728: Chapter 728 Improvement of the Military Region (Part 1)

Out of options, Li Yang could only resort to the strictest screening methods. He ordered that all applicants must pass a Virtual Reality Simulation System. Only those who demonstrated good character—loyalty, resilience, self-discipline, and responsibility—within the virtual reality scenarios and passed the System's comprehensive evaluation would qualify to join the army.

Even so, a massive number of citizens still successfully passed the testing. The queues for registration remained endless, leaving Li Yang completely caught in the "happy problem" of having too many applicants and too few military slots.

After all, those who could travel here to enlist were at least good citizens with no criminal records.

As a result, less than seven days after the recruitment announcement was released, the statistical data of the military region's registration System was finalized.

With 103 million registered Soldiers, they had not only filled all the slots required for the Hundred Divisions Expansion Plan but also had quite a few left over.

When the staff at the recruitment stations checked the data for the last time, even their fingers were trembling slightly.

Looking at the dense registration information on their terminals, they realized in hindsight that the enthusiasm for joining the army in the Lipugong Supercluster had long exceeded everyone's estimates.

The citizens still in line watched as the notification "Establishment Full" came over the broadcast. The excitement on their Faces instantly faded, replaced by deep disappointment, and many were reluctant to leave for a long time.

Seeing this, the officers responsible for pacification quickly approached to offer patient persuasion.

"comrades, don't worry! Our military region's expansion is never a one-time thing; the Hundred Divisions are just the starting stage. Once the military region's combat power takes shape and the defense scope expands, we will definitely launch second and third rounds of recruitment. We'll be sure to reserve slots for you first then!"

"That's right, the opportunity to join the army is rare. If you weren't selected this time, there will definitely be another chance next time!"

Under the officers' kind words of comfort and repeated guarantees, the citizens who failed to be selected gradually calmed down and left the recruitment points, looking back with every step.

Though they felt regret, they also understood that the military region's selection process was naturally strict. Having such an opportunity was already rare.

The hundreds of millions of Soldiers who were ultimately selected did not immediately enter conventional training.

Li Yang's considerations were extremely pragmatic. At this time, the military region's training grounds were still desolate Gobi Star Domains, and the barracks and storage areas only existed on blueprints. With neither the necessary training grounds nor the supporting equipment, organizing training prematurely would be nothing more than empty theorizing.

Thus, Li Yang immediately issued a brand new directive.

All new recruits were to be incorporated into the military region's infrastructure construction team, with everyone participating in the construction of the military region's main projects!

When the news spread, the Soldiers who had been somewhat apprehensive instantly erupted. Far from having any complaints, they let out deafening cheers.

"We get to build our own barracks with our own hands? This is too cool!"

"This will be our home in the future. Being able to personally participate in the construction will give us a greater sense of belonging when we move in!"

"We aren't just Soldiers; we're the first batch of builders for the military region. This gives us so much Face!"

The young Soldiers enthusiastically followed the engineering teams to learn how to operate construction machinery, each working with fiery zeal.

Li Yang stood before the temporary Command Center, looking at the bustling construction scene before him, his heart full of gratification.

The reason he made this decision was, firstly, to maximize the use of existing resources and speed up the construction progress of the military region. After all, these Soldiers were the core combat power of the military region; letting them participate in the construction would leave their mark on every inch of the land.

Secondly, he wanted the Soldiers to take root in this land from the very beginning, engraving the concept of "the military region is home" into their very bones. This would foster a stronger determination to protect their home during future garrisoning and combat operations.

To the Soldiers, this was not just a task, but a form of glory.

Every foundation they personally laid and every wall panel they built would become the place where they would train, live, and fight in the future.

When the day finally came that the military region was fully built—when sturdy barracks, spacious training grounds, and majestic command buildings rose from the ground—they could proudly tell their future comrades:

"I built this with my own hands!"

This atmosphere of "building a home together" also caused the cohesion of the entire military region to climb rapidly.

The Soldiers were no longer just in a simple superior-subordinate relationship, but partners fighting side-by-side. While building, they familiarized themselves with every inch of the military region's terrain and learned basic military knowledge, laying a solid foundation for subsequent training.

For Li Yang, this was a great thing that killed two birds with one stone.

It solved the labor shortage in the Early Stage of the military region's construction, allowing various projects to advance at the fastest speed, and it allowed the new recruits to integrate into the military region's atmosphere ahead of time, paving the way for subsequent reorganization and training.

With the joint efforts of all the Soldiers, the construction progress of the military region advanced by leaps and bounds.

...

In the blink of an eye, over a month had quietly passed. The two key approval applications Li Yang had previously submitted to the Imperial Military Department were finally both successfully approved. When the news reached the Lipugong Supercluster, there was a wave of excitement in both the military region Base and the Administrative Center.

The first to be approved was the application for officer allocation and armament supplies.

After overall consideration, the Military Department selected over a hundred middle and primary-level officers with rich experience and solid military achievements from various major units and military academies. These included division Commanders, Deputy Division Commanders, chiefs of staff, and regiment-level Commanders, covering every key position and perfectly filling all the command gaps in the Hundred Divisions establishment.

This group of officers were all elites of the military, many with actual combat experience. Upon arriving at the military region, they quickly joined up with the local officers Li Yang had previously promoted, such as Cang Hui, and rapidly completed the setup of the command System, allowing the Hundred Divisions establishment to achieve a state of being "fully equipped with both Soldiers and generals."

At the same time, the first batch of military supplies allocated by the Military Department's Logistics Department arrived at the military region's port via an interstellar transport fleet. From individual combat equipment and conventional training ammunition to small and medium-sized combat starships and logistics supply vessels, various weapons and equipment were categorized and neatly stacked. This completely solved the problem of having no equipment to use in the military region's early days, laying a solid foundation for subsequent recruit training and the formation of combat power.

The second heavyweight approval was the application to upgrade the starship construction Rank of the Lipugong Supercluster.

After the Military Department and the Supreme Political Council completed their review, they officially raised the Galaxy's shipbuilding Aptitude from the original super-stellar class to the galaxy-class. This Breakthrough directly propelled Lipugong's military industry level to a brand new stage.

Speaker Pudel was overjoyed upon hearing the news, knowing this was an excellent opportunity for the Galaxy's development. He immediately made the decision, showing no stinginess with resources or funds, and issued an administrative order with a wave of his hand.

At the fastest possible speed, no fewer than twenty new shipbuilding factories were to be built, along with supporting expansions of ammunition factories, equipment repair factories, parts factories, and various other military industrial entities, fully perfecting the Galaxy's military industrial chain.