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

At this point, Gu Cheng thought for a moment and added, "By the way, after you finish drafting the report, show it to Mu Haisheng and have him sign it to confirm... He's the former head of the Jinzhou delegation, and his co-signature will better demonstrate the authenticity of this matter and ensure he's completely on our side!"

"Okay, I got it!" Gao Tianqi nodded in agreement, took the account book, and quickly left.

Watching his good friend return to his office to work, Zhang Tingshu scoffed, "Jingchuan, you have such a good temper. If it were me, I'd definitely have to have a word with the Marshal! And that Mu Haisheng, he's clearly one of ours, yet he still tries to cover for us... He should be given thirty lashes!"

Gu Cheng shook his head and smiled: "Having followed the old commander for so many years, if he immediately switched sides and became subservient to us outsiders just because of a change in leadership, then I would be uneasy... Mu Haisheng has his own selfish motives, but overall he is an honest man; no matter what we do in the future, we will need him."

Then he added, "There's something else I need your help with. I'd like to use my position as assistant coach to investigate Mu Haisheng's background."

Zhang Tingshu was taken aback, then realized: "You don't trust him?"

"It's not that I'm worried, it's that I need to be confident." Gu Cheng's eyes were clear. "He said himself that he is from Heishan, the same hometown as Sun Liechen, and that he has been working for Sun Liechen since the beginning. It's hard to tell whether that's true or not."

If that's true, he must be very familiar with the terrain of Jinzhou... This will be of great benefit to us in our future endeavors."

Zhang Tingshu seemed thoughtful, then quickly added, "Oh right, didn't that old rascal say some merchants in Jinzhou wanted to see you? So there's some truth to that. Alright, I'll take care of it. I'll get back to you by the day after tomorrow at the latest!"

Gu Cheng stood up and patted him on the shoulder repeatedly: "Good brother, I knew you would be reliable - hey, actually our work in Jinzhou hasn't been going very smoothly these past few days, but luckily you and Tianqi have been there to help us! If the Marshal really gives us some kind of reward in the future, you two will get half of it."

Zhang Tingshu scoffed, "Just say the polite words... We grew up together, we even carried guns at the military academy, why are you telling me all this? My dad and I think alike, as long as the Northeast is doing well, and the Fengtian Army can regroup, a little hardship is nothing!"

Looking at his forthright manner, Gu Cheng thought to himself that he was indeed a future anti-Japanese war hero, sensible and upright... With his and Gao Tianqi's help, he could seize control of Jinzhou before Tang Yulin could make excuses to come!

Thinking of this, Gu Cheng added, "By the way, in the next day or two, send a letter of invitation to Wang Yongjiang, who is currently in charge of the overall situation in Jinzhou, in the name of the Military Reorganization Office. I want to arrange a meeting with him."

…………

Before dawn, an early morning train bound for Shanhaiguan, following its scheduled timetable, slowly slowed down and entered the Lianshan Station railway line, its whistle blaring.

As was customary, Japanese garrison soldiers were stationed at the Lianshan branch station every day to guide trains to stop.

Today, the train slowly glided into the platform, but not a single guard could be seen. The entire station area was eerily quiet, with the doors of the sheds wide open, the fences crooked, and everything in a mess.

The train driver subconsciously slowed down, leaned out and frowned as he looked around. The railway inspector on board also had some doubts. Before the train had come to a complete stop, he jumped off the train with a signal light, intending to go into the shed to hand over the track conditions to the personnel on duty.

As soon as they reached the gate of the courtyard, a strong sense of foreboding washed over them—the ground was littered with debris, and when the patrolman looked inside, he was instantly terrified and trembled violently!

Overturned wooden crates, scattered scraps of official documents, an empty storeroom, two local laborers with rags stuffed in their mouths in the corner, their eyes filled with terror, and unconscious Japanese garrison soldiers lying haphazardly on the ground.

"Oh no! Something's happened!"

The inspector was shocked and quickly ran back to the train to report to the train conductor.

Upon hearing the news, the train conductor's expression changed drastically. He dared not delay and ordered his men to guard the train and prevent passengers from getting off. At the same time, he immediately activated the onboard telegraph line and sent an urgent message to the Fengtian South Manchuria Railway Bureau to report that the Lianshan branch office had been attacked by unidentified individuals.

The group rushed into the shed, shaking it and splashing water on the door, finally managing to wake up the unconscious Japanese clerk and the garrison squad leader, Ryuta Sato.

Ryuta Sato's head was spinning. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the mess in the yard and the empty warehouse. All he could hear were the patrolmen shouting. He quickly got up with a livid face.

The Japanese garrison soldiers who gradually regained consciousness were shocked and furious when they saw that all their food and supplies had been looted. They started shouting in a chaotic manner.

At this moment, someone with sharp eyes noticed two Zhili Army cap badges and several Hanyang-made bullet casings scattered by the railway. Looking at one of the soldiers who was still unconscious, he saw that he was tightly clutching a worn-out Zhili Army cap in his hand.

"Captain! Look at this!"

The physical evidence was quickly handed to Sato. At the same time, the two servants who had been freed from their restraints were so frightened that they couldn't even utter a coherent sentence.

The Japanese soldier next to Sato cursed "bastard!" and raised his bayonet, ready to pierce them one by one, but was stopped by his superior officer: "You guys, think about who they are!"

The servant was still stammering, but the Japanese soldier was furious: "Sir, what's the point of keeping these useless people around?"

Sato revealed a sinister smile and snatched the Zhijun military cap from his subordinate.

He understood that if something happened in Lianshan, the guards on duty would be held responsible. If the source of the incident could not be found, and the higher-ups investigated, he, as the squad leader, would be the first to be severely punished.

With readily available physical evidence and witness testimonies, they are practically scapegoats delivered to their doorstep.

He was unwilling to delve into the flaws in the argument—

These people came and went in a hurry, which was obviously the result of careful planning. Moreover, they left quickly and decisively, which showed that they were very familiar with the surrounding environment.

Moreover, the Zhili Army's objective is the Northeast, and it's not worth creating more trouble for themselves over some supplies... Although there are some food, weapons, and medicines in the camp, the quantity is still limited, and they are unlikely to lose more than they gain.

But none of that matters!

In his eyes, there was no need to take it seriously, nor did he dare to.

The matter has already blown up; all I need to do is give my superiors an explanation, as long as it's not my responsibility.

The Zhili-Fengtian War had just ended, and scattered Zhili soldiers and defeated troops were everywhere in western Liaoning. They often harassed the local people. By shifting all the blame onto the Zhili army, they could both absolve themselves of the crime of negligence and use this incident to complain to the Kwantung Army and put pressure on them, killing two birds with one stone.

Besides, Commander Ono Minoru has always been dissatisfied with the Zhili Army's advance into Northeast China. If I can present witnesses and physical evidence to drive away those despicable bastards, perhaps my commander will not only not hold me accountable, but will also reward me handsomely!

Thinking of this, he actually suppressed his anger and instead gave the two servants a sinister smile: "Now that something's gone, we have to think of a way to fix it... I don't think you want to be killed by your superior as murderers, do you?"