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

Feng Yong's face turned pale, but Gu Cheng knew the intricacies of the situation and understood Zhang Zuolin's character and conduct.

He immediately stepped forward and said, "Sir, in this kind of situation, I usually have no right to interrupt... but since you still acknowledge me as a junior, I'll take the liberty of speaking up:

Over the years, my uncle has been recuperating in Xinmin and has no longer been involved in the military and political affairs of the Northeast. Asking him to be a military governor is really putting too much pressure on the old man.

Furthermore, this appointment letter from the capital, while ostensibly an honor for his uncle, is actually a scheme by Cao Kun and Wu Peifu to deliberately sow discord and muddy the waters in Northeast China so they can reap the benefits!

Zhang Zuolin glanced back at Gu Cheng meaningfully, but did not rush to express his opinion.

Feng Delin was so anxious that he immediately knelt down: "Of course! To drag a lazy old man like me, who has been idle for many years, into being a military governor is just ruining our brotherhood and trying to reignite internal strife in the Northeast! This plan... is truly vicious! Yuting, we absolutely cannot fall for this!"

Gu Cheng clearly noticed a barely perceptible hint of smugness flash across Zhang Zuolin's eyes as he sat in the main seat.

"Hey? Why did you suddenly kneel down before me?"

Zhang Zuolin was also anxious, his face showing a flattered expression. He quickly called to Feng Yong and Gu Cheng, "You two, don't you have any sense? Quickly, quickly help Third Master up—how ​​can I sit still with him kneeling here!"

Gu Cheng chuckled inwardly: You may say that, but you're sitting still, aren't you?

The old fox suffered a great loss inside the pass, but his mind remained clear: his grasp of the situation and people's hearts was still watertight; he was still the shrewd Commander Zhang.

Thinking this to himself, Gu Cheng and Feng Yong stepped forward in a panic, helping Feng Delin up from both sides and pressing him back into his seat.

This test has now come to a conclusion.

Seeing Feng Delin's still pale face, Zhang Zuolin shook his head and gave a bitter laugh: "Alas... I'm not afraid to laugh at you: this time, I, Old Zhang, have really suffered a heavy defeat in the interior! Tens of thousands of troops were lost at the hands of Wu Xiucai, and on the way back, I was tricked by Cao San. I was even dismissed from my position as military governor. I feel terrible!"

Feng Delin immediately seized the opportunity to back down: "Hey, brother, that's not right. As the saying goes, victory and defeat are common occurrences in war! What are Cao San and Wu Xiucai compared to that? They just took advantage of you when you weren't paying attention!"

Besides, even if you are relieved of your post as military governor in the capital, you will still be in charge of the Northeast... If anyone dares to say a word against it, I, Old Feng, will be the first to object!

Zhang Zuolin scrutinized Feng Delin once again.

Seeing his earnest expression, with no trace of doubt or ulterior motive in his eyes, he finally revealed a gentle smile: "So, the reason I invited Third Brother here today is to discuss with you where our Northeast train should go from here, and how we can gradually regain the face we lost in the interior—"

As he spoke, he leaned forward slightly towards Feng Delin, "By the way, Third Brother, would you like to try some? I have some top-quality Yunnan clay here, which was brought over by that old Lu from Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It's potent and very good for relieving fatigue."

Feng Delin's heart finally settled down. He turned his head and glanced at Gu Cheng, as if to say: You were right, kid!

He breathed a sigh of relief, licked his lips, and revealed a greedy smile: "I've been so anxious on the way here, my mouth has been tasteless, I really need a bite!"

Zhang Zuolin laughed heartily, pointed at Feng Delin, and said in a familiar tone, "I knew Third Brother had this kind of taste!"

As he spoke, he called out towards the door, "Xishun!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a man in a khaki woolen military uniform strode in. He was none other than Zhao Xishun, Zhang Zuolin’s personal bodyguard.

He slammed his military boots down heavily, his voice respectful: "Sir."

"Go, bring me that box of clay, and have someone burn it in the inner room," Zhang Zuolin ordered.

"Yes!" Zhao Xishun replied.

Zhang Zuolin then looked at Feng Yong and Gu Cheng, waving his hand: "Hey, we two are having some serious business, you two kids shouldn't just stand around. Liu Zi is back from Shanhaiguan too... You kids should all get together and have a good get-together!"

Feng Delin nodded quickly and waved to the two of them: "Go quickly, learn from Liu Zi, and don't cause me any trouble."

Led by Zhao Xishun, Gu Cheng and Feng Yong quickly left through the door.

As soon as they turned out of the corridor and went up to the second floor, Feng Yongcai let out a long sigh of relief: "Jingchuan, I was really scared just now. I really thought the Marshal was going to have a falling out with my father... What do you think he meant?"

Gu Cheng stood beside him, smiling knowingly, and said, "The martial world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's about human relationships and worldly wisdom."

Zhao Xishun, who was leading the way, turned around and said, "Young Master Feng, the Marshal and your Third Master have a life-or-death bond... Even if they had some disagreements back then, that's all in the past."

Gu Cheng knew his bodyguard was straightforward, so he stepped forward and said, "That's right, I heard about it in Japan too! That Cao San schemed against our Fengtian Army, causing the Marshal and Hanqing to suffer a great loss. This time, our Fengtian Army must be of one mind and work together: first, we must guard against the Zhili Army's sabotage, and second, we must avenge our previous humiliation!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xishun's smile deepened: "You've certainly studied abroad; your words carry weight! If you ask me, neither of you should go back to Xinmin. Stay in Fengtian with Hanqing and find some jobs. The future rests on your shoulders, the new generation."

Feng Yong glanced at Gu Cheng: "Well... we should probably hear what the Marshal thinks, shouldn't we?"

Zhao Xishun understood his meaning, shook his head and smiled: "Hehe, the Hanqing of today is not the Hanqing of the past... You've all read the newspapers, haven't you? Both the eastern and western fronts are in retreat, but our Hanqing's 38th Brigade fought brilliantly!"

Gu Cheng recalled the Japanese newspaper "Shengjing Times," which featured a large article detailing Zhang Xueliang and Guo Songling's achievements at Changxindian.

In particular, Guo, nicknamed "Guo the Devil," demonstrated modern military skills far exceeding those of other Fengtian Army generals, with his proper tactical deployment and emphasis on infantry-artillery coordination.

Although the two fought brilliantly, the fact that the Japanese made such a big deal out of the Fengtian Army's crushing defeat suggests that, aside from the intention of "turning a tragedy into a celebration," their policy of continuing to "invest" in the Fengtian Army had not changed because of this defeat.

Moreover, in retrospect, Japan actually increased its support for the Fengtian clique.

Of course, all of this comes with a hidden price tag.

As Zhao Xishun led Gu Cheng and Feng Yong through the corridor, they saw Zhang Xueliang, dressed in a crisp khaki military uniform, leaning against the window, gazing absently at the pomegranate tree in the courtyard.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around, his face still showing the weariness of returning from the battlefield, but he still smiled happily when he saw his brothers: "You two are finally here! I thought I was going to talk to my dad until midnight!"

Feng Yong laughed and strode forward, punching him on the shoulder: "Not bad, not bad. Jingchuan and I both saw it in the newspaper. You and Guo the devil... cough cough, I mean Instructor Guo fought quite well!"

Zhang Xueliang waved his hand, then sighed again when the war was mentioned: "Don't mention it! This war was so frustrating, no matter how well Maochen and I fought, it was useless... Come inside and let's talk."

He led the two inside, then Zhao Xishun closed the door and left.

This is the reception room on the west side of the second floor of the Daqing Building, which was Zhang Xueliang's private place for gatherings with friends.

Several Western oil paintings hung on the wall, and a rosewood bookshelf stood in the corner, filled with military works and original English novels.