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

……

"Earl of Jianyang, do you mean my fief is in Jianyang, not Jian'an?"

Li Tian was not very familiar with the bestowals and rewards during this period, let alone the intricacies involved.

"This..." The eunuch below was at a loss for words.

The court is giving you fiefdoms that didn't originally belong to you, isn't it just so they can get you to actively participate in the Northern Expedition?

Moreover, this is also a customary practice for bestowing titles.

Zhang Yonghao, who was standing to the side, gave Li Tian a wink.

Li Tian realized what was happening, stood up, and took the clothes and documents with both hands.

"You've all worked hard. Let's put aside the matter of bestowing titles for now. This gentleman..."

"My surname is Zhang. You can just call me Eunuch Zhang, the Earl of Jianyang," Eunuch Zhang said with a smile.

The other party finally accepted the gift.

Once you accept his assignment, your task is considered complete.

"Oh, Eunuch Zhang, I have a question. Our army once sent a group of envoys to Guilin to see the emperor. The leader of that group was named Liu Er. I would like to ask Liu Er how they are doing now, and why we haven't heard from them yet."

Li Tian handed the formal attire to the guard beside him, then looked at Eunuch Zhang.

"The Earl of Jianyang once sent an envoy to Guilin?" Eunuch Zhang asked in surprise. "To be honest..."

"Not long ago, the Qing army blocked the pass, and His Majesty went to Nanning for an inspection tour. Guilin is now guarded by Grand Secretary Qu Shisi. I'm afraid General Li's envoy is in grave danger."

Upon hearing this, Li Tian frowned, and Zhang Gonggong, sensing something was amiss, immediately spoke up;

"The Qing army is brutal; I'm afraid Envoy Liu will be captured by them and made a bondservant."

Li Tian pondered for a moment; "I understand, Eunuch Zhang, you may go and rest now."

After Eunuch Zhang and the others left, Zhang Yonghao finally spoke: "Commander, now is not the time to show our claws. We should be more polite to our allies."

"I understand." Li Tian also felt that he had been a bit too arrogant just now, after all, the other party came with good intentions.

They are currently dealing with the Ming court's forces, so it's not a good time to break ties.

However, just after seeing off Eunuch Zhang and his entourage, the secretary outside delivered another piece of intelligence.

"Commander, Qing envoys have arrived; it seems they're trying to win us over."

"Today is a good day. Envoys from both the Ming and Qing countries have come to visit. Let them in." Li Tian sat back down.

Soon after, the group was invited to the reception room.

Several people dressed in Qing Dynasty zombie official robes and sporting money-rat tails walked in, and were somewhat surprised by the layout of the room.

This is the first time I've seen this kind of modern living room style.

Several sofas surrounded a long table.

"General Li, I am Wu Huai'en, and I have come on behalf of the Great Qing Empire to offer my congratulations." The head eunuch immediately greeted him with a smile.

"Just say what you want to say." Li Tian had no patience for these guys with pig tail whips.

When Eunuch Wu saw that Li Tian's attitude was not good, the smile on his face faded a bit.

"General Li, our Great Qing Empire has come to persuade you, seeing your youthful potential, that if you lay down your arms, shave your head and change your clothes, and join our Great Qing, you can immediately become our Great Qing's Adahaha Fan."

"What Adafan?"

"Compared to the official ranks of the previous dynasty, General, that would be Third-Class Light Cavalry Captain," Eunuch Wu explained.

"I see... You may leave now. I need to consider this matter, since the Ming court's offer is much higher than yours."

"Someone come and see the guest out."

Li Tian did not immediately agree and instead saw the guest out.

He didn't know how high a rank a third-class light cavalry captain was, but it must be lower than that of the Earl of Jianyang.

Upon hearing Li Tian's words, the Qing envoy's smile froze, and his lips twitched involuntarily.

Before leaving, Eunuch Wu still spoke up: "General Li is a man destined for great things. I don't think you can't see the general trend of the world. In the future, our Great Qing will surely unify the world. As for the people of the Ming court, I advise you to drive them away as soon as possible."

He left after saying that.

Li Tian didn't hear a word that followed.

After all, what's so good about the words of a dead person?

"Now that envoys from both the Ming and Qing courts have arrived, it seems we don't have much time left to develop."

Li Tian tapped his fingers on the table. War was inevitable, but he hoped that the initiative in the war would be in their hands.

"Commander, both the Ming and Qing courts want to win us over. We just need to stall for time and maintain an ambiguous relationship with both sides. The longer we can hold out, the better for us will be," Zhang Yonghao suggested from the side.

Li Tian nodded; "Yonghao, how much equipment has the Ministry of Military Industry produced so far?"

"Currently, our army has produced five 60mm mortars, more than 300 new rifles, more than 3,000 steel helmets, more than 600 military shovels, and more than 1,000 sets of military uniforms."

Zhang Yonghao reports on military supplies.

After more than a month of stable development, important factories such as hydraulic rolling mills, high-wall furnaces, gun production lines, artillery factories, and textile factories have been built.

The Jian'an rifle was a new gun modeled after the Hanyang rifle. Its power and performance were similar to the Hanyang rifle, but it lacked unlimited ammunition and became an ordinary rifle.

However, the Jian'an ware was originally intended for use by the Longxiang Army, as it was the fastest way to improve the army's combat effectiveness.

The warehouse currently contains a lot of medium carbon steel, mostly metal parts dismantled from Hanyang rifles. These parts are thrown back into the furnace to make other new equipment, such as helmets and military shovels.

Helmets protect soldiers' heads, while military shovels are key equipment for quickly building positions in the field.

"This equipment is not enough; even an entire army cannot be fully equipped with it."

Li Tian frowned. He wasn't worried about losing. He believed that once the war started, the Longxiang Army, with its absolutely advanced weaponry, modern strategic thinking, and modern tactical training, would definitely win.

What he needs to consider is how to more comprehensively annihilate the enemy's manpower and reduce his own casualties.

"Yong-ho, come with me to the general staff headquarters to determine the location and deployment for the next battle."

"Inform the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to stall for time as much as possible."

Li Tian estimated that he could only hold out for three or four more days at most, and the day when the real war would begin was probably seven or eight days away.

Moreover, the enemy would definitely be the Qing army, and once they saw through my intentions, they would immediately assemble their troops.

Before long, Li Tian and his group arrived at the General Staff Headquarters.

By this time, the General Staff had been completely renovated and resembled the World War II era, except for the lack of some electronic equipment.

A huge military sand table map in the center is particularly eye-catching, and the terrain and landforms around Jianning Prefecture are displayed to everyone in a clear and intuitive manner.

Furthermore, the map also shows detailed military deployments of both sides.

In terms of intelligence, the new army had long established the Sixth Military Intelligence Bureau, which was dedicated to gathering intelligence on enemy forces.

"commander."

When Li Tian arrived, everyone in the General Staff bowed.

"You will be responsible for explaining and interpreting Yao Bing's battle against the Qing army this time."

"Yes, Commander!" Yao Bing replied solemnly.