In the process of building the Northern Army, the help from the United States in terms of military personnel played a great role in the establishment and growth of the Northern Army. Even now, a large part of the instructors in the Army Military Academy, Army University, and Navy Military Academy of the Northern Army come from the United States.

Wu Haoxuan's friends James and Harry served as the deputy division commander of the instructor and the head of the operations department of the staff headquarters respectively. Both of these positions are undoubtedly high-powered. Now, China and the United States are in the honeymoon period, and even if some people are dissatisfied with this, they probably won't specifically point it out. However, Wu Haoxuan knows that as China grows stronger and stronger, the conflict of interests with the United States in the Pacific region will become more and more great. When the time comes, it will be somewhat inappropriate to reuse these Americans.

Rather than temporarily dismiss these Americans from their posts at that time, it is better to start now, step by step, and slowly eliminate their influence from the military. I can also use this time to cultivate more of my own talents.

Wu Haoxuan also apologized to James and Harry for this. The two of them can understand this. In the words of the two of them, they are already very satisfied with being promoted to lieutenant general. After all, before that, they had never thought of becoming generals in just a few years. Those students who stayed in the United States have now been promoted to captains at most, and a very small number of outstanding people have only been promoted to majors.

Although, they could no longer serve in the main branches of the Imperial Army. But with their experience, once they return to China, they will definitely be reused. It can be said that the past few years they have spent in China have been a huge gain for them.

After leaving his mentorship, James became Vice Chancellor of the Imperial Army University. Harry, on the other hand, served as the vice-principal of the Imperial Army Military Academy. There are many other Americans who have also transferred from their posts in the General Staff Headquarters to military academies as instructors. The positions vacated by them were replaced by officers of the Imperial Army.

The position of deputy division commander left by James has now been taken over by Zhao Lin. After Shi Tianchuan, chief of staff of the original instructor, was promoted to commander of the 4th Infantry Division, he took over the position of chief of staff. Right now. went one step further and became the deputy head of the instructor. Wu Haoxuan, the teacher of the tutor, is actually just a name, and the specific things are said to be in charge of the deputy division commander.

As for the instructor, in Wu Haoxuan's plan, in the future, the instructor will gradually develop into the Praetorian Guard, making it the most combat-effective unit in the Imperial Army, and it is also a test unit for various new weapons. The Janissaries will be stationed in Yanjing. Become the strongest force of the Gongwei Jing Division. And Zhao Lin, who is now the deputy commander of the instructor, will also be a candidate for the commander of the Praetorian Guard in the future.

On March 28, 4607 (09) of the Yellow Emperor Era, Wu Haoxuan presided over this meeting of the General Staff Headquarters. The chief officers of all the subordinate departments of the General Staff Headquarters have been promoted from major general to lieutenant general. Originally, the position of chief of operations left by Harry after his departure was replaced by Shi Tianhan, who had just been promoted to general. In addition, Wu Haoxuan also gave Shi Tianhan a position as deputy chief of the general staff. Wu Haoxuan is in the position of chief of the general staff, and obviously will not stay for long. After Shi Tianhan can be in charge of the entire General Staff, he will gradually withdraw.

"His Royal Highness the Prince. Ladies and gentlemen, now the Imperial Army. It has a total of 60 infantry divisions, 15 cavalry brigades, 6 heavy artillery brigades, as well as a number of military academies, arsenals, and weapons research and development institutions, with a total strength of 1.3 million troops, which is only a little less than Russia, which claims to have a standing army of 1.4 million. these troops. It is enough to cope with the current situation and defend the interests of the empire. Therefore, the recommendation of the General Staff Headquarters is to retain the current size of the force and not expand it. The new Minister of Operations, General Shi Tianhan, said.

Wu Haoxuan nodded. Previously, the Imperial Army had 51 infantry divisions, and the other nine were integrated from those armies incorporated from the southern provinces. Although, the territory controlled by the empire is vast, it is still a little too large for the 1.3 million army. However, in the current world, it is also a powerful army second only to the Russians. And that's just the troops. In terms of combat effectiveness, the Russian Army was no match for the Imperial Army at all. This has been fully tested in previous wars.

"The current size of the force can be maintained. However, in addition to the old foundation of the Northern Army at the beginning, the 15 infantry divisions that were formed later were all reorganized from the Beiyang Army and the local units in the southern provinces, and their combat effectiveness was far inferior to that of the old base units of the Northern Army. Therefore, in the coming period, it is necessary to strengthen the training of these units so that their combat effectiveness can be enhanced at an early date. Wu Haoxuan advised. If the newly expanded dozen or so infantry divisions can catch up with the old base units of the Northern Army, the army of 1.3 million men will indeed be sufficient.

"Yes, His Royal Highness the Prince!" Admiral Shi Tianhan nodded.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our army is indeed very strong. In East Asia and the world, we can also be at the forefront of the world. But we can't let that make us complacent. Until now, we have only walked on one leg. The other leg is still in a blank space. There is only one leg, which is lame, and it is also unsteady and fast. Therefore, in the future, we will focus on strengthening investment in the Navy. Now we ordered battleships from the Germans, built at a fast pace. It is expected that he will be able to return to China by the end of the year. When the time comes, we will make up for the other leg as well. Wu Haoxuan said.

For the army, Wu Haoxuan plans to maintain this scale for the time being. Unless there is a sudden war, there will be no further expansion. The limited financial resources will be invested in the development of the Navy. Compared to the Imperial Army, which is already among the top in the world, the Imperial Navy is like a toddler. Although, the Reich ordered two battleships, two heavy cruisers, and a ticket of cruisers and destroyers to the Germans. But compared with the main enemy of the empire, the Japanese Navy, the gap is really not half a star. The Japanese Navy was able to completely destroy the Imperial Navy by virtue of the number of warships alone. In terms of the quality of the officers and men of the navy, the Imperial Navy, which had already broken its backbone, was probably not comparable to the Japanese Navy. The only advantage is probably the performance of the battleship.

Therefore, if the Imperial Navy wants to be disgraced, it can only catch up. The navy is a very expensive branch of the military, and it must increase investment. This will inevitably affect the investment in the Army. Although the empire has been established, in the face of the current mess, it will undoubtedly need to invest a lot of money in development.

"Yes, His Royal Highness the Prince!" Admiral Shi Tianhan and the others all nodded again and again. Compared to the Imperial Army, the Imperial Navy was too weak. If the empire doesn't want to walk on one leg all the time, it has to develop its navy as well.

The Army, more defensively, conducts homeland defense. Due to the constraints of logistical supply lines, it is very difficult for the army to attack on a large scale. But the navy is different, and the navy has always been an outward attacking service. If China wants to participate in the division of the world in the future, it will be impossible without a strong navy. Not to mention defeating the little devils, it's a shame to be ashamed. Not to mention competing with the Americans for hegemony in the Pacific. Although, the current United States is not Uncle Sam and is in the stage of Sam Junior. But it's not something that China can compare. Competing with the United States for the Pacific Ocean is just Wu Haoxuan's ultimate goal.

"Does the General Staff Headquarters have a specific plan for the use of troops in the northwest?" Wu Haoxuan asked. It's already the end of March, and soon the temperature in the northwest will start to rise, which is a good opportunity to send troops.

"Your Royal Highness the Prince, according to the information we have obtained, the army controlled by the local forces in the northwest mainly includes the Ma Family Army, about 100,000 cavalry. The green battalion and other troops under the command of Sheng Yun, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, were about 30,000 people. The army under the joint leader of the frontier governor was about 20,000 people. In addition, there is the armed forces of various ethnic groups, which are estimated to be tens of thousands. The General Staff Headquarters plans to send two infantry divisions and eight cavalry brigades to the northwest, with a total strength of more than 100,000 troops. Attacking westward from Shaanxi Province, gradually destroying the Ma Jiajun and other local forces. Admiral Shi Tianhan said.

Although, the Imperial Army planned to invest only 100,000 men. However, the combat effectiveness of the Imperial Army is not comparable to that of the Ma Jiajun and those green battalions in the northwest. Eight cavalry brigades are enough to sweep the entire northwest. Those two infantry divisions are only used to protect the logistics supply line and ensure that the troops on the front line will not be defeated because the logistics supply line is cut off.

Wu Haoxuan nodded, it should be no problem to invest so many troops and sweep the entire northwest.

"For operations in the northwest, first, we must pay attention to logistical supply lines. The northwest is too far away from us, and logistical replenishment will be a big problem. Second, it is necessary to pay attention to the nationality issue and, if necessary, to adopt tougher measures. Wu Haoxuan said. Although Wu Haoxuan is not a Han ist, he will never allow other nationalities to be too arrogant.

"Yes, His Royal Highness the Prince." Shi Tianhan nodded, obviously he had already understood what Wu Haoxuan meant.

"When will the army be dispatched?" Wu Haoxuan asked. In addition to Siberia, only the northwest will continue to use troops.

"It is expected that we will be ready by the middle or late of next month. When the time comes, troops will be sent directly. Shi Tianhan replied. (To be continued......)

PS: The first update arrives, thank you for the support of book friends, there is still a gap of more than ten votes from the previous one, and strive to surpass him! Thank you for the tips of the book friend Fengyuezheng, Longling Grotto, lingleng0741, under the river bridge, and worry-free grasshoppers! Thank you to book friends Bingyue Xinkong, Sake Lees Worker, Huanghaidong, Passerby 333, Cheng Feiren, and DegrewDFD for their monthly passes! There are still many book friends who have not been able to record their names, thank you for your support!