Lin Zhan took advantage of everyone’s contemplation and approached Wang Er Zhuang, who was currently being beaten.
Lin Zhan had initially thought Er Hu was a good fellow, enduring the beating without a sound. But upon approaching, he discovered that Er Zhuang wasn’t just tied up, his mouth was also gagged.
“Er Hu, do you know why you’re being beaten?”
“Mmf mmph. Mmf mmph.”
“I forgot about this. Xiao Bao, quickly untie Er Zhuang.” Lin Zhan, seeing Wang Er Zhuang only able to utter muffled sounds, turned to Xiao Bao.
Once untied, Wang Er Zhuang immediately hugged Lin Zhan’s thigh and cried out, “Boss, I was wrong! You absolutely must not introduce Yang Ting Ting to anyone else. I’m determined to marry her and no one else!”
Wang Er Zhuang’s god-tier move completely flabbergasted Lin Zhan. All the eloquent words he had prepared were reduced to a single “What the hell.”
“Er Zhuang, I was asking about the beating I just gave you.”
“What’s that got to do with anything, Boss? Xiao Jin and the others won’t dare to hit too hard. I can take a beating, so it’s no big deal. If you want to hit me, come ahead, that’s fine too. But you can’t ignore my lifelong happiness, can you?” It turned out Wang Er Zhuang didn’t care about the beating at all; his only concern was that Yang Ting Ting wouldn’t be introduced to anyone else.
Xiao Jin, Xiao Hei, Xiao Bao, and Xiao Ji exchanged glances and asked, “Who hit his head just now?”
Later, He Da Zhuang, unable to stand it any longer, whispered to Wang Er Zhuang, “You blubbering idiot, what are you crying about? With your sister-in-law and Elder Sister Ling Xiu here, Yang Ting Ting isn’t going anywhere. Stop howling and let’s continue the meeting.”
Wang Er Zhuang immediately shifted from vibrating to silent, then mumbled softly, “Yeah, I have people on my side, what do I have to fear?”
By this time, everyone had arrived, and Lin Zhan sat down, addressing the group, “Who wants to speak first?”
Bai Zhi Shan, General Jiang Da Jun Shi, stood up and said, “Then I’ll say a few words. Old Lin, how many soldiers did Rommel lead in the Ten Thousand Races army?”
Lin Zhan replied directly, “Eight million. If Rommel hadn’t encountered a novice before he arrived and botched the cavalry of the Ten Thousand Races coalition, this battle would have been even more difficult for me.”
Jiang Zheng nodded and said, “So, the disparity in troop numbers between us and the Ten Thousand Races is immense. However, the most fatal weakness of the Ten Thousand Races coalition is their command. With so many races, their customs, styles, and ways of life are bound to differ. This means the Ten Thousand Races’ army is not as cohesive and obedient as our Human race’s army.”
“But based on what Old Lin said, Rommel and Ye Lao Er should also see this. Therefore, during this year of truce, they will definitely forge a complete and powerful allied army. If we continue as we are, we will be finished in the next war.”
Jiang Zheng continued, “I’m not trying to be harsh, but among us brothers, only Old Lin and I can truly command an entire army. Old Zhang and Old Ying are perhaps half-qualified. If you task the rest of our brothers with leading an army and clashing head-on with the Ten Thousand Races, none of them would flinch. But when it comes to commanding millions of troops in a large-scale battle, anyone would be overwhelmed.”
The people below nodded in agreement, “Old Jiang is right. We all know our own capabilities.”
“Exactly. If you ask us to command, it’s better to assign us to units that suit our abilities. Our contribution will be greater then.”
Jiang Zheng looked at the crowd below and continued, “Our individual strength is at this level now. Those who haven’t advanced will all reach Golden rank in about a week. In the coming year, we only have about 8 months for training.”
“I believe our primary training focus for these eight months should be multi-arm joint operations, with a secondary focus on large-scale defensive warfare and single-arm engagements.”
“The second point concerns our relationship with the military. We also need to form a powerful army to deal with the war a year from now.”
Regarding Jiang Zheng’s two proposals, the others began to voice their opinions.
After everyone had discussed, Lin Zhan stood up and said, “Then I’ll draft a document first, requesting the military department to form a new army. In 8 months, all you brothers will go to the army to train together. Within a week, everyone’s strength will be brought up to Golden rank; otherwise, you won’t even have the qualification to participate in the war.”
He then turned to Lin Yi beside him and said, “Lin Yi, you draft this. For the battle against Rommel a year from now, the following requirements are made, and we hope they will be approved.”
“First, the formation of a new army is required, with a tentative staff of 5 million main combat personnel and 1 million support personnel. Their strength must be Golden rank. The personnel composition will be based on battle-hardened veterans drawn from the Sixth Army, the Zhen Lei Legion, and the Xun Feng Legion, with other personnel mainly being veterans who have fought for over a year.”
“Second, Field Marshal Jiang Zhong Tian, Field Marshal Zhang Zhen, and General Lin Shan He are to be temporarily appointed as the commanders and deputy commanders of this army, responsible for its training and integration.”
“Third, the establishment of an aerospace bombing corps, an engineer rapid mine-laying corps, and a fire assessment staff department, among other new types of forces.”
“Fourth, the main training objectives for the various legions under the army will be multi-arm coordinated operations and rapid response combat, in preparation for the year-long war against the Ten Thousand Races.”
“Fifth, dispatch the Hunter King Leng family to form a Hunter Brigade primarily with hounds, the Water Ghost Zhang family to form a Water Ghost unit for special operations, the Celestial Master Mansion to form a Daoist magic legion to counter the Undead race, and Lou Wai Lou to form a rapid decapitation unit. Leng Shan, Zhang Cong, Zhang Hao Ran, and Xiao Han Yi, the four of you will be responsible for coordination.”
“Sixth, accelerate the production of various integrated bombs and equip them to all legions and new types of forces as quickly as possible. Ensure all logistical needs of the army. The federal government must cooperate fully. Anyone found derelict in duty or deliberately delaying will be executed without prior approval.”
“Everyone, take a look. Besides these six points, is there anything else that needs to be added?” Lin Zhan asked everyone after he finished.
Jiang Zheng shook his head and said, “When the brothers go to join the army, they must bring key personnel from their own families. After all, if we go alone with our current strength, we’ll just be sending ourselves to our deaths.”
Seeing everyone nod, Lin Zhan instructed Lin Yi, “You will personally deliver this letter to the Lin family. Request my great-grandfather to pass the letter to Ancestor Di Xin. The army is to be formed as quickly as possible, and Ancestor Di Xin himself must step forward and state that I require no less than 20 units of No. 5, and also provide the personnel to deliver them.”
“Young Master, rest assured. I will return swiftly.” Lin Yi turned and set off with his squad.
“Lin Er, when the other squads arrive, have Lin Wu and Lin Liu go to the military department to assist the military factory in producing these integrated bombs in large quantities. Anyone who dares to drag their feet will be beheaded.”
Lin Zhan finally looked at everyone and said, “Brothers, the best strategy is to win before fighting. Our success or failure hinges on this.”