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

"Abandon...abandon the pawn?"

Mu Haisheng took a half step back, almost collapsing to the ground. The last trace of color drained from his face. "I was promoted by Master Sun. The brothers followed him all the way from the interior to Dalinghe. How could we just abandon them like that..."

"Fighting on the battlefield is one thing, but factional reorganization and the trade-offs of interests are another."

Gu Cheng's gaze was calm, but his words were piercing. "Old Mu, think about it carefully. He is currently stationed at Yuguan Pass, and all the food and ammunition supplies in his hands are reserved for his main force and his confidants. Our regiment has suffered heavy casualties and is incomplete. In his eyes, is it still of any value?"

Besides, I'm the newly appointed regimental commander. Tang Yulin can come with the 11th Mixed Brigade whenever he wants. It's hard to say who will be in charge of Jinzhou in the future. Do you expect him to take care of you?

At this point, he gently patted the other person's trembling shoulder and sighed, "The situation changed drastically after the great war, the entire region beyond the Great Wall was transformed, yet you foolishly kept his secret and remained loyal to him... Ah, what an honest man!"

Mu Haisheng stood there, stunned, his mind buzzing.

The cold indifference and shirking of responsibility that he had previously forcibly ignored now all came together, forming an incredibly cruel truth—

Brothers, the brigade commander has really abandoned us.

He then realized that his previous unwavering loyalty to his former master was nothing more than a pawn that could be discarded at any time in the other's power calculations.

Seeing that he was already mentally broken, Gu Cheng continued calmly, "Old Mu, I'm telling you this today not to force you to betray your former master, but to make you see reality clearly."

You need to understand that as long as we can hold Jinzhou and preserve the regiment's organization, the most important thing is that the brothers can have enough to eat and wear, and everyone can receive their military pay...

I heard it when I went on night patrol: in the five years you've been the regimental commander, you've never withheld a single penny or cent from any of the brothers' rations or pay.

He continued to patiently persuade, "If you want your brothers to live a good life, and your wife and children to enjoy a life of luxury, you have to earn it yourself!"

Mu Haisheng suddenly looked up.

His gaze quickly shifted from bewilderment to composure, and then to unwavering determination and seriousness.

"I understand, Mr. Gu. From now on, I will listen to you!"

…………

After Gu Cheng and the others had rested, Gao Tianqi came with the account book to report: Mu Haisheng and Yang Hao had reported the situation of the group in detail.

The Jinzhou Regiment originally belonged to Sun Liechen's 54th Brigade, designated as the 105th Infantry Regiment: with a nominal strength of 1000 men and three infantry battalions under its command;

In addition, there are 7 messengers, 7 medical personnel, 10 orderly personnel, and 10 machine gunners directly under the regiment.

However, after several battles from Shanhaiguan to Dalinghe, the 105th Regiment did not receive any reinforcements and remained in a state of constant attrition.

The regiment currently has 366 men, but less than 300 are still combat-ready, with more than ten seriously wounded and 37 lightly wounded.

"The provisions and pay are easy to arrange. Before I came, both the general and the minister made the decision to me that there would be plenty of money and provisions."

Gu Cheng first washed his face with cold water to calm himself down, then quickly glanced at the numbers. "But replenishing personnel is a problem... Jinzhou has just experienced war, and the people are displaced, so recruiting soldiers is not easy."

"Equipment development is also difficult. With the limited weapons we have, we'd be hard-pressed to cope if we encountered scattered bandits or Zhili troops harassing us."

Zhang Tingshu, who had just put on his coat, also came over. He was clearly annoyed: "Jingchuan, while you were talking to Mu Haisheng, I sent a telegram to my father. From his reply..."

It is said that Sixth Uncle did indeed apply to the Marshal's Office for a batch of equipment under the pretext that "the direct troops are pressing on the Luanzhou front, the defense of Jinzhou is under strain, and there is an urgent need for equipment to strengthen the defense line"—two hundred rifles, five thousand rounds of ammunition, and two heavy machine guns, and the quota was approved.

Gu Cheng's eyebrows twitched: "See? What did I tell you... With the two armies locked in a stalemate, the Marshal needs him. With Sixth Master's shrewdness, he'll definitely make demands of the Marshal's Mansion!"

Zhang Tingshu gave a wry smile: "You've really become a fortune teller, you've figured out human nature perfectly! But this Sixth Uncle is too ruthless—they say that even a passing goose will pluck a feather, but he didn't leave us a single feather, not even a few bags of grain."

Gao Tianqi frowned deeply: "I've always heard people say that Brigade Commander Sun is an upright man, and extremely loyal to the Marshal. How could he do something like this?"

Gu Cheng smiled and said, "Sixth Uncle has followed the Marshal through thick and thin, whether it's fighting or protecting our Fengtian Army, there's nothing to complain about. But when it comes to that small piece of land, no one might be so magnanimous!"

Zhang Tingshu sighed, "That's why Wu Xiucai dealt with our Northeast this time. Everyone was just thinking about their own little bit of profit!"

Gu Cheng nodded, lowering his gaze to look at the account book in front of him—

In fact, history books have long made it clear that most of the old-school generals in Fengtian Army came from bandit backgrounds. They followed the commander-in-chief to fight for the country and their loyalty to the commander-in-chief was genuine. However, they valued their own territory and vested interests even more, and each of them wanted to keep the benefits in their own hands.

Jinzhou was the city he had saved, and it should actually be considered his territory. However, the warlord not only appointed a young man as the regimental commander, but also transferred Tang Yulin's 11th brigade, clearly making things easier for someone else.

Furthermore, Mu Haisheng's organization had been broken up and needed to be reorganized, so Sun Liechen would naturally see them as a burden and would never give them any equipment, money, or food.

But he didn't voice his thoughts aloud. He simply looked up at Gao Tianqi and said, "Alright, these discouraging words are best kept to ourselves. Don't let them get out. Tianqi, draft a report in my name and send it to the Marshal's Office, truthfully reporting the situation in Jinzhou."

Gao Tianqi nodded: "Yes! But about Brigade Commander Sun..."

Gu Cheng immediately replied, "Write everything down clearly, don't hide anything from the Marshal. The situation in the regiment should also be written down truthfully. In addition, I would like to mention that Jinzhou is the throat of western Liaoning, and its defenses are currently weak and its troops are in short supply. I urge the Marshal's Office to coordinate the replenishment of troops and the allocation of equipment as soon as possible to stabilize the Jinzhou defense line."

"Understood! I'll draft it right away, and send it out immediately after verifying the figures." Gao Tianqi bowed in agreement and turned to draft the report.

Zhang Tingshu quickly interjected, "Wait! The more I think about it, the angrier I get. Damn it, we're risking our lives in Jinzhou, having to guard against bandits, watch out for the Japanese, and reorganize and prepare to build a large camp... while he's just sitting in Yuguan, watching the Zhili Army go about their business and getting so many benefits! I think you should add a few lines to the report saying that his Sun Liechen has also swallowed up our equipment!"

Seeing his serious expression, Gu Cheng waved his hand and smiled: "No need to get angry with him—our commander is more cunning than an old fox. Does he not know what kind of men his men are? Since he approved the equipment for the 54th Brigade, it means he already knows about this. Tianqi, just report the truth. If you embellish it, it will make us seem petty and we'll be accused of sowing discord."