In the morning, before the sun had risen, Long Yuan drove out of the Ming Capital City area.
Soul Guidance Car Driving westward along the road, the tall buildings on both sides gradually became sparse and replaced by rolling hills and patches of woods.
In late autumn, the West Mountain forests are dyed with golden yellow and fiery red intertwined, looming in the morning mist.
Most of the vehicles on this road are painted in military green. Occasionally, a transport convoy full of supplies rumbles past, raising a cloud of dust.
West Mountain of Ming Capital was once a battleground for military strategists and an important barrier for Ming Capital. It was not until Federation unified Douluo Continent later that its barrier effect was no longer so obvious.
Long Yuan held the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a large number of buildings built along the mountains in the distance.
That is the station of the Central Legion. As the most elite army force of Federation, it is stationed here all year round to guard the core of Federation.
As the most powerful legion of Douluo Federation, Central Legion also has a fun nickname, called Federation's biological son.
Mainly because it can not only get Federation's most advanced weapons and Soul Tool, but also suck blood from Federation's other armies.
Its standing strength is more than 100,000. If you include some auxiliary personnel, it can even reach more than 300,000. This does not include the series of related personnel who support its logistics.
Central Legion is mainly stationed in Ming Capital West Mountain. In fact, there are also in other directions of Ming Capital, guarding the Federation capital from all directions.
The number of troops at the foot of West Mountain is about fifty thousand.
Today, his destination is a resort at the foot of West Mountain.
That kind of place is the property of the military and is a place for leisure and recuperation exclusively for military personnel, especially officers.
This time it was a cooperation item that Zhen Hua had talked about before - a major general from the Central Legion's logistics department, surnamed Zhou.
After he heard that the other party was Central Legion, he became a little interested, so he came for Zhen Hua.
When Zhen Hua heard this, he was extremely happy. Since Long Yuan offered to negotiate cooperation with others on his behalf, what did that mean?
Doesn't that mean that he really has plans to take over? Doesn't that mean that he can retire?
So he didn't feel melancholy for a moment, he immediately agreed and revealed all the information.
Zhen Hua said it simply when explaining, "Zhou Qingdong, the deputy director of the Logistics Department, is in charge of the deployment of military supplies. This person is not simple. He has worked in the Logistics Department for more than 20 years and has climbed up from the grassroots level. He knows Central Legion's background very well. The evaluation given to him in the circle is - 'No oil or salt can enter'. He is reliable in his work, but he does not easily fall in line."
"How did you know him?"
"Before he joined the army in his early years, he worked as an apprentice at the Blacksmith Association in Heaven Dou City and worked under me for three years. Later he was admitted to the military school and left. He would also send messages and greetings during the holidays, which is a bit of an old friendship." Zhen Hua paused and added, "But don't expect this relationship to open a backdoor for you. Although he is negotiating material cooperation with the association for the legion, he will not promise any benefits."
The resort is located in a mountain col, surrounded by towering pine forests. The main building is a three-story white building with gray tiles and white walls, with a simple style. Long Yuan parked the car and walked into the lobby.
The waiter at the front desk politely asked him his purpose and led him to a reception room on the second floor. The interior was simply decorated, with a long table and several wooden chairs. On the table were two cups of freshly brewed tea, still steaming.
Sitting by the window is a middle-aged man, wearing a military green uniform, with a gold star on the epaulette glowing slightly under the light. His face is square, his cheekbones are slightly high, and his skin is dark and rough. At first glance, he looks like someone who has been on the road all year round. His sitting posture is very upright, his back is straight, and he maintains a military posture even in leisure places.
Hearing the footsteps, the middle-aged man stood up, his eyes stayed on Long Yuan for a moment, and then he stretched out his hand.
"His Excellency Dragon God, I have admired you for a long time. I am Zhou Qingdong."
Long Yuan shook his hand and sat down opposite him.
Zhou Qingdong went straight to the point without any pleasantries. "Zhen Hua Grandmaster mentioned you to me. The purpose of my visit this time is not only to purchase a batch of Thousand Refinement metal parts as a logistical supplement for the military, but also to discuss another cooperation."
Long Yuan picked up the tea cup and took a sip. "Cooperation? Tell us carefully?"
"Blacksmith Association has cooperated with the Legion for a long time, but it has always stayed at the conventional level. The supply of rare metals, the manufacturing of Battle Armor, and the maintenance of Soul Tool are all scattered The efficiency is low and the resources are wasted. I want to set up a pilot project in the Central Legion to directly connect Blacksmith Association's resources to the legion's logistics system." Zhou Qingdong said.
"This idea has been mentioned a few years ago. But you also know that the relationship between the military and Blacksmith Association is not so easy to sort out." Long Yuan did not go on, but Zhou Qingdong heard the meaning of his words.
The military has its own forging system. Although the level is not high, it is self-contained. If Blacksmith Association wants to get involved, it is tantamount to touching someone else's cake. You can imagine the resistance.
However, he thought very simply. The army cannot always rely on procurement. It is the right way to rely on the Blacksmith Association to train a group of high-level blacksmiths. Otherwise, what can we expect those few people in the army who can hardly Spirit Refinement to do?
Long Yuan put down the tea cup, his tone still calm. "You must be aware of the resistance, but Central Legion is already the legion with the least resistance in the family, so we still have to talk. But before that, I need you to do me a favor."
Zhou Qingdong looked at him with a little more scrutiny in his eyes. After a while, he slowly spoke:
"What do you want me to do?"
"First show me the daily operations of the Central Legion." Long Yuan said, "Then, arrange for me to meet someone."
Zhou Qingdong raised his eyebrows slightly, but didn't ask who it was.
"Okay." He nodded, "I'll show you."
Zhou Qingdong drove a military green jeep, carrying Long Yuan into the station and drove slowly north along the main road.
"Central Legion has an establishment of 100,000 people. It has three armored divisions, one mechanized infantry division, one aviation brigade, and independent reconnaissance, communications, and logistics support units." Zhou Qingdong introduced while driving.
Long Yuan looked at the scene along the way through the car window.
On the training ground, soldiers were undergoing physical training in the morning light. They lined up neatly and chanted loudly. In the distance, several Mechas were conducting tactical exercises. The huge metal bodies rolled and sprinted flexibly, and their movements were incredibly smooth.
Further away, the towering soul radar antenna slowly rotates, detecting every target within a radius of hundreds of kilometers.
This is just the surface, more devices are actually hidden in the mountain.
The jeep passed through the training area and drove into a group of gray-white buildings. It was much quieter here. The people coming and going were all wearing dark blue overalls with the Central Legion badge embroidered on their chests.
"This is the Mecha maintenance base." Zhou Qingdong stopped the car, "The daily maintenance, parts replacement, and overhaul of tens of thousands of Mechas across the entire army are all carried out here. The core of the military's forging system is here."
Long Yuan got out of the car and followed him into a tall factory building. The roaring sound of machinery came towards us. Several Mechas were parked at the maintenance station. Engineers and technicians were busy. Some were dismantling armor, some were debugging Energy Core, and some were using soul probes to check internal circuits.
"This is the fourth station, responsible for the routine maintenance of the standard yellow-level Mecha." Zhou Qingdong pointed to a gray-green Mecha. "The technicians are all from military schools and have received education. Professional training. They also master forging technology, but the level is generally not high. They can handle Thousand Refinement level parts. Those above Spirit Refinement have to be sent to the Blacksmith Association."
Long Yuan walked to the side of the Mecha and reached out to touch its leg armor. The metal was cold, thick and solid, and was a standard alloy produced in batches. When his spiritual consciousness penetrated, the texture inside the metal was clearly visible, with many impurities remaining, and the forging technique was rough, barely reaching the level of Hundred Refinement's edge.
"This batch of armor was replaced three months ago and has already shown structural fatigue." Long Yuan patted the armor and said, "According to this rate of wear and tear, all of them will have to be replaced in two months. Did you forge this thing yourself?"
Zhou Qingdong was stunned for a moment. "How do you know?"
"Metal can speak." Long Yuan retracted his hand, "Its texture tells me."
"Furthermore, Blacksmith Association won't fool people with such inferior products. It seems that the level of your batch of blacksmiths is not very good..."
Zhou Qingdong glanced at him silently and said nothing.
It seemed that the situation was more serious than he thought.
They walked in the maintenance base for nearly an hour. Long Yuan inspected the assembly line of Mecha, the inspection room of Energy Core and the warehouse of spare parts.
He looked at it carefully and asked a few questions from time to time, and Zhou Qingdong answered them one by one.
Finally, the two walked into a warehouse where scrapped parts were stacked.
The lights inside were dim, and the air was filled with the smell of engine oil and metal. The shelves were filled with various discarded parts - twisted energy conduits, cracked armor plates, and burned soul guidance cores.
Long Yuan walked to a shelf and picked up a scrapped shoulder armor. When his spiritual consciousness penetrated, the texture inside the metal was completely broken, as if something had burst it from the inside.
"This is a typical thermal stress overload." Long Yuan put the shoulder armor back on the shelf. "The output of Energy Core is unstable, causing the Mecha armor to repeatedly withstand thermal shock during long-term use and eventually reach the fatigue limit."
Central Legion seems to be experimenting with some powerful Soul Tool on these Mecha?
"His Excellency Dragon God?" Zhou Qingdong's voice came from behind.
Long Yuan turned around, the expression on his face had returned to calm.
"General Zhou," he walked towards the door with a casual tone, "Yu Guanzhi Corps Commander, where do you usually work?"
Zhou Qingdong glanced at him and did not ask any further questions.
"The legion commander works at the Central Legion headquarters deep in West Mountain. He goes to inspect the grassroots units below every Friday, and today happens to be Friday." His voice was calm. "According to the time, we should arrive at the maintenance base in another half an hour."
Long Yuan The corners of his mouth raised slightly.
"That's just right. I also want to meet this Divine Pen Douluo."