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

As night deepened, Qi Fan finished dealing with matters related to his older sister and returned to the Fengtian Army Command Post. He saw Yan Shuangying and Sun Desheng standing side by side beside the sand table with solemn expressions.

Qi Fan's heart sank, and he paused, instantly guessing that the mission had most likely gone wrong.

"What's wrong? Is there some kind of problem at Shirakawa-yama?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Shuangying stepped forward, his expression full of self-reproach.

"Hanqing, I was careless this time. The mission failed, and we alerted the enemy, exposing our whereabouts."

Sun Desheng, who was standing nearby, quickly spoke up to defend Yan Shuangying.

"Brigade Commander, this really can't be blamed on Team Leader Yan! The main problem is that the bandits in Baichuan Mountain are far more vigilant than we expected, and their defenses are much tighter than other bandit strongholds. Moreover, the bandit leader Wang Bao is exceptionally skilled and has an astonishingly fast reaction time. Team Leader Yan has already done his best."

Then, the two of them took turns recounting to Qi Fan the entire process of Bai Chuanshan's infiltration for reconnaissance, the thwarted assassination attempt, and the emergency evacuation.

From Wang Bao's precise detection of unusual movements by sensing the wind to the stalemate in close combat between the two, every detail is clearly explained.

Upon hearing this, Qi Fan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he was secretly surprised.

He knew Yan Shuangying's skills all too well. To be able to escape unscathed from Yan Shuangying's assassination attempt, and even to repel Yan Shuangying with brute force, this Wang Bao was no ordinary bandit leader.

Just then, seeing the tense atmosphere, Bao Yulin stepped forward and spoke up to defuse the situation.

"Hanqing, you really can't blame them. Of the five bandit strongholds in the entire Jilin Province, the two groups led by Wang Bao of Baichuan Mountain and Zhao Shanhu of Heilong Mountain are the most troublesome and the most difficult to deal with."

As he spoke, he walked to the sand table, pointed to the locations of Mount Shirakawa and Mount Heilong, and began to explain them in detail.

"Wang Bao of Baichuan Mountain is born with superhuman strength and is extremely cautious. He has been entrenched in Jilin Province for nearly ten years and has established a very deep foundation. Even the local authorities have sent troops to besiege him several times before, but all of them ended up returning empty-handed."

"However, Wang Bao has a rare advantage: he never harasses the poor people at the foot of the mountain. As a result, many local people secretly protect him, which makes our investigation much more difficult."

"As for Zhao Shanhu of Black Dragon Mountain, he and Wang Bao are on completely different paths." Bao Yulin's tone turned serious.

"Black Dragon Mountain itself has a treacherous terrain, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Zhao Shanhu is ruthless and greedy. As long as there is profit to be made, he will rob anyone, whether they are civilians or merchants. His hands are stained with blood. What's more troublesome is that there are rumors that he has a powerful backer, but no one can find out who that backer is."

After listening to Bao Yulin's introduction, Qi Fan frowned deeply.

He originally thought that suppressing bandits was just about eliminating a bunch of rabble, but he didn't expect that the banditry in Jilin Province was so complicated, especially the two bandit leaders, who were indeed quite troublesome.

However, upon further reflection, Qi Fan felt a renewed appreciation for Wang Bao. In this chaotic world, it was truly rare to find a bandit leader who could uphold his principles and not humiliate the people.

This Wang Bao is quite a man; if we could recruit him, he would definitely be a capable lieutenant.

With his mind made up, a resolute glint flashed in Qi Fan's eyes as he looked up at the crowd.

"In that case, I will go to Shirakawa-san myself tomorrow."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the command post was shocked and their expressions changed drastically.

Xu Chengye reacted the fastest, immediately stepping forward, his tone urgent and somewhat flustered.

"Commander, this is absolutely unacceptable! Who are you? How can you personally go to that bandit's den? If anything goes wrong, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

As soon as Xu Chengye finished speaking, Sun Desheng followed closely behind, his brows furrowed.

"That's right, Brigade Commander! The bandits of Baichuan Mountain are no ordinary rabble. That Wang Bao is exceptionally skilled and meticulous. You must not be careless! You absolutely must not put yourself in danger!"

Yan Shuangying also said in a deep voice, "Hanqing, I know your mind is made up, but this journey is far too dangerous. If you insist on going, I must go with you!"

Qi Fan laughed heartily upon hearing this and waved his hand.

"I'm going there to persuade them to surrender, not to fight. Brother Yan, you've already fought Wang Bao at Baichuan Mountain, and your identity has long been exposed. If you come with me, Wang Bao will think I'm here to interrogate you, which will only cause more trouble."

Seeing this, Xu Shan, who was standing to the side, also stepped forward.

"Commander, I'll go with you! Although I'm not as skilled as Team Leader Yan, I'm strong! If we really encounter danger, as long as I, Old Xu, have a breath left, I'll fight to the death to protect you and get you out!"

"Please stop trying to persuade me. I already have someone in my heart."

After saying that, he called out loudly towards the door, "Yuanba, come in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the command post was pushed open, and a thin figure walked in. Everyone looked closely and saw that the newcomer was sallow and thin, no more than 1.5 meters tall, and had a strange appearance, looking exactly like a "living thunder god".

What is most striking is that he carries two enormous hammers on his slender shoulders, creating a stark contrast with his small stature.

"Brother, what did you call me for?" Li Yuanba raised his little face, his voice clear and crisp, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room with a childlike curiosity.

Qi Fan smiled and introduced the group to everyone.

"This is Li Yuanba, my newly sworn brother. He'll be enough to accompany me on this trip to Baichuan Mountain."

Looking at Li Yuanba's childlike appearance, everyone's eyes flashed with suspicion.

This kid looks like he's only half a kid. Let alone protecting the brigade commander, it's hard to say whether he can even take care of himself. How could he possibly guarantee the brigade commander's safety?

Yan Shuangying took the lead and walked to Li Yuanba's side. He was tall and straight, and the height difference between him and Li Yuanba was particularly striking.

He looked Li Yuanba up and down, frowned slightly, and then looked at Qi Fan.

"Hanqing, are you sure this little guy can guarantee your safety?"

Before Qi Fan could even speak, Li Yuanba was already displeased, frowning and glaring at Yan Shuangying.

"Bro, who's this big guy? He's so annoying!"

Yan Shuangying was already angry because of the failed assassination attempt, and when he heard Li Yuanba's arrogant words, his anger surged instantly.

"If you want to dislike someone, you first need to have the ability to make them take you seriously. You're so small, but you have quite the big mouth."

"You big guy are so annoying! I'm talking to my brother, why do you keep interrupting!" Li Yuanba's face darkened.

"Believe it or not, I'll twist your head off and use it as a football!"

These words completely ignited Yan Shuangying's anger.

He was a seasoned expert, a top-notch fighter, when had he ever been provoked like this by a teenager?

"Hanqing, your younger brother is far too arrogant. Today I'll teach him a lesson and show him that there are always people more capable than him!"

Qi Fan did not stop him; instead, he nodded slightly.

Li Yuanba's thin and small appearance does indeed make him easy to underestimate. It would be better to let him take this opportunity to show his strength so that everyone can rest assured.

"Yuanba, don't get angry. Brother Yan is my good friend. Let it go, don't hurt him."

Just kidding. He knew Li Yuanba's strength very well. If he got really angry, Yan Shuangying wouldn't be able to withstand those two golden hammers.

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanba chuckled and nodded to Qi Fan: "Alright, brother, I'll just play along with him for a bit."

Having said that, he lowered his arms and threw the golden hammer on his shoulder to the ground with a clang.

The heavy wooden floor was struck by the giant hammer, instantly cracking several deep lines and sending wood chips flying.

Everyone inside was shocked, their pupils shrinking slightly. Those two hammers looked heavy, but they were heavy enough to crack the floor; this little guy's strength was astonishing!

Yan Shuangying also abandoned his contempt, realizing that Li Yuanba was far more complex than he appeared.

He swayed and launched the first attack. With swift footwork, he bent down and swept his leg towards Li Yuanba's calf. A clean and decisive sweeping leg aimed directly at Li Yuanba's lower body.