"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Bingzhang nodded and said, "The Samanid Khanate is a long way away. If we want to launch a campaign against the Samanid Khanate and completely pacify it, it is impossible to do so in a short time! Moreover, it is already September, and winter is just around the corner in the frigid lands beyond the Great Wall. At that time, logistics and supplies will be even more difficult! Therefore, we need to plan for the long term!"

Listening to Yuan Weiwen and Zhao Bingzhang's words, Li Xin gradually calmed down.

He knew that the tribes of the Western Regions were too far away, and that transporting large amounts of supplies and equipment would be extremely difficult given the current poor road conditions and limited transport capacity.

The Samanid Khanate in the Western Regions was vast and populous. Most importantly, the entire population was armed, with an army of four to five hundred thousand soldiers.

Moreover, it is far from the core territory of the Great Gan Kingdom.

If one wants to launch an expedition and completely pacify the Samanid Khanate, it is unlikely that one can succeed by simply relying on passion!

After all, Li Xin, being a time traveler, naturally knew about the many deeds of conquering the Western Regions in later generations.

The Qing-Dzungar War lasted a century, spanning three generations and costing hundreds of millions of dollars, before the Dzungar Khanate in the Western Regions was finally pacified.

Afterwards, there were still occasional rebellions.

Even after the pacification, decades later, before Yaqub Beg seized control of the Western Regions and Zuo Jigao led his army westward, Zuo Jigao spent several years managing Longyou and Shaanxi-Gansu, and before the imperial court issued the order, he spent several years raising money and grain before finally gathering a large army for the westward expedition.

Only in this way can we achieve complete victory in one battle.

The most important factor in this is logistics, supplies, and equipment!

In this day and age, although the entire army has been re-equipped with breech-loading rifles, machine guns, breech-loading cannons, and hand grenades, it has almost entered the era of firearms.

However, the advantage in weaponry cannot change the fact that every soldier in the army is a living, breathing human being.

Since we are all living, breathing human beings, we naturally need to eat and drink.

The westward expedition against the Samanid Khanate would be a massive undertaking, with many deserts and wastelands along the way, and the feeding of 100,000 troops and their horses would be an enormous undertaking!

This alone was enough to move Li Xin.

He took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Zhao, Yuan Weiwen, you are absolutely right! The matter of logistics, provisions, and supplies is indeed a difficult one!"

"but,"

Li Xin changed the subject, saying, "Even if there are a hundred or a thousand difficulties, we must not be afraid. We must face them head-on!"

"Currently, Zhao Chun and Lin Shaozhang of the Northwest Military Region have made temporary relocations of various units within the Northwest Military Region to guard against the expansion of attacks from the Samanid Khanate. These measures are excellent, and our Privy Council confirms them!"

"Furthermore, instruct the Northwest Military Region to take the lead in defense to prevent the Samanid Khanate from becoming too arrogant. We will proceed with the westward expedition once we are fully prepared!"

Hearing Li Xin's words, Zhang Jingzhi nodded and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"We're not refusing to fight now, not because we're afraid of them!"

Li Xin frowned and said, "We must prepare for the attack and ensure a decisive victory!"

"During this period, the General Logistics Department immediately mobilized militia, land reclamation troops, and other units to transport grain and supplies into the Longyou area. The grain and supplies for 100,000 troops must be prepared as soon as possible!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Yuan Weiwen, director of the General Logistics Department, quickly responded.

"in addition,"

Li Xin frowned and continued, "With an army of 100,000 on a distant expedition to the Samanid Khanate, relying solely on the five infantry divisions and three cavalry divisions of the Northwest Military Region is far from sufficient. Moreover, the Northwest Military Region not only has to fight the Samanid Khanate, but also faces the forces of the snowy plateau in Xining Prefecture and other areas, which puts it under great pressure. Therefore, we need to urgently recruit more troops!"

As he spoke, Li Xin turned to look at Wei Jun, the director of the General Training Department, and asked, "Wei Jun, how is the new recruit training going these days?"

"Reply to Your Majesty,"

Wei Jun replied, "Since the end of last year, a large number of new recruits have been recruited and trained, and five new infantry divisions have been formed and assigned to the Northern Military Region. Currently, they are stationed in Beijing, Xuanfu, Datong, Daning and other places. In addition, there are more than 100,000 new recruits training in various places, and they have basically completed their training. It is expected that before the end of the year, we will mobilize new recruits again for recruitment."

"More than 100,000 people!"

Li Xin nodded and said, "Currently, our Great Gan Kingdom has a vast territory, and the military forces in each military region are still too few. The Northern Military Region has already been supplemented with five infantry divisions, and the other military regions also need to expand at the same time. The Northwest Military Region, in particular, is under the greatest pressure. The newly trained recruits will immediately be transferred from various units to form new units and be transferred to the Northwest Military Region to supplement its military strength."

"This matter is extremely important, and it lays the foundation for an early westward expedition against the Samanid Khanate!"

Hearing Li Xin's words, Wei Jun nodded quickly and said, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

"His Majesty,"

Wei Jun continued, "Currently, five new infantry divisions have been added near the capital to serve as the force protecting the city. They are designated as the 31st to the 35th Infantry Divisions. Further expansion will be carried out with these new divisions, which will be assigned to the Northwest Military Region."

"right!"

Li Xin nodded slightly and said, "Equip the Northwest Military Region with three more cavalry divisions, and try to make the Northwest Military Region stronger as soon as possible!"

Mr. Zhao,

Turning to Zhao Bingzhang, Li Xin said, "The expedition against the Samanid Khanate is extremely urgent. Therefore, I have decided that you will personally go to Longyou City to oversee the Northwest Military Region and work with Zhao Chun to begin pre-battle preparations as soon as possible!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Zhao Bingzhang nodded in agreement.

Walking up to the map and looking at the situation on it, Li Xin continued, "The Southwest Military Region should also expand its forces as soon as possible to defend against the forces in the Tibetan Plateau from the flank!"

"In addition, the five infantry divisions near the capital were separated to form the Central Military Region, which is specifically responsible for protecting the capital. The Northern Military Region will be stationed throughout the grasslands."

After a series of military changes, Li Xin turned to look at Bai Fenglan beside him and said, "Fenglan, you will be in charge of the Central Military Region."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Bai Fenglan nodded in agreement.

As the commander of the guard force, Bai Fenglan was responsible for the safety of the Forbidden City.

The fact that Bai Fenglan is now in command of the Central Military Region undoubtedly increases the security of Beijing.

"in addition,"

Li Xin continued, "The Beijing Telegraph Bureau also needs to expedite its actions. To prepare for the war in the Western Regions, immediately allocate manpower to prioritize laying telegraph lines from Beijing to Longyou, Ganzhou, and Suzhou. Once the telegraph lines are running smoothly, any disturbances at the front can be promptly relayed to Beijing, preventing us from being too passive!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Bai Fenglan quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the line from the capital to Xuanfu and Yunzhong has been completed. It is expected to be extended to Jiuyuan and Qingzhou by the end of the month. In the meantime, I will immediately transfer manpower from other lines to lay telegraph lines in sections to Qingzhou, Lintao Prefecture, Longyou City, Liangzhou, Ganzhou, and Suzhou!"

"good!"

Li Xin nodded and said, "Let's do it that way! All departments should also hurry up and start preparations!"