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

The car came to a smooth stop in front of Zhang Shoufang's residence. As soon as Qi Fan got out of the car, he heard the clear and melodious sound of opera coming from inside the courtyard. The singing style drifted out on the wind.

He followed the sound and walked through the courtyard, arriving directly at the entrance of the main house. There he saw his sister, Zhang Shoufang, standing opposite a woman in theatrical costume, each holding a folding fan, singing a duet.

Zhang Shoufang, with her sharp eyes, spotted Qi Fan at the door first. She immediately stopped singing, a bright smile on her face, and quickly went to greet him.

"You little rascal, at least you still remember to come and see your older sister!"

But Qi Fan didn't quite hear what Zhang Shoufang said.

His gaze was already firmly drawn to the woman in theatrical costume standing in place. Her exquisitely curled hair made her neck appear even more slender.

She wore a royal blue theatrical costume, embroidered with intricate intertwined floral patterns, the hem of which draped down, outlining her slender figure.

What captivated him most was her enormous eyes, with translucent pale blue pupils. Paired with her porcelain-white skin, she possessed both the gentle grace of an Eastern woman and the radiant beauty of a European woman, making her exceptionally outstanding.

The woman happened to turn her head and look, her eyes meeting Qi Fan's. She froze on the spot, her hand tightening slightly as she held the folding fan.

The young man before me was dressed in a crisp military uniform, his epaulets gleaming. He stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his resolute face bearing the calm and sharp air unique to soldiers. He exuded an indescribable heroic spirit that made it impossible to look away.

Qi Fan quickly made a guess in his mind: this person must be Gu Ruiyu.

Seeing the two of them just staring at each other without saying a word, Zhang Shoufang was taken aback. She scratched her head and muttered to herself, "What's going on with these two? Did they hit it off the moment they met?"

She was naturally a rough and straightforward person and didn't bother to think about such romantic matters. She immediately stepped forward, took Qi Fan's hand with one hand and the woman's hand with the other, and introduced them to each other with a smile.

"Hanqing, this is my good friend, Gu Ruiyu, who sings opera very well! Ruiyu, this is the younger brother I often mention to you, Zhang Xueliang."

Gu Ruiyu then came to her senses, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she stepped forward, nodding slightly in greeting.

"Greetings, Brigade Commander Zhang."

Qi Fan also composed himself, nodded slightly in response, and said in a gentle tone, "Miss Gu, you're too kind."

"By the way, you suddenly contacted me this time, there must be something you need, right?" Zhang Shoufang asked directly after the two had greeted each other.

Only after his sister's reminder did Qi Fan suddenly remember his purpose. He had almost been thrown off balance by this unexpected first meeting.

"Sister, there is something I really need to trouble you with. You need to talk to your father-in-law and ask him to help me out. I need to contact the consular representative in Kyrgyzstan to organize a social dance party."

"My father specifically sent a telegram instructing me to try my best to mediate between the three northeastern provinces and my family during the bandit suppression campaign, so as not to cause any conflicts. As you know, I am not good at this kind of diplomatic maneuvering, so I can only ask you to help me make the connection."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shoufang immediately patted his chest and agreed, "This is easy! Leave it to me!"

After saying that, she hurriedly walked outside, but after taking two steps, she turned around and called out to Yuzuki.

"Ruiyu, please take good care of my younger brother and pour him a good cup of tea!"

Before she finished speaking, she had already quickly left the room to call her father-in-law and make the connection.

The room was suddenly left with only Qi Fan and Gu Ruiyu, and the atmosphere became subtly quiet.

After a moment, Gu Ruiyu broke the silence first, gently brewed a cup of hot tea, and slowly walked to Qi Fan with the teacup, handing it to him.

"Commander Zhang, have some tea."

Qi Fan reached out and took the teacup, his fingertips touching the warm cup. He softly thanked him and then took a small sip.

He looked up at Gu Ruiyu and said with a smile, "My sister is straightforward and doesn't fuss over details. You were learning opera together just now, she must have been quite difficult to 'teach', right?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Ruiyu couldn't help but smile, a gentle smile appearing in her eyes.

"Commander Zhang, what are you saying? Shoufang and I are just like-minded friends. It's not a matter of one teaching the other; we just study singing techniques together in our spare time and learn from each other."

"The song you just sang was 'The Phoenix Returns to Its Nest,' wasn't it?"

A hint of surprise flashed across Gu Ruiyu's face, followed by a look of approval in her eyes: "Brigade Commander Zhang actually knows opera?"

"I wouldn't call myself an expert, I'd say I'm just a half-baked amateur," Qi Fan replied with a faint smile.

"When I was at home, I would occasionally hear the monks in the mansion sing a few songs. After hearing them many times, I memorized them."

"I see. No wonder Commander Zhang recognized it immediately." Gu Ruiyu nodded and then asked softly.

"I heard that Brigade Commander Zhang came to Jilin Province this time for the bandit suppression operation? I wonder how it's progressing?"

"Thank you for your concern, Miss Gu. Everything is going smoothly, and the preliminary arrangements have been made." Qi Fan replied calmly.

The two were having a pleasant conversation when the door was suddenly pushed open, and Zhang Shoufang rushed in.

She immediately noticed the two sitting opposite each other, looking relaxed and chatting animatedly. She grinned, and Okiya Mizuki winked and teased her.

"Ruiyu, you'd better watch out! My younger brother is a real charmer!"

Gu Ruiyu naturally understood the teasing tone in her words. Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't hesitate and responded with a smile.

"Shoufang is too kind. I was just chatting with Commander Zhang about opera, and it really made me appreciate Commander Zhang's erudition."

Qi Fan glanced helplessly at his sister, ignoring her teasing, and asked directly, "Sis, how's the contact going?"

"All set! Everything's arranged for you! The ball will be held at the Songjiang Hotel in two days. The Consul General and Advisor Kikuchi will both be there in person. You can just go directly there."

Qi Fan nodded slightly upon hearing this. His purpose for the trip had been achieved, and he no longer needed to linger.

As for the relationship with Gu Ruiyu, we can discuss it slowly after the bandit suppression is over.

"Then, sister, I'll head back now. I'll come visit you again after I've finished suppressing the bandits."

Just as Qi Fan got up to take his leave, news of his leading troops to suppress bandits had already spread throughout the bandit circles of Jilin Province.

Inside the Tiger Hall of Shirakawa Mountain, the candlelight flickered, casting a dim, yellowish glow throughout the room.

The bandit leader, Wang Bao, sat imposingly on the wooden chair at the head of the table, gulping down wine from a rough porcelain bowl. The rim of the bowl was stained with wine, and his expression was arrogant and disdainful.

All of his henchmen, big and small, were gathered in the hall, some sitting, some standing, most of them holding wine bowls in their hands. The hall was filled with the smell of alcohol and cheap tobacco.

Wang Bao slammed the empty wine bowl down on the table with a loud thud, then looked up at Chen Ergou, the second-in-command standing to the side, and asked in a gruff voice.

"Second brother, is what you just said true? The Fengtian Army has sent people to Jilin Province again to suppress bandits?"

Chen Ergou shrank his neck and quickly stepped forward to reply.

"Yes, boss, the news is definitely true! The brothers down below have already found out that the Fengtian Army has arrived in Jilin Province, but they still don't know exactly how many men they sent."

Wang Bao scoffed, wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth, and said with a disdainful expression.

"I bet it's all bark and no bite again. In our Jilin province, when hasn't the Fengtian Army come to suppress us two or three times a year? In the end, don't they always get thoroughly thrashed and forced to retreat in disgrace by our brothers?"

As soon as he said this, the bandits in the hall erupted in a commotion, all echoing his words.

"The boss is right! Those cowards in the Fengtian Army are no match for us!"

"Those who dare to act wildly on our Shirakawa-san territory will be dealt with severely!"

"When they arrive, we'll cut off their retreat and show them what we're capable of!"

For a time, the Tiger Hall was filled with arrogant shouts; these bandits didn't take the Fengtian Army's anti-bandit operation seriously at all.