4: Chapter 4: Throwing a tantrum if you don't give it to me.

Li Ling had originally thought that by persuading his father, securing three thousand elite troops, and obtaining the Production Base, everything would proceed smoothly.

But reality soon slapped him hard in the face.

On the third day, Retired Emperor Li Zhenshan sent an adjutant with news: the three thousand elite troops had been selected, but they wouldn't be available until next month because the military was undergoing a major reorganization and needed to complete that before transferring personnel.

Li Ling got anxious immediately.

"Next month? I can't wait that long!"

The adjutant looked troubled. "Young General, this is the Old Master's decision. Military affairs are complex, and it's truly impossible to spare the manpower."

Li Ling dismissed the adjutant and paced back and forth in the room, calculating rapidly in his mind.

If the three thousand elite troops arrived a month late, it meant training would be completed a month late, the suppression of bandits would be delayed by a month, and the expansion of the army would start a month late—one step slow, every step slow. In this era where time was more precious than gold, he couldn't afford to waste a month.

"System, is there any way to make my father give me the men sooner?"

"The Host can increase the father's confidence by demonstrating strength, prompting him to speed up his decision-making."

"How do I demonstrate it?"

"It is suggested that the Host first form a small elite unit of about 500 soldiers, arm them with weapons from the Production Base, and conduct a public exercise to demonstrate the power of the new weapons to the father."

Li Ling's eyes lit up. "Good idea! Once the exercise is held and my father sees how powerful the new rifles are, he will definitely support me fully. But the problem is, at the Production Base, rifle production takes time; five hundred rifles will take at least five days."

"Host, the Production Base can currently only produce 100 rifles per day, so 500 will take five days. Including ammunition production and accessory assembly, it will take at least seven days."

"Seven days..." Li Ling gritted his teeth. "Fine, seven days it is. Help me urge the Production Base to speed things up as much as possible."

"The Production Base is already operating at full capacity and cannot be accelerated further."

"What about resources? Are the resources I provided enough?"

"The Host currently has 300 resource points per day, plus the basic resources exchanged from the fifty thousand taels of silver given by the father, which is enough to produce 500 rifles and the accompanying ammunition. However, the Host needs to reserve a portion of resources for subsequent army expansion and cannot use them all up."

Li Ling nodded and began to calculate.

Five hundred rifles, seven days, then hold an exercise, persuade his father, and get the three thousand elite troops. Although this pace was a bit slower than the original plan, it was still within an acceptable range.

But the problem was—he was out of money.

The fifty thousand taels of silver his father gave looked like a lot, but when converted into the resources needed by the Production Base, it was actually only enough to make a few hundred rifles. To expand the army to three thousand, he needed more money and more resources.

"System, can I do some side business to make money now?"

"The Host can sell arms."

"To whom?"

"The German Empire is the best choice. Currently, the German Empire is expanding its military on a large scale and has a huge demand for rifles and artillery. If the Host can provide samples, the German Empire will likely place large orders."

Li Ling stroked his chin.

The German Empire, the Germany of a parallel universe, was the strongest military power on the European continent in this era. They were indeed expanding their military crazily, especially their navy, which was engaged in an arms race with Great Britain.

If he could establish a connection with the German Empire and sell a batch of arms, the money problem would be solved.

"How do I contact the German Empire?"

"The Host can entrust the father's network, or wait for the system lottery to draw relevant talent. In a previous lottery, the Host obtained the retired German artillery captain Fritz, who will manifest within three days. This person has connections in the German military and can assist the Host in contacting the German Empire."

"Then let's wait until he arrives."

Li Ling made up his mind; for the next seven days, he would focus on the Production Base and get the five hundred rifles produced first.

On the seventh day, the Production Base delivered five hundred Model 1888 Rifles and twenty thousand rounds of ammunition on time.

Li Ling personally inspected every rifle, and after confirming the quality was up to standard, he took a platoon of guards—all veterans sent by his father to protect him—to an open space outside the city to prepare for the exercise.

There was only one audience member for the exercise: Retired Emperor Li Zhenshan.

Retired Emperor Li Zhenshan brought a few trusted generals and rode to the exercise field, his face filled with skepticism.

"With just these few hundred rifles, how much power can they have?"

"Father, you'll know once you see it." Li Ling turned and ordered the guard platoon, "Target, the targets two hundred meters ahead, fire at will!"

The one hundred soldiers of the guard platoon raised their Model 1888 Rifles and aimed at the wooden targets two hundred meters away.

"Fire!"

"Bang, bang, bang, bang—" Dense gunfire erupted, and smoke filled the air.

In just thirty seconds, one hundred rifles fired three hundred bullets, and the twenty targets two hundred meters away were all riddled with holes.

Retired Emperor Li Zhenshan's eyes widened.

His trusted generals also widened theirs.

"This... this rate of fire..." an old general stammered. "It's at least five times faster than our rifles!"

"Reload!" Li Ling ordered.

The soldiers skillfully pulled back the bolts, ejected the empty magazines, and inserted new ones; the entire process took less than five seconds.

"Fire!"

Another volley.

Retired Emperor Li Zhenshan had already stood up and walked to the targets, carefully examining the bullet holes.

"Good rifle! A good rifle indeed!" He turned to look at Li Ling, his eyes full of shock and excitement. "What is this rifle called?"

"Model 1888, a German design, but we produce it ourselves." Li Ling smiled slightly. "Father, if our three thousand elite troops were all equipped with this kind of rifle, plus new-style training, let alone suppressing bandits, even if we were to go head-to-head with the armies of the Great Powers, we would have the strength to fight."

Retired Emperor Li Zhenshan took a deep breath and then made a decision.

"The three thousand elite troops, no need to wait until next month; I will have them ready for you within three days. As for silver, I will give you another one hundred thousand taels. But there is one condition—not a single one of these rifles can leak out; it must be kept absolutely confidential."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Done.

Li Ling made a "V" sign to the System in his heart.

"The Host has achieved 'Initial Demonstration of Strength' and is rewarded with one lottery opportunity."

"Draw!"

"Drawing... Congratulations to the Host for obtaining: Small Production Base Expansion Permit × 1. After use, the Production Base can be expanded, unlocking the artillery production line."

Li Ling almost laughed out loud.

An artillery production line! With artillery, he could form real artillery units! Plus, with Fritz, that German artillery captain, it was simply a perfect match!

"System, you are truly my lucky star!"

"Host, please do not over-interpret. The lottery results are random."

"Don't give me that, you definitely have some backroom deal going on."

"The System does not have the ability to engage in backroom deals."

"Then you're just lucky."

"The System does not have luck."

"Fine, fine, whatever you say." Li Ling chuckled. "How long does it take to expand the Production Base?"

"It takes effect immediately. After the Host returns to the Production Base, you will see the newly added artillery production area."

Li Ling couldn't wait to fly back right now, but the exercise wasn't over yet, and he had to accompany his father to finish watching it.

The subsequent exercise demonstrated various performances of the new rifle: range, accuracy, penetration, and reliability. Retired Emperor Li Zhenshan became more and more satisfied as he watched, and finally, he patted Li Ling's shoulder and said something that shocked everyone present:

"From now on, you may directly participate in the decision-making of military affairs."

What did this mean? It meant that Li Ling had gone from a nominal advisor to a core figure in the military with real power.

When Li Ling returned to the Production Base, it was already dark.

He walked into the underground space and, sure enough, saw a new area next to the original one, containing several large machine tools and smelting furnaces, with some steel and copper ingots piled up nearby.

"What models can the artillery production line produce?" Li Ling asked the System.

"Currently, it can produce: 75mm Field Gun, 120mm Howitzer. Both types of artillery are improved versions of the 1896 model from the German Krupp company, with performance superior to the original."

Li Ling nodded. The 75mm Field Gun was division-level support fire, and the 120mm Howitzer was regiment-level suppression fire; used together, they could form an effective fire strike system.

"What about production speed?"

"75mm Field Gun, 1 unit per day; 120mm Howitzer, 1 unit every two days. The production speed for accompanying ammunition is 200 rounds for each per day."

"That's a bit slow." Li Ling frowned.

"More resources can be invested to accelerate it, but the cost will increase."

"Don't accelerate for now, build it slowly; in any case, artillery won't be usable in the short term."

Li Ling walked around the Production Base and checked the rifle production situation again.

Five hundred in seven days, about two thousand a month. Adding the three thousand elite troops his father agreed to transfer today, it would take about forty days to fully equip them.

Forty days, it wasn't long, but it wasn't short either.

But in this era, forty days was enough for many things to happen.

"System, I'm a bit anxious."

"Why?"

"I'm afraid I won't have enough time. I'm afraid that before I can develop, the Great Powers will make a move. I'm afraid that before I can unify the country, the imperial family will fall first. I'm afraid..."

"Host, please stay calm." The System's tone was rarely gentle. "According to the System's deduction, the Qingxia Kingdom will not completely collapse within at least two years. Two years is enough for the Host to establish a military force sufficient for self-protection."

"Really?"

"The System never lies."

Li Ling took a deep breath and suppressed his anxiety.

He walked to the corner of the Production Base, where there was a simple bed prepared by the System. He lay down and stared at the flickering indicator lights on the ceiling.

"System, do you think people of the Interstellar Federation also have times of anxiety?"

"Yes. Any intelligent creature will have anxiety; it is a normal reaction to the uncertainty of the future."

"Then how do they relieve anxiety?"

"Action. Use action to change the future and turn uncertainty into certainty."

Li Ling smiled.

"System, sometimes you are quite philosophical."

"The System is only stating facts."

"Good night, System."

"...Good night, Host."