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

Sun Liechen stared blankly at Gu Cheng, looking at the determination in his eyes, and a complex expression appeared on his face—a mixture of relief, helplessness, and a bit of admiration.

He remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a heavy sigh: "Fine, fine, you're right! Military law is inviolable; personal feelings cannot be considered at a time like this."

At this point, Sun Liechen let out a long sigh of relief, "Let's do it your way."

"Just as you said, report the truth to the Commander. Deal with it as appropriate; I will show absolutely no favoritism."

Gu Cheng bowed slightly: "Thank you for your understanding, Sixth Uncle!"

Sun Liechen waved his hand, then turned to the others and said, "Ting Shu, you all go ahead and get busy... especially those certifications, make sure you check them carefully. Also, be sure to guard the city's defenses strictly, and don't let anything go wrong!"

The group was taken aback when they heard Sun Liechen dismiss everyone, but they quickly exchanged glances with Gu Cheng and hurried out the door.

However, as soon as the door closed, Sun Liechen first waved his hand at the chair, gesturing for him to sit down, then his face darkened: "Jingchuan, you've got some nerve! How was the food at the Mantie Lianshan branch office?"

Gu Cheng's heart skipped a beat.

What, even he found out?

That's not right. If he really had solid evidence, he should have stated the consequences directly. His act of dismissing everyone around him was clearly a test.

"Sixth Uncle, what did you say?"

Gu Cheng looked bewildered. "What 'Manchuria Railway Lianshan Branch Office'? I don't understand... Is it some kind of Japanese branch office?"

Sun Liechen gritted his teeth in anger, almost grabbing a teacup to smash him. "You little bastard, are you still pretending? You dare to steal Japanese stuff? Do you have a death wish?"

Gu Cheng became even more certain that he had no evidence, and his tone became more relaxed: "You said you didn't want to live a long life, so of course I won't do it—besides, do these little Japanese have any evidence to make baseless accusations?"

"Sixth Uncle, you've really misunderstood. I really didn't rob any branch office... As for my brothers, they certainly wouldn't have done that."

Sun Liechen glared at him: "Stop talking nonsense! Do you know that the Kwantung Army suspects the Zhili Army and has already demanded the return of the murderer from those bastards, and is also demanding compensation from them—"

But think about it carefully, are Wang Chengbin and Yang Qingchen so easily fooled? If they trace their trail all the way to Jinzhou, what a mess they'll cause our Fengtian Army!

Gu Cheng chuckled upon hearing this: "You see, even the Japanese know who to turn to for help, so why are you trying to pin the blame on me?"

Sun Liechen stood up abruptly: "Then let me ask you, where did those brand-new Type 96 light machine guns on the city wall come from?!"

"Jinzhou's defenses are dilapidated, and the armory has long been empty. Do you think I don't know that? You still dare to argue with me?"

These words hit the nail on the head, but Gu Cheng remained confident and said, "Sixth Uncle, you are also someone who risked your life to take over Jinzhou, so you naturally know that this place is rich in resources and talented people. It's not uncommon to find good equipment in the mixed forests."

He shrugged. "Brand new? Not really. The brothers just happened to find a few light machine guns when they were in ambush the other day. We cleaned and repaired them, and they were ready to be used to defend Jinzhou. Isn't that good enough? What's so strange about that? It's not a big deal, is it?"

"You!" Sun Liechen was so angry at his sophistry that he couldn't speak. He pointed at him and after a long while, he managed to choke out, "You're such a smooth talker! A light machine gun can grow in a mixed forest? Do you think I'm a three-year-old child, so easily fooled?"

But looking at Gu Cheng's innocent expression that said, "I just didn't know, I just discovered it by chance," he felt both angry and helpless.

"Sixth Uncle, it's a good thing that the Kwantung Army has caught up with those Zhili troops!"

Gu Cheng looked back at him and continued, "Actually, the Commander-in-Chief also knows about the equipment growing in the forest—"

He not only approved the restoration of the 105th Regiment's designation, but also approved equipment for me, which will arrive in the next day or two; rest assured, he will definitely work with that Japanese advisor to make it a reality. You know, Japan hates these kinds of troublesome military operations the most.

Historically, the Fengtian clique in 1922 was essentially elevated by the Japanese, while the Zhili army was backed by Britain and the United States and was opposed to the Japanese.

Before the Zhili-Fengtian War, Wu Peifu had mentioned the Japanese invasion of China many times and even took the lead in opposing the joint construction of the Jiaoji Railway with Japan... They directly ruined the Japanese's good plan, so how could they not be resented?

"The Zhili Army is still stationed along the Shanhaiguan and Luanzhou lines, under the guise of resisting the invaders, but they want to occupy the Northeast. They have harassed the Japanese consulate and the South Manchuria Railway facilities more than once or twice."

Gu Cheng raised his chin and sneered, "Now that the Japanese are blaming the Zhili Army for the attack on the South Manchuria Railway's branch office, it's just as well—"

"We don't need to investigate us, and we can use this as an excuse to get these bastards out of Northeast China as soon as possible!"

Sun Liechen was stunned.

But the way he looked at Gu Cheng quickly changed—

Previously, I only thought this kid was a brave and daring junior, but I didn't expect him to be so meticulous. He could see through the thoughts of the Japanese and the entanglements between the Zhili and the Western powers. He was not like a young regimental commander at all.

He was silent for a moment, then quickly showed genuine admiration: "You're more insightful than I am."

Gu Cheng stood up and said, "Sixth Uncle, now is not the time to talk about these things. Tang Yulin is cunning, and Tang Zongxi is his Achilles' heel. We need to deal with his affairs quickly to prevent him from playing any more tricks in secret, lest things get complicated if we delay."

Just as Sun Liechen was about to respond, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by a report from a personal guard: "Brigade Commander, Regimental Commander Gu, Han Chengzhu from the 11th Mixed Brigade requests an audience, saying... saying that Tang Zongxi committed suicide out of fear of punishment!"

"What?!"

Gu Cheng's expression changed drastically, and he strode towards the door. "Tang Zongxi is a coward who fears death. How could he so easily commit suicide out of guilt?"

Sun Liechen followed closely behind, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

At the entrance of the courtyard, Han Chengzhu, dressed in a dusty gray military uniform, stood to one side with a look of fear on his face, while several soldiers carried a wooden coffin behind him.

"Commander Gu, Brigade Commander Sun..."

Upon seeing the two men emerge, Han Chengzhu hurriedly bowed, his voice trembling, "Deputy Regiment Commander Tang... he knew his sins were grave and feared military punishment, so he hanged himself in the barracks. I dared not delay and immediately brought him here for you two gentlemen to examine."

At this moment, Zhang Tingshu and others rushed over upon hearing the commotion. When they heard that Tang Zongxi had committed suicide out of fear of punishment, they looked at each other in shock and asked him questions repeatedly.

Sun Liechen's face darkened, and he coldly stopped the crowd from discussing, ordering them to immediately open the coffin and examine the body.

Inside the thin coffin, Tang Zongxi's eyes were wide open, his face was bluish-purple, and there was a deep mark on his neck.

Gu Cheng saw it clearly—

However, the marks were not the diagonal strangulation marks typical of hanging; instead, they resembled horizontal marks left by someone tightly strangling someone with a rope. A trace of undried blood remained at the corner of the mouth, indicating that the person had struggled violently before death.