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

The old general took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, and spoke again.

"My dear nephew."

This "nephew" is exactly the same as the previous one, but the feeling is completely different. It's cool, like the wind at night in the Northeast at the end of August. You don't feel it when it blows on you, but only those who know how cold can tell the difference.

Lin Qi didn't move, knowing there was more to come after that sentence.

"The battle two years ago! There were many reasons for the defeat. There was a shortage of supplies on the Beijing-Yulin Railway, the 16th Division wavered in the face of battle, and there were three old brothers in the pass who were in contact with the Zhili clique and who were passing messages to Wu Xiaogui. Later, I caught them."

Tang Yulin responded with a "hey," but didn't reply.

Jiang Dengxuan lowered his head to dust off his pipe, while Sun Liechen's eyelids drooped.

The old general paused for a moment, then raised his small, almond-shaped eyes and looked directly at Lin Qi's face.

"Ling Ge was the chief of staff, and it's true that he drafted the strategy, but this defeat..."

"Isn't it a bit biased to put all the blame on him?"

The room was completely silent.

Zhang Hanqing breathed a long sigh of relief, thinking that his sworn brother should be alright.

Lin Qi knew perfectly well that the old marshal was offering a ladder, and the most respectable ladder that the bearded man from beyond the Great Wall had ever offered.

Instead of admitting their mistake in person or publicly supporting Yang Yuting, they simply said, "Isn't that a bit biased?"

If he simply says something like, "Uncle is right, I spoke too quickly, Chief of Staff Yang, please don't take offense," then the matter can be put to rest.

Yang Yuting's humiliation was partially averted, and the Fengtian clique's dignity was largely restored. They could then host a banquet to discuss the alliance agreement later, and everyone would be happy.

Zhang Hanqing secretly glanced at Lin Qi, and that glance was full of unspoken words: Brother, know when to stop, Brother, give my father some face.

While secretly observing Lin Qi, Tang Yulin mentally clicked his tongue. This so-called PhD would probably back down. After all, a scholar is already quite capable of verbally stabbing someone in the back; if he really wanted to stand his ground, he, Lin, didn't have the guts.

Jiang Dengxuan thought the same thing.

Sun Liechen leaned against the wall without moving, secretly glancing at Lin Qi's face out of the corner of his eye, thinking to himself: If this kid backs down now, he's just a smooth talker; if he doesn't back down, that's a different story.

Lu Xiaojia huddled in the chair, almost collapsing. He had never imagined that he would see a gun in the main hall of the Marshal's Mansion on his trip from Zhejiang.

The old general leaned back in his armchair, holding a teacup, his small eyes half-closed, waiting.

He's spent his whole life in the underworld, and he's mastered the art of "waiting"—he knows that most people will back down at this point.

Will Xiao Liuzi, this sworn brother, back out?

He wasn't really sure what was going on. This kid hadn't followed the rules since he entered. He didn't kowtow properly, he didn't take out the alliance document properly, and he didn't follow the rules at all when he brought up the old humiliations of the Fengtian Army.

Lin Qi lowered his eyes, mentally reviewing everyone in the room again. He sensed Zhang Hanqing's gaze; it was a plea for him to come down.

However, he shook his head; he couldn't get down.

It wasn't that he disregarded his sworn brother's feelings; he knew that taking a step back wasn't just taking one step back, it was taking ten steps back.

Everyone who retreated into the room looked at Lin Qi differently.

He had just seen Yang Yuting put away his gun; it was the old marshal who had subdued him, not Lin Qi. As long as he followed the old marshal's lead, Yang Yuting had a plan: this kid has a sharp tongue but a weak spine; he'll submit if you scare him.

Veteran generals like Tang Yulin, Jiang Dengxuan, and Sun Liechen shared the same thought.

Lin Qi had a script in his mind. He came to Fengtian not to save face, but to sharpen the Fengtian Army like a knife, making it faster, more accurate, and more ruthless.

He stood taller than everyone else, not only needing the old marshal to give him face, but also needing to win the old marshal's respect in his heart, not through words, but through his mind.

Thinking of this, Lin Qi raised his head and nodded slightly to the old marshal, his meaning clear: sorry, I won't take the easy way out.

The old general opened his half-closed eyes a crack.

"uncle."

Lin Qi's voice was very flat, so flat that it was almost indistinguishable from other voices: "Whether it is solely Staff Officer Yang's responsibility, I cannot say for sure."

A little color slowly returned to Yang Yuting's deathly pale face.

Everyone in the room thought Lin Qi was going to take advantage of the situation to back down.

However, Lin Qi did not stop.

"There is one thing I must say today."

"If I had been in charge of the battle two years ago, we wouldn't have lost."

The entire hall felt as if it had been struck by a muffled thunderbolt.

Zhang Hanqing's face froze again, his mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg.

The old general lifted his eyelids, which had been drooping slightly.

Yang Yuting's face instantly turned bright red. He was still full of anger, but Lin Qi's words only made him laugh.

"ha!"

"Hahaha!"

Laughter echoed in the hall. Yang Yuting laughed so hard his shoulders were shaking and his eyes were wet with tears.

"If you were in charge! You think you'd win this battle?! That's the biggest joke I've ever heard from that motherfucker in my entire life!"

He pointed at Lin Qiyi: "Do you really think Wu Ziyu is mediocre?! Do you really think the Third Division of the Zhili Army is just like those opium addicts from Guangzhou?! The Third Division is known as the elite of the Beiyang Army, it has fought its way through bloodshed! If you were in charge, I bet you wouldn't even be able to reach Shanhaiguan Pass before being driven back to Fengtian!"

Lin Qi didn't interrupt, waiting until Yang Yuting finished speaking before slowly asking, "You're not convinced?"

The two words were spoken softly, yet everyone in the room could hear them.

Lin Qi looked at Yang Yuting without a trace of mockery in his eyes, and simply said, "If you're not convinced, let's have a match."

Upon hearing this, everyone became curious!

"Wow!" Tang Yulin slapped his thigh, "This Vice Principal Lin has some guts!"

Jiang Dengxuan slowly put down his pipe, showing genuine interest in Lin Qi for the first time.

Sun Liechen lowered his voice and muttered to Tang Yulin, "Ling Ge is about to be carried up there."

Zhang Hanqing's initial worries turned into uncontrollable elation. He suddenly realized: his elder brother wasn't going to talk back; his elder brother was about to show his true colors!

He knew Lin Qi's worth better than anyone else; even eight Yang Yutings couldn't compare to his eldest brother.

He slammed his hand on the edge of the table: "Dad, isn't the sand table from two years ago still sitting in the house?! Let Tuozhi and Staff Officer Yang run it around! You and your uncles and elders can see exactly how we lost that battle back then!"

The veteran coach didn't offer any opinion, but turned to look at Yang Yuting, waiting for him to speak.

Yang Yuting was now flushed with excitement. He saluted the old marshal with a posture more perfect than ever before: "Marshal! Let this Dr. Lin see what modern warfare is all about. It's not something you can understand just by reading a few foreign books!"

The old general had been waiting for this very sentence. He grunted in agreement and slowly stood up. As soon as he stood up, everyone else followed suit.

"OK."

The old general smiled and said, "Everyone, move over here. Let the men of Fengtian Army witness the prowess of your general."

The group filed out of the flower hall. Several horn lanterns hung in the corridor. The old marshal walked at the front, his cloth shoes making little noise on the bluestone slabs. Yang Yuting followed closely behind the old marshal, his whole being like a newly sharpened bayonet, the blade growing brighter with each step.