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

The stove in the main hall of the annex was burning brightly.

Several kilograms of high-quality smokeless coal emitted a dark red glow, completely dispelling the chill in the room.

Zhang Hanqing leaned back in the armchair without any regard for his image, holding a half-empty glass of French brandy in his hand.

His eyes were fixed on the huge map of the warlord factions across the country on the opposite wall.

In the past two hours, his worldview has undergone a complete shattering and reconstruction.

Lin Qi stood in front of the map, holding a piece of burnt charcoal in his hand, and drew a heavy circle around the South China region.

"Hanqing." Lin Qi tossed charcoal into the stove, patted the soot off his hands, and said in a calm, even voice, "You always think that the Fengtian Army is strong and powerful, and that their loss to the Zhili Army was just due to poor tactical planning. That kind of thinking is utterly stupid."

If Zhang Hanqing had heard someone dare to insult him like that normally, he would have pulled out his gun long ago.

At this moment, he couldn't even muster the thought of rebutting; he merely swallowed hard, waiting for what was to come.

"When the old warlords fought, they fought for money and territory. Soldiers were paid for their duties, and officers were paid to save their lives. When the battle was going well, they would rush in like swarms, but when they encountered a tough opponent, they would run away faster than anyone else."

Lin Qi pulled up a chair and sat down, taking a sip of the cold tea on the table: "But now, times have changed. What's happening in the south will uproot you old warlords."

"Brother, you mean Sun Yat-sen?" Zhang Hanqing frowned, his tone filled with confusion. "He can't even sleep peacefully in Guangzhou. Chen Jiongming is watching him from the East River, and the Yunnan and Guangxi armies are collecting protection money in the city. How can he possibly turn the tide?"

Lin Qi sneered.

He took out a neatly folded foreign newspaper from the inside pocket of his coat, unfolded it, and threw it in front of Zhang Hanqing.

The newspaper was the Far East edition of The Times, which he had Zhang Hanqing obtain. Two days would be enough to understand the current situation at home and abroad.

"This happened last month. The Kuomintang held its first national congress in Guangzhou."

Lin Qixiu pointed his long finger at the headline: "They have determined three major policies. The most crucial one is called alliance with Russia and tolerance of the Communists."

Zhang Hanqing took a closer look. Although his English was not very good, he could still recognize a few key names of people and countries.

"The Soviets have entered the game."

Lin Qi leaned back in his chair, his eyes becoming extremely sharp and profound: "Soviet Russia has just finished its civil war, and they urgently need to find a proxy in the Far East to restrain the power of Britain, the United States, and Japan. Money, weapons, and advisors will flow into Guangzhou like water. More importantly, rumors have spread from the south that a brand-new army officer school will be built on Huangpu Island in Guangzhou."

"It's just building a military academy. The Baoding Military Academy and our Northeast Military Academy enroll students every year, don't they?"

Zhang Hanqing disagreed.

"These are not the same thing at all."

Lin Qi's tone turned cold, carrying a sense of oppressive authority as if he were looking down on history: "Once the Whampoa Military Academy was established, it didn't cultivate soldiers who just coasted along on paychecks, but officers with clear political beliefs. That's called the D Army. They used the Soviet model of military building, instilling ideology into the minds of every soldier. A modern army that wasn't afraid to die, knew why they were fighting, coupled with Soviet arms aid. Hanqing, just think about it, how many rounds could those opium-smoking company and battalion commanders on the Fengtian Army's front lines withstand against this kind of army?"

The room fell into a deathly silence, with only the occasional soft "pop" from the fireplace.

A layer of cold sweat seeped out from Zhang Hanqing's back.

He grew up in a military camp and knew all too well how terrifying an army's fighting power would be if it were truly unafraid of death.

He suddenly realized that his previous focus on getting guns and cannons to take revenge on Wu Ziyu was far too narrow-minded.

If the South were to rise to power with the help of Soviet Russia, the Fengtian clique would face annihilation.

"Even if we take a step back and assume that you manage to stop the Southern expedition to the North,..."

Lin Qi added the final blow at the opportune moment, pointing to the east of the map: "There's also Japan lurking nearby, ready to devour us at any moment. The Fengtian Army is caught in the middle, attacked from both sides. A dead end."

Zhang Hanqing suddenly stood up.

He paced restlessly back and forth in the room, his military boots creaking on the wooden floor.

He turned his head and stared intently at Lin Qi.

The young man in front of me was only in his early twenties, yet he could analyze the world situation with ease, as if he could read the lines on the palm of his hand.

Not to mention that yesterday at the firing range, the problem of barrel explosions that had plagued the Fengtian Army for half a year was solved with just a few chemical formulas.

This isn't some overseas-educated PhD; this is a once-in-a-millennium living Zhuge Liang.

A sudden, intense sense of crisis welled up in Zhang Hanqing's heart.

This person is terrifying. If he cannot be completely bound to us, he will become the most deadly enemy of the Fengtian clique once the old man discovers him or he is recruited by the South.

"Dr. Lin!" Zhang Hanqing suddenly stopped and walked a few steps to Lin Qi.

Before Lin Qi could react, the young marshal, who held considerable military power, suddenly bent his knees and knelt on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Lin Qi frowned slightly and reached out to help him.

"Dr. Lin, don't move! Please accept my bow!"

Zhang Hanqing gripped Lin Qi's wrist tightly, his eyes red-rimmed, and his tone extremely solemn: "In my entire life, besides this old man, I've never respected anyone. But today, I truly respect you. With all your vast and profound knowledge, I can't trust you to stay out here. If someone were to blindly harm you, or deceive you with sweet words, I would be heartbroken. Today, in this villa, behind closed doors, I, Zhang Hanqing, respectfully beg Dr. Lin to become my sworn brother. We will share both good times and bad! If I ever harbor even the slightest disloyalty towards my brother, may I be riddled with bullets!"

After saying that, he forcefully shook off Lin Qi's hand and kowtowed three times on the ground.

This is the logic of how a grassroots warlord operates, which Zhang Hanqing learned from his own father.

Simple, brutal, but also the most effective in this era.

Lin Qi looked at Zhang Hanqing kneeling on the ground, a subtle glint of light flashing deep in his eyes.

He had spent so much time and effort preparing for this moment.

Zhang Hanqing's initiative to propose becoming sworn brothers signifies that he has completely let down his guard.

He took a deep breath, and a complex mix of emotions appeared on his face—shock, hesitation, and finally, a touch of emotion.

"Hanqing, why are you doing this? We are worlds apart..."

Lin Qi bent down and lifted Zhang Hanqing up with both hands: "I am just a commoner, I do not deserve such kindness from the young marshal."

"What young marshal! From today onwards, you are my own elder brother!"

Zhang Hanqing stood up, his face flushed with excitement, and shouted towards the door, "Guards! Go to the kitchen and get a live chicken! Bring some yellow wine! Quickly!"

In the blink of an eye, a simple incense table was set up in the main hall.

Chop off the chicken's head and burn yellow paper.

Two bowls of strong liquor, dripped with chicken blood, collided.

The moment Lin Qi tilted his head back and drank the blood wine in one gulp, he closed his eyes.

The strong liquor burned down his throat, completely masking his coldness and scheming. The scheme was complete.

After putting down the large bowl, Zhang Hanqing wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth and excitedly pulled Lin Qi to sit down.

"Brother, now that we're brothers, there must be a way to break that deadlock you mentioned, right?"

Zhang Hanqing's eyes were full of anticipation: "As long as you give the word, I'll hand over the arsenal to you immediately. We'll work day and night, building cannons first, then training the troops. If the Japanese and the South dare to come, we'll fight them to the death!"