Chapter 70: German Advisor

The river wind at Nanjing dock wrapped the moist, tidal vapor, cutting to the bone. Li Yuxuan stood on the pier, his fingertips rubbing the gleaming Pocket Watch chain, his gaze fixed like an anchor on the German liner approaching in the distance. When the black‑red‑gold tricolor slowly unfurled beside the hull, his tense cheek finally broke into a genuine smile, and he stepped forward with long strides to meet it.

"My two dear friends, and senior, I've finally been waiting for you!" He spread his arms, speaking German fluently and warmly, and embraced the few people stepping down from the gangway in turn.

Rommel tipped off his hat, his blond hair flashing coldly in the sun, and his broad hand patted Li Yuxuan on the back: "Li, you summoned me again so soon after our parting; it seems your new troops truly need us."

Guderian was far more composed, his eagle‑sharp gaze sweeping over the bustling dock, and he got straight to the point: "Junior, where are the troops? I want to start training immediately; time waits for no one."

"Don't rush," Karl Dönitz's voice came from behind, he lifted a chart tube, his eyes full of eagerness, "Li, when will the ship you purchased arrive at port? I can't wait to see the warship that can employ Wolfpack Tactics."

"Soon, within three days it will be here," Li Yuxuan said with a laughing wave, turning to make an inviting gesture, "Why not first taste Nanjing salted duck, then go to the barracks to meet my brothers— they've been waiting for you 'foreign instructors' for a long time."

In the President's Office telegraph room, Qian Dajun clutched the freshly translated Document, hurrying toward the office. An Adjutant at the door was about to report, but he raised his hand to stop him, pushed the door open and entered: "Report, Chairman!"

Principal Jiang, frowning at a financial ledger, let out a long sigh without looking up: "Speak."

"The German Consultant Group has arrived in Ning, totaling seventy‑one members, covering armor, artillery, Imperial Japanese Navy and other branches; the German side says more will be sent later," Qian Dajun handed over the list.

"Hmm, send them to the Fifth Army," Principal Jiang waved his hand, his tone tinged with unhidden fatigue, "Inform Jingxing, treat them properly, and don't let outsiders make a joke of it."

"Understood!" Qian Dajun turned to leave, but heard a heavy sigh from behind, full of helplessness.

"Chairman, what exactly is improper?" he stopped, turned back, and asked cautiously.

Principal Jiang pointed at the numbers in the ledger, his fingertip trembling slightly: "Jingxing's Fifth Army has already spent five million dollars!" His tone suddenly grew heavier, as if cutting flesh, "I sustain the other three armies with less than three hundred thousand a year; this one army alone costs nearly two years' expenses for others!"

He slumped back against the chair, his brows twisted into a knot: "Future costs are an endless pit; just the salaries of the German Advisors equal half a year's pay for a regular unit. Thinking of it now, my heart aches."

Qian Dajun hesitated a moment, probing: "Chairman, how about... downsizing? The Fifth Army's five divisions are clearly redundant; cutting two divisions would save funds and make the force leaner."

"Enough," Principal Jiang forced a smile and waved his hand, "Given Jingxing's temperament, it's already lucky he doesn't secretly expand the army. Cutting troops? You mentioned it in the morning, and by noon he could block my office, either refusing to leave or sitting at the President's Office entrance, and then all of Jinling would see my joke."

He recalled the last time Li Yuxuan blocked the office for military funds, and still felt a headache: "That kid looks refined, but once he's stubborn, not even ten oxen could pull him back. Moreover, his training methods are solid; the Fifth Army's three months of combat power equals a year's for others, so the money... is well spent."

Qian Dajun then realized the Chairman wasn't truly willing to cut expenses, just venting. He smiled and said, "Chairman, you are absolutely right; Chairman Jingxing is indeed a rare talent, and with him guarding Jinling, we can rest easy."

"Go, settle the German Advisors," Principal Jiang waved his hand, picked up the ledger again, his gaze passing over the pages to the heavy sky outside the window.

In a private room of the Jinling Hotel, a banquet spread across the table, the freshness of steamed mullet and the aroma of Jinling roast duck mingling in the air. Li Yuxuan accompanied several German Advisors in hearty toasts, the translator beside them relaying jokes, the atmosphere lively.

"Li, is your force truly as strong as the Letter says?" Guderian sipped Maotai, the spiciness raising his eyebrows, "Just don't be all talk; we don't want to be embarrassed."

"Don't worry." Li Yuxuan picked up a piece of duck skin, his smile firm, "Tomorrow at the barracks you'll see clearly. My brothers may be slightly less equipped, but their inner ferocity matches anyone's. Especially the young officers from Huangpu, whose thirst for knowledge is great; they look forward to you 'renowned teachers' guiding them."

Rommel set down his cup, pulled several maps from his pack: "I brought battlefield operation notes that might help your troops adapt to complex terrain. However, your rapid response unit is not yet formed; it needs to start with basics like reconnaissance and infiltration."

"I've already designated a training ground in Jinling," Li Yuxuan took the map, studying it intently, "This place has both plains and hills, perfect for tactical drills. Senior, your positional warfare theory should be taught to them properly; in the last Badong campaign, the brothers suffered a heavy loss in defense."

Guderian nodded, his gaze heavy: "Tactics are fixed, people are alive. I will teach them to arrange formations flexibly according to terrain, but whether they master it depends on their own insight."

"My Submarine Tactics rely on ports and bases; when exactly will the ship you mentioned arrive? I can't wait to try my edge in Huaxia." Karl Dönitz said.

"It will arrive at Wusongkou the day after tomorrow," Li Yuxuan poured him more wine, "Then I'll accompany you for the inspection, guaranteeing it's the ocean‑going Submarine you specified in the Letter, whose underwater endurance surpasses the current German models."

After three rounds of drinks, the night outside grew deeper. Li Yuxuan stared at the swirling liquid in his cup, suddenly feeling that the months spent begging the Chairman for funds were worth every penny— with these battle‑hardened advisors stationed, the Fifth Army could avoid countless detours, and in future battles shed far less blood.

He raised his glass and shouted to the foreign friends, "To the Fifth Army, to our shared ideal, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

The crisp clink of glasses pierced the window, drifting toward Nanjing Cheng in the night. There, the steel masters await forging, the war landscape is about to be rewritten, and a soldier clings to the Strong Nation Dream— even if the price is making the Chairman wince repeatedly.