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

The final exam is over.

The guards used hoses to wash the mud figures with the icy river water.

Although they were shivering from the cold, each candidate's spirit was completely different, displaying a sharpness that had been tempered.

After changing into dry clothes, it was time for dinner.

According to the old army rules, there was a strict class barrier between officers and soldiers.

Officers ate and drank well in their own private kitchens, while soldiers ate coarse rice and rotten vegetable leaves with floating insects from the communal pot. This was called the hierarchy of superiors and inferiors.

Inside the temporary barracks.

In an effort to win over the people, Chiang Kai-shek had a sumptuous feast specially booked from a restaurant in the city.

Roast goose, poached chicken, steamed grouper, and even two pots of fine Shaoxing wine were prepared to be served to the gentleman and several elders.

however.

Lin Qi washed off the mud and changed into a clean gray military uniform, without even wearing collar insignia.

He ignored the aroma of roast goose wafting from the barracks.

He walked straight to the edge of the playground, to the open-air kitchen that had been temporarily set up with a few large iron pots.

Hundreds of students who had just survived the hellish test were lining up to receive their meals.

The food was extremely poor.

The headquarters was poor, and the military academy's funding had not yet been fully allocated.

The large wooden barrel contained only brown rice, and the vegetables were boiled in plain water, with not a trace of oil in sight.

Lin Qi strode over.

"Vice Principal Lin!"

The cook in charge of serving the food was startled and immediately stood at attention.

Without wasting any words, Lin Qi took out a chipped enamel mug from the basket next to him.

"Give me the full amount."

Lin Qi handed the jar over.

The cook's hands trembled: "Vice...Vice Principal, this is just coarse food for the students, it'll scratch their throats. Your meal is prepared in the barracks at the back..."

"Stop talking nonsense, just hit me!"

Lin Qi glared at him.

The cook dared not disobey, and could only tremble as he scooped a full pot of brown rice for the God of Wealth, topped with a spoonful of bland green vegetables.

Under the gaze of hundreds of shocked eyes.

Lin Qi carried the iron vat and walked to the playground.

There were no tables, no chairs, and not even a clean white tablecloth.

He made no attempt to maintain his composure, plopping down on the hard ground, crossing his legs, and picking at a mouthful of coarse rice with bamboo chopsticks in his hand.

It really scratches your throat and is hard to swallow.

But Lin Qi swallowed it without changing his expression.

"What are you all standing there for? Like wooden stakes?"

Lin Qi, holding the jar, pointed with his chopsticks at the shocked first-generation trainees in the distance.

"Come here! Sit down and eat!"

Chen Chuanjin was the boldest. He walked over with his bowl, grinned, and sat down cross-legged directly opposite Lin Qi.

"Vice Principal Lin, with your precious health, how can you possibly swallow this coarse, paper-like rice?"

He asked, half jokingly and half tentatively.

Lin Qi took another bite of rice and sneered, "Stop being sarcastic with me. Back in the day, I didn't sleep for three days straight while doing experiments in America. What haven't I eaten when I was starving? What's wrong with eating this stuff? You're complaining about this rice today, but when you're on the battlefield and the enemy has besieged you on a hilltop and you're cut off from your supplies, you'll be eating tree bark and grass roots like they're dragon meat!"

These words shed any airs of officialdom and revealed only the chivalrous spirit of the martial arts world.

Xu Xiangqian and Hu Shoushan quickly brought their bowls and sat down on the ground, and more and more students formed a large circle.

The distance was reduced to a negative number at this moment.

While eating, Lin Qi chatted with them in colloquial language mixed with various local slang terms.

We won't discuss the profound theories of the Three Principles of the People, nor will we discuss international affairs.

He chatted with Chen Chuanjin about how Hunan-style braised pork is made and about the water level of the Xiangjiang River.

I chatted with Xu Xiangqian about the Loess Plateau in Shanxi and how far the old rifles used by bandits could go.

He even patted Hu Shoushan on the shoulder and promised that once he achieved military merit, he would personally find him a tall wife to improve the next generation.

A burst of knowing laughter erupted from the crowd.

Chen Chuanjin's fearless personality had been completely won over by Lin Qi's carefree attitude, who was both a mentor and an older brother. He boldly joked about the vice principal jumping barefoot in the mud pit earlier.

Xu Xiangqian, who was usually quiet and reserved, didn't say much, but his eyes were filled with unwavering respect when he looked at Lin Qi.

In this chaotic world where officers don't treat soldiers like human beings, a vice principal who holds the power of life and death and can bang on the table with foreigners is willing to sit on the ground and eat the same food as these student soldiers.

It's worth risking your life for someone like that!

at this time.

The sumptuous feast on the table in the barracks had already gone cold.

The teacher stood on a high place, looking at the young man on the playground who was carrying a broken jar and mingling with hundreds of students from the countryside, sitting on the ground.

He stroked his beard and sighed deeply, his eyes brimming with joy and relief.

"A combination of kindness and severity, swift and decisive measures, yet a compassionate heart!"

The gentleman nodded repeatedly, then turned to Liao Zikai beside him: "I originally thought Tuozhi was just an industrial expert who knew about lathes and gunpowder, but seeing him today, he's simply a born commander! He understands what the real grassroots are like, and he knows how to unite the soul of this army!"

Liao Zikai nodded with great appreciation: "He doesn't put on airs and shares weal and woe with his soldiers. This is the kind of new-style officer we really need! With these students under his command, you can rest easy, sir."

Chiang Kai-shek, standing to the side, felt as if a fly was stuck in his throat, something he couldn't swallow or spit out.

He was a master of political intrigue and scheming. He saw things more clearly than the gentleman.

Lin Qi's actions were far from simply sharing joys and sorrows.

This is clearly a scheme to wipe out the family line!

Before the military academy had even officially started, the hearts of the first few hundred of the most elite students, the future backbone of the military, had already been completely won over by Lin Qi!

Deep within Chiang Kai-shek's heart, unprecedented fear and jealousy grew wildly like weeds.

Whose future does the Whampoa Military Academy belong to: Chiang Kai-shek or Lin Tuozhi?!

He dared not reveal his emotions, and could only force a stiff smile to echo his master's praise. His hands, clenched behind his back, turned white.

……

Three days later.

The official admission list for the first cohort of students admitted to Huangpu Military Academy has been finalized.

Due to Lin Qi's sudden emergence, the original 500-plus people were reduced to only 420 by his extremely abnormal physical examination and final test in the quagmire.

But each of these 420 men was a tough, clean-cut, and resilient soldier.

The military academy's opening ceremony will be held tomorrow morning in the newly built auditorium on Cheung Chau Island.

At that time, all the high-ranking officials of the Grand Marshal's Mansion, their spouses, and various elders will all go to the island to attend the ceremony.

It was evening.

Ishii Arsenal, a top-secret underground warehouse.

Lin Qizheng, accompanied by several trusted technicians, conducted a spot check on the training rifles to be issued to the Whampoa Military Academy students the next day.

This is the first batch of refurbished Mauser replica rifles with a new, homemade firing pin and a barrel that has undergone lead bath tempering.

The pleasant scent of gun oil filled the air.

Just then, the warehouse iron door was pushed open.

A man dressed in tattered dockworker's shorts and wearing a felt hat slipped in like a ghost.

The guards outside did not stop him, because he was one of Lin Qi's men.

The man was a clansman from the Lin clan, who was also the deputy superintendent of the Guangdong Customs. He was a mole planted by the man himself on the smuggling route in the Pearl River Estuary, and was specifically responsible for passing on confidential information to Lin Qi.

The man strode up to Lin Qi and pulled out an oil paper package sealed with sealing wax from his pocket.

"Master Lin, the deputy supervisor sent me here immediately, saying something terrible has happened."

The man's voice was very low, revealing his nervousness.