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

Zhang Shoufang's engagement banquet was held as scheduled. Red silk curtains reflected the smiling faces of the guests in the courtyard. After going through the whole process of bowing to the ancestors, toasting, and socializing, Zhang Zuolin was beaming and drinking heartily, clearly very satisfied with the marriage.

As night deepened, the noise of the wedding banquet gradually subsided.

Qi Fan avoided the servants coming and going, and skillfully made his way to his cousin's courtyard, knocking on the half-closed door once again.

With a creak, the door opened, revealing flickering candlelight inside. My cousin's wife was lounging lazily on the bed, wearing only a thin red gauze nightgown. Her dark hair was scattered on the pillow, and her neckline was slightly open, revealing her slender shoulders. Her eyes were watery and alluring.

Qi Fan couldn't resist such teasing. He took a step forward and leaned in. The atmosphere in the room instantly heated up. The two embraced and rolled onto the soft bed, and a tender and affectionate moment began.

Even after the revelry was over, the candlelight still flickered.

Qi Fan leaned against the headboard, his fingertips gently tracing his cousin's shoulder. His cousin nestled obediently in his arms, her cheeks flushed and her breathing slightly rapid.

"Aren't you afraid your dad will find out you're coming here every night?"

My cousin's wife looked up and gently poked Qi Fan's chest with her fingertip, her tone carrying a hint of worry and a touch of sweetness.

Qi Fan lowered his head and placed a light kiss on her forehead, his tone reassuring: "Don't worry, my father won't find out at all."

"You seem quite confident, so sure?" My cousin-in-law raised an eyebrow, her eyes full of curiosity.

Qi Fan curled the corners of his lips into a mysterious smile: "It's a secret, I'm not telling you."

He thought to himself: "Are you kidding me? With the Yan Ying Group around, how could we possibly be discovered? These five years of special training haven't been for nothing."

The Yan Ying Group not only helped him thwart one assassination attempt after another by the Japanese, but also secretly dealt with the spies sent by his father to follow him. Each time, they were simply knocked unconscious without taking any lives.

After several attempts, Zhang Zuolin realized that following him was pointless and simply gave up completely.

Seeing that he wouldn't say, his cousin's wife didn't press him further, but simply snuggled closer into his arms.

"You said last time that you would give me a proper and legitimate status. Was that true?"

"Of course it's true." Qi Fan tightened his arms, holding her even closer.

"I've already had someone working on it behind the scenes. Just wait patiently."

Upon hearing this, his sister-in-law's face lit up instantly, all the worry in her eyes vanished, and she nestled obediently in his arms.

Do you have any specific plans?

"You'll find out when the time comes." Qi Fan pinched her cheek, his tone playful.

"You just need to wait. Before long, your cousin will take the initiative to sign the divorce papers with you."

"I knew our Sixth Son was the most capable." His cousin-in-law looked up at him, her eyes full of admiration and infatuation.

Qi Fan felt a surge of warmth in his heart from her gaze and deliberately leaned close to her ear.

"Oh? What kind of skill are you referring to?"

His cousin's wife instantly understood the deeper meaning in his words. Her cheeks flushed even more, but without any shyness, she hooked her arms around his neck, her eyes glistening with a seductive light, her smile utterly captivating: "In every way..."

With such a direct provocation, Qi Fan could no longer restrain himself. He leaned down and pulled her into his arms, and in the candlelight, their figures intertwined once again.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Qi Fan tiptoed out of his cousin's courtyard, stretched out a big yawn, and his bones cracked slightly.

He clicked his tongue in amazement: his cousin's sister-in-law's methods were indeed extraordinary; such charm and skill were something that ordinary women could not match.

Without lingering, he rode his little bicycle toward the Marshal's Mansion.

Just as he turned a corner, he saw a convoy of military vehicles heading towards the Marshal's Mansion. The markings on the vehicles were particularly eye-catching; it was his third uncle Feng Delin's unit.

Qi Fan paused, his eyes darkening slightly, and he instantly guessed Feng Delin's purpose.

Zhang Zuolin had just secured his position as military governor of Fengtian Province when Feng Delin arrived in Fengtian, clearly seeking an explanation.

Although Zhang Zuolin and Feng Delin had a long-standing feud, they were still considered equals and colleagues, and on the surface, they could maintain a harmonious relationship.

But now that Zhang Zuolin has become the military governor of Fengtian and Feng Delin's superior, how could Feng Delin, with his arrogant nature, swallow this insult? Naturally, he had to go to Feng's door to demand justice.

Even before Feng Delin set off, the informant planted by the Seventh Intelligence Bureau had already sent the message back, something Qi Fan had anticipated.

Instead of continuing towards the Marshal's Mansion, he turned the car around and drove straight towards a small Western-style building outside the city.

This small villa was specially purchased by Qi Fan and is also a secret base of the Seventh Intelligence Bureau.

As soon as he arrived at the entrance, two guards in plainclothes recognized him, immediately bowed respectfully, and stepped aside to make way for him.

Qi Fan pushed open the door and entered, only to see Dai Xiansheng sitting behind his desk, his head down processing stacks of secret reports, with a map marked with various symbols on the table.

Hearing the noise, Dai Xiansheng looked up and saw Qi Fan. He quickly got up and went to greet him: "Hanqing, you've come."

Qi Fan nodded to him and walked straight to the sofa to sit down.

"When I arrived, I saw that Feng Delin's troops had already entered the city."

Without further ado, Dai Xiansheng picked up an encrypted report from the table and quickly handed it to Qi Fan.

"Feng Delin's visit this time is not well-intentioned. Our people have reported that before he set off, he had secretly made contact with Tang Yulin, and the two met privately."

Qi Fan took the report and quickly scanned it, his brows furrowing slightly: "Is Tang Yulin about to betray us?"

"There are no clear signs yet," Dai Xiansheng shook his head, his tone grave.

"But this time, Feng Delin took the initiative to contact him, so we have to be careful. We have already increased the number of people monitoring him."

Qi Fan nodded in satisfaction.

With the network of Intelligence Bureau No. 7, no matter what happened in the entire Northeast, he could not escape his eyes and always get first-hand information.

Even the intelligence received by his father, Zhang Zuolin, was only passed on after being screened by Qi Fan. In other words, what Zhang Zuolin could and could not know depended entirely on Qi Fan's will.

"We must keep a close eye on Tang Yulin and not let our guard down for a moment. If we discover any sign that he might turn against us, notify me immediately without delay."

"Don't worry, Hanqing, I'll personally oversee this!" Dai Xiansheng nodded solemnly in agreement.

Changing the subject, Qi Fan remembered something else.

"By the way, how's the divorce going with my cousin and his wife?"

"It's almost all settled. We've transferred your cousin to a position in Beijing as planned, and we've also arranged for someone to introduce him to a woman from a good family. I estimate that the divorce papers will be sent to your cousin's wife soon."

"Good, well done." Qi Fan nodded again, finally feeling relieved.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a figure emerged from the corner of the office.

The newcomer was dressed in a moon-white long robe, exuding a refined and scholarly air, yet his brows concealed an unyielding sinister glint, and his eyes were sharp as knives, radiating a ruthless aura.

"My lord, the most urgent task at present is to prepare for any possible consequences. Tang Yulin has already made contact with Feng Delin. If he does turn against us later, we will have a foolproof plan and won't be caught off guard."

The sudden sound startled Qi Fan. He turned his head sharply and saw that it was Jia Xu. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and then complained in an annoyed tone.

"Jia Xu, can you please stop appearing and disappearing like that all the time? You almost scared me to death!"

Dai Xiansheng, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, his tone full of approval for Jia Xu.

"Hanqing, you can't say that. Mr. Jia adapted extremely quickly after joining the company. After he streamlined many of the procedures in Intelligence Bureau No. 7, the efficiency doubled, which was a huge help to me!"

This person was none other than Jia Xu, a famous strategist from the Three Kingdoms period, summoned by Qi Fan using a B-level character card obtained after completing a system task.

When the system sent this ancient strategist to the Republic of China, Qi Fan was secretly worried that he would not be able to adapt to modern life. Unexpectedly, Jia Xu not only integrated quickly, but also used his extraordinary wisdom to help Qi Fan manage the intelligence network while accurately controlling expenses, so that his nearly empty savings were not completely emptied.

Qi Fan shook his head helplessly and looked at the two of them.

"I'm naturally relieved that you can cooperate well. However, let me make this clear from the start: we should avoid using Mr. Jia Xu's strategies if possible."

Dai Xiansheng nodded solemnly and quickly: "I understand! I understand!"

Qi Fan didn't think Jia Xu's strategies were incompetent; it was just that his schemes were often treacherous and ruthless, which was too contrary to the natural order.

Qi Fan would never want to use such methods against his compatriots, but if the target was the Japanese, then that would be a different story.

He stood up, straightened his robes, and said, "I need to go back and check on Feng Delin. Although I know his purpose, I still need to hear what he and my father have to say in person."