272: Hunan, Jiangxi and Hubei planning

"Gentlemen, there are no outsiders here now. We can formally discuss the future integration and operations of the Xiang-Gan-E Joint Military Region." Jiang Xin gestured for the two men to sit down and personally poured them tea. His attitude was polite, but his aura was powerful. "First, I would like both of you to provide a detailed overview of the current situation in Jingchu and Western Hunan Provinces."

Governor of Jingchu Province spoke first, his tone steady yet laced with worry: "Commander Jiang, the situation in my Jingchu Province is... mixed. The core of our province is Jiangcheng. As the foremost mega-city in Central China, the population density was too high, leading to massive losses and rapid collapse of order during the initial zombie outbreak. Currently, our military region's main force has retreated and established a primary base, relying on the Jiangcheng Naval Port and surrounding military facilities, gathering approximately 800,000 people. In the province's dozen other prefectural cities, most have established survivor bases of varying sizes, relying mainly on existing garrisons, Armed Police, or civilian forces. These are mostly under the liaison and influence of our military region, totaling over a million people. We have about thirty-five thousand combat-ready soldiers. In terms of top combat strength, four Evolvers have emerged as Third-Tier Masters."

Jiang Xin listened attentively, his finger unconsciously tapping the table. Jingchu's situation was better than he had anticipated. It was home to a large number of top military academies, such as the Naval University of Engineering, the Information Engineering University, the Rocket Force Command College, the Air Force Early Warning Academy, and the Army Engineering University, possessing a huge reserve of active reserve officers and non-commissioned officers. Its stock of small arms and military talent far exceeded that of ordinary provinces. This gave the Jingchu Military Region a unique advantage in reaction speed and preservation of vital forces during the initial disaster. Its wartime mobilization and conversion capacity were far superior to that of Xijiang Province. To stabilize their footing amidst the sea of corpses in a place like Jiangcheng and maintain control over most of the province truly ranked their strength among the top provinces in Huaguo. The real difficulty lay in how to tackle the hard nut that was "Jiangcheng."

Next, Political Commissar of the Western Hunan Military Region reported: "The situation in Western Hunan is similar to Jingchu, but the pressure is concentrated in the Changsha. The Changsha is also one of the core cities in Central China, with a population exceeding sixty million. Our army currently relies on the Provincial Military Region garrison and associated facilities on the outskirts of the Changsha to establish our primary base, accommodating over 700,000 survivors. The dozen or so other major survivor strongholds in the province are also basically under control, with a total population of over 900,000. Regarding standing military strength, because the province has slightly fewer top military academies than Jingchu, we currently maintain an operational force of about thirty thousand soldiers. We also have four Third-Tier Masters." He paused, then added, "The density of zombies and the potential high-tier threats in the Changsha are the biggest challenges we face."

Jiang Xin nodded, a strategic blueprint quickly forming in his mind. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharp: "I have a basic understanding of both your situations. My preliminary idea is: advancing by both land and water, using a two-pronged approach to quickly establish strongholds."

He brought up an electronic map and pointed to the Yangtze, Xiang, Gan, and Han River systems: "Our newly formed Red Alert First Fleet is combat-ready. I will utilize the fleet's high-speed delivery capability to quickly establish second, or even third, forward bases along these golden waterways in Yichang and Huanggang in Jingchu, and Zhuzhou and Yueyang in Western Hunan. These bases will serve as staging points and material transfer stations, while also relieving pressure on the main bases in Jiangcheng and the Changsha."

His finger tapped heavily on the locations of Jiangcheng and the Changsha: "The current first priority is to immediately strengthen the defensive and offensive capabilities of the two core main bases. Then, once sufficient strength is accumulated, we will launch recovery operations against the core urban areas of Jiangcheng and the Changsha! Without thoroughly resolving the threat posed by these two ticking time bombs, the two provinces cannot speak of true safety."

Jiang Xin's confidence stemmed from the massive "deposits" he had just received from various military regions. These resources were enough for the system to rapidly produce two fully equipped and staffed main brigades. Once subsequent payments were fully received, raising six brigades would not be difficult. Assisting Jingchu and Western Hunan in recovering their core cities was, for him, a necessary step to integrate the three provinces and consolidate his power.

Governor of Jingchu Province and Political Commissar of the Western Hunan Military Region exchanged glances, both seeing shock and a hint of subtle complexity in the other's eyes. They knew that Jiang Xin's next words would determine the future fate of their two provinces.

Jiang Xin did not beat around the bush and laid out his cards directly: "My specific action plan is as follows:"

"First, our army will immediately dispatch two main brigades to reinforce you by ship—one to assist in the defense of the Jiangcheng base, and one to assist in the defense of the Changsha base—helping you stabilize the existing defensive lines and participating in preliminary clearing operations to familiarize themselves with the environment."

"Second, the main force of our First Army Group will enter Western Hunan via land and water routes to cooperate in operations with your esteemed unit; the main force of the Second Army Group will join naval forces and proceed upriver into Jingchu."

Jiang Xin's words were clear: "The purpose of dispatching garrisons is to concentrate our strength and quickly open up the situation. I hope both of you understand and support this point."

Dispatching garrisons meant a substantive transfer of military command authority. The Red Alert Legion would undoubtedly be the absolute main force in operations, and the dominance of the three provinces in the future would unquestionably fall into Jiang Xin's hands.

Governor of Jingchu Province and Political Commissar of the Western Hunan Military Region both showed obvious reluctance and internal struggle. As regional chief officials, who would willingly surrender the power they held?

But the cold reality was before them: without the terrifying military power, technology, and logistical support of the Red Alert Legion, recovering Jiangcheng and the Changsha on their own was virtually a pipe dream; maintaining the current situation was already difficult. Moreover, the National Government's appointment had already been issued: Jiang Xin was the Commander of the Xiang-Gan-E Joint Military Region, and legally, they were already under his command. Contesting the dominance now would not only be meaningless but might also cause them to miss a crucial opportunity or even invite unnecessary trouble.

After a few seconds of silence, Governor of Jingchu Province was the first to take a deep breath, raise his head, and speak with determined eyes: "Commander Jiang is far-sighted and his arrangements are thorough. My Jingchu Province... tentatively agrees to this arrangement. Upon my return to Jiangcheng, I will immediately convene a high-level meeting to convey Commander Jiang's intentions and make all necessary preparations to fully receive and cooperate with your esteemed army."

Seeing Governor of Jingchu Province state his position, Political Commissar of the Western Hunan Military Region quickly followed suit: "My Western Hunan Province also agrees to Commander Jiang's deployment! We will certainly cooperate fully with the First Army Group's operations, ensuring smooth logistics and intelligence sharing!"

Seeing the two men so "sensible," a sincere smile appeared on Jiang Xin's face. After wielding the stick, one must also offer a carrot.

"Excellent! With the strong support of both of you, the restoration of Central China is just around the corner!" His tone became generous. "As a reward for your proactive cooperation, and as a necessary measure to enhance our collective strength, I will have the first batch of weapons and ammunition designated for Jingchu and Western Hunan delivered along with the troop deployment!"

Jiang Xin listed the tempting inventory:

"Both provinces will receive a directly subordinate Mecha Unit, each equipped with one hundred 'black great wall' Model I mechas."

"Regarding main battle tanks, the first batch of support will include ten tesla tanks, ten apocalypse tanks, and ten prism tanks for each province, to establish or strengthen your armored assault forces."

"Furthermore, as a personal expression of my trust and support for both of you, I will gift one 'apollo' aerospace fighter jet to each province, to be used for patrol in critical areas and emergency decapitation missions."

This grand gift was undeniably generous! Especially the apollo fighter jet and prism tank—these were the cutting-edge equipment that representatives from the major military regions were just fighting tooth and nail over!

Governor of Jingchu Province and Political Commissar of the Western Hunan Military Region exchanged glances, and their eyes instantly erupted with uncontrollable excitement and emotion! The gloom that had arisen from the transfer of dominance was instantly dispelled by this substantial military equipment support. With this gear, their own status and security would also be much more stable!

Political Commissar of the Western Hunan Military Region rubbed his hands a little awkwardly and said, "Commander Jiang, we are extremely grateful for your generosity! Although our province... has gone through hardships, we did have some strategic reserves in earlier years, especially regarding precious metals, we still have some stock. We are willing to offer these materials as... a partial return for the Legion's support." He spoke tactfully, but the meaning was clear—they weren't taking it for free; they could pay.

Governor of Jingchu Province immediately nodded in agreement: "My Jingchu Province feels the same! Please, Commander Jiang, accept it, otherwise, we would feel truly uneasy." They wanted the equipment but also did not want to completely become mere dependents; they wished to maintain the dignity of an equal transaction.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xin laughed heartily and readily agreed: "Since both of you are so thoughtful, then I, Jiang, shall not decline! Specific matters can be handled by my Chief of Logistics, Jiang Feifei. I hope we can cooperate happily and soon restore a bright future to Central China!"

The meeting concluded.

Two more crucial pieces were placed on Jiang Xin's chessboard.

In addition to the Xiang-Gan-E deployment, the Southern Military Region also extended an invitation to Jiang Xin, hoping to use the Red Alert Legion's power to take down Yangcheng, the mega-city of the South, and clear out its terrifying zombie horde of over 100 million.