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

"Wood and canvas? That's ancient history."

Lin Qi picked up a piece of chalk and drew a sturdy cover around the outline of the aircraft: "The horsepower of internal combustion engines is increasing at a crazy rate of doubling every year. The 100-horsepower rotary engine is being replaced by the 100-horsepower V-type liquid-cooled engine. The aerodynamic design of the all-metal skin makes the aircraft no longer afraid of wind and rain."

The chalk struck the oval-shaped object on the belly of the plane heavily.

"The yield of aerial bombs is no longer the small hand grenades weighing a few pounds that pilots throw by hand! It's high-explosive bombs weighing hundreds or even thousands of pounds, mounted under the fuselage!"

Lin Qi's voice boomed like a bell, painting a chilling picture of the apocalypse in everyone's minds.

"Put away your narrow understanding of war! Imagine a squadron of all-metal bombers, carrying dozens of tons of high explosives, swooping down from the clouds. Their targets aren't your frontline infantry trenches, but your prized howitzer positions! Your rear ammunition depots! Your supply railroad hubs!"

Lin Qi's gaze was like a sharp sword, piercing through the pride of everyone present.

"Without anti-aircraft fire and without friendly aircraft to intercept them, no matter how deep your trenches are, how large your artillery calibers are, or how ingenious your troop deployment is, you're just a bunch of helpless groundhogs. When bombs fall from above, your proud defenses will be completely cut off from food, water, and ammunition from within! They'll collapse without a fight!"

The classroom was deathly silent.

Chen Chuanjin scratched his scalp, a thin layer of sweat appearing on his forehead.

Gu Mo opened his mouth three times, but his prepared rebuttal failed him to utter a single word in the face of the overwhelming industrial parameters.

Amidst this suffocating sense of oppression, a screeching sound came from the third-row chair.

Du Guangting suddenly stood up.

His square face turned bright red, his hands clenched into fists, and he shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Vice Principal! We believe what you say about three-dimensional warfare! We also believe in yesterday's cannons!"

Du Guangting gritted his teeth and publicly exposed the most helpless weakness of the entire South.

"But our headquarters even had to beg the Soviets for money to buy guns and cannons! Every penny was stretched thin! Airplanes? Tanks? Air defense networks? These money-devouring beasts were simply a pipe dream for us! We couldn't even afford to eat, how could we possibly achieve air superiority!"

A suppressed sigh escaped from the students.

Du Guangting was telling the truth; poverty is the original sin.

Lin Qi stared at Du Guangting, a cold smile curving his lips.

"You think this is an unattainable dream?"

Lin Qi slammed his hands on the lectern, leaned forward, and dropped a bombshell of intelligence that was enough to shake the entire classroom.

"You spend all day here on Cheung Chau Island, spouting nonsense, calling yourselves revolutionary vanguards, and looking down on those old warlords of the Beiyang Army who control their own armies. Well then, I'll throw a bucket of cold water on you frogs in a well!"

Lin Qi's voice was extremely stern.

"Marshal Zhang of Fengtian has already established the Northeast Aviation Bureau in Shenyang! Not only has he set up an aviation school to train pilots, but the Northeast Army now holds a full sixty fighter planes and bombers purchased from France and Britain! Breguet, Gaudron, and Handre Page—all active European models!"

The entire audience was terrified.

Guan Yudong gasped and swayed.

Chen Chuanjin bit his lip hard, his face pale.

Gu Mosan and Qian Muyin, who were sitting in the back row, were even more horrified.

The intelligence network at headquarters was riddled with holes, and they had no way of knowing such top-secret information about the warlords' military equipment.

Lin Qi picked up the blackboard eraser and vigorously wiped away the airplane drawings on the blackboard.

"You bunch of privileged sons of heaven, still gloating over a few new rifles, while the old warlords you look down on have already stepped one foot into the threshold of three-dimensional warfare!"

He threw the blackboard eraser into the chalk box and demanded an explanation.

"When you graduate from Whampoa Military Academy and lead troops on a northern expedition to conquer the Central Plains, you'll look up and see the sky filled with Northeast Army bombers. Are you planning to try and poke the heavens with your firewood sticks?!"

Silence reigned.

All the students' pride and enthusiasm were crushed into dust by this cold and cruel reality.

An unprecedented sense of oppression gripped them, tightening around their necks.

The school bell rang shrilly in the corridor.

Lin Qi didn't say a word more. He picked up his lecture notes and strode out of the classroom, leaving behind a room full of military academy students who were lost in thought and looking dejected.

……

Guangzhou, the rear courtyard of the Grand Marshal's Mansion.

The tall iron gate was wide open, and two rows of fully armed guards stood ramrod straight, not daring to even breathe loudly.

A pure black sedan slowly drove into the courtyard and came to a steady stop on the bluestone-paved driveway.

Before the driver could get out of the car, the passenger door opened, and Kong Yongzhi, dressed in an elegant Western-style suit, stepped out first.

He opened a black English-style parasol, quickly walked around to the back seat, and respectfully opened the car door.

A foot wearing a handcrafted, custom-made black high-heeled leather shoe stood firmly on the ground.

The eldest sister of the Song family.

This terrifying woman, who single-handedly built the Song family's vast empire and network of political marriages, has returned from visiting relatives in her hometown in Shanxi.

The eldest sister of the Song family was wearing a dark purple, modified, fitted cheongsam, with a pure black velvet shawl draped over her shoulders.

She wasn't wearing any elaborate or cumbersome jewelry, except for a fine emerald brooch pinned to her chest.

She simply stood quietly beside the car, and the oppressive feeling of being in a superior position spread outwards like a tide.

Even senior figures like Madam Hu and Madam Wang, who had been around for a very long time, treated Sister Song with utmost respect.

In another timeline, decades later, the lady once said in private, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "If my eldest sister had given birth to a son, what would have become of Chiang Kai-shek? He would have been killed by my eldest sister long ago."

This shows how terrifying this woman is.

Sister Song's gaze swept over the layout of the courtyard, and she strode towards the main hall of the inner court. Her high heels clicked rhythmically on the stone slabs.

Inside the main hall, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

The lady was intently pruning a bottle of gladiolus that had just been delivered.

The third young lady, dressed in an elegant Western-style dress, sat on a mahogany sofa, holding an English magazine in her hand, but her gaze was not focused on the pages, and she seemed somewhat absent-minded.

Hearing footsteps, the lady put down the scissors, turned around, and a joyful smile immediately bloomed on her face.

"Big sister, big brother-in-law, you're finally back! You must be tired from your long journey. Please have a seat."

Sister Song took off her velvet gloves and handed them to the maid next to her before sitting down on the sofa.

After exchanging greetings with everyone, Kong Yongzhi tactfully went to the outer hall for tea, refraining from participating in the women's conversation.

The maid served freshly brewed black tea.

Sister Song picked up her teacup and gently stirred the lid. The crisp clinking of the porcelain was particularly clear in the quiet main hall.

His gaze didn't fall on the lady, but instead bypassed the rising steam from the teacup and locked onto the restless third young lady.

"Third Sister."

Sister Song's voice was unhurried, yet sharp and unyielding: "Shanghai's social scene has been bustling these past few months, and you've turned down every charity ball in the French Concession. You've been staying in Guangzhou for months. What, have you changed your ways?"

The third young lady's hand holding the magazine stiffened slightly.

The socialite, who usually looked down on those warlord sons, showed a rare hint of girlish shyness in front of her elder sister's sharp, penetrating eyes.

"Eldest sister is joking. I was just bored in Shanghai, so I came to keep second sister company."

Sister Song put down her teacup and let out a cold laugh.