With 100,000 elite soldiers at the start, what should you call me?

……

South side of Yunji Mountain.

A raindrop fell, landing on Li Tian's cheek, cool and damp.

Li Tian looked up at the gloomy weather; his worst fears were coming one after another.

Fate did not favor them; it rained on the second day after they arrived.

At this time, their military camp was only half-built, and even their food supply was not yet guaranteed.

It's raining...

"Commander, hurry inside and take shelter from the rain."

Zhang Yonghao, deputy commander of the First Army, stepped forward.

"Call Yu Qiang and the others over."

"Yes."

Before long, everyone had arrived in the meeting room. Except for Zheng Youren and Feng Wei, who were still in charge of frontline guard duty and were unable to arrive in time, all the other army commanders had arrived.

"Rather than worrying about attacks from the Ming and Qing armies, we should be more concerned about whether everyone can survive the cruelty of nature."

"Zhang Yonghao, what's the progress of our military's talent recruitment program? How many personnel are currently in the field hospitals?"

"Reporting to the Commander, our army is still recruiting talent. The Engineering Department currently has 360 people, the Field Hospital has 573 military doctors, and the Research Department has 120 people..."

After Li Tian finished reorganizing the army, he tasked Zhang Yonghao with finding talent within the military.

However, the current talent scouting process is very crude. As long as you say you have a certain skill or have studied a certain major, you can be promoted directly.

Field hospitals were the most critical department, and newly discovered military doctors were assigned to each army unit.

The quality of the 100,000 assassins varied greatly. Although they could all read and write, a rough survey revealed that their educational level ranged from junior high school to doctoral degree.

The number of these suicide soldiers also follows a pyramid structure based on their level of education.

Interestingly, Li Tian learned that they all shared a common characteristic after graduation: they had all been invited to a military academy for special training, thus giving them a certain level of military proficiency.

This is precisely why Li Tian was able to be so efficient when he first reorganized the army.

"Good, these people have been unearthed. There will be vacancies in the original units, which will be a good opportunity to disperse the 3,500 prisoners and place them in each unit."

"These people cannot be assigned Hanyang rifles. This is a top secret of our army. We cannot give them to anyone other than us, and we must also prevent them from stealing them."

Li Tian gave this special instruction.

Li Tian did not kill the 3,500 prisoners; instead, he decided to reorganize them.

His army needs cannon fodder.

Many of these people were locals who knew the nearby villages and towns and could better guide the army.

"After it rains, the roads will become muddy, hindering our operations. Prolonged exposure to the rain will cause soldiers to catch colds or even suffer frostbite, which will greatly increase non-combat casualties."

"Our army is short of supplies and has to constantly scavenge for them. Therefore, we cannot stay at the foot of Yunji Mountain indefinitely; staying here is tantamount to waiting to die!"

"Therefore, I have decided that each army should expand outwards to solve the supply problem, and that the forced attack on cities should be prohibited unless absolutely necessary."

The rain disrupted Li Tian's plans. If he could argue with Wang Qi and eventually enter Jianning Prefecture, that would be ideal, but he didn't have the extra time.

"Commander, why don't we attack Jianning Prefecture? It's so close to us. If you give the order, I, Li Jie, am willing to pledge my life to take Jianning Prefecture within a day!"

Li Jie couldn't take it anymore, and he stood up excitedly and made a suggestion.

They have a large number of men and superior weapons, so why don't they attack Jianning Prefecture?

Moreover, they had swept away all the landlords in the countryside near Jianning Prefecture, and the countryside was basically under their control.

If they take Jianning Prefecture now, they will have a real base of operations!

"Yes, Commander, why don't we take Jianning Prefecture?" Kong Yunfei suggested.

Li Tian frowned. Of course he wanted to take Jianning Prefecture, but he didn't want to launch a direct attack and make enemies with the Ming army. Moreover, a direct attack would cost countless brothers their lives.

How do you manage to lead 100,000 people to survive in the wilderness as a commander for the first time?

To be honest, Li Tian was a little panicked. He was afraid that if he didn't command well, he would cause many people to die.

The army is currently short of food, and the soldiers have nowhere to shelter from the rain. They are facing symptoms of typhoid fever and colds, and it is currently the time of transition between spring and summer, when flu symptoms are most likely to appear.

The lives of 100,000 people weighed on Li Tian's shoulders, putting him under immense pressure.

Because every decision he made carried the weight of human lives.

Faced with pressure, Li Tian completely lost the high spirits he had when he had just acquired 100,000 elite soldiers yesterday.

Should we attack Jianning Prefecture, or continue sweeping outwards to conquer villages, powerful clans, and gentry?

His mind was now a jumbled mess, like cotton wool.

What should I do?

At this moment, Zhao Heshang, the commander of the Ninth Army, stood up and said, "Commander, I know what you are worried about. You are worried about the losses of our brothers. I know you cherish the lives of our brothers. This is a blessing for our brothers."

"But a merciful general cannot command an army; indecisiveness will only lead to endless trouble!"

Duan Dapeng chimed in, "Zhao Heshang is right. The brothers all agree to take this opportunity to attack Jianning Prefecture. I personally think we should attack Jianning Prefecture as well."

"We need a city, tools, shelter, food, and a safe, readily available environment. If we build it ourselves, we lack the tools, and who knows how long it will take to build it, not to mention we lack food!"

"What we need is in Jianning Prefecture. As long as we take Jianning Prefecture, our new army will be able to establish itself on this land."

"Commander, please make a decision quickly."

The people in the command room urged him on, and an immense pressure weighed on Li Tian's shoulders.

He now carries the lives of 100,000 people on his shoulders!

His subordinates had already seen many flaws in his previous decisions, but they still carried out his orders in order to convince their commander of their loyalty.

The suggestion to attack Jianning Prefecture is also for their loyalty; they cannot stand by and watch Li Tian's troops walk into the abyss.

"Commander, if you are worried about heavy casualties from a direct assault, I think you don't need to worry about that," Chu Gang, who had been silent in his seat, said.

Li Tian grasped at a straw and looked at Chu Gang, who had a refined appearance, wore glasses, and looked to be around thirty years old.

"We had previously captured more than 3,000 Qing soldiers. I privately contacted a few locals and learned some information."

"I heard that there are only about 30,000 soldiers and civilians left defending Jianning Prefecture. They are short of food and their morale is low."

"Our army has just won a battle and is in high spirits. When attacking Jianning Prefecture, we can send these three thousand prisoners first, and have the people in the research department make high-powered explosives to blow up the city walls. Our army can then provide fire support from the rear, thus minimizing casualties."

"If nothing unexpected happens, we can take Jianning Prefecture within half a day."

After speaking, Chu Gang pushed up his glasses.

Upon hearing this, Li Tian had a sudden inspiration, but then he thought of another point of concern. At this moment, Chu Gang continued to speak.

"If the commander is worried about making enemies of the Ming army, then there is even less to worry about, because we are an isolated army."

"Moreover, whether it is the Ming army or the Qing army, we will have to deal with them sooner or later; it's just a matter of time."

"We have no other choice now. Besides, we have advanced guns and enough talent. We just need to develop for a while, and even if the Ming and Qing armies join forces, we have nothing to fear."

"Commander, what we need is to establish a firm foothold in the early stages."

Chu Gang is right. They are loyal to him, but they will not blindly follow his orders. When he has a wrong tendency, they will take the initiative to offer other opinions.

Li Tian was not angry at the rebuttals from the crowd. When faced with the rational handling of the lives of 100,000 people, he should not be forced to make a stupid decision by his emotions and the so-called "maintaining his authority".

He carries 100,000 loyal soldiers on his shoulders. They first pledge their loyalty to Li Tian. What should Li Tian give them in return?

Nine brothers died in last night's battle, and Li Tian realized that he could give them nothing but a monument.

Even the pensions couldn't be distributed. In this world, none of them had any relatives or even any attachments.

Chu Gang is right, they are a lone army.

Li Tian took a deep breath, suppressing the unease and panic in his heart.

Ultimately, he decided to use Chu Gang's suggestion. Indecisiveness would only harm everyone. The Ming army was merely a ally he had wished for. He could not place his hopes on others; that would be playing with the lives of 100,000 people.

The only correct path is to fight, seize our own territory, and forge our own development path.

"Alright, I've decided to attack Jianning Prefecture. We'll launch the attack as soon as the rain stops. Now, I order the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Engineering to immediately produce explosives that can breach the city walls."

"Chu Gang is in full charge of this siege mission."

"Yes, Commander! I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!" Chu Gang was flattered and quickly saluted, his expression solemn and serious.

Upon receiving the order, everyone stood up and saluted Li Tian before immediately going down to assign tasks.