"Let's drink a cup of hot tea to drive away the cold. The snow comes exceptionally early in Tianjin this year." said Xie Yun.

Zhang Youfeng blew away the floating leaves and took a sip: "Fortunately, the snow in Shanxi is colder than that in Tianjin. This tea makes me feel much warmer."

"General Zhang, did you have a smooth journey?" Xie Yun narrowed his eyes slightly, picked up the teacup and blew away the hot steam. The rising hot steam blurred his eyebrows.

Zhang Youfeng pulled the corners of his mouth, revealing a tired smile, and sighed: "I can only avoid those ears and eyes by using the excuse of sending my wife and niece to get married."

After three rounds of tea, the two stood up tacitly. The moment the red wood study door closed, Zhang Youfeng's polite smile suddenly faded, and his brows furrowed.

Zhang Youfeng looked at Xie Yun and said in a deep voice: "Brother Xie, the Third Division of the Wu faction is increasing its troops every day. Their ambition is obvious, they want to swallow up Shanxi in one gulp."

Xie Yun frowned when he heard this: "Where is Zhao Qijun? Isn't he stationed in Yangquan?"

"That old fox!" Zhang Youfeng suddenly jumped up and punched the table. The teacup on the table was shaken and the tea splashed out and fell on the table.

His eyes were bloodshot and veins bulged in his temples. "On the surface, he swore to fight the enemy together with me, but secretly he sent his confidants to contact the Wu faction. I know exactly what he is thinking. He just wants to find a way out for himself. He doesn't care about the lives of the people of Shanxi or the friendship of our alliance for many years."

"What does Commander Zhang need?" Xie Yun stared at his trembling hands.

"Arms." Zhang Youfeng said frankly. He leaned forward with an anxious look on his face. "If the Wu faction takes over Shanxi, the next target will probably be the Jinpu Line controlled by you. We are inextricably linked, brother Xie. Once Shanxi is lost, the pressure on your side will increase dramatically, and the situation will be even more critical..."

He didn't say anything more, just sighed.

Xie Yun recalled that during the famine in the southern suburbs, Zhang Youfeng did not hesitate to allocate military rations to help the victims. In this era of warlords fighting each other and everyone being in danger, most warlords only care about power and profit and don't care about the lives of the people. Warlords like Zhang Youfeng who care about the people are rare.

Xie Yun pondered for a long time, and tapped his fingertips on the armrest of the armchair three times: "Since Commander Zhang has not asked, Xie will transfer ten mountain cannons to you." He suddenly lowered his voice, "But these cannonballs... each can only be equipped with 20 rounds, and five of them are old goods left over from the Qing Dynasty."

Zhang Youfeng let out a long sigh and slowly unclenched his clenched fists: "That's enough." He stood up and clasped his fists. "With these, we can suppress their arrogance a little. I will remember this favor in my heart."

"I heard that the Liu family is not peaceful?" Zhang Youfeng suddenly changed the subject.

Xie Yun nodded solemnly. Thinking of what Liu Chu had done, a suppressed anger surged in his heart.

As the leader of the Liu family warlords, Liu Chu holds great power in Beijing, but he has long lost his original intention. Over the years, he has been greedy for pleasure and plundered the people's wealth, making the entire Liu family a mess. His behavior is really despicable, and he has completely forgotten the oath he made when he first fought for the country.

"When Mr. Ye heard that Liu Chu gave Heilongjiang to his nephew Cheng, he was so angry that he wanted to resign." Xie Yun lowered his voice, but he couldn't hide the coldness in his eyes.

"Can Chen Xiuyi endure this?" Zhang Youfeng raised his eyebrows.

When the Liu family was fighting for the throne, Liu Chu, Ye Yi and Chen Xiuyi were brothers who swore an oath of blood. Chen Xiuyi has always hated the Japanese, but Liu Chu has become increasingly pro-Japanese in recent years. This change is really hard to accept.

"General Chen hasn't been to Beijing to report for three months." Xie Yun's mouth curled up into a cold smile, which was full of helplessness and ridicule towards the current situation. He slowly turned around, his eyes were like torches, and he looked at Zhang Youfeng intently, and said in a serious tone: "General Zhang, this world is going to change. Old Master Ye hinted to me that if the Liu family splits up..."

Zhang Youfeng heard the deep meaning behind Xie Yun's words. If the Liu family really fell apart, the chess game in this chaotic world would be turned upside down again.

"If you need Zhang someday..." He said in a deep but powerful voice, "I will definitely help you with all my strength."

Before they knew it, the two had finished their discussion and looked up to see that it was getting dark. Zhang Youfeng and Lin Zhao slowly stood up and prepared to leave.

At the doorstep, Xie Yun bowed and said goodbye, "General Zhang, I wish you good luck along the way."

Zheng Wanqing also bowed slightly and said softly, "General Zhang, Aunt Lin, wait a minute."

Lin Zhao looked back and smiled, her eyes gentle and sincere: "Madam, if you have time in the future, you may come to Shanxi to appreciate the plum blossoms. The green-calyx plum blossoms in our back garden are blooming especially beautifully this year. I will not disappoint you."

Zheng Wanqing raised the corners of her mouth and nodded with a smile: "If I have the chance, I will definitely live up to Aunt Lin's kindness."

Zhang Youfeng had a calm expression and a determined look in his eyes. He returned the greeting with a fist clasped, then got into the carriage with Lin Zhao.

The driver flicked the whip lightly, and there was a crisp sound. The wheels rolled slowly, making a "gurgling" sound. The carriage went farther and farther away, and the figure gradually blurred in the twilight.