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

Gu Cheng stared at Kono Ichiro, as if weighing every word he said.

"Out of control?" He repeated the word, then sneered, "Mr. Kono, the people you borrowed from the South Manchuria Railway Investigation Department committed murder and arson in Jinzhou, and even used the chairman's death to sow discord within Jinzhou..."

Now, you're telling me so casually that this is just out of control?

Kono Ichiro did not respond.

He knew very well the methods of this young Jinzhou garrison commander; if he said anything wrong again, his life would be in danger.

Gu Cheng didn't ask any further questions. He took out another cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and slowly smoked it.

The smoke slowly dissipated in the dimly lit confinement room, carrying a sweet fragrance that mingled with the damp, musty smell, creating an indescribably strange atmosphere.

"Mr. Kono, you said Haruka Hiromi isn't with your South Manchuria Railway Company, so whose side is she on?" Gu Cheng exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze falling on Kono Ichiro's face. "The Kwantung Army Intelligence Department? Or the Ministry of the Army? Or perhaps—the General Staff Headquarters?"

Kono Ichiro shook his head: "Mr. Gu, whether you believe it or not, I have told you everything I need to say about the information regarding Jinzhou."

By now, Gu Cheng had already made some calculations in his mind.

Kikuchi Takeo belonged to the General Staff Headquarters. If that bitch were his colleague, he would never have sold him so much useful information.

Then there are only two possibilities—the Kwantung Army Intelligence Department, or the Army Department.

Regardless of the reason, it shows that the power behind Harukami Hiromi is larger, deeper, and more difficult to deal with than the South Manchuria Railway Research Department.

"Alright, I won't force you." Gu Cheng stubbed out his cigarette at his feet, stood up, and straightened his clothes. "Mr. Kono, I'll have someone write down everything you said today. If you remember anything, you can always find the guards, and they'll let me know."

He turned around and walked towards the door.

A hurried voice came from behind: "Mr. Gu, I've said what I needed to say! You can't—"

"Whether you can or not isn't up to you." Gu Cheng didn't turn around, his voice as calm as if he were talking about the weather. "Mr. Kono, you are a prisoner now, not a 'citizen of Great Japan.' On Jinzhou soil, I'm the one who calls the shots."

Yang Song opened the iron gate, and the morning light poured in, casting Gu Cheng's long shadow on the damp ground.

He stepped out of the solitary confinement cell, and behind him came the dull thud of the iron door closing, and Kono Ichiro's suppressed breathing.

The sun was shining brightly in the courtyard.

The leaves of the pomegranate tree swayed gently in the morning breeze, and a few sparrows flew up from the branches, fluttering their wings as they landed on the roof.

Gu Cheng stood under the eaves, squinted at the sky, took out the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and lit one.

Yang Song followed behind him, lowering his voice: "Master Gu, do you believe what Kono said?"

"I believe half of it." Gu Cheng exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze calm. "Haruka Hiromi isn't with the South Manchuria Railway Company; that much is probably true. Kono's reaction didn't seem fake. As for the rest—"

He raised his eyelids to look back at his bodyguard. "The less he says, the more he's hiding... We have plenty of time, no rush."

Yang Song nodded, then asked, "Master Gu, actually, I've been thinking that since we captured those Japanese, they won't let it go so easily..."

Before Yang Song could finish speaking, the steward Zhou Ran strode over from the corridor.

He looked up and saw Gu Cheng, then lifted the hem of his long robe and jogged over: "Master Gu, two Japanese men have arrived. They're at the main gate and specifically asked to see you."

There were two people in total. One claimed to be from the South Manchuria Railway's research department, and the other said he was a translator from the Japanese consulate. They were very aggressive and said they wanted to speak with you in person.

Gu Cheng stubbed out his cigarette: "Look, they chased each and every one of them faster than dogs."

He straightened his clothes and continued to Zhou Ran, "Go to the side hall and prepare tea. They are our guests, and we cannot be impolite."

Zhou Ran looked worried, but still went as instructed.

Gu Cheng walked leisurely through the courtyard toward the side hall.

The pomegranate tree's shadow fell on the bluestone path, dappled and mottled, like an unfinished painting.

In the side hall, two Japanese men had already taken their seats.

One was a middle-aged man in his early forties, wearing a dark gray suit, gold-rimmed glasses, with a serious face and a straight back; he looked like a tough character to deal with.

The other one was younger, carrying a briefcase, and looked like a clerk, but his eyes were darting around, so he was clearly not a nice guy either.

Upon seeing Gu Cheng enter, the two stood up simultaneously.

The middle-aged man bowed slightly and said in broken Chinese, "Commander Gu, I am Yamamoto Keiya from the South Manchuria Railway Bureau's Investigation Department. The Japanese Consulate in Fengtian has sent me to handle the matter of your army's illegal arrest of several of my nationals last night. Please release them immediately and apologize to the consulate."

Gu Cheng walked to the head seat and sat down, picking up the teacup that Yang Song had just brought him, and slowly blowing away the foam.

After taking a few sips of tea, he finally put down his teacup and glanced at the two men.

"Overseas Chinese? What overseas Chinese?" He seemed genuinely confused. "Mr. Yamamoto, what kind of 'overseas Chinese' are you referring to? What do they do? Where do they live? What are their names?"

Yamamoto Keiya frowned, took a document from his briefcase, and handed it to Gu Cheng with both hands: "This is the list of those people and their identification documents. They are indeed legal overseas residents, engaged in legitimate business activities in Jinzhou."

"Commander Gu's men arrested them without cause last night and even injured some people. This is a serious act of violence, and we strongly protest."

Gu Cheng took the document, flipped through it casually, and without even looking at it carefully, tossed it onto the table.

"Mr. Yamamoto, these men you mentioned were carrying guns and hiding intelligence in a mud-brick house in Willow Gully outside the city last night, acting suspiciously in the dead of night. You call this 'legitimate business activity'? Your 'business activity' is probably not quite the same as ordinary trading, is it?"

Hearing these words, Yamamoto Keiya remained expressionless, but his tone became a bit harsher: "Commander Gu, those men are employees of the South Manchuria Railway Bureau's investigation department. They carried guns for self-defense. As for those documents, they are normal business information."

This is a serious provocation by your army! We demand the immediate release of the prisoners and compensation for losses!

A spark flew in Gu Cheng's eye.

You were the ones who invaded Northeast China, you were the ones who caused trouble in Jinzhou, and now you're even trying to shift the blame... Haha, every single one of those Japanese is utterly shameless.

"Mr. Yamamoto, you said they are your employees, well—" Gu Cheng leaned forward, emphasizing each word, "I did get some information out of them. They confessed themselves to causing trouble in Jinzhou..."

They not only killed my chamber of commerce president, but also used his death to sow discord between the military and businesses. If you believe that the people visiting your home are your people, then shouldn't you be held responsible for everything that happened in Jinzhou?