King of Beiyang

In December, the Liaodong Peninsula has already entered winter, and the temperature has dropped below zero.

The other troops were already hiding in their barracks, shivering around the stove.

However, the various units of the 1st Marine Division of the Beiyang Fleet were still in the midst of intense training.

Even though there was already snow on the ground, the soldiers continued to roll around in the snow.

Although Li Jingyuan didn't participate in training every day, he would still set aside two or three days a week to train with the soldiers.

Under Li Jingyuan's leadership, who took the lead by example, the training atmosphere in the entire 1st Marine Division was very strong.

"Run! Faster! If you don't reach the finish line within five minutes, everyone will only get one big steamed bun this morning, no pickled vegetables, just snow water!"

Those arriving within five minutes will receive unlimited millet porridge and large meat buns. The last three people will get nothing!

Lu Yongxiang, the company commander of the 3rd Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Regiment of the Marine Corps, shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Go for it! Let's eat big meat buns!"

"Haha, you're in last place, you'll be starving!"

  

One or two hundred soldiers mustered their last bit of strength and ran wildly through the snow.

A few months ago, having big steamed buns to eat would have been an unthinkable luxury for these soldiers.

But now, their mouths have been spoiled by the daily feasts of meat and fish.

After getting used to millet porridge or rice porridge with big meat buns, who would want to eat a big steamed bun?

So much so that in order to meet the training standards, all the soldiers put in their best effort and ran as hard as they could, even if it meant dying from exhaustion, they wanted to be well-fed to death.

Over time, the physical condition of these originally thin soldiers improved at a rate that was almost visible to the naked eye. Muscles gradually became visible on their previously skinny bodies. Their strength also increased significantly. Even their previously numb faces began to show smiles.

Many soldiers consider joining the Marine Corps to be the wisest choice.

Before this, many of them could no longer be called human beings, or rather, they were simply walking corpses.

But now, they can clearly feel that they are human beings, living, breathing human beings.

The soldiers held Li Jingyuan, the man who saved them from their suffering, in even higher esteem.

It can be said that even if Li Jingyuan were to rebel now, they would not hesitate to rush to Yanjing City and pull the emperor off the dragon throne!

Li Jingyuan successfully made these soldiers only know him as the commander of the Marine Corps, and they had completely forgotten about the Qing Dynasty.

Inside the military camp, millet porridge was being cooked in a pot.

Inside the steamer, the snow-white steamed buns and meat buns were steaming, filling the air with their aroma.

The cooks were busy, even though they weren't participating in the arduous training. They provided ample logistical support for the soldiers, ensuring they could quickly replenish their energy after training.

After the morning's armed cross-country run, there will be drill and shooting training in the morning.

At first, the entire line was in complete chaos. Many people couldn't even tell left from right.

At the same time, many soldiers also felt that the drill training was too boring and couldn't understand why they had to do such training.

But over time, everyone became able to follow orders and obey commands. The team as a whole became more and more like a unified entity.

The military has always been a unified whole.

On the battlefield, coordinated action from all personnel is essential. We're no longer in ancient times; there are no more duels between generals.

Therefore, it is even more necessary for soldiers to obey orders, and to obey orders without question.

No army in the Qing Empire at that time was capable of doing this. The Beiyang Marine Corps undoubtedly set a precedent in this regard.

The subsequent shooting training was an even more popular subject among the soldiers.

It's estimated that no man dislikes weapons like knives, guns, and clubs.

Especially for the Beiyang Marine Corps, live-fire exercises were conducted whenever weather conditions permitted. The daily ammunition consumption alone amounted to a considerable sum.

At present, the Qing Empire needs to import most of its bullets from abroad, which costs money. Therefore, many troops do not conduct live-fire training on a regular basis. Even when relevant training is required, it is mostly just for show.

Or rather, they simply don't have enough financial resources to support such training.

On the other hand, the Beiyang Marine Corps had already completed and put into operation the Dalian Arsenal, with bullets being the first project to be mass-produced on a large scale.

Putting aside other factors, it is more than enough to meet the current training needs of the troops.

Sharpshooting skills are honed through practice with bullets.

Aside from a very few exceptionally gifted individuals, a competent soldier consumes a considerable amount of bullets.

This can be seen from the perspective of the Japanese.

In order to reduce ammunition consumption, they have extremely high requirements for the soldiers' shooting skills.

Some Japanese generals even believed that precision shooting could completely replace automatic weapons such as machine guns.

This is also why, in wars, whether it was the First Sino-Japanese War or the later large-scale war against the Japanese, the two sides were almost completely at different levels in terms of shooting skills.

Li Jingyuan was well aware of this, which is why he attached great importance to the soldiers' shooting training.

The lunch at the military camp was very plentiful.

There's plenty of rice or steamed buns, and the main dish is braised pork belly with lots of oil, along with other dishes.

Pork, mutton, and beef are all prepared in various ways.

This made the soldiers so engrossed in their food that they forgot to complain about the hardships of training.

After a two-hour break in the afternoon, there will be bayonet fighting training, defensive fortification construction training, and so on.

There will be a special cultural study session after dinner.

Each unit organized its soldiers, in platoons, to learn to recognize and write characters.

Although this may seem difficult for many soldiers.

After all, many of them were illiterate and uneducated.

I originally thought that after joining the army, all I would need to learn was how to fight on the battlefield, or how to kill. I never expected that I would also need to learn about culture.

They were roughnecks, uncouth men, not people trying to pass the imperial examinations.

Many people disagree with this.

But when they learned that their cultural studies were inadequate and that all meat rations would be cancelled the next day, these soldiers had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue learning.

Under this training method, the soldiers of the Beiyang Marine Corps are undergoing a complete transformation every day.

An army that originally had no foundation is gradually transforming into an elite force.

Once they reach full combat capability, they will undoubtedly be the most formidable force in the entire Qing Empire.

In the ensuing war, Li Jingyuan never relied on other troops of the Qing Empire.

If the Beiyang Marine Corps could independently complete ground combat, that would be ideal.

Li Jingyuan also believed that this goal could definitely be achieved.