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

Tang Yulin was the only one left in the hall. He stood under the lamplight, his figure appearing particularly gloomy.

The night wind howled past the window, making the window frame creak and groan, as if foreshadowing an impending storm.

He originally planned to move his family to seize territory, and then gradually squeeze Gu Cheng out from under Sun Liechen's control...

Unexpectedly, his bastards caused such a big mess in Jinzhou, and then Zhao Quancai's attempt to silence them failed, putting Zhao in a passive position.

"Gu Cheng, we'll see," Tang Yulin muttered to himself, his eyes filled with malice. "Even if you arrest someone, even if you have witnesses, I will never let you succeed! Jinzhou will be mine sooner or later. If you dare to block my way, I'll send you to your grave!"

He picked up the rifle on the table, his eyes fixed on the direction of the Jinzhou garrison. The lights in the hall reflected his ferocious face. A greater conflict was already brewing in his anger and calculations.

…………

Headquarters of the Jinzhou Garrison Regiment.

The interrogation room was originally the torture chamber of the Jinzhou County Government. The Manchus were cruel by nature and invented many "ingenious" ways to torture people.

Although it is now the Republic of China era, these things have been successfully preserved. Today is the first "guest" that Commander Gu has received since taking office.

At this moment, the Grand Commander, with a cigarette between his fingers, leaned against a pillar by the entrance, puffing away. The flickering firelight reflected in his dark eyes, making his gaze appear even more unfathomable.

The screams drifted intermittently from the interrogation room, but he seemed not to hear them. The cigarette between his fingers burned out inch by inch, just like the patience he was suppressing in his heart at that moment.

Gao Tianqi stood to one side, his face full of worry: "Jingchuan, can these people really talk back? Tingshu just said that this Zhao Quancai is Tang Yulin's adjutant and confidant... I don't think he's that easy to deal with."

Gu Cheng glanced at him sideways, then stubbed out his cigarette on the stone block: "That's for sure. These people may not be good at fighting, but they are extremely loyal to their superiors... However, those cowards who committed bloodshed in the city will definitely not be able to withstand them."

Having said that, he suddenly straightened his back. "Tianqi, did you notice just now that our brothers brought back, including those who were captured by Zhao Quancai in the mixed forest... it seems there were only sixteen?"

Gao Tianqi was taken aback: "Sixteen people? But the people who came to complain today all said there were seventeen in total. Could it be... that the count was wrong?"

Gu Cheng shook his head: "How could that be? Merchants had their goods stolen, men were beaten to death, and young girls were dragged away and assaulted—how could the common people forget such deep-seated hatred?"

Gao Tianqi felt increasingly uneasy and quickly looked down to recall the details of how his brothers escorted the man back and interrogated him in batches.

"I've counted the number of people. Apart from Zhao Quancai leading a squad, there were indeed only sixteen people in plainclothes who were intended to be silenced by them."

Gao Tianqi's tone grew increasingly serious, "Could it be that one of them escaped? It's the middle of nowhere, and the night is dark. It's quite possible that he managed to slip through and get away."

Gu Cheng's gaze was deep, and he quickly shook his head: "Impossible... Old Mu and I ambushed in the mixed forest beforehand. Not even a fly could get out, let alone a living person."

Besides, Zhao Quancai killed them to cover it up. These cowards were all terrified; how could they dare to escape in the chaos? Moreover, before returning, I left a few brothers to thoroughly search the area. There was no second body, nor any trace of anyone trying to escape.

Looking back at Gao Tianqi's increasingly shocked gaze, Gu Cheng continued, "It's strange that someone is missing out of nowhere."

Gao Tianqi sensed something was wrong: "You mean... this person never came with the team from the beginning? Either he stayed with the 11th Mixed Brigade, or Tang Yulin assigned him to another position?"

"That's most likely the case." Gu Cheng said in a deep voice, "If they were all planning to kill each other to cover it up, why would they leave one person out? This person is definitely not an ordinary person... I think it's most likely a relative of Tang Yulin. He wanted to kill this person to cover it up, not only because he was afraid of being punished by the Army Reorganization Department, but also to protect this person."

Gao Tianqi's eyes lit up immediately after hearing this: "So, in your opinion, if we can get this information out of them, and considering the spies we caught before and the one we apprehended today, Tang Yulin will definitely bow down to protect this relative!"

Gu Cheng smiled, his teeth gleaming white under the starry sky. He raised his hand and patted the other person's shoulder: "Alright, now that you understand the importance of this matter... I'll entrust this important task to you—"

Gao Tianqi immediately composed himself: "Don't worry, Jingchuan, leave this to me! Lao Mu and I will do everything we can to get them to talk and find out who these people are... Even if Zhao Quancai is stubborn and refuses to talk, I can still get the truth out of other people."

Gu Cheng nodded slightly: "Remember not to rush into using torture or coercion. First, divide and win them over. Those soldiers who committed murder are already terrified. As long as you offer them a way out, I'm not worried that they won't tell the truth."

Also, keep a close watch on all prisoners, be on high alert, and be wary of the 11th Mixed Brigade sending men to break into the prison and rescue people under cover of night.

"I've got it!" Gao Tianqi replied.

Gu Cheng said no more, turned around and shouted towards the outside of the courtyard, "Old Yang, let's go!"

Yang Song, who was waiting in the shadows, immediately stepped out and bowed, awaiting instructions.

"Follow me to the city gate." Gu Cheng walked briskly in the night. "Ting Shu has already gone there first. With Tang Yulin's informants, he has most likely discovered that his attempt to silence him failed... Given his personality, he would never sit idly by and wait to die."

I'm certain he'll secretly deploy troops tonight, and might even try to cause trouble. Let's climb to a high vantage point and keep an eye on the 11th Mixed Brigade's every move.

Yang Song's expression hardened, and he immediately followed, "Yes!"

The two hurried along the bluestone slabs in the night, avoiding the guards patrolling the regimental headquarters, and headed straight for the south gate tower of Jinzhou.

The night wind grew increasingly fierce, causing the banners on the city walls to flutter loudly.

Zhang Tingshu had already led his men to guard the highest point of the city tower, holding binoculars and intently looking towards the direction of the 11th Mixed Brigade's garrison in the south of the city.

Seeing Gu Cheng quickly ascend the stairs, Zhang Tingshu turned around and said, "Jingchuan, you've come too."

"I was worried, so I came to check." Gu Cheng walked to the edge of the battlements, took the binoculars handed to him by Zhang Tingshu, and looked up into the distance.

As night fell, the 11th Mixed Brigade's barracks were brightly lit, the lights forming a continuous expanse that was far more bustling than usual.

The camp was teeming with people, with troops moving back and forth. The clanging of guns could be faintly heard through the darkness, indicating that troops were being assembled and defenses being set up overnight.

Zhang Tingshu said in a deep voice, "I've been here for a quarter of an hour and have been keeping an eye on that side. Tang Yulin has indeed made a move. The camp is constantly deploying troops for patrols and has even added machine gun positions at the entrance of the garrison. It seems like they are guarding against us and are also ready to launch an attack at any time."

Gu Cheng took the binoculars, locked onto the lights, and slowly said, "I knew he wouldn't stay put!"