On 13 November, Wu Haoxuan convened a meeting of senior generals of the whole army at the General Staff Headquarters. Wu Xingquan, commander-in-chief of the Jilin Army, also attended the meeting. It's just that Wu Haoxuan is basically presiding over the meeting. Wu Xingquan is more here to support Wu Haoxuan.

"Ladies and gentlemen, now our ruling area has expanded from Jilin to the entire seven northern provinces. It is no longer appropriate to call it the Jilin Army. Therefore, from now on, the Jilin Army was officially renamed the Northern Army! Wu Haoxuan announced.

At first, he wanted to change to the Northeast Army. However, now their ruling area is not only the four northeastern provinces, but also the entire Mongolian territory, and it is also not suitable to call it the Northeast Army. And the Northern Army is undoubtedly much more suitable.

"The Northern Army is good, it sounds domineering. One day, if we can enter the main pass, we can directly change our name to the Imperial Army! Lieutenant General Shi Deshan, commander of the 1st Infantry Division, said. As one of the few lieutenant generals in the Jilin Army, he undoubtedly belongs to the highest-ranking group of people.

"That's right, Little Japan is not our opponent, and Yuan Datou's Beiyang Army is even more vulnerable. When our troops have completed their rest and recuperated and waved their troops into the pass, the Beiyang Army will definitely not be our opponent. Lieutenant General Shi Tianhan, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, also said.

Wu Haoxuan smiled and did not continue the topic. Although, the military strength of the Northern Army has already surpassed that of the Beiyang Army. However, the foundations of the Northern Army were not shaky. In addition, it is a strong enemy, and if you wave your army into the customs now, I am afraid it will be difficult to succeed. In particular, the Beiyang government was supported by the British, and once the Northern Army marched into the Guannai, the British were very likely to die the mask of neutrality and directly help the Beiyang government.

Even the Japanese and Russians would have united in tandem with the British to strangle the Northern Army. Although the Northern Army won the victory against the Japanese, it was only a fluke victory. Once the war with the Beiyang Army, the Japanese and Lao Maozi starts at the same time, the Northern Army will not have the slightest chance of winning.

"About waving troops into the customs. We'll come back to that later. What we need to do now is to lay a solid foundation and further strengthen our military strength. The army, which is the basis on which we ensure our rule, will not change. Wu Haoxuan said. The military is a top priority, he knows it very well. Especially when the enemy is still eyeing up. It is very necessary to strengthen the building of the armed forces.

The generals all nodded, and they also knew that it was not appropriate to enter the customs now. Although this battle defeated the Japanese, it also shattered the myth of the invincibility of the Japanese army. However, they were also greatly shocked by the fierce will of the Japanese to fight. If it weren't for the fact that the Jilin Army was superior to the Japanese Army in terms of firepower, it would probably not be easy for the Jilin Army to win. If you don't get it right, you'll pay a huge price.

The next war. It will undoubtedly be even more difficult to win against the Japanese again. Therefore, before the war begins, they must further strengthen the training of their troops and improve their combat effectiveness. If you lose the war in the future, then everything will be gone.

"In this war, a lot of problems have also been exposed, and I believe everyone is very clear. We defeated the Japanese though. But it is more about relying on the superiority of weapons and the international environment in our favor. If you are complacent. If we underestimate the Japanese, how can we defeat the Japanese in the future? Wu Haoxuan said solemnly.

The smiles on the faces of the generals were gone, replaced by serious expressions. They also know that there are all kinds of problems in the army. This is inevitable, after all, it has only been more than a year since the Jilin Army was formed. Of course. After the experience of blood and fire, the combat effectiveness of the army has been completely changed compared with the period when it was just established.

"From now on, all units should sum up the lessons learned from the war and carry out targeted training. I hope. The next time we go to war with little Japan, or with the armies of other powers, we will still win. Wu Haoxuan said.

"Don't worry, young marshal, we will definitely train the troops hard to ensure that we will win in the future." Major General Zhao Xifu, commander of the 2nd Infantry Division, patted his chest and assured.

Other generals also expressed their stance that they would definitely train their troops and prepare for future wars.

Wu Haoxuan nodded with satisfaction, he didn't want these generals to become complacent because they defeated the Japanese. The so-called arrogant army will be defeated, and he does not want to lose in the more tragic wars in the future. If he loses, then all his years of hard work will be in vain.

"The next topic is that the Jilin Army now has a total of 12 infantry divisions and two heavy artillery brigades, with a total strength of nearly 240,000 troops. With so many troops, it seems like a lot. However, compared to our enemies, it is not enough. Therefore, the General Staff Headquarters plans that in the future, there will be 12 expanded infantry divisions of the Jilin Army and 25 divisions. The heavy artillery brigade will also be expanded from two to five, and the three new ones will be 155mm heavy howitzer brigades. In addition, we need to form several cavalry brigades to cope with the environment of the Mongolian steppe. Wu Haoxuan continued.

He also hesitated for a long time about the need for military expansion. At present, the strength of more than 200,000 troops in the Jilin Army seems to be quite a lot. More than the Beiyang Army of the Beiyang government. However, the opponents of the later Northern Army were not only the Beiyang Army, but also the Japanese and Russians. The Japanese had 25 standing divisions, and once mobilized, all of them were fully manned, the total strength would reach more than 550,000 troops. If further mobilization is carried out, it will be able to pull out an army of millions. As for the Russians, the Russians committed 500,000 troops in the Russo-Japanese War alone. After the gradual construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the Russians could invest another 200,000 to 300,000 people in Mongolia. In other words, the Russians will invest about 800,000 troops in the Far East. If the Japanese and the Russians joined forces, the Northern Army would encounter a strong enemy of millions. With more than 200,000 people now, this is obviously not enough.

"Hey, 25 infantry divisions, 5 heavy artillery brigades, plus a few cavalry brigades, the total strength will reach more than 500,000 people!"

Almost all the generals were shocked by Wu Haoxuan's generosity, raising so many troops, the annual military salary alone had to be 80 million oceans. In addition to weapons and equipment, the consumption of training in peacetime is simply impossible without 150 million oceans a year.

Of course, these generals all know that Wu Haoxuan's family background is very thick. But it's still very problematic to come up with so much money in a year. In addition, they already know that the government affairs committee also has a series of big spend, and the money that needs to be spent every year is nearly 200 million oceans. In this case, it will cost a total of almost 400 million oceans per year!

"Young marshal, isn't the pace of expanding the army too big?" Lieutenant General Shi Deshan couldn't help but remind. If you count it in terms of generation, he and Shi Qingshan, two brothers, can be regarded as Wu Haoxuan's uncle. Therefore, it is natural to remind him.

"I know that it is too expensive and unrealistic to expand so many troops at one time. Therefore, I plan to gradually complete the expansion of the army in the next three years. In three years, the size of the Northern Army will be as large as I said before. Next year, we can put up the shelves first, and then gradually recruit soldiers for training. However, I have one request, that is, after the outbreak of future wars, these armies must be able to pull out to fight. Wu Haoxuan said solemnly.

The generals all nodded, if this expansion was divided into three steps, it would be acceptable. After all, the military spending needed is not as much as being paid all at once. As for training, after the troops are formed, the generals will definitely seize the time to train. No one wants to lose in a future war.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I know that it is a bit of a reckless effort to make such a plan to expand the army. However, there is no way around it, our enemies are too strong. The Japanese had 25 standing divisions, and if all of them were mobilized, they would have 550,000 men. In the next three to five years, we will inevitably have a war with the Japanese. When the time comes, the Japanese will definitely do their best, and we have to be ready. In addition, Lao Maozi's standing army has a total of 1.4 million people. Once the Trans-Siberian Railway is completed, they will be enough to support seven or eight hundred thousand men to fight in the Far East and Mongolia. Lao Maozi has always coveted Mongolia and the Northeast. Even in the northern part of the Northeast, the railway line is still under the control of Lao Maozi. In the future, we and Lao Maozi will inevitably have a fight. So, we have to be ready. Wu Haoxuan said that he had to give the generals a wake-up call. Let them know that there is no way to strengthen the building of the army, and even if they are desperate for military force, they can only survive in this way. Otherwise, if the battle is lost, it will pay a greater price.

"Yes, young marshal." The generals replied one after another. When they heard that it was very likely that they would fight hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops and more Lao Maozi in the future, the faces of the generals were also very serious.

In addition to completing the expansion of the army within three years, Wu Haoxuan also planned to establish a mobilization system in the seven northern provinces in cooperation with the General Staff Headquarters and the Political Affairs Committee. In this way, once war breaks out, more troops can be mobilized into the battlefield. The seven northern provinces have a population of 30 million, and there should be no problem in mobilizing 1 million troops to fight the war. As the displaced people from the Guannai enter the Guanwai, more and more troops will be able to mobilize. If there is a strong industrial system to support it, the Northern Army will be able to be invincible in the future. (To be continued......)

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