"Feng, I didn't expect that there would be so many bandits in Liaoxi alone. It's really an eye-opener!”Davidson was shocked.
In fact, Feng Ping was also shocked.
It was said that there were as many bandits as there were hairs on an ox in the northeast. Before this, he had thought that it was an exaggeration. However, he didn't think so anymore.
The temporary 1st division was in western Liaoning. In a month, they had wiped out hundreds of bandits, ranging from a few to a dozen to hundreds of thousands. It could be seen that in the northeast, there were countless people who were engaged in this ancient profession.
The results of the temporary 1st Division in a month were undoubtedly remarkable. Just the number of captives they had captured was more than ten thousand. The public security situation in the entire western part of Liaoning had been greatly improved. Although it was not to the point where doors were not locked at night, it was much better than before.
"I didn't expect it either. And this is just Liaoxi." Feng Ping nodded. There were countless bandits in the entire northeast.”
"Oh right, among those prisoners of war, how many of them are willing to continue serving?”Feng Ping asked.
There were so many bandits in the northeast. This was undoubtedly an excellent source of soldiers. To be a bandit, one needed to be strong. Ordinary people could not do this industry at all.
Of course, those bandits who had committed heinous crimes and had their hands stained with blood were definitely not allowed. If he stayed, he would be a disaster.
"Commander, most people are willing to be soldiers! There was nothing they could do about being a bandit.”Feng Zihui said.
As Feng Linge's confidant, Feng Zihui had followed Feng Linge when he was the bandit leader. Naturally, he knew the bitterness of being a bandit.
In times of chaos, there would be many bandits. This was because the people were in dire straits. The common people did not even have enough to eat. In order to survive, they would naturally do anything.
"If that's the case, let's continue expanding the troops!" Feng Ping nodded. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th Infantry Brigades were formed. The insufficient soldiers would be recruited from the refugees!”
The situation inside the pass was chaotic and disasters occurred one after another. This also caused many commoners who could not survive in the pass to come out to make a living. This was how the so-called rushing into the east of the country came about.
"Yes, teacher!" Feng Zihui and Davidson nodded.
Adding another three infantry brigades would double the strength of the temporary 1st division to 56,000 soldiers. Such a huge force was already more than the three infantry divisions under Feng Linge.
But Feng Ping was obviously not worried that Feng Linge would think too much. He was doing this to prepare for the future.
It was now the end of June 1915. It was less than two months before General Zhang Xiluan left the Northeast.
This also meant that the battle between Feng Linge and Zhang Yuting for the position of Feng lineage leader was about to reach its climax.
Before that, Feng Ping had to strengthen himself as much as possible. This way, even if the Japanese interfered, they would still be able to win this battle.
Of course, the prerequisite was that the Japanese wouldn't try their best to interfere in the battle between Feng and Zhang. Otherwise, the Japanese could easily send out three or four full Regiments and wipe out Feng Ping's army. At that time, Feng Ping would probably have to flee overseas.
Feng Ping instructed Feng Zihui and Davidson to strengthen the training of the three newly formed infantry brigades. They wanted to form a fighting force in two months. This way, the temporary 1st division would have five infantry brigades to use. With such a huge force, not only could they sweep away Zhang Yuting's troops, but they could also intimidate other forces.
With the war in Europe in full swing, the world's attention was drawn to Europe. It was unlikely that the Japanese would make a big move at this time. They would not go all out to deal with the Feng father and son.
The temporary 1st Division was expanded once again, and Feng Ping had reported to Feng Linge.
Feng Linge was speechless. He had worked hard his entire life, and it was only with his son's support that he managed to raise three infantry divisions. In the end, his son had managed to raise an army that was much larger than his own in just a few months.
Fortunately, the father of a woman undoubtedly had high hopes for his son. Most fathers would be happy if their sons were more capable than their fathers. They would not be jealous. Feng Linge was the same. The better Feng Ping performed, the more he would feel that he had a successor. At the same time, he would respect Feng Ping's opinions more and would not treat him like a child anymore.
At the end of June, the arsenal that Feng Ping had invested heavily in was finally completed and put into production. This made Feng Ping very excited, and he invited Feng Linge to inspect the Munitions Factory.
Feng Linge, Feng Ping, and the higher-ups of the temporary 1st Division went to inspect the first arsenal in western Liaoning and even the entire northeast. At this time, Zhang Yuting's Fengtian Munitions Factory was still nowhere to be seen.
"Commander, the first phase of the Munitions Factory has been completed and has begun production. The second phase of the project was under construction. The production line had been transported back and was stored at the dock. After the factory was built, production could begin immediately.”The factory manager, Han Fangchen, was very excited.
A huge arsenal was gradually built in his hands, making him feel very proud.
Feng Ping nodded and introduced Feng Linge.
The first phase of the arsenal was mainly to produce rifles, light and heavy machine guns, and mortars. The second phase was to produce 75mm field artillery, 105mm light howitzers, and 155mm heavy howitzers.
"How much production capacity is there now?" Feng Ping asked.
The weapons and ammunition used by his temporary 1st division and the three infantry divisions under Feng Linge were all shipped from America. Not only did it cost a lot of shipping fees, but it also took a long time. If they became enemies with the Japanese, they might be cut off by the Japanese navy. This made Feng Ping eagerly hope that the arsenal in Jinxi City would be able to meet the consumption of the troops.
"Commander, we estimate that we can produce 3,000 rifles, 200 light machine guns, 50 heavy machine guns, and 50 mortars of various calibers every month.”Han Fangchen replied.
Feng Ping frowned." Factory Manager Han, think of a way to triple the production within half a year!"”
" This..." Han Fangchen seemed to be in a dilemma.
"Is there any difficulty? As for the machinery and equipment, I will arrange for someone to transport it from America.”Feng Ping said.
"Commander, the key is that we don't have enough workers.”Han Fangchen said with a bitter face. This was undoubtedly the biggest problem restricting the development of the arsenal.
"As for the workers, I will find a way to hire some technical personnel from the United States. Ordinary workers could be poached from other parts of the country. In addition, they had to increase their own training!”Feng Ping did not have a good solution to this problem.
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