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

Lin Qi looked at Zhang Hanqing's eagerness to make a name for himself and sneered inwardly. A child is still a child. After hearing about the big picture, all he could think about was how to fight head-on.

"Hanqing, do you believe me or not?"

Lin Qi's expression turned serious.

"Brother, what are you saying? We're practically brothers!"

"Okay. Then I'll tell you the truth."

Lin Qi placed his hands on the table, leaned forward, and lowered his voice to a whisper: "I have written a detailed report for you regarding the arsenal. As long as you follow it, improving the quality of the Fengtian Army's weapons will not be a problem. But I cannot stay in Fengtian."

Zhang Hanqing's smile froze instantly.

"Why?! Big brother, where are you going?!"

"If I stayed in Fengtian, I could at most become a skilled craftsman and make a few good guns."

Lin Qi interrupted him bluntly: "This won't change the general trend of the world. Once the South gains momentum, it will be a surging torrent with Soviet Russian backing, and the few broken furnaces in Fengtian can't stop it."

Lin Qi stood up, walked back to the map, and focused his gaze on the location of Huangpu Island in Guangzhou.

"The only way to break the deadlock is to penetrate their defenses."

Lin Qi said slowly and deliberately, "While the Whampoa Military Academy in the south is still under preparation, I'm going to Guangzhou. I'm going to join the organization as an overseas Chinese returnee with my own investment. I want to become a key figure in this military academy."

Zhang Hanqing gasped, his scalp tingling from the shock of Lin Qi's insane idea.

"Brother, are you crazy?!" Zhang Hanqing rushed over and grabbed Lin Qi's shoulder. "The South is full of revolutionaries, and the Soviet intelligence network is extensive. If someone like you with a questionable background goes there and gets caught, it'll be suicide! If the old man finds out I let you go to your death, he'll beat me to death!"

Lin Qi did not break free. He turned his head to look at Zhang Hanqing's red eyes, and a faint smile with a hint of sorrow and determination suddenly appeared on his lips.

"Hanqing. Precisely because I am someone whose true identity cannot be revealed, I am the best candidate to go undercover in the south."

Lin Qi's voice wasn't loud, but every word struck Zhang Hanqing's heart: "My experience studying abroad, coupled with my genuine skills in chemical engineering and mechanics, are priceless treasures in the eyes of the revolutionaries in the South who desperately need talent."

"Can……"

"No buts." Lin Qi gripped Zhang Hanqing's wrist, his eyes hardening with determination. "I will make a living at the Whampoa Military Academy. I can continuously transmit back to Fengtian the Soviet Union's new tactics, advanced weapon blueprints, and even intelligence on the elite generals they have trained. If the Fengtian Army is destined to clash with the South on the battlefield, I will be the most lethal dagger you plant in the enemy's heart. If the situation changes, I can also become the last escape route left for the Fengtian clique in the South."

Zhang Hanqing was completely stunned.

Looking at Lin Qi in front of him, this man had just become sworn brothers with him and could have enjoyed wealth and honor in the Northeast, but for the long-term interests of the Fengtian clique, he was willing to give up everything and go to the den of wolves in the South to become an undercover agent with a life-or-death situation.

Zhang Hanqing felt a surge of heat in his chest, and his eyes involuntarily stung.

These are true brothers!

This is truly a peerless national hero!

"Brother..." Zhang Hanqing's throat tightened, and his voice trembled, "If something happens to you, I will never be able to live with myself for the rest of my life."

"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. When it comes to great things, there's no such thing as doing things without taking risks."

Lin Qisong released his grip, turned, and walked to the table, resuming his calm, calculating state: "However, I can't go to the South empty-handed. The biggest shortage of money is for the establishment of the Whampoa Military Academy. I need some start-up capital to take over a foreign firm in Guangzhou or Hong Kong as a cover. With the guise of an industrialist, I can legitimately befriend Southern political figures and pour money into the military academy to gain seniority."

Zhang Hanqing immediately wiped his face, regaining his decisive demeanor as the young marshal.

"How much do you want? Name your price, brother. Tickets won't do; they're worthless once they cross the Shanhaiguan Pass. I'll give you silver dollars!"

"I don't need too much; attracting attention would be counterproductive." Lin Qi calculated for a moment, "Two hundred thousand silver dollars. I'll exchange it for HSBC's pound drafts or small silver dollars. This money will be enough for me to register a trading company, smooth things over, and establish an independent intelligence transmission line. That'll be enough for me to gain a foothold in Guangzhou."

Two hundred thousand silver dollars.

In 1924, this was an extremely large sum of money, enough to equip two infantry regiments or buy several streets of Western-style buildings in Shanghai.

But Zhang Hanqing didn't even blink.

Compared to Lin Qi's desperate efforts and the strategic importance of driving a nail into the south, 200,000 silver dollars was nothing; it was just a sum he could scrape together with his own savings.

"No problem! The items will be delivered to the annex by nightfall tomorrow." Zhang Hanqing gritted his teeth and solemnly promised, "Also, the Fengtian Army has a highly confidential intelligence liaison station in Shanghai. I'll give you the highest-level codebook. From now on, it will be a one-way communication. Only I will know of your existence."

Lin Qi nodded. Everything was under control.

With this initial capital of 200,000 silver dollars and the cover provided by a high-ranking Fengtian clique agent, his path south was now completely paved.

……

Three days later, at Dalian Port.

The sky was overcast, and a biting sea breeze swept across the pier. An ocean liner flying the British Union Jack was refueling with fresh water and coal.

Lin Qi was wearing a well-tailored dark gray cashmere coat, a fedora with the brim pulled low, and carrying a heavy German-made leather suitcase.

Inside the box, there were ten gold bars and a thick stack of HSBC bank drafts, a total of two hundred thousand silver dollars in hard currency.

There was also a very convincing fake US passport with the name "Qi Lin" written on it.

Zhang Hanqing, dressed in inconspicuous black civilian clothes, accompanied by two capable guards, all the way to the boarding gate.

"Brother." Zhang Hanqing gripped Lin Qi's hands tightly, his eyes bloodshot, clearly having stayed up late these past few days. "The journey is long and arduous, so your life is the most important thing. If things become unbearable, send an urgent telegram immediately, and I'll send someone to pick you up."

"Renovate the arsenal in Fengtian according to the plan I left behind. Don't worry about the cost of materials."

Lin Qi grasped his hand in return, his voice gentle yet steady: "Remember this, stabilize the situation in the Northeast. We brothers, one in the south and one in the north, will decide the fate of the world."

Zhang Hanqing nodded emphatically.

The ship's horn suddenly sounded, urging passengers to board.

Lin Qi released his grip, turned, and stepped onto the gangway. His steps were steady.

He didn't turn around.

I went into the first-class cabin on the second floor and locked the door from the inside.

Lin Qicai threw the leather suitcase he was holding onto the sofa and took off his felt hat, tossing it aside.

He walked to the porthole and looked down at Zhang Hanqing's figure, which was gradually getting smaller on the pier.

Lin Qi's lips curled up slightly, a cold smile that belonged to a top-notch STEM guy from a century in the future, an extremely rational and goal-oriented strategist, after the disguise was removed.

An undercover agent? For the greater good of the Fengtian clique?

That's all bullshit.

He was going to the place that would soon gather the most brilliant generals in the entire country.

He wanted to use the 200,000 silver dollars and the century-old technological achievements in his mind to build his own military industrial chain in Huangpu and cultivate a group of iron-blooded generals with modern warfare thinking.

With a tremendous tremor, the passenger ship slowly sailed away from Dalian Port.