The German Empire, which took more than a decade to unify.
The unified German Empire was incredibly strong.
It possessed not only powerful industrial strength but also formidable military strength.
The German Imperial Army was hailed as the world's best.
However, the German Empire also faced a very dire situation: it had a severe resource shortage.
Aside from coal, almost all resources were scarce. Even after seizing coal mines in Alsace and Lorraine from the Gauls, it was still insufficient to sustain the development of the German Empire.
At this time, the old Western powers had basically carved up the entire world, leaving the Germans to only get a few scraps.
This made the Germans desperate to break the world order established by the Western powers and fight for a wider space to survive.
For Li Jing Yuan, if he could successfully rebel and overthrow the Qing Dynasty, then the new nation he established would also have to break free from the current unfavorable situation of being bullied and oppressed by powerful nations.
But with the current situation and strength, achieving this would undoubtedly be incredibly difficult.
This made Li Jing Yuan and the Germans natural allies.
Therefore, Li Jing Yuan hoped to strengthen ties with the Germans and even form an alliance in future world wars.
Since Heaven had given him a chance to be reborn, he naturally wanted to change the tragic fate of his entire nation.
In the next few decades, he not only wanted his nation to stand tall again amongst the nations of the world but also wanted to truly sit at the table. Otherwise, they would only be treated like everyone else and end up on the menu.
After the German embassy's attaché, Shen Ke, left, Li Jing Yuan went to the military camp to inspect the troops.
To avoid attracting the Qing Dynasty's attention, Li Jing Yuan's newly trained army was stationed in the mountainous areas.
Over the past two years, they had successfully eradicated the bandits in the mountains.
All the bandits in the entire province of Shandong knew that Lai Zhou Prefecture was a forbidden zone for them, and they dared not enter.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
When Li Jing Yuan arrived at the military camp, the soldiers were undergoing training.
Some were practicing shooting, some were doing drills, and others were practicing artillery.
Li Jing Yuan's new army was organized into three infantry regiments, one artillery battalion, one engineer battalion, one supply battalion, one reconnaissance battalion, and a field hospital.
The officers of the new army all came from the Tianjin Military Academy.
This was a military academy founded by Li Hong Zhang, and Li Jing Yuan used his connections to secure many students from there, quickly establishing the framework for the new army.
Then, they recruited strong young men from the refugees and, after long training, gradually turned them into elite soldiers.
Especially after they had seen blood in combat against the bandits, they gradually transformed into elites.
Besides fighting bandits within Lai Zhou Prefecture, the new army also went to nearby Deng Zhou Prefecture, Qing Zhou Prefecture, Yi Zhou Prefecture, Tai'an Prefecture, and other areas to suppress bandit activities.
This not only honed the combat effectiveness of the new army but also maintained local stability and earned Li Jing Yuan the love of the people.
Although some officials were unhappy about the new army from Lai Zhou Prefecture crossing borders to suppress bandits, they didn't dare say anything.
If they offended Li Jing Yuan, they might offend the entire Beiyang faction.
In the current political landscape of the Qing Dynasty, this would make it impossible to advance their careers.
“Prefect!”
When Li Jing Yuan arrived at the camp, the three regimental commanders came to greet him.
They were Wang Shi Zhen, the commander of the 1st Regiment; Duan Qi Rui, the commander of the 2nd Regiment; and Feng Guo Zhang, the commander of the 3rd Regiment.
Yes, they were the three talented individuals later known as the Three Jewels of Beiyang.
Wang Shi Zhen was known as the Dragon of Beiyang, Duan Qi Rui was known as the Tiger of Beiyang, and Feng Guo Zhang was known as the Dog of Beiyang.
However, in another timeline, they served Yuan Shi Kai.
In this timeline, Li Jing Yuan had already secured their allegiance early on.
“How is the training going for each unit?” Li Jing Yuan asked.
“My lord, these past few days, we have been training our troops according to the training methods in the “Infantry Drill Regulations,” the “Artillery Drill Regulations,” and other books you wrote. Combined with ongoing bandit suppression operations, the combat effectiveness of our troops has significantly improved. Throughout the country, there is no army that can compare to ours!” Wang Shi Zhen proudly replied.
“My lord, even the German instructors have praised the performance of our troops!” Duan Qi Rui added.
“My lord, all units are fully capable of fighting and are completely loyal to you!” Feng Guo Zhang replied.
In terms of ability, Feng Guo Zhang might not be as good as Wang Shi Zhen and Duan Qi Rui.
But known as the Dog of Beiyang, he was extremely loyal.
Li Jing Yuan had given him a chance, and he was wholeheartedly devoted to Li Jing Yuan.
In another timeline, it was only after Yuan Shi Kai acted recklessly and declared himself emperor that Feng Guo Zhang refused to obey his orders, leading to the split of the Beiyang faction.
Li Jing Yuan nodded repeatedly. In the past two years, his troops had become capable. They were even strong and powerful.
Although they lacked numbers, against any other army in the country, the new army could definitely achieve victory with fewer troops.
This showed that his efforts over the past two years had not been in vain.