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

Tang Yulin turned around, his tone immediately becoming more subdued: "Jingchuan, this... isn't that unnecessary? I have my own personal guards, there's no need to trouble your regiment's people as well, it's too much of a fuss."

Gu Cheng smiled and said, "Fourth Uncle, don't worry. Old Mu in my troupe is a veteran of the 105th Regiment and a native of Jinzhou. There's nothing on the ground that he doesn't know."

Whether it's you going out to run errands or the women in your family going out shopping or strolling around, I feel at ease knowing he's looking after me since I'm new to the area and unfamiliar with everything.

Hearing that Gu Cheng refused to divulge any information, Tang Yulin became even more certain that Gu Cheng wanted to use the pretext of patrolling to plant spies and keep a close watch on him in the south of the city.

He thought to himself, "This kid is pretty cunning," and immediately decided to find a decent reason to politely decline this "kind offer."

But before he could even open his mouth and say anything, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

A soldier from the regimental headquarters, his face filled with panic, rushed into the courtyard, bowed hastily to Gu Cheng, and urgently reported: "Regimental Commander! Staff Officer Gao has sent someone to report urgently that a large number of people outside the city are surging towards the regimental headquarters, blocking the main gate, kneeling and crying out for justice. The crowd is growing larger and larger, and it looks like things are about to escalate. Please come back immediately to handle the situation!"

Gu Cheng's smile vanished instantly, and he immediately bowed to Tang Yulin to take his leave.

To everyone's surprise, the guard kept his head down, his eyes darting left and right, and his feet rooted to the spot, refusing to move an inch. Clearly, there was something else he was hiding.

Gu Cheng frowned: "What's wrong? A grown man should just say what's on his mind!"

Sweat beaded on the forehead of the bodyguard, who stammered and dared not raise his head: "Staff Officer Gao specifically instructed his subordinates to make sure to report... the reason for the disturbance was that the brothers of the 11th Mixed Brigade entered the city and caused trouble on the streets. They even forcibly dragged several women. The people could no longer tolerate it, so they came to the regimental headquarters to complain and seek redress."

The moment these words were spoken, the courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

Tang Yulin froze, his last bit of polite smile vanishing completely.

His expression shifted from surprise to embarrassment, followed by a surge of anger and shame.

He never expected that he would cause such trouble today, having only just set up camp with his troops in the suburbs of Jinzhou yesterday.

He awkwardly turned his gaze to Gu Cheng, feeling a cold sweat break out on the back of his neck.

The young man in front of him was not only the commander of the 105th Regiment, but also a "staff officer" placed under his command by the Army Reorganization Department... To put it bluntly, he was the Marshal's imperial envoy!

He had been thinking about how to politely refuse the other party's "surveillance," but now, his subordinate had made such a big blunder, and the evidence had fallen right into Gu Cheng's hands.

At this moment, Gu Cheng had already turned his scrutinizing gaze to Tang Yulin, and in an instant, he saw through Tang Yulin's thoughts from his liver-colored face.

He immediately adopted a furious yet solemn expression: "How could this happen? The garrison soldiers are disregarding military discipline, harassing the people in broad daylight—they are simply audacious!"

He turned to his anxious-looking personal guards, "How far has the situation gotten? Do any of the rioting soldiers recognize you? How many civilians have gathered?"

The guards quickly bowed their heads and replied, "More and more people are gathering, and the streets and alleys are completely blocked. People can't get in or out... The old and the young are all blocking the entrance of the regimental headquarters, crying and demanding justice."

The rioters were the brothers who had just entered the city with Commander Tang to garrison the area. The neighbors witnessed everything clearly and were extremely resentful; if the situation wasn't contained soon, it could escalate into a popular uprising.

Tang Yulin's face turned pale and then red, his big beard trembling slightly with anger, feeling both ashamed and furious.

Their own soldiers had just entered Jinzhou and were already running rampant. They were even blocked by the people and forced to go to the garrison to complain. In front of Gu Cheng, they had completely lost face.

I want to lash out, but I know I'm in the wrong;

If you want to defend yourself, the facts are undeniable.

He suppressed his anger and forced out a semblance of authority: "Outrageous! These brats are lawless, have violated military discipline, and have utterly disgraced me!"

Jingchuan, you must not hesitate. Go back to the regimental headquarters immediately to appease the people and handle this matter impartially! Punish those who deserve it, deal with those who deserve it, and don't show me any leniency!

Although that's what he said, his tone had lost its previous firmness and instead revealed a lack of confidence.

Seeing his expression, Gu Cheng pretended to be worried and said, "Uncle, don't worry. Military discipline is as strict as a mountain. Disturbing the people and causing trouble will not be tolerated."

However, the people are currently extremely resentful, and if this is not handled properly, it could damage Uncle Si's reputation and also harm the discipline and prestige of the 11th Mixed Brigade.

Tang Yulin knew he had been caught red-handed, so he could only weakly reply, "That makes sense... So, what do you think we should do?"

Gu Cheng was just waiting for him to say this, so he immediately said, "The troublemakers are ultimately your brothers. The people are indignant and only the official can calm their anger."

"For a mere garrison commander like myself to personally intervene would be illegitimate; but with you, the commander of the 11th Mixed Brigade, personally present... it will not only appease the people but also silence any gossip and preserve your prestige."

Tang Yulin clenched his back teeth.

He didn't want to face the group of people crying out for justice at all... After all, if he went there, he would have to admit his mistake in public and then promise to rectify his subordinates: wouldn't that be losing face in front of everyone in Jinzhou and the 105th Regiment?

But he knew in his heart that there was no room for shirking responsibility at this moment.

They were already in the wrong, and if they avoided the issue, they would be accused of protecting their subordinates for lax military discipline. If this reached the ears of the Marshal of Fengtian, they would inevitably receive another reprimand.

"Jingchuan, isn't your approach a bit of an overreaction?"

Tang Yulin took a deep breath. "These brothers are just getting used to the new place, so it's understandable that they come to the city for a stroll. Besides, you know that even the mosquitoes in the barracks are male, and many brothers don't even know what a woman feels like. It's not uncommon for them to act impulsively."

At this point, he seemed to regain some confidence. "I don't need to show my face for this little thing, do I? You are the staff officer of my 11th Mixed Brigade. Just go back and arrest the troublemakers, give them a few lashes and put them in solitary confinement, and give the people some money to calm them down."

His words clearly indicate that he wants to shirk responsibility and avoid suspicion, hoping to get away with it privately and not be willing to lower himself to take the blame.

Gu Cheng sneered: "Fourth Uncle, you heard exactly how my men relayed the message, didn't you? Right now, it's not just a few civilians coming to my regiment headquarters to complain, but the whole street is completely blocked—"

If this is handled perfunctorily, the people will be dissatisfied. If this is incited and leads to a popular uprising, disrupting the defenses of Jinzhou, can you, as the brigade commander, bear the responsibility, or can I, as a staff officer in the organization department, bear it?!

Tang Yulin never expected that Gu Cheng, who had always been humble and polite, could change his expression so suddenly, and that every word he uttered hit the nail on the head, leaving Tang Yulin speechless for a long time.

"Why should I, a mere brigade commander, stand on the street and apologize to a bunch of ordinary people? Where would I put my face if word got out?"

Tang Yulin's face grew increasingly grim. He adopted the airs of an elder and superior, saying, "I've led troops for many years and seen this kind of thing countless times. There's no need to make such a fuss! You're young; you can't just be so serious!"