My Husband, a Marshal: Conquering the Stars with My Culinary Arts-Chapter 598 - 202: Water Chestnut Cake, Water Chestnut Fish Paste Pie, Water Chestnut Lion’s Head

The Military Department allotted Ke Lian half an hour, the maximum time permissible to bid his family farewell properly. After all, the battle between the Insect Clan and the Blue Star Empire was clearly going to be significant, and Ke Lian wouldn’t be back for at least half a year.

A loving wife, a fragile child, and an elderly father—Ke Lian fit two and a half of these categories. Ke Xing wouldn’t admit to being an "old" father, so the Military Department wasn’t keen on urging him to leave immediately.

Yet Ke Lian left the house in less than ten minutes, opting to walk out alone. The adjutant, Zhang Xiong, who was waiting at the door, raised an eyebrow as he helped Ke Lian open the car door and teased him, "I thought I’d see your wife teary-eyed, unwilling to let you go!"

Zhang Xiong came early, just idly hoping to bask in some domestic bliss. After all, he had been incredibly busy with the Military Department lately and felt that the banter of Ke Lian and Du Xixi could bring a bit of joy to life. Yet the easily accessible amusement eluded Zhang Xiong, causing him to tease Ke Lian.

Ke Lian knew Zhang Xiong’s words were without malice, so he merely glanced at him lightly, not in the least offended, and replied mischievously, "Getting a pregnant woman to cry and wail in the dead of winter—is that a lack of brains or did your college political science scores not meet the bar?"

Zhang Xiong’s hand paused in closing the car door, and he looked up at Ke Lian with exaggerated surprise, saying, "How did you know I failed political science? Out of all my subjects, that’s the only one I didn’t pass!"

Ke Lian: ...

It was merely a casual remark.

Seeing Ke Lian’s expression momentarily shift to speechlessness, Zhang Xiong closed the car door with a sense of triumph, got into the front seat, buckled his seatbelt, and turned to him with a grin, "Actually, I was joking. I aced the political science exam back then."

The Military Department’s expectations for every soldier’s qualities are exceedingly high. Especially in recent years, since Chen Yin issued a strict mandate, the Military Department prioritized political competence over strength. Even if one’s strength was formidable enough to solo any officer, without qualifying in political competence, they wouldn’t have a place in the Military Department.

The Minister of the Military accepted this readily, as he always paid particular attention to this point. Under the directive and the Minister’s vigorous enforcement, assessments of political competence were in full swing within the Military Department.

Some initially thought it pointless, only to discover post-assessment that many military personnel actually had significant ideological flaws, which would inevitably become detrimental over time. Only then did everyone take it seriously.

The final results of the assessment are only known to the Minister and the two officers in charge, protecting the soldiers’ privacy. However, noticing one or two comrades suddenly being sent away, people could usually guess who lacked political competence.

Ke Lian didn’t know Zhang Xiong’s assessment outcome. He only knew he didn’t score full marks; he consistently had a slight deficiency in empathy. Yet this minor flaw didn’t affect his service to the Military Department much, so his final score was quite good.

Now, hearing Zhang Xiong claim he achieved full marks in his assessment, Ke Lian was indeed surprised, as it wasn’t easy to find soldiers with full marks across the entire Military Department, let alone having one by his side.

The hovercar quickly arrived at the Military Department’s entrance, and the luggage had been stored in the space button. So Ke Lian and Zhang Xiong unloaded easily and, with a short distance to chat, Ke Lian said, "You’re impressive, probably topping the whole department with your assessment scores. No wonder the Minister’s attitude towards you was especially favorable during that period."

The Minister of the Military is not someone who believes solely in talent or effort. He always felt that talent and effort were secondary. A soldier can be weak—though obviously not weaker than ordinary people—but the Minister wanted their ideology to be correct so that they could position themselves appropriately, utilizing whatever seemingly insignificant strengths they have.

As for the Military Department’s situation, the Minister was particularly angry with that old professor not only because the Military Department wasted so many promising talents but because the professor had forgotten the heart with which he joined the Military Department and the duties he should perform as a department head.

The old professor’s political ideology had issues, which is why the Minister particularly disliked him and, during their dialogue, left no room for leniency in his words.