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

Afternoon of August 18th.

Inside the Huangpu classroom, the electric fan creaked and whirred, and the air it blew was hot.

Lin Qi stood in front of the blackboard, holding two pieces of chalk, one white and one red.

A mountain range was drawn on the blackboard, with the ridges outlined in white to the same height. Two red dotted lines were drawn diagonally at the foot of the mountain, one flanking from the left and the other feigning an attack from the front.

"What do we need for a flanking maneuver?"

Lin Qi turned around.

"It's about diverting the enemy's attention from their flanks, forcing them to expose their rear midfield in the main attack direction."

The first batch of students from the Whampoa Military Academy below stared intently.

Chen Chuanjin sat in the third row by the aisle, with a bandage wrapped around his arm.

Previously, Lin Qi forced me to demonstrate the "mountainous uphill attack plan," but the whole class dismantled it completely in a debriefing. The bandage is a memento of the fall on the slope at that time.

Lin Qi glanced at him and grinned. Chen Chuanjin, holding the bandage, grinned back with a wry smile.

"But what's the biggest fear when flanking an opponent?"

Lin Qi threw the chalk back into the tin box on the lectern: "Guangting, you speak."

Du Guangting stood up.

"The biggest fear is that logistics will not keep up. If the flanking and outflanking troops are too far away from the main force, and the supply lines for ammunition, food, and water are cut off, the outflanking troops will become an undefended force."

"Yes." Lin Qi nodded. "So..."

There was a knock on the classroom door; it was an officer from headquarters, his face dripping with sweat.

"Vice Principal Lin..."

The attendant bowed.

"The gentleman is waiting for you at the Grand Marshal's Mansion."

Lin Qi's brows twitched slightly. His teacher never interrupted his teaching. Was there something urgent today?

"What is it?"

The attendant wiped his sweat: "The master didn't say anything, he just asked me to pass on a message—an old friend has come to visit."

Lin Qi threw the red chalk at his feet: "Chen Chuanjin, you continue with the section on ammunition stockpiles. Xu Xiangqian, write it on the blackboard."

He threw down a sentence and turned to leave.

Chen Chuanjin: "Vice Principal Lin, how could I possibly do that!"

"If you don't explain it well, I'll slap you later."

Lin Qi didn't turn around and had already stepped out of the classroom.

The car took a ferry from Cheung Chau Island. Lin Qi sat in the back, his arm resting on the window, his mind racing.

old friends.

In the South, the number of people who could be considered "old friends" with him can be counted on one hand.

Lin Zichao is a relative, not an old friend; Zhang Renjie, Liao Zikai, and the Song siblings are all new acquaintances.

The only one I can call an "old friend".

It was either his sworn brother from Fengtian or an old acquaintance from Shanghai.

It's impossible in Fengtian; the young marshal is currently training troops and cannot leave.

That leaves only...

He narrowed his eyes.

As soon as the car entered the front porch of the Grand Marshal's Mansion, Lin Qi got out and followed his attendant through the central courtyard.

The mahogany door to the main hall was open, and there were three people inside.

The gentleman sat in the main seat, Liao Zikai stood beside him, and in the center of the mahogany chair sat a young man in a white suit, with his hair slicked back and a gold-cased pocket watch on his left wrist.

Lin Qi paused for half a second on the threshold.

The young man looked up, saw him, and jumped up from his chair.

"Brother Lin..."

He rushed over in two strides and grabbed Lin Qi's hand, shaking it.

"Young Master Lu."

Lin Qi greeted him politely, but his mind immediately became tense.

Lu Xiaojia.

Lu Yongxiang, the military governor of Zhejiang, had not seen his only son for more than half a year. This troublesome man had written him a few letters in a proper manner, all inquiring about military industry matters.

Lin Qi knew perfectly well that the letter was written by the old fox Lu Yongxiang using his son's name, and that a playboy like Lu Xiaojia could not possibly be interested in military industry.

However, the arrival of this playboy today must mean something big.

"It's great to see you again, little brother!"

Lu Xiaojia shook his head vigorously: "Ever since we parted ways in Shanghai, I've been thinking about it every day."

"Young Master Lu."

Lin Qi grasped his hand and slowed down the swaying rhythm.

"You've gotten quite muscular in the last few months."

A laugh came from the head of the table.

"Takuyuki..."

The man leaned forward slightly from his chair: "I didn't expect that you and Young Master Lu were old acquaintances. This is great; the relationship between our headquarters and the Zhejiang faction is even closer now."

Lin Qi turned around and gave the gentleman a military salute.

Liao Zikai smiled without saying a word, but there was something hidden in that smile that Lin Qi immediately understood.

Liao Zikai told him: You need to be clear about this scene.

The banquet was held in the west wing flower hall.

It was neither too big nor too small, but its size was just right, and there were five people present.

Mr. Liao Zikai, Lin Qi, Lu Xiaojia, plus a comprador from a foreign firm in Shanghai.

The comprador of the foreign firm was surnamed Shen. He was in his early forties, tall and thin, dressed in a Western suit and wearing a pair of gold-rimmed round glasses.

Lin Qiyi immediately understood that this was the real special envoy sent by Lu Yongxiang, an old advisor from the Zhejiang Governor's Office, who had come in disguise.

After a few rounds of drinks, the gentleman put down his glass and looked at Mr. Shen.

"Mr. Shen, you must have had a long and arduous journey."

Mr. Shen bowed slightly: "You're too kind, sir."

"What is Governor Lu's purpose in sending you south this time?"

Shen didn't answer, but glanced at Lu Xiaojia.

Lu Xiaojia took over the conversation and put her wine glass on the table.

"gentlemen……"

"War is imminent along the Jiangsu-Zhejiang line. Since the beginning of the year, Qi Xieyuan of the Zhili clique has been continuously transferring troops to the Songjiang and Baoshan areas, and Sun Chuanfang in Fujian is also becoming impatient."

"My father meant..."

Lu Xiaojia cleared her throat.

"The safety of Zhejiang is related to the overall situation in the southeast. If Zhejiang and Jiangsu are swallowed up by the Zhili clique, Fujian will inevitably follow suit. If Fujian is lost, Guangzhou will be wide open."

"My father begs you, sir, to help us."

Liao Zikai gently nudged Lin Qi's chair leg with his foot under the table.

Lin Qi didn't move, holding his wine glass and looking down at the small pool of amber in it.

The gentleman pondered for a long time before picking up his wine glass.

"Young Master Lu."

"Please go back and tell your father."

"Jiangsu and Zhejiang are the gateway to the southeast. If the Zhili clique invades Zhejiang, it will sever the lifeline of our East China."

"I want to make my position firm here."

"Supporting Zhejiang is protecting Guangdong."

"Our headquarters will advance and retreat together with the Zhejiang army."

Lu Xiaojia stood up abruptly, holding his wine glass: "Sir, you are truly righteous! My father would be moved to tears if he heard these words!"

Lin Qi held his wine glass, his eyes never lifting.

Aiding Zhejiang is protecting Guangdong, which sounds nice, but is it just empty talk or actual troops that are being provided?

The Grand Marshal's Office currently has less than 50,000 troops at its disposal, including the Yunnan and Guangxi armies.

This small force is too much for even Chen Jiongming of Dongjiang to handle.

Cross-provincial support for Zhejiang?

joke.

Lin Qitai was well aware of Mr. Lin's political stance. He was willing to offer support, as the South needed this stance to stabilize its allies, but sending troops was impossible.

He smiled, raised his glass, clinked it with Lu Xiaojia's, and then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

The banquet lasted until the end of the You hour (5-7 PM).

The gentleman, feeling unwell, excused himself to take medication and left the table.

Liao Zikai accompanied Shen to the guesthouse to discuss the details. Lin Qi knew exactly what these details were: the wording of Shen's statement, the channels through which the statement was released, and the timing of the news release.

It's all just superficial.

Only Lin Qi and Lu Xiaojia remained in the hall.

After Lu Xiaojia and the others left, he immediately came over.

"Brother Lin!"

"I have something I'd like to discuss with you privately."

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