On the eve of the fall of Liaodong, he led his troops in a remonstrance against the young marshal.

The walk from Tiger Hall to the master bedroom in the rear of the Governor's Mansion took Zhang Xueming only five minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

The faces of the generals in the Tiger Hall were still replaying in his mind.

Zhang Zuoxiang's flushed face, Tang Yulin's booming voice as he slammed his fist on the table, Wang Yizhe's sweat-dampened brow, and the taut line at the corner of Zhang Xueliang's mouth.

These images flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern; it's fair to say that no one believed he could win this battle.

But Zhang Xueming was determined to fight a miracle and show everyone the backbone of the Northeast Army.

Upon opening the door to the master bedroom, two members of the Wolf Warrior Guard standing guard in the corridor immediately stood up and saluted.

Zhang Xueming waved his hand, signaling them to retreat to the courtyard gate and stand guard.

"No one is allowed to disturb us."

"No one is allowed to approach without my order!"

"yes!"

The door to the master bedroom closed behind him, and Zhang Xueming did not turn on the light.

The curtains were drawn tightly shut, with only the faint red glow of the embers in the fireplace casting a dim, warm light over the entire room.

He walked to the grandfather clock in the corner, placed his hand on the twelve o'clock position on the clock face, turned it three times to the left, and then two times to the right.

With a soft click, the wall to the right of the clock silently slid open inward, revealing a hidden door just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Behind the hidden door was a downward stone staircase. Every five steps along the walls on either side of the staircase was a lamp that burned continuously, its light flickering slightly inside a glass shade, casting shadowy patterns on the stone steps.

Zhang Xueming stepped into the hidden door, and the wall behind him automatically closed, completely isolating him from all outside noise.

He walked down about thirty stone steps, and suddenly the view opened up before him.

This is a secret room eight meters underground. It is not large, about thirty square meters in size. The walls are made of blue bricks and the floor is covered with moisture-proof pine planks.

In the center of the secret room stood a long ironwood table, on which sat a kerosene lamp, a stack of maps, and several account books; otherwise, it was empty.

This secret room was built by Zhang Xueming six months ago.

Zhang Xueming sat down at the long table, took a deep breath, and turned the kerosene lamp up a bit. (The lamp was dim.)

The yellow light cast his shadow on the blue brick wall behind him, making it long and distorted.

He slowly closed his eyes.

Deep within my consciousness, that familiar panel slowly surfaced.

A translucent light screen unfolded in his mind, its edges glowing with a faint blue light.

The first thing that catches the eye is the points section.

The numbers above made Zhang Xueming's breath catch in his throat.

Thirty thousand.

A full 30,000 points.

His heart pounded in his chest.

What does 30,000 points mean?

He remembered clearly that the exchange price of a Mustang fighter jet in the system was one hundred points.

In other words, if he wanted, he could summon three hundred Mustang fighter jets right now and cover the entire Liaodong Peninsula with silver wings.

Zhang Xueming calmed himself down and didn't rush to do anything. Instead, he first retrieved the points details.

This is a habit he has developed over many years: every account must be accounted for clearly, and no matter how urgent the battle is, the accounts must not be disordered.

A series of records popped up on the panel.

[Ding! Sky Battle in Fengtian: 180 enemy aircraft shot down, 100 points per aircraft, totaling 18,000 points.]

[Ding! Fengtian Sky Battle Victory Reward: The enemy's air power annihilation rate exceeds 85%, which is considered a decisive victory. Reward: 2000 points.]

[Ding! Battle of Port Arthur: Destroyed into an aircraft carrier and battleship, reward 10,000 points.]

Total points: 30,000.

Zhang Xueming mentally reviewed the matter three times, and after confirming that everything was correct, he let out a long sigh of relief.

He knew better than anyone the value of those 30,000 points; that was the source of his confidence to take the initiative in attacking the Japanese.

Right now, the most important thing is the army; he wants to strengthen the army's capabilities.

Zhang Xueming's consciousness was directed towards the Army panel.

The screen on the panel switched instantly, and the army panel slowly unfolded, like an endless scroll painting spreading out in his mind.

Dazzling.

The options on the panel are categorized into several layers, ranging from basic infantry equipment to heavy artillery.

He glanced at it briefly and saw that there were more than a dozen models listed under the rifle category alone:

Type 38 rifle, Type 24 rifle, Mauser 98k, Mosin-Nagant, M1 Garland, Lee-Enfield...

Each item is accompanied by a clear line drawing and brief parameters, including caliber, range, magazine capacity, and weight, making everything clear at a glance.

The pistol options were even more elaborate, ranging from the Mauser C96 to the Colt M1911 to the Tokarev TT-33, and even a few models he had never seen before.

Submachine guns, light machine guns, heavy machine guns, mortars, mountain guns, field guns, howitzers, anti-aircraft guns...

Zhang Xueming's eyes quickly scanned the options, his mind racing.

Upgrading infantry equipment is certainly a good thing. Yu Zhishan's provincial defense brigade is still carrying out old-fashioned rifles and Hanyang rifles, with less than forty light and heavy machine guns in total.

If each squad could be equipped with a light machine gun, and each regiment with a few mortars, the combat effectiveness would at least quadruple.

30,000 points can fully upgrade the equipment of 30,000 Northeast Army infantrymen.

However, the problem is that upgrading equipment takes time. After the troops receive the new guns, they need time to familiarize themselves with them, and zeroing and calibrating the guns also takes time.

Commanders at all levels need time to relearn firepower configurations, and the ammunition supply system also needs time to be adjusted.

The rifle bullets he transferred from the Fengtian Arsenal were compatible with Mauser ammunition, but if American or Soviet equipment were used, the ammunition specifications would be changed, and the entire logistics chain would have to be rebuilt.

He doesn't have the time.

The Japanese 19th and 20th Divisions are advancing along the Anfeng Railway, and their vanguard has already approached Fengcheng. He has to lead his troops out tomorrow.

A comprehensive upgrade of infantry equipment can only be discussed after this battle is over.

So, what about artillery?

Zhang Xueming opened the artillery panel with his consciousness, and a dense array of model numbers rushed towards him.

75mm field gun, 105mm howitzer, 150mm heavy howitzer, 88mm anti-aircraft gun...

His eyes lit up as he looked at it, but his mind was racing with calculations.

Artillery is certainly a good thing, especially large-caliber howitzers; a single shell can blow up half a football field.

The Japanese infantry charges were no different from paper in front of heavy artillery.

But then another problem arose: towed artillery needed to be pulled by trucks or mules, and the Northeast Army had a limited number of trucks, while mules and horses were incredibly slow to march through the freezing cold.

The road conditions from Fengtian to Fengcheng were not good. If heavy artillery got stuck halfway, it would not only delay the battle, but also make it possible for the Japanese cavalry to outflank them.

Self-propelled cannons? There were a few self-propelled cannons available for exchange in the system, but the points price made Zhang Xueming click his tongue in frustration.

One "Wasp" 105mm self-propelled gun costs 800 points, and 30,000 points can only exchange for a maximum of 30-odd guns, which is not enough to form an artillery regiment.

Not cost-effective.

His gaze continued downwards, gliding over anti-aircraft weapons, anti-tank weapons, engineering equipment...

Finally, his gaze settled on one option.

tank.