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

Led by the sentries, Qi Fan and his two companions walked straight into the Hall of Righteousness at Baichuan Mountain.

He walked in the middle, his posture upright and his expression calm; Li Yuanba and Xu Chengye followed closely behind on the left and right, like two door gods.

The pair of enormous golden hammers on Li Yuanba's shoulders were still conspicuous, their bodies exuding a chilling aura that made the bandits standing on both sides of the hall secretly tremble.

Wang Bao, sitting in the main seat, looked up and his gaze instantly sharpened. He first locked onto Qi Fan, who was leading the group, then swept his eyes over Li Yuanba, who was standing next to him with an imposing presence, and finally landed on the pair of extremely imposing giant hammers.

He leaned back slightly, supporting himself on the table with one hand, his injured left arm resting to the side, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny and mockery.

"So you're Zhang Xueliang? You've got some guts, daring to storm my Baichuan Mountain with just two men."

Qi Fan was not intimidated by the other party's imposing manner. He slowly walked to the center of the hall, stood still, and calmly looked at Wang Bao in the main seat, bowing slightly in greeting.

"This must be Chief Wang Bao. The word 'brave' is an inappropriate way to describe Chief Wang. I have come here today to pay my respects to Chief Wang in good faith, and I have no hostility whatsoever."

"Hahaha!" Wang Bao suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter full of disdain.

"Interesting! You're soldiers, we're bandits. Soldiers visiting bandits? If word gets out, people will laugh their heads off! Do you think I'd believe that?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Fan clearly noticed that the bandits standing on both sides of the Hall of Righteousness were already restless, and many of them secretly gripped the pistols at their waists, their eyes full of hostility.

Xu Chengye, standing behind him, instinctively tensed up, his hand quietly resting on the pistol at his waist; Li Yuanba, on the other hand, curled his lip, his hand resting on the handle of the giant hammer, ready to strike at any moment should the other party make the slightest move.

Qi Fan remained calm and composed, meeting Wang Bao's gaze with a loud laugh.

"Chief, you jest. I've heard that although you're a mountain bandit, you're always righteous and never harass the poor people below. That alone shows you're a man who can distinguish right from wrong. So I've come today to ask you if you'd be willing to lead the brothers to join the Fengtian Army and walk the right path?"

"Trying to recruit me?"

Wang Bao's smile froze instantly, his eyes narrowed sharply, and his sharp gaze swept over Qi Fan like a knife, clearly not expecting that the other party's true purpose was this.

He remained silent for a moment, then snorted coldly, his tone filled with doubt and disdain.

"What makes you think I'd agree? In this Baichuan Mountain, I, Wang Bao, am the one in charge. My more than a thousand brothers are well-fed and clothed, and even a large force sent by Xiao Rizi to besiege me couldn't touch me. Why should I submit to someone else and join your Fengtian Army? Besides, the reputation of your Fengtian Army among the people isn't much better than ours as bandits. You've done just as much to levy exorbitant taxes and oppress the people!"

Qi Fan knew in his heart that Wang Bao was not an incorrigible person. The fact that he did not bully the poor showed that he had a sense of righteousness and knew how to sympathize with the suffering of the people.

The current rebuttals are nothing more than inherent prejudices against the Fengtian Army and resistance to being "dependent on others".

He took a half step forward, his tone becoming increasingly earnest, and spoke each word carefully.

"Chief, personal honor and the stability of the stronghold are nothing but fleeting clouds in the face of the current situation. You and I both know that the 'small fry' have long coveted our Chinese territory. You can hold this place up at Baichuan Mountain today, but what about tomorrow? Once the 'small fry' launch a full-scale invasion, how long can you, with just over a thousand brothers and a single stronghold, hold out? Staying in a corner will only lead to certain death. Why not lead the brothers to join the Fengtian Army and use your useful bodies to do something truly meaningful to protect our Chinese land and the people?"

No sooner had Qi Fan finished speaking than Chen Ergou, the second-in-command, could no longer sit still.

He jumped up from his chair, slammed his hands on the table, and stared at Qi Fan with eyes full of vigilance and disdain.

"Stop with the high-sounding words! Empty promises are meaningless; why should we believe you? What guarantees do you, Zhang Xueliang, offer us? After joining the Fengtian Army, who will protect the lives, fortunes, and futures of my brothers?"

The third leader, Chen Hu, was even more impatient. He glared with his one eye, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, and shouted sharply.

"Further words are pointless! We're not on the same page as your Fengtian Army, there's nothing to talk about! Brothers, get these three guys out of here!"

"Wait!"

Just as the bandits on both sides were rubbing their hands together, ready to attack, Wang Bao suddenly raised his hand and stopped Chen Hu.

He pressed his fingertips against the edge of the table, his injured left arm tensing slightly from the exertion, a trace of dark red blood seeping from the edge of the gauze, his gaze fixed intently on Qi Fan.

"Brigade Commander Zhang, you've seen it yourself. It's not that I'm unwilling to consider it, but my men don't truly believe in the army. Even if I agree, they might not accept it."

"You've gone too far!"

Seeing the other party's disrespectful attitude and rude remarks, Xu Chengye couldn't help but step forward.

"Do you know who our brigade commander is? He's the eldest son of Zhang Zuolin, the warlord of the Fengtian Army! For him to condescend to surrender to you is an immense favor; don't be ungrateful!"

"Chengye, shut up!" Qi Fan frowned and raised his hand to sternly stop Xu Chengye.

He originally wanted to reason with them and not use his status to pressure them, but now that the other party was unyielding, he had no choice but to show some toughness. When dealing with these mountain bandits, being too humble would only be seen as weakness.

Qi Fan withdrew his gaze and turned it back to Wang Bao, his tone suddenly turning cold.

"Chief, I have come here today with the utmost sincerity to persuade you to surrender. But let me make this clear: the Fengtian Army's entry into Jilin Province is a preordained mission to eradicate bandits. If you are willing to surrender with your brothers, all past crimes will be forgiven, and we will be brothers in arms to protect our country. If you insist on resisting, once I lead my troops to attack Baichuan Mountain, I will not be so polite as I am today."

"You dare to threaten me?" Wang Bao's face instantly turned ashen, his eyes blazing with anger, and he slammed his hand on the table.

"You, surnamed Zhang, do you really think I, Bai Chuanshan, am a pushover? This Hall of Righteousness belongs to me, Wang Bao. Do you think any of you three will leave here alive without my permission?"

Before he finished speaking, the sounds of knives being drawn and bullets being chambered rang out in quick succession.

The bandits on both sides of the Hall of Righteousness swarmed forward, surrounding Qi Fan and his two companions with knives and guns. The blades gleamed coldly, and the dark muzzles of their guns were all pointed at the three of them. The atmosphere instantly froze.

Li Yuanba's eyes flashed, and he steadily lifted the double hammers he was carrying on his shoulder. His aura suddenly surged, like a tiger poised to pounce. Xu Chengye also tensed up instantly, his hand quickly resting on the pistol at his waist. He watched the bandits around him warily, ready to retaliate at the slightest sign of trouble.