Chương 1899: Battle of the North Sea (45)

As long as the six of them can reach a consensus, then even if the remaining Tianlong people are dissatisfied, they will definitely not be able to cause any big waves.

"In that case, let's go one step further and cut the expenses of the Celestial Dragons, and invest all the saved funds into expanding the army!"

Peter Saint spoke without hesitation, as if he didn't care about the other Celestial Dragons' thoughts at all.

"Well, that's a good suggestion."

Saint Satan echoed.

"However, how large should our army be? Given the Rockefeller Kingdom's strength, building an army of one million wouldn't be difficult. Should we follow their example and build an army of similar size?"

Upon hearing this, Nasu Shoulangsheng nodded thoughtfully and said, "Of course, a million-strong army is needed, but considering the actual situation, we can expand it in batches. First, build an army of 300, 000 as a foundation, and then every three months, add another 100, 000 troops. In this way, the World Government can always maintain at least 500, 000 reserve troops, thus ensuring absolute safety!"

As soon as these words were spoken, it was like a thunderclap exploding in the crowd, and everyone was stunned.

A million troops, this number is so huge that it is hard to imagine.

Just the image of the magnificent scene of a million-strong army is enough to make one's scalp tingle and one shudder.

"A million troops? Isn't that too many? Such a large army would probably take up 50% of the world government's revenue!"

Peter Saint looked hesitant and said worriedly.

He was well aware of the huge cost of maintaining an army of this size, which would undoubtedly place a heavy financial burden on the World Government.

Just as everyone was discussing this number, Saint Maz suddenly spoke up and said in a firm tone: "It must be a million troops!" His voice was sonorous and powerful, leaving no room for doubt.

Saint Maz looked around at everyone and continued, "The current situation has undergone fundamental changes. Since the power of firearms has grown, the large-scale use of firearms has become increasingly common in countries around the world, and wars have gradually become large-scale and systematic. Take the example of the Revolutionary Army and the South Sea. The facts are clear.

In the face of the power of firearms, unless they are strong men at the level of quasi-general or above, elite lieutenant generals, ordinary lieutenant generals, major generals, etc. are almost useless in systematic warfare. Any stray bullet on the battlefield could easily take their lives. Therefore, we must be prepared for all-out war and cannot afford to take any chances!"

Mazi Sheng's words were like a heavy hammer, waking up everyone present.

They began to realize that traditional military force was no longer sufficient to cope with the current war situation.

Only with an army of sufficient size can one be invincible in a fierce war.

"That's right, Saint Maz is absolutely right! The reason the South China Sea revolutionary army was able to sweep across the South China Sea so quickly and crush all of its forces in one fell swoop is precisely because they employed this large-scale and systematic method of warfare.

In this war, the use of firearms and artillery was extremely large, and with the close coordination of firearms and artillery shells, it was undoubtedly a dimensionality-reducing blow to those countries that still wielded cold weapons or matchlocks. It was truly invincible! Therefore, our World Government must keep pace with the world's trends and must not fall behind!"

Nasu Shoulangsheng said immediately.

"That's true. My CP organization was almost completely unable to intervene in the campaign against the South Sea Revolutionary Army and could only provide some intelligence. Facing those systematic wars, even the powerful navy suffered considerable losses. If it weren't for the two admirals Akainu and Aokiji, I'm afraid the situation in the South Sea would not have calmed down so quickly!"

Saint Satan also echoed with deep agreement.

Seeing the three Five Elders express their opinions in this way, the expressions of the others gradually became solemn, especially Saint Shamrock, whose brows were tightly furrowed, as if he was thinking about something.

When Saint Shamrock heard that even a lieutenant general could not fight against some ordinary people with guns, he was greatly shocked.

Saint Shamrock has always lived in Mary Geoise, the center of power. The world he has come into contact with is a world where personal force is respected.

In his opinion, a person's strength can determine the outcome of a battle, and even reverse the entire situation.

But now he learned that a group of seemingly ordinary people could easily kill top combat forces like a lieutenant general by simply picking up guns and cannons.

This shook his understanding of the world, as if everything had become unfamiliar.

In the eyes of Saint Shamrock, the strength of the lieutenant general is already very powerful.

They are the top combat force when the generals are not out. No matter whether they are generals stationed in the four seas or people in charge of a route in the first half of the Grand Line, they all possess the strength of a lieutenant general.

Moreover, when faced with pirates whose bounties are as high as tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, it is usually the vice admiral who takes action.

After all, there are only three generals, and the main force who are truly active on the battlefield are still the lieutenant generals.

However, now these powerful lieutenant generals were actually defeated by a group of ordinary people armed with guns. This was really hard for Saint Shamrock to accept.

When did guns become so powerful?

Saint Shamrock thought to himself that it was hard to believe this fact.

When he saw the undisguised serious expressions on the faces of the Five Elders, the doubts in his heart were slightly suppressed.

He decided to put aside his doubts for the time being and find an opportunity to privately study how powerful these guns were.

After all, seeing is believing, and only by observing and experiencing them in person can you truly understand their power.

"Training a million-strong army is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Even if you can train a hundred thousand, without three months of rigorous training, sending them into battle will only lead to their deaths as cannon fodder."

Nasu Shoulang Sheng continued.

"Currently, our navy has only 50, 000 elite troops. Although the branch marines are numerous, their actual combat effectiveness is beyond my comprehension. Everyone knows it clearly. They are simply useless."

He paused and continued, "Now the Rockefeller Kingdom has invaded the North Sea. As far as we know, their 100, 000-strong army is definitely the elite of the elite. It will probably not be easy to deal with such a powerful army!"