A courtyard house; Li Yunlong, a subordinate of the deputy director of Harbin Military Engineering I

It was just past noon, and the curtains in the General Staff meeting room were still half-drawn.

A group of people sat around a long table for most of the morning. On the table was the planning proposal written by Zhang Renfeng himself, the edges of which were already frayed.

The core of the discussion was twofold: Harbin Military Engineering Institute to establish a rocket engineering department, and the proposal to reorganize the anti-American independence army into the Rocket Force.

The disagreement was straightforward: half of the people felt that the pace was too fast, the industrial base had not kept up, and the establishment of the Rocket Force was purely theoretical.

The other half felt that since they had made a name for themselves in North Korea, they should strike while the iron was hot.

The two sides went back and forth, neither able to convince the other.

Zhang Renfeng's master leaned back in his chair and listened to the debate all morning. Seeing that the time was right, he raised his hand to quiet things down and said in a casual tone, "How about this, when it's lunchtime, we'll talk while we eat."

He turned his head and called out to the door, and the kitchen staff filed in carrying two large baskets filled with steaming hot steamed buns, along with several dishes of pickled vegetables. Those who liked spicy food also had a dish of chili oil.

The Commander-in-Chief looked up and couldn't help but chuckle. He tapped the table with his chopsticks: "This is the first time we've ever eaten and talked in this conference room."

As he spoke, he broke off half a steamed bun, dipped it in some chili, took a big bite, and looked up at the person above him.

The latter looked down at the handwritten planning proposal on the table.

The plan was a thick stack, with neat handwriting and clear items, listing everything from the selection of training sites to the staffing, from the proportion of professors transferred from major universities to the list of overseas scholars to be introduced.

He chewed and turned the steamed bun over, but the more he looked at it, the less appetizing it seemed. He put the remaining half on the plate, looked up, and his voice carried an uncontrollable sigh:

"To be honest, this is the most comprehensive plan I've ever seen. How could this kid have researched it so thoroughly?"

Even the weapons, training plans, training grounds, and personnel required that Big Brother hasn't disclosed, along with the proportion of professors being transferred from various universities—you should take a look.

This kid's got his eyes all on overseas scholars, this money... this Guo... and the mathematician Hua..."

He put down his chopsticks and stood up, his face flushed, whether from the chili peppers or his emotions, it was hard to tell. He placed his hands on the table and glanced around at everyone present.

"Hey, this kid, I always thought he was just involved in military industry, conventional weapons, or at most explosives. But he's got such big ambitions and such a comprehensive plan. I'm really touched."

I don't want to talk about overly technical questions.

"Nie, Su, and the Harbin Military Engineering Institute's plan was proposed by you. Why don't you explain it to us, the few secretaries who opposed it?"

Hearing this, Brigade Commander Chen, who was drinking water from an enamel mug, paused for a moment and cursed inwardly: No, I was the one who proposed the plan. I've been sitting here all morning, why don't you let me speak? I've been memorizing my lines all morning—what about splitting mountains and rocks, sealing throats with a single sword, and the sound of ten thousand swords—is it really that hard for me to show off once?

The anger in his heart, like embers in a stove, burned silently for a while, but he ultimately remained silent.

He knew that this meeting was not his domain. He was able to sit here today because of the military achievements of the Anti-American Independence Army and the significance of Zhang Renfeng's plan. These two things alone were enough for Old Chen to stand up straight.

He firmly believed that the Rocket Force must be established.

Old Nie put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and turned to First Deputy Chief of Staff Su, who was sitting diagonally opposite him: "Would you like to go first?"

General Su was usually modest and rarely spoke up during meetings, but today he made an exception and laughed.

"Before I share my opinion, I need to clarify a fact. The reason why we detained Dean Zhang Renfeng's Second Division from the Ninth Column of the Central Plains Field Army was because Li Yunlong's Second Division was the best at fighting tough battles, and their nemesis was Chu Yunfei... So that's how it is."

He paused for a moment, glanced around, and his smile carried a hint of apology.

"Who would have thought that the Second Division would be so good at fighting? Now it has earned a great reputation as the Anti-American Independence Army, and I am very happy."

I wholeheartedly support their current plan to reorganize and transform them into the Rocket Force.

Dean Zhang Renfeng talked about his thoughts on future battles... The more I thought about it, the more panicked I became. My head was buzzing; just imagining the scenes terrified me. But..."

"I have a different idea. Calling it the Rocket Force might not be appropriate... Given the current international situation and our own industrial base, it's not suitable. However, this force still absolutely must be established."

After he finished speaking, he added, "We'll discuss what to call it later."

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Chen sat up straight.

He didn't have much interaction with Chief of Staff Su, but in those words just now, the phrase "intercepted the Second Division" clearly carried an apology, which he understood.

Back when Li Yunlong's Second Division was intercepted from the Ninth Column, Zhang Renfeng made quite a few threats, saying that if Li Yunlong's unit was wiped out, he would use ten tons of high explosives to bomb the East China Field Army headquarters.

Later, the Second Division was expanded into an army and incorporated into the Tenth Army Corps. Zhang Renfeng even sent a special telegram to Commander Wei, asking him to properly handle this future sharp sword of the Republic.

Now, thinking back on it carefully, Old Chen's heart skipped a beat... This kid had been plotting for so many years, all for this day.

A surge of warmth welled up inside him; no matter what, as the older brother, he had to fight for it.

Despite the arguments, he knew his limits. The kid only needed to do his job; as for the turmoil outside, he, Old Chen, would shoulder the burden.

He cleared his throat and took over the conversation, his voice louder than before: "Well, to be honest, when the Liangshan Special Operations Battalion in the Independent Army was first established, it was already planning to use ground artillery to precisely guide the enemy's positions through armed infiltration and stealthy assaults, in the absence of precision guidance, by using a sand table to precisely eliminate the enemy's positions."

With precision guidance in the future, our first priority will be surface-to-surface missiles... surface-to-air... and even—”

Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, Lao Nie put down the half-eaten steamed bun in his hand, stood up, and casually wiped the oil stains off his fingertips with a handkerchief.

He was never one for many words, but once he opened his mouth, he was concise and to the point. He glanced around at everyone present, and though his voice was not loud, every word landed squarely on the solid wood table: "If you really want to say something, I think I should say a few words too."

He didn't look at the plan at hand; he had already gone through it more than once, and every item was etched into his mind. "...In short, future wars will definitely not be about who has more people. We shouldn't just focus on the present; we need to plan for the next ten or even several decades."

He paused, as if to let his words weigh on their meaning.

"I believe that given the current situation, we need such a strategic missile force. Our industrial system may not be able to support such a force now, but that doesn't mean it won't be in the future."

We are struggling to survive... Our air force and navy are not capable of competing with the other side in the short term because... our reach is not long enough to reach the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

They're not afraid of us; we have no deterrent effect. And it will take decades to achieve that, but we've suffered for decades from outdated weaponry. I've developed a fear of insufficient firepower... We need this kind of strategic deterrent.

Now we can mass-produce 18-kilometer extended-range missiles. Next, we'll expand to 100-kilometer, 1,000-kilometer, and even cover every corner of the earth... Once radar and communications are perfected, and we can achieve precision strikes, who will dare say that China is not brave?

His voice grew steady as he spoke, and his gaze lifted from the table to the national map hanging on the opposite wall, as if he were looking at something farther away than that map: "Let's imagine that scene... mountains splitting and rocks shattering, ten thousand swords ringing out, one sword cleaving the heavens."

Fellow colleagues, what I want to say is... dignity lies only on the edge of the sword.

Decades of revolutionary experience have taught us that truth lies only within range.

Give young people some time, and let them forge the sharpest sword for China.

Once this sword is drawn, it will surely shake the heavens and the earth, and make all those powerful figures no longer dare to look down upon us with their arrogant heads.

In future diplomatic affairs, we will also have the confidence to speak frankly to the great powers—

He paused for a moment, his voice not loud, but it seemed to press down the air in the entire conference room for a instant.

"My sword has never been weak!!!!"