The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

Unless it is particularly urgent, the Ming Dynasty does not fight in winter, as it is too costly and could easily result in non-combat casualties.

Given the Ming Dynasty's usual practices, neither the top nor bottom officials really took the Dutch fleet seriously. Eleven ships thinking they could take on the Ming Dynasty? What a joke! Let's have a proper New Year first.

Since we're going to have an annual meeting, time is very tight. What kind of annual meeting is it if we don't put on some performances?

But when it came to putting on a show, I got a headache. After discussing it with my secretaries, they said there were plenty of people in the school who could sing and dance.

Chen Er had forgotten about this; many of the older girls in the school were going to be sold into brothels.

With the program decided, the question became: who would attend the annual meeting? There were only a few senior executives at home, and it would be overwhelming if everyone came—there were over four thousand people. In the end, it was decided that officers of rank 1 and above would attend the annual meeting.

Most of the officers and soldiers who went to Liangshan did not have their families there, because after the reorganization of the troops, the personnel were scattered.

The annual arrangements for these four or five thousand people also need to be made properly. Song Yuzai, the manager of the Liangshan branch, got busy.

Feeding and taking care of more than 4,000 people is no small matter. There is enough grain, but the purchase of non-staple foods is astronomical.

We bought back pigs, cattle, and sheep in droves. In Fujian, where the temperature is three or four degrees below zero, the meat still doesn't freeze completely, so we have to keep it alive.

The people living near Tiancuo were overjoyed. In the past, due to the cold weather, they could at least grow some melons and vegetables in winter to supplement their food supply, but in recent years that was no longer possible; nothing could grow in the fields because of the cold weather.

With a large group of people moving into the fields, the need for supplies and labor was considerable. Being able to have work during a time of no income was a welcome surprise.

The annual meeting's performances required almost no rehearsal; Chen Er's secretaries were professionals at singing and dancing, as were many of the students.

When watching the rehearsal, Chen Er noticed a problem: all the programs were performed by girls, and there wasn't a single male program.

This won't do. If there's a problem, contact Li Xi.

Currently, there is only one program with men involved: storytelling.

There were only seven storytellers in Liangshan City, and they were all hired by someone starting from the 7th day of the twelfth lunar month.

The annual meeting should be fun, and the officers and soldiers should also have cultural and artistic activities during the Spring Festival, right? Otherwise, it would be problematic to keep more than 4,000 people locked up in the barracks.

In those days, there were no amplification devices, so it was impossible for thousands of people to listen to a program together. Chen Er thought it best to simply hire all the storytellers in the city, and all the officers and soldiers listened to the stories every day during the Spring Festival.

The annual meeting was held on December 28th at Liangshan Experimental Primary School. The invited officers and soldiers, senior managers, and master craftsmen were all completely baffled.

Why hold a meeting at this time of year? Although everyone has gotten used to meetings over the past year, who isn't preparing for the Lunar New Year at this time?

The officers, soldiers, and workers of Huaxia Group are all considered high-income earners in this era, and they are all eager to take advantage of the New Year to relax and enjoy themselves.

Everyone arrived at school in a daze, and as soon as they entered the school gate, the boys stopped them.

"Which team are you on? What's your name and position?"

After checking the roster one by one, I was led away by two smiling little girls.

The officers arrived in battalions, but the administrative staff were different; they would arrive one after another, but each one was guided.

Upon entering the auditorium, one finds a neat circle of square benches, with a passageway left near the side door.

There were also some signs standing on the ground, and anyone who could read would see that they all had various names written on them, such as the 1st Battalion of the Hainan Fleet, the 3rd Battalion of the Taiwan Fleet, and the Master Craftsman of the Workshop...

Everyone sat down according to their respective areas and positions.

The soldiers sat ramrod straight and didn't talk. The administrative staff and cooks, however, were different; they greeted each other with their luggage and chatted quietly once seated.

When everyone arrived, they discovered that the entire front row was empty. Were some important figures missing? How could so many important figures have come? There were probably a hundred or two empty seats in front.

The annual meeting was about to begin, but Chen Er was reading a letter. The letter was an urgent report jointly signed by Dong Xian and Pang Huaiyi, stating that Mao Wenlong, the general of Dongjiang Town, had led his troops to Pi Island in November.

Because it was planned in advance, the mobile fleet has not yet clashed with the Dongjiang forces, but both sides are quite tense. Dong Xian and Mao Wenlong have made contact, and the Dongjiang side hopes that the mobile fleet will withdraw from Pi Island.

Retreat was out of the question. From its inception to its demise, Dongjiang Town had never escaped the food crisis. At this time, the best thing to ease relations with Dongjiang was food.

The large Fu ship could carry about 250 tons of grain at a time, enough to feed about 900 to 1000 people for a year.

Chen Er decided to send five boatloads of grain to Pi Island first, at a lower price, but to gain a foothold on Pi Island, he could avoid conflict with Dongjiang.

It is said that there are hundreds of thousands of Liao people who have fled to the islands of Dongjiang and the direction of Korea. Chen Er has been planning to take advantage of these people for a long time.

The students were the last to enter the auditorium. More than two hundred children went to their respective seats according to their classes, and before taking their seats, they all bowed to the officers, officers, and teachers behind them.

The officers in the unit reacted the fastest because the regulations stipulated that if anyone saluted an officer or soldier, the officer or soldier must return the salute immediately when not on duty.

With a clatter, all the officers stood up and returned the salute. The stewards and trainers were taken aback for a moment before quickly rising to bow in return.

Most of the people present had seen some older students before, and there were students interning in the workshop every day. The supervisors also brought some children to learn about accounting, management, and other related knowledge.

The officers only met the children when they were testing the cannons. These children, who were on board, would take notes on paper about each time the cannons were fired.

If other people were sitting in the front row, they might grumble to themselves, wondering why they couldn't sit in the front. But these kids didn't care.

Firstly, they are young, and secondly, the CEO has repeatedly said that these educated children will be treasures in the future.

The officers were well aware of the children's value.

When these children first practiced flag signals on the ship, everyone was shocked. If there were two of these children on the ship, it would be so much easier to command operations in the future.

At the beginning of Shenshi (3 PM), Chen Er entered with Liu Xiang, Yu Yuan, and Song Yuzai. Everyone stood up, the officers saluted, the civilians bowed, and the students bowed.

After returning the greetings, Chen Er gestured for everyone to sit down. Looking at the group of people sitting around him, he felt a sense of admiration. They were incredibly lucky to have achieved this much in just two years.

"I've invited everyone here today for no other reason than to get together and introduce ourselves after a year of hard work. This is Liu Xiang from the Hainan Fleet, Commander Liu. You all know the naval personnel, and you all also need to get to know the civilian personnel."

Upon hearing her name called, Liu Xiang stepped forward and solemnly saluted.