People in the Republic of China era began to rise from industry.

Chapter 158 A New Stage in Military Training: A Journey to the Northwest

The mercenaries' camp is located deep in the mountains.

It goes even deeper than the mines that are already located deep in the mountains.

They are more than ten kilometers apart.

Lin Yi set off from the mine and traveled over mountains and valleys for almost a whole day before finally arriving at his destination.

The simple wooden barracks were built against the mountain, scattered in layers, numbering more than a hundred.

A large playground has also been created at the bottom of the valley.

It is long and narrow, and I estimate it to be more than 2,000 square meters.

The ground is paved with cement.

Lin Yi was certain that the transportation costs alone would definitely exceed the price of cement.

Looking at the basketball hoops again, he couldn't help but admire how well Sun Zhongneng balanced work and rest.

Unlike Fang Chang, who, aside from his quirky hobbies, is essentially a boring person.

"Mr. Lin."

Upon meeting, Sun Zhongneng, dressed in camouflage training gear, immediately gave a military salute.

"Brother Zhongneng, you've worked hard."

Lin Yi shook hands with him, but instead of asking about the training results, he went straight to asking what else he needed to do.

This made Sun Zhongneng a little embarrassed.

"Mr. Lin, it's already very good."

"Our food standards are even better than those of the US military."

"The military pay is also high enough."

"So, although the training was tough, the soldiers were still very motivated."

"That's also thanks to you."

Lin Yi smiled and praised him.

Material things are just the foundation.

How a commander can motivate his soldiers and strike a balance between tension and relaxation is a skill in itself.

Not just anyone can do it.

In layman's terms, it's leadership ability.

In this respect, he believed he had done a fairly good job.

Looking at it now, Sun Zhongneng is clearly not bad either.

"Mr. Lin, you flatter me."

Sun Zhongneng remained modest.

After Lin Yi rejected his suggestion to assemble the troops and give instructions, he immediately started nighttime drills.

Small-group operations, including stealth capture, hand-to-hand combat, and night shooting.

Under the cover of night, the sounds of gunfire and shouts of battle shook the heavens; just by looking at them, one could feel the overwhelming momentum.

"People from Sichuan Province are used to walking mountain roads from a young age, so they are more effective in training for some mountain subjects than I expected."

"If the future combat environment is like this high mountain range, our unit can easily take on ten enemies at once."

"This is absolutely the best mountain infantry."

Inside the observation post, watching Lin Yi's enthusiastic and nodding manner, Sun Zhongneng felt a surge of pride.

When he spoke, he exuded a more assertive and unyielding air.

Lin Yi nodded first, then reminded him, "That's good, but not enough."

“Brother Zhongneng, you know the nature of our army. The future battlegrounds will not be limited to Sichuan Province.”

"So, if one day you feel that your mountain training is up to par, then you should hurry up and expand your training to other combat environments."

Hearing this, Sun Zhongneng, who had become somewhat complacent with the results of his training, was startled.

A fine layer of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

Seeing his expression, Lin Yi patted him on the shoulder: "Don't overthink it, I'm just offering a suggestion."

"How to make the specific arrangements is your job as the commander."

"What I can do is to provide you with a training environment and ensure your logistical support to the best of my ability."

These comforting words allowed Sun Zhongneng to quietly breathe a sigh of relief.

However, he immediately admitted his mistake.

“Mr. Lin, I was negligent in this matter.”

"Don't worry, I will develop a new training plan as soon as possible, and I will ask you to review it then."

"Military matters are not my forte, so there's no need for me to review them. You can make your own decision."

“From a production perspective, it is an inefficient practice for laymen to direct experts.”

Lin Yi chuckled and said, "However, I can give you a suggestion. Given the nature of mercenaries, there's no need for everyone to be perfect in every aspect."

"Doing this is not cost-effective in terms of time."

"Therefore, your next training plan can completely divide the current soldiers into several parts."

"For urban warfare, plains warfare, and other types of terrain, there should be a specialized team, while other teams can just have a superficial understanding."

"Aim for familiarity, not expertise."

Hearing Lin Yi say this, Sun Zhongneng's brows furrowed in thought.

After a moment, a smile appeared on his face: "Mr. Lin, I understand."

"Being greedy for size and completeness only makes things difficult for yourself."

"That's the truth."

Lin Yi chuckled and said, "By the way, I'm going to the Northwest in a few days. You can also organize a group of people to go there ahead of time and get used to the terrain."

"Once I've finalized the cooperation with Ma's Army, we'll also develop several mineral resources there."

"At that time, you should still send people over under the name of the mine security team."

"The Northwest can encompass several types of terrain, including deserts, grasslands, and northern mountains."

"Yes, I will expedite the selection of a group of people."

……

Lin Yi's main purpose in going to the Northwest was to explore for oil.

He remembered that place; it should be around the Yumen Pass area.

So when he left Shanghai, he sent a telegram to the United States.

Several exploration experts were invited to China.

In addition, our long-term partner, Shanghai University, is also inviting domestic geological experts to form an exploration team.

We'll search around Yumen Pass then.

Hopefully, we can find the exact location before the heavy snow closes the roads.

We will take advantage of the winter lull to organize the drilling equipment.

Once the weather warms up next year, we can get started.

This is no small project.

It's not something that can be accomplished overnight.

He'll be grateful if he can still get oil by this time next year.

Compared to his oil fields in the United States, the oil he extracted in China is the real foundation.

Americans are not exactly benevolent people.

His influence is now negligible.

It's more about leveraging existing trends.

He also plans to keep more of the future petrochemical production in China.

That's sure to make people hate you.

Therefore, just in case, we must have our own oil as soon as possible.

However, the Northwest during this era differed significantly from the history he knew, with only one horse dominating.

But its considerable isolation remains unchanged.

The Ma family has been entrenched in the area for nearly forty years.

Although the population is small, the number of soldiers and generals is limited.

However, their advantageous terrain, combined with their cavalry, still makes them a force to be reckoned with.

Many people have tried to target the Northwest over the years, but without exception, they have all failed.

This also made the Ma family extremely arrogant.

If it weren't for the crucial importance of the oil business, Lin Yi would actually be unwilling to get involved in the Ma family's territory.

Chen Bonan, Li Delin, and Long Dengyun can only be considered warlords, but Ma Yuanqing, who entrenched himself in the Northwest, is definitely a local emperor.

Doing business with someone who considers himself an emperor is not so easy.

Therefore, Lin Yi is now prepared to make a painful sacrifice.

You have to feed them when they need to be fed.

Things won't get done if you don't feed them properly...