The proposal to increase the number of troops formed by the cabinet was quickly passed by Congress. After all, the victory of this war was almost a foregone conclusion. Members of Congress were not fools, and no one would vote against it under such circumstances.

However, the number of troops increased this time far exceeds the original plan. From the perspective of the source of troops, China does not lack the army. After several years of construction and several reorganizations of the National Defense Force, the entire country already has one million regular army troops, from which

The 20.3 million people heading to Europe will not affect domestic stability.

In addition, armaments have also developed very well under Fang Zida's attention in recent years. Except for a few local troops, the National Defense Forces have almost completed a comprehensive replacement. New rifles, mortars, grenade launchers, etc. have become standard equipment.

Except for the rocket launchers, which are still kept strictly confidential and have only been glimpsed, compared with the early years of the Republic of China, the current National Defense Force has reached the level of the world's second-rate army

Although it cannot be compared with the elite European troops before the outbreak of the war, during the years of the European War, the elite armies of the major European powers have been almost exhausted. Except for a few veterans, most of the armies are just recruits who have been trained for several months.

In this situation, the Chinese Army is no longer weaker than the armies of the European powers in terms of combat effectiveness. What they lack is just the baptism of war and experience.

It is not easy to transport so many troops at once. Moreover, due to the participation of the United States in the war, the old maritime empire Britain has also focused its energy on the more reliable Yankees. The Far East cannot allocate more ships. As for the United States, all

The ships have been classified as military. It is very difficult for the Chinese government to transport troops through its allies as before.

According to the plan of the General Staff, it was originally planned to use most of the British and American transport ships and rent some Japanese ships. Unexpectedly, just a few days after the United States entered the war, and shortly after the Congress of the Republic of China passed the proposal to increase the number of troops, Japan also suddenly announced

Officially participating in the war. Nickname

It was said that the navy and two army divisions would be sent to Europe. As a result, the original transportation plan could no longer be implemented. For a time, everyone in the General Staff and the Ministry of National Defense were filled with worries, seeing that the army would soon complete the task.

Assemble, but how can we get to Europe without a ship?

Fortunately, Fang Zida had considered this in advance. He notified China Merchants Group in advance and mobilized most of China Merchants Group's ocean-going ships for temporary use by the navy. But this was only a drop in the bucket. Although China Merchants Group's ships had been partially replaced in recent years,

Generally speaking, most of the ships are small and have low tonnage, which is acceptable for civilian use, but insufficient for military use. Just when Fang Zida was racking his brains to think of other ideas,

Good news came from the Shanghai Manufacturing Bureau. There happened to be two 10,000-ton ships that had just been built in the shipyard. These two 10,000-ton ships were built by the shipyard for the French. They were originally used to cross

Dayang was a cargo ship that transported supplies to the European battlefield. After receiving the news, Fang Zida was overjoyed and quickly contacted Cao Rulin to ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to negotiate with the French government and proposed to temporarily use these two cargo ships to transport troops.

The French government quickly agreed to the Chinese government's request. Although there were still some shortcomings in transportation, the addition of these two large ships solved this problem to the greatest extent.

This increase in troops is slightly different from the last time. The navy has also joined in this operation. Compared with the army, which is beginning to take shape and has a large number, the Chinese navy can be said to be much pitiful. In cabinet meetings, whenever discussions are held

When it came to armaments, the navy did not complain that the army accounted for a larger proportion of military expenditures than the navy. From the early years of the Republic of China to the present, the Chinese navy still has the same few old ships. In addition to annual maintenance of the fleet,

The Navy can be said to be standing still.

After the army was formed, Fang Zida had already begun to consider the construction of the navy. However, compared with the army, the expenditure and training required for the navy to form a large scale were extremely astronomical. The revenue of the Republic of China government was invested in it, which was far from enough.

needs for naval construction, and Fang Zida does not intend to start construction immediately under the current circumstances.

After all, he knew that after the European war was over, all countries in the world would definitely reduce their troops massively, and there would be no need to maintain such a large scale in either the army or the navy. By then, the foreign devils would be able to get it at the price of picking up rags.

When you can buy a very good ship, why do you have to make a fool of yourself in today's financial situation?

Moreover, the navy of World War I was still based on strong ships and huge guns, with battleships dominating the oceans. However, with the rapid development of technology, battleships will soon be replaced by aircraft carriers. When the historical trend is already known, Fang Zida will not waste his time.

He wasted money to build a navy with the goal of battleships. He had long considered that he would either not build materials or build a new type of navy, so that while China could become a continental power, it would also have a new fleet that was not inferior to maritime powers.

Since the beginning of the war in Europe, Jiangnan Shipyard has built a total of seven 10,000-ton ships, eleven ships of more than 5,000 tons, and twenty-three small and medium-sized transport ships of 2,000 tons. While building these ships, the manufacturing bureau has trained a large number of skilled workers.

We have many shipbuilders and many excellent technicians and engineers. On this basis, it is not impossible to design and build an aircraft carrier. As for the aircraft

On the other hand, there has also been great progress in the military industry. According to Chen Fu's report, the core high-power engine of aircraft manufacturing has achieved a breakthrough. It is expected that a new generation of experimental aircraft will begin formal development soon. Fang Zida is very encouraged by these good news.

, he even considered whether to recruit some scientists from Germany after Germany was defeated, or even get some real killer weapons like mushrooms to play with.

Thinking of this, Fang Zida almost chuckled. If he really had a few mushrooms, who would China be afraid of? But he is not an irrational person. It is not that simple to grow mushrooms, even if he knows how to do it.

The theory is that mushrooms can be grown before basic science and development equipment meet the conditions.

It's simply whimsical. Fang Zida is not a god, and he doesn't carry any heaven-defying gadgets like the system with him. The unrealistic idea of ​​growing mushrooms is simply not something that China can afford today. Even the most powerful Ying,

The four countries of France, the United States, and Germany may have to work together for several years before they can achieve anything.

This increase in troops is obviously to increase the bargaining chip and grab the fruits of victory, and the participation of the United States in the war has already equaled the countdown to victory. The morale of the assembled army is high, and from top to bottom, they have the feeling of going to the West to open up foreign meat.

.The General Staff was very dissatisfied with this and convened a military meeting to point out to the generals that although the victory of the war was close at hand, the Allies still needed to

The old have strong military strength. If they cannot enter the battlefield with a good attitude, it is conceivable that they will suffer heavy losses. As long as the war does not officially end in one day, the generals who lead the troops must face their opponents seriously. To be contemptuous is to be

He will suffer a big loss. If anyone still has the mentality of having fun, the General Staff will immediately disqualify him and send him to another unit to go to Europe.

Wang Shizhen's words gave the generals a hard blow, which made their mentality change slightly. Of course, there were also people who didn't say anything but didn't agree with it in their hearts. However, after they arrived on the European battlefield and experienced the offensive of the Allies,

I'm afraid I don't think so anymore.

As for the navy, it would be great to take this opportunity to train. After the Battle of Jutland, the Allied navies had fallen behind. In order to preserve his High Seas Fleet, the Kaiser strictly ordered the fleet commanders not to go into battle without authorization, which was tantamount to giving up the control of the sea.

.

Except for the threat of a few submarines and destroyers, the sea route from China to Europe is smooth. The navy takes over the transportation, which is a rare opportunity. I think that after the war is over, the Chinese navy will have a group of good personnel, which will also give Fang Zida

Lay a solid foundation for future naval plans.

There is just over a month left before the end of the year, and the KMT meeting will be held in late November. Fang Zida has already made preparations and plans to put forward a proposal to reorganize the board of directors at this meeting and compete with Song Jiaoren for the chairmanship.

In order to paralyze Song Jiaoren, during this increase in troops, Fang Zida specially allocated two divisions from his own troops to join the expeditionary force, and set off first as the vanguard. When the news reached Song Jiaoren's ears,

Song Jiaoren felt his whole body relax. In his opinion, this was Fang Zida's way of giving in to him.

Only Liao Zhongkai understood Fang Zida's intention of doing this, but the entangled Liao Zhongkai could not break his promise and tell Song Jiaoren the truth. At the same time, Liao Zhongkai was not willing to have a rift between Fang Zida and Song Jiaoren. At least the surface remained stable, regardless of the relationship between them.

The country is still relatively good to KMT. As for what will happen in the end, Liao Zhongkai didn't think of a better idea for a while and could only wait and see what happens.

In addition to confusing Song Jiaoren, Fang Zida also had another important reason for sending his direct troops to Europe, and that was his post-war European plan. Regarding how to use the expeditionary force to obtain maximum benefits after the war, in addition to some issues proposed in the cabinet

In addition, Fang Zida has another idea, and the implementation of this idea must be

It is necessary to rely on strong force as the backing. Although the expeditionary force currently has Fang Zida's troops, this is far from enough. The two newly added divisions are to ensure the implementation of this plan. At the same time, Fang Zida also asked Huang Kaiyuan to serve as deputy commander of the additional troops.

The commander directly commanded the troops of these two divisions and gave him a secret order.

The increase in troops here has just been implemented, and good news came from the north. With the support of Shang Zhen and Zhang Zongchang, Kolchak has successfully arrived in the Far East, and most of the huge wealth he carried has also traveled with him, and he is safe.

arrive.

Hearing the news, Fang Zida danced with excitement. He quickly found someone to send a telegram to Jiang Zhiqing, who had just returned to Shanghai. At the same time, he contacted several major financial groups in the United States and planned to cooperate with both parties to take over this huge wealth.

Of course Fang Zida wanted to swallow this piece of fat by himself, but he also understood that it was very difficult for one person to eat this piece of meat. It is safest to tie several parties together with interests. Otherwise, he would have this intention
Chapter completed!