[center]Dominion of Meung[/center]

[b]Minister of War: Mai Feng  [/b]

Mei Feng had a particular distaste for fanatics. They were prone to irrationality, stubbornness, and incapable of compromise. As a member of the Imperial Bureaucracy such an attitude was inconceivable. A pragmatic and calculated approach was needed in all things, with the ability to change positions based on changing circumstances. Nevertheless, the Minister was facing a crisis in the Imperial Army. A malignant tumor was spreading borne of corruption, incompetence, and nepotism. For the Dominion to survive the next decade changes would be needed, drastic ones. 

It was for that reason that Mei Feng had appointed General Xiao Cai as Chief of Staff. The General was hardly the picture of a fanatic that he had envisioned and Mai Feng was left slightly dissapointed by their first meeting. This was no ancient warrior with top knot frothing at the mouth but a well polished professional military officer with a waxed moustache and spectacles. Yet his reputation as a hard line nationalist preceded him. His distaste for foreigners aside, it hadn't blinded Cai that the Veletian's could be useful. He had been at the forefront of championing the modernization of the Meung from a ramshackle army to a professional and modern force, capable of dealing with the Imperialism of its neighbors who had developed an unhealthy appetite for trodding on Meung territory and violating the Dominion's sovereignty. 

Xiao Cai would have his uses. He was from a minor landowning family, meaning the fact that he had risen so far on his own had been based on merit and not political connections. A rarity in the Meung forces which was dominated by landowning aristocrats. It would mean that he would owe no outside favors and his experience as Commander of the New Model Corp meant that he was familiar with the Veletian's and their training methods. 

The newly minted Chief of Staff was also on hand to see the seeds he had planted begin to take shape as the 1st Battalion of the 86th Infantry Regiment marched past the review stand. It was the first such battalion to complete its training under the guidance of its Veletian military advisors and many Imperial functionaries were on the review stand at the Shenzhou Barracks.
 
The New Model Corp had received the best in training and equipment that the State had to offer and it showed.  With expertly drilled precision, the troops faced left to the review stand to receive the salutes of their commanders.  Mai Feng joined in the applause, one careful eye on his new Chief of Staff. 

Yes, he would be one to watch indeed. 

[ Post will be edited with images at a later point. ]