"How about we vote again? This time, we'll only choose between Chen Yannan and Liu Dekai, who are tied. There was a split vote earlier, so if we vote again, it might not be a tie again."
This is the best solution Mo Cheng can think of right now.
In any case, we absolutely cannot change the time. If we wait for Qiao Shouyan to come back, we will definitely lose another vote, and it will make it seem like he deliberately sent people away, which would be a despicable act.
Commander Zhou was well aware of Mo Cheng's little scheme...
But firstly, Mo Cheng was considered one of his men, and secondly, what Mo Cheng said did make some sense.
Regardless of when the promotion conference is held, there will always be teams on missions. It's impossible to wait until there are no teams on missions before holding the conference.
Since there will always be absentees, it doesn't matter who is absent.
Commander Zhou nodded, gesturing for Mo Chengxian to sit back down.
Seeing the interaction between his father-in-law and Commander Zhou, Liu Dekai on the stage knew that they were trying to find a solution for him. He became even more nervous, his legs felt heavy, and he remained motionless and tense.
"Commander Liu, how about this: let's hold another vote between the 6th and the 8th. Even if we change the time, other teams will be on missions at that time, so we might not be able to reach full capacity," Commander Zhou suggested.
Mo Cheng and Commander Zhou's interaction just now was not kept in the dark, so Liu Yuying saw it all.
Therefore, this is equivalent to what Mo Cheng meant.
It seems the father-in-law is determined to promote his son-in-law to the position of power.
The military is not a place where one person can have their own say, and Liu Yuying cannot do whatever she wants. Under the current circumstances, she can only agree to Division Commander Zhou's proposal, since his reasons are valid.
“Alright, let’s do as Commander Zhou says.” Liu Yuying agreed.
She will stick to her own choices, but she can't control what others choose; who knows what changes might happen?
"After discussion, it has been decided to hold another vote. This time, the only candidates are Comrade Chen Yannan and Comrade Liu Dekai. Raising your hand represents your support for Comrade Chen Yannan, and not raising your hand represents your support for Comrade Liu Dekai. Now, please make your choice—"
In an instant, hands were raised in unison, accompanied by various discussions.
"You can only vote between the two of them, right? I just voted for Lao Wang, maybe I should just forfeit now..."
"I can't abstain! Haven't you heard that not raising your hand means supporting Liu Dekai? Are you going to support him? I'm definitely choosing Chen Yannan over the two of them! I'm raising my hand!"
"We almost got dragged into a ditch! Right, we can't abstain. Not raising our hands means supporting Prince Liu, and that won't do!"
"You're quick-witted, otherwise I would have been completely fooled. Raise your hand, hurry up!"
The contrast between raising one's hand and not raising it is quite obvious.
The number of comrades who raised their hands far exceeded the number who did not, which means the result is already in.
Liu Dekai: "..."
It felt like someone had grabbed his throat and blocked his nose, preventing him from breathing fresh air. The sounds around him kept getting louder and softer, closer and farther away, so hazy that they seemed unreal, making it impossible for him to distinguish whether this was reality or a scene he was imagining.
We lost?
The battalion commander position that was within his grasp has slipped away again?
Liu Dekai's breathing became heavy. He couldn't accept it. His whole body was trembling slightly, and even his lower limbs felt weak and limp.
If it weren't for the large number of people sitting in the audience, Liu Dekai, who had a sense of shame, would have liked to just sit on the ground without a care in the world.
The comrade in charge of counting the votes quickly compiled the latest data and began to announce the results.
"Comrade Chen Yannan received 76 votes, and Comrade Liu Dekai received 48 votes. Congratulations to Comrade Chen Yannan on his official promotion to battalion commander! Congratulations!"
A burst of enthusiastic applause quickly erupted from the audience.
Congratulations!
"Congratulations, Battalion Commander Chen!"
"Thank you all for your support. I want to thank you for this promotion." Chen Yannan began to give his promotion speech.
As for Liu Dekai, he should have offered his blessings with dignity and then walked off the stage with composure. He knew he should do so, but his legs felt like they weighed a ton, and his throat felt like it was locked. He couldn't utter a single word and could only watch blankly as everything he didn't want to see unfolded out of control...
That's it, he's missed out on the battalion commander position once again.
If the first vote was a tie with Chen Yannan, a fair split, then the second vote was a crushing defeat for Liu Dekai!
Chen Yannan's votes far exceeded his, which shows that he has the support of the people.
Liu Dekai only gained a mere five votes in the second round of voting—meaning that those who had previously voted for others all chose Chen Yannan after the votes were tied.
Liu Dekai was clearly not hit, but he felt ashamed, as if he had been slapped countless times in front of everyone.
"Deputy Battalion Commander Liu, you can step down now." The comrade in charge of the event kindly reminded Liu Dekai when he saw that Liu Dekai was not moving.
Although he spoke very softly, Liu Dekai seemed startled, and then couldn't help but stare at him hatefully, as if he was the one who caused all the unfavorable outcomes.
The word "deputy" in "Deputy Battalion Commander Liu" was, in particular, tantamount to slapping Liu Dekai in the face again.
He resigned in anger.
"Whoosh—" Zhao Yunshan, of course, saw Liu Dekai's defeated exit and promptly gave him a "congratulatory" whistle.
"That bastard deserved it! This is retribution!"
"Let him dare to flirt with your sister-in-law again! As long as we're around, he can forget about being promoted to battalion commander for the next few years. I definitely won't vote in favor!"
"In my opinion, this is an inevitable trend. Given today's vote count, apart from the votes his father-in-law lobbied for him, I don't think many people are willing to vote for him. I guess he has angered the public."
The others were also discussing it, since the votes were cast by everyone and represented the will of the people.
Liu Dekai knew that many people were laughing at him, but he didn't care who was laughing at him at the moment. He was filled with anger, hatred and regret.
Once again, he was stuck in the position of deputy battalion commander, and he didn't know where the next opportunity would come from.
The future looks bleak.
Not only was Liu Dekai in a bad mood, but Mo Cheng, who had guided this promotion ceremony, also had a dark face. He never expected it to turn out this way.
But Liu Yuying was very happy. After the new battalion commander Chen Yannan stepped down, Liu Yuying said a few words of encouragement to him, hoping that he would do a good job in the future, contribute to the army, and set an example for other comrades!
Next, we will continue to select deputy battalion commanders, platoon leaders, and so on.
Liu Dekai was in a dazed state, sitting in his seat, unable to hear or see anything, temporarily trapped in this defeat.
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