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

Upon hearing this, Qi Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, and a cunning and sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

Seeing that look, Zhang Zuolin's heart skipped a beat; this kid must have come up with some bad idea again.

"You brat," Zhang Zuolin put down his teacup, pointed at Qi Fan, and laughed and scolded.

"Is he up to some mischief again?"

"Dad, aren't you short of money?" Qi Fan leaned forward, lowering his voice, his tone full of urging.

"Now that we've found out it was Xiao Rizi who did it, we don't need to confront them directly, but it shouldn't be a problem to settle accounts with them, right? We can ask for some compensation for emotional distress and security breaches. They can't refuse to pay, can they? It'll help make up for your losses."

Zhang Zuolin's eyes lit up, and he instantly understood what was going on. He slapped his thigh and laughed heartily.

"Good lad! You're always full of clever ideas! Those tutors I hired for you back then weren't wasted on their time!"

After laughing a few times, he changed the subject and his expression became serious.

"However, your marriage to the Yu family girl can't be delayed. I'll have Xishun prepare the betrothal gifts tomorrow, and you'll personally go to the Yu family in Zhengjiatun to propose marriage. Make sure this marriage is settled."

"No problem," Qi Fan readily agreed, "I'll do whatever you say."

As soon as he finished speaking, a series of steady footsteps came from the entrance of the hall.

The two looked up and saw a man in a crisp police uniform and round-framed glasses walk in. He was upright and solemn, exuding a rigorous and capable air.

"Old Marshal, Wang Yongjiang is here to report to you on orders!" The man walked to the center of the hall and bowed respectfully to Zhang Zuolin.

Qi Fan looked at the newcomer and immediately recognized him: This was Wang Yongjiang! He remembered that in the original story, it was Zhang Zuolin who overruled objections to invite this talented man, which enabled him to rectify the discipline of the Fengtian Army and sort out the finances of Fengtian, laying the foundation for the subsequent rise of the Fengtian clique.

I didn't expect my father to act so quickly; he had just settled into the position of warlord and had already invited people over.

Upon seeing Wang Yongjiang, Zhang Zuolin immediately put on a warm smile and stood up to greet him.

"Yongjiang, you've finally arrived! Please have a seat!"

He pointed to Qi Fan beside him and introduced him, "Let me introduce you, this is my brat."

Wang Yongjiang turned to Qi Fan, bowed slightly, and greeted him with a humble yet measured manner.

He then looked at Zhang Zuolin again and asked in a deep voice, "May I ask what brings you here, Marshal?"

"Let me be frank with you," Zhang Zuolin said, sitting back in the main seat, taking a sip of his tea, his tone becoming serious.

"I invited you here not to manage finances, but to help me focus on politics and rectify the atmosphere."

He paused, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

"Now that I've taken the position of Military Governor of Fengtian, my men have become even more unruly. Opium dens and gambling dens are everywhere, and the embezzlement of military pay and the oppression of the people are commonplace. The entire city of Fengtian is rife with all sorts of vices! If this continues, not only will military discipline be completely rotten, but these cancerous growths will also thoroughly ruin the security and morale of Fengtian!"

Changing the subject, Zhang Zuolin's gaze fell on Wang Yongjiang.

"I invited you here to help me eliminate these cancerous growths and thoroughly restore discipline and order to Fengtian's military!"

After listening, Wang Yongjiang's eyes narrowed, and he stood up again and bowed deeply to Zhang Zuolin.

"Since the Commander-in-Chief trusts me and has entrusted me with this important task, I will certainly devote myself wholeheartedly to it, even unto death, and will never fail in the Commander-in-Chief's trust!"

"Good! That's exactly what I wanted to hear!" Zhang Zuolin waved his hand and made the decision on the spot.

"From today onwards, you are the director of the Fengtian Police Department! I will put in a good word for you with all sectors of the military and government; just go ahead and do your job!"

After saying that, he turned to look at Qi Fan.

"By the way, my rascal has an intelligence department under him called Intelligence Bureau No. 7. They're incredibly well-informed. Yongjiang, if you need intelligence support when you're organizing things in the future, just tell my rascal, and he'll give you his full cooperation."

Qi Fan chuckled inwardly: Sure enough, his father was trying to tie him and Wang Yongjiang to the same boat.

However, he also knew that Wang Yongjiang's abilities were truly unquestionable, and he was a rare talent. Taking the initiative to befriend him now would be of great benefit to him in taking over the Fengtian Army in the future.

Thinking of this, Qi Fan immediately stood up and took the initiative to step forward and shake Wang Yongjiang's hand.

"Uncle Wang, if you need anything in the future regarding the reorganization of affairs, please don't hesitate to ask. You can use the resources of the Seventh Intelligence Bureau at any time. Please bear with us."

Qi Fan handled this social skill with perfect finesse.

He is now the future successor of the Fengtian Army, a fact that is well known to all military and political circles in Fengtian. Given his status, his initiative to show goodwill to Wang Yongjiang is already giving the other party enough face.

Wang Yongjiang clearly understood this as well, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He then glanced at Qi Fangao, not expecting that this young marshal was not only not arrogant like a spoiled brat, but also so sensible and understanding of the bigger picture.

He grasped Qi Fan's hand and nodded solemnly: "Young Marshal, you're too kind. I'll need your continued guidance in the future."

Qi Fan clearly saw that the value representing favorability above Wang Yongjiang's head instantly rose from 0 to 10%.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Qi Fan went straight to Zhang Xuecheng's room.

When I opened the door, I saw Zhang Xuecheng lying sprawled on the bed, fast asleep, with a bit of drool still hanging from the corner of his mouth.

Qi Fan didn't stand on ceremony and strode over, grabbing Zhang Xuecheng's arm.

"Still sleeping! Still sleeping! The sun's practically high in the sky, get up!"

"Ugh... What's wrong, bro!" Zhang Xuecheng was jolted awake by the tug. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up impatiently, his hair a mess like a bird's nest.

"Why are you making such a fuss so early in the morning, not letting people sleep?"

Qi Fan loosened his grip, put his hands on his hips, and urged, "What else is there to do? Come with me to Zhengjiatun, let's go propose!"

"What?" Zhang Xuecheng instantly snapped out of his daze, his eyes widening as he stared at Qi Fan in disbelief.

"Brother, are you really going? I remember you used to hate arranged marriages the most, right?"

Qi Fan helplessly shrugged, his tone carrying a hint of "having no choice" in his voice.

"What could I do? You know my dad's temper; he'd practically point a gun at me. Besides, you can't go against money, can you? You know what? My stingy dad gave me a dowry of 350,000 silver dollars for my wedding!"

"Three hundred and fifty thousand silver dollars?!" Zhang Xuecheng's eyes lit up instantly, all sleepiness vanished, and he moved closer to Qi Fan, his tone full of shock and curiosity.

"Really? Your dad's being so generous this time?"

"Of course it's true!" Qi Fan patted his chest, deliberately putting on an air of "wealth and power".

"From today onwards, your brother is a legitimate, genuinely rich man! You better treat me well from now on, and I'll make sure you eat the finest food and drink the best, with meat every day!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuecheng's attitude immediately underwent a complete 180-degree change. His face instantly plastered with a fawning smile, and he nimbly got up and dressed. In no time, he was all ready, and then he grabbed Qi Fan's arm.

"Brother! My dear brother! Let's not delay our trip, let's go now! I've been wanting to go out and explore for ages!"

As Qi Fan was being helped out, he couldn't help but roll his eyes and laugh and scold.

"Your mood changes way too fast, don't you? You were all impatient just a moment ago, and now you're sticking to me like a leech?"

"Hehe," Zhang Xuecheng scratched his head, laughing openly.

"Isn't that what you said? You can't go against money!"

The two chatted and laughed, playfully teasing each other as they left the marshal's mansion.

happy Shun had already prepared a car and was waiting at the door. When he saw the two of them come out, he immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"Young Marshal, Young Master Xuecheng, the car is ready, we can depart at any time."

Qi Fan and Zhang Xuecheng got into the car and slowly drove towards the station.

Looking at Zhang Xuecheng, who was beaming with excitement beside him, Qi Fan's gaze darkened slightly as he pondered to himself.

He clearly remembered that in the original novel, Zhang Xuecheng later defected to a traitor and became a universally despised collaborator.

But Qi Fan always felt that Zhang Xuecheng went astray largely because Zhang Xueliang never truly treated him as a brother, and was always wary of him and suppressed him at every turn.

To be honest, Zhang Xuecheng is not incompetent; on the contrary, he has some skills.

If it weren't for Zhang Xueliang's indifference and contempt, he might not have ended up in such a state.

Now that I've come into this world, I can't just stand by and watch Zhang Xuecheng repeat the same mistakes.

Over the years, Qi Fan has always treated Zhang Xuecheng like a younger brother. He always thinks of him when there is something good to eat or something fun to do, and he takes him to see the world whenever he has the chance. He has never been wary of him at all.

This is precisely why their relationship is much deeper than it appears on the surface, which is why Zhang Xuecheng was able to immediately change his attitude and sincerely follow him.