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

"Then I'll leave this matter with you entirely."

Gu Cheng patted him on the shoulder again, then took out a list from the drawer, spread it out on the table, and pushed it in front of Zhang Tingshu.

Zhang Tingshu took the list and his eyebrows immediately rose.

That was a detailed outline of the new organization of the 11th Mixed Brigade—

The highest-ranking officer was naturally Gu Cheng, and the chief of staff listed immediately after him was Zhang Tingshu.

"Jingchuan, you..."

Hearing his friend's words, Gu Cheng smiled and continued, "Both the Marshal's Mansion and the General Staff Headquarters have approved it. Please read on."

Zhang Tingshu looked down and continued reading. The two deputy brigade commanders were Cai Changyuan and Ji Jinchun.

The camp has recently been completely cleaned up and the foundation has been laid, so Gu Cheng decided to keep him on.

Gao Tianqi took over the supply department... As for the three regiments under its jurisdiction, the currently appointed regimental commanders are Mu Haisheng and Liu Xiangjiu.

As for the remaining position, it is currently vacant, and Gu Cheng intends to promote him later.

The former chief of staff, Shen Yi, remained in the 11th Mixed Brigade's staff headquarters, becoming Zhang Tingshu's subordinate along with three other staff officers.

Zhang Tingshu laughed heartily: "As the chief of staff, I'm a proper official now. From now on, who in western Liaoning will dare call me 'Second Young Master Zhang'?"

Gu Cheng chuckled at his words, then said seriously, "The title of Chief of Staff isn't just for show; it's a real job... From now on, the brigade headquarters will need you for everything, especially since our own intelligence department is still being built. Don't just be happy; the task is far from easy!"

Zhang Tingshu's smile remained unchanged: "I, Zhang Tingshu, may not have any other great skills, but I'm definitely a hard worker! This is such an important matter, I'll have to tell my father and brother about it later... they'll be overjoyed."

Gu Cheng nodded and smiled: "I should tell my uncle. Good brother, when I asked you and Tianqi to come to Jinzhou to help out, you agreed without hesitation. Now that we've established ourselves in Jinzhou and settled you both in, I can finally rest easy."

Hearing this, Zhang Tingshu maintained his smile and said seriously, "We're all on the same side, so let's not talk nonsense... By the way, Jingchuan, you mentioned Li Mao earlier. He's taking office in the next few days. Shouldn't we go and support him? After all, he's someone you put forward. If we don't show our faces, he might not be able to keep things under control."

Gu Cheng nodded and said, "Of course we'll go—although Li Mao isn't one of our old comrades, he did come from the 11th Mixed Brigade, so we'll definitely give him enough face."

Furthermore, it's necessary to show those merchants in Jinzhou who Li Mao is backed by. Anyone who dares to cause trouble within the Chamber of Commerce should think twice before acting.

After saying this, Zhang Tingshu said he was going to make a phone call to his father in Fengtian. Gu Cheng watched him leave and walked towards the side courtyard where prisoners were being held.

The morning light had completely illuminated the courtyard, casting a long, thin shadow of the pomegranate tree in the yard. Several sparrows hopped and chirped on the branches.

There used to be a row of warehouses storing miscellaneous items here, which were temporarily converted into solitary confinement rooms. All the windows were sealed off, leaving only a vent on the iron door.

The four Japanese men were separated and imprisoned in separate cells, with armed guards standing at their doors.

Gu Cheng walked to the innermost room, nodded to the guard at the door, and the guard stepped aside to open the door for him.

When the lights came on, Gu Cheng and Yang Song, who was right behind him, scrutinized the man leaning against the wall.

His hands were tied behind his back, and there was dried blood on his face.

It was the one Zhang Tingshu had grabbed by the hair and questioned—high cheekbones, thin lips, and eyes full of fear and resentment.

When the lights came on, he squinted slightly because of the glare, and it took him a long time to make out Gu Cheng.

The man was immediately taken aback after noticing his military rank.

But as a Japanese intelligence operative, his years of rigorous training allowed him to quickly regain his composure, and he even deliberately turned his gaze away.

Gu Cheng noticed all these emotional changes, but he didn't rush to speak. Instead, he sat down on the wooden chair that Yang Song had brought in.

He crossed his legs, then took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and slowly smoked it.

The smoke slowly dissipated under the light before he finally spoke: "What's your name?"

It's not Chinese, it's Japanese.

His speech was fluent and standard, and you could even hear the Kyoto accent.

The prisoner was clearly surprised, but he still avoided his gaze as if he hadn't heard a thing.

"Even if you don't tell me, I can probably guess."

Gu Cheng took two more puffs of his cigarette and continued speaking in Japanese, "I studied at your military academy, so I know your South Manchuria Railway Company well."

Although the prisoner still did not make a move, Gu Cheng knew that his words had touched him.

"The South Manchuria Railway Survey Department is affiliated with the South Manchuria Railway Company. On the surface, it is engaged in surveys and research, but you know better than I do what it actually does."

His Japanese pronunciation carried a chilling coldness, "The allocation of supplies in Dalian Port, the infiltration of the Jinzhou Chamber of Commerce, and Haruka Yumi's actions—I've figured out all these lines."

The prisoner's Adam's apple bobbed, but he remained silent, though his breathing became noticeably more rapid.

Gu Cheng stubbed out his cigarette at his feet, leaned back in his chair, and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest twice, once, twice, three times.

The side hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"It's fine if you don't talk." Gu Cheng stood up, walked to the prisoner, and looked down at him. "There are four of you. Keep them in separate cells and interrogate them separately. Whoever speaks first will suffer less. The one who speaks last, don't blame me for being impolite."

He turned around and walked towards the door.

Yang Song opened the iron gate, and the morning light poured in from outside, illuminating the mottled walls and damp floor inside.

A prisoner's urgent voice came from behind, speaking in hoarse Japanese: "Wait!"

Gu Cheng stopped walking, but did not turn around.

"My name is Kono Ichiro." The prisoner's voice trembled, as if he had used all his strength. "Head of the Jinzhou branch of the South Manchuria Railway Research Department. You...you cannot torture a citizen of Great Japan!"

Gu Cheng turned around and looked at Kono Ichiro with a cold gaze.

Branch manager.

This was an unexpected bonus.

"Mr. Kono," he walked back and sat down again, "if you had cooperated earlier, you wouldn't have had to suffer like this, right?"

Kono Ichiro lowered his head, not daring to look him in the eye.

"I'm asking you," Gu Cheng's voice deepened, "where is Haruka Yumi?"

"I don't know." Kono Ichiro shook his head, his voice so low it was almost inaudible. "She's not from the South Manchuria Railway Investigation Department."

Gu Cheng frowned slightly.

"I really don't know her identity..." Kono Ichiro swallowed hard, as if he wanted to spit out all the things he shouldn't say. "But I know that her mission in Jinzhou was to create chaos and provide an excuse for the Kwantung Army to enter Jinzhou."

But her actions have exceeded our expectations. She also ordered the murder of the Chamber of Commerce president and burned down the construction site in Jinzhou. The situation seems to be getting out of control.