As a young marshal, it's reasonable for me to have 300,000 private troops, right?

Qi Fan quickly caught up and stopped happy Shun and his group at the courtyard gate, his small body blocking Dai Xiansheng.

happy Shun was taken aback and quickly stopped in his tracks, looking at Qi Fan who was blocking his way with a troubled expression.

"Young Master, please don't be silly! The old commander gave a strict order; I'm on important business, and there's no time to waste!"

Qi Fan didn't move aside; instead, he forced a smile and lowered his voice.

"Xishun, I won't cause trouble. Even if you want to kill him, it won't take more than a few words, right? Let me say a few words to him, and then you can take action. It won't delay your business."

happy Shun hesitated for a moment, glanced at Zhang Zuolin who had stopped and was looking back not far away, and then looked at Qi Fan who was looking serious in front of him, and pondered in his heart.

It's really not a big deal if it's a little longer, and it was the young master who asked for it. If it really is delayed, the old general probably won't blame him too much.

He nodded: "Alright! Then hurry up and get to the point! I can't bear the consequences if the old marshal blames me!"

"Don't worry, it won't take up much of your time!" Qi Fan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped aside to stand next to Dai Xiansheng.

At this moment, Dai Xiansheng was being held tightly by two bodyguards, his legs were weak, his face was as pale as paper, his eyes were unfocused, and his lips were trembling incessantly. He was clearly terrified.

He never imagined that all he had done was smoke too much opium and blow out a few streetlights, and that his brother-in-law, who was usually quite lenient with him, would actually try to kill him this time.

Qi Fan leaned closer to him and spoke quickly in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"I have a way to save your life, but you have to agree to one condition first."

"Help...help me?" Dai Xiansheng snapped back to reality, his unfocused gaze instantly focusing on Qi Fan's face, as if grasping at the last straw, his voice hoarse and urgent as he asked.

"Liu Zi, can you really save me? As long as I can live, I'll do anything you ask, even if it's ten or a hundred times over!"

Seeing his cowardly and afraid-of-death appearance, Qi Fan couldn't help but feel uneasy.

He really didn't know if saving this guy was the right or wrong thing to do, but things had already come to this point, and he had no choice but to save him, even if it was just for the system's favorability reward.

He suppressed his doubts, his eyes sharpened, and his tone was devoid of any childish playfulness; every word was firm and resolute.

"First, after I save you, you must quit opium completely! If you dare to touch it again, I'll make sure you die a much more gruesome death without my father even lifting a finger."

Dai Xiansheng's pupils suddenly contracted, and he looked at Qi Fan with disbelief. The ruthlessness in his words actually came from the mouth of an eight or nine-year-old child.

But in this life-or-death situation, he dared not question it; his head trembled like a leaf.

"Okay! I promise you! From today onwards, I will never touch opium again, and I mean it!"

"Second," Qi Fan continued, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"I'll spare your life, but while you're spared the death penalty, you won't escape punishment. From now on, you must obey my every command. Do whatever I tell you to do, without the slightest disobedience. Any minor injuries or injustices are what you deserve, understand?"

"I understand! I understand!"

Dai Xiansheng readily agreed, his face showing no reluctance. As long as he could survive, what did a little suffering matter? He looked at Qi Fan, his eyes filled with pleading and promise.

"Little Liu, if you can save me today, my life, Dai Xiansheng's life, will be yours from now on! You tell me to go east, I'll never go west; you tell me to beat a dog, I'll never scold a chicken!"

Qi Fan nodded in satisfaction, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the favorability rating displayed above Dai Xiansheng's head had increased from the initial 20% to 60%.

He knew in his heart that as long as he could really save the man from Zhang Zuolin's gun, raising his favorability rating to 80% would be no problem at all.

After explaining the conditions, Qi Fan didn't delay any longer and turned to run towards Zhang Zuolin's direction.

Zhang Zuolin had already caught a glimpse of Qi Fan talking to Dai Xiansheng earlier. Although he couldn't hear the specifics, he had already guessed what was going on when he saw the boy rushing over.

He stood with his hands behind his back on the open ground outside the courtyard gate, and before Qi Fan could speak, he spoke in a cold voice.

"Little Six! If you're here to plead for that wretched child, you'd better give up now! You have no idea what your father is up to!"

Qi Fan paused, secretly chuckling to himself: I don't understand? I understand better than anyone!

He knew Zhang Zuolin's background all too well. He started as a bandit and built his empire in Fengtian with a group of brothers who had risked their lives for him, but this also made the relationships within the army very complicated.

The descendants of those old brothers, and their relatives, all relied on their seniority to become arrogant and reckless, becoming a cancer in the military discipline of Fengtian.

These people are a double-edged sword: they can risk their lives in battle, but their arrogance in daily life can destroy their foundation.

No matter how ruthless Zhang Zuolin was, he couldn't possibly kill all these people. He could only find a typical example to "make an example of a hundred" and establish his authority.

Dai Xiansheng, the brother-in-law who dared to break a street of streetlights, became the perfect target. Killing him would not only demonstrate the attitude of "the law does not punish the masses, but the law does not tolerate madness," but also shut everyone up.

I dared to kill even my own brother-in-law, so who among you would dare to commit crimes?

Having figured this out, Qi Fan understood perfectly. He walked straight up to Zhang Zuolin without a trace of pleading in his voice.

"Father, I know what you're going to do!"

"Oh?"

Zhang Zuolin raised an eyebrow, his originally cold and hard expression now showing a hint of surprise as he stared at him with interest.

"Then tell me, what do you want me to do?"

"You need to establish your authority!" Qi Fan said decisively, his eyes clear.

"Are you using your uncle's matter to send a warning to your men and enforce strict military discipline! To let everyone know that in Fengtian Realm, no matter who it is, even your relatives, anyone who makes a mistake will be punished!"

"Slap!" Zhang Zuolin suddenly raised his hand, and Qi Fan subconsciously shrank his neck, only to see his father slap his thigh hard, his eyes full of surprise and admiration.

"Good lad! You actually figured it out!"

Based on this alone, he was a hundred times better than those younger generation in the mansion who only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun. Zhang Zuolin's expectations for this son increased, and his tone softened considerably.

"Now that you understand, why are you stopping me?"

"I'm not here to stop you, but I have a way to make your authority even more effective." Qi Fan straightened his chest and raised his head, his tone firm and unambiguous.

"Oh? You little brat have this ability?" Zhang Zuolin became completely interested, leaned closer to him, his face showing a mix of mockery and anticipation.

"Tell me, what's your plan?"

"I said yes, but you have to promise me first that you will give me full authority over what to do with your uncle."

Qi Fan made his demands neither humbly nor arrogantly, knowing full well that Zhang Zuolin never wanted Dai Xiansheng's life, but rather the effect of "establishing authority." As long as the effect was better, it didn't matter who dealt with him.

As expected, Zhang Zuolin nodded in agreement without even thinking.

"Alright! As long as your solution satisfies me, Dai Xiansheng is yours to deal with!"

Qi Fan felt relieved and quickly said, "Father, have you heard the story of Cao Cao shaving his head in place of his own?"

"You want me to learn from Cao Cao?" Zhang Zuolin raised an eyebrow, instantly grasping the key point in the question.

"That's not what I meant," Qi Fan quickly waved his hand and explained.

"Throughout history, those who achieve great things have valued the hearts of the people most. My uncle broke a streetlight, disturbing the peace of the people and incurring their resentment. Since that's the case, it's better to let the people decide his fate. That way, everyone will say that the Fengtian Army cares for the people, which is ten times more effective than simply killing my uncle to establish authority!"

Zhang Zuolin's pupils contracted sharply as he instantly grasped the key point. His eyes were filled with shock as he looked at Qi Fan: This kid is only ten years old, yet he can think of the "popular support" aspect beyond "establishing authority"? His thinking is far more profound than his own!

"Where did you learn all these tricks, kid?"

Qi Fan was prepared. He scratched his head, revealing a childlike innocence.

"I learned it from watching Romance of the Three Kingdoms a couple of days ago. It says that Cao Cao won over the hearts of his troops with this tactic."

These words made perfect sense, and Zhang Zuolin immediately dispelled his doubts, feeling only satisfaction. Killing Dai Xiansheng directly would only deter military discipline; but following Qi Fan's method would both establish authority and win over the hearts of the people, killing two birds with one stone!

He patted Qi Fan on the shoulder, his tone hearty: "Good lad! This idea is much better than mine! Do it your way, and make sure it's done well!"

"Don't worry, Dad! I'll get it done perfectly!"

Qi Fan felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders, a relaxed smile spreading across his face. He turned and walked towards Dai Xiansheng.