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

As night fell, the hustle and bustle of Fengtian City gradually subsided, except for Feng Delin's Western-style building, which was brightly lit and filled with a tense atmosphere.

Upon hearing that his elder brother Ma Longtan was coming, Feng Delin specially prepared a lavish banquet. All eight of Zhang Zuolin's sworn brothers gathered here today, each with a solemn expression.

Qi Fan and Feng Yong were also there, but they didn't go to the main table.

Qi Fan had hidden behind the screen early on, straining his ears to listen to what was happening inside. Before he could figure out what was going on, he heard a soft sound behind him, and Feng Yong crouched down and patted him on the shoulder.

"What are you doing here, sneaking around like a thief?"

Qi Fan was startled and quickly turned around, gesturing for Feng Yong to be quiet and lowering his voice.

"Keep your voice down! Can't you see something's off in there?"

Feng Yong shrugged nonchalantly, leaned against the screen, and spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Let them make a fuss. It's their old-fashioned feud, and we two brothers can't get involved. No matter how much they argue, you, Hanqing, will always be my brother, Feng Yong's brother."

"Who told you that!" Qi Fan glared at him helplessly. "Stop talking nonsense and listen to me."

The two were whispering to each other when someone at the main table spoke up.

Feng Delin, holding a wine glass, tapped the rim heavily with his fingertips, breaking the silence first.

"Big Brother's personal visit today must be to act as an intermediary for this short fellow, right?"

Before Ma Longtan could speak, Zhang Zuoxiang couldn't help but step forward.

"Third Brother, you can't say that. We eight brothers have been through thick and thin together. What conflicts can't we sit down and discuss? There's no need to make things so tense."

"Shut up!" Feng Delin turned sharply and glared at Zhang Zuoxiang, showing no mercy whatsoever.

"Who doesn't know that you, Zhang Zuoxiang, and that shorty Zhang are in cahoots? You're biased and have no right to speak here!"

Zhang Zuoxiang's face turned red from the rebuke, and he opened his mouth but couldn't say a word.

Seeing this, Wu Junsheng quickly picked up his wine glass to smooth things over, a simple and honest smile plastered on his face.

"Third brother, don't get so angry. This matter between you and seventh brother is really just a misunderstanding between brothers. It'll be fine once you talk it out. You're brothers who've been through thick and thin together, what can't you overcome?"

"Our own brother?" Feng Delin sneered, his eyes sweeping over Zhang Zuolin, his tone full of sarcasm.

"I'm afraid some people don't treat me like family; instead, they stab me in the back, steal my position, and then try to pretend to be good people!"

These words immediately caused the atmosphere at the table to plummet to freezing point. The brothers all frowned, and no one dared to speak again.

At this tense moment, Ma Longtan, sitting in the main seat, finally spoke slowly.

"Third brother, don't be so rude. I'm not here to be a lobbyist or to take sides. You and seventh brother are both my brothers, and I won't favor one over the other."

He paused, then took out an envelope with the national emblem printed on it from his pocket and gestured to the crowd.

"I came here on the orders of President Yuan."

These words shocked everyone present.

Feng Delin paused, holding his wine glass, and Zhang Zuolin also sat up slightly.

Ma Longtan opened the envelope, unfolded the appointment letter inside, and read it aloud in a deep voice.

"Feng Delin, commander of the 28th Division, is hereby appointed as Deputy Military Governor of Fengtian Province and Assistant Military Governor of Fengtian Province, to assist Military Governor Zhang Zuolin in handling all military and political affairs in Fengtian Province. This order is hereby issued."

After reading it aloud, Ma Longtan handed the letter of appointment to Feng Delin.

"Take a look for yourself. President Yuan hasn't forgotten you; this position was reserved for you. Third brother, listen to the President's orders and stop causing trouble."

Feng Delin accepted the appointment letter with trembling hands, staring intently at the words on it, remaining silent for a long time.

Seeing this, Zhang Zuolin knew the time was right, so he quickly got up, walked to his side, and patted him on the shoulder affectionately.

"My dear third brother! See, I told you it wasn't a big deal, right? We brothers discussed everything, right? From now on, we'll discuss everything in Fengtian together!"

Feng Delin knew perfectly well that with Ma Longtan in charge and President Yuan's letter of appointment, the matter had reached its limit.

If we continue to make trouble, we will not only gain nothing, but we will also offend the big brother and the president, which is not worth it.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Ma Longtan.

"Since it's the president's order and my elder brother personally intervened, I, Feng Delin, accept it."

He couldn't refuse Ma Longtan's request; he also had to accept this face-saving gesture.

Seeing that the matter had been settled, Qi Fan, who was behind the screen, relaxed.

Knowing that the matter was completely resolved, he gently patted Feng Yong's shoulder and lowered his voice.

"Let's go, we've finished talking, there's nothing more to see."

Feng Yong nodded and followed Qi Fan, quietly leaving the Western-style building.

The two didn't go far before finding a stone table in the courtyard to sit down. They had a servant bring them a dish of peanuts, two small dishes of side dishes, and a pot of white wine, and began to drink.

After a few rounds of drinks, Feng Yong raised his glass and clinked it against Qi Fan's, a gossipy smile in his eyes.

"I heard that your father has already arranged your marriage? It seems that Master Wu acted as matchmaker, and the bride is a young lady from the Yu family in Zhengjiatun?"

Qi Fan had just taken a sip of wine when he heard this, so he put down his glass and punched Feng Yong on the shoulder.

"You're really well-informed! It's only been a short time since it was finalized, and you already know?"

"That's right!" Feng Yong proudly raised his chin and took a swig of wine.

"Don't you know who your brother is? I can hear even the slightest commotion in Fengtian City."

"Stop showing off." Qi Fan rolled his eyes at him, picked up his chopsticks, took a peanut, and said with a hint of emotion.

"To be honest, I'm a little unaccustomed to suddenly having to get married. I feel like I haven't had enough fun yet, and now I'm being tied down."

Upon hearing this, Feng Yong put down his wine glass, moved closer to Qi Fan, and winked mischievously.

"Putting aside whether you adapt or not, let me ask you, what are you planning to do with your cousin-in-law?"

Qi Fan paused for a moment while picking up food, then continued eating as if nothing had happened, his tone indifferent.

"What else can we do? We'll just keep it a secret for now and see how things go. But the good thing is that she's already divorced from my cousin, so there's no longer any legal ties between them. We'll find a way to deal with things in the future."

Qi Fan picked up his wine glass, took a sip of baijiu, and then changed the subject, looking at Feng Yong.

"Stop talking about me, what about you? What are your plans for the future? You can't just stay idle like this forever, can you?"

Feng Yong put down his chopsticks, grabbed a peanut, and threw it into his mouth.

"What other plans could I have? My father has already made arrangements for me. He wants me to apply to the Baoding Military Academy to learn tactics and strategies, saying that it will be good for me to take over his troops in the future."

"Oh?" Qi Fan raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He put down his wine glass and leaned closer, his tone clearly teasing.

"Our young master Feng is actually going to join the army? This is truly an unprecedented event!"

Feng Yong rolled his eyes and sighed helplessly.

"What can I do? You know my dad's temper; he's a man of his word. I can only accept my fate."

Seeing his helpless expression, Qi Fan stopped teasing him and patted him on the shoulder.

"These are chaotic times, and going to the battlefield is probably only a matter of time. Although your father and my father didn't get along in the past, I hope that we brothers will never face each other on the battlefield."

Upon hearing this, Feng Yong's gaze darkened, and he nodded vigorously, raising his wine glass to clink heavily with Qi Fan's.

"Don't worry! No matter what happens, Hanqing, you will always be my brother, Feng Yong's brother! The days of swords and spears facing each other on the battlefield will never happen between us!"