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

"Master Gu, those two Japanese soldiers are gone." Yang Song walked up behind him and lowered his voice. "That Yamamoto was still not convinced, so his translator dragged him away."

Gu Cheng didn't turn around: "There are plenty of people who are not convinced, one more won't make a difference."

He reached into his pocket, touched the cigarette pack, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and slowly smoked it.

The smoke slowly dissipated in the sunlight, carrying that familiar sweet scent.

Yang Song frowned: "Master Gu, the Japanese have never been the type to suffer a loss. Yamamoto got a slap in the face here today, and he'll definitely exaggerate it when he gets back. We're not worried about the consulate, but what about the Marshal—"

"I know what to do with the handsome guy," Gu Cheng said, exhaling a puff of smoke. "However, we can't just be on guard. We can't guard forever. We need to speed things up."

He turned to Yang Song and said, "That old bastard Kikuchi provided us with intelligence on three places. We've already taken down Willow Gully. We need to get to the other two as soon as possible."

Yang Song nodded: "Yes, the people from the South Manchuria Railway have suffered losses, they won't just sit and wait for us to arrest them. They will move, destroy evidence, and hide in even more secluded places... We have to get there before them."

Gu Cheng nodded: "I've already given the order to act tonight! But simply arresting people isn't enough... The consulate has already taken action, which means the Kwantung Army has also received intelligence. So—"

He winked and smiled mysteriously, "Now is the time to negotiate with that old Japanese devil Kikuchi."

…………

As night fell, a teahouse in the eastern part of Jinzhou City closed early.

The shopkeeper removed the door panel and extinguished the lantern at the entrance, but quietly left a side door ajar, as if waiting for someone.

Kikuchi Takeo stepped out of a black sedan, straightened his suit collar, and looked around.

The streets and alleys were quiet, with only the faint sound of footsteps of soldiers patrolling in the distance.

He walked slowly to the side door, knocked three times, paused, and then knocked twice more.

The door opened.

Yang Song stood expressionless inside the door, stepped aside, and lowered his voice: "Mr. Kikuchi, Mr. Gu is waiting for you upstairs."

Kikuchi nodded slightly and stepped into the teahouse.

The stairs were narrow and steep; he walked slowly, pondering each step carefully.

Gu Cheng suddenly asked him to meet, not at the brigade headquarters or the official residence, but at an inconspicuous teahouse.

What does this tell us?

This means that there are some things that are inconvenient to say in formal settings.

interesting.

The upstairs private room was dimly lit.

On the table was a pot of tea, two plates of snacks, and a plate of peanuts.

Gu Cheng sat in the main seat, holding a glass of wine in his hand, slowly sipping it.

Seeing Kikuchi come up, he put down his teacup, stood up, and made a "please" gesture.

"Mr. Kikuchi, please have a seat."

Kikuchi bowed slightly and sat down in the guest seat.

Yang Song retreated to the stairwell, his back to the two men, arms crossed, like a silent wall.

Gu Cheng picked up the wine pot, poured a cup for Juchi, and slowly pushed it in front of him.

The movements were natural, and the expression was calm, as if he were greeting an old friend.

"Mr. Kikuchi, I've invited you here so late at night because there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Kikuchi picked up the glass and took a sip: "Commander Gu, is this—sake?"

Gu Cheng put down the small wine pot and immediately revealed a playful smile: "Mr. Kikuchi, the wine is your Japanese wine, but we Chinese have a custom... that is, when discussing important matters, especially cooperation, we must drink wine."

Kikuchi Takeo instantly understood, a hint of smugness appearing in his eyes: "Commander Gu, what is it you wish to discuss?"

Gu Cheng smiled and said, "This morning, Yamamoto Kei from the South Manchuria Railway Bureau's investigation department also came to see me... Guess what he came for?"

Kikuchi's smile remained unchanged: "Kikuchi doesn't know."

"They've come to demand our release." Gu Cheng leaned back in his chair. "They say the four people who were arrested are employees of the South Manchuria Railway Company, and they want me to release them immediately and apologize to the consulate."

Kikuchi remained silent for a moment, then slowly took a sip of wine. When he put down his glass, the usual humble smile on his face finally faded, revealing the shrewdness and composure hidden beneath.

"So, what was Commander Gu's reply?"

Gu Cheng didn't answer directly. Instead, he took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and slowly smoked it.

"I sent him away." He exhaled a puff of smoke. "However, Mr. Yamamoto left very resentfully. He said he would report to the consulate and also inform the Kwantung Army headquarters. Mr. Kikuchi, what do you think I should do?"

Kikuchi didn't reply, but simply picked up his wine glass and took another sip.

The sake was smooth on the palate but had a strong aftereffect, much like the young officer in front of me—he looked refined, but every word he spoke was like a knife.

Gu Cheng continued to slowly smoke his cigarette: "Mr. Kikuchi, these four people are the information you provided, that is, the place in Liutiaogou... One of them is named Kono Ichiro, who is the head of the Jinzhou branch of the South Manchuria Railway Investigation Department."

Kikuchi's smile was noticeably stiff.

"Kono Ichiro?" He repeated the name. "Is Commander Gu sure?"

"He confessed it himself." Gu Cheng seemed to be admiring prey that had finally fallen into the trap. "Moreover, he confessed to many other things—the South Manchuria Railway's contact points in Jinzhou, its funding channels, and its intelligence network. He even mentioned Harukami Hiromi's true identity."

Kikuchi sneered, "You're not planning to tell Yamamoto everything about 'providing information,' are you?"

Gu Cheng slowly flicked his cigarette ash: "Mr. Kikuchi, whether I say it or not is not really important."

The important question is, why did the South Manchuria Railway Company protest to the Kwantung Army Headquarters instead of going to our Marshal? After all, the Kwantung Army Headquarters has no jurisdiction over me! As for who they do have jurisdiction over, you know better than I do—”

Kikuchi became alert.

Gu Cheng noticed his reaction and continued, "Yamamoto Kei is also a person from the consulate. The consulate is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and there are several layers between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Kwantung Army."

He bypassed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and went directly to the Kwantung Army—what does this mean? It means that he couldn't find anyone in Fengtian who could speak on his behalf.

He stubbed out his cigarette and looked calmly at Kikuchi. "Or rather, the people he could find weren't willing to speak up for him."

Kikuchi was silent for a moment, then slowly took a sip of his sake: "Commander Gu, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Gu Cheng chuckled softly, "Mr. Kikuchi, what I'm worried about is—does the South Manchuria Railway already know that someone informed me, Gu Jingchuan, about this?"

The air in the private room suddenly became tense.

Kikuchi took a deep breath: "Commander Gu is joking. Kikuchi was just doing his duty. Headquarters was already aware of the South Manchuria Railway's investigation department's activities in Jinzhou. Kikuchi provided intelligence to maintain the cooperative relationship between the Kwantung Army and your army, not—"

"Not what?" Gu Cheng interrupted him. "Not informing? Mr. Kikuchi, you and I both know what those people at the South Manchuria Railway would do to you if they knew you sold their contact points to me."