The empire's vast territory and overseas interests required sufficient troops to defend it. The empire's current army is indeed not enough. In terms of the current economic and industrial strength of the empire. It is entirely possible to expand the army a little more to deter the enemy who is eyeing him.

"What are the military's plans for expansion?" Long Yufei asked.

"Your Majesty, the military has made a plan to form another 20 infantry corps in the next three years. The Marine Corps grew from 5 to 10 brigades. The Navy will also build more warships in the next three years. The 'Qin-class' battleships will be able to enter service in more than a year, and the construction of the next class of battleships will also need to start this year. 12 more cruisers of the 'Throttle-class' will be built. The 'Tiangang-class improved' destroyers will also be built with 18 more. Ensure that after the outbreak of future wars, the Imperial Navy can continue to acquire a steady stream of cutting-edge warships. Lieutenant General Sun Hao, Minister of Operations, said.

Prime Minister Li Decheng, his face is not very good-looking. Expanding so many troops will undoubtedly require a lot of funds. The Imperial Army has only 30 infantry corps so far, and if 20 infantry corps are formed at once, this is equivalent to 60% more troops! 5 brigades of the Marine Corps, to the end of which it is nothing. In addition, the navy will also build battleships of the next class, as well as more than a dozen cruisers and destroyers, and the cost will be at least more than 100 million yuan. This will undoubtedly be a great pressure on the imperial finances.

Long Yufei's brows also furrowed tightly, the military's expansion plan. The scale seemed too big, a little more than he expected. This is simply a reckless expansion of the army!

"Do we have to expand so many troops?" Long Yufei asked. If all according to the opinion of the military, then. The total number of troops of the empire will exceed two million people, making it the country with the largest standing army in the world.

"Your Majesty, if war does not break out, the existing army will be enough to maintain the safety of the empire. But as soon as the war broke out. We will appear to be underarmed. In order to ensure that the empire is in an advantageous position in the next war, we must prepare in advance. General Niu Meng, Chief of the General Staff, said.

Long Yufei pondered for a moment. Britain, France, and the United States gradually moved closer, and the Russians, the empire's mortal enemies. The enemies of the empire are indeed many, and none of them are weak. In particular, those battlefields were too far from the hinterland of the empire. The empire wants to maintain the military presence there. It takes a lot of effort. Increasing the number of armies and ensuring that once a war starts, the Empire's armies can immediately go to the battlefield is undoubtedly an effective means of solving these problems. Of course, the imperial government was looking for ways to improve transportation in these areas, both for the sake of economic development, but more importantly, for the sake of future wars. For example, the railway from the hinterland of the empire to the north-west and the Siberian plain. Once it was completed, the Empire's armies would be able to transport a steady stream of trains to the front. Logistics supply lines will not be as fragile as they used to be. This will be very helpful for the Reich to fight against Russia in the future.

"Prime Minister, does the Cabinet have any objections?" Long Yufei asked. Both the military and the cabinet need to be balanced, and one cannot dominate the country.

"Your Majesty, the old minister thinks that the scale of the military's expansion plan is too large." Prime Minister Li Decheng said.

General Niu Meng, chief of the General Staff, and Lieutenant General Sun Hao, chief of operations, were suddenly a little anxious, Prime Minister Li Decheng's influence in the empire was huge, and if he explicitly opposed it, this time the expansion of the army would most likely be stranded.

"However, in terms of the current form of the empire, it is also very beneficial for the empire to expand some troops. Cabinet, support this military expansion plan! Li Decheng continued.

"Haha, thank you, Prime Minister, for your support!" Admiral Niu Meng laughed, but he didn't expect that in the end, Li Decheng would change his opinion.

"General Niu, I have only one request, that is, once the war breaks out, the imperial army must be victorious. Otherwise, the Empire will raise you people for nothing! Prime Minister Li Decheng said sternly.

"Prime Minister rest assured, if we can't beat those guys, we'll see you!" Admiral Niu Meng and Lieutenant General Sun Hao both patted their chests and reassured.

Long Yufei also smiled and nodded, he knew that for the sake of the empire, these ministers would not be too obsessed with the contradictions between the government and the military. In addition, he knew that the reason why Li Decheng agreed to the military's expansion plan was entirely because the empire had been winning all along, and the empire was able to win every foreign war, which made the empire grow stronger and stronger. However, the foundations of the empire are still too shallow. In normal times, this does not seem to have much impact on the development of the empire. However, if the war is defeated, all kinds of crises will manifest themselves. Therefore, in the future war, the empire must win!

"Well, now that the cabinet and the military have agreed. Well, the military's expansion plan, I approved, will officially start next year! Long Yufei said. The military's plan was to be completed within three years, that is, by the end of 1851, when the expansion of the empire would be completed. When the time comes, the military strength of the empire will undoubtedly rise to a new level. By that time, the contradictions between the empire and the West would probably have also come to the fore. War, perhaps, will be inevitable. Especially after the opening of the Suez Canal, the conflict between the two sides will definitely become more and more serious in order to compete for the interests of those regions.

On January 13, 1849, the Imperial Crown Prince Long Hua, escorted by the 5th Fleet of the Imperial Navy, returned to Guangzhou, ending his trip to Europe. Many ordinary people spontaneously went to the pier to welcome His Royal Highness the crown prince back to China.

The people of the empire were very excited about the fact that the crown prince of the empire was in the Kingdom of Prussia and knocked down the British crown prince with two punches. After all, it was the British who provoked first, and the crown prince gave the British the most violent counterattack, which undoubtedly greatly boosted the morale of the empire! Originally, many ordinary people were worried that the emperor had only one heir, and he must be a collection of thousands of favors, so would the future empire be handed over to the faint monarch? But now it seems that the crown prince of the empire is the same as the emperor Long Yufei, he is simply a tiger father without a dog!

Lin Zihao, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Empire, also accompanied Prince Longhua back to China. Originally, he should have succeeded Li Decheng last year and became the prime minister of the empire. However, this trip to Europe delayed the handover of government work.

The crown prince Longhua was directly taken to the harem by Queen Luo Yuhua's people, and after a few months, Queen Luo Yuhua missed Longhua very much. I often worry about whether Longhua will have an accident outside, and I am worried. Now, I can finally put my mind at ease. Lin Zihao, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Empire, went to the palace to meet Emperor Long Yufei and report to him on his trip to Europe.

Imperial Cabinet Prime Minister Li Decheng, Chief of General Staff General Niu Meng, Minister of Operations Lieutenant General Sun Hao, and Military Intelligence Bureau Chief Lieutenant General Luo Hongtao also rushed to Emperor Long Yufei's study.

"Your Majesty, this time in Berlin, I am meeting with the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Prussia, Otto. Feng. Bismarck signed the "Sino-Pumian Treaty", and our two countries have formed a secret alliance. The treaty stipulates that if either of our two countries is attacked by an enemy, the other will do everything in its power to help. Still, the Prussians hoped that when they went to war with France, we would be able to hold back the Russians and the British for them, so that they could face the French on their own! Lin Zihao said.

Long Yufei nodded: "The purpose of the Prussians is to defeat France and recapture several states in southern Germany. The French, on the other hand, did not want to see the birth of a powerful German Empire. Therefore, they will do everything possible to obstruct the reunification of Germany. This contradiction cannot be reconciled at all. There will inevitably be a war between the two countries. Now the French have switched to the union with the British. Therefore, the Prussians can only rely on us! ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, aren't we a little thankless! The Prussians wanted to complete the unification, but in the end they needed us to help them hold back a strong enemy. General Niu Meng, Chief of the General Staff, said.

"No, a strong German Empire, for the Empire, there are great benefits. When the time comes, the attention of the European countries will be attracted to the German Empire. We'll be much less stressed. Helping the Kingdom of Prussia is helping ourselves! Long Yufei said with a smile. In this life, the reunification of Germany began ahead of schedule, and it can be said that it was entirely because of his push. This made Long Yufei feel that he had the development of the whole world firmly in his hands.

"Your Majesty, the Prussians also wanted the Reich to help them develop their navy. However, I politely declined. Lin Zihao continued.

"Navy? This is not something that the Prussians can play, they should honestly develop the army! Once they develop their navy, this will create a conflict of interest with the Empire. When the time comes, it will also be time for our alliance to break down! Long Yufei sneered. The cooperation between the Reich and the Kingdom of Prussia was only for the sake of profit. In the event of a conflict of interests, the two countries may turn from allies to enemies.

The other ministers also nodded. The Prussians tried in vain to develop the navy, that is, they had strong overseas ambitions. And this, in the end, will definitely pose a threat to the Empire, and the Empire must stop it.

Winning over the Kingdom of Prussia and forming an alliance with the Kingdom of Prussia against Britain, France, the United States, Russia and other countries is the most important part of the Empire's European strategy, and it is also an important measure for the Empire to compete for world hegemony! (To be continued......)

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