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

Zhang Tingshu was startled and instinctively looked around, afraid that someone might be eavesdropping in the shadows of the alley: "The Marshal already knows? Heavens... then how come he restored the unit number and gave them equipment again?"

Seeing his nervous expression, Gu Cheng chuckled, "What's wrong? You pulled off something big with me, are you scared now?"

Zhang Tingxu was furious: "Get out of here! What kind of time is this to talk like that? Don't you know his temper? Even Fourth Master has to obey him..."

Gu Cheng smiled: "Didn't you say it yourself? The unit number has been restored, and the equipment has been given—our handsome guy is afraid we'll get hungry and cause some other trouble!"

Zhang Tingshu was speechless, and could only manage a bitter smile.

Gu Cheng said seriously, "Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore... Actually, this Duke Min also made the Marshal very angry, but now he is focused on strengthening the army and military, so naturally he won't start another war over this matter. Don't worry, as long as the Japanese keep pinning their hopes on the Zhili Army, the Marshal will be overjoyed."

Zhang Tingshu was taken aback: "Actually, I've had my suspicions about this for a while. The Japanese have many informants, so it wouldn't be difficult for them to investigate thoroughly if they really wanted to. But why are they so focused on Wang Chengbin?"

He was unaware of the intricate relationship between the Fengtian Army and Japan, but Gu Cheng was fully aware of it.

These Japanese devils have been operating in Northeast China for many years, and the current Fengtian clique was almost entirely built up by them. How could they tolerate the Zhili clique interfering in the situation outside the Great Wall?

Now that we have such a great opportunity, we will naturally make this a reality... as long as Gu Cheng and the others are careful and don't make any mistakes.

However, he didn't say these words directly. Instead, he said softly, "For now, things are stable here, but we need to go back and have a good talk with that Fourth Master—he's always been domineering and greedy, and he's always been eyeing Jinzhou, that juicy piece of meat."

"Since he has a grudge against Wang Yongjiang, he will definitely take this opportunity to make things difficult for us, and may even try to interfere in our defense territory in Jinzhou."

Zhang Tingshu was still worried: "Is everything really alright with the Marshal? Shouldn't I send my father to check on him?"

However, seeing his confident expression, the second young master of the Zhang family didn't say anything more.

That evening, the two returned to the regimental headquarters. Gao Tianqi first reported that the supplies had been properly stored, and that the rice had been mixed with other grains by the military supply department and distributed to the brothers one after another... The entire regimental headquarters was filled with jubilation from top to bottom.

The Japanese supplies solved our immediate crisis, and the brothers finally had good food to eat. Everyone was happy, which was to be expected.

However, Tang Yulin was about to be stationed in Jinzhou. This man was arrogant and greedy, and coveted the territory in western Liaoning. He also recounted the deep-seated grudge between him and Wang Yongjiang and instructed them to work together with Mu Haisheng to strengthen the secret warehouses and sentries, and to keep a close watch on the supply of materials from Lianshan.

At the same time, he ordered all battalions to rectify military discipline and strengthen city defenses. The city gates and key passages were all controlled by the 105th Regiment's direct troops, and no outsiders were allowed to interfere.

Two days later, news came from outside the city that Tang Yulin and his 11th Mixed Brigade had set off for the outskirts of Jinzhou.

Gu Cheng sent someone to inform Zhang Tingshu and others to come out of the city to greet them. However, just as they left the regimental headquarters, a brand-new black car came to a sudden stop at the gate, trailing a cloud of dust.

Lieutenant Sun Mingyuan quickly got out of the car and deftly opened the back door. A burly man with a large beard stepped out of the car; it was none other than "Two Tigers" Tang Yulin.

Seeing him in his Fengtian Army uniform, his epaulets and riding boots gleaming, he immediately broke into a friendly smile upon seeing the group: "Oh, Jingchuan! Oh, isn't this my nephew Tingshu... Long time no see!"

Zhang Tingshu was taken aback by their familiarity and enthusiasm, but Gu Cheng exchanged glances with him and Gao Tianqi, and then quickly stepped forward to salute: "Brigade Commander, your presence is a great honor. I apologize for not being able to greet you properly!"

Your subordinates had already prepared the ceremonial guard and were about to lead the brothers out of the city to welcome you, but we did not expect you to arrive before us.

The men quickly saluted in response. Yang Song and his personal guards lined up behind them. Tang Yulin smiled, stepped forward, patted the two men on the shoulder, and said in a very warm tone, "Look at you, getting too distant, aren't you? We're all family. All that fancy ceremony is just making us feel awkward!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of an engine came from not far away. Then everyone saw two trucks slowly driving up, and even from a distance, they could see that they were piled high with wooden crates, cloth bags, and other items of all sizes.

Even Gu Cheng was stunned: Oh my god, did they move their whole family here?

In an instant, his heart sank. Bringing so much stuff and equipment clearly indicated that he intended to establish a long-term foothold in Jinzhou. It seemed that his coveting of Liaoxi territory was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a long-planned scheme.

However, he had just been reprimanded by the warlord in Fengtian, so this grand relocation seemed like a deliberate attempt to put on a show of "peace of mind in defense" in order to deceive others.

How could this eccentric and reckless man come up with such a trick?

Gu Cheng thought to himself, "Someone must have given me this idea."

With that thought in mind, he smiled and led Tang Yulin and his group toward the regimental headquarters: "Fourth Uncle, you must be tired from your journey! Ting Shu and I have prepared some simple food and drinks to welcome you back."

Tang Yulin's laughter echoed through the hall, startling a nest of swallows under the eaves. He reached out and patted Gu Cheng's shoulder a few times: "Good lad, you're certainly well-mannered. It seems my third brother has taught you well! Come, come, nephew Ting Shu, sit down too. We're all family, no need for such formalities!"

At this moment, a large round table was set up in the front hall of the regiment headquarters, on which Gu Cheng had ordered people to prepare fine wine and dishes. In addition to hearty Northeastern dishes such as roasted dragon, braised roe deer with eggs, and braised pork hot pot, there were also several exquisite snacks.

Gu Cheng stood up and poured wine for Tang Yulin. After exchanging pleasantries, he saw that the other man was all smiles and said with a smile, "Fourth Uncle, please don't think I'm being nosy. It's just moving house, but it seems to me that you've brought the whole family along. If all my aunts come along too, I'm afraid the women in Jinzhou will be quite frightened."

Upon hearing this, Tang Yulin paused, his hand holding the wine glass still, then grinned: "What? I don't understand what Jingchuan is saying. The war is over now, and there is no more major fighting outside the pass."

As the garrison commander of Jinzhou, in charge of the city's defenses and maintaining order, do you not even have the ability to ensure the city's stability and protect the women of the household?

With a single, neither too harsh nor too soft sentence, Gu Cheng was effectively placed in a difficult position.

He felt a slight chill and instantly understood Tang Yulin's thoughts.

Ah, it seems they moved to Jinzhou with their families to settle down and put down roots.

He deliberately used this question to make it clear that he intended to stay in Jinzhou for a long time and not leave.

Secondly, he used the responsibility of guarding Jinzhou to control him, forcing him to admit that Jinzhou was safe and secure, thus tacitly allowing his whole family to settle in the city and occupy land and build houses at will.

Zhang Tingshu also understood the implied meaning. He and Gu Cheng had been worried that Erhu would come and seize power, but they never expected the old man to play such a shameless trick.

He gritted his teeth, wanting to say something back, but his father, Zhang Zuoxiang, was the youngest in the old-fashioned family, and had always presented himself as a "good old man." He couldn't think of anything suitable to say for the time being.