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

……

"Report, Commander, the latest intelligence regarding Quanzhou."

Inside the headquarters, a secretary delivered the intelligence.

During the operation, Li Tian ran back and forth between the general headquarters and the military industry department.

"Read it aloud." Li Tian had his secretary read the intelligence aloud.

Everyone in the conference room listened attentively.

"The First Army of Longxiang followed the orders of the command and stationed troops in Quanzhou, giving the Zheng family a chance to surrender. After five days, there was still no news from the Zheng family. On the morning of the sixth day, Zheng Chenggong sent someone to our army to request reinforcements."

"Our army took advantage of the situation to attack Quanzhou Prefecture, helped Zheng Chenggong rebel, and killed the army led by Zheng Cai and Zheng Lian. Zheng Chenggong also agreed to surrender to our army."

"At this point, the entire southern province of Fujian was under the control of our army."

Everyone at the headquarters was overjoyed upon hearing this.

Li Tian breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this.

To be honest, Zheng Chenggong was loyal to the Ming Dynasty and was prepared to be its enemy.

But who would have thought that the Zheng family would start making trouble on their own?

But thinking about it, it was to be expected.

The two brothers, Zheng Cai and Zheng Lian, held military power. After Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, one of them became a Duke in Fuzhou, while the other managed family affairs in Xiamen.

The Zheng family basically has the final say in all matters, big and small.

However, Zheng Chenggong was a direct descendant of the Zheng family and rose to prominence unexpectedly, leaving the Zheng family with only one person in charge.

It's not surprising that the two sides fought, especially with external interference.

The question posed by the new army—whether they should surrender or not—caused an uproar within the Zheng family.

After internal strife and learning of the New Army's great victory over the Qing army and its invasion of Jiangxi and Zhejiang, Zheng Chenggong became disheartened and chose to surrender to the New Army.

"Good. With the Zheng family submitting to our army, the construction of our coastal navy will be much faster."

One of the staff officers was very excited when he heard the news.

"Currently, the Ministry of Military Industry can stably produce 26-horsepower steam engines, and the production project of 40-60-horsepower steam engines is also progressing smoothly. It is expected that mass production will be possible next year, at which time we will be able to build steel warships. I suggest that the sailors of Zheng's army be dispersed now and managed together with the people of the Shanhe Navy."

Another staff member suggested.

Li Tian listened to their opinions and simply nodded. With everyone contributing their thoughts, they had already planned out the future of the Zheng family.

The new China has no need for aristocratic families.

A few days later, another urgent intelligence report arrived.

"Commander, intelligence from Zhejiang indicates that Zhang Biao, commander of the Ninth Army of Longxiang, has sent the captured Qing general Lekedehun and commander-in-chief Hong Chengchou, along with other important generals, to Jianyang."

"At the same time, the offensive in Zhejiang was going very smoothly, and Zhang Biao suggested taking advantage of the momentum to continue the attack and capture Nanjing."

Upon hearing the information, everyone smiled; it was all within their expectations.

However, whether or not to attack Nanjing was ultimately up to Li Tian.

"Currently, there are five armies in Zhejiang: the Longxiang Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Armies, as well as my own newly formed Fifth and Sixth Armies, totaling more than 40,000 men. Taking Zhejiang is indeed not a problem, but being too aggressive might destabilize the rear." Li Tian hesitated.

After all, fighting continuously from Fujian to Nanjing would exhaust even the toughest soldiers.

Moreover, if the battle lines are too long, the supply lines will be in danger.

Given the current strength of the new army, taking Nanjing is only a matter of time, but he is worried about the soldiers' physical condition.

The speed at which they conquered cities and seized territory was comparable to the land grabbing frenzy. As soon as the new army arrived, the rebels responded, and Qing officials surrendered without a second thought.

"Commander, I suggest that we take advantage of the fact that the main force of the Qing army has been annihilated by our army to capture Nanjing in one fell swoop. Once we take Nanjing, our army will have a certain political voice in the world and will attract people all over the world to our army."

At this point, an advisor suggested...

"I agree with Staff Officer He's opinion. Taking Nanjing is of great significance. In this world, in addition to simple strength, to quickly end the war, we also need to control the discourse and political significance."

Staff officer Yang Yiming also agreed.

The other staff officers also nodded in agreement, letting the soldiers make the difficult journey to capture Nanjing.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Li Tian stopped insisting. He just wanted the army to rest for two or three days before launching an attack.

"Alright, in that case, let's continue the attack and take Nanjing in one fell swoop. However, the city walls of Nanjing are magnificent, and mortars alone cannot pose a threat."

"Go and notify the Ministry of Military Industry to bring out that newly developed Jianning 75mm field gun and take it to the front line to attack Nanjing."

"At the same time, tell Zhang Biao and his men that if they can't take Nanjing, they should take the surrounding towns first and wait for this field gun."

"By the way, also send the newly manufactured assault rifles to the front lines so the soldiers can try them out and see if they're suitable."

Li Tian immediately issued the order to attack and took out the weapons first developed by the Ministry of Military Industry.

The Ministry of War Industry has produced a 26-horsepower steam engine, which has increased productivity and enabled the production of more precise and durable parts.

The Jianning 75mm field gun is somewhat similar to the French M1897 75mm artillery, also known as the Italian gun in TV dramas.

Once this thing was produced, the city walls of this era simply couldn't withstand it.

The cannon uses a hydraulic recoil and return mechanism, with a large barrel in the middle, large wheels on both sides, and a steel baffle in the middle for protection against stray bullets. It has a long tail at the rear, which consists of spades, gun hulls, etc., used to fix the cannon on the ground.

The 75mm field gun manufactured in Jianning uses the latest howitzer, which is more powerful than mortar shells.

The Jianning-made 75mm field gun has a caliber of 75mm, a weight of 1020 kg, a length of 2.6 meters, an effective range of 9000 meters, a firing angle of -11° to 18°, a rotation angle of 6°, a muzzle velocity of 546 m/s, and a rate of fire of 15 rounds per minute.

Currently, only 20 high-explosive shells weighing 6 kilograms each have been produced.

However, Li Tian believed that these shells were enough for the front lines.

Then there's the assault rifle that the Ministry of Military Industry tinkered with.

This thing isn't difficult to produce. The technical department has professional design experts who have already drawn up the design drawings for the assault rifle. It's just that there are issues with materials science, and the parts aren't strong enough, which is why it hasn't been produced yet.

With breakthroughs in metallurgy and the development of steam engines, which provide sufficient power, various lathes, rolling mills, boring tools, and other processing machines have been upgraded to produce more precise parts. Mass production of assault rifles is only a matter of time.

The Jianning Type 79 assault rifle is somewhat similar to the AK-47 rifle. It uses 7.9mm bullets, has great power and long range. The only drawback is that it is too powerful. The first three shots can still be aimed, but once it is fired in bursts, the recoil can send you flying into the air.

However, the advantage of this gun is its durability. After testing, it can be used normally again after being exposed to water or sand, as long as it is shaken a couple of times. It is very durable.

The Jianning Type 79 assault rifle can fully adapt to the various and ever-changing environments in China in the future.

However, the production line for the Jianning Type 79 assault rifle has not yet been set up, and only one hundred rifles have been produced so far.

Just as Li Tian left the headquarters, Zheng Youren, the commander of the Third Army, approached him.

"Commander, can I be transferred to the Longxiang Army? I want to go to the battlefield and kill the enemy."