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

Ever since the Fengtian Army entered Shanghai, Chang Shi stared intently at the map for several days.

His eyes were filled with despair, and his heart was filled with anxiety.

"Once Zhang Zuolin gains control of the comprador capital in Shanghai and gets them to collect taxes, the Fengtian Army can use its inexhaustible wealth to buy more weapons and expand its army indefinitely!"

"The Fengtian Army's strength is about to experience a leap forward! Once they have fully consolidated their occupied territories, their next step will definitely be to continue southward, with their army pressing in, heading straight for Guangzhou!"

"By then, what will our small, weak base camp use to hold them off?!"

Thinking of this, Chang slammed her fist on the table and slumped into her chair.

Wu Peifu has been defeated and is now like a dog with its tail between its legs. Although Sun Chuanfang is well-equipped, he is no match for him and it is only a matter of time before he is wiped out by the Fengtian Army.

No one in the world can stop the storm coming from the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River.

Just as the Chang family was filled with worry and even despair.

The office door was gently pushed open.

Lin Qi walked in with an air of composure and ease.

Upon seeing Lin Qi, Madam Chang reacted as if she were a drowning person grasping at a straw. She sprang up from her chair, rushed forward, and grabbed Lin Qi's hand.

"Takumi! You've finally made it out of this mountain valley!"

Chang's voice was filled with excitement: "Do you know that the sky outside is about to fall?! The Fengtian Army has already entered Shanghai, and their forces could be pointing at us at any moment! Guangzhou is in imminent danger!"

Seeing Chang Shi in such a state of panic, like an ant on a hot pan, Lin Qi remained calm. He patted Chang Shi's shoulder and pulled him to sit down on the sofa.

"Brother Chiang Kai-shek, how come your self-cultivation skills are becoming more and more erratic?"

Lin Qi poured himself a cup of tea, took a small sip, and smiled:

"Brother Chiang Kai-shek, what's the rush?"

"The southward march of the Fengtian Army may seem like a scene of splendor and prosperity, but in my view, it is nothing more than a dying gasp as the last drop of oil is burned away."

Lin Qi, holding his teacup, stared intently at Madam Chang and delivered a conclusion that left her speechless:

"Brother Chiang Kai-shek, put your mind at ease. The Fengtian Army may seem invincible and overwhelming, but their internal system has problems, and they can't swallow up this country! Rest assured, it won't be long before someone takes care of them and breaks Zhang Zuolin's backbone!"

"What we need to do now is close the doors, mass produce troops, and expand our army like crazy. The real show is just beginning!"

Upon hearing Lin Qi's words, Madam Chang was stunned for a moment, and then an uncontrollable joy surged through her body like an electric current.

Expanding the army and increasing the number of troops means that his power will multiply, and that he will have the capital to sweep across the world.

However, this joy lasted for less than ten seconds before dissipating as quickly as the receding tide.

Instead, there is a profound sense of powerlessness and gloom.

Looking at Lin Qi, who looked relaxed beside her, Madam Chang shook her head with a wry smile.

"Tuozhi, you described me as having the ambition to conquer thousands of miles and be as fierce as a tiger. If I weren't moved, I would be deceiving myself."

Madam Chang sighed, her brows furrowed tightly, and her face showed signs of exhaustion.

"You think I don't want to build up my army? Don't want to expand the Whampoa Military Academy? But, Tuozhi, leading troops into battle, in the end, boils down to money and supplies. Even a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice!"

Chang spread his hands, his tone full of frustration.

"You know better than I what a mess the headquarters' finances are. The Wang and Hu factions are controlling the budget; the students only get to eat rice and meat every day because you're subsidizing it out of your own pocket. Now, if we want to expand our forces, where will the weapons come from? Where will the new recruits' monthly pay come from? If they're behind on pay, the soldiers will mutini before the enemy even attacks!"

Lin Qi listened quietly to Madam Chang's complaints, without the slightest panic on his face. He smiled and said...

"Brother Chiang Kai-shek, you don't need to worry about the weapons. I'll cover your pay for a year."

Lin Qi's voice wasn't loud, but every word was firm: "Your only task now is to recruit enough obedient young men from respectable families. As long as you bring them to me, I can arm them to the teeth."

Chang was startled, her eyes widening as if she had heard a fairy tale.

"Taku, stop making fun of your brother."

Mrs. Chang frowned, waved her hands repeatedly, and looked incredulous.

"I know you've been working day and night at the Ishii Arsenal for months, and I know you've brought in a lot of new German machinery. But no matter how much you increase the arsenal's production capacity, how many guns and cannons can you amass? Without sufficient firepower, combat effectiveness is nonexistent; gathering more men will only make them targets. As for military pay... that's the cost of feeding, drinking, and providing for tens of thousands of people! You can't just conjure up silver dollars out of thin air, can you?"

Faced with Chang's questions, Lin Qi didn't waste any words.

He simply pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper and handed it over casually.

"Brother Chiang Kai-shek, words are not enough; take a look at this."

Chang took it with some skepticism and slowly unfolded it.

He glanced at it, and his eyes instantly lit up in a frightening way, and his hands began to tremble uncontrollably!

This is no ordinary piece of paper; it's a great gift from the God of Wealth!

The numbers on the list made Chang's nerves throb:

[New Mauser-style rifle: 35,000 units. Ammunition: 10 million rounds.]

[320 Maxim heavy machine guns, complete with water-cooled sleeves and spare barrels.]

200 60mm light mortars. Equipped with 50,000 high-explosive shells.

Upon seeing this, Chang's heart was practically leaping out of her throat.

This level of firepower is enough to arm three full-strength divisions!

But that wasn't the most unsettling thing.

His gaze continued downwards, fixing intently on the last column of the list.

"Krupp standard 75mm field guns: 88 guns, equipped with 5,000 rounds each of armor-piercing shells and high-explosive shells."

"A 75mm field gun?!"

Chang gasped in shock, her voice trembling.

This thing is a strategic deterrent on the domestic battlefield at this time!

The old mountain cannons and homemade guns in the hands of warlords were nothing but firewood in front of this thing.

Eighty-eight 75mm field guns are enough to form an independent heavy artillery regiment!

In plains warfare, this firepower can easily tear apart any defensive line; it is a steel monster that can flatten everything!

Clutching the list, Madam Chang stared at Lin Qi in disbelief, her voice trembling with excitement: "Tuozhi... this... this is really all the wealth you've accumulated over the past few months?!"

Lin Qi nodded calmly without saying a word.

Some of this equipment came from the arsenal's tireless production capacity, but a larger portion was smuggled in through clandestine channels from the black markets of Germany and Europe using dollars he had amassed through the Wall Street stock market.

In this era of industrial backwardness, as long as you have hard currency and smooth channels, it is not difficult to buy up the surplus arsenals after the European war.

"We have the guns and cannons... but what about the pay for tens of thousands of soldiers?!"

Chang swallowed hard, still unable to believe that such a windfall would fall from the sky.

Lin Qi looked at Chang's face, which was full of hunger and probing, and sneered inwardly.

The simplest and most direct way is to let him see how much you have sacrificed for him, or for your mutual benefit.

Lin Qi suppressed his smile, his expression turning solemn, even tinged with a hint of sorrow.

"Brother Chiang Kai-shek, since we've sworn brotherhood, I won't hide it from you anymore."

"I really can't conjure this money. The headquarters can't produce a single copper coin."

Lin Qi looked intently at the Chang family: "As you know, our Lin family has some ancestral businesses in Southeast Asia and America."

Chang held his breath.

"For this military expenditure, in order to complete the expansion of the army before the Fengtian Army marches south."

Lin Qi spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice conveying a resolute determination to burn one's bridges.

"A few days ago, I ordered my men to mortgage all of the Lin family's overseas properties to Citibank in the United States, obtaining enough cash to support the new army for a whole year!"

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