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

This is Mu Haisheng, the former commander of the garrison in Jinzhou?

Gu Cheng was taken aback.

If it weren't for the fact that the man was wearing a military uniform and introduced himself, and that he had scars on his face, it would have been difficult for him to associate this middle-aged man with a military officer; he looked more like a civilian laborer who had been temporarily conscripted.

Looking again at the other man's expression, which showed only a hint of fear and reverence for him, his "parachuted superior," Gu Cheng immediately dismounted and handed the riding crop to Yang Song: "Commander Mu, I've heard of your great name since I was at the Marshal's Mansion, but meeting you today is quite something—"

Although he didn't say the second half of the sentence, Mu Haisheng wasn't stupid and naturally understood his superior's subtext. He gave an awkward smile and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Commander Gu! I'm... leading the brothers to repair the wall."

As he spoke, he was about to welcome Gu Cheng into the regimental headquarters. "The people in this city have mostly fled because of the war, and it's difficult to find even a few craftsmen. So, I have no choice but to lead my brothers to do it ourselves."

Gu Cheng nodded and smiled: "Oh? That must be hard work for Commander Mu—"

But instead of being led into the regimental headquarters, he led Zhang Tingshu and the others towards the wall:

Mu Haisheng was not lying. Several men with various tools were standing by the dilapidated courtyard wall. It was clear that they were clumsy at work, and their faces and bodies were covered in yellow mud.

Upon hearing their superior say that this was the new regimental commander, the soldiers' expressions showed a mixture of fear and astonishment.

Seeing the mess, Gu Cheng remained silent.

Mu Haisheng, who followed closely behind, quickly said, "This mess is really embarrassing... I'm sorry to have made you and the brothers laugh at us!"

Gu Cheng waved his hand, but his gaze quickly swept over the soldiers—

Besides their disheveled appearance, everyone looked listless and lacked energy; their uniforms were worn and tattered, some were pale and emaciated, and some even bore minor injuries.

My heart sank immediately.

He guessed that the garrison in Jinzhou would face difficulties, but he did not expect the actual situation to be even more difficult than he imagined.

Gao Tianqi took a deep breath, quickly walked to the base of the wall, picked up a brick, and jogged back: "Commander, look—"

Gu Cheng reached out and took it: It must have been brought in from outside the city and carefully polished; it would be excellent for building walls.

He then turned to Mu Haisheng, his tone softening: "Commander Mu, you flatter me. I have some understanding of the situation in Jinzhou... At this critical juncture, the fact that you're willing to set aside your airs and personally lead the way in doing these menial tasks is far better than many of our Fengtian Army generals!"

Mu Haisheng was clearly taken aback.

Then, his tone became emotional: "You don't blame me for leaving the regimental headquarters in such a dilapidated state? You don't blame the brothers for their unruly behavior?"

Gu Cheng and Zhang Tingshu exchanged glances and shook their heads: "I heard about Uncle Sun's achievements at the Marshal's Mansion, and I also heard about your heroic deeds of fighting to the death at Dalinghe and holding Jinzhou by force—"

The commander-in-chief will remember this merit, and the brothers who were able to retreat safely back to the border will certainly not forget it either!

Seeing the other person becoming increasingly moved, Gu Cheng smiled and continued, "As for the current situation in Jinzhou, and whether it's proper or not, it's not just your problem. I brought men here to help you and the brothers overcome this difficult time!"

Hearing these words, Mu Haisheng's eyes reddened, and he straightened up abruptly: "With Commander Gu's words, I, your humble servant, will fight to the death to serve you! Although the brothers have been suffering lately, they are all men who can stand up and pee... cough cough, we, we will definitely serve you well!"

After he finished speaking, the previously terrified soldiers all responded in unison:

"As Commander Gu wishes!"

"We'll follow your lead too!"

"Thank you for your understanding, sir!"

Gu Cheng's gaze slowly swept over the crowd: "Jinzhou is in dire straits right now, and the brothers are suffering. I see it all. From now on, Commander Mu and I will stand by you all, sharing food and burdens, and we will never let our sworn brothers suffer any more injustice!"

After those few words, the soldiers responded loudly again, their faces showing even more hope.

Yang Song arranged for the guards to take turns patrolling and carried the supplies they brought into the courtyard one by one; Gu Cheng, on the other hand, led Zhang Tingshu and Gao Tianqi into the regimental headquarters.

Although it was called the Jinzhou Regiment Headquarters, it was actually a converted old county government office—the layout of the courtyard was quite impressive, but it had become somewhat dilapidated due to the war.

The main hall directly in front of us is furnished with a document desk, a sand table, gun racks, and other items. The walls are covered with military maps of the area around Jinzhou. A young man who looks like a clerk is carefully tidying up the documents on the desk.

Mu Haisheng called out loudly, "Haozi, come here! This is the new regimental commander I told you about, the one transferred from Fengtian. Come and recognize him!"

Then he introduced Yang Hao to Gu Cheng, "Commander, this is our clerk, Yang Hao. He's had a few years of schooling and helps me with paperwork and accounting."

Yang Hao ran forward and saluted, looking scholarly but quite clever, and quickly moved a few chairs for everyone to sit on.

At this moment, Yang Song was boiling water and making tea in the courtyard outside, while Gu Cheng was slowly looking at the documents and asked in a low voice, "Commander Mu, I came in a hurry, so I won't stand on ceremony with you—you and Haozi can tell me the specific situation of the regiment."

Mu Haisheng, who had just relaxed, tensed up again in an instant: "This... what situation do you want to know?"

At Gu Cheng's prompting, Gao Tianqi unfolded his notebook: "It's about the current situation of the regiment's personnel, equipment, food, etc... To be more specific, how many people are on the roster, how many are lightly or seriously wounded, how much equipment the regiment has, and how much food is left—"

Gu Cheng added again, "Brother Haisheng, I'll say it again: the brothers came from Fengtian to solve problems. Just tell me the truth about the situation in the regiment."

Mu Haisheng rubbed his hands, which were covered in yellow mud: "This—the regiment has a registered number of one thousand, and there are wounded, wounded..."

As he spoke, he stole a glance at Yang Hao beside him. The latter flinched but avoided his gaze, stammering, "There don't seem to be many wounded."

Gu Cheng's face darkened.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tingshu immediately showed his disgust: "A full thousand people on the register? I just don't believe it! Do you think we've never been in the military? Everyone has a number of men under their command, how come you, Mu Haisheng, have a full thousand?"

Coming from a family of military officers, he immediately flew into a rage upon hearing this self-defeating lie.

Being rebuked by a young man in his early twenties, even knowing that he was the son of Zhang Zuoxiang, Mu Haisheng felt a little embarrassed and stammered for a while: "Whatever Brigade Commander Sun asked us to report, we reported, we reported that—the number of people on the register is one thousand."

Gu Cheng raised his hand to stop Zhang Tingshu from speaking again, and instead chuckled in a low voice, "You are Brigade Commander Sun's subordinate; as for me, although I was appointed by the Marshal's Office, once we arrive in Jinzhou, I also belong to him, don't I?"

These words not only made Mu Haisheng hesitate, but also Zhang Tingshu and Gao Tianqi were stunned.

Gu Cheng, however, didn't seem to care. He raised his voice and called out to Yang Song outside the gate, "Old Yang, why isn't the hot water ready yet? Quickly brew the good tea your uncle asked you to bring, and also bring all that dried meat and snacks!"