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

Holding the silver dollars, Mu Haisheng smiled broadly and bowed to Gu Cheng: "Thank you, Commander! Thank you, Commander! Don't worry, I, Mu Haisheng, will keep this matter of Lianshan to myself and will never utter a word to Brigade Commander Sun!"

Besides, our regiment can procure its own food and ammunition supplies without causing trouble for the brigade headquarters. The brigade commander would be overjoyed to know that, and certainly wouldn't blame us!

Seeing how he became greedy for money and immediately forgot his previous fear, Gu Cheng and Gao Tianqi exchanged glances, and then led him into the inner room.

"Brother Haisheng, please have a seat."

Gu Cheng smiled warmly, leading him to sit at the kang table, and poured him a cup of hot tea, chatting like old friends—

It turns out that Mu Haisheng is thirty-six years old this year. He and Sun Liechen are from the same hometown. He was Sun Liechen's old subordinate when he swore brotherhood with the general, and they fought side by side to the death.

The Fengtian Army suffered a defeat this time, and Sun Liechen was in charge of covering the rear. His regiment fought a bloody battle all the way from inside the pass to Dalinghe, and finally managed to save Jinzhou.

Gu Cheng glanced at him casually. He was clearly in a good mood after receiving the money. He talked on and on about his wife and two sons back in his hometown of Heishan in Fengtian, and about some trivial matters in the regiment recently: "After this battle, the regiment's food and pay can't keep up. I don't know how my wife is raising two kids."

The brothers haven't been having an easy time lately either, eating only thin porridge, pickled vegetables, and cornbread for every meal. It really breaks my heart.

At this point, his tone became somewhat flattering, "Commander Gu, let me tell you from the bottom of my heart: before, when the brothers heard that a young regimental commander had been transferred from Fengtian, they were all afraid that things would get even worse, and some were even secretly considering whether to relocate their units—"

After what happened last night, I'm completely convinced! From now on, wherever you point, the brothers will go, without hesitation!

Gu Cheng lowered his eyes, his index finger lightly tracing the rim of the teacup: "Since Brother Haisheng has said this, I, Gu Jingchuan, naturally have to accept it... But right now, I do have something troubling me."

Upon hearing this, Mu Haisheng immediately adopted an indignant demeanor: "Commander, just give the order! You're only making trouble for yourself. I'll bring my brothers to settle this matter for you right away—"

Gu Cheng looked up at him, then reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder: "Brother Haisheng, I'm relieved to hear you say that. Actually, my worries are all about our troupe!"

At this point, the gentle smile on his face gradually faded. "Since I was transferred to Jinzhou, have you ever told me the truth? How many soldiers in the regiment are actually capable of fighting? What is the number and specific situation of the wounded and sick? How much equipment, food, and pay do we actually have left? Both you and Haozi have been trying to cover it up!"

Mu Haisheng was suddenly startled.

But he still forced a smile: "Commander, you have to understand: the Battle of Jinzhou has just ended, and Haozi is the only literate person in the regiment, I—"

Hearing that he was still trying to cover it up, Gu Cheng slammed his hand on the kang table, making the other person immediately straighten his chest.

"Shut the fuck up!"

This was the first time Gu Cheng had ever swore at him. It was obvious that trying to be polite and refined with a military officer who had risen from the bottom was ineffective.

"Putting everything else aside, Li Dazhu from the west gate of Jinzhou is literate! On the day I took office, he read the transfer order from the Marshal's Office, and he could even recognize the words on the black and white paper..."

At this point, Gu Cheng's tone turned cold and menacing, "You know the order to reorganize the army and strengthen its military capabilities. The Marshal made it very clear that everyone in the Fengtian Army must pass the test, and those who pass will be promoted!"

"What, are you planning to have me promote that Li Dazhu and send you back to your hometown in Heishan to stay with your wife and kids?"

Mu Haisheng jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), his face full of fear: "My Master Gu... I, I, it's not that I'm afraid to tell the truth, it's just that..."

Gu Cheng interrupted him coldly: "You're afraid of Brigade Commander Sun, aren't you? Actually, you know perfectly well that most of the supplies for the entire regiment of a thousand men end up in his pocket, don't you?"

Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. Gu Cheng slowly stood up, stood beside him, and stared at the terrified look on his face, continuing, "I'm from the Army Reorganization Department. If you tell me the truth about this embezzlement, Brigade Commander Sun won't let you off the hook—"

"But he's the commander-in-chief's old comrade, so he might not suffer for embezzling a few salaries, while you're different, right?"

Mu Haisheng couldn't utter a single word, yet the few silver coins in his hand felt incredibly heavy.

The young regimental commander broke down his psychological defenses with just a few words.

Which military corps hasn't had the problem of drawing salaries without working?

Even if there were a few parasites who drank the blood of soldiers in the army of his great warlord Zhang Zuolin, there were none.

Mu Haisheng knew very well that the reason the commander-in-chief had stirred up this commotion was because the Zhili-Fengtian War had gone so badly.

If he were to betray his old superior with the acting commander, he could forget about ever staying in the Fengtian Army again.

But right now, he clearly had a feeling that Gu Cheng could take his head off right now!

"I, I—"

Hearing his stammering, Gu Cheng took a deep breath, his tone softening slightly: "Old Mu, I can tell you're a loyal man who cherishes old friendships, from your attempts to cover these things up... So, even now, we..."

I don't blame you for this.

Cold sweat was still dripping down Mu Haisheng's forehead, his lips were trembling, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word.

Gu Cheng turned around, paced slowly two steps around the kang table, his voice deepening, each word piercing the other's heart: "But you should count it on your fingers yourself—"

Ever since you received the telegram from the Marshal's Office saying you were to be transferred to Jinzhou for reorganization, have you not received a reply from Brigade Commander Sun since that day? Also, has the higher-ups allocated you even a grain of rice or a silver dollar in military pay?

These words struck Mu Haisheng like a blow to the head.

He was suddenly stunned, his mind instantly churning—

Absolutely!

Two days before Gu Cheng arrived in Jinzhou, the personal guard he sent to the brigade headquarters to urge for the payment of wages and supplies returned dejectedly. The people in the brigade's military affairs office either claimed that the accounts were in disarray after the war or simply avoided meeting him, refusing to provide even a formal approval document.

Later, no matter how many times he sent telegrams or sent people, they all disappeared without a trace!

He assumed that since the Zhili-Fengtian War had just ended and military affairs were too complicated for Sun Liechen to attend to this small part of the army in Jinzhou, he didn't dare to think of anything worse.

Seeing that the face that had been trying to change the situation was now deathly pale, Gu Cheng knew that his guess was indeed correct:

Sun Liechen really didn't care about this soon-to-be-reorganized unit, and the other side finally realized what was going on.

He straightened his collar slightly and softly revealed the last layer of the truth: "Old Mu, do you still think you're part of the 54th Brigade? Let me tell you the truth, ever since the Marshal's Office issued the order to reorganize and strengthen the army, the brothers in Jinzhou have already been removed from the organization by Brigade Commander Sun."

He neither provides you with food nor pay; it's clear he's treating your troops like expendable pawns, abandoning them in Jinzhou.