82: Chapter 82 Satellite Reconnaissance

## I. The Global Eye

In the first week after the satellite was put into use, Li Ling hardly closed his eyes.

He spent his days glued to the screens in the command center, analyzing the images transmitted from space with the technicians. Every photo was like a window into an unknown world, allowing him to see the most authentic appearance of this era—not the cold data and words in history books, but a living, warm reality full of contradictions and conflicts.

In the industrial cities of the Meijian Country's east coast, chimneys stood like a forest, factories operated day and night, railway networks were as dense as spider webs, and the ports were filled with merchant ships and warships. In those massive shipyards, new Battleships were under construction; welders and riveters worked day and night, and production lines never stopped. This country was rising at an astonishing speed, becoming an industrial behemoth that could not be ignored.

In the naval ports of the British mainland, massive Battleship fleets were neatly arranged, masts like forests, and gun barrels pointed toward the sky. Portsmouth, Plymouth, Scapa Flow... every naval port was filled with warships, ranging from old-fashioned Pre-dreadnoughts to the latest Dreadnoughts, everything one could imagine. The British Empire's naval strength was still the world's number one. Although it had begun to decline, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse; it was still not something he could easily challenge.

The various ports and military facilities of Japan, after the destruction by the Special Forces and the annihilation of the United Fleet, were in a state of utter disarray. Yokosuka, Sasebo, Kure Port... those wharves that once were filled with warships were now empty, with only a few old Cruisers and Destroyers patrolling. In the shipyards, bombed-out hulls lay askew; workers were struggling to clear the wreckage, and reconstruction work was progressing slowly.

The situation in the German Empire was completely different. Wilhelmshaven, Kiel, Hamburg... every port was frantically building new warships. In the massive shipyards, welding sparks flew, the roar of rivet guns was incessant, and workers worked in three shifts, day and night without pause. The German Empire was using the technology purchased from Li Ling to frantically expand its navy, challenging Britain's maritime hegemony.

Li Ling looked at these photos, his brows tightly locked.

"System, isn't the German Empire's expansion speed a bit too fast?" he asked in his heart, "Where did they get so much money?"

"Host, the technology the German Empire bought from you has greatly shortened their R&D cycle," the system analyzed, "The navy that originally would have taken them ten years to build now only needs five. Coupled with their economic strength on the European continent, their military expansion speed is naturally fast."

"And Britain can tolerate this?"

"They can't. So a new round of naval arms race is about to begin," the system's tone carried a hint of watching a show, "Britain, Meijian Country, German Empire, Japan... several major powers are all frantically building ships, and the Host can just happen to sell arms in the middle and make money from both sides."

Li Ling chuckled: "That's a good idea. However, I must first solve the problems at home."

He turned around and pointed to another set of photos on the screen: "These are the deployment maps of the Northern Warlords; have the intelligence department focus on analyzing them. I want to know their troop deployments, firepower configurations, and logistical supply lines; no detail can be missed."

"Understood."

## II. Discovering Daqing

On the seventh day of satellite reconnaissance, the intelligence department sent a report that made Li Ling's heart race.

"Sir, these are the geological photos taken by the satellite in the Northeast region," Chen Zhiyuan pointed to the images on the screen, "After spectral analysis, there are clear hydrocarbon characteristics underground in this area; it is preliminarily judged to be a large oil field, and the reserves may be extremely astonishing."

Li Ling took the report, his hands trembling.

An oil field! A large oil field!

In this era, oil is the blood of industry and the fuel for war machines. Whoever has more oil, their warships can travel further, their planes can fly higher, and their tanks can charge more fiercely. And the Qingxia Kingdom has always been considered an oil-poor country; all oil must be imported from abroad. Once blockaded by the great powers, his fleet would become a pile of scrap metal.

But the satellite told him that the Qingxia Kingdom is not an oil-poor country; it just hasn't found the oil field yet.

"System, how large are the reserves of this oil field?" Li Ling asked eagerly.

"According to satellite data analysis, the oil reserves of this oil field exceed five billion tons, making it one of the largest onshore oil fields in this world," the system replied, "If fully developed, it can completely meet the Host's oil needs for the next few decades, and can even be exported in large quantities."

Li Ling took a deep breath, trying hard to calm himself down.

Five billion tons, enough for him to use for several lifetimes. With this oil field, he would no longer need to look at the faces of the great powers, worry about being blockaded from oil, or spend huge sums of money to buy oil from abroad. More importantly, he could establish his own oil industry, cultivate his own technical personnel, and form a complete energy system.

"Pass the order: have the Special Forces dispatch a company to secretly head to the Northeast region to conduct an on-site survey of the area," Li Ling immediately ordered, "At the same time, select a group of geological experts and technical personnel from the Production Base to form an oil exploration team and set off as soon as possible. I want to drill the first oil well within one year."

"Yes!" Chen Zhiyuan accepted the order and left.

Li Ling stood in front of the screen, looking at the map marked with the oil field's location, a surge of passion rising in his heart.

"System, tell me, can this oil field make me the richest person in the world?"

"Host, oil is more valuable than gold. With such a large oil field, it would be hard not to become the richest person even if you didn't want to," the system paused, "But don't forget, Host, no matter how big an oil field is, it requires technology and equipment to extract. Without drilling equipment, oil pipelines, and refineries, oil is just a pile of black liquid buried underground with no use."

"I know," Li Ling nodded, "So next, we must fully develop the oil industry. Drilling, refining, transportation, storage... the entire industrial chain must be built."

"It is good that the Host has this awareness."

## III. Warlord Movements

On the tenth day of satellite reconnaissance, the intelligence department sent another heavyweight report—a detailed troop deployment map of the Northern Warlords.

Ever since the news of the United Fleet's annihilation arrived, the major Northern Warlords could no longer sit still. They knew that Li Ling's next target was them. Some tried to unite to resist Li Ling's Northern Expedition; some secretly contacted the great powers to request foreign aid; others even sent people directly to Jiangning Prefecture to express submission to Li Ling, willing to hand over their territories and armies, just to save their lives.

Li Ling looked at the troops of those warlords in the photos and couldn't help but sneer.

"This is the Beiyang Army that claims to have 'an Army of 300,000'?" he pointed at the loose and sloppy formations in the photos, "Look at this equipment, this training, this morale. 300,000 people, I think less than 30,000 can actually fight."

"Host, the Qingxia Kingdom's Army in this era is just like this," the system said, "Equipment is backward, training is insufficient, morale is low, and officers are corrupt. Let alone 300,000, even 3 million would not be a match for the Host's modernized troops."

"One cannot say it like that," Li Ling shook his head, "Even a lion uses its full strength when hunting a rabbit. I will not underestimate the enemy just because they are weak. Every battle must be taken seriously to minimize casualties."

He walked to the sea chart and pointed to the labels of the northern provinces.

"Although the Beiyang Army's overall combat capability is weak, their numbers are large and cannot be underestimated. Moreover, they occupy favorable terrain and are familiar with the geography; if we fight head-on, we will also suffer losses," Li Ling pondered for a while, "Therefore, I will use the Special Forces to first take out their command system, then use the Air Force to bomb their logistical supply lines, and finally use the Army to advance head-on. With this three-pronged approach, I will make them collapse before they even see our main force."

"The Host's tactic is ruthless enough," the system said, "But it is indeed effective."

Li Ling smiled, returned to the table, and began to draft the Northern Expedition plan.

His plan was divided into three stages: the first stage, use three months to complete the reorganization and training of the troops, and stockpile sufficient ammunition and supplies; the second stage, use six months to defeat the Northern Warlords one by one and unify the area north of the Yellow River; the third stage, use one year to pacify the southern provinces and complete national unification.

"Within three years, I want everyone on this land to live a peaceful life," Li Ling wrote this sentence on the last page of the plan and then signed his name.

## IV. Late Night Meeting

After finishing the plan, it was already late at night.

Li Ling leaned back in his chair, rubbing his sore eyes. On the screen, that small satellite was slowly moving, flying from over the Pacific Ocean toward the American continent. He looked at that dot of light, and a thought suddenly welled up in his heart.

"System, tell me, what would happen if I made the satellite photos public?"

"Host, the system does not recommend doing so," the system immediately objected, "Satellite technology is too advanced. If made public, it would cause panic and suspicion among the great powers. They might unite to deal with the Host, and even not hesitate to launch a war to destroy the Host's satellite. Moreover, with the technological level of this era, they cannot understand what a satellite is at all; instead, they would treat the Host as a demon or monster, causing unnecessary trouble."

"I know," Li Ling sighed, "I just feel that these photos are too precious, and it's a bit of a pity to hide them."

"The Host can take it slow," the system said, "First use Radar, then use the Reconnaissance Balloon, and finally gradually disclose more advanced technology. Wait until the Host unifies the country and stands firm, then slowly display these technological achievements to the outside world. By then, even if the great powers want to oppose it, it will be too late."

"You are right," Li Ling nodded, "Haste makes waste."

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the pitch-black night sky outside.

In the distance, the chimneys of the Production Base were still emitting white smoke, and workers were working overtime to produce weapons and equipment. Further away, on the wharf of the naval port, several warships were loading and unloading supplies, and the beams of searchlights were sweeping back and forth across the sea surface.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

"System, tell me, after I unify the country, what is the first thing I should do?" Li Ling suddenly asked.

"What does the Host want to do?"

"I want to open a university," Li Ling said, "A true modern university to cultivate engineers, scientists, doctors, teachers... all kinds of talent. For the Qingxia Kingdom to be strong, it cannot rely on me alone, nor can it rely on the system alone. We must have batches of talent emerge so that this country can truly stand up."

"The Host's idea is very good," the system rarely complimented, "Talent is the foundation of a country; without talent, nothing can be talked about."

"So I will start preparing from now," Li Ling turned around and walked back to the table, "First, we must select a group of scientific research personnel from the Production Base to serve as the university's teaching staff. Second, we must select outstanding students from all over the country and send them to the university to study. Finally, we must let these students return to various places after completing their studies to spread knowledge and cultivate more talent."

He picked up his pen and wrote a few large characters on a blank sheet of paper:

"Qingxia University Preparatory Committee."

Then, he wrote several pages of plans, densely packed, from site selection to curriculum design, from faculty recruitment to student selection; every detail was considered very thoroughly.

When he put down his pen, it was almost dawn.

Outside the window, the east was turning pale, and a new day was about to begin.

Li Ling stretched, walked out of the study, and walked slowly along the corridor. When passing the Princess's room, he stopped and heard the faint sound of breathing from inside. He gently pushed open the door and saw the Princess lying on her side on the bed, the quilt having slipped to her waist, moonlight shining through the curtains onto her fair face.

He walked over, helped her cover herself with the quilt, and then gave her a light kiss on her forehead.

"Husband?" the Princess opened her eyes groggily.

"It's nothing," Li Ling said softly, "Go back to sleep."

The Princess gave a groggy "Mm" and closed her eyes again.

Li Ling smiled, turned around, walked out of the room, and gently closed the door.

Outside the window, the morning glow had already dyed half the sky red; a new day, new hope, new challenges.