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

The duel between Qi Fan and Yang Qinglin has come to an end, and this live-fire exercise has also concluded, with Team Two emerging victorious.

With the conclusion of the exercise, the year-long training at the Military Academy has officially come to an end.

The decisive battle ended quickly; the entire drill was completed before noon.

The awarding ceremony, originally scheduled for the second day, was moved to the afternoon. A number of military and political dignitaries from Fengtian were present, and this was a good opportunity to officially recognize the new officers.

For Qi Fan, the gains from this exercise far exceeded his expectations.

Winning the battle was secondary; more importantly, after this battle, the favorability rating of him among the three hundred trainees in the Second Squad had soared to eighty percent.

As long as his father, Zhang Zuolin, grants him the position of brigade commander as promised after he is awarded the medal, his core mission will be considered successfully completed.

In the afternoon, all the students of the Military Academy, dressed in brand-new military uniforms, stood in neat rows on the parade ground.

Zhang Zuoxiang personally attended the event and conferred ranks upon the trainees.

Everyone's face was filled with excitement and anticipation. After a year of hard work and rigorous training, they were finally about to reap the real rewards.

Zhang Zuoxiang slowly walked up to the podium, his gaze sweeping over the energetic ranks below.

"Dear students, today is a pivotal day in your lives! From this moment on, your identity as 'Military Academy students' will officially end, and you will be replaced by the identity of Fengtian Army generals! I hope that in the future, when you go to the battlefield, you will all achieve great deeds and fight bravely against the enemy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted across the playground.

Zhang Zuoxiang cleared his throat, raised his hand to pat it down, and waited for the playground to quiet down again.

"Next, the trainees whose names I call, please come forward one by one to receive your ranks!"

The conferment ceremony proceeded smoothly and in an orderly manner.

Qi Fan was awarded the rank of Major General for his outstanding performance in both daily grades and command of exercises, making him one of the highest-ranking officers among the trainees.

Chu Shixin and Zhang Xuecheng followed closely behind, both being awarded the rank of lieutenant colonel.

Xu Chengye and Lao Xia were awarded the rank of captain for their outstanding performance in the exercise.

In addition, several key trainees whom Qi Fan particularly favored were also awarded the rank of major.

As for Yang Qinglin, despite the defeat in the exercise, he was still awarded the rank of colonel, second only to Qi Fan's major general, thanks to his solid military skills and Yang Yuting's secret support.

Immediately after the conferment ceremony, the Fengtian Army Command Headquarters convened a crucial meeting.

The core of the meeting was to finalize the specific military rank assignments for these military academy graduates.

Almost all the generals of the Fengtian Army were present, and Qi Fan and Yang Qinglin, as newly promoted key members, were also able to attend the meeting.

Zhang Zuolin, dressed in military uniform, sat firmly in the main seat, with Yang Yuting, Wang Yongjiang, Zhang Zuoxiang, Sun Liechen, Zhang Jinghui and other core members of the Fengtian Army sitting beside him.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhang Zuolin picked up the allocation list from the table and began to read it aloud in a deep voice.

The assignment of military positions to the cadets went smoothly; some were assigned to main force units as staff officers, while others were assigned to local units as junior officers. All the generals had no objections.

The tranquility in the meeting room was shattered the moment Zhang Zuolin called out Qi Fan's name.

"Major General Zhang Xueliang is appointed as the brigade commander of the Fengtian Army Guard!"

Upon hearing this, many of the generals present showed expressions of surprise.

It should be noted that the Fengtian Army Guard Brigade is the best-equipped and best-paid unit in the entire Fengtian Army. It is stationed in Fengtian City year-round and is specifically responsible for the security of the Marshal's Mansion and the core area of ​​Fengtian. It is comparable to the imperial guards of the ancient imperial palace and holds a very important position.

It was quite unexpected for many people to put a newcomer who had just graduated from the military academy in charge of such a crucial department.

As soon as Zhang Zuolin finished speaking, Yang Yuting spoke first, his tone carrying a hint of caution.

"General, I have a objection. Hanqing has just graduated from the Military Academy and lacks practical command experience. Isn't it a bit too hasty to directly appoint him as the commander of the Guard Brigade?"

No one knew that Yang Yuting had originally prepared the position of brigade commander for Yang Qinglin.

But to his utter surprise, Yang Qinglin suffered a crushing defeat in the live-fire exercise, leaving him with no reason to recommend him.

Since his own people had no chance to rise to the top, he naturally didn't want Qi Fan, who was not under his control, to hold this crucial position.

It is common knowledge that the Fengtian Army is riddled with factions.

During his time at the Military Academy, Qi Fan and Guo Songling became very close, while Guo Songling and Yang Yuting had always disagreed on political views and belonged to different factions.

As the Chief of Staff of the Fengtian Army, Yang Yuting was a favorite of Zhang Zuolin and always strived to keep core authority in the hands of his own faction. He would never give Guo Songling the opportunity to rise to power through Qi Fan.

Upon hearing Yang Yuting's question, Zhang Zuolin frowned slightly.

He had always admired Yang Yuting's talent and did not want to embarrass him in public, so he remained silent for the time being.

But Zhang Zuoxiang, who was standing to the side, couldn't sit still and immediately spoke up to refute him.

"I believe Hanqing achieved excellent results in this live-fire exercise, which is sufficient proof that he is capable of handling tasks independently!"

No sooner had Zhang Zuoxiang finished speaking than Chang Yinhuai, who belonged to the same faction as Yang Yuting, spoke up.

"I agree with the Chief of the General Staff's view. Exercises are ultimately just exercises, and they are vastly different from the brutality of the real battlefield. We cannot judge a person's combat ability based solely on the outcome of an exercise."

The atmosphere in the meeting room became tense, with voices of support and opposition clashing. All eyes were on Zhang Zuolin, who sat at the head of the table, awaiting his final decision.

Zhang Zuolin tapped the table lightly with his fingertips. After a moment of silence, his gaze swept over the group of generals and landed on Qi Fan, who was standing not far away.

"Little Six, they're arguing about your position. What's your opinion on this?"

All eyes immediately turned to Qi Fan, including Yang Yuting and Chang Yinhuai, who wanted to see how this young man who had just graduated would handle the pressure.

Qi Fan remained calm as he glanced at the assembled military and political leaders.

"Since you uncles and elders feel that the exercise is insufficient to prove my ability, and that the exercise is different from real combat, then I will prove myself in real combat. If you feel it is unfair, I can compete with Yang Qinglin again."

The meeting room fell silent after those words were spoken.

To everyone's surprise, Qi Fan not only showed no stage fright, but also took the initiative to ask to compete again, a courage that exceeded many people's expectations.

Zhang Zuolin's face instantly lit up with joy, and he secretly praised: This kid really didn't let me down!

"Alright! Since you're eager to prove yourself, I'll give you that opportunity! Recently, banditry has been rampant in Rigid and Heilongjiang provinces. It's a good opportunity for you and Yang Qinglin to lead a team to suppress the bandits in those two provinces! Whoever achieves outstanding results in the bandit suppression will be appointed as the brigade commander of this guard unit!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhang Zuolin changed the subject and added.

"However, you achieved excellent grades at the Military Academy and won the exercise. To be fair, you will temporarily serve as the brigade commander of the Guard Brigade and lead the brigade to suppress the bandits."

These words seem impartial, but anyone can hear the hint of bias in them.

However, no one could find fault with it. Qi Fan's solid achievements were there for all to see, and he should have had an advantage. Moreover, it was only a "temporary appointment," and the final decision would depend on his performance in suppressing bandits. This was a way to give both sides an acceptable way out.

Seeing this, Yang Yuting understood the reason behind it.

This was the best he could achieve. If he made any further demands, he feared it would displease Zhang Zuolin, so he had no choice but to accept it.

Just as he was about to speak, Yang Qinglin, who was already dissatisfied, took a step forward.

"I agree to this competition!"

Seeing that his cousin was so understanding, Yang Yuting nodded in satisfaction and then added his own words.

"Since Hanqing is leading the Imperial Guard to suppress the bandits, he has a numerical advantage. To be fair, why not let Qinglin choose the province to suppress the bandits first?"

Upon hearing this, many generals understood that Yang Yuting was trying to gain the greatest advantage for Yang Qinglin.

It is clear to anyone with eyes to see that the bandit problem in Kyrgyzstan is much more serious than in Black Province. Not only are there more bandit gangs, but they are also better equipped, making them far more difficult to eradicate than in Black Province.

Yang Yuting's words clearly indicated that he wanted Yang Qinglin to choose Heilongjiang Province, so he could get an easy job.

As expected, Yang Qinglin didn't mince words and said directly, "In that case, I choose Heilongjiang Province!"

"Then I will go to Jilin Province," Qi Fan replied without hesitation, his tone calm and even.

Seeing this, Yang Qinglin felt a surge of pride and took another step forward, speaking loudly to Zhang Zuolin.

"General! Give me a regiment, and I can completely eradicate the banditry in Heilongjiang Province!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Fan couldn't help but chuckle to himself: "Good lad, so you're going to challenge me, aren't you?"

He immediately stepped forward and said with certainty.

"I don't need a brigade, nor a regiment; just three hundred men are enough to wipe out the bandits in Jilin Province!"

"What?"

Qi Fan's words were like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly exploding in the conference room.

The generals in the hall were all shocked, their faces filled with disbelief. Three hundred men to wipe out the most bandit-ridden province of Jilin? This was simply a fantasy!