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

Gu Cheng had just begun assembling his troops, planning to lead his elite forces to the camp of the 11th Mixed Brigade, while the other side of the camp remained eerily silent.

It was just past 2 a.m. Because they were still some distance from the construction site of the Jinzhou camp, and with the camp under construction, many soldiers were so tired that they fell asleep as soon as their heads hit the ground, snoring loudly. Some of them didn't even take off their outer clothes, curled up on their bunks, and slept like dead pigs.

The sentry posts were supposed to be manned in three shifts, but the soldiers under Tang Yulin's command were known for their lax discipline and laziness. They had completely disregarded the rules of duty.

There were no soldiers on duty in the guard posts on both sides of the camp gate. Instead, four soldiers sat together in the shadows of the corner, with several empty wine jars scattered on the ground. They were cursing and rolling dice to gamble, and the smell of alcohol mixed with the smell of cigarettes wafted far away.

On the watchtower not far away, the only soldier on duty leaned against the pillar, his head nodding as he fell asleep. His rifle was lying askew to one side, the bolt not even pulled back.

Unbeknownst to anyone, several dark figures were silently approaching from outside the western wall of the camp, taking advantage of the cover of night.

They were agile and swift, dressed in black short-sleeved shirts, their faces covered with black cloths, carrying standard-issue pistols and sharp daggers. Their footsteps were as light as cats; they were clearly well-trained assassins.

The leading figure in black raised his hand in a gesture, and the people behind him immediately stopped, their roles clearly defined:

The two men stealthily approached the guard post, two climbed the wall, and the rest stood guard on the perimeter, ready to provide backup at any time.

Two dark figures crept toward the guard post, taking advantage of the soldiers' inattention, and suddenly pounced on them. Their daggers pierced the soldiers' backs with precision, and the soldiers collapsed without even a groan.

Two other dark figures climbed up the wall, surveyed the camp from above, and seeing that no one was on guard, they lightly leaped and landed steadily on the ground. They silently unlocked the hidden lock of the camp gate and made a hand gesture towards the outside of the wall.

Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen dark figures filed in, splitting into three groups. One group headed towards the armory, another went straight for the brigade headquarters office, and the third sneaked towards the barracks. Each of them had cold eyes and was ruthless in their actions.

"Bang!" A crisp gunshot suddenly rang out, breaking the dead silence of the camp—it turned out that the soldier on the watchtower had been awakened. Just as he was about to shout, he was shot in the chest by a dark figure and fell straight off the watchtower, crashing heavily to the ground with a dull thud.

The gunshot finally woke the soldiers who had been sleeping soundly in the barracks.

They scrambled to their feet in a panic, some unable to find their weapons, others disheveled, shouting, "What happened? What's going on?" The entire camp was instantly thrown into chaos.

The remaining two soldiers who were gambling were about to get up and fight back when they were shot down by the shadowy figure, their blood staining the wine jars and dice on the ground.

"Damn it, get them!"

Seeing that their whereabouts had been completely exposed, the masked assassins stopped hiding and the leader gave a low, sharp shout. The group immediately carried out the pre-arranged plan and began to move in all directions.

Their mission today was nothing more than to cause as much damage as possible, preferably resulting in massive casualties, thereby severely crippling the 11th Mixed Brigade.

Several assassins quickly pulled out prepared kerosene and torches from their pockets and headed straight for the rows of soldiers' barracks. They poured the kerosene onto the wooden beams and cloth tents, and the flames ignited instantly. With the help of the howling night wind, the fire spread rapidly.

A fire broke out in one barracks, which quickly spread to the neighboring buildings on the left and right. Thick smoke billowed into the night sky, and the crimson flames illuminated the entire camp.

Some soldiers were still putting on their shoes, while others had just woken up in fright and were only concerned with fleeing in panic. Many people were trapped by the raging fire before they could even get out of the door, and their desperate cries for help rose and fell.

Another group of men, armed with pistols, roamed around the camp, firing at the fleeing soldiers. They were skilled marksmen, showing no mercy and not caring whether the enemy laid down their weapons and surrendered.

The already lax military discipline of the soldiers had been terrified out of their wits, and their formation had completely collapsed. No one dared to stop resisting; they were only concerned with hiding and fleeing for their lives. Their usual laxity and negligence had now turned into a disaster.

Another group went straight to the grain storage area and logistics tents, and without hesitation set fire to the firewood and grain bins. The heavy military rations were all consumed by the flames, and the supply of food to the soldiers in the camp was severely damaged in an instant.

Quartermaster Li Mao shouted in panic, desperately gathering the few remaining relatively calm soldiers around him to rush into the fire to salvage supplies. However, the recent dry climate in Jinzhou had caused the grain and fodder to quickly spread out like a continuous camp, burning so intensely that even getting close to it felt like holding one's breath.

Just as Quartermaster Li Mao and his men were futilely trying to put out the fire that was burning the grain supplies, a tall figure rushed out from the chaos. It was Deputy Brigade Commander Cai Changyuan.

His clothes were disheveled, his hair was blackened by smoke, and he gripped his pistol tightly, the gun still covered in dust and bloodstains. He had clearly just woken up from a dream and had rushed into the battle without having time to tidy himself up.

"Stop right there! What's the panic?!" Cai Changyuan roared, his voice piercing through the flames and screams. "Grab your weapons! Form ranks! Guard the armory and hold off these scum!"

But by this moment, the soldiers were already terrified, and the drawbacks of their lax discipline were fully exposed—

Some soldiers crouched in the corner, trembling, clutching their guns; some were only concerned with running out of the camp; and others fired indiscriminately, their bullets even hitting their own men.

Seeing this, Cai Changyuan gritted his teeth in anger, raised his hand and shot dead a soldier who had deserted in the face of battle, shouting sternly, "Anyone who dares to run away again will suffer this fate! Those who don't want to die, charge with me!"

Under the threat, a dozen or so soldiers tremblingly picked up their weapons and followed Cai Changyuan toward the arsonist.

Cai Changyuan took the lead, firing his pistol repeatedly and accurately hitting two assassins who were pouring oil on the barracks. However, the assassins in the shadows immediately retaliated. A bullet grazed his arm, and blood instantly soaked his sleeve. He grimaced in pain, but did not flinch. He continued to shout orders: "Two men on the left flank, flank around and harass from behind! The rest of you, hold them off from the front!"

Although the number of suicide soldiers was small, they were all highly trained. They used the burning barracks for cover and their marksmanship was accurate. Every shot was accompanied by the fall of a soldier.

As soon as a soldier rushed forward, he was shot in the forehead by a suicide soldier and fell straight down by the fire, where he was instantly engulfed by the spreading flames.

Two others attempted to ambush from the side, but were stabbed in the throat by the assassin before they could even cry for help.

Cai Changyuan watched his brothers fall one by one, his heart bleeding, but he could only do his best to hold off the assassins in front of him and prevent them from causing further destruction.

At this critical moment, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from afar, accompanied by Gu Cheng's furious roar: "Brothers! Reinforcements have arrived! Kill them!"