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

……

"Commander, Boss Liang has written to say that the grain they were trading was robbed by pirates at sea, and this deal is likely to fall through again."

Secretary Weiqiang brought bad news.

"Pirates again..."

There were two grain merchants who cooperated with the new army: Liang Wenguang and Shen Shi. Both were coastal merchants who relied mainly on ships to transport and sell grain.

During the cooperation period, the two companies provided a total of more than 40,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain and fodder to the new army.

It was less than half of the expected target, barely enough to meet military supplies.

Since the start of the cooperation, the island has robbed the two shops two or three times.

Now we need to send troops to guard the checkpoints, and we also need a large amount of food and supplies.

Fortunately, we won a great victory recently and seized a lot of resources. At the same time, the buckwheat harvest time is almost here.

"Have you found out which pirate group it is?" Li Tian asked.

"We've found out that it was someone named Guo Xingcheng who robbed merchant ships under the guise of tax collection."

"The surname is Chenggong? Zhu Chenggong, Zheng Chenggong?" Li Tian immediately realized that Zheng Chenggong was currently active between the Kinmen Islands and Taiwan.

With thousands of bushels of grain adrift at sea, without the protection of a strong naval force, they were undoubtedly a tempting target.

At this time, the Zheng family still held the most powerful naval force.

When talking about the Zheng family, one cannot help but mention their opportunistic policies as a maritime hegemon in this chaotic world.

Although the Zheng family was a maritime hegemon, their foundation was on land. They needed to rely on inland supplies for food and fresh water. Therefore, when the Manchu Qing dynasty, a land hegemon, was about to occupy all of China...

The Zheng family also needed to make a decision: whether to be pragmatic and surrender to the Qing Dynasty or continue to be loyal subjects of the Ming Dynasty.

The shrewd Zheng family head, Zheng Zhilong, chose to have it all.

Like the aristocratic families of ancient times, he became an opportunist, surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Tong'an.

He left his younger brother and retainers to assist his son, continuing to serve as a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty.

From the perspective of that time, whether the Qing Dynasty took over China or the Ming Dynasty was revived, the Zheng family would not decline. This was a shrewd opportunistic choice by a powerful family.

However, from the perspective of later generations, Zheng Zhilong's speculation failed. He never expected that the Qing Dynasty would be so shameless.

After the Manchu Qing dynasty occupied China, he was implicated and exiled to Ningguta because his son was determined to resist the Qing and continued to resist even after fleeing to Taiwan.

The story that followed was that the Qing Dynasty destroyed the Ming Zheng regime in Taiwan, completely unified China, and began a dark period of slavery that lasted for more than two hundred years.

"Never mind that for now, we'll buy as much grain as Boss Liang and Shen's can send."

"Show me the summary of this battle."

The Battle of Jianyang City crippled the main force of the Qing army and captured Zhang Cunren, the former Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian of the Qing Dynasty. The victory was remarkable, and countless spoils were seized, so the new army no longer needed to rely on food procurement.

This battle expanded the territory, capturing two prefectures and bordering Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces.

In particular, the capture of Xianxia Ridge is the first hurdle to overcome in entering Zhejiang. If Li Tian wants to attack the prosperous Zhejiang in the future, he can launch an attack from Xianxia Ridge and quickly take over several prefectures and counties in Zhejiang.

"Commander, in this battle we directly eliminated more than 40,000 enemy troops, of which the second army made the greatest contribution, eliminating nearly 30,000."

"The three armies captured nearly 60,000 Qing soldiers, seized 100,000 cold weapons, more than 20,000 artillery pieces, 40 tons of gunpowder, 6,000 horses, and 15,000 mules..."

"A total of fourteen county towns have been occupied, with a population of approximately one million. The total grain reserves in the county granaries amount to about 600,000 shi (a unit of dry measure)..."

While Li Tian was reviewing the summary report, Wei Qiang also dictated the key points.

The spoils were enormous. Once these people, supplies, and other resources were absorbed, Li Tian believed that, based on the General Staff's calculations, they could use these resources to occupy the entire south in one fell swoop.

"How many prisoners are capable of being reorganized into an army?" Li Tian glanced at the report and went straight to the key question.

"There are approximately 50,000 people who qualify for reorganization, and 10,000 people with criminal records who need to serve prison sentences or labor reforms," ​​Wei Qiang replied.

Those who were not counted as prisoners of war were directly named during the denunciation meetings for their bloody crimes and executed on the spot.

"Fifty thousand, then follow the previous method, break up these prisoners, and reorganize them into an army of eight thousand each, forming the Longxiang Army."

"Except for a few with combat experience and high ideological awareness who can serve as junior officers, everyone else starts from the ranks as a soldier."

"At the same time, we should appoint more commanders and do ideological work with them."

Li Tian reorganized these prisoners according to the same routine as before; these were ready-made combat troops.

With over 50,000 men, six Longxiang Armies can be reorganized, and the extra men can be used to replenish the troops lost in previous battles.

Thus, Li Tian now had ten Dragon Cavalry units under his command!

Add to that 100,000 elite soldiers, and that makes an army of 180,000!

However, as the number of Longxiang Army members increases, the 100,000 elite warriors will gradually retreat to the background.

They could pursue careers in industrial development, become teachers, local officials, or military officers.

In short, of the 100,000 elite warriors, Li Tian will ultimately only retain about 10,000 to 20,000 as soldiers, who will be similar to the Imperial Guard.

The rest of the people were his eyes and ears, his hands, and his control over the newly controlled territory.

"Commander, what are your plans for the Jianyang Navy? I heard that the reason the Jianyang Navy rebelled was not only because the Qing army's massacre of the city angered the public, but also because a captain named Zhu Wu led the charge of subversion, which led to the Jianyang Navy's complete rebellion against the Qing," Wei Qiang added at this point.

"I've heard about this. Zhu Wu is a good man. I heard he's a local from Jianyang. It would be strange if he didn't rebel when the Qing army massacred the city."

"We will be developing in the south for a long time to come. The south has a well-developed water system, and having a strong navy is essential."

"Thus, the Second Army of the Shanhe Navy was established, with Wu Ping'an as its commander, Wan Deren as its deputy commander, and Zhu Wu transferred to the First Army as its deputy commander."

The two naval forces were reorganized, each with approximately three thousand men and over two hundred warships.

The mainland navy is gradually taking shape.

However, with two naval forces crammed together in Jianxi, Li Tian ordered the Second Naval Force to be transferred to Shaowu Town to maintain order.

At the same time, assassins were dispatched to serve as magistrates in fourteen counties.

He also led his troops to survey the land.

Now that it has become the territory of the new army, it must be transformed into the form of the new army.

Are powerful local families secretly obstructing the project?

Those are reactionary forces, hindering progress; they are enemies, enemies of the people.

The Ministry of Agriculture's guards wouldn't mind examining these men to see if they had died from metal poisoning.

"Commander, there are also rebel armies from various places wanting to join us. I've heard that many famous and righteous people are leading the charge. How should we respond to them?"

How many people are there?

"The total number was probably over 20,000, and the leaders included famous figures from various regions such as Huang Zongxi, Chen Yonghua, and Zhang Anmin."

"I investigated the backgrounds of these people. They were either officials of the Ming court or scholars who had passed the imperial examinations, but most of them were related to the Donglin and Fushe societies."

"There are anti-Qing experiences in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and the Nanjing area."

Li Tian pondered for a moment. There were many famous figures and patriots during this period, but he would not blindly choose to accept them.

"Tell them that they can join us, but they must abide by the rules of our new army. Also, let Zhang Yonghao contact those famous figures and patriots first, and see how many of them can accept our army's ideology of 'revitalizing China, leading the world, and moving towards the future.' If they can stay and continue to cooperate, we are happy to accept them. If they are not willing, we don't need to make enemies for the time being. Send them to the Ming court properly."

"Okay, I'll go arrange it right away." Weiqiang noted down the arrangements and left.

Li Tian got up and prepared to take his bodyguard Luo Qiang to visit the Ministry of Military Industry.

However, before he could leave, Weiqiang returned with a letter in his hand.

"Commander, there is an urgent letter. I heard it was sent by Zheng Cai, the Duke of Jian, under the jurisdiction of the Lu Regent Government."

"Zheng Cai?" Li Tian took the letter, opened it, and then showed an expression that said, "Just as I expected."

The letter contained a simple message: Zheng Cai and Zheng Chenggong were attacking Xiamen, but he discovered that the officials in the Lu Regent's court were acting strangely. He wanted Li Tian's help to prevent Zhu Yihai from betraying him, and at the same time, he needed Li Tian to hold back the Qing army.

"...Brother Li Tian, ​​if we cooperate to take Xiamen, then Quanzhou, and then launch a pincer attack on Yanping from the north and south, we will soon be able to occupy the entire Fujian province... If you, Brother Li, can cooperate with me, we can influence the political situation, and becoming a king in the future will be a piece of cake!"