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

Just as Yang Yuting saw the two Japanese men off from the Marshal's Mansion, Xishun rushed in, stopped abruptly in front of Zhang Zuolin, and loudly reported.

"General! Premier Duan from Kyoto has sent someone, saying he's here specifically to congratulate the Sixth Young Master. Do you think we should invite him in?"

Zhang Zuolin was stroking the small brass lock in his hand when he heard this and raised an eyebrow. The Japanese army had just left, and the people from Kyoto had arrived. They were quite lucky.

He lowered the small lock, leaned back in his chair, and waved his hand: "Oh? One of Premier Duan's men? Please come in."

A moment later, a man dressed in a sharp Zhongshan suit strode into the lobby, his posture upright and his expression solemn.

He spotted Zhang Zuolin in the main seat at a glance, quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and smiled.

"Commander Zhang, congratulations! I have come at the request of Premier Duan to offer my congratulations on your son's wedding!"

"Thank you so much, Premier Duan, for your concern!"

Zhang Zuolin raised his hand, gesturing for him to sit down, his tone polite yet authoritative.

After thanking him and taking a seat, the man didn't exchange many pleasantries and went straight to explaining his purpose.

"Commander, besides offering my congratulations, I also have something to tell you. I am here on behalf of the Kyoto government to invite Young Master Zhang to apply to the Baoding Military Academy."

"Oh? It's about my brat's schooling again?" Zhang Zuolin couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing.

"What's going on today? I just saw off one group of people trying to persuade him to study in Japan, and now another group is inviting him to Baoding. Is the whole world planning my son's future?"

The man smiled and explained earnestly.

"The Governor is joking. Baoding Military Academy is the highest institution of learning for the Chinese army, and it is currently recruiting its eighth class of army cadets. Looking at the entire Beiyang Army, the vast majority of outstanding officers come from this military academy. If Young Master Zhang can enroll, he will be able to study with the most promising young talents in the country, and be tempered and grow in this fiery furnace. He will surely become a great man in the future."

"A fiery furnace?" Zhang Zuolin repeated the four words, his eyes lighting up slightly, then burst into laughter, slapping the table as he spoke.

"Well said! What a great metaphor! A fiery furnace, indeed!"

After laughing, he suddenly turned to look at Yang Yuting standing to the side, his tone suddenly becoming serious.

"Chief of Staff! Did you hear that? The Baoding Military Academy is a fiery furnace, but is our Northeast Military Academy just a cold, unyielding bed? No way! We have to heat it up! Go and take the lead in researching and reorganizing the academy, sending all our brothers from humble backgrounds there for retraining, so they can also experience the forging in the furnace!"

Yang Yuting immediately stepped forward, snapped to attention, gave a standard military salute, and responded in a deep voice.

"Yes, Commander! I'll draft a reorganization plan immediately and get started right away!"

When the man from Kyoto saw that Zhang Zuolin had completely ignored the invitation from the Baoding Military Academy and instead took the opportunity to order the reorganization of his own military academy, he knew that this matter could not be forced.

He was sensible and didn't press the matter further, so he got up and took his leave of Zhang Zuolin.

Zhang Zuolin waved his hand to signal them to leave, and Yang Yuting stepped forward to politely escort the man out of the hall.

After seeing off all the visitors who came to offer their congratulations, the wedding officially began.

Zhang Zuolin's brothers, Zhang Zuoxiang, Wu Junsheng, Zhang Jinghui, and Sun Liechen, were the first to carry out a huge plaque with the four characters "Dragon and Phoenix Bring Auspiciousness" written on it.

Wu Junsheng, Zhang Zuolin's second elder brother, spoke first.

"Yuting, we are here on behalf of the 27th and 28th Divisions of the Army to extend our congratulations to you."

As he spoke, he took out a stack of silver notes from his pocket and handed them to Zhang Zuolin.

"This is the sentiment expressed by all our officers and soldiers."

Zhang Zuolin happily put away the silver notes and said...

"Let the entire army make dumplings and celebrate together!"

The atmosphere of the banquet reached a climax in an instant.

Meanwhile, Qi Fan was tidying up his wedding clothes in his room, preparing to go to the main hall to wait for the wedding ceremony.

Just as he finished tying the red ribbon around his waist, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and Feng Yong rushed in.

"Hanqing! Haha, congratulations!"

With a smile on his face, Feng Yong took out a thick envelope from his pocket as soon as he entered the room and handed it to Qi Fan.

"This is a gift I prepared for you out of my own pocket. Don't think it's too little; it's just a small token of my appreciation."

Qi Fan looked at the envelope in his hand, feeling a mix of emotions.

Not long ago, he had helped his father quell a rebellion and even drove Feng Yong's father, Feng Delin, out of Fengtian.

He had thought that Feng Yong would hold a grudge, but he never expected that the other party would come to the wedding in person and even bring a gift. This magnanimity really surprised him.

"Feng Yong, this..." Qi Fan was at a loss for words.

Before he could finish speaking, Feng Yong waved his hand with a smile and took over the conversation.

"Don't give me that crap! The grudges of our fathers' generation are their business, they have nothing to do with us brothers. I'm here to congratulate you, we're still good brothers."

Seeing that Feng Yong was so open-minded and did not hold a grudge about the past, he was completely relieved and a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"How is my third uncle (Fung Tak-lun) doing lately?"

"Hey, what else can we do?" Feng Yong sighed, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"Having suffered such a huge setback, he lost all his spirit and has now returned to Kyoto to recuperate. He will not get involved in Fengtian's affairs for the time being."

"It's good that you're alright." Qi Fan nodded heavily, then asked, "So, what are your plans for the future?"

"I plan to apply to the Baoding Military Academy!"

Feng Yong's eyes lit up, and his tone was firm: "My dad has already made arrangements for me. Why don't you come with me to apply? It'll be good for us brothers to look after each other!"

Qi Fan's heart stirred slightly. In fact, he had heard of the Baoding Military Academy's reputation a long time ago and was quite eager to be tempered in this "fiery furnace".

But then he thought again that Zhang Zuolin would definitely not agree. That old man had always kept his future in his own hands and had probably already arranged for him to go to the Northeast Military Academy.

To be honest, the teaching quality of the Northeast Military Academy was far inferior to that of the Baoding Military Academy.

The Fengtian Army is now rife with corruption, and the Military Academy has become a place where "diplomas can be bought with money." Anyone, no matter who is willing to pay, can get in.

Just like the classmates in the original story, there were cooks, waiters, and all sorts of people from different walks of life, so you couldn't learn anything real.

"Let's talk about this later," Qi Fan said with a wry smile, scratching his head.

"I reckon my old man has already made all the arrangements for me, so I don't have a say in it."

The two chatted and laughed as they walked together toward the wedding venue.

The main hall was already bustling with noise. Zhang Zuolin was standing in front of the stage, boasting to several guests with spittle flying everywhere. When he saw Qi Fan coming over, he immediately stopped talking.

Just then, Qi Fan saw Yu Fengzhi walking slowly towards him from the other side.

She wore a bright red wedding dress, a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, her face was adorned with exquisite makeup, and her eyes held a hint of shyness. Her steps were light and graceful, like a blooming red peony.

Qi Fan was instantly captivated, and thought to himself: Oh no, I'm going to have another sleepless night.

As he muttered to himself, Zhang Zuolin finally finished his opening remarks.

Zhang Zuolin stepped forward, pulled the two men to his side, patted Qi Fan on the shoulder, and spoke in a solemn tone with a hint of expectation.

"From today onwards, you are officially married. From now on, you two will have to walk your own path. Remember, ask for directions from the foot of the mountain, and ask those who have been there before! Alright, let the wedding begin!"

With Zhang Zuolin's order, the drums and music sounded again, and the wedding ceremony officially began.

As night fell and the guests departed, Qi Fan returned to his room, slightly drunk.

The red candles in the room burned brightly, making Yu Fengzhi's cheeks as red as a ripe apple. She sat shyly on the edge of the bed, her hands nervously clutching the hem of her skirt. Her coy and reluctant appearance stirred Qi Fan's heart.

Qi Fan walked slowly to the bedside, leaned close to her ear, and his warm breath brushed against her earlobe.

"Don't be afraid. You're three years older than me, so why are you more nervous than me?"

Yu Fengzhi lowered her head, her voice barely audible: "Aren't you...aren't you nervous at all?"

Qi Fan chuckled, then tackled Yu Fengzhi to the ground and whispered in her ear.

"My father married so many concubines. I saw it all when I was a child, so I'm used to it and not nervous at all."

Feeling the warm breath from Qi Fan's mouth, Yu Fengzhi's cheeks flushed even more. She gently turned her head away and said with a hint of coquettishness.

"Your Zhang family is practically a horse-breeding household, with so many concubines. Will you... will you end up like your father?"

Qi Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself: This is a life-or-death question! As a smart man, he naturally knew how to avoid risks, and even if he really had this plan in the future, he couldn't show it too obviously now.

"I don't have my father's abilities at all," Qi Fan said with a smile, changing the subject vaguely.

"Let's talk about it when I have my dad's abilities."

As he spoke, he gently unbuttoned the first button on Yu Fengzhi's wedding dress, his warm breath brushing against her ear once more, his tone carrying a hint of ambiguity.

"Stop thinking about that, we need to get down to business!"

The flickering red candlelight cast intertwined shadows of the two figures.