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

The word "stupid" landed softly, but it sounded like a thunderclap on the mahogany table.

The conference room, which had been as noisy as a market, fell into a brief silence as dozens of eyes turned to the far end of the long table.

After a brief pause, the suppressed anger erupted instantly.

Who are these people?

They were all prominent figures who followed their teacher in battles across the country and considered themselves revolutionary pioneers.

He either controlled tens of thousands of guns or the entire South's purse strings and writing tools.

It's one thing for people to undermine each other normally, but when did it become the turn of a junior who has only been back in the country for a few months to verbally abuse them to their face?

Because Lin Qi was a wealthy man personally invited back by the master, and he held the power of life and death over the arsenal, they could not directly draw their guns and overturn the table like warlords. However, they immediately launched a barrage of verbal attacks.

Wang sneered and slammed the ivory cigarette holder she was holding heavily against the edge of the ashtray.

"Dr. Lin is a double PhD who studied abroad, and it is true that he knows a bit about lathes and foreign affairs, but building an army is a major political plan, a plan for the next century, not something you can do in your chemistry lab shaking a beaker."

He leaned back in his chair, his tone revealing the arrogance and sarcasm characteristic of scholars: "Scholars have ruined the country since ancient times. Bringing that petty, calculating attitude from the business world to the Grand Marshal's Mansion is rather narrow-minded."

Hu, standing to the side, twirled his beard and chimed in with a sarcastic tone.

"Overseas Chinese only know how to throw money around; they have no idea about the complexities of human relationships back home. Running a military academy is about winning people's hearts, not about keeping accounts. Dr. Lin isn't drawing blueprints in the arsenal; he's come here to teach us how to build an army. He's overstepping his bounds."

Several generals from the Guangdong and Yunnan armies, seeing that a veteran was leading the way, made no attempt to hide their laughter.

"Even a pale-faced scholar is talking about military training."

The Guangdong army division commander who had just suggested recruiting veterans curled his lip, his face full of disdain: "Fighting relies on real swords and guns, not foreign ink."

Facing the barrage of criticism from the assembled dignitaries, Lin Qi remained calmly seated in his chair. Holding a blue-and-white porcelain teacup, he skimmed off the foam, lowered his head, and took a sip; the tea was slightly bitter.

He didn't care at all about offending these people.

The underlying political logic was crystal clear in his mind.

As long as Mr. [Name] is still alive, no one in this headquarters will dare to touch him, the god of wealth in the military industry.

Once the gentleman is gone, he will already be holding the iron army he built himself, and he will no longer need to care about the opinions of these pedantic politicians.

The reason he is launching this attack today is to leave a very deep impression on you, sir, as a loyal and upright official who does not form cliques, does not understand human relationships, and only adheres to principles.

Throughout history, those who control large sums of money and weapons have always feared those who are adept at navigating social situations.

The more connections you make, the more uneasy the superiors will feel; the more people you offend, the more confident they will be in using you.

What's more, he has Lin Zichao, a leader of the reformist faction, standing behind him.

Lin Zichao was not power-hungry, but he had extremely high prestige in the headquarters. With this clan relationship protecting him, even if these elders hated him to the bone, they couldn't do anything to him openly.

Chiang Kai-shek sat in the front seat, watching Lin Qi being attacked by the crowd, a barely perceptible ecstasy flashing deep in his eyes.

He felt that Lin Qi was practically a baby when it came to politics.

What good is advanced military technology?

Today, he offended all the civil and military officials in the headquarters as soon as he showed up. In the future, in Guangzhou, besides clinging to Chang's coattails and sticking together for warmth, who else can he rely on?

Chiang Kai-shek picked up his teacup to hide the smile on his lips. The more isolated Lin Tuozhi was, the more advantageous it would be for his sworn brother.

The sarcastic remarks in the meeting room grew louder and louder.

Lin Qi quietly turned his gaze to the person in the main seat.

The man sat there, his face so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

Looking at the room full of veteran generals who were bullying and oppressing a young man, the man could no longer suppress his anger. He suddenly raised his hand and slammed it heavily on the table.

A muffled thud.

That's enough.

His voice, filled with thunderous rage, echoed throughout the conference room.

"You all call yourselves veterans, you call yourselves seasoned generals, yet you don't even have the magnanimity to let Takuchi finish speaking?! Is this your revolutionary spirit?"

The man's sharp gaze swept over Wang and Hu, finally landing on Lin Qi.

"Takumi, stand up and continue. I want to hear exactly where your stupidity lies."

With his teacher's strong endorsement, Lin Qi put down his teacup, stood up, placed his hands on the cold mahogany table, and leaned forward slightly.

It opened up a cruel dissection from God's perspective, like a cold scalpel, publicly tearing away everyone's fig leaf, picking out their shameful desires, skin and all.

Lin Qi's first target was the Guangdong Army division commander who proposed recruiting veterans.

"You need veterans."

His voice was calm, as if he were stating an extremely simple math problem: "We will transfer veterans from your old units to military academies, provide them with the funds and rations from headquarters, and use the new guns and ammunition manufactured in my arsenal. After they graduate, they can return to your mountain stronghold."

The division commander's expression changed, and he stiffened his neck, wanting to refute, but Lin Qi didn't give him a chance to speak.

"Are you trying to train troops for headquarters, or are you using public funds from the south to train your own private army? What will this unit even be called after this military academy is completed?!"

Every word was piercing, shattering the warlord's schemes of extortion, bribery, and maintaining his military power.

The division commander opened his mouth, his face turning a deep purplish-red, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Lin Qi turned his head and looked at Wang Shi, who was holding a cigarette holder.

"President Wang is recruiting high school and junior college students."

Lin Qi smirked coldly: "Do you want to train officers who will fight to the death with guns, or politicians who will listen to your grand pronouncements?"

Madam Wang's face darkened: "Dr. Lin, watch your words."

"Modern warfare is not like writing an article."

Lin Qi stood firm, staring at him intently: "I ask you, can a bunch of lazy, ignorant pampered soldiers carry 30 kilograms of supplies and march 50 kilometers a day? When they encounter enemy heavy machine gun fire, do they rely on reciting the Three Principles of the People to block bullets, or do they rely on writing a few proclamations against the enemy to repel them? Giving precious munitions to a bunch of intellectuals who can't even hold a gun is not building an army, it's sending supplies to the enemy."

Wang's ivory cigarette holder trembled slightly as Lin Qi tore away the fig leaf covering his desire to climb the social ladder and establish his political base within the military academy.

Finally, Lin Qi's gaze locked onto Hu Hmin across from him.

"As for the recommendation system that Mr. Hu mentioned."

Lin Qizhi stood up, his tone revealing undisguised disgust.

"They put it in a high-sounding way, but at their core they're just transplanting the Qing Dynasty's system of hereditary official appointments into our revolutionary ranks. Once the recommendation system is opened, those who end up being recruited are all the distant relatives of the elders, a bunch of bureaucratic children who got in to gain prestige through nepotism."

Lin Qi tapped his fingers heavily on the table.

"An army composed of such pampered young masters will be rotten to the core by internal corruption, factionalism, and spoiled children before it even reaches the battlefield. Relying on such people to fight is like asking to die sooner."

The conference room fell into a deathly silence.

The air seemed to freeze into a solid; no one spoke, only heavy breathing could be heard.

Awkward, extremely awkward and embarrassing.