50: Chapter 50 The Iron Wall is Initially Formed

Days passed by, and in the blink of an eye, another month had gone by.

Li Ling sat in his office, a thick stack of reports spread out before him; they were the monthly summaries from various units and departments.

He flipped through them one by one, a satisfied smile on his face, occasionally picking up a pen to circle and mark points on the reports.

Regarding the Army, the 100,000 elite troops had all completed their modernization upgrade.

Heavy Machine Guns, Mortars, and Anti-tank Rifles had all been distributed, and ammunition reserves were sufficient—enough to support three consecutive months of high-intensity combat.

According to the system's evaluation, the combat effectiveness of these troops could fully rival the armies of major European powers at the beginning of the 20th century, and in terms of firepower density, they had even surpassed most European armies.

The remaining 400,000 troops were also gradually undergoing equipment upgrades, with completion expected within half a year.

By then, he would have 500,000 troops equipped with modern weaponry; let alone fighting Japan, even if the great powers joined forces to invade, he would have the confidence to go toe-to-toe with them.

Regarding the Navy, the three Pre-dreadnoughts had completed upgrades to their fire control systems and shells, increasing their combat effectiveness by at least 30% compared to when they first entered service.

Among the six hidden Dreadnoughts, the "Pojun" had already been launched and was undergoing final fitting and sea trials; the crew members had already begun practical training on the ship, familiarizing themselves with the operational procedures of every station.

The "Tanlang" and "Qisha" would also be launched in the near future.

Water had already begun to be pumped into the dry dock, and the massive hulls were slowly floating on the surface, a truly spectacular sight.

The construction progress of the other three ships also exceeded expectations; the keels had been laid, and the hull frames were rising rapidly, like three steel giants growing from the ground.

The Special Forces completed their first combat mission, destroying the entire intelligence network of Japan within China.

After the baptism of this real combat, the 300 Special Forces were in high spirits, and their experience had increased significantly.

Commander Zhao Tieshan submitted a detailed operational summary report, analyzing the gains and losses of the operation and proposing suggestions for improvement.

Li Ling read it very carefully, writing many comments on the report.

The Radar network had been fully put into use, with twelve Radar stations operating twenty-four hours a day without interruption.

There was always someone on duty in front of the large screen at the Central Command Center, and any target entering within a 300-kilometer radius of the coast would be discovered, identified, and tracked immediately.

In this past month, the Radar had successfully detected the approach of Japan reconnaissance ships three times, and Li Ling sent warships to "greet" them every time, scaring those reconnaissance ships into turning around and fleeing.

After the expansion of the Production Base, production capacity tripled.

The dry dock area, heavy industry area, and research area were all fully operational, and crates of weapons, ammunition, and warship parts rolled off the production line every day.

In particular, the keels of the three newly built Dreadnoughts had been laid, and the hull frames were rising rapidly; at this speed, they would be ready for launch in less than five months.

Regarding funds, through the sale of arms to the German Empire and the spoils from suppressing bandits, Li Ling now had 25 million taels of silver in liquid assets.

He also used the connections of his father, Retired Emperor Li Zhenshan, to open banks and trading firms in several coastal cities, beginning to step into the commercial field; although the scale was not large, they were already profitable.

Li Ling calculated the accounts; based on the current income and expenditure, his funds could support him for about a year.

After one year, if there were no new sources of income, expenses would exceed revenue.

Therefore, he had to open up new sources of wealth as soon as possible—either continue selling arms or occupy more territory to obtain tax revenue.

Regarding talent, in addition to the various technical personnel provided by the system, Li Ling also recruited a group of old officials and intellectuals through his father and the imperial princess.

Although the level of these people was uneven—some were pedantic, some cowardly, and some still carried the bad habits of officialdom—at least there was now a framework for administrative management.

Subsequent screening and training could be done slowly, keeping the good ones and replacing the bad ones.

Regarding public sentiment, several consecutive naval battles defeating Japan pushed Li Ling's reputation in the coastal areas to its peak.

The common people called him the "Sea God" and his fleet the "Divine Soldiers."

Every day, young people came to join the Army, and Li Ling selected the strong and sturdy ones to supplement the troops, basically solving the issue of troop sources.

What made him even more gratified was that the merchants along the coast also began to voluntarily donate money and goods to him.

They knew that only Li Ling's navy could protect their merchant ships from being robbed by Japan.

In this day and age, doing business at sea was all about luck, and encountering a Japan ship meant losing both people and property.

Now with the escort of Li Ling's fleet, the trade routes were safe, and business was easier to conduct.

Li Ling closed the last report, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long breath.

"System, how do you think I've done over this past half year or so?" he asked, his tone carrying a hint of exhaustion, but also a hint of pride.

The system was silent for a moment, then said in a rare, serious tone, "Host, to be honest, I didn't have any expectations for you at the beginning.

You were too unserious, throwing tantrums and acting like a rascal; you didn't look like someone who could accomplish great things at all."

Li Ling chuckled, not refuting it.

"But over these past six months, I've changed my view of you," the system continued.

"Although you are usually cheeky, you never drop the ball at critical moments.

You know when to be tough, when to compromise, when to be ruthless, and when to be gentle.

Your ruthlessness toward enemies, sincerity toward friends, and tenderness toward your lover are all real; they aren't put on."

"There are many smart people in this world, many brave people, and many kind people.

But people who can be smart, brave, and kind at the same time, and who can make the right choices at critical moments, are rare.

And you, Host, you are one of them."

Li Ling was a bit embarrassed by the system's praise and scratched his head: "System, did you take the wrong medicine today? Why are you suddenly so sappy? Are you plotting something big?"

"It's rare that I praise you, and you're still complaining." The system returned to its usual tone, with a hint of impatience, "Fine, I won't praise you anymore. I'll go back to roasting you."

"Don't, don't, don't!" Li Ling said hurriedly, "You should keep praising, just don't be too sappy.

You can praise me, but don't make it sound like I'm amazing; I'm still far from it."

"You're quite clear-headed," the system said.

"Knowing that you're far from it means you still have room for improvement."

"That goes without saying, I'm going to..."

"Don't say you're going to be the Pirate King; you've already used that line eight hundred times."

"How did you know I was going to say that?!"

The person and the system laughed together in the consciousness space.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Empress Su Wanqing walked in carrying a bowl of white fungus and lotus seed soup, steam rising from the bowl, and the sweet scent permeated the office.

"Li Ling, you haven't eaten yet, right? I stewed some white fungus and lotus seed soup, drink it while it's hot."

She placed the bowl on the table and asked curiously, seeing Li Ling's smiling face, "What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing." Li Ling picked up the bowl and took a sip.

The sweet, refreshing taste made him relax completely, and his tense nerves eased.

"I just feel that it's good to be alive."

Empress Su Wanqing was stunned for a moment, then smiled sweetly: "That goes without saying.

As long as you are alive, I am alive."

Li Ling put down the bowl and looked at her seriously.

Empress Su Wanqing felt a bit shy under his gaze, lowered her head, and twisted the corner of her clothes with her fingers.

"Wanqing," he said softly.

"Hmm?"

"After we finish this busy period, we'll get married."

Empress Su Wanqing's face turned red instantly, red like a ripe apple.

She lowered her head, her voice as small as a mosquito's: "Who... who wants to marry you..."

"If you're not willing, then I'll go look for someone else." Li Ling teased her on purpose, a wicked smile curling the corner of his mouth.

"How dare you!" Empress Su Wanqing looked up abruptly, her eyes red, and tears swirling inside.

Li Ling laughed heartily and reached out to pull her into his arms.

Empress Su Wanqing struggled twice before giving up, leaning obediently against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat and smelling the faint scent of ink and tobacco on him.

The sunset outside the window dyed half the sky red, and the sea was shimmering with golden light.

In the distance, the chimneys of the Production Base were emitting white smoke; those were the three Dreadnoughts being built in full swing, and the workers were still working overtime.

Further away, where the sea and sky met, a few fishing boats were returning to port, and the fishermen's shanty songs drifted over faintly, melodious and ancient.

The real storm was yet to come.

Li Ling knew that Japan would not give up, the great powers were also watching covetously from the shadows, and the imperial family's attitude was ambiguous.

He still had many enemies, and his road was still very long.

But at this moment, he didn't want to think about those things.

Li Ling held Empress Su Wanqing and looked at the sunset outside the window, saying softly: "Wanqing, when everything is over, I'll take you to see the whole world.

We'll go to Europe, to the Americas, to Antarctica, to all the places we haven't been."

Empress Su Wanqing leaned in his arms and gave a soft "Hmm."

She didn't know what would happen in the future, but at this moment, in this man's embrace, she felt incomparably at ease.

Outside the window, the sunset slowly sank into the sea level, and the clouds on the horizon were dyed golden-red, like a burning flag, snapping in the sea breeze.