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

"Cai Changyuan is an outsider, observing and taking sides; Lu Qingshan and his gang are down-on-their-luck people, waiting to use me to build momentum and rise to power."

Gu Cheng continued, "I think Shen Yi and Li Mao both hold real power, so we really can't take a hard line right now."

Zhang Tingshu nodded repeatedly: "You see things clearly: Shen Yi is extremely ambitious and resents you for being able to act as brigade commander at such a young age... He and that Li Mao have been following Tang Yulin for a long time, and he has a lot of shady dealings in the camp. I'm afraid that if we implement our new military regulations, it will cut off their private benefits."

Gu Cheng lowered his brows and pondered for a moment, then quickly sneered, "These people are either thinking about the little money in their own pockets, or they're thinking about climbing the social ladder by marrying into wealth... I don't want to use any of those things!"

That's what he said, but he was completely in the dark about the situation in the team. In addition, things weren't completely peaceful in Jinzhou yet. If he really dealt with everyone in one go, it might incite a mutiny, and he would be dreaming if he wanted to stabilize the territory again.

Moreover, what he wanted was not war and bloodshed, but a stable transfer of military power to his own hands.

A mixed brigade—that's what many officers in the Fengtian clique wanted.

Putting everything else aside, Sun Liechen has been staying in Jinzhou recently, probably waiting for him to cause some trouble so that he can take over the reins smoothly.

"Right now, the first payment for building the Jinzhou camp is about to arrive, and I don't want to cause any trouble."

Gu Cheng stood up. "Have Tianqi take Haozi and the others to coordinate with Li Mao as soon as possible regarding the personnel situation of the mixed brigade. Also, the camp site selection should follow Min Gong's wishes."

Zhang Tingshu immediately understood: "That's right. I think these soldiers are bored out of their minds. Why not use them for work-study training, let them dig the foundation, and work with the craftsmen to build the camp?"

Gu Cheng smiled knowingly, a hint of calculation flashing in his eyes.

That's right, we can take advantage of the construction of the camp to conduct on-the-job training.

Military pay and provisions were distributed in full, while wages were calculated separately, making the benefits transparent.

If anyone still tries to slack off, cheat, or disobey, then we can use the rules as an excuse to deal with them, and it will be perfectly justified.

As they were talking, Yang Song knocked on the door and entered the inner room. He saw Gu Cheng discussing matters with his trusted brothers, so he cautiously stepped forward to report:

The first group of brothers sent out returned and found the bodies of two brothers near Lianshan Station. However, because the area was wasteland with wild animals, the bodies had been damaged and could only be identified by their clothes.

What's worse, not only did they fail to find any trace of the female spy, but they also failed to find any trace of her at any of the city gates.

Gu Cheng cursed, "Damn it! That bitch, she's so ruthless!"

Yang Song stood there dejectedly, and said guiltily, "Master Gu, it's my fault for being incompetent. I failed to keep an eye on that bitch, and two brothers lost their lives in vain."

Gu Cheng waved his hand without saying anything, but Zhang Tingshu was very annoyed: "In my opinion, this woman came here for Jinzhou... We went to the Japanese side to find a doctor, and she just happened to sneak in and scout things out."

Now that they've launched this counterattack, they must have realized we've strengthened the city gates and didn't dare to enter the city rashly. They might even be scouting around nearby.

Gu Cheng remained silent.

His eyes remained fixed on the military map in front of him—

At this moment, Zhang Tingshu muttered again: "But I don't quite understand why the Japanese would target Jinzhou. Jinzhou is the gateway to the Northeast. Defending Jinzhou means defending the gate to western Liaoning... If they resort to force, they might not gain any advantage. Besides, haven't you always said that the Japanese want to drive out the Zhili Army?"

However, the fact that she sensed our brothers and then killed them suggests that this woman's mission is shady and potentially profitable. Could she be after Jinzhou?

Gu Cheng looked up at Zhang Tingshu and quickly nodded: "The Japanese will naturally drive their troops away, but they don't want the Northeast to be completely controlled by us, especially a military stronghold like Jinzhou. They certainly don't want it to fall into the hands of someone who doesn't know the details and is difficult to control."

Zhang Tingshu immediately understood: "You mean, someone inside Jinzhou is colluding with the Japanese? This bitch is here to make contact?"

Gu Cheng shook his head: "Not necessarily. If they have an inside agent in the city, people inside the city can simply deliver the message. Why send someone out? Besides, she has already tried to kill our people. She wouldn't do such a thing unless she had some important mission."

"Could it be that they want to take this opportunity to disrupt the situation in Jinzhou?" Zhang Tingshu speculated. "Tang Yulin was just sent away, and we just took over the 11th Mixed Brigade. The morale of the brigade headquarters is not yet stable. If they secretly cause trouble and keep us busy, they can reap the benefits."

"That's possible, but not entirely." Gu Cheng nodded in agreement. "The Japanese have always been ambitious and have been eyeing the Northeast for a long time. Jinzhou connects the interior and exterior of the Great Wall, and is both a military stronghold and a vital supply route. If they can control Jinzhou, they will gain a great deal of advantage, whether it's to infiltrate the Fengtian clique's territory or to contain the Zhili army."

He looked at Yang Song and said, "Send more men to search in two groups. One group should expand the search area around Lianshan Station, focusing on ditches, ruined temples, and abandoned post stations. Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, you must see if there is any trace of that female spy or her accomplices."

Zhang Tingshu turned around and added, "Yes, and also send two men to guard the vicinity of Lianshan Station! If that bitch hasn't gone back, she can't just go without food and water in the wilderness... We should also offer a hefty reward for information about the post stations, and have the owners and servants keep an eye on her, reporting any trace of her immediately!"

Seeing that the arrangements were almost complete, Gu Cheng told the two of them to go back and rest.

He himself then opened the plan that Mo Dehui had sent him—

In order to raise funds for the Jinzhou camp, Wang Yongjiang, despite his ailing health, exhausted his energy and worked with several key personnel to come up with this plan, and even commissioned someone to draw up detailed blueprints.

Gu Cheng read through the plan line by line. The plan clearly stated the core purpose of the Jinzhou camp at the beginning: it was not only the permanent base of the 11th Mixed Brigade, but also an important stronghold for the defense of western Liaoning, serving three major functions: training, troop deployment, and arms storage. The site was chosen in an open area northwest of Jinzhou city.

The location is elevated and offers a wide view, which can both defend against bandits outside the city and provide rapid reinforcements to the city gates, thus echoing the defenses of Jinzhou. The map also marks the hidden passages connecting the grain supply lines and armories inside the city, showing that the plan was extremely comprehensive.

Regarding fundraising, Gu Cheng saw the financial constraints faced by the local government in Jinzhou:

The first payment for the military camp came from the Fengtian Provincial Government, drawn from the surplus of local taxes and salt taxes after the reorganization.

Since Wang Yongjiang took office as the governor of Fengtian Province, the finances of the three northeastern provinces have gradually improved. This allocation was squeezed out of the provincial government's tight budget.

As for subsequent funds, he planned to supplement them by issuing small-amount military bonds and coordinating donations from local gentry in Jinzhou. He also specifically noted that "every expenditure must be strictly thrifty and corruption must be eliminated. Every expenditure must be reported in detail and supervised and verified by Mo Dehui." Clearly, he had already anticipated that the military supply chain was prone to problems and had laid the groundwork for control in advance.