Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

London, the land of the Eagles.

The Prime Minister held the telegram, his brow furrowed.

A mysterious force stormed into the British concession in Shanghai, massacring Japanese people and killing British police officers.

This is a provocation against the Great Eagle Empire.

"What's the background of this unit?"

The Foreign Minister shook his head: "The intelligence department is still investigating. All we know is that they call themselves the Chinese Independent Brigade, and the commander is an eight-year-old child."

"An eight-year-old child?"

The Prime Minister exclaimed incredulously, "Do you think I'm stupid? Are you kidding me?"

"I wish it were a joke, but intelligence indicates it is true. Their equipment is extremely advanced, more advanced than any of our current equipment."

The Prime Minister paused for a moment, then said, "Inform the consul in China to closely monitor the movements of this force, and at the same time, inform the U.S. government of the situation and see how they react."

"Yes."

Washington, D.C., the White House.

The president, sitting in a wheelchair, held a telegram in his hand. After reading it, he handed it to the Secretary of State.

What do you think?

The Secretary of State took it and looked at it carefully.

"This unit's equipment is more advanced than ours, which is abnormal. Could it be that they are secretly developing weapons by China?"

The president smiled.

"Secret research? Do you think this is science fiction? You think you can just start researching whenever you want?"

If China truly possessed such a powerful weapon, it would have used it immediately. Why would it wait until now? In my opinion, this must be due to support from other countries.

Secretary of State: "Could it be the Soviet Union?"

The president remained silent.

The Secretary of State speculated, "We've never seen their tanks, armored vehicles, or guns before; we need to find out where these weapons came from."

The president agreed, saying, "Investigate secretly, no matter who they are. Now is not the time for us to worry about them. The Japanese have suffered a loss in Shanghai and will definitely retaliate. We should just sit back and watch them fight."

"Yes."

……

In the command center in Shanghai.

Commander Chen stood in front of him, holding a report in his hand. "Sir, according to incomplete statistics, spies from more than a dozen countries and forces have infiltrated Shanghai."

People from various countries, including the US, Europe, France, Germany, and the South Korean government, as well as the Nanjing government, Yan'an, and local warlords, all sent representatives.

Lin Tian sat in a grand chair, legs crossed, holding a cup of tea in his hand. "They're here, so let them see. Perfect, let them see what a modern army is like."

"But, wouldn't it be... risky for them to gather intelligence like this?"

"Won't."

Lin Tian interrupted him, "They can't understand our equipment. It's technology that's seventy or eighty years ahead of their time. They can't learn it. Let them look, let them look all they want."

He took a sip of tea. "Moreover, I want them to see, to know, that China has a powerful army that will deter them from taking any rash actions."

Brigade Commander Chen nodded.

"Oh, right."

Lin Tian put down his teacup. "Pass the word down that we will hold a press conference tomorrow. I want reporters from all over the world to come and see our army for themselves."

"Sir, are you going to attend in person?"

"certainly."

A smile slowly crept onto Lin Tian's lips. "They want to know who the commander is, right? I'll let them see for themselves."

At the same time, he ordered preparations to be made, because the War of Resistance against Japan was about to begin. He wasn't here in Shanghai to become a warlord or a local tyrant.

Brigade Commander Chen responded and turned to go out to make the arrangements.

Lin Tian sat alone in the armchair, looking at the sky outside the window. The sunlight was dazzling, but he did not squint.

He looked at the blue sky and thought of another time and space, that era of war.

Countless martyrs sacrificed their lives to bring peace to future generations.

Now, he has the opportunity to end it all ahead of schedule.

He did not want to see a tragedy like the Nanjing Massacre happen again five years later.

"If the enemy can go, so can I!"

Outside the window, the roar of tanks grew louder as they approached.

The soldiers were drilling, their slogans echoing through the air.

Lin Tian stood up, walked to the window, looked at the steel behemoths, and a smile slowly crept onto his lips.

"You little devils, Lin Tian's Chinese Independent Brigade has come to take you in."

Ma Yongzhen led his men through the heavily armed checkpoints, past the tanks parked by the roadside, and past the infantry fighting vehicles patrolling back and forth.

His heart was pounding faster and faster, and his palms were sweating profusely.

Yesterday at the circus, he realized that Lin Tian was no ordinary person.

He was generous, firing a submachine gun at more than thirty people without batting an eye, but he never expected that he would be so extraordinary.

"Brother Yongzhen, these... these are all for the young master?" a brother next to him asked in a low voice, his voice trembling.

Ma Yongzhen remained silent; he didn't know what to say.

The steel torrent before him was more awe-inspiring than anything he had ever seen in his life.

Manager Sun followed behind, his legs feeling like lead. He had spent most of his life at the docks, and had seen the warships of the British, the gunboats of the local people, and the artillery of the National Revolutionary Army.

Compared to what's right in front of us, these are all child's play.

The tanks' cannons were thicker than his thighs; the infantry fighting vehicles' tires were taller than him; the soldiers were fully armed, their eyes cold.

His heart was trembling and burning.

Last night he was still wondering what kind of person the young master really was.

Now he knew that the young master was a powerful warlord with a large army, a ruthless character who dared to kill even ordinary people and foreigners.

What Green Gang, what police station, what British—it's all bullshit.

His grandson is in charge; he's going to make a fortune.

In the command post, Ma Yongzhen took a deep breath, straightened his collar, and walked in.

"They're here."

Ma Yongzhen stopped, and the person behind him gave a somewhat imperfect military salute: "Greetings, Young Master... Commander."

"Alright, everyone, don't be shy."

Lin Tian waved his hand, gesturing for them to sit down. "Yongzhen, would you like to work for me, or perhaps take a job in Shanghai? I can arrange that for you."

"We're willing to follow the leader!" Before Ma Yongzhen could even speak, the people behind him shouted in unison.

Ma Yongzhen was stunned for a moment, and so were the others, before they all laughed.

They're not stupid; what job could compare to being a soldier under a warlord?

No matter how powerful the Green Gang was, they still had their homes raided and were killed if they were supposed to.

Along the way, countless opium dens, brothels, gambling dens, dance halls, and clubs of the Green Gang have been shut down; they are not blind.

Ma Yongzhen's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Commander, we all want to follow you. Whatever you ask us to do, we will do."

Lin Tian nodded, stood up from his chair, and walked to the map hanging on the wall.

It was a military map of Shanghai, marking the locations of various key departments.

"Yongzhen, you are skilled in martial arts and honest."

He turned to look at Ma Yongzhen and said, "I'll give you a spot in a regiment. Go back to the docks and recruit people."

"Choose those who are strong, quick-witted, and preferably skilled in martial arts. You will be the commander of the Second Regiment of the Chinese Independent Brigade."

Ma Yongzhen's heart skipped a beat.

The regimental commander had never even served as a private.

"Commander, I..."

"What? You're afraid?"

"It's not that I'm afraid," Ma Yongzhen swallowed, "I'm afraid I won't do a good job."

……