Well, it would be nice to hold a representative conference sometime, but now is not the time.

Just as Lin Hai was lost in thought, the discussion gradually quieted down. Ling Yang looked at Lin Hai, who had come to his senses, and said, "Principal, we still think we should proceed step by step. Since the Central Government has given us three official documents, we shouldn't rush. We need to take it one step at a time. As a first step, we can increase the supply of pig iron, but we can't agree to it outright. We should first engage in a series of written battles with the Central Government, gradually increasing the supply to prevent them from continuing to make exorbitant demands. This will also help conceal our true production capacity."

"Well, I agree with this. Let Dong Ji give us a number on the specific supply rhythm. Then what?" Lin Hai continued to ask.

"Second step, we do need to wipe out Qitian Village. Honestly, Qitian Village's existence provided us with a great shield when we were weak. Many things that Qinghe couldn't do were handled by Qitian Village. Now we need to show our strength to the world, at least to some extent. This will be beneficial for us to protect the southwest and absorb refugees. We can also use this as an excuse to expand our army and temporarily reduce the supply of pig iron to the central core."

"Then how do you plan to wipe out Qitian Village?"

"We must fight, and for real. In the process of controlling Xiangyun, many bandits surrendered to Qitian Village. Due to the identity of Qitian Village, we cannot directly deal with this group of evil bandits, but it is not a big problem to send them out to train our new recruits. As long as we act convincingly enough, it is not impossible to recruit them in the end." This plan was obviously much rougher and lacked many details, but Lin Hai felt that the direction was right.

"Then please ask Brother Nineteen to come back and we can discuss this carefully. It would be best if the people from the Cambodian Station can also join us. Doesn't the Cambodian Station also want to attack Qitian Village? Since they have such evil intentions, we must make them bleed." Lin Hai nodded and continued, "What next?"

"Then we will ask the Central Government for reinforcements, saying that we were severely damaged after defeating Qitian Village, and that our base is too large to control. We will see what the Central Government's attitude is towards us. Moreover, since we have come this far, we can also directly ask the Central Government for the appointment of County Magistrate. If they don't give it, it means that the situation has deteriorated greatly. We will then see how to deal with the situation."

"What if the central government sends troops?" Lin Hai looked at Ling Yang with amusement.

"That means they've revealed their true intentions. We can only head north and control Tianmen Pass. We must at least protect Xichuan and Xiangyun provinces."

"What if the Central Government doesn't send troops?"

"That means their losses in foreign wars are far greater than we imagined. We can head north and take control of Tianmen Pass first."

"Oh? Same solution for different situations." Lin Hai thought for a moment and said, "Let's not record the last one. We'll see how to deal with it later. Let's take it step by step. Let Dong Ji come over and see how the steel production is."

Lin Hai did not comment on the final plan, but for everyone, at least the first two steps had to be taken. Once the direction was determined, everyone would no longer be nervous and at a loss as they did at the beginning.