Let $ a_0, a_1, ..., a_{23} $ be real numbers such that
$$
\left(1 + \frac{2}{5}x \right)^{23} = \sum_{i=0}^{23} a_i x^i
$$
for every real number $ x $. Let $ a_r $ be the largest among the numbers $ a_j $ for $ 0 \leq j \leq 23 $. Then the value of $ r $ is ________.