146: Chapter 146 National Defense Force Plan

"What we want to pull together is not some ragtag mercenary group that works for money, but the proper National Defense Forces of the Cyber Freedom Republic."

Lin Zhou's words set a hard line for the military's construction.

"First is the source of soldiers." He Jun drew several red and blue lines on the map on the large screen with agile movements. "I plan to get people from two channels."

"First, the current batch from the Police Force. These 150 people are our foundation; they've seen blood and their tactical movements are solid. In the future, they will be the backbone of the army, directly transitioning into non-commissioned officers or grassroots leaders. I've already spoken to them one by one; as long as the pay is right, these guys would give anything to get the Republic's citizenship."

Lin Zhou nodded in agreement; this core group was indeed the most reliable cornerstone.

"Second, issue recruitment orders directly in countries we have diplomatic ties with." He Jun's fingertip slid across the twenty-odd markers on the map of Africa. "Our laws allow dual citizenship, which is a massive advantage. As long as the salary and benefits we offer are significantly higher than their own national armies, young people looking for a future will be lining up to sign up."

He paused for a moment and added: "Of course, the salary structure needs to be readjusted. Recruiting the police back then was a rush job, so those were mercenary prices. Later, we need to bring the compensation down to a normal yet generous level. We have to look at the long-term accounts."

"There's another bargaining chip," Qin Yue tapped the table. "As long as they serve for five years, their immediate family members can obtain permanent residency in the Republic and enjoy education and medical subsidies. For families struggling at the poverty line, this is the only ladder they have to cross social classes."

"As for the issue that the city hasn't been built yet, we can step in and arrange for these benefits to be coordinated within their home countries."

"That's the right path," Lin Zhou expressed his approval. "We are recruiting future citizens, not cannon fodder. We must give them a sense of belonging and let them understand that they are holding these guns for the sake of their families' peaceful lives."

"We have the people; the rest is training and hardware." He Jun's expression became solemn. "What we recruit will be a motley crew. To mold them into a fist that follows orders, we need top-tier instructors. Our training system must be brought over from the toughest place."

He Jun looked at Lin Zhou, his attitude couldn't be clearer.

"Looking across the globe, in terms of individual soldier quality and strength of will, China's military is in a class of its own. The first batch of instructor teams must be invited from China."

"Equipment is also a weakness," He Jun continued. "In the previous confrontation with Fattah, our shortcomings in heavy firepower were too obvious. This time, the formation of the army must leap forward to modern synthesis. The set of synthetic company equipment mentioned last time is just waiting for us to secure our sovereign status before being sent over. It's time to reveal that trump card."

Lin Zhou knew very well that the issues He Jun raised ultimately tied back to one knot—establishing formal diplomatic relations with China.

For the delivery of heavy firepower of that scale, without a solid diplomatic status, let alone buying tanks, even buying a few thousand rifles would be closely watched by the international community. China has always been a country of principle and would never sell arms to an organization that doesn't even have official status.

"These will all be highlights on the upcoming negotiation table," Lin Zhou decided. "Put the instructors and equipment aside for now. Your current task is to hammer out the recruitment details, military organization, and that grueling training syllabus. Once the agreement is signed, we push forward according to the schedule immediately; we can't delay for a single minute."

"Yes!" He Jun straightened his back and gave a standard military salute. On this stretch of Gobi desert, he was personally molding the embryonic form of a nation's power.

The meeting adjourned, and Chen Yuan stayed behind.

"Lord, regarding the matter of connecting to the global network, I just received good news." The old minister spoke significantly faster than usual.

"It's done?"

"We've secured African Union observer status, and Egypt has given the nod. Those international network organizations that were originally blocking us—like the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers—changed their tune instantly." Chen Yuan smiled and handed over the documents. "The sovereign status application has been approved. From now on, we have our own top-level domain, and the IP address segments and autonomous system numbers are all ours."

This was equivalent to getting an entry ticket to the cyber world. Without these 'digital ID cards,' those expensive data centers were just a few warehouses filled with hardware.

"What about the hardware installation? We can't just rely on an empty shell."

"It's proceeding simultaneously." Chen Yuan spread out a map. "Although we don't have a seaport to connect to submarine fiber optic cables, we can flank from the land routes of Egypt and Sudan. The construction team coordinated by Blackstone Group has already started work, and the main line will be connected next month."

By then, the 'digital switzerland' would truly be connected to the world.

Lin Zhou looked at the map, his palms feeling slightly warm. Agriculture, military, network... this skeleton was filling out bit by bit.

For the next half month, Lin Zhou and his team entered a state of unprecedented high pressure.

Qin Yue traveled non-stop between various African countries, busy putting those verbal agreements onto paper; Chen Yuan was preparing the National Mining Company, testing floor prices with several large domestic mining groups; He Jun buried himself in tactical drawings and personnel files, pondering over every screw in the military.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhou had been waiting for the news that could decide the outcome.

One afternoon two weeks later, that Hongqi sedan appeared outside the courtyard again.

Director Zhou didn't show his face this time, only asking his secretary to deliver a plain envelope.

Lin Zhou tore open the seal. Inside was only a single sheet of plain stationery, the fountain pen handwriting on it pressing through the paper, such that one could even feel the indentations where the nib had passed:

"After deliberation, it is agreed in principle to initiate negotiations for the normalization of bilateral relations. Please form a delegation; the time and place will be notified separately."

Lin Zhou gripped this piece of paper, his palm feeling as if it were supporting the weight of several mountains.

He walked into the meeting room and spread the paper on the table.

Qin Yue, Chen Yuan, and the others crowded around. After seeing the handwriting clearly, the atmosphere in the room suddenly exploded. Chen Yuan's hand, which was originally resting on the edge of the table, began to tremble, and he slapped it down heavily on the tabletop, the redness under the old man's eyelids uncontrollable.

Qin Yue also turned her back and quietly wiped the corner of her eye. She had led so many diplomatic offensives, but this single piece of paper alone made her feel a recognition that went down to her bones.

This was a status granted by one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, which could directly multiply the value of all their previous achievements several times over.

Two years ago, they were just a 'ragtag band' hiding in a broken office drawing pie-in-the-sky dreams.

Two years later, they would put on formal suits and sit across the long table of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conducting negotiations on equal footing as representatives of a nation.

Looking at these old partners who had followed him all the way, Lin Zhou also felt his emotions surging.

"Alright," Lin Zhou raised his hand to suppress everyone's emotions, "two minutes of happiness is enough. The upcoming negotiations will be the real battle. Assemble the strongest team. Our return to the country this time isn't just to change the sign on an embassy."

He looked around and tapped the table, saying, "We can't fall behind on those benefits. Go tell them that since we are one family, we have to fight for that interest-free loan too!"