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

The next morning, Qi Fan was urged by someone sent by Zhang Zuolin to report to the military academy.

Although Lao Zhang is extremely stingy with money, he is surprisingly efficient when it comes to getting things done. Things that were finalized one day were all sorted out by the next.

The news that "Young Marshal Zhang Xueliang is going to enter the Northeast Military Academy" spread like wildfire throughout the academy.

This really worried the instructors and class leaders in charge of receiving them. They all started to have their own plans and muttered to themselves: This is the successor designated by Marshal Zhang, he is very precious.

If I don't serve this young master well, what will happen when he inherits the position of commander? Won't he make things difficult for me? At that time, forget about my future, I might not even be able to keep my current position.

In the instructors' office of the military academy, Xu Guolin, the squad leader in charge of receiving Qi Fan, stood next to the head instructor Guo Songling with a worried look on his face and a tone full of difficulty.

"Instructor Guo, are you sure you want to assign Young Master Zhang to my squad? I've never served such a pampered young master before. If anything goes wrong, I can't bear the consequences."

Guo Songling had just received the news this morning that Qi Fan was going to teach at the Martial Arts Academy, and he was so excited when he heard it that he couldn't contain himself.

You should know that the set of paper strategies and tactics that Qi Fan discussed with him back then gave him great inspiration and made him see the light.

Now that this "young prodigy" is actually going to study at the Martial Arts Academy, he finally has the opportunity to discuss military strategy with Qi Fan in depth again.

Upon hearing Xu Guolin's complaint, Guo Songling couldn't help but frown and said in a deep voice.

"Don't underestimate this young master Zhang. I remember when he was just a ten-year-old kid, I did a map strategy simulation with him. The tactics and strategies he came up with back then were novel and unique, even I was amazed. It's your good fortune that you can be his squad leader, it's not a problem at all."

Upon hearing this, Xu Guolin was stunned, his face filled with disbelief.

He knew Guo Songling's character all too well. In the Fengtian Army, he was known for his aloofness and integrity. He never accepted gifts, never accepted invitations to meals, and never flattered anyone. He was a ruthless man who climbed up the ranks step by step based entirely on his solid military skills.

A person whom Guo Songling admires so highly could not possibly be a good-for-nothing young master who only knows how to enjoy life.

"Teacher Guo, you're not kidding me, are you?" Xu Guolin swallowed hard, cautiously confirming.

"Is Young Master Zhang's strategy and tactics really superior to yours?"

"It will be even more powerful than you imagine," Guo Songling said confidently, his eyes filled with approval.

"You know, he was only ten years old back then, and he already had such insight. Now that he's grown up, he'll only be more outstanding."

On the other side, Qi Fan had successfully completed the registration procedures.

Wearing a crisp military uniform, he stood out even more, his youthful spirit now tempered with the sharp edge of a soldier. He was incredibly energetic, exuding an undeniable air of heroism.

Chu Shixin, the squad leader in charge of guiding him, strode forward, saluted Qi Fan, and then led him to the classroom. As soon as they entered the dormitory, the previously noisy room instantly fell silent, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Qi Fan, filled with curiosity, awe, and a touch of inquiry.

Chu Shixin cleared his throat and introduced loudly.

"Quiet down, everyone! Let me introduce you to a new comrade-in-arms, this is cadet Zhang Xueliang! He will be training with you at the Military Academy for the next year. I hope you will help each other and make progress together!"

After introducing Qi Fan, Chu Shixin turned to him, gave him a solemn military salute, and took the initiative to introduce himself.

"Young Master Zhang, my name is Chu Shixin, and I am the class monitor. If you need anything at the Military Academy, please feel free to let me know, and I will do my best to cooperate."

Qi Fan looked at Chu Shixin in front of him and his heart stirred slightly. He thought to himself: Is this the ruthless character Chu Shixin from the original novel? During the Zhili-Fengtian War, he single-handedly repelled an entire enemy brigade with just his regiment. Unfortunately, he accidentally stepped on a landmine while cleaning up the battlefield and met an untimely death.

I must befriend such a formidable general, no matter what.

He quickly stepped forward to support Chu Shixin's arm, waving his hand with a smile.

"Squad Leader Chu, you're too kind. There's no need to be so formal. Since I'm here as a trainee, I'm the same as everyone else. There's no need for special treatment. From now on, we'll be comrades training side by side. Just call me by my name or 'Hanqing'."

Qi Fan's approachable words immediately eased the tense atmosphere in the classroom.

He could clearly sense that the students in his class were looking at him with less curiosity and awe, and more affection.

What delighted him even more was the faint glow of the system notification in his mind, clearly indicating that the students' favorability towards him was quietly increasing.

"It seems that being approachable is indeed a shortcut to gaining goodwill." Qi Fan secretly rejoiced, but maintained a gentle smile on his face.

Seeing that Qi Fan had no airs of a young master, Chu Shixin's tension dissipated considerably, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

He took Qi Fan's hand and began to introduce the students in the class to him one by one.

"Hanqing, let me introduce you to everyone. This is Lang Xianpo. Before entering the school, he was the platoon leader of the machine gun platoon. In his early years, he was in the salt business, specializing in smuggling salt from the coast to Mongolia. He was a very ruthless person."

Qi Fan looked in the direction Chu Shixin pointed and saw a burly, dark-skinned man stand up and extend his hand.

"Brother Zhang, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

The two shook hands firmly. Lang Xianpo's palms were rough and strong, bearing the marks of years of handling guns and doing manual labor.

"This is Xu Chengye, formerly the service platoon leader of the 53rd Brigade. This kid is incredibly meticulous; he used to work as a teapot in a brothel, so his ability to read people is top-notch."

Chu Shixin then pointed to a short boy next to him.

Qi Fan sized up Xu Chengye. He was about 1.7 meters tall, with a slender build, but his eyes were exceptionally bright and shrewd.

Qi Fan's heart skipped a beat again: Isn't this the orderly who followed Zhang Xueliang his whole life in the original story? If this kid really has some skills, he might consider keeping him by his side as an orderly.

Xu Chengye was quick-witted and immediately recognized Qi Fan's special identity. He stepped forward, took Qi Fan's hand, and spoke to him with words as sweet as honey.

"I have long heard of Young Master Zhang's great name. Meeting him today, I can see that he is indeed extraordinary! His eyes and brows exude the heroic spirit of a military family, which sets him apart from ordinary young men."

"You little rascal, you're already trying to flatter me the moment we meet, aren't you!" Chu Shixin chuckled and patted Xu Chengye on the back of the head, his tone full of familiar teasing.

Xu Chengye chuckled, offering no explanation, but his eyes remained fixed intently on Qi Fan.

Chu Shixin then led Qi Fan to a chubby middle-aged man.

"This is Old Xia, Xia Chunqiu. He used to be the quartermaster of the General Headquarters. His specialty is cooking; even the old marshal has tasted his cooking!"

Old Xia, speaking with a thick Shandong accent, patted his chest and said loudly.

"Young Master Zhang, I'm not bragging, the old marshal really did eat my braised sea cucumber with scallions! If you don't believe me, go back to the manor and ask the old marshal. I, Old Xia, never lie!"

In no time, Qi Fan had gotten to know all the students in the class.

This group of people came from all walks of life, including veterans, merchants, orderly soldiers, and logistics personnel like Lao Xia—a veritable hodgepodge.

Looking at the scene before him, Qi Fan felt a sense of unease: the personnel of the Northeast Military Academy were so diverse, it would not be easy for them to form an effective fighting force.

It seems I need to carefully screen this group of people in the future, and select those with real skills and reliability to bring under my command.

After introducing everyone, Qi Fan picked up his luggage and went to the empty bed to prepare to tidy up.

Seeing this, several students around him got up to help, but Qi Fan refused them with a smile.

"No need, no need, I can do this myself. We're all comrades, we can't give each other special treatment."

He knew in his heart that the reason he insisted on doing it himself was not only to fulfill his promise of "not seeking special treatment", but more importantly, for the system task. Goodwill is something that must be accumulated through sincere interaction little by little, and opportunism will not work.

Just as Qi Fan had finished making half of the bedding, he suddenly felt a weight on the back of his neck, and a force suddenly knocked him down onto the bed.

Immediately afterwards, three familiar figures surrounded him, laughing as they moved closer to him.

"You, Zhang Xueliang, you've kept it well hidden!"

Qi Fan struggled to lift his head and saw that it was Zhang Tingshu, Bao Yulin, and Zhang Xuecheng. He immediately laughed and punched Zhang Tingshu's arm.

"I was just wondering where you guys had run off to, turns out you were hiding here ambushing me!"

Zhang Tingshu sat on the edge of the bed and said with a smile, "Our class is right next door. As soon as we heard you were coming, we rushed over."

Zhang Xuecheng sidled up to Qi Fan and asked curiously, "Brother, aren't you curious why we weren't put in the same class?"

Qi Fan raised his hand and gently tapped him on the head, rolling his eyes.

"Nonsense! If it were just the few of us hanging out together, wouldn't we be causing trouble every day and practically tearing the roof off?"

The group chatted and laughed, creating a lively atmosphere in the classroom that had initially felt somewhat unfamiliar.