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

Qi Fan had barely finished speaking when, before the other generals could even catch their breath, Zhang Zuolin, sitting in the main seat, was the first to lose his composure.

He slammed his hand on the table, his face darkening, his tone stern and worried.

"Little Liu! What nonsense are you spouting! This isn't a military drill; there's no room for jokes!"

Zhang Zuoxiang, who was standing nearby, also became anxious and quickly tried to persuade him.

"Yes, Liu Zi, don't be impulsive! The bandits in Jilin Province are notorious for their rampant activities. They have been entrenched for many years and have deep roots. Even if there were three thousand people, let alone three hundred, we would have to be careful."

Yang Qinglin, however, wore a mocking expression, a disdainful smile curving his lips as he sneered.

"Zhang Hanqing, don't exaggerate. If you get surrounded by bandits, or even captured, it won't just be you who loses face, but also the Marshal and the Fengtian Army!"

In his view, Qi Fan was just showing off; the idea of ​​300 men quelling banditry in Jilin Province was simply a fantasy.

Faced with the doubts and dissuasion of the crowd, Qi Fan simply smiled faintly.

He already knew in his heart that the three hundred men were just for show, and the artillery regiment rewarded by the system was his real source of confidence.

Let alone leading three hundred men, even if he went to Jilin Province alone, he could wipe out those bandits with the overwhelming firepower of the artillery regiment. Moreover, just now, when Zhang Zuolin appointed him as the brigade commander of the guard brigade, the system notification that the mission was completed appeared.

Qi Fan met everyone's gazes and spoke with unwavering resolve.

"With just three hundred men, we can surely wipe out the bandits in Jilin Province!"

Yang Yuting stood aside, watching Qi Fan's confident and arrogant demeanor, and sneered inwardly: "You brat, you don't know your own limitations! You've jumped into the fire yourself, so you can't blame anyone else."

He immediately stepped forward, his tone seemingly solemn, but actually carrying a hint of stirring up trouble.

"Young Master Hanqing, there is no room for jest in the army; military orders are absolute. If you insist on taking three hundred men and fail to eliminate the bandits, thus delaying the mission, do you know how serious the consequences will be?"

Qi Fan looked up at Yang Yuting, whose gloating was almost impossible to hide.

He naturally understood Yang Yuting's unspoken meaning: he was being forced to make a definitive statement, and if he failed, he would have to bear all the consequences, and even Zhang Zuolin would not be able to step in to protect him.

To be honest, for Qi Fan, Yang Yuting was a complex character whom he both loved and hated.

Undeniably, Yang Yuting is indeed a man of great talent. His ability to strategize and organize military affairs is unmatched in the Fengtian Army, and he has made great contributions to the development of the Fengtian Army over the years.

At the same time, this person is too selfish and power-hungry, and has always valued factional interests above all else.

Qi Fan recalled the plot from the original novel: After the death of Marshal Zhang Zuolin, Yang Yuting, relying on his seniority and high prestige, did not take the newly appointed young marshal seriously at all. He took the opportunity to win over factions and form cliques for personal gain. For a time, he was extremely popular within the Fengtian Army and showed signs of undermining the young marshal.

Later, the young marshal could no longer tolerate it and had Yang Yuting executed in the Tiger Hall. Although this eliminated a major threat, it also caused serious consequences. As a result, many generals in the Fengtian Army became alienated from the young marshal, and morale plummeted.

It was during this lull that the little devils seized the opportunity to invade Northeast China.

Looking at Yang Yuting, who was gloating, Qi Fan felt a growing chill in his heart.

He wouldn't be as patient and yielding as the young marshal in the original story. For such an ambitious and uncontrollable person, he must suppress him as soon as possible and never give him the opportunity to grow stronger.

He had long been determined to cultivate his own absolute power within the Fengtian Army, completely breaking the current situation of factions fighting their own battles, and making the Fengtian Army a true "one-man show".

Only in this way can we unite all our forces, avoid future tragedies, and protect this land in Northeast China.

Right now, this struggle to suppress bandits is his first step in cracking down on Yang Yuting's faction and establishing his own prestige.

"Consequences?" Qi Fan met Yang Yuting's gaze, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"I am well aware of this. If I fail to eradicate the bandits in Jilin Province, I am willing to resign from all my posts and leave myself to the Commander-in-Chief's disposal! But if I succeed, I ask the Chief of the General Staff to mind my business in the future and just do your own job."

These words directly shut down Yang Yuting's words and also served as a subtle warning to the other party not to interfere too much in his affairs.

Yang Yuting was speechless for a moment, but his face did not show any anger.

His goal was not to argue about who won or lost, but to force Qi Fan to sign a pledge. Now that his goal had been achieved, he was happy to see Qi Fan courting death.

In his eyes, Qi Fan was just an ignorant and arrogant young man who would lose his temper if provoked.

He composed himself and spoke calmly.

"Alright, then I'll wait and see. I hope Young Master Hanqing will keep his word and not go back on his promise."

Qi Fan was too lazy to waste any more words with him, so he turned to look at Zhang Zuolin in the main seat and asked.

"Father, now that the military order has been given, may I choose three hundred men to accompany me myself?"

Seeing his son's stubbornness, Zhang Zuolin lost his temper.

He knew Qi Fan's personality; once he made up his mind, no amount of persuasion would work.

Since things have come to this point, there's no stopping him now. So I might as well let this brat go and try. If things really go wrong, I'll personally step in to cover for him.

"Alright, alright!" Zhang Zuolin waved his hand, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"You brat, do whatever you want! I'm not going to bother with you anymore!"

This contentious meeting ended abruptly.

After the meeting, Zhang Zuolin didn't let Qi Fan leave; instead, he dragged him directly into his office.

As soon as he closed the door, Zhang Zuolin couldn't hold back his anger and pointed at Qi Fan's nose, cursing.

"What's going on in your head, you brat? The bandits in Jilin Province are notorious for their rampant activities. They've been entrenched for years, and their influence is deeply entrenched. Even a brigade wouldn't be enough to wipe them out, but you insist on showing off by only bringing three hundred men! Do you want me to bury my son?"

"Father, don't worry." Qi Fan said with a confident smile and a relaxed tone.

"When have I, your son, ever disgraced you? It's not about the quantity of soldiers, but their quality. These three hundred men, I guarantee each one can take on ten men, and I'll wipe out the bandits in Jilin Province completely."

Seeing his confident demeanor, Zhang Zuolin's anger subsided considerably, and he didn't bother to say anything more.

He turned and walked to his desk, picked up a pen and quickly wrote a transfer order, then blew the ink dry and handed it to Qi Fan.

"Didn't you want to choose your own people? Take this transfer order, and you can transfer whoever you want in the Fengtian Army. That's all I can do for you; the rest is up to you."

Qi Fan accepted the transfer order, his fingertips touching the yellowed pages, a warm feeling welling up in his heart.

This "free" father is strict with him on a daily basis, but when it comes to crucial moments, he always provides him with enough support and confidence.

He didn't say anything mushy, but solemnly put away the transfer order, nodded to Zhang Zuolin, and then turned and left the office, heading straight for the Guard Brigade.

Upon arriving at the guard brigade's camp, Qi Fan immediately ordered the alarm to be sounded for an emergency assembly.

The sharp alarm shattered the tranquility of the camp instantly. happy Shun, the battalion commander of the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Regiment of the Guard Brigade, panicked when he heard the alarm and saw Qi Fan arrive in person.

He never expected Qi Fan to suddenly visit at this time, and even called an emergency assembly.

Xi Shun didn't dare to delay and ran to meet him, his face plastered with an anxious smile.

"Liu Zi, what brings you here? What's with this emergency assembly all of a sudden?"

Looking at his flustered appearance, Qi Fan had already guessed seven or eight parts of what was going on.

Given the current state of the Fengtian Army, it would be quite an achievement for this guard brigade to be able to assemble half of its personnel in such a short time.

Despite its impressive 200,000-strong army, it was actually riddled with corruption, rife with cronyism, and rife with malfeasance, with many relying on connections to get by and having little actual fighting capacity.

However, Qi Fan did not intend to make things difficult for Xi Shun.

Xi Shun watched him grow up and has been loyal to the Zhang family since childhood. This affection and loyalty are something that those who rise to power through connections cannot compare to.

He has always been more tolerant of Xi Shun.

"Uncle Xishun, where are the guards? Why is the camp so deserted even though the alarm has been sounding for so long?"

happy Shun's face instantly turned ugly, and he stammered an explanation.

"Well... quite a few people went on official business, some took leave due to family matters, and the rest... the rest are on their way to the assembly point..."

He kept making excuses as he spoke, becoming more and more guilty, and he didn't dare to look Qi Fan in the eye.

Seeing this, Qi Fan shook his head slightly, not intending to pursue the matter further.

"Uncle Xishun, go and issue the order right now: the entire Guard Brigade, whether they're on official business, on leave, or still on duty, are to assemble on the plains ten miles outside Fengtian City! Not a single one can be missing! I want to see the entire Guard Brigade today; if even one person is missing, the brigade will not be disbanded!"