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

On the other side, Zhang Tingshu also successfully took down the Japanese soldiers on the outer edge, and also knocked out and tied up the two dozing ones in the shed.

Turning around, he gave a signal to the others who were still hiding behind, and Gu Cheng immediately gestured for the rest of his brothers to rush forward.

Mu Haisheng felt his blood freeze!

Only now did he realize that Commander Gu's so-called "taking the brothers out to eat meat" was actually a scheme to target the Japanese!

It should be noted that although the Northeast was not under Japanese occupation at this time, these bastards had already turned the surrounding area into a "country within a country" around the South Manchuria Railway.

Moreover, the Japanese were far superior to the Fengtian Army in terms of both equipment and combat strength. Not to mention them, even the Marshal himself probably wouldn't dare to easily confront the Japanese.

But this young man dared to do it!

Seeing that Gu Cheng and his men had already stormed into Lianshan Station, Mu Haisheng was so anxious that he stamped his feet. But the ship was already on, and he didn't dare to abandon the brothers he had brought with him, fearing that the young calf would cause even bigger trouble. So he quickly followed and rushed up.

Gu Cheng rushed to the main gate of the branch office, grabbed the door frame, and shouted in fluent Japanese, "Don't move!"

Upon hearing this, the Japanese in the shed froze instantly.

They never expected that even when the Zhili and Fengtian wars were at their fiercest, neither side dared to set their sights on the South Manchuria Railway line; they never imagined that after the war was over, someone would not only be targeting them, but also someone who could speak their mother tongue!

They all hurriedly got up and turned their gazes over. Taking advantage of their moment of shock, Gu Cheng had already led his men inside.

In the office, a Japanese clerk wearing glasses suddenly lunged at the desk and reached for the telephone crank—

That was an emergency phone line to the South Manchuria Railway Office in Fengtian. Once the call was connected, the nearby Kwantung Army garrison would arrive in less than half an hour.

Gu Cheng pushed off with his feet, took a few steps to get behind the clerk, and slammed his elbow into the clerk's back.

The Japanese clerk bent over in pain, about to cry out, when Gu Cheng raised his hand to cover his mouth and then tapped him on the back of the neck with his other hand, causing him to collapse to the ground, still clutching the crank handle tightly in his hand.

The remaining two servants were so frightened that they trembled all over, huddled in the corner, too afraid to move or even breathe.

They were just temporarily captured and had never seen anything like this before. Seeing their companion lying on the ground, they had no intention of resisting and obediently raised their hands to submit.

Gu Cheng dusted off his hands, deliberately adopting a thick Zhili accent, and coldly said to the two trembling servants, "Enough nonsense! Our Commander Wang said he needs to procure grain and weapons, so he's borrowing your things. If you know what's good for you, shut up, or we'll deal with you both!"

The servant, squatting on the ground, didn't dare to lift his head, and hurriedly replied, "Yes, yes, yes... Please, sir, spare my life! My brother and I were just captured by the Japanese to serve tea and water; we know nothing about what's going on here!"

Gu Cheng sneered, "Since you're all behaving yourself, I'll spare you for now!"

As he spoke, he turned around and winked at Zhang Tingshu, who immediately understood and tied the two servants up tightly, then threw them together with the unconscious Japanese soldiers.

Only now did Mu Haisheng seize the opportunity to slip out of the crowd and grab Gu Cheng's sleeve: "My dear Gu! You said you were taking the brothers out for a meal, but what happened—"

Gu Cheng gently shook off his hand without responding, then turned to Yang Song and the others and ordered, "What are you all standing there for? Take the brothers and pick up the good stuff and move it! If you have guns, take the guns; if you have rations, take the rations; if you can't carry the wooden crates, tie them together with ropes and drag them. Carry as much as you can, and hurry up, don't waste time! Whoever carries the most and the fastest will be richly rewarded when we get back!"

Upon hearing this, the men exchanged pleased glances.

Seeing the warehouse full of good stuff—glistening white rice, heavy ammunition boxes, etc.—they were already incredibly hungry.

Now that the commander not only ordered them to move out, but also made those Japanese who occupied Northeast China and always bullied people suffer a loss, the soldiers were naturally overjoyed and rushed up to move everything.

"Commander Gu, what's wrong—"

Seeing his brothers happily busy at work, Mu Haisheng stepped forward again with a worried expression. "You must know that Lianshan is under Japanese control, right? If you and your brothers seize this place, do you think they'll let it go?"

Gu Cheng glanced at him sideways, snorted twice dismissively, "You know it, so how could I, the commander, not know? Just remember to keep your mouth shut, and I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong!"

As they spoke, the thirty cavalrymen and their guards were already busy at work. The chaotic footsteps and heavy breathing mingled together, and everyone was beaming with joy, even happier than if they were eating a big meal during the New Year.

Mu Haisheng looked bitter and rubbed his hands anxiously, saying, "My dear Master Gu, you say 'take responsibility' so easily, but these Japanese are more petty than the eye of a pin! We beat up their people and took their things, they'll definitely trace it back to us... then the whole of Jinzhou will probably be in trouble."

He continued cautiously, "Furthermore, Jinzhou was captured by Brigade Commander Sun, and he has always been wary of provoking the Japanese. If this gets back to him, all the brothers will be punished!"

Gu Cheng suddenly turned around.

At this moment, his gaze was as cold as the solid ice of Qiqihar, shattering the other person's psychological defenses the moment it touched them.

"Mu Haisheng, what do you mean by that? Are you trying to use Brigade Commander Sun to pressure me?"

Gu Cheng suddenly took a step closer to him, staring down at him with a condescending air. "I'm currently under the command of Jinzhou, so I'm considered Brigade Commander Sun's subordinate. But don't forget, I was sent by the Army Reorganization Department—even Brigade Commander Sun has to obey orders!"

Faced with the wrath of the Supreme Commander, even Mu Haisheng, who had fought for half his life, was so frightened that he took a step back, lowered his head, and could only nod and say that he dared not, and that he would definitely keep his mouth shut.

Gu Cheng patted him on the shoulder, his tone softening slightly: "Alright! As long as you keep your mouth shut, I can guarantee the safety of the brothers and Jinzhou."

At this point, he quickly glanced at his watch, rolled up his sleeve, and said, "Tell the men to hurry... we have to leave in forty minutes at most!"

Mu Haisheng hesitated, but seeing the all-knowing look in his eyes, he immediately stood at attention, agreed, and quickly ran out the door.

His urging spurred the brothers to put in even more effort to move the supplies. In less than half an hour, all the food, ammunition, medicine, and even kerosene and salt in the Lianshan branch office had been moved out completely.

Glancing at the mess, Gu Cheng smiled with satisfaction and gestured for Zhang Tingshu to lead the main force to retreat first: "Before dawn, take the goods to the western mountain valley and hide them. Then have the brothers disguise themselves as merchants and transport them back to Jinzhou in batches—remember, do not make a sound and do not let a word slip."