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

Gu Cheng said gently, "Miss Wang, you've thought this through very well. This way, it will indeed save a lot of time."

Wang Yuyou pursed her lips, her eyes reddening again: "There's nothing I can do, I can only help with this little bit. I just beg you to find a doctor quickly and save my father."

"Definitely." Gu Cheng nodded emphatically, then added, "Go back to your bedroom and stay with Min Gong. We'll be right back once we find the doctor."

As soon as he finished speaking, a young man in a black short jacket ran quickly from outside the gate. It was Xiao He, the Wang family's driver: "Commander Gu, Lieutenant Zhang, the car is ready and we can leave at any time."

After bidding farewell to Miss Wang, Gu Cheng hurried out the door while lowering his voice and saying, "Listen, today's events concern the safety of Min'an, but we must also protect his reputation... When we go to pick up the doctor later, you are not allowed to reveal a single word to anyone."

Xiao He jogged alongside, nodding vigorously, "Don't worry, Commander Gu, I understand! When working for the boss, I naturally won't say much!"

Gu Cheng nodded slightly and got into the car first.

Zhang Tingshu followed closely behind, and as soon as he sat down, he couldn't help but frown and ask in a low voice, "Jingchuan, what kind of scheme are you up to now? Where are you going to find a doctor?"

He knew very well that Jinzhou had not fully recovered after the battle, and there were not even ten pharmacies still open in the whole city.

In addition, most doctors these days are skilled at gentle tonification and conditioning, but they are often helpless when faced with sudden hemoptysis, fainting, or other acute conditions.

Gu Cheng glanced at him, then turned to Xiao He in the driver's seat and ordered, "Out of the city, quickly... to the Manchuria Railway Lianshan Station!"

Zhang Tingshu was startled: "What the heck, Lianshan Station? You, you're not planning to find a Japanese doctor, are you?"

Gu Cheng looked at him with certainty: "That's right, we need to find a Japanese doctor."

The South Manchuria Railway Zone had Western-trained doctors from Japan who, compared to traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, were more skilled in the emergency treatment of critical illnesses.

Moreover, given the level of development in the Republic of China era, the Japanese doctors had more methods available, making them the only option to save lives at the moment.

But Zhang Tingshu was a little flustered.

They had previously launched a surprise attack on the Lianshan outpost, and later framed the Zhili Army... He instinctively didn't want to have anything to do with those bastards.

"You know that Master Min has always hated the Japanese. If he finds out that the Japanese cured his illness, won't that upset him?"

Zhang Tingshu rubbed his hands together. "Also—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but Gu Cheng took a deep breath: "There's no other choice right now. He's the backbone of Jinzhou and even Fengtian Province... If anything happens to him, not to mention anything else, our Marshal will never forgive me."

After saying this, he said to Xiao He again, "Xiao He, you listened too, about what happened today... don't say a word."

Xiao He readily agreed and sped up his work.

The car sped along the country dirt road, the sun high in the sky, and dust was kicked up by the wheels.

The villages on both sides of the road are sparse. The closer you get to Lianshan Station, the quieter the atmosphere becomes. You can vaguely see the tracks of the South Manchurian Railway in the distance, as well as the outlines of the Japanese-style houses that are unique to the South Manchurian Railway area near Lianshan Station.

After a bumpy two-hour ride, the car came to a steady stop on a quiet, deserted roadside not far from the outskirts of Lianshan Station.

Gu Cheng gestured for Xiao He to pull over and turn off the engine, then whispered, "Just wait in the car. Don't get out and move around, and don't peek out. We'll be right back with the doctor."

Xiao He quickly nodded in agreement: "Don't worry, Commander Gu, I understand the rules."

Gu Cheng pushed open the car door and got out. The daytime wind carried the heat of the wilderness. He straightened his clothes, turned his head and solemnly instructed Zhang Tingshu beside him: "Follow me for a while, keep quiet, I will handle everything, and do not act impulsively."

Zhang Tingshu followed closely behind, his eyes warily scanning the direction of the South Manchuria Railway Zone ahead, a constant sense of unease in his mind: "This place is full of Japanese sentry posts even during the day. If we come here rashly, it will be too conspicuous."

Gu Cheng didn't say much, showing none of the awkwardness and timidity that an ordinary person would feel when stepping into Japanese-occupied territory.

The two walked slowly along the shaded roadside trees and soon arrived at the entrance of the South Manchuria Railway Clinic.

The clinic is exceptionally quiet during the day. The neat and elegant Japanese-style bungalow with blue tiles has a wooden plaque with "Manchuria Railway Clinic" in both Japanese and Chinese hanging at the entrance. The sunlight shines on the plaque, making it particularly eye-catching.

Two sentries in Japanese military uniforms stood at the entrance, guns at their ready, their sharp eyes scanning passersby. Strangers were not allowed to approach at will.

As the two approached the steps, a sentry immediately stepped forward, rifle at the ready, and shouted in broken Chinese, "Halt! This is the South Manchuria Railway Clinic. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach!"

Zhang Tingshu's heart tightened, and he subconsciously pressed his waist. Just as he was about to speak in defense, Gu Cheng calmly raised his hand and pressed him down.

Gu Cheng calmly stepped forward and spoke in fluent and pure Japanese: "Gentlemen, you've worked hard. We are from the Jinzhou official residence. An elder in our family has suddenly fallen ill with hemoptysis and has fainted. His life is in danger. We have come here to request the clinic to send a doctor to make a house call. We will reward you handsomely. Please make an exception."

Her fluent and authentic Japanese, with its refined vocabulary and standard intonation, startled the Japanese sentry, causing his tense expression to ease slightly.

They exchanged a glance, their hostility fading somewhat. One of them switched to Japanese and asked, "Sudden medical emergency? Why didn't you seek medical attention nearby? Do you have identification?"

Zhang Tingshu, standing to the side, could only understand the gist of what was being said, and he became even more nervous when he heard words like "documents".

Gu Cheng remained calm, casually taking out a few silver dollars and his military officer's ID card and handing them over: "I am Gu Cheng, the garrison commander of Jinzhou. I'm sure the Kwantung Army knows my identity... As you both know, the fighting in Jinzhou has just ended, and it's not easy to find a good doctor for the time being, so, hehe..."

He stared at their greedy expressions and added, "For the sake of your 'identification,' please be lenient!"

Gu Cheng knew that even within the Kwantung Army, there was a common practice of exploiting lower-ranking soldiers. Silver dollars were definitely a hard currency, and they could be exchanged for scarce resources like tobacco and alcohol... It was impossible for these soldiers not to be happy.

Sure enough, after receiving the money, the two Japanese soldiers couldn't contain their joy, but they still kept a straight face and said, "Alright, considering that your Fengtian Army has always cooperated, I'll go ask the Shanxi merchant doctor if he's willing to make house calls."

Gu Cheng smiled: "Then thank you very much."

Zhang Tingshu knew that Gu Cheng had studied at the military academy, so he wasn't surprised by his fluent Japanese. What surprised him was how easy these Japanese soldiers were to talk to. It seemed that money really could make the devil turn the millstone.

Shortly after, the sentry from before came out of the clinic, followed by a Japanese doctor named Inoue Chiwa who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

Behind him was a female nurse in her early twenties. Upon hearing that the illness was "coughing up blood and fainting," the doctor readily turned around and asked the nurse to fetch his medicine kit and prepare some medicines for the house call.