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

Since it concerned Zhang Hanqing, Yang Yuting dared not say a word, no matter how dissatisfied he was.

Just because he doesn't speak doesn't mean others won't. Tang Yulin has had a lot of power taken away in the past two years and has long been dissatisfied, he sneered.

"Guo Songling, a fellow who came from a military academy and had only a couple of books on foreign military strategy stuffed in his head, dared to talk back to us old brothers."

"In the past two years, Hanqing has promoted only this kind of new-style people—those who can write foreign words, can talk about foreign military tactics, and have a lot of talk about infantry-artillery coordination. Guo Songling is like this, and this Vice Principal Lin who is here today is even more like this. Hanqing is as easily swayed as a young girl. Whoever knows a few words of foreign language is considered a great talent."

The room fell silent.

Yang Yuting subconsciously adjusted the temple of his glasses.

Jiang Dengxuan lowered his head to pick up his pipe.

The scar on Sun Liechen's face was noticeably darker.

The old general remained silent, gently placing the teacup down slowly, the porcelain bottom touching the mahogany table without making a sound.

He knew exactly what was going on.

The reason he promoted Guo Songling and dared to let his son expose the old ways of the Fengtian Army was because he had witnessed the Zhili-Fengtian War two years ago.

What old brothers? What life-and-death commitment?

He was a master at currying favor and embezzling military pay, and his posture when kowtowing to the general at the gate of the mansion was more respectful than anyone else's.

When they reached Shanhaiguan, Wu Xiaogui's Third Division charged down and ran faster than a rabbit.

If he truly believed these old comrades could fight tough battles, would he need Guo Songling?

He chuckled softly, picked up the lid of the teacup, and then pressed it down again.

These old buddies are his roots.

They formed their bond in Xinmin Prefecture more than 20 years ago, through countless battles and bloodshed.

If the roots rot, the tree will fall. This principle is more reliable than any foreign military strategy.

Therefore, he cannot accept these words in person.

"Um."

The old general finally uttered a single word.

"What you say makes sense."

He looked up and scanned the room.

"We have to give Mr. Ke face."

"What are you standing on, sir?"

The old general's voice wasn't loud, but he managed to suppress the slight hint of sarcasm.

"It's about the greater good. Whether it's the people of the three northeastern provinces or the people inside the Great Wall, whichever side the emperor stands on, that's where the people's hearts will follow. If our Fengtian Army wants to march south into the Central Plains, without the support of the people, even if we have 300,000 more troops, it will be in vain."

Tang Yulin responded with an "Oh".

Jiang Dengxuan lowered his head and did not reply.

Yang Yuting gave a cold laugh.

"But we can't let Sun Dapao take advantage of our Fengtian Army for nothing. He only has a handful of troops in Guangzhou..."

"Neighboring vine".

The old coach raised his hand, stopping Yang Yuting from speaking.

Then he smiled.

His smile revealed the shrewdness characteristic of the Manchu people from beyond the Great Wall; his eyes narrowed, and his mouth stretched to the sides, even revealing several horizontal lines on his face.

"I don't think much of that kid, and I don't think much of the teacher."

"We men talk about it behind people's backs."

He pronounced the word "behind" very clearly.

"Let's at least smooth things over for now. No matter how unappealing the guests Hanqing brought back are, we have to make sure they get a hot meal. What else can we do? Let them go back hungry? If word gets back to Guangzhou that people from beyond the Great Wall are uncouth, wouldn't that make the Fengtian Army lose face too?"

Tang Yulin chuckled.

"The old general is indeed very thoughtful."

Jiang Dengxuan laughed along with him.

Yang Yuting opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't reply.

The old coach's smile effectively silenced all the discontent in the room.

Just then, footsteps came from the corridor outside the hall.

The adjutant reported this at the door.

"General."

"The young marshal has brought his guests; they have already passed through the second gate."

The old general grunted in agreement, put down his teacup, and stood up, using the armrest for support.

As soon as he stood up, everyone in the room stood up as well.

Yang Yuting and the others exchanged incredulous glances.

Is the old general going to personally go and greet them?

This level of protocol is not something that can be given casually at the Marshal's Mansion. Two years ago, when Zhao Bingjun's son from the Beiyang Army came to Fengtian, the old Marshal did not even get up.

Let's go out together.

The old general smiled and gathered the hem of his cotton robe.

Yang Yuting frowned slightly, but didn't say anything, and followed the old general out.

The blue brick floor of the hall was polished until it shone.

When Lin Qi followed Zhang Hanqing across the threshold, the first thing he saw was the legendary Marshal Zhang.

I mentally reviewed the illustrations in the textbook.

The image of the rigid, wide-brimmed military cap-wearing, and glaringly posing for photos of Marshal Zhang was completely rendered useless in that instant.

The person in front of me wasn't very tall, about four feet six or seven inches.

He was wearing a worn-out dark cotton robe, with a section of black cloth shoes peeking out from under the robe. The uppers of the shoes were worn white. He wore a dark blue cap on his head, with the brim pulled down a little.

He had a round face, and his eyebrows weren't particularly heroic, but his eyes were round and black, like two freshly peeled walnuts, hidden beneath a smiling face.

The moment Lin Qi's eyes met those eyes, the hairs on the back of his head stood on end.

This old man is definitely not an ordinary person.

The old coach didn't let him take a closer look; his face broke into a smile first.

"Little Liu, why aren't you introducing the guests yet?!"

Zhang Hanqing quickly introduced Lin Qi and Lu Xiaojia.

"My two nephews, you've had a long and arduous journey."

As the old general spoke, he personally reached out to let Lin Qi in.

"It's windy outside the pass, sit inside, sit inside."

This hand is thick and has several calluses on the palm.

Lin Qi lowered his eyes and followed the old general inside.

Upon entering the hall, the old marshal sat down in the main chair, with Zhang Hanqing sitting to his right.

Lin Qi was moved to the first seat on the left, a position that, according to the customs outside the pass, is above the guest.

Lu Xiaojia sat to his left, which shows that Mr. Guangzhou held a higher position in the old marshal's heart than Lu Yongxiang from Zhejiang.

Yang Yuting and several other veterans took their seats on either side.

When Tang Yulin sat down, his pipe bumped against the chair leg with a "bang".

Jiang Dengxuan stood next to Yang Yuting, his eyes half-closed.

Sun Liechen was the furthest away, closest to the wall.

The old coach first exchanged a few polite words about the weather outside the Great Wall, the weather in Guangzhou, and the weather in Shanghai, and then asked about Lu Yongxiang's health.

"I heard your father's leg flared up in Hangzhou last year?"

The old general smiled broadly.

Lu Xiaojia quickly bowed.

"Uncle is concerned about my father. My father has recovered greatly this year. He was even able to run a couple of laps at the horse track a few days ago."

"That's good, that's good."

The old coach smiled and nodded; everything was done with great decorum.

Lin Qi held his teacup but didn't drink much, glancing around the room out of the corner of his eye.

Yang Yuting held a teacup, his posture relaxed, but his left hand, resting on his knee, unconsciously tapped his knee lightly with his index finger, once, once, once.

Lin Qi knew in his heart that this person was waiting.

After the old general finished his polite words, after Lu Xiaojia revealed his purpose, Lin Qi responded with the word "alliance".

Then all the sparks in the room were about to splash onto Lin Qi's face.