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

Wang Yuyou quickly suggested that Xiao He make another trip, and besides, she had already paid the consultation fee with two small yellow croakers, so she didn't want Gu Cheng to spend any more money.

Upon hearing that she was so generous, Gu Cheng and Zhang Tingshu exchanged glances—it was like feeding that little Japanese a sweet treat, and the devil should be able to get away with it.

With Zhang Tingshu accompanying Xiao He to see Inoue Chika and the nurse off on their way back, Gu Cheng bid farewell to the Wang family and Mo Dehui and returned to his residence.

It was almost time to light the lamps, and everything inside and out was almost done. When Gao Tianqi saw him return, he quickly ran up to ask about Wang Yongjiang's situation.

Upon hearing the news that the situation had "turned from danger to safety," he first breathed a sigh of relief, and then reported the situation at home in detail, including the distribution of offices, meeting rooms, and various other places in the regiment headquarters, as well as the arrangement of living quarters.

Gu Cheng first took a big gulp of tea, and listening to his well-organized speech, he joked, "You've really become my chief steward! You're so reliable in handling things, even if I nitpick, I can't find a single flaw."

Gao Tianqi smiled and said, "Old Mu has set up all the sentry posts. I've checked them, and there's nothing seriously wrong... By the way, where's Ting Shu? Why didn't he come back with you?"

Gu Cheng said, "I arranged some things for him—by the way, did the Marshal's Mansion or Brigade Commander Sun give any instructions?"

Gao Tianqi chimed in: "The Marshal's Mansion didn't have any, but Brigade Commander Sun said he approved some equipment for us, saying that since you're now acting as the acting commander of the 11th Mixed Brigade, we can't leave without showing some appreciation; in addition, the General Staff Department and Hanqing have both called:"

The General Staff Headquarters demanded that the situation of the 11th Mixed Brigade be clarified within five days and reported as soon as possible… Hanqing, in his capacity as the Army Reorganization Office, demanded that the reorganization of the 11th Mixed Brigade be completed within one month.

Gu Cheng took the telegram handed to him, glanced at it, and muttered to himself, "Looks like this mission won't be easy—"

He quickly skimmed through the contents twice, then asked Gao Tianqi, "The order to act as agent has been in effect for a whole day. Has anyone from the 11th Mixed Brigade come?"

Gao Tianqi shook his head.

In fact, Gu Cheng understood that it was normal for the whole team to be stunned after killing so many people in one go, killing Tang Zongxi, and driving away the old-fashioned Tang Yulin.

But it was really strange that the "agent" had sent a telegram, but no one from the brigade headquarters came.

If it weren't for the fact that there was no one in charge for the time being, it would be better to wait for his summons, since the acting commander was too ruthless and might cause trouble if they rushed to pay their respects.

"In my opinion, Hanqing is intentionally giving us good brothers a boost..."

Gao Tianqi's words interrupted Gu Cheng's thoughts, "By the way, should we send a telegram to Third Master Feng?"

Gu Cheng thought for a moment: "Of course, such a big matter shouldn't be overlooked by my uncle. Here's what we'll do: send a telegram to the Feng family's old residence in my name:"

Besides explaining the situation here to my uncle, I also told him that I needed several experienced officers with excellent marksmanship and experience in leading troops.

Gao Tianqi chuckled upon hearing this: "Jingchuan, you're being far too blatant in asking your uncle for people. This really shows how much Third Master dotes on you. If it were anyone else, he'd probably be pointing his finger and yelling at them, wouldn't he?"

Gu Cheng chuckled, "Actually, my influence isn't that great. If we could invite him from Fengtian to oversee Jinzhou, that would be even better!"

Actually, that's a bit of an overstatement. Feng Delin has been in seclusion for many years, focusing on his business. Let alone whether he would come to Jinzhou, even his cousin Feng Yong was placed under the Marshal's nose... If the entire Feng family were to come to Jinzhou, that old fox Zhang Zuolin would probably have trouble sleeping again.

Thinking of this, Gu Cheng put away his joking tone and said, "Joking aside, don't neglect serious matters. It's getting late today, so go find Old Mu first thing tomorrow morning: he's about the same age as some of the leaders of the 11th Mixed Brigade, and with his connection to Brigade Commander Sun, he can get some information out of him."

Just then, Yang Song jogged in and said that Mu Haisheng had arrived.

Gao Tianqi chuckled, saying it was just as he'd described, and welcomed him inside: "Old Mu, we were just looking for you! The regimental commander is planning to assign you some important tasks! After thinking it over, we've decided it's best to put you in charge!"

"What? Does Master Gu have another mission?"

Upon hearing this, Mu Haisheng's smile widened. "But what instructions do you have? We need to eat first, right?"

As he spoke, he entered carrying a food box. "To be honest, you young people are really inconsiderate. Master Gu has been busy all day, how come you can't even get him a hot meal?"

As he spoke, he took out the items from the food box one by one with a big smile: tender braised pork belly, clay pot tofu, and two refreshing side dishes, all signature dishes of Jinzhou's local clay pot restaurant, along with a pot of warm rice wine.

The aroma that wafted over instantly made Gu Cheng feel hungry. He had been busy finding a doctor for Wang Yongjiang all day, and when he got back, he only drank a few sips of water before discussing important matters with Gao Tianqi. He had completely forgotten about eating.

"Perfect timing, let's eat and talk business at the same time."

Gu Cheng gestured for him to sit down, and Gao Tianqi quickly brought over chairs and poured rice wine for the three of them: "That's right, I was just telling Master Gu that I'd like you to go and sound out the leaders of the 11th Mixed Brigade first thing tomorrow morning. No one but you can handle this matter properly."

Mu Haisheng picked up his chopsticks, placed a piece of pork belly on Gu Cheng's plate, and grinned, "Hey, it's no big deal, leave it to me! I'm about the same age as those old guys in the brigade headquarters, and we've met before. Plus, with Brigade Commander Sun's connections, we can go to the teahouse and find out what's going on."

Gu Cheng took a sip of rice wine: "I love your straightforwardness! I'll ask Tianqi to approve some funds later, and treat those old guys to dinner and drinks, and don't be stingy."

Mu Haisheng quickly waved his hand, saying repeatedly, "I'm doing this for Master Gu willingly, how could I let the regiment pay for it?" Gu Cheng put down his wine glass and said seriously, "Old Mu, this matter can't be done too deliberately... After the Marshal's Office issued the order for me to act as the commander and to reorganize the entire brigade, no one from the brigade headquarters came."

Tianqi and I discussed it and concluded that either no one was in charge, or those old-school officers were watching and waiting, afraid that I would make sweeping changes and remove them from their positions.

Upon hearing this, Mu Haisheng quickly added, "Absolutely! It's hard to say about others, but some people in their General Staff are definitely taking a wait-and-see approach!"

Seeing that his superior was suspicious, he scratched his head and continued, "Master Gu, please don't be in a hurry to scold me. Here's what happened... Actually, as soon as the order was given, Lu Qingshan from their staff sent someone to tell me that he wanted to meet me."

Upon reflection, I realized that at this crucial juncture, he would definitely try to probe me for information, so I flatly refused him.

As he spoke, he pointed with his chopsticks at the dishes on the table in front of him, "But today's food at Shaguoju was ordered by Lu Qingshan."