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

Gu Cheng nodded, then said with concern, "That's good! Ting Shu and I met with Lord Min today to help him share the burden... Jinzhou has just been pacified, and many affairs still depend on Lord Min to take charge. If he is in good health, it will be a blessing for Jinzhou."

Zhang Tingshu chimed in, "Yes, Lord Min is the backbone of Jinzhou."

Li Mingshan knew the two were just being polite, but he still greeted them with a smile and diligently prepared tea and snacks.

After chatting for a while, a series of intermittent coughs came from the covered walkway outside the door. Li Mingshan immediately turned around and walked towards the door. When he lifted the curtain, the first people to enter were a man and a woman.

The man was about forty years old, wearing a dark blue long gown and round glasses. His face was gentle and unsmiling. He was Wang Yongjiang, the current head of Fengtian.

The girl beside him, who was about sixteen or seventeen years old, had two thick braids and wore a school uniform. Her delicate features bore a striking resemblance to Wang Yongjiang.

After exchanging a quick glance with Zhang Tingshu, Gu Cheng and the other man immediately stood up to greet him: "Lord Min, we should have come to pay our respects long ago. We delayed until today because we were afraid that we juniors would come rashly and disturb you for no reason."

Just as Zhang Tingshu was about to chime in, he saw a fair-skinned, refined middle-aged man quickly walk in from behind the two men.

As Wang Yongjiang slowly walked into the hall, he gestured to the two men that they did not need to be so polite. Then, with the help of the young woman, he sat down in the main seat and gestured for Gu Cheng, Zhang Tingshu, and the others to sit down in turn.

After everyone was seated, Wang Yongjiang's gentle gaze swept over Gu Cheng and the other man, and he slowly introduced them: "This is my daughter, Yuyou. She has always been by my side, taking care of my daily life and medicine."

He then panted a few times before introducing the two men, "This is Mo Dehui, and Mr. Liu Chen are my capable deputy in the Finance Department. They have come with me to Jinzhou to help with the aftermath of the Liaoxi earthquake and the handling of provisions and pay... In the future, the three of you will have to look after each other."

Sitting opposite the two, Mo Dehui gave a slight bow: "I have heard of you two before, Your Excellency and Lord Min. Meeting you today, I can see that you are indeed extraordinary. In the future, when you are in charge of government affairs in Jinzhou, we will need to look after each other."

Gu Cheng looked up and sized up the other man. Hearing him speak slowly and deliberately with a strong voice, he was clearly a calm and experienced person. Gu Cheng replied, "Mr. Liu Chen, you are too kind! As juniors, Ting Shu and I have been entrusted by the Marshal to act as military officers for the 105th Regiment. We will inevitably have to trouble you two seniors in the future."

Zhang Tingshu also laughed heartily, "Yes, Father often mentions the two of you, saying that you are the pillars of our Northeast finances... With Lord Min and you in charge of Jinzhou, our Feng Army has no worries about the rear."

At this moment, Wang Yongjiang coughed again. Wang Yuyou quickly got up and took the medicine from the servant to serve him. Gu Cheng frowned and said, "Min Gong, it seems that Ting Shu and I came at an inopportune time and disturbed your rest."

Wang Yongjiang waved to him, took the medicine from his daughter and drank it. After a while, he slowly said, "Commander Gu, there's no need to be so polite. The Marshal's approval has arrived. Not only has it restored the 105th Regiment's organization, but it has also allowed you to reorganize and recruit soldiers on your own. This shows how much the Marshal values ​​you two."

Hearing him get straight to the point, Gu Cheng quickly replied, "Min Gong, Ting Shu and I both come from military families, so we won't stand on ceremony with you. The war in Jinzhou has just ended, but the people are still displaced. Since I took over the garrison, even though I ordered the brothers to patrol day and night to maintain order, there are still frequent cases of robbery and disturbances in the city."

The root causes are twofold: first, the people are displaced and helpless, and bandits take advantage of the chaos to run rampant; second, our 105th Regiment is severely short of manpower, and our military equipment is old and incomplete. As a result, we are short of troops, which makes it difficult to defend the city and keep the people safe. We are really willing but unable to do anything.

Zhang Tingshu chimed in, "Min Gong, since Jingchuan has spoken frankly, I will also speak boldly: the regiment is currently facing numerous difficulties. Although the military equipment approved by the Marshal's Office will be shipped soon, there are some issues at hand that both Jingchuan and I are worried about potential problems."

He didn't spell it out, but with Wang Yongjiang's shrewdness, he immediately understood the implied meaning.

He then handed the bowl of medicine to his daughter beside him, before turning his gaze to Mo Dehui, who immediately nodded in understanding. He then turned to Gu Cheng and said, "In my opinion, what you two are worried about is probably the upcoming arrival of Brigade Commander Tang Yulin in Jinzhou, isn't it?"

Gu Cheng's heart skipped a beat.

He never expected Mo Dehui to be so blunt, breaking the ice in public.

This kind of unspoken fear and scheming between factions is usually kept hidden in the hearts of officials and never spoken openly. Mo Dehui dared to expose it in public, which obviously means that he had obtained Wang Yongjiang's tacit approval and instruction beforehand.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, an old story suddenly surfaced in Gu Cheng's head.

Could it be because of that?

Back then, Wang Yongjiang had just been invited out of retirement by Zhang Zuolin to serve as the Chief of Police of Fengtian, and he was determined to rectify the officialdom and military discipline in Fengtian.

Tang Yulin, relying on his seniority and honor, was arrogant and domineering. Dissatisfied with Wang Yongjiang's strict investigation of his soldiers who violated discipline, he led his troops into the police station to provoke a confrontation, which even resulted in a death. From then on, the two became sworn enemies.

Although Zhang Zuolin later intervened and dealt with both sides equally to quell the storm, the animosity between Tang and Wang had already taken deep root.

Gu Cheng thought to himself: So that's how it is. That's quite interesting.

As a time traveler, he was fully aware of this matter... Now that he had seen through the clues, Gu Cheng suddenly felt that this matter could be used.

With a sigh, he stopped hiding his grievances and frankly poured out his troubles to Wang Yongjiang.

He stated frankly that Tang Yulin had always harbored resentment towards his uncle Feng Delin. In his early years, he deliberately plotted to incite Feng Delin to go to Beijing and get involved in the restoration of the Qing dynasty. He was almost punished and killed by Duan Qirui, and was only saved by Zhang Zuolin's intervention.

Now that he has taken over the garrison of the 105th Regiment in Jinzhou, and is also Feng Delin's nephew, given Tang Yulin's magnanimity and temperament, he will surely remember the old grudges. When he enters Jinzhou in the future, he will inevitably make things difficult for and suppress these younger generations.

Zhang Tingshu, who was standing to the side, was startled and frowned secretly. He thought to himself, how could Jingchuan dare to speak so frankly about the grudges and entanglements of the older generation in front of Wang Yongjiang? It was far too rash.

To everyone's surprise, Wang Yongjiang's expression darkened upon hearing this, and his tone was filled with indignation: "I know Tang Yulin's temperament all too well."

This man was arrogant and conceited, with extremely strong selfish desires. He was already unwilling to be transferred to Jinzhou to assist in the defense, and for days he kept pestering the commander-in-chief at the commander's mansion, making all sorts of excuses to refuse.

Now, unable to defy military orders, he has no choice but to lead his troops here. The commander-in-chief originally intended for him to assist in the defense of Liaoxi and to rebuild the Jinzhou camp. However, in my opinion, with his arrival, the area around Liaoxi will likely be far from peaceful, and he will inevitably cause trouble and become arrogant and domineering.

Zhang Tingxu froze completely.

Wang Yongjiang also said this?

In my memory, this scholar Wang had always been of a calm and composed nature, and even when he was in charge of Fengtian, he never showed favoritism to anyone. How could he suddenly...