
"Now..."
"It's your turn to vote."
The Wargaming Hall was silent for a second.
All eyes were fixed on Lü Yanlin.
Lü Yanlin spoke, enunciating each word clearly.
"Who is in favor?"
"Who opposes?"
No one spoke.
Lü Yanlin waited three seconds.
Then he raised his right hand.
"Those in favor..."
"Raise your hands!"
As his words fell.
Swish!
Ninety-nine right hands shot up in unison.
Almost without any hesitation.
The movement was too neat, too uniform, as if rehearsed countless times.
Chen Qingyu's hand was raised the highest, as if he wished he could reach the ceiling.
Tang Huaiqian's hand wasn't raised as high, but it was equally firm.
Zou Qishen stood there, his right hand held level, a faint smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
Even those old-timers who were usually a step behind raised their hands without the slightest hesitation this time.
The Wargaming Hall became a forest of arms.
Lü Yanlin's gaze slowly moved across that forest of arms.
Looking at each one in turn.
Then his gaze settled on a corner.
Ruan Xingwei sat there.
His right hand was raised in front of his chest.
But the posture was exactly like that of a timid little girl.
His hand was raised very low.
So low it was just a little above his chest.
Tucked in there, as if afraid someone might notice.
His eyes were still darting around, avoiding Lü Yanlin's gaze at all costs.
Looking at his appearance, Lü Yanlin couldn't help but let a slight smile curl at the corner of his mouth.
A faint smile slowly spread across his face.
He didn't speak.
He just quietly watched Ruan Xingwei.
Ruan Xingwei grew even more uncomfortable under his gaze.
The raised hand instinctively shrank back a little further.
But in the end, he didn't lower it.
Lü Yanlin withdrew his gaze.
He suddenly clapped his hands together.
"Clap!"
The crisp sound exploded in the Wargaming Hall.
"Unanimously approved!"
His voice echoed through the Wargaming Hall, carrying an air of unquestionable decisiveness.
A low, barely suppressed ripple of laughter spread through the hall.
Chen Qingyu looked at Ruan Xingwei and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Ruan Xingwei, the way you raised your hand, I thought it was a white flag!"
Ruan Xingwei shot him a glare.
"Get lost!"
But his hand remained raised.
Only when Lü Yanlin announced the approval did he jerk it down as if shocked by electricity.
After lowering it, he pretended to casually adjust his cuff.
As if to say,
I didn't do anything just now.
The laughter in the Wargaming Hall grew even louder.