He Jian was stunned when he heard this number on the side, "Aren't we only about 1.9 million now, where did we get 300-" He suddenly understood something, and said urgently: "Your Majesty plans to expand the army to 3.5 million in the past few years of recuperation?"

He Jian was so shocked that he was speechless for a while.

Three and a half million!

At the peak of the Han and Tang dynasties, the number of troops was only one million, the peak of the richest Great Song Dynasty was about 1.4 million, and the peak of the former Yuan army was only 1.2 or 300 million at the peak.

It's just that among the million or so troops of the former Yuan, there are nearly 600,000 cavalry!

600,000 cavalry......

Therefore, the former Yuan was invincible in the world.

The peak of the strength of this dynasty was the period of Taizong's five Northern Expeditions, and the strength reached about 2.8 million at the maximum, and then it was greatly reduced in the Renxuan period, but there were more than one million in the lower period, and there were also elites left in the Yongle and Renxuan periods.

It can be seen that Baozong has many dishes.

The four emperors of Hongwu, Yongle, and Renxuan left him what a foundation, but he was lost in the battle of Tumubao, and the Ming Dynasty almost moved south like the Great Song Dynasty.

It's a shame.

Yu Qian silently handed the two pieces of rice paper to He Jian and asked, "If I remember correctly, during the Taizong period, my Ming military household was about 2.8 million, including 150,000 cavalry?"

He Jian bowed slightly, and slowly looked at the contents on the rice paper, "So in this way, Your Majesty's three million and a half million is actually not much? It's even a little less, do we want to give His Majesty a plan to increase the number of troops to five million? After all, the population has doubled compared to the Taizong period, and after a few years of recuperation, it is bound to break through the 20,000 mark."

Yu Qian said: "In fact, the territory has also doubled, so it seems necessary to increase the number of troops accordingly."

He Jian said, "It looks like this."

Yu Qian thought for a while, "Five million is really too much, three hundred and fifty-five is actually suitable, didn't you see, Your Majesty is planning to promote the whole armament in the three major capital divisions of Mobei, the Northeast capital and the five major capital divisions of the Indochina Peninsula."

He Jian put down the rice paper, "In fact, the development of the Ming Dynasty's firearms to the present, the pattern of war has been completely changed, although the tactics of the sea of people are also useful, but as long as there is no corresponding firearm to fight against my Ming Dynasty, no matter how many people are sent to death, so my Ming troops should take the elite route, so the troops do not need too much." But if the foreign countries also develop firearms to the level of our Ming Dynasty, the tactics of crowds are very necessary, so it is very necessary to take precautions and prepare enough troops for the big scene in the future."

Yu Qian bowed, "After thinking about it so carefully, I think that a standing army of 3.5 million is a must."

He Jian said: "The country can afford it."

Yu Qian sighed slightly, "But Your Majesty still wants to build the 1st Tank Battalion and the 2nd Tank Battalion into combat units with 500 steam tanks each, and at the same time, the South China Sea Fleet and the East China Sea Fleet to be established will each have more than 50 steel warships.

He Jian agreed, "How much steel does it take!"

Yu Qian said: "Don't forget, the three major capitals of Mobei plus the Northeast Capital Division plus the five major capitals of the Indochina Peninsula, these nine capitals have more than 350,000 troops, and if the whole army is weaponized, it will require a huge amount of steel."

He Jian said: "This may have to ask the Ministry of Industry, can meet this demand, if the Ministry of Industry said that in the next years, for Your Majesty's plan to strengthen the army to provide enough steel support, then I think, but it is okay, after all, firearms have developed to the present, the future war, it is very likely to be the era of firearms, we should continue to be under the leadership of Your Majesty, walk in the forefront of the times."

Yu Qian bowed slightly, "Go and ask Hang Shangshu to come over for a while."

He Jian got up, walked outside Yu Qian's official room, and said to a principal: "Yu Shaobao has something to discuss with Hang Shangshu, you go to the Ministry of Engineering next door, and in addition, go and invite the two waiters from our department to discuss something together."

Back in the house, He Jian said, "Shaobao, I'm still a little worried, why didn't Your Majesty equip the 26 guards of the pro-army first

Firearms, but the three major metropolitan divisions of Mobei, the Northeast and the five major metropolitan divisions of the Indochina Peninsula were preferred, in case these nine metropolitan divisions were beyond the control of Gyeonggi in the future, wouldn't they have a fatal threat to Gyeonggi?"

Yu Qian smiled: "Have you beaten the Jinge Group Army? Moreover, as I said before, Your Majesty's plan for the official road is enough for the Jinge Group Army to be deployed anywhere in the country within two or three days, rest assured, Your Majesty has definitely thought of these things, and besides, the 1st Tank Battalion and the 2nd Tank Battalion are directly under the jurisdiction of the Son of Heaven, just like Jinyiwei."

He Jian was impressed, "His Majesty Emperor Guang'an has really grown rapidly over the years."

Yu Qian laughed.

He Jian continued: "People are more popular than people, to say a big disrespectful word, Shao Bao you also know, His Majesty Emperor Guang'an has also favored ministers Dai Yi and Zhang Rang, but these two people never dared to interfere in politics, although Dai Yi always wanted to go to the battlefield to make contributions, and His Majesty also gave him a chance, but he finally returned to the Wenhua Palace, and Wang Zhen beside His Majesty Baozong...... But it almost led me into the abyss."

Yu Qian just wanted to say a few words, but he heard a voice coming from the door, "He Shangshu is right, but don't look at what Baozong is doing when he is five or six years old, His Majesty Emperor Guang'an has already suppressed the rebellion of Xu Youzhen and Shi Heng when he was five or six years old, and Emperor Zhang Peng is talented, and under careful teaching, His Majesty Emperor Guang'an naturally knows the importance of his family and country."

But it was Hang Min who arrived.

He Jian was happy, "The harem of His Majesty Emperor Guang'an is still quite spectacular."

Yu Qian smiled but said nothing.

Hang Min was not convinced, "Your Majesty is so young, it is normal to have a little young people's preferences, could it be that He Shangshu didn't have any thoughts about beautiful women when you were young?" Not to mention anything else, there are also a lot of beautiful singers in your mansion now. Besides, the Book of Poetry also says, My Fair Lady and Gentleman are good."

Of course he was going to say good things about his nephew.

He Jian didn't care, and handed the two pieces of rice paper to Hang Shangshu with a smile, "Let's get down to business, Hang Shangshu looks at His Majesty's plan to strengthen the army, Yu Shaobao and I both think it's feasible, but the only question is whether the Ministry of Industry can give corresponding steel support in the coming years."

Hang Min took it and gasped.

It's not that I'm amazed at the strength of 3.5 million troops.

Instead, he was shocked by the weaponization of the nine major capitals of Mobei, Northeast and Indochina, as well as a thousand steam tanks and more than a hundred steel warships, how much steel is needed!

And with such a large army, if mobilized for war, how much logistical support will be needed?

With a slightly wry smile, he said, "This is the rhythm that will tire people to death!"

"Since it is Your Majesty's plan, Presumably Your Majesty has also considered the issue of steel support, and with the huge back garden of the Indochina Peninsula, I think that as long as the Ministry of Industry increases the scale of mining and steel smelting, as long as the construction of official roads can be completed as scheduled, this plan to strengthen the army may become a reality in the next ten years!"

Ten years, ten years at most.

Yu Qian and He Jian glanced at each other and looked at Hang Min, "Are you saying that within ten years, the Ministry of Industry will be able to provide such a large amount of steel to meet His Majesty's plan to strengthen the army?!"

When did the Ministry of Engineering become so powerful?!

Hang Min said with a smile: "Yu Shaobao and He Shangshu, there are official roads, there are trains, and the transportation problem has been solved, and there are mines and populations in the Indochina Peninsula, which has solved the problem of sources, so it's just a matter of time, ten years is enough."

After a pause, "According to this plan, after His Majesty's five-year recuperation, the number of tanks can reach two hundred, and the number of steel warships can reach thirty. In five years, the official roads planned by His Majesty have almost been repaired, and at the same time, the trains should also have a certain number and scale, and the transportation efficiency will be greatly improved, and then the ...... Well, in what His Majesty said, tanks and steel warships can be dumplings, but there is still a problem, that is, tanks and steel warships need a lot of coal, so the open-pit coal mines in Shanxi also need to be scaled up."