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

Qi Fan was newly married and had not even been immersed in the warmth of his new marriage for a full ten days when the entire landscape of China was already undergoing a dramatic change.

Yuan Shikai's signing of unequal treaties that humiliated and ceded national sovereignty ignited the anger of the entire nation, and a wave of condemnation swept across every inch of China.

Ultimately, this traitor who stole the country died in despair amidst the condemnation of millions of his compatriots.

With his death, the already turbulent warlord forces were completely unchecked, and warlords in various regions amassed their own armies and carved out their own territories.

Soon, a three-way power struggle emerged in China: the Anhui clique led by Duan Qirui, the Zhili clique controlled by Cao Kun, and the Fengtian clique under the command of Zhang Zuolin!

With the three forces mutually restraining each other, a warlord war is about to break out.

In addition, many smaller warlord factions were not to be outdone, and they all got involved, either attaching themselves to powerful vassals or carving out their own territories to protect themselves, plunging the entire country into a turbulent and chaotic situation.

In chaotic times, only the strong can stabilize the world.

Zhang Zuolin, assessing the situation, reached a consensus with Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang.

The Fengtian Army sent troops into the pass to assist the two in quelling the chaos within the pass.

Meanwhile, the Anhui and Zhili factions needed to provide the Fengtian Army with sufficient weapons, ammunition, and military supplies, forming a temporary alliance of interests.

That morning, Qi Fan had just gotten up from Yu Fengzhi's gentle embrace and was about to have breakfast with his new wife when happy Shun hurriedly came to his door.

"Sixth Young Master, the Old Marshal wants you to go to the meeting hall immediately, saying there's important business to discuss!"

Qi Fan's heart skipped a beat, and he hurried to the conference hall.

As soon as he entered, he was met with Zhang Zuolin's somewhat reproachful gaze.

"You little rascal, you've become a complete lazy bum since you got married? These past few days you've just stayed in your wife's room and haven't even stepped outside?"

To be honest, you really can't blame Qi Fan for this.

He hasn't been idle at all; he's been thinking about the system these past few days.

Since completing its last task, the system has remained silent and has yet to issue any new instructions.

It wasn't until his wedding day that the long-absent system notification sounded again, and it immediately gave him a very important task.

[Host has completed the key life milestone of "starting a family," triggering a main quest upgrade. A new mission is now issued to the host: Create an Iron-Blooded Army.]

[Mission Requirements: The host must build an iron-blooded army of no less than 10,000 men using their own abilities, and ensure that at least 300 men have an 80% affinity towards the host.]

[Mission Rewards: 2 Grade B Armory Cards, 1 Grade A Character Card, 2 Grade B Army Cards, 2 Grade B Skill Cards]

When Qi Fan saw the mission reward, he almost couldn't contain his excitement.

The rewards are more generous than ever before, especially the A-rank character card.

It's worth noting that of the two B-level character cards he's acquired so far, one was used to acquire Yan Shuangying, who helped him assemble the Yan Ying Group, a force comparable to special forces; the other was used to acquire Jia Xu, whose exceptional wisdom helped him avoid many risks.

These two B-level character cards are already so incredibly powerful, you can imagine how valuable the A-level character cards are. Getting them would practically make him soar to new heights!

That's why Qi Fan has been thinking about how to talk to his father and get permission to form his own army these past few days.

Hearing his father's reprimand and considering the current turbulent situation in China, he instantly guessed that his father probably had an important task to entrust to him.

"Dad, please don't tease me." Qi Fan approached with a grin.

"If you have something to say, just say it. There's no need to yell at me first, is there?"

"Hey! What the hell!" Zhang Zuolin was provoked by him and his temper flared up. He slammed his fist on the table and said.

"What's wrong with me scolding you a couple of times? You dare talk back to me?"

Qi Fan saw that his father was about to lose his temper, so he quickly raised his hand to stop him.

"No, no, no, don't get so angry. Please get to the point."

Zhang Zuolin glared at him fiercely before suppressing his anger and speaking in a deep voice.

"I've already discussed it with your Uncle Duan and Uncle Feng. They'll have you take the entrance exam for the Baoding Military Academy soon. Feng Yong will be going too, so you two can go together and look after each other."

"Huh?" Qi Fan was stunned for a moment, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. He had thought that his father would arrange for him to go to the Northeast Military Academy, so why was it suddenly changed to the Baoding Military Academy?

But this shock was fleeting, replaced by an undisguised ecstasy.

Whether it's the Baoding Military Academy or the Northeast Military Academy, as long as you can get into a military academy, you can rightfully become an officer and get the authority to form troops!

Right now, nothing is more important than completing the system tasks and obtaining the A-level character card.

The thought of the incredible help that A-level character card might bring made Qi Fan's heart beat a little faster!

"When do I leave?"

"This afternoon." Zhang Zuolin waved his hand decisively.

"Go back now and tell your wife to pack your belongings. I'll have someone arrange a special train for you this afternoon, and you'll head straight to Baoding."

"Alright, I'll go prepare right away." With that, he turned and hurried towards his courtyard.

Back in the room, Yu Fengzhi was making the bed. When she saw him rushing in, she stopped what she was doing and asked with concern.

"Why are you back? What does Father want with you?"

"My father wants me to go to the Baoding Military Academy. I'm leaving this afternoon," Qi Fan stepped forward, took her hand, and explained softly.

A hint of reluctance flashed in Yu Fengzhi's eyes, but she quickly concealed it and nodded obediently.

"I understand. Don't worry, I'll help you pack your luggage right away."

As she spoke, she turned around, opened the trunk, and carefully selected clothes for him, folding them neatly.

Qi Fan felt a warmth in his heart as he watched her busy figure, and gently hugged her from behind.

"Once I've settled in Baoding, I'll send someone to pick you up for a few days' stay."

After calming Yu Fengzhi down, Qi Fan immediately went to find Yan Shuangying and Dai Xiansheng, told them that he was going to the Baoding Military Academy, and instructed them to stay in Fengtian.

The two agreed in unison, promising to do their jobs well.

Before setting off, Qi Fan made a special detour to the camp of Sun Desheng's cavalry company.

He rarely came here on weekdays, firstly because the cavalry company was highly mobile and not needed except in critical moments; and secondly because he trusted Sun Desheng's military leadership abilities.

When Sun Desheng saw Qi Fan's figure in the distance, he immediately dropped the whip in his hand and jogged over to meet him, his eyes red with excitement.

"Commander! What brings you here? Do you have a mission for us?"

He rubbed his hands together, his face full of eagerness: "To be honest, all we do in the camp is train, train, train, train. I'm going crazy! The brothers' sabers are practically rusting. We're just hoping to get back on the battlefield and kill a few enemies!"

Qi Fan couldn't help but smile at his impatient look and patted him on the shoulder.

"Company Commander Sun, what's the rush? You all focus on training and build a solid foundation. I'm here to check if you're slacking off. Don't worry, you'll have plenty of battles to fight. But once we're on the battlefield, if you dare to let me down or fail to win..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sun Desheng stood up straight with a "slap," patted his chest, and made a solemn pledge.

"Don't worry, sir! If I, Sun Desheng, can't win, you can cut off my head and use it as a chamber pot!"

Qi Fan looked around and saw the cavalrymen in the camp training in formation. They were all upright and spirited, and their warhorses were well-fed and strong. It was clear that Sun Desheng had not dared to slack off on weekdays.

He nodded in satisfaction, took out a silver note worth 20,000 silver dollars from his pocket, and stuffed it into Sun Desheng's hand.

"Take this money and use it to improve the brothers' food, repair their equipment, and keep them in good spirits so they can wait for my orders."

Sun Desheng accepted the silver note, both surprised and delighted. He quickly saluted, "Thank you, Commander! The brothers will certainly live up to your expectations!"

Qi Fan is now a wealthy man. Putting aside Yu Fengzhi's dowry, the 350,000 silver notes that Zhang Zuolin gave him are enough for him to squander for a while.

After settling all the trivial matters, Qi Fan headed to the train station with his simple luggage.

The special train had been arranged long ago, and he had only been on board for a short time when it slowly started moving.

After several hours of bumpy travel, the special train arrived at Baoding Railway Station.

As soon as he got out of the car, he saw Feng Yong driving a brand new black sedan, leaning against the side of the car and waving at him.

"Hanqing! Over here!" Feng Yong greeted him with a smile.

The two hadn't seen each other for several days, and upon meeting, they immediately gave each other a big hug.

Feng Yong patted him on the back and laughed heartily, "Well done, kid! You finally made it! I thought you were going to stay in Fengtian with your dad and enjoy a life of leisure!"