Chapter 1015: The Cultivation of the Older Generation of Politicians

Zhang Shouzheng's heart beat heavily in his chest. He understood that the seemingly casual "proposal" from the Zhongzhou Theater was actually forcing them to make an unavoidable public statement in front of everyone on the core issue of ownership.

Avoiding or being vague will only make the Western theater appear to have ulterior motives and may even become an excuse for the other side to launch subsequent attacks.

So in a flash, Zhang Shouzheng made a quick decision.

A complex smile, a mixture of emotion, relief, and "as it should be," immediately appeared on his face. Facing Gu Chengyuan's gaze, he responded in a loud and clear voice:

"Commander Gu, you are too polite! Regarding the 77th Corps——"

He paused deliberately, as if to organize his thoughts and to emphasize his next words:

"This organizational number did belong to our Western Theater Command. This is a historical fact!"

He spoke clearly in this opening statement, frankly acknowledging the historical origins without any evasion. Then, he suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming resolute and open-minded:

"But! The apocalypse has arrived, and the world has changed dramatically! Under your wise leadership, Commander Gu, the soldiers of the 77th Regiment have fought bloody battles on the fertile land of the Zhongzhou War Zone, gained new life, and unleashed such powerful combat power! This is not only a blessing for the soldiers of the 77th Regiment, but also a clear proof that the entire Zhou State's national defense can be preserved and strengthened in the apocalypse!"

Zhang Shouzheng's voice was filled with the passion of someone who "understood the greater good":

"A unit's affiliation is never determined by its rank, but by who it fights for! Who it protects! For whom it strives for survival and a bright future!"

His eyes swept across all the Zhongzhou war zone generals present, and finally fell on Gu Chengyuan's face, and said with sincere "admiration":

"The soldiers of the 77th Legion now follow Commander Gu and make outstanding contributions to defending the Zhongzhou War Zone and the great cause of Zhou's revival!"

"This is sufficient proof that they have found the most worthy commander to follow and have dedicated themselves to the greatest cause! This is the choice of history, and it is also the choice these soldiers make without regrets!"

Finally, Zhang Shouzheng straightened his back slightly and concluded decisively:

"Therefore, regarding the 77th Corps's affiliation today, everyone in our Western Theater Command not only understands but is also pleased!"

"This is a great blessing for history! A great blessing for the country and the army!"

"There is no controversy on this issue that needs to be discussed! We are sincerely happy that this heroic unit can achieve greater success under Commander Gu's command!"

As soon as the words fell, all the participants from the Central and Western war zones were shocked into silence for a long time. Even Gu Chengyuan was slightly stunned by the other party's speech.

Zhang Shouzheng still maintained the excellent qualities of an older generation of politicians and ended with an almost perfect expression.

After he finished speaking, his face was filled with a kind of sincerity and open-mindedness that came from the bottom of his heart, as if he had unloaded a heavy historical burden, and as if he was truly happy that his "family" had found a good home.

This flawless response not only satisfied Gu Chengyuan's intention to "nail down the affiliation", but also preserved the last bit of dignity for the Western Theater, and even implicitly praised Gu Chengyuan.

His experienced political skills were fully demonstrated at this moment!

..

On the issue of the ownership of the 77th Corps, the reaction of Zhang Shou, director of the Joint Political Work Department of the Western Theater Command, can be said to be completely within the expectations of Gu Chengyuan and the leading cadres of the Zhongzhou Theater Command.

But what they didn't expect was that the other party would be more "savvy" than expected!

This experienced political general not only preserved the dignity of the Western Theater in the most respectable way, but also personally brought the ownership of the 77th Corps into the territory of the Central Plains Theater.

However, at this moment, Gu Chengyuan did not show any impatience to respond immediately, but nodded slightly, as if he was carefully savoring the deep meaning of Zhang Shouzheng's words.

This not only made the aftertaste of Zhang Shouzheng's "deep understanding of righteousness" linger for a few more seconds in the silent conference room, but also indirectly reflected the composure of the Zhongzhou war zone and the lack of such ugly eating habits.

This brief silence itself is an invisible pressure and a silent affirmation of Zhang Shouzheng's "knowledge of the times."

Afterwards, Gu Chengyuan leaned forward slightly, crossed his fingers and placed them lightly on the table. His eyes swept across every representative of the Western Theater Command as if they were real, and finally stopped at Zhang Shouzheng's face.

"Director Zhang's words," Gu Chengyuan's voice was not loud, but it had a strange resonance that clearly reached everyone's heart:

"Excellently said! Such profound wisdom and powerful words!"

"The core of a unit's affiliation lies in its morale! Its mission! Who it fights for and who it protects!"

Gu Chengyuan repeated and escalated Zhang Shouzheng's core point, his voice rising suddenly with an undeniable awe-inspiring aura:

"Director Zhang has hit the nail on the head! In the face of the end times, any conservative, self-imposed notions of belonging are a betrayal of this army, the future of Zhou, and the people struggling to survive on this land!"

Immediately afterwards, Gu Chengyuan elevated the issue of belonging to the absolute level of "loyalty" and "betrayal", completely blocking any possibility of using this as an excuse to overturn the verdict in the future.

"At this critical moment of doomsday and the collapse of order, the 77th Legion chose the Zhongzhou theater and chose to fight to protect the people of this land! They vindicated their choice with blood and merit, proving themselves to be a steel-clad force truly loyal to the people of Zhou and the continuation of human civilization!"

Gu Chengyuan's words were powerful and full of unquestionable authority: "History has reached a consensus on this!"

He once again emphasized the "historical consensus" and completely anchored the ownership of the 77th Corps on "the people's choice" and "historical inevitability", completely locking it in!

"So," Gu Chengyuan changed the subject, his gaze becoming sharper, like a sword drawn from its sheath, pointing directly at Zhang Shouzheng and Zou Yuan:

"On behalf of the Zhongzhou Theater, I personally, on behalf of the Central Plains Theater, deeply admire the overall perspective and strategic foresight Director Zhang has just demonstrated. I am also sincerely pleased! This shows that on the fundamental issues concerning the survival of the Zhou Dynasty and the rejuvenation of the nation, the core leadership of our two theaters has a high degree of strategic consensus!"

"And this consensus," Gu Chengyuan's voice slowed down, but with a stronger sense of oppression:

"It is the most solid and valuable foundation for us to establish a candid, pragmatic, mutually beneficial and win-win cooperative relationship!"

Hearing this, the members of the Western Theater Delegation, headed by Zhang Shouzheng, breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to themselves, "The huge obstacle to Sino-Western cooperation has been completely removed!"