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

……

After inspecting the Ministry of Military Industry, Li Tian went to Xicheng.

There is a wharf near Jianxi, and not far from the wharf is a newly built shipyard.

At this time, dozens of wooden warships of various sizes were moored at the dock.

The shipyard was a subordinate department of the Ministry of Military Industry.

At this moment, Qin Sanshui, the shipyard director, had already been waiting there upon hearing of Li Tian's arrival.

"Commander Shipyard welcomes your visit."

"How many warships does our army currently have?" Li Tian didn't waste any words, nodded in greeting, and got straight to the point.

He will be active in the south for a long time to come, and the south has a well-developed water system, with inland rivers and a vast sea nearby, so shipbuilding technology is very important.

Qin Sanshui replied, "Since the start of construction, our shipyard has built 43 wooden warships, all of which are lightweight warships suitable for inland waterway operations."

"Very good, I will requisition these warships to train a navy." Li Tian was quite satisfied with the number.

Warships of that era were actually quite similar to some civilian vessels.

By finding some craftsmen to replicate the technique, production can begin.

"How is the research on the steel ship progressing?" Li Tian casually asked.

Qin Sanshui forced a smile; "It's still under development. To build a steel ship, we need to wait for the engineering department to develop a steam engine, otherwise there won't be enough power to drive it."

"Furthermore, a large hydraulic rolling mill is needed; otherwise, qualified steel plates cannot be produced."

"Currently, our shipyard is short of equipment and can only build wooden boats to train skilled workers."

In short, steel ships cannot be built; we need to wait for the equipment.

However, a large number of qualified workers can be trained before the equipment is fully available.

"Skilled technicians are also important, but you don't need to rush. I went to the Ministry of Military Industry and saw that the first steam engine is already under construction."

"I believe the engineering department will be able to manufacture it soon, with a horsepower of around 20-25, which is sufficient for small riverboats."

Fei Hongyun and Li Tian talked a lot at the Ministry of Military Industry, including not only weapons, but also the most important power system, the steam engine.

To usher in the next era, the steam engine was indispensable as a power source.

For elite talents like Fei Hongyun, a steam engine was nothing more than a water-boiling device; it wasn't difficult to make, it was just a matter of time.

For them, the only problem in producing a qualified steam engine that could be used in large quantities was the materials.

Once the material problem is solved, entering the steam age will be a piece of cake.

This period of time will not be very long, probably one or two years.

"I trust Minister Fei and his team, but a 20-25 horsepower steam engine probably won't be enough; we'll need at least a 100-horsepower steam engine."

Qin Sanshui put forward his requirements.

"20-25 horsepower is enough for inland rivers." Once the steam engine is made, Li Tian wants steel warships.

Qin Sanshui shook his head; "Commander, these steam engines with insufficient horsepower should only be temporary, and the Ministry of Military Industry should not mass-produce them."

"The Ministry of Military Industry will only begin mass production of this thing once it has built a 100-horsepower steam engine."

Li Tian shook his head and rejected Qin Sanshui's idea; "No, I will not wait until a 100-horsepower steam engine is invented before mass-producing steam engines. That will take about two years."

"It's not that I can't wait, but that the enemy won't give us that time. Moreover, given the current resources of Jianning Prefecture, we can't hold out until then. We need minerals from other parts of the country."

"I will have the Ministry of Military Industry mass-produce dozens of steam engines after they have produced 40-60 horsepower."

"You can also prepare in advance by building steel ships and reserving the power components. I need at least ten steel ships."

"Understood, Commander." Qin Sanshui replied solemnly.

It seems my task won't be easy; at least some of the steel ship parts can be started now.

After Li Tian left, Qin Sanshui looked at the factory and the dock behind him;

"Ten steel warships, huh? That's quite a heavy task. Let's go to the technical department to get some things and discuss the size of the steam engine with them so we can make room for it."

With ten years of shipbuilding experience, designing some light steel ships is not a difficult task for Qin Sanshui.

The advent of the steam engine won't be long; production of 40-60 horsepower steam engines will begin this year.

"The advent of the steam engine naturally led to the development of trains, and railways could be planned at this time. The first railway had to connect to a coal mine."

"Now that we have the power, we need to build a transportation network for energy transmission. Let's set up a railway bureau under the Ministry of Construction."

Based on the feedback from various departments, Li Tian formulated a future plan.

After dealing with various technical departments in the city, Li Tian visited the military headquarters.

Currently, Li Tian commands an army of 130,000, of which 100,000 are his most loyal and devoted soldiers.

However, these 100,000 elite soldiers will rarely go to the battlefield in the future, and future cadres will be given priority to be promoted from among these 100,000 elite soldiers.

And that is indeed the case. Currently, the main task of the 100,000 elite soldiers is to protect the rear and at the same time develop the rear.

Many wastelands in Jianning Prefecture need to be cultivated and reclaimed.

Most of the officers in the Longxiang Army were suicide soldiers.

Except for a few special units that are entirely composed of suicide soldiers, such as the Longxiang Army's cavalry battalion, or more accurately, the fire support battalion, which are all composed of suicide soldiers.

There were also guard companies, city defense companies, and other units that were staffed by suicide soldiers.

The remaining assassins were gradually transferred out of the army by Li Tian and assigned to administrative, technical, engineering construction, farming and land reclamation, local official, village official, education, and business positions.

From now on, the tasks of fighting will basically be assigned to the Longxiang Army.

While Li Tian was making rapid progress during this period.

Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces, which are next to Fujian Province, have undergone tremendous changes.

Zhu Youlang, from Nanning, Guangxi, looked haggard as he stood in the courtyard gazing at the sky.

"Sigh." He couldn't help but sigh.

Not long ago, he fled again, this time from Guilin to Nanning.

The reason is simple: the Ming army was in a very good position. The counterattack against the Qing army once recovered a large area of ​​Hunan, which made the Qing Prince Geng Zhongming dare not send troops again.

But the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

Qing general Li Chengdong led his troops to Guangzhou and directly suppressed the uprising led by Chen Zizhuang, Zhang Jiayu, and Chen Bangyan.

With the loss of Guangdong, fearing for the rear, generals such as He Tengjiao and Jiao Lian disregarded the front lines and withdrew from Quanzhou to the rear. The three who remained, Tang Wenyao, Wang Youchen, and Ma Mingluan, surrendered directly to the Qing army.

Geng Zhongming was overjoyed and led his army to advance, heading straight for Guilin. Zhu Youlang, upon hearing of the dire situation, was so frightened that he hurriedly fled to Nanning.

At this moment, he could only feel deep self-reproach.

"If only I had the strategies of Emperor Taizu."

Just as he was worrying, the eunuch Wang Kun came running over in a fit of joy.

"Master! Master! Great joy!"

"Great news! Li Chengdong has betrayed the Tartars! Jin Shenghuan, a righteous man from Jiangxi, has raised his arms and led an army of 200,000 to rebel against the Tartars as well! Li Tian, ​​a righteous man from Jianning Prefecture, has led an army of 100,000 to repel the Qing army!"