Republic of China, 1922: Rise from the Post-Zhili-Fengtian War

Gu Cheng held the receiver and remained silent for a long time.

The commander-in-chief has already made his point so clearly; to say anything further would be to question his judgment.

"The commander is right. I understand."

"Good that you understand." Zhang Zuolin's tone softened a bit. "Kikuchi is capable and cunning. But he is loyal to me—at least on the surface."

He's in Jinzhou. Use him as you see fit, extract as much information as you can from him. But remember, don't let him figure out your hand.

Gu Cheng slowly loosened his grip on the receiver: "I understand."

"And—" Zhang Zuolin paused, his voice turning cold, "that woman you reported, I want her alive. If Kikuchi tries to silence her, you better stop him. She's worth more alive than dead, understand?"

"Understood."

"Alright, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. Submit the reorganization plan for the 11th Mixed Brigade by the end of the month. If you don't, I'll hold you responsible!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a "click" sound came from the receiver, and the call ended.

Gu Cheng knew Zhang Zuolin's style of doing things; once he made a decision, it was very difficult for others to change it.

He leaned back in his chair, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and slowly smoked it.

The smoke filled the room, carrying the unique sweetness of the cigarettes Wang Yuyou had given him, but it couldn't suppress the heaviness in his heart.

Takeo Kikuchi.

The name spun around in his mind several times.

Haruka Hiromi is a knife hidden in the shadows, while Kikuchi Takeo is a sword displayed in the open.

You can dodge a knife, but if a sword comes, you can only take it.

He stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, pushed open the door to the telephone booth, and walked back down the corridor.

In the side hall, Ji Jinchun was slowly sipping his tea when he saw Gu Cheng enter. He put down his teacup, stood up, and greeted him.

"Master Gu, what did the Commander-in-Chief say?"

Gu Cheng waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down first, and then sat down beside him before slowly saying, "Kikuchi is coming to Jinzhou."

Ji Jinchun's expression suddenly turned cold: "What! This little Japanese guy is coming? What's he coming for? Damn it, none of these bastards have any good intentions."

Gu Cheng handed him a cigarette: "Yeah, those little devils, every single one of them is a bastard; but now that we're practically in close combat with them, the Japanese will definitely send people to probe our strength."

At this point, he could see that Ji Jinchun clearly did not understand. Gu Cheng took a couple of puffs of his cigarette and continued, "Think about it, the Japanese have invested a lot in Northeast China... especially since they believe that even the Marshal was someone they helped to rise up. So, it's not easy for them to directly turn against him on the surface."

So, what the commander means is... that we should cooperate when necessary and take precautions when needed.

Ji Jinchun took a deep drag on his cigarette and said in a gruff voice, "Master Gu, I, Ji Jinchun, am a rough man. I've fought all my life, and all I know is how to talk with guns. We can greet these little Japanese with a smile, but how can we see through their wicked schemes?"

Gu Cheng smiled but didn't respond to the question.

Of course he sees through it.

To this transmigrator, Kikuchi Takeo's thoughts were like an account book laid out in the sunlight, each entry clear and distinct.

But there's no point in explaining these things to Ji Jinchun.

Ji Jinchun was a military general, someone who had fought his way through countless battles. Asking him to ponder the factional infighting and power struggles within the Japanese was asking too much of him.

"Uncle Ji, I know what's going on with Kikuchi." Gu Cheng picked up the teapot, refilled Ji Jinchun's cup, and pushed it back. "Let's talk about the military reorganization. The plan needs to be submitted by the end of the month. Time is tight and the task is heavy; we can't afford to delay."

Upon hearing the words "reorganize the army," Ji Jinchun's attention was immediately drawn back.

"Master Gu, when it comes to reorganizing the army, I do have a few ideas. Could you please give me your feedback?"

Gu Cheng leaned back in his chair and raised his hand to signal him to continue.

Ji Jinchun counted on his fingers, one by one: "First, the current number of personnel needs to be reassessed. I estimate that after deducting the elderly, the infirm, the disabled, and those who are receiving salaries without working, the 11th Mixed Brigade will have less than 1,800 men left. This number is far from the authorized strength."

Gu Cheng nodded without interrupting.

"Secondly, we need to recruit new soldiers. But recruiting new soldiers requires a source of manpower. Jinzhou has just finished fighting, and the young people either ran away or were the only sons left in their families, so it's not easy to recruit them."

My idea was to recruit from the rural areas surrounding western Liaoning. Those places are poor, and serving in the army and getting a salary is a way out.

"Third—" Ji Jinchun rubbed his hands and continued, "We need our own officers. Cai Changyuan and his ilk are good at fighting and leading troops, but they're not enough to train new recruits. I'm thinking, could we get a few people from the Fengtian Military Academy? Those who are formally trained are much better at training troops than us roughnecks."

After listening, Gu Cheng smiled and said, "Uncle Ji, every single one of your 'ideas' is spot on!"

Ji Jinchun scratched his head: "Don't flatter me, Mr. Gu. I just say what I think."

Gu Cheng stood up, walked to the Jinzhou city defense map on the wall, and his gaze fell on the area marked "camp site selection".

"First, verify the number of people. You and Cai Changyuan will work together on this, and you need to report the actual number within three days. I don't look at the books, I look at the heads. Every single person must be visible and their information must match."

Ji Jinchun nodded: "Understood."

"Secondly, recruit new soldiers. You should draw up a plan, specifying which counties and villages around western Liaoning to recruit from, how many to recruit, how to recruit them, and what benefits they will receive. I will have Mr. Liu Chen coordinate the recruitment. The military pay and resettlement allowance will be paid from the provincial budget and will not be taken from the brigade headquarters' funds."

Ji Jinchun's eyes lit up: "That's great! With the province backing us up, recruiting soldiers will be much easier."

"As for the officers you mentioned... I think that besides asking the Military Academy for personnel, we can also train them ourselves."

Gu Cheng looked at him and continued, "The 11th Mixed Brigade is also an old unit of our Fengtian Army, and there should be quite a few good talents; I will ask for people from the Military Academy, and you and Brother Liu should also keep an eye out... People we train ourselves are always more reliable than those transferred from outside."

Ji Jinchun nodded repeatedly, then asked, "There's another matter... what do you plan to do with Li Mao?"

Gu Cheng understood what he meant, but instead asked, "What are your plans?"

After a moment's thought, Ji Jinchun said softly, "Master Gu, I know you don't want to touch those old men in the 11th Mixed Brigade right now... but I think that important tasks like supplying troops should be handed over to our own people."

Gu Cheng nodded thoughtfully and said, "This time he has done a good job in exposing Lu Shoulian. We were able to take control of the Jinzhou Chamber of Commerce and arrest that unscrupulous merchant in time. Li Mao has also made a contribution."

Dealing with him now would likely earn us a reputation for being ungrateful and disloyal—and such a reputation would make future cooperation difficult.

Ji Jinchun quickly replied, "Yes, yes, I really hadn't thought of that. You can make the decision!"