On July 11, 1788 AD, Li Hong Zhang, Li Jing Yuan, Zhang Yao, and a group of other generals from the Huai Army, Beiyang Army, and other Beiyang factions, held a military meeting.
At this meeting, Li Hong Zhang announced that all Huai Army and Beiyang faction armies would be reorganized and incorporated into the Beiyang Army.
Li Jing Yuan was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Beiyang Army, concurrently serving as the Army Commander.
Meanwhile, Ding Ru Chang, the Beiyang Navy Admiral, was appointed as the Navy Commander.
Then, Li Jing Yuan proposed a reorganization plan for the Beiyang Army.
The Beiyang Army, in addition to the existing 1st Infantry Division, 2nd Infantry Division, 3rd Infantry Division, and the 4th Infantry Division expanded based on the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division, would further form the 5th Infantry Division and the 6th Infantry Division based on one infantry regiment each drawn from the 1st and 2nd Infantry Divisions.
Furthermore, Li Hong Zhang's Huai Army, after culling some old and weak soldiers and supplementing with new recruits, as well as receiving junior officers and elite soldiers from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Infantry Divisions of the Beiyang Army, would be reorganized into the 7th, 8th, and 9th Infantry Divisions of the Beiyang Army.
Zhang Yao's Song Wu Army would also be reorganized into the 10th Infantry Division of the Beiyang Army, after culling some old and weak soldiers and supplementing with new recruits and junior officers.
Additionally, the Ming and Qing armies stationed at Dalian and Lushun would be reorganized into the 11th and 12th Infantry Divisions of the Beiyang Army.
The mission of these two infantry divisions would be to ensure the security of the Liaodong Peninsula and protect the home port of the Beiyang Navy.
Furthermore, they would serve as the bridgehead for the Beiyang Army's advance into Northeast China.
Northeast China, being the birthplace of the Qing dynasty, had to be captured to completely crush the Qing and prevent their resurgence. Therefore, taking over Northeast China was a crucial objective.
Advancing directly from the Liaodong Peninsula towards Shengjing, even pushing northward, was undoubtedly an excellent route for the campaign.
The Commanders of the Beiyang Army's 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Infantry Divisions were Wang Shi Zhen, Duan Qi Rui, Feng Guo Zhang, Li Ben Tang, Cao Kun, Wang Zhan Yuan, Ma Yu Kun, Xu Bang Dao, Zuo Bao Gui, Wang De Kui, Nie Shi Cheng, and Wei Ru Gui respectively.
The commanders of these infantry divisions held the rank of Major General.
The Navy Commander, Ding Ru Chang, held the rank of Vice Admiral.
Li Jing Yuan, on the other hand, held the rank of General.
Next, Li Jing Yuan ordered the 1st Infantry Division to be stationed in southern Zhili to defend against Qing forces, the 2nd Infantry Division to be stationed in Caozhou Prefecture to defend against Qing forces attacking from Henan Province, and the 3rd Infantry Division to be stationed in Jizhou Prefecture and the southern part of Yizhou Prefecture to defend against Qing forces attacking from Jiangsu Province.
The rest of the divisions would diligently train and prepare for battle, aiming to quickly develop combat capabilities.
According to Li Jing Yuan's plan, once the twelve infantry divisions of the Beiyang Army were fully equipped and reorganized, they would be capable of defeating all the Qing armies combined.
Even with the 11th and 12th Infantry Divisions stationed on the Liaodong Peninsula, the remaining forces would be sufficient to sweep across the entire Central Plains.
However, Li Jing Yuan knew that their enemies were not just the Qing dynasty but also other foreign powers who coveted this land.
Those foreigners would certainly not stand idly by and watch them successfully overthrow the Qing dynasty.
A decaying and decadent Qing dynasty ruling over this bright land and vast population clearly served their interests better.
Otherwise, if this ancient country and nation rose again, it would be impossible for them to invade here again and enslave it.
And these would undoubtedly become stumbling blocks on Li Jing Yuan's path to success.
Therefore, Li Jing Yuan planned to expand his army and form another twelve infantry divisions after these divisions developed combat capabilities.
Li Jing Yuan had already placed orders for a large quantity of weapons and equipment with the German Empire.
Simultaneously, the Laizhou Arsenal was increasing its production capacity.
Li Jing Yuan hoped that by placing large orders for arms with the Germans, he could secure their support.
In Europe and even the entire world, the German Empire was a rising power.
They were also eager to break the global order and framework established by the old powers like the United Kingdom.
If he could gain the support of the German Empire, the pressure Li Jing Yuan faced would be significantly reduced.
Furthermore, Li Jing Yuan planned to order a batch of warships from the German Empire to further enhance the strength of the Beiyang Navy.
In the future war against the Japanese, the Beiyang Navy would undoubtedly be the absolute mainstay in naval warfare.
Only by achieving victory in naval battles could they secure a final victory in this war.
Or rather, only then would they have the capability to launch an attack on Japanese territory.
Otherwise, if the Beiyang Navy were defeated in naval battles, even if the Beiyang Army was strong and defeated the Japanese on land, they would not be able to secure a final victory in this war.
Furthermore, the Japanese might exploit their powerful navy to invade coastal areas, forcing the Beiyang Army to be constantly on the defensive.
Therefore, Li Jing Yuan hoped that both the army and the navy could defeat the Japanese in future wars.