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

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

Zhang Tingshu readily agreed and led his returning entourage, laden with spoils. Their horses, their hooves wrapped in tattered cloth, silently disappeared into the depths of the night, vanishing in an instant.

At this moment, Mu Haisheng and Yang Song were still guarding Gu Cheng's side. Seeing that the main force had already gone far away, Yang Song couldn't help but lower his voice: "Commander, the main force has all retreated, shouldn't we run too? If the Japanese wake up, or if the Zhili Army patrol comes, we won't be able to escape!"

Gu Cheng's sharp eyes swept over the surroundings, and he said to the two in a deep voice, "What's the panic? Be on guard and keep a close watch on the surroundings."

Mu Haisheng dared not say more. He and Yang Song gripped their rifles tightly and stared warily at the wasteland surrounding the outpost, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Gu Cheng smiled slyly and, as if by magic, pulled several items from his backpack—

Two faded white military cap badges, and several spent cartridge cases from Hanyang rifles.

He casually tossed these things aside beside the railway tracks at the entrance of the branch office.

He quickly took out a worn-out straight military cap and stuffed it into the hand of an unconscious Japanese soldier.

After finishing, he turned to look at the dumbfounded Mu Haisheng, the smile still lingering in his eyes, his tone mocking: "Hehe, we took so many good things, we should reciprocate and leave the Japanese with a 'big gift'...so they can find the right person to collect their debt and not mistake them for someone else!"

Mu Haisheng stared at the military evidence on the ground, then at the Japanese soldier's cap, his jaw dropping in astonishment.

He never expected that his boss would be so thorough: scouting the location in advance and making meticulous plans.

Now that the mission is successfully completed, we still need to find someone to take the blame and shift all the blame onto the Zhili Army!

Before he could recover, Gu Cheng's face darkened: "Don't just stand there, retreat now! Old Yang, you cover the rear. After we've gone about half a mile, fire two blank shots into the air, the bigger the commotion, the better!"

"Yes, Commander!" Yang Song replied in a deep voice.

Mu Haisheng quickly followed behind Gu Cheng, hurrying towards Jinzhou. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense all night, finally felt a little relieved.

Just thinking about the crazy way the Japanese would arrive still sent chills down his spine.

This frame-up seems meticulous, but it actually has many loopholes. Can the Japanese be led by the nose to cause trouble for the Zhili Army?

If they follow any clues and trace it all the way back to Jinzhou, wouldn't they be risking their lives?

Gu Cheng walked at the front, hurrying along while keeping an eye on the movements behind him. Before long, two gunshots rang out behind them, piercing the silent night and clearly reaching their ears.

A slight smile played on his lips, and he quickened his pace: "Let's go! We must get back to Jinzhou before dawn!"

…………

As dawn broke, Gu Cheng and his group rushed back to Jinzhou with the first batch of supplies.

Upon seeing that it was Commander Gu, the soldiers on duty immediately and respectfully opened the city gate to let him pass. Gao Tianqi was already waiting at the entrance of the regimental headquarters with two guards.

Seeing them return safely, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "You're finally back! I was on tenterhooks all night, afraid that something might go wrong."

Despite being exhausted from traveling all night, Gu Cheng still gave the order decisively: "The location was spot-on, and the brothers cooperated well without any problems—Tianqi, quickly find a few people to clear out the warehouse in the backyard; then personally lead the team to register and put all the transported supplies into the warehouse."

Gao Tianqi glanced behind him and immediately chuckled: "Not bad at all, bringing back so many? Hopefully... those Japanese won't come looking for trouble in Jinzhou, will they?"

Zhang Tingshu winked slyly: "I heard all about it from Brother Haisheng on the way here. Our regimental commander pulled off a clever switcheroo, it was brilliant!"

Standing not far from the three of them, Mu Haisheng added, "But I'm still a little worried: the Japanese are very cunning! The more I think about it, the more frightened I get. Commander, you threw bullets and stuffed hats into that Japanese soldier's hand—this framing is quite obvious! What if they see through it?"

Gu Cheng shrugged it off, leading the group back to the regimental headquarters: "I say, you don't actually think the Japanese are reasonable, do you?"

Seeing his puzzled expression, Gu Cheng took the hot tea Gao Tianqi handed him and smiled. "I've dealt with them too many times. These little devils are most afraid of being held accountable by the authorities. With so many good things lost at Lianshan Station, their first reaction when they wake up will definitely not be to seriously investigate the real culprit, but to think of finding a scapegoat to absolve themselves of all responsibility."

He glanced at Mu Haisheng and said, "You think I left those little things to give them clues to find out the truth? You're wrong. I'm giving them a way out—with the Zhili Army's 'ironclad evidence' delivered to their doorstep, they can't wait to report to the Supreme Court and collectively conclude that it was that Zhili Army Commander Wang who did it."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tingshu said, "Hey, I was just wondering yesterday, who is this Commander Wang you were talking about? You didn't just make him up, did you?"

Gu Cheng raised his hand and punched him: "You think everyone's like you?"

Before he could finish speaking, Mu Haisheng said thoughtfully, "Wang Chengbin, Yang Qingchen. Brigade Commander Sun fought against them at Shanhaiguan... Right now, they are the two facing off along the Luanzhou line."

Gu Cheng smiled approvingly and continued, "This Wang Chengbin—he boasts of being a graduate of the Baoding Academy and has always been at odds with Wu Peifu, who is from Luoyang, while Yang Qingchen, who is also guarding Luanzhou, is Wu's confidant... I framed that guy surnamed Wang, and not only are the Japanese happy about it, but Yang Qingchen will definitely use it as an excuse to make a fuss."

Mu Haisheng's eyes widened in astonishment: "Commander, you truly live up to your reputation as someone from Fengtian! You've seen through every aspect of this situation—it seems the brothers will really be set for life following you from now on!"

Zhang Tingshu chuckled: "Whether we can get meat or not is hard to say, but we've been having plenty of white rice lately... However, brothers, don't spread the word about how good you're eating. If it gets back to the Japanese, that won't be fun anymore."

Gu Cheng laughed heartily: "Don't worry, those bastards will use any tricks they have on the Zhili Army... They were already planning to drive these outsiders away, and now that they've lost something and have 'important evidence' delivered to them, they'll definitely make a big deal out of it—"

"Heh, even if they do realize what's happening, we've already eaten all the rice. They can go look for it in the latrine!"

Everyone burst into laughter at his antics, but Gu Cheng quickly turned serious and said, "Alright, enough with the banter. Every brother who participated in last night's operation will receive two silver dollars. Consider it payment for risking your lives with me, the commander! Listen, no deductions or fraudulent claims are allowed. Every single dollar must reach the hands of the brothers!"

Upon hearing this, the group was overjoyed, and the fatigue from their overnight journey instantly dissipated.

Gu Cheng then looked at Mu Haisheng, who was rubbing his hands together, and took out five silver dollars to hand over: "Brother Haisheng, you were also worried last night. Please take these five dollars as a token of my appreciation."

Upon seeing the silver dollars, Mu Haisheng beamed with joy.

It should be noted that the Fengtian Army's pay was relatively high compared to the entire Beiyang clique, but whether the pay actually reached the hands of the soldiers depended on the conscience of the officers.