Chapter 17: This Will Be an Impressive Reserve of Political Capital!

But after careful thought, the plan seemed not entirely impossible.

Currently, fierce battles rage between the Chenyun faction and the Shui Fang warlords, with deep-seated hatred. Forcefully intercepting the enemy’s arms shipments is almost expected behavior.

For the Hanse, most of the payment for this shipment had already been made; who ultimately possessed these arms was of little concern to them.

If this plan succeeded, it would not only ensure that the Chenyun faction became a stable buyer of arms, but also secure the support of arms merchants in the political arena, while providing positions for numerous soldiers and winning the backing of the military.

With these two pillars of support, Feng En might even be promoted to Chief Justice of the Grand Tribunal, reaching the pinnacle of his life!

Growing more excited, Feng En immediately stood and said to Jiang Bai:

“Commander Jiang, this matter is far too important for me to decide alone.”

“I must report to my superiors!”

“Of course, Ambassador, please do as you wish.”

“But I must remind you that at four o’clock this afternoon, I have a meeting with the ambassador from Piaoliang Dynasty.”

“Thus, I hope to hear back from you before then.”

As Jiang Bai finished speaking, Feng En immediately grasped his intention.

Clearly, Jiang Bai was not placing all his hopes on the Hanse. If they hesitated too long, this lucrative opportunity would slip to someone else!

“I understand your meaning, esteemed Commander Jiang. Please wait a moment.”

Just as Feng En was about to leave, Jiang Bai suddenly reminded him:

“Honorable Ambassador, you left something behind.”

He pointed to the twenty thousand yuan on the table. Feng En was slightly surprised, then smiled and thanked him:

“Thank you, Commander Jiang. I will report this to my country at once.”

Feng En quickly stood and promptly sent a detailed telegram to his homeland, speaking highly of Jiang Bai throughout.

The homeland showed keen interest in this proposal for profit without capital, and quickly responded.

An hour later, as Feng En exited the room, he proactively shook hands with Jiang Bai, offering congratulations:

“Commander Jiang, I look forward to our pleasant cooperation.”

Jiang Bai extended his hand as well, smiling broadly: “May our partnership be fruitful.”

On the morning of June 7, 190028, at about ten o’clock, the handshake between Jiang Bai and Feng En marked the moment when Jiang Bai redirected the wheels of history onto an unforeseen path!

Before Jiang Bai departed, Feng En handed him the detailed route documents for the Fielder arms ship.

The documents showed that this vessel, laden with military supplies, would pass near Dalian Port the night after tomorrow!

“When luck arrives, it’s like a game of mahjong—every good tile is in your hand. I must hurry back and inform the Marshal.”

To execute this plan of intercepting the arms, the Chenyun naval forces must be mobilized.

On one hand, this would make the operation look authentic and avoid obvious flaws.

On the other, it would guarantee success.

Such a rare opportunity must not be missed!

“Oh, Jiang Bai really has some tricks up his sleeve!”

“I’ve dealt with Feng En for so long, but it’s the first time I’ve seen him so happy!”

In a car parked outside the embassy, two men watched their cheerful interaction.

Wang Lin exclaimed in surprise:

“Did that kid really seal the deal?”

“I don’t think so.”

Wang Ergou shook his head, expressing concern:

“While I admit Jiang Bai is very capable, his ambition is simply too grand.”

“On my way here, I specifically reviewed his troop formation report.”

“Both in manpower and equipment, the unit he plans rivals a top-tier division of the Little Devils.”

Yang Ting sighed, “Such lofty ambition—a true hero!”

“Hmph, but have you considered that forming an infantry division like that requires at least five million in funds!”

“And our Chenyun’s budget this year only leaves four hundred sixty thousand.”

Wang Ergou snorted, “I doubt he can pull it off. In the end, the Chenyun Treasury will bear the brunt!”

Given that five million, if wasted by Jiang Bai, would be better spent advancing the military academy.

Wang Lin pondered deeply. As Ergou said, if Jiang Bai could secure the weapons through his own means, that would be fine. But if he used Chenyun’s name to deceive the Hanse and anger them, disaster would be inevitable.

It wasn’t that Wang Lin doubted Jiang Bai’s ability, but he was unwilling to jeopardize relations with the Hanse over five million.

“It seems I need to find time to speak frankly with Jiang Bai.”

While Wang Lin was making plans, a soldier rushed over and quietly reported:

“Marshal, Commander Jiang says he has extremely urgent military intelligence to report. He’s on his way to the General’s Residence!”

“Extremely urgent intelligence?”

Wang Lin grew tense. Was Jiang Bai already taking action?

“Bring Commander Jiang to me immediately, and ask what he intends to do.”

Soon, Jiang Bai arrived, led by the soldier.

But before Wang Lin could ask, Jiang Bai rushed to say:

“Marshal, I have two urgent matters.”

“First, I request land to build a military academy for twenty thousand cadets.”

“Second, I must deploy the navy fleet for a major operation the night after tomorrow.”

A military academy? Major operation?

Even with all his experience, Wang Lin was momentarily unable to fathom Jiang Bai’s true intentions.

When he turned to others for advice, everyone was equally shocked and bewildered.

“Commander Jiang, what do you mean by this?”

“These are all part of the military agreement I concluded with the Hanse.”

Jiang Bai then explained the full details of his meeting at the Hanse embassy.

Finally, he added:

“This is just the beginning. The greater challenge lies in securing military loans from the Hanse to build a powerful defense industry base.”

“If we cannot guarantee Chenyun’s interests in Chenyun Province, even the dynasty’s survival will be in jeopardy.”

“What do you think of my plan?”

Jiang Bai looked to Wang Lin expectantly, awaiting his feedback.

What he received, however, was a chorus of shocked gasps.

This was no simple task—it was an impossible mission!

Both Wang Lin and Yang Ting were stunned by Jiang Bai’s audacious plan.

They stared at him as if he were not a person, but a creature from another world.

After a long silence, Wang Lin asked in disbelief:

“You mean the Hanse not only provide you with four million worth of weapons for free, but also help you establish a military academy?”

Within Chenyun’s sphere of influence, military academies were exceedingly rare.

Even the most renowned martial arts academies suffered from poor educational quality, unable to cultivate high-level officers.

Though Chenyun controlled nearly sixty percent of domestic industrial groups, the lack of capable commanders severely limited the army’s combat effectiveness.

But due to interference from the Island Dynasty and other external factors, this dream had never been realized.

Wang Lin never imagined that such an unattainable goal would be easily achieved by Jiang Bai.

He was stunned, as if in a dream, unable to believe his eyes.

Wang Lin asked, his voice trembling, “Jiang Bai, is this true?”

“Absolutely true!” Jiang Bai nodded confidently. “The only regret is that funds for the academy must be raised ourselves. If all goes well, enrollment could grow to one hundred thousand, which would place a significant strain on our finances…”

“Strain? What strain!” Wang Lin was so excited he nearly leaped up:

“I’d support even two hundred thousand! I’d rather invest the money here than see those wastes in the Martial Hall squander resources!”

These words left Wang Ergou embarrassed, since he was in charge of the Martial Hall.

Ergou’s plan was simple. If his father approved Jiang Bai’s military budget request, he could apply for more funds to expand the Martial Hall’s scale and influence.

As the Martial Hall’s head, this would deepen his impact on Chenyun’s army.

But just as he was carefully plotting, Jiang Bai shattered his plans with a single bold move.

Even the hundred-member Hanse military advisory team previously dispatched possessed professionalism vastly superior to that of the Martial Hall.

For this reason, when the advisory team departed, Wang Lin couldn’t help but sigh:

“If only I could keep ten of them!”

And now, Jiang Bai had secured two thousand cadets!

Even more remarkable, these cadets mostly hailed from the Hanse’s top military academies!

This meant that upon graduation, they would become the backbone of the Hanse army!

Anyone who became principal of this academy, even as an honorary post,

would gain access to the Hanse’s vast network and resources!

Undoubtedly, this would become a formidable asset for political maneuvering!