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

Lin Qi closed his eyes, seemingly engaged in an extremely painful internal struggle.

A full half minute passed.

He opened his eyes, his gaze becoming unusually resolute.

"Very well, since Brother Kai-shek has put it this way, I'll take on the responsibility of vice principal. You'll be in charge of daily military and political training, while I'll handle logistics, supplies, and modern military tactics. We'll divide the work. We'll absolutely not let outsiders interfere with the military academy."

Chiang Kai-shek was overjoyed and stood up to shake Lin Qi's hand.

"With Brother Tuo's words, Huangpu will surely be able to train an iron army. I will return to headquarters now to report back to you, sir."

After seeing Chiang Kai-shek off, Lin Qi returned to the chemical workshop. Looking at the dry granular gunpowder on the wooden shelves, a cold, sharp smile appeared on his lips.

Power is never bestowed by others; it is something you calculate and acquire step by step.

The following day, in the morning, at the Grand Marshal's Mansion.

The conference room was filled with smoke, a mixture of various high-end cigarettes and dry tobacco.

The long conference table was filled with key figures from the South.

The gentleman sat in the head seat, looking tired.

Elders such as Liao Kai-shek, Wang Jingwei, and Hu Jintao lined up on both sides, while Chiang Kai-shek, dressed in a crisp military uniform, sat near the gentleman.

Further down are several Guangdong and Yunnan army generals who hold the title of staff officer of the headquarters.

Lin Qi arrived at a moderate time and found a seat at the very end.

He was wearing an extremely ordinary black wool coat today. He entered the room without saying a word. When his adjutant brought him tea, he just lowered his head and blew on the tea leaves, as if the meeting had nothing to do with him.

There is only one core topic for today's meeting.

The admission brochure and target applicants for the Whampoa Military Academy.

This is a major issue concerning who will control the new army in the future, and no one is willing to back down.

The meeting immediately became heated as soon as it started.

A Guangdong army division commander with a heavy Cantonese accent was the first to challenge the enemy, slamming his rough hands on the table.

"Sir, setting up a military academy is a good thing. I think we don't need to expand the enrollment pool."

The Guangdong Army division commander argued confidently: "Our Guangdong Army, Yunnan Army, and Guangxi Army, with over 100,000 brothers stationed around Guangzhou, can train veterans and junior officers who have seen battle and bloodshed in various units. After a month or two of training in schools, they can lead troops into battle. That's called rapid formation. If we recruit those greenhorns who have never held a gun before, by the time they learn to fire, I, Chen, will have already stormed into Guangzhou."

These words represented the sentiments of all the former warlord generals present.

Turn military academies into refresher courses for veterans of various units, and after these people graduate, they will have to return to their original units.

In this way, the equipment and funds for the new army rightfully fell into the pockets of these old warlords, and the military academy was essentially doing free work for their respective factions.

"Nonsense."

Liao Zikai slammed his hand on the table without any hesitation.

He was in charge of finance and labor, and had the most contact with the lower classes, so he knew very well that the old army was rotten to the core.

"Draw people from your old units? What kind of people? Opium addicts, brothel regulars, or those who withhold military pay?"

Liao Zikai's sharp gaze swept over the warlord generals: "Military academies are meant to cultivate pure revolutionary sparks. If they've been tainted by the bad habits of the old army, they'll become a cancer even after entering a military academy. In my opinion, recruitment must be nationwide, with a focus on recruiting children from impoverished peasant families and laborers. They have suffered the most oppression and have the strongest revolutionary will. Even if they are illiterate, as long as they have a fearless spirit, that's enough."

His stance was clear: to build a civilian army that was absolutely loyal to Mr. [Name].

These words immediately drew strong opposition from Wang.

Mr. Wang was dressed in an elegant suit today, his hair neatly combed. He held an ivory cigarette holder in his hand.

"Mr. Liao is mistaken. Military academies train junior officers, not suicide squads."

Wang's words were sharp, carrying a hint of arrogance typical of intellectuals: "Modern warfare requires looking at military maps, calculating ballistics, and understanding tactical intentions. How do you teach a bunch of illiterate farmers who can't read a single word? Teach them to read pictures and recognize words?"

Wang tapped the table and presented his proposal.

"The admission standards must be raised. Applicants must have a secondary school or even equivalent education. The focus should be on progressive young intellectuals and students from all over the country. Only intellectuals can understand Mr. [Name]'s Three Principles of the People and possess the qualities of a modern military officer. Those peasants are fine as common soldiers charging into battle, but they are absolutely unacceptable as officers."

Wang Jingwei was very shrewd; he consistently pursued a route to the upper echelons of intellectual society.

If military academies recruit only students and intellectuals, most of whom come from wealthy families and have active minds, they are very easily swayed by his theories and articles. This is tantamount to cultivating future political capital for Wang Jingwei.

Hu Hmin sat opposite him and snorted coldly.

"Zhaoming's words are also biased. Student soldiers can read, but can those pampered young masters endure the hardships of marching and fighting? They'd probably wet their pants at the sound of gunfire. I think the enrollment quotas should be allocated to the provincial party branches, with local party elders recommending outstanding young talents to the school. This way, we can ensure the quality of the students and also assess their political purity."

Mr. Hu is blatantly trying to decentralize the power of student recruitment to local officials.

The system of recommending candidates for positions ultimately resulted in recruiting only children of bureaucrats who had connections, backdoors, or kinship ties with various senior figures.

The entire conference room erupted into chaos.

The old warlords wanted to seize territory, while Liao Gong wanted to arm the civilians.

Wang Jingwei wanted intellectuals, while Hu Jintao wanted bureaucrats to recommend him.

Everyone claims to be acting in the name of the country and the people, but their hearts are filled with selfish motives and ulterior motives of their own factions.

There were sounds of slamming tables, shouting, and even some generals who were so enraged that they almost drew their guns.

Chiang Kai-shek sat in his seat, his face grim.

As the newly appointed chairman of the preparatory committee, he couldn't get a word in edgewise in this meeting room where all the big shots were fighting. None of these elders or generals with heavy troops took him seriously.

He turned to look at Lin Qi, who was sitting at the very end of the long table.

Lin Qi maintained the same posture he had when he entered.

Holding a teacup in his hand, he gently stirred the floating tea leaves with the lid, his expression chillingly calm.

The surrounding area was in complete chaos, with spittle flying everywhere, but he remained detached, like an outsider, not even raising an eyebrow.

Lin Qi watched this farce with a cold eye.

Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.

A group of politicians who don't even know how to process rifling, and a group of old warlords who have never even seen trench warfare in World War I, are arguing here about how to build a modern officer corps.

The Guangdong Army needs veterans?

Those veterans couldn't even figure out how to aim in a straight line; they just fired randomly with their eyes closed.

Does the Wang family want high school students?

High school students at that time were very precious, and they were able to endure the hardship of walking 50 kilometers to strengthen the army.

Is the Hu family involved in sponsorship?

Applying the system of Qing Dynasty scholars and officials to modern military academies is simply suicidal.

Without a scientific set of comprehensive assessment standards that consider physical fitness, intelligence, and political background, the recruitment brochure will only attract a motley crew.

The gentleman sat in the main seat, rubbing his temples with both hands.

My head is throbbing.

Looking at the arguing crowd, he felt a deep sadness rising in his heart.

This was the revolutionary team he relied on.

Faced with a formidable enemy, instead of being of one mind and one heart, they argued heatedly over trivial gains.

If this argument continues, we won't reach a decision before nightfall.

The man raised his hand and slammed it heavily on the table.

"Shut up, all of you."

A furious shout silenced the meeting room instantly, and the generals who had stood up to argue reluctantly returned to their seats.

The gentleman's gaze swept over the crowd, over Liao Zhaikai, over Wang Shi, and over Chiang Kai-shek.

It landed straight on the young man at the very end of the long table, who had been drinking tea with his head down.

"Takuyuki."

The man's voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet conference room, carrying a hint of expectation as well as a touch of testing.

"You've been sitting here for ages without saying a word."

The professor leaned forward, staring intently at Lin Qi: "You are a PhD who studied abroad, knowledgeable in modern military industry, and also the vice principal of this military academy. What is your opinion on this admission brochure?"

Swish.

Dozens of eyes in the conference room simultaneously followed the gentleman's gaze and focused on Lin Qi.

Some were disdainful, some were curious, and some were unconvinced.

What does a bookworm know about student recruitment and military building?

Lin Qi slowly put down his teacup.

The porcelain pieces made a crisp, light sound when they collided.

He raised his head.

The sharpness that had been deliberately concealed was completely unleashed in that instant. His deep, cold gaze swept over everyone present.

He did not answer the gentleman's question directly.

Instead, he extended his index finger and tapped heavily on the mahogany table in front of him.

"I just heard you all arguing for half an hour."

Lin Qi's voice was extremely calm, yet it carried an irresistible sense of pressure: "I only recognized one word."

He paused for half a second before uttering that word—

"stupid."

P.S.: New book launch! Please add your bookshelves, urge me to update, and support me with your love! During the verification period, I'll post 4,000 words daily. From the debut onwards, I'll guarantee a massive update of at least three chapters, with no upper limit.