17: Chapter 17 already has 300,000 words?!

One month after receiving the loan, the Army expansion work progressed rapidly.

The recruitment of 120,000 new soldiers was basically completed. Although most of them were farmers and urban poor with no military experience, they were young, physically fit, and willing to endure hardship. As long as they underwent systematic training, they would soon become qualified soldiers.

The re-equipping of the 180,000 veteran soldiers was also more than half completed. Although these veterans were older, they had rich combat experience and were much better at adapting to new weapons than the recruits. Li Ling mixed the veterans with the recruits, letting the veterans lead the new ones, and the effect was surprisingly good.

"System, what is the current troop situation?" Li Ling asked.

"As of today, the total strength of the Army is 283,000, of which 200,000 have completed re-equipping, and 83,000 are in the process," the system reported. "It is expected to be fully re-equipped within ten days, reaching a total strength of 300,000."

"300,000..." Li Ling muttered this number, a surge of pride rising in his heart.

An Army of 300,000, all equipped with the qingyun-1 rifle, each battalion equipped with sixty Mortars, and each soldier equipped with four Hand grenades. With such firepower configuration, let alone in the Qingxia Kingdom, even among the great powers, it was at a top level.

"Don't be happy too soon," the system poured cold water. "300,000 is just a number. The true elite capable of fighting does not exceed 50,000. The remaining 250,000 have insufficient training and are unfamiliar with their equipment. If a real war breaks out, how much combat power they can exert remains an unknown."

"I know," Li Ling nodded. "So, for the next few months, training is the top priority."

He formulated a strict training plan: wake up at 6:00 every day, run five kilometers; morning shooting training, each person fires at least ten live rounds every day; afternoon tactical training, including individual tactics, squad coordination, battalion and company attacks, etc.; evening theoretical study, learning military common sense, weapon operation, battlefield first aid, etc.

Twelve hours of training a day, one day of rest a week.

This training plan was extremely intense, and the soldiers complained endlessly, but Li Ling remained unmoved.

"Bitter? When fighting, the enemy will not spare you just because you are suffering," Li Ling said at the mobilization meeting. "Every drop of sweat now is a bullet on the future battlefield. If you want to survive, you must train until you drop!"

During the expansion, the system also gave Li Ling a huge surprise—three Pre-dreadnoughts were delivered directly.

It was a foggy morning when Li Ling was woken up by the system's notification sound.

"Host, three Pre-dreadnoughts have been secretly docked at the military port by the sea. Please check," the system said.

Li Ling sat up in a flash, washed and dressed as quickly as possible, and rode his horse straight to the military port.

The military port was at the seaside forty miles outside the city. It was a hidden natural harbor surrounded by mountains, with only one small road for access. Li Ling had long designated this place as a military restricted zone, and no one was allowed to approach.

When he arrived at the military port, the fog had not yet dispersed. Li Ling stood on the pier and vaguely saw three huge black shadows anchored on the sea.

"My God..." Li Ling muttered to himself, trembling with excitement.

As the fog gradually dissipated, the true appearance of the three warships was finally revealed.

Each warship was about 120 meters long, with a displacement of about 15,000 tons, equipped with four 305mm main guns, ten 152mm secondary guns, and a large number of small and medium-caliber guns. Although they were nothing compared to the Battleships of later generations, in this era, they were definitely sea monsters.

Li Ling boarded the first warship, the huge main turret leaving him dumbfounded.

"System, can this thing fire?"

"Of course it can," the system said. "And it's an improved version. The main gun range is 20% higher than the original, and the armor-piercing capability is increased by 30%."

"Great!" Li Ling danced with excitement. "Now let's see how the Japan can still be arrogant!"

"Don't get carried away," the system said. "These three Pre-dreadnoughts only give you the ability to protect yourself. You are still far from being able to attack the Japan mainland."

"I know," Li Ling nodded. "But at least I'm not afraid of them anymore."

The entry of the three Pre-dreadnoughts greatly boosted the morale of the Li Family Army.

After the news spread, the soldiers were boiling with excitement. They had never seen such a large warship, let alone believe that it was actually theirs. Even Retired Emperor Li Zhenshan was so shocked he couldn't speak when he saw them.

"Ling'er, is... is this ours?" Retired Emperor Li Zhenshan stood on the bridge, his voice trembling.

"It's ours," Li Ling smiled. "Father, these three warships will be the backbone of our Navy in the future."

"Navy..." Retired Emperor Li Zhenshan muttered to himself. "We have a Navy now too..."

"Not just a Navy," Li Ling said. "In the future, there will be an Air Force, there will be missiles, and there will be satellites. Father, just watch. Within ten years, we will become the most powerful country in the world."

Retired Emperor Li Zhenshan looked at his son, his eyes full of pride and relief.

He knew that the Li family had produced an extraordinary figure.

After the Pre-dreadnoughts joined the fleet, Li Ling began to establish the command system for the Navy.

He named the three warships "warship", "dinghai pre-dreadnought", and "Pinghai", with each warship equipped with 500 officers and soldiers. Among them, key positions such as the captain, first mate, and chief engineer were filled by professional personnel materialized by the Production Base, while the remaining officers and soldiers were recruited from the Army and the public.

"System, I have already had people copy the training materials for Navy officers and soldiers," Li Ling said. "The first batch of 300 students is currently studying navigation and gunnery."

"300 people is too few," the system said. "Three warships need 1,500 people. You only have 300. What about the rest?"

"The rest will be materialized by the Production Base," Li Ling said. "Can't you materialize operating personnel?"

"I can, but it requires resource points," the system said. "Materializing one naval officer or soldier requires ten resource points. 1,200 people means 12,000 resource points. Do you have them?"

Li Ling opened the system panel and looked at his resource point balance: 820.

"... No."

"Then you just wait," the system said. "When you have the resource points, I will materialize them for you."

Li Ling sighed, having to make do for now.

In addition to the Navy, Li Ling also began to establish the Marine Corps. He selected 3,000 Army elites to undergo amphibious warfare training, preparing to carry out landing and island-seizing missions in future naval battles.

"Marine Corps..." the system said. "You have quite the ambition."

"Of course," Li Ling smiled. "What I want is not just self-protection; I want the entire Western Pacific Ocean."

During the expansion, there was another thing that gave Li Ling a headache—logistics.

An Army of 300,000 consumed 300,000 jin of grain, 200,000 jin of fodder, and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition every day. With such a huge logistical demand, the Li family's original logistics system could not support it at all.

Li Ling had to rebuild the logistics system.

He divided logistics into several parts: the Quartermaster Department was responsible for the procurement and distribution of food, fodder, clothing, and other supplies; the Ordnance Department was responsible for the storage and maintenance of weapons and ammunition; the Transportation Department was responsible for the transport and allocation of supplies; the Health Department was responsible for battlefield medical care and the treatment of the wounded.

Each department was equipped with specialized personnel and detailed rules and regulations were formulated.

"System, what do you think of this logistics system of mine?" Li Ling asked.

"It's passable," the system said. "It's better than the original, but there is still a gap compared to the regular armies of the great powers."

"Where is the gap?"

"Standardization is insufficient, mobility is lacking, and informatization is zero," the system said. "However, these problems cannot be solved overnight. Take your time."

Li Ling nodded. He knew the system was right.

Logistics is the lifeline of the Army and cannot afford any mistakes. He must manage the logistics work well, otherwise, no matter how strong the Army is, it will collapse due to lack of food and ammunition.

After expanding the Army to 300,000, Li Ling's sphere of influence expanded significantly.

Originally, the Li family's territory was only a few hundred miles in radius. Now, through recruitment and the incorporation of local armed forces, the territory had expanded to over a thousand miles in radius, and the population had increased from a few million to over ten million.

The expansion of territory brought more tax revenue and sources of soldiers, but it also brought more trouble—public security, civil administration, finance, diplomacy... Every matter needed someone to manage, and what Li Ling lacked most was talent.

"System, I need talent," Li Ling said.

"I know," the system said. "Talent can be obtained through lucky draws or exchanged with resource points."

"How to exchange?"

"There are 'Talent Cards' in the system mall, which can randomly obtain a talent, including in various fields such as military, politics, economy, and technology," the system said. "Each Talent Card requires 500 resource points."

Li Ling looked at his resource point balance: 820.

"Exchange one," Li Ling gritted his teeth.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure."

A golden card appeared on the virtual panel, and Li Ling reached out and tapped it.

"Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Talent Card — Zhang Zhidong (Economic and Industrial Talent)."

Li Ling was stunned.

Zhang Zhidong? Wasn't that a famous minister of the Qingxia Kingdom? A representative figure of the Westernization Movement who founded a large number of modern industrial enterprises such as the Hanyang Iron Works and the Hubei Textile Bureau.

"System, this Zhang Zhidong... is he the Zhang Zhidong from history?"

"Yes," the system said. "But it's not the real person; it is a virtual character materialized by the system based on historical data, possessing all of Zhang Zhidong's knowledge, experience, and abilities."

"Can he help me with industry?"

"Of course," the system said. "He is one of the Chinese people who understood industry best in this era. With his help, your industrial foundation can be established quickly."

Li Ling was overjoyed. He was just worrying about having no one to help him with industry, and Zhang Zhidong's arrival was like snow in charcoal.

"Great!" Li Ling jumped up in excitement. "System, you are my savior!"

"Stop flattering me," the system said. "Zhang Zhidong will be materialized in three days. Just arrange work for him then."

"Understood!"