The matters within the Heavenly Martial Dynasty had been resolved, so everyone turned their attention back beyond its borders.
Xiao Tianyang and Sun Wu were not meeting for the first time, so there was no need for excessive formalities.
As for Wei Liao and the others, they had not all returned to the Frontline, instead staying behind to discuss the next steps with Xiao Tianyang.
The main reason was not that Xiao Tianyang had begun distancing himself from them, but that the Ministry of War had many matters concerning the newly established legions to handle.
Gan Mao was responsible for selecting recruits from Shenwu Branch Academy, then conducting standardized training and assignments.
He also had to share with Du Ruhui the task of redeploying Defense Legions across various regions.
Du Ruhui's responsibilities, meanwhile, were somewhat more varied.
Basically, anything related to legion logistics and various equipment arrangements fell under his purview.
Though the Ninth Group Army was said to be newly established, Xiao Tianyang had actually begun preparing for it years ago.
It merely needed some equipment replaced and supplies gathered so it could receive the treatment of a main-force Group Army.
The Tenth Group Army, however, was an entirely new force built from the ground up, soldier by soldier.
Weapons, supplies, officers, and talented personnel all had to be fully equipped.
If the Group Army was to form a complete operational system from top to bottom and coordinate seamlessly,
then according to the Ministry of War's estimates, it would take at least half a year to complete the entire training process.
Of course, such estimates were not necessarily accurate.
There were, at the very least, certain variables involved.
For example, if its commander and the various Legion Commanders displayed unprecedented tacit understanding and trust, the time required would be