Did he trick the young marshal into becoming sworn brothers and then go south to Huangpu Military Ac

Chen G was completely stunned, looking at the young man in front of him, feeling a chill run down his spine.

This ability to deconstruct the war machine is something that even veterans from the Baoding Military Academy rarely articulated, let alone politicians in the South.

"Your revolution is like building a house on the beach."

Lin Qi concluded, sitting back on the sofa and taking a sip of his whiskey: "Without an industrial foundation, recruiting more students is just suicide."

A layer of cold sweat appeared on Zhang Renjie's forehead.

He originally came for arms deals, but now he finds himself facing not only a wealthy arms dealer, but also a monster with a complete blueprint for modern heavy industry in his head.

"Mr. Lin."

Zhang Renjie's address unconsciously carried a sense of awe: "Since you have such a clear understanding of the situation and are still willing to issue that letter of intent, it means you have a way to break the deadlock."

of course.

Lin Qi had been waiting for this moment, doing all this.

He put down his wine glass and pulled a document from the briefcase beside him.

It was the original HSBC letter of credit for 150,000 silver dollars.

Lin Qi held the paper, which felt light yet weighed more than a thousand pounds, and pushed it in front of Zhang Renjie.

"Mr. Zhang, that batch of German weapons is just a decoy. My real bargaining chip is this."

Lin Qi tapped on the table.

"150,000 silver dollars. I don't want you to write an IOU or charge you interest. This money will be donated entirely to the soon-to-be-established military academy as start-up capital and for the initial infrastructure costs of the military factory."

Zhang Renjie's hand trembled violently, and Chen Gfu couldn't control himself and gasped.

150,000 silver dollars, a donation?

Zhang Renjie was not short of money; 150,000 silver dollars was nothing to him.

But he's short on cash right now. He mortgaged two properties in the French Concession and begged everyone he could to scrape together a few tens of thousands.

The person in front of me casually donated over ten thousand silver dollars.

This money was enough for Mr. to stand up straight on Huangpu Island, renovate those dilapidated schools, and even immediately start purchasing equipment for the Shijing Arsenal.

But Zhang Renjie was an old hand at the game, and he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. He suppressed his surprise and stared into Lin Qi's eyes.

"Mr. Lin, I will remember this great act of righteousness on your behalf."

Zhang Renjie's tone was unusually solemn: "I wonder what Mr. Lin needs us to do?"

Lin Qi laughed, a laugh that was both extremely composed and extremely domineering.

"I don't need anything, I just want peace in the world, and for you to cleanse the universe."

Lin Qi held up one finger.

"From today onwards, I want an identity, and I will have full authority to allocate this money to establish the first basic military maintenance line and gunpowder processing plant around Guangzhou. This set of blueprints for synthetic ammonia equipment is my way of showing my sincerity."

Lin Qi raised his second finger.

"Secondly, I am an independent person. Apart from you, I am not subject to any faction or superior. I have independent personnel and material procurement authority. No one can put those useless people who are just drawing salaries into my arsenal. What I want is absolute control."

Zhang Renjie's brain was working at lightning speed.

Lin Qi's proposed conditions may seem domineering, but they actually solve the biggest problem facing the South.

The South lacks money, guns, and, more importantly, experts who truly understand the modern military-industrial complex.

Lin Qi brought huge sums of money and technology to invest, asking for no military power, no territory, just an independent privilege to handle military supplies and engineering. This was practically a perfect partner falling from the sky.

With this person in charge, the industrial lifeline of the South can be gradually built up.

it is good.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Renjie slapped the armrest of the wheelchair, making the final decision.

"Mr. Lin has the world in his heart. If I, Zhang, were to refuse again, I would be a traitor to the nation."

His face flushed with excitement, and he turned to Chen Gfu: "Guofu, bring paper and pen, write right here."

Chen Gfu quickly took out a pen and letter paper from his bag and placed them on the coffee table.

Zhang Renjie held the pen, his hand still trembling, but his handwriting was extremely vigorous.

He wrote and read it aloud to himself.

"Greetings, Brother Yixian. Mr. Lin Tuozhi from overseas, with a heart full of patriotism, has returned to the country with a large sum of money and a century-old strategy for military industry. He is well-versed in both Chinese and Western learning and has the knowledge of a hundred thousand soldiers. He is truly a pillar of the nation's future. He has donated 150,000 silver dollars for the construction of a school. I hope you will take good care of him and entrust him with the important tasks of military supplies and engineering. You must not neglect his duties."

After finishing writing, Zhang Renjie took out his personal seal from his inner pocket and stamped it heavily.

The significance of this letter in the Republic of China at that time, especially in Guangdong, was unimaginable.

With this letter, Lin Qi was no longer a returnee of unknown origin, but a super tycoon who had been personally verified and endorsed by the biggest financial backer, carrying an extremely dazzling halo, and legitimately joining the group with his own investment.

That engineering student, who was struggling to survive in the snowy wilderness outside the Great Wall, suddenly achieved a complete leap in social class.

He has already trampled the threshold of Huangpu under his feet.

Zhang Renjie folded the letter and handed it to Lin Qi with both hands.

"Mr. Lin, please take this letter to Guangzhou. After reading it, he will naturally make arrangements."

Zhang Renjie let out a long sigh of relief, as if a huge burden had been lifted: "I still have to deal with things here in Shanghai. Once you get to the South, go for it. Your husband and I will back you up."

"Renjie, rest assured."

Lin Qi took the envelope, casually stuffed it into his jacket pocket, and immediately addressed him more intimately.

The two quickly finalized the details of the factory site selection in the south, and half an hour later, Zhang Renjie took his leave.

Chen G pushed the wheelchair toward the elevator. Before leaving, Zhang Renjie glanced back at the young figure still sitting on the sofa and a strong premonition rose in his heart.

This person is going to completely turn the world upside down in the south.

After Zhang Renjie left, the suite fell silent again.

Lin Qi finished the rest of the whiskey in his glass in one gulp.

He closed his eyes, quickly reviewing the conversation in his mind.

Having established his identity, and having spent money as a stepping stone, the money was well spent.

But one link is still missing.

An extremely important link.

They scavenged special steel from the black market, purchased basic lathe equipment, and even later transported intelligence and supplies to Zhang Hanqing in Northeast China.

All of this requires an extremely large underground logistics network in Shanghai that is completely unregulated by the government.

Relying solely on Zhao Sihai's intelligence station, which only collects gossip, is not enough.

We must control the docks, the waterways, and the people who do the dirty work.

In Shanghai, only one force has this capability.

The Green Gang.

Lin Qi walked to the window and looked down at the rickshaws and pedestrians that darted about like ants.

How to keep those deeply entrenched old hands of the Green Gang in check?

Using money to throw things away is beneath your dignity; using Zhang Hanqing's or Mr. Zhang's reputation to suppress others will only result in outward compliance but inward resentment.

We must wait for the right opportunity.

I was just thinking about it.

Suddenly, an extremely piercing tire screeching sound shattered the tranquility of the concession's night.

Bang, bang bang.

A burst of gunfire suddenly erupted on the street diagonally opposite the Astor House Hotel.

It wasn't a pistol; it was the sound of submachine guns being fired by a regular army.

Interspersed with screams, the sound of shattering glass, and several extremely shrill screams.

Lin Qi's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he quickly walked to the window.

A group of warlord soldiers, dressed in gray-blue uniforms and fully armed, kicked open the door of a theater across from the restaurant.

Several thugs who tried to stop them were instantly smashed in the face with gun butts, their faces covered in blood, and they collapsed on the steps.

A middle-aged fat man with a large belly, wearing a silk mandarin jacket, was dragged out of the theater by two soldiers like a dead dog.

The fat man had a clear red handprint on his face and was still struggling and cursing.

A young man in a white suit got off the military vehicle, walked up to the fat man, and kicked him hard in the face.

The fat man lay on the ground, his face covered in blood.

"Tie up this old bastard and throw him into the garrison command dungeon."

The arrogant voice of the young playboy echoed through the empty streets.

Lin Qi stood behind the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the farce unfold below, a cold smile gradually curving his lips.

It's like a pillow being delivered just when you're about to fall asleep.

He had seen a picture of the fat man who was beaten half to death online; he was Boss Huang, one of the three big bosses of the Green Gang.

That arrogant young man in the white suit—there was only one person who dared to directly mobilize the army to arrest a gang godfather in the foreign concession.

Lu Jia, the only son of the military governor of Zhejiang.

This was not just a farce of jealousy and rivalry; it was the absolute crushing of civilian gangs by warlord power.

The entire power structure of Shanghai's underworld and legitimate society is about to be completely torn apart tonight.