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

But Tianqi was still lying in the hospital bed, his injuries not fully healed, and he really couldn't bear to bring the person over to help.

Just then, a slow and labored footstep came from outside the door. Gu Cheng looked up and saw Gao Tianqi being helped in by Xiao Xue, a maid who had just been hired for the house.

"Tianqi?" Gu Cheng jumped up and rushed forward to help him. "Why are you out of bed? Your injury hasn't healed yet; the doctor said you need to rest—"

Then, turning to Xiaoxue, he said, "How do you take care of people? Where's Aunt Li? Doesn't she say anything to you?"

Xiaoxue looked aggrieved, but before she could speak, Gao Tianqi said firmly, "Alright, alright, I know my own body. I came here to help... Did you go to the Wang family yesterday and get the account books?"

Gu Cheng smiled wryly: "You've already heard? It's just a few accounts, Haozi and I can handle it. You should go back and lie down. Getting better is the most important thing."

Gao Tianqi didn't respond. She gently pushed him away and, with Xiaoxue's help, walked step by step to the table. She looked up at Gu Cheng and said, "You're good at fighting and managing people, but when it comes to auditing accounts, who else in the entire brigade besides me can do that?"

Gu Cheng was rendered speechless by his words.

Gao Tianqi is right.

Having an engineering background, I know the shady practices in the military supply accounts during the Republic of China era—falsely reporting losses, submitting duplicate reports, and using inferior goods as substitutes.

These roundabout methods are indeed no match for Gao Tianqi's "little scheme".

Seeing that he didn't speak, Gao Tianqi reached for an account book, flipped through a few pages, and pointed to an entry: "Look here—'Timber purchase, 1,200 silver dollars, purchased from Fengtian Yongchang Company.' Timber is harvested from forests; how can things that grow on the ground be perfectly neat? Look closely at these numbers; they're obviously too orderly!"

Gu Cheng leaned closer to take a look, and his brows immediately furrowed.

Gao Tianqi flipped through a few more pages, faster and faster, drawing red circles one after another, at a speed more than twice as fast as Yang Hao.

Yang Hao watched in stunned silence, his face filled with shame.

Gu Cheng pressed Gao Tianqi's hand down: "Alright, you just woke up, you can't stay up like this. Rest for a while, I'll ask Aunt Li to make you some chicken soup."

Gao Tianqi shook his head: "The sooner the investigation is completed, the more you can follow the clues and continue the investigation. There must be someone pulling the strings behind that batch of substandard timber and cement—every day we delay the investigation, the more potential problems Jinzhou will face."

Gu Cheng looked at his pale face and the beads of sweat on his forehead, and his heart tightened.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just nodded heavily.

"Xiaoxue, quickly ask Aunt Li to make some nourishing soup... Also, didn't Lu Shoulian find a doctor for us? Ask him to come over right now!"

Gu Cheng quickly gave the orders, but as he stared at the girl running away, he was suddenly struck by a thought.

Lu Shoulian.

He recalled the day Wang Yongjiang suffered a serious illness. He rushed to the official residence and went to his bedside. He only mentioned the three words "Lu Shoulian" before Wang Yongjiang's expression suddenly changed drastically. He coughed up blood and fainted on the spot.

All sorts of things, big and small, have piled up along the way, and he hasn't had time to think about them deeply yet.

But looking back now, why was his reaction so intense?

Unless, of course, there is some unknown grudge between him and Lu Shoulian, or some shady secret involved.

How could I have forgotten about that...

Last night, when I went to the Wang family, my mind was full of thoughts about the allocation of grain and fodder and Wang Yuyou's affairs, and I completely forgot about this crucial point of doubt.

If we had asked that question back then, we might have found a crucial breakthrough.

Just as he was feeling annoyed, Yang Song strode in and bowed to report, "Master Gu, Commanders Ji Jinchun and Liu Xiangjiu have arrived and are waiting in the front hall."

Gu Cheng's spirits lifted, and he first instructed Gao Tianqi, "Take it easy, go back and rest after watching for a while, don't distract me. My uncle found two helpers for me, I'll go take a look first."

Gao Tianqi didn't even look up: "I know, you go quickly, don't keep them waiting."

Gu Cheng gave Yang Hao a wink, signaling him to keep an eye on Gao Tianqi, before straightening his clothes and striding toward the front hall.

Inside the lobby, the two men sat upright in the guest seats, their postures straight. Although they were dressed casually, they could not hide the military bearing in their bones.

The leader was a man in his early forties with a resolute face, slightly high cheekbones, and calm, reserved eyes. He was none other than Ji Jinchun, one of Feng Delin's old subordinates.

Sitting next to him was Liu Xiangjiu, who was slightly younger and had a strong build. His hands were covered with thick calluses, indicating that he was a veteran who had been handling guns for many years.

Upon seeing Gu Cheng enter, the two men stood up simultaneously and saluted.

"Master Gu!" Ji Jinchun's voice was deep and resonant, carrying the ruggedness unique to western Liaoning. "The old master has ordered us to come to Jinzhou to be at your command. From now on, wherever you point, we two brothers will go without hesitation!"

Liu Xiangjiu grinned and said, "Master Gu, I trained new recruits under my old commander for eight years. I can't speak for other things, but you can rest assured that you can leave the training of new recruits to me."

Gu Cheng strode forward, grasped Ji Jinchun's hands with both, and patted Liu Xiangjiu's shoulder, speaking sincerely: "Uncle Ji, Brother Liu, you are both veterans of my uncle's side, and in terms of seniority and ability, you are far superior to me. From now on, when we work together, we will not be superior to subordinates, but only brothers. The affairs of Jinzhou will depend on your efforts."

Upon hearing the title "Uncle," Ji Jinchun immediately became respectful: "No, please! You're the young master! We can't accept that title! The old master has been incredibly kind to us; we'd brave any danger for him. Besides, you're a graduate of a proper military academy and were personally appointed by the commander. We feel completely at ease following you!"

Liu Xiangjiu nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, Brother Jin is right. Master Gu, please don't be polite with us. Just give us your orders and scold us if you need to. We're not that kind of pretentious people."

Gu Cheng genuinely liked the straightforward nature of the men from western Liaoning, and his tense mood eased somewhat.

He led the two to their seats, then asked Yang Song to serve tea before recounting the current situation in Jinzhou—the construction of the main camp, the reorganization of the army, the infiltration of the Japanese army, and the lingering presence of internal traitors—focusing on the most important points.

Upon hearing this, Ji Jinchun frowned deeply: "I know a little about those old subordinates. They're no good at fighting, but they're experts at causing trouble. Master Gu, what do you plan to do with them?"

Gu Cheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said unhurriedly, "We can't be too forceful right now. The main camp has just started construction, and the army is just beginning to be organized. If we break ties with them now, it will play right into the hands of the Japanese. My idea is—to stabilize the situation first, and then gradually consolidate our power."

Liu Xiangjiu scratched his head: "So... we're just going to watch them act tough?"

"No." Gu Cheng put down his teacup. "Nothing that needs to be done can be neglected. The camp must continue to be repaired, the army reorganization must continue, and military discipline must continue to be enforced. Anyone who dares to openly rebel will be dealt with."

Ji Jinchun nodded: "Master Gu's approach is correct. Prioritize stability and use speed to overcome slowness. Once the main camp is established and military power is firmly in hand, anyone who wants to cause trouble will have to think twice."