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

The next day, just as dawn broke, Xu Chengye drove his car and brought it to a steady stop outside the Marshal's Mansion.

After quickly dressing, Qi Fan stepped out of the mansion and boarded the carriage. As soon as he was settled, he went straight to the point.

"Xu Chengye, has Mr. Jia Xu replied yet?"

After arranging all matters concerning the troops yesterday, he informed Xu Chengye of the location of the Seventh Intelligence Bureau and specifically instructed him to consult this top strategist of the Three Kingdoms period for strategies to suppress bandits.

Xu Chengye replied in a deep voice while steadily steering the wheel.

"After listening to your intentions in suppressing the bandits, Mr. Jia Xu only said a few key points. He said that since ancient times, those who have become bandits in the mountains are mostly poor people who are looking for food in chaotic times; if the main goal is to suppress them, then we need to use the interests of the bandits to divide and weaken them; if the main goal is to win them over, then we must first use force to suppress them and establish our authority so that we can make the bandits believe in us."

Qi Fan leaned back in the back seat, carefully considering those few words, his eyes gradually brightening.

As Jia Xu had indeed hit the nail on the head, accurately pinpointing the core issue in suppressing bandits: whether it was suppression or recruitment, it was inseparable from the balance between "profit" and "power."

These words suddenly cleared his previously vague thoughts, and he had already sketched out a preliminary framework for suppressing the bandits.

The car soon arrived at the station, and from afar, Xu Shan could be seen leading three hundred elite troops in neat and orderly ranks. The ranks were upright and solemn, a stark contrast to their relaxed demeanor yesterday.

As soon as Qi Fan got off the bus, his gaze swept across the queue and he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure, which made him overjoyed.

"Bao Yulin? What brings you here!"

He strode forward and gave Bao Yulin a tight hug, his tone full of surprise and warmth.

"You brat, why aren't you staying home? What are you doing here?"

Bao Yulin patted Qi Fan on the back and laughed heartily.

"You, Hanqing, are ordered to suppress bandits. Jilin Province is, in a sense, part of the Bao family's territory. As your brother, you're personally leading the charge, how can I not lend a hand and help you maintain order?"

"Good brother!" Qi Fan felt a surge of warmth in his heart and patted him on the shoulder forcefully. "Come on, let's talk things over on the train!"

The two boarded the vehicle side by side, and Xu Shan immediately ordered the troops to follow in an orderly manner.

After entering the carriage, Bao Yulin took out a rolled-up map from his briefcase, spread it directly on the conference table in the center, and pointed to the map as he spoke.

"This is a map of the bandit distribution in Jilin Province that I specially got from my father. It clearly marks the approximate locations of the major bandit strongholds, the terrain, and the main roads. It will definitely be of help to you."

Qi Fan bent down to examine it closely and saw that the area affected by bandits was marked with different symbols on the map, and the mountains, rivers, towns and villages were also clearly visible. It was clear that it was a carefully drawn military map.

However, he soon discovered that the map lacked many crucial details, such as the specific troop strength and firepower configuration of the bandit stronghold, as well as the hidden strongholds deep in the dense forest.

This is understandable, as the Fengtian Army's surveying and mapping capabilities are currently limited, and they are indeed far inferior to the precise surveying and mapping capabilities of the Xiao Rizi side.

Even so, the map solved his immediate problem, giving him a clear understanding of the overall distribution of bandits in the province.

Qi Fan straightened up and solemnly thanked Bao Yulin: "Thank you, brother. This map came at just the right time and helped me a lot."

He stared at the map intently for a long time, his brows gradually furrowing.

It turned out that the banditry in Jilin Province was far more complicated than he had imagined: most of the bandits were entrenched in the rugged mountains, building strongholds in the terrain; and there were also many small bandit gangs hiding in the vast dense forests, appearing and disappearing like ghosts.

If we were to force a campaign, not only would we lack sufficient troops, but we would also easily find ourselves in a predicament of being attacked from both sides, resulting in considerable casualties.

Qi Fan turned to look at Xu Shan standing to the side and asked, pointing to the map.

"Company Commander Xu, take a look at this map and share your thoughts. Don't hold back, just speak your mind."

Xu Shan quickly stepped forward, his eyes scanning the map several times, a hint of unease on his face.

He scratched his head and said honestly, "Brigade Commander, I, Old Xu, am a rough man and haven't studied any complicated strategies or tactics. You're the officer, so whatever you give the orders, I'll lead the men to do it without hesitation!"

Instead of blaming him, Qi Fan smiled.

He knew that Xu Shan had worked his way up from the bottom as a soldier, relying entirely on his courage and fighting spirit, and had indeed never received systematic military theory education.

Qi Fan patted him on the shoulder, encouraging him.

"It's alright, just tell me your most intuitive thoughts, it's okay if you're wrong."

Xu Shan was relieved, then carefully examined the map for a while before speaking.

"Then I'll be frank. We have fewer troops, but they are all elite, and their combat effectiveness is much stronger than those bandits. I think we don't need to attack each stronghold one by one. Instead, we should focus on driving them away first, forcing the bandits scattered in various places into an open area, and then concentrate our firepower to suppress them. This way, we can avoid being ambushed by the bandits and maximize our combat effectiveness."

Qi Fan nodded slowly after listening.

While Xu Shan's approach wasn't the optimal strategy, it was well-suited to the current situation of insufficient troop strength and could be considered safe and feasible. He secretly praised Xu Shan, noting that although Xu Shan wasn't good at strategy, he possessed solid practical intuition and was a promising talent.

Just then, Bao Yulin came over and looked at Qi Fan with a hint of worry in his voice.

"Hanqing, are you relying on these three hundred men to suppress the bandits this time? Should I talk to my family and ask them to send some troops to help you? With this number of men, I reckon it won't even be enough to fill the teeth of those ruthless bandits in Jilin Province."

"No need. I have a bet with Yang Qinglin. If I use your troops, he will definitely find out and then use it as an excuse to cause trouble."

"What?" Bao Yulin's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You're not serious, are you? You really plan to use these three hundred men to deal with the thousands of bandits who have been entrenched in Jilin Province for years?"

Qi Fan smiled mysteriously and patted Bao Yulin on the shoulder.

"What's the rush? You'll find out when we get to Jilin Province."

The train sped along and finally arrived at the station in Kyrgyzstan province.

As soon as the carriage door opened, Qi Fan looked up and saw a man in Fengtian Army cavalry uniform standing straight by the platform, waiting. Beside him stood a squad of elite cavalrymen. It was none other than Sun Desheng, the cavalry company commander!

Qi Fan was slightly startled and paused in his tracks.

He had never given Sun Desheng a transfer order, and he never expected that the other party would appear here.

He strode off the train and went to greet him: "Company Commander Sun, what are you doing in Jilin Province?"

Upon seeing Qi Fan get out of the car, Sun Desheng immediately raised his hand in a standard military salute and replied in a deep voice.

"Reporting, Brigade Commander! We were sent by Mr. Jia Xu! Mr. Jia said that you are likely to encounter danger during your bandit suppression campaign in Jilin Province, and he specifically instructed us to arrive a day early to await your orders!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Fan felt enlightened and secretly praised, "This Jia Xu is indeed meticulous and always thinks ahead of me."

With the assistance of the cavalry company, mobility and reconnaissance capabilities can be greatly improved, undoubtedly increasing the chances of success in suppressing bandits.

The thought had barely formed when a tall, imposing figure slowly emerged from the rear of the cavalry, exuding a sharp and menacing aura.

Qi Fan was surprised again when he saw who it was: "Brother Yan? What brings you here too!"

Yan Shuangying walked closer, nodded slightly, and spoke in a calm tone.

"I was also dispatched by Mr. Jia Xu. Not only me, but the entire Yan Ying Group has arrived and is now deployed around the station to ensure the safety of the brigade commander."

He was originally planning to summon the artillery and infantry regiments rewarded by the system to provide support if the bandit suppression was hindered, but he did not expect that Jia Xu would directly transfer the cavalry company and the Yan Ying Group.

Both teams are elite among elites, and with their assistance, the bandit suppression operation was undoubtedly much easier.

Bao Yulin, who was standing to the side, saw this scene and his gaze swept over Sun Desheng and Yan Shuangying. He keenly sensed the extraordinary murderous aura emanating from the two men, who were clearly ruthless characters who had experienced life-and-death battles.

He moved closer to Qi Fan, lowered his voice, and teased him with a hint of curiosity.

"Hanqing, these two are probably your trump cards, aren't they? I didn't expect you to be so well-hidden; you actually have such a formidable force!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Fan smiled knowingly, patted Bao Yulin on the shoulder, and spoke with a hint of mystery in his voice.

"There are many things you haven't considered!"

He secretly chuckled to himself: This is just the beginning. If I bring out the artillery regiment, it might give you a real shock!