The Republic of China: A Letter of Appointment Creates the Most Powerful Warlord

"Hahahaha, Feng's 10th and 11th Divisions, with nearly 20,000 men, couldn't break through our defenses. This battle is going to be interesting."

At the bottom, at the Guard Brigade Command, Zhang Liuzi, who had just returned from the front, had a rosy complexion and was in high spirits. As soon as he entered the room, he grinned and proudly showed off his battle record at the front line to everyone.

"I just saw that the New 1st Regiment's fighting style is truly fierce. One regiment took on three regiments without losing the upper hand. The soldiers below were like little wolf cubs, charging forward with howling cries!"

"It's so fucking exciting!"

"That's right. Don't you see what equipment the New 1st Regiment has? They are equipped with the best equipment in the entire Fengbei Army!"

Deputy Brigade Commander Guo Songling smiled gently, handed over a cup of tea, hugged his shoulders, looked at the map, and persuaded.

"Since our brothers are so motivated, why not just break through the Feng faction's positions and push the buffer zone forward another twenty kilometers!"

"This way, the Beijing headquarters can not only see our achievements, but also provide an entry point for the reinforcements from Phoenix City."

"Heh, Phoenix? Do you think they can win?"

Zhang Liuzi held the teacup with a faint smile on his lips, but his tone was mixed with sarcasm.

"With nearly twice the number of troops, we've been fighting for more than ten hours and still haven't broken through the enemy's defenses. Expecting them to attack Zhili Province is a lost cause."

"You can't say that."

Guo Songling took this opportunity to analyze the current situation to him.

"You, I, the Marshal, and even Cao Xin of the Feng Clan understand the importance of Phoenix City. Once it falls, the Fengbei Army will greatly shorten its route and quickly rush into the heart of Zhili Province."

"That's why the Feng Clan is so difficult to deal with, gritting their teeth and refusing to give in!"

"So, other places are not important?"

Zhang Liuzi looked at him sideways, not thinking that this argument was tenable.

"How's the fighting going in Zhongyuan and Zhijiang? Have you been paying attention? The Independence Army is engaged in full-scale battles, sweeping across the four provinces of Zhongyuan, Zhijiang, Jiangyou, and Zhili. In just one night, even the slowest troops advanced over a hundred kilometers!"

When talking about this issue, the arrogance in Zhang Liuzi's eyes gradually dissipated. He stared at the map not far away, and his words were full of envy.

"Tsk, four or five hundred thousand people attacking on all fronts, this grand scene is so exciting. When will our Fengbei Army be able to be so impressive? That would be truly awesome!"

"That's all outdated information."

At this moment, the chief of staff who had just entered the room took off his hat, walked over with a faint smile, and joined the group chatting.

"Last night, when we started the war, the Eagle Sauce First Fleet, with six warships, tried to launch a surprise attack on Zhang Ye's shipyard near the coast of Chuzhou. However, they failed miserably because they had made preparations in advance."

"It's said that three hundred heavy artillery pieces fired a single round, frying more than half of the fish in the coastal waters. The Eagle Sauce First Fleet suffered heavy losses, with three ships sunk and two seriously damaged. The command ship fled for its life like a stray dog."

"Fuck, three hundred heavy artillery pieces firing one basic shell, what kind of loser's way of fighting is this?"

Hearing this, Zhang Liuzi was so envious that his back teeth were about to break.

No wonder the Independence Army was able to win battles and advance so quickly. Just look at their firepower configuration.

The artillery shells were free. Even though they were fighting a fleet of only six warships, they fired more than 10,000 artillery shells.

What is this? This is just typical carpet bombing!

If these more than 10,000 artillery shells were given to him, he could definitely plow the entire front-line position three times!

By that time, with only 20,000 enemy troops, if two people shared one artillery shell, they would definitely be blown to pieces without leaving a trace.

"This isn't over yet."

The Chief of Staff is a man who likes gossip and likes to listen to some rumors when he has nothing to do, so he pays special attention to the Independence Army.

When he saw the interested expressions of several people, his long-suppressed desire to share suddenly exploded and he began to chatter non-stop.

"I don't know if you've noticed an important question: how many people are there in the Independence Army?"

"How many people? What does that mean?" Zhang Liuzi was completely dragged into the pit by him. His eyes were slightly confused, and he muttered, "It's not 400,000 troops, that's what the old man said."

"Is it really four hundred thousand?" The chief of staff showed a mysterious smile, moved closer to the two of them and reminded them.

"According to reliable sources, the First Corps of Donglu Province has approximately 120,000 troops, the Second Corps of Huishan has 140,000 troops, and the Third Corps of Wuyue has 200,000 troops. This is the origin of the 400,000-strong Independent Army."

"But if you look at it now, is it only 400,000 people?"

The chief of staff raised an eyebrow at the two of them, pointed at the map in front of him and gestured.

"The First Corps is stationed in Zhili Province, the Second Corps is stationed deep in the Central Plains, and the Third Corps is stationed in Shanghu."

"So, where did the hundreds of thousands of people who formed the defense line between southeastern Huishan and southern Wuyue come from?"

"Furthermore, when the Second Corps was fully staffed and attacking the Central Plains, there were still no less than 100,000 people stationed in Huishan, holding the defense line. Where did this person come from?"

After hearing his analysis, Zhang Liuzi and Guo Songling looked at each other and saw a hint of surprise and fear in each other's eyes.

Right, the Independence Army only had 400,000 people, so how come the number kept increasing, with an additional 300,000 or 400,000 people appearing as the fighting went on?!

If it is really as the Chief of Staff said, then Zhang Ye’s strength is too strong!

All added up, there are 700,000 to 800,000 troops!

With this kind of strength, he can definitely dominate the country and even sit on the throne!

"The most important point, I don't know if you have paid attention to it."

The chief of staff liked to see other people's surprised expressions, just like when he first heard the news, it felt particularly exciting and thrilling.

"Heavy armored brigades have appeared in Zhijiang Province, and also in Zhili Province and Zhongyuan Province."

"Furthermore, a heavy armored brigade has appeared at the border between Huishannan and Jiangyou. What does this mean? It means that in just one year, Zhang Ye's ground armed forces have achieved a qualitative leap!"

"When we fought Cao Xin last year, we all watched. A heavy armored brigade was mobilized back and forth, and the time was very tight."

"But now, they have so many tanks. Every battlefield, or every corps, has them. If we encounter such an opponent, we will be in vain. We should just surrender as soon as possible!"

"Grass!"

After the chief of staff finished speaking, Zhang Liuzi took a long time to recover from his shock. He rubbed the back of his slightly cold hands and asked.

"Old Sun, where did you get this information? Is it accurate?"

"If you don't believe me, go back to the Intelligence Department at headquarters. I have a friend on duty there. He passed by here this morning, and we chatted while we had a cigarette."

Chief of Staff Sun took out a cigarette box, lit it up, and continued to add.

"According to his summary, the current independence army has at least 800,000 people!"