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

Cai Changyuan explained, "It's like this, Mr. Gu, you've been living and eating with Old Mu recently, and you've learned some things—"

He was a local and knew that as the autumn harvest was coming to an end, several groups of people would come down from the mountains near Jinzhou to plunder, rob grain routes, kidnap and extort... they did all sorts of things.

This year, our main camp is under repair, the army is being reorganized, and the Chamber of Commerce is being revived. The brothers are all so busy that they can't keep their feet on the ground, so it's inevitable that we've neglected some defense matters.

My subordinates are worried that those people might take advantage of this opportunity and sneak down the mountain before we've fully established ourselves.

Gu Cheng understood: "That's true, and you've always been in charge of the defense around Jinzhou... Go back and draft a plan for Ting Shu, and study it carefully in the near future."

Cai Changyuan nodded repeatedly: "Yes! I only recently heard Old Mu mention that it gets colder after the autumn harvest, and we need to store up food, so we'll have to go down the mountain sooner or later."

Gu Cheng nodded and smiled: "It's good that you care about the defense of Jinzhou. From now on, let's put our efforts into it, and the 11th Mixed Brigade and Jinzhou will surely prosper!"

Cai Changyuan immediately stood at attention, and after exchanging a few pleasantries with the two, he withdrew.

The study fell silent.

Gu Cheng stood by the door, watching the deputy brigade commander walk away, the smile on his face gradually fading.

Cai Changyuan's sudden visit may not have been solely for defense or talent recommendation.

Why not talk about defense matters at any time? Why make a special trip late at night, mentioning recommenders and warnings against bandits, going through all that trouble, before finally cautiously mentioning your own decision to act on your own initiative?

Gu Cheng knew perfectly well that Cai Changyuan was afraid.

He was afraid that he might not say it, but he would remember the previous military reorganization plan; he was afraid that one day he would bring up the old grievances and remove him from the position of deputy brigade commander.

That's why he brought Bai Yulin and Chang Enduo along, both to show his loyalty and to offer a way out, afraid that he might think he had other intentions.

Thinking of this, Gu Cheng smiled slightly.

He is intelligent and has many ideas;

But now, he has learned to be afraid, at least he knows how to be afraid when facing himself... A person who knows fear is easier to manage than someone who is not afraid of anything.

He lifted the curtain and went out towards the front hall, thinking to himself:

Bai Yulin and Chang Enduo are coming, and, according to Jiang Yingrong, Jiang Dengxuan is probably also coming to Jinzhou to seek refuge with him...

Thinking about it, this is actually a pleasant surprise. Of the three, Jiang Dengxuan is a man who loves his soldiers like his own children, is upright, and is also very talented.

As for Bai and Chang, they will become patriotic generals who are determined to resist Japan in the future. The more people like them around him, the better.

Thinking of this, he stopped in his tracks.

Physical fitness tests assess your ability to run and carry heavy loads, but in the real battlefield, running and carrying heavy loads are not enough. You also need to know how to survive in the wild, how to track, ambush, and assess the terrain.

These are things you can't learn on the playground, but you can learn them on the mountain.

Cai Changyuan just said that the bandits want to go down the mountain, so why don't they go up the mountain instead?

"Hey Jingchuan, what are you doing over there?"

Zhang Tingshu's voice interrupted his thoughts. Gu Cheng regained his composure and saw Su Nan and Lin Jiusi following behind Zhang Tingshu and Gao Tianqi, seemingly having finished their meal and about to leave.

"brigadier!"

Su Lin and Gu Cheng stood at attention at the same time. Gu Cheng stepped forward with a smile and said, "It's late at night, so let's not stand on ceremony... Come on, I have something to tell you two."

The group returned to the front hall, where servants were clearing away the leftover food from the table. Gu Cheng walked straight to the head seat and sat down, glancing at Su Nan and Lin Jiusi, gesturing for them to sit as well, without any further formalities.

"Deputy Brigade Commander Cai just mentioned something—things aren't peaceful in the mountains after the autumn harvest."

As Gu Cheng spoke, he took out a cigarette case from his pocket. When it was empty, he casually put it on the table. "At this time of year, people from around Jinzhou would always come down from the mountains to rob grain routes, kidnap people, and extort money from others. They did all sorts of things."

Our main camp is under construction, and the army reorganization is not yet complete, so we inevitably can't attend to all the defenses. Rather than waiting for them to come down, it's better for us to go up... that is, let the selected brothers go up.”

Su Nan pushed up his glasses, seemingly not quite understanding at first: "Brigade Commander, you mean... send these reserve personnel into the mountains to clear out the enemy?"

"It doesn't necessarily have to be a complete wipeout; we can get a better understanding of the situation first." Gu Cheng leaned back in his chair. "I've thought about it. The physical fitness test will proceed as scheduled. We'll select the people who can run and carry heavy loads, and then add a field assessment."

Send them into the mountains to familiarize themselves with the terrain and learn their tactics. They need to find out where people can hide, where ambushes can be set, and where the bandits frequently travel.

Upon returning, everyone had to write a report; only those reports that were clear and concise passed this stage.

The group quickly exchanged glances, suddenly realizing that their superior had other considerations.

Gao Tianqi was the first to speak up: "But Jingchuan, how do we arrange the time? The physical fitness test itself takes a whole day. If we add a field assessment, it will take at least two or three more days."

Moreover, going into the mountains isn't like running laps on a playground; you need a guide, you need to prepare dry food, and you need an emergency plan.

As the quartermaster, he had to consider these things.

"You and Su Nanlin should discuss and decide on these matters," Gu Cheng said, glancing at Zhang Tingshu. "Tingshu, do you have a more detailed map of the defense zone?"

"Yes, I'll have it delivered to your desk first thing tomorrow morning." Zhang Tingshu looked at Gu Cheng. "But Jingchuan, are you sure you want to link this selection with the patrol? What if something goes wrong in the mountains? Wouldn't it be a waste of several promising talents?"

Gu Cheng paused, then laughed: "If they just run into a few bandits in the mountains and get into trouble, they're not exactly good recruits. What can you expect them to withstand on the battlefield?"

After he finished speaking, his gaze quickly swept over the group, and his tone was calm, "Go and make the arrangements. The physical fitness test will proceed as scheduled. The field assessment should be finalized within three days. Make sure you have a clear plan out how to proceed, which route to take, and what equipment to bring before you come back to me."

…………

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, deafening slogans echoed from the parade ground of the garrison.

Dozens of young soldiers in military uniforms were already lined up, each standing upright.

Lin Jiusi stood at the front of the group, loudly announcing today's assessment content; while Gu Cheng stood under a large tree not far away, gazing at the entire process from afar.

Zhang Tingshu and Gao Tianqi were absent today due to other work commitments, so Gu Cheng called Cai Changyuan over and asked him to stand aside and watch.

"Master Gu, there are indeed quite a few promising talents this time. Your selection method is truly excellent."

Hearing him flattering him, Gu Cheng leaned against a tree with his elbows crossed, shook his head and smiled: "Don't speak too soon. We'll see what they're made of eventually."

By this time, Lin Jiusi had finished announcing the rules. In addition to the fixed physical fitness test of running laps, Gu Cheng also had several obstacles added according to modern design, such as roadblocks, sand pits, and crawling through barbed wire...

Besides testing physical fitness, it also serves to test their reaction speed.