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

"Bang!"

Gu Cheng kicked open the door and strode inside.

Inside the study, Zhao Quanfu and Zhao Quande looked up at the same time, their faces filled with shock and fear.

Zhao Quande squatted on the ground, with a copper brazier in front of him, the embers inside not yet lit.

"Commander Gu... Commander Gu!"

When he finally saw who it was, Zhao Quanfu was so shocked that he took a few steps back and almost knocked over the pen holder on the table.

Gu Cheng stood at the door, his gaze sweeping over the copper basin before settling on the two brothers' faces, contorted with terror. He gave a cold laugh: "Good evening, you two."

He then quickly continued, "Since it's nighttime and you two aren't feeling sleepy, why don't you come back to headquarters with the brothers to relax a bit—"

After saying that, Gu Cheng waved his right hand, ordering his men to clear the area at lightning speed, "Leave no one alive, take them all away!"

Just as they were closing in, Yang Song suddenly shouted "Stop!" and was about to draw his pistol.

Gu Cheng stood at the door, his gaze sweeping over the copper basin before settling on the two brothers' faces, contorted with terror. A cold smile appeared on his face. "Good evening, you two."

He then quickly continued, "Since it's nighttime and you two aren't feeling sleepy, why don't you come back to headquarters with the brothers to relax a bit—"

After saying that, Gu Cheng waved his right hand, ordering his men to clear the area at lightning speed: "Leave no one alive, take them all away!"

Before he finished speaking, more than ten men in black rushed into the study like tigers and wolves.

Two men held Zhao Quanfu down, two others held Zhao Quande down, and the rest began to rummage through the drawers and cabinets, counting and packing all the account books, letters, and receipts.

Zhao Quande collapsed to the ground, uttering muffled sobs. His legs trembled as he was dragged up, and he was practically carried away.

Zhao Quanfu did not struggle, but his face was ashen, and he hung his head, letting the soldiers carry him out the door.

Just as the operation in the main hall of the front yard was nearing its end, a dark figure suddenly jumped out of the window of the west wing room. With lightning speed, he leaped up the low wall of the backyard in a few bounds.

"stop!"

With lightning speed, Yang Song drew his pistol from his waist, pointed it directly at the dark figure, and his finger was already on the trigger.

With just a gentle tap, the person will inevitably fall to the ground.

In that split second, a steady and powerful hand pressed down on his wrist.

"Don't shoot." Gu Cheng's voice was cold and stern.

Yang Song was taken aback, lowered his gun slightly, and said urgently, "Master Gu, that man is trying to escape—"

"Let him get away." Gu Cheng withdrew his hand, his gaze following the dark figure that disappeared over the wall, and let out a contemptuous snort.

Yang Song looked puzzled, but Gu Cheng ordered, "Send someone to follow him. Remember, keep a distance, and don't let him notice. See who he runs to, where he goes, and who he meets. Following the clues will be much more useful than shooting him dead."

Yang Song suddenly realized, and slapped his forehead hard: "Master Gu is so thoughtful! I'll go arrange it right away!"

He turned and made a few hand gestures to his brothers behind him. Two agile soldiers, skilled at tracking, immediately understood and silently chased after the fleeing figure, disappearing into the night in the blink of an eye.

Gu Cheng turned around and looked at the front yard of the Lu residence, which was now completely under his control.

The lights in the mourning hall were still flickering, the white banners were fluttering in the night wind, and the concubines were huddled in a side room, sobbing softly.

The servants squatted in the corner, their hands covering their heads, not daring to breathe.

The brothers led Zhao Quanfu, Zhao Quande, and more than twenty members of the Lu family out in single file, their faces filled with fear and bewilderment.

…………

Sunlight streamed in through the windows, but inside the Grand Green Building of the Fengtian Marshal's Mansion, the atmosphere seemed to completely shut out warmth.

A black sedan came to a smooth stop in front of the Marshal's Mansion. The door opened, and a middle-aged man in a dark gray suit with a neatly trimmed short beard stepped out.

He was not tall, but his amber eyes were sharp as a falcon's, revealing a coldness and arrogance unique to the Japanese.

Takeo Kikuchi.

Japanese military advisors to the Fengtian Army.

He stood at the entrance of the Marshal's Mansion and habitually straightened his collar.

He only received the full report about the situation in Jinzhou late last night.

Lu Shoulian died, and the account books fell into Gu Cheng's hands. The crazy woman Haruka Yumi from the South Manchuria Railway Investigation Department made things out of control.

Those idiots at the Kwantung Army headquarters actually stamped the delivery order, leaving behind irrefutable evidence.

A bunch of good-for-nothings who are more likely to cause trouble than anything else.

He took a deep breath and stepped into the gate of the Marshal's Mansion.

The guards, who had already been informed, stepped aside and respectfully led him through the courtyard.

Kikuchi walked slowly, calculating with every step—

How much did Zhang Zuolin know?

What did Gu Cheng write in his report?

Also, did that slut fall into Gu Cheng's hands?

These questions raced through his mind, but as soon as he stood down in the corridor, he heard a burst of angry curses coming from inside.

His voice was full of energy, like a booming bell.

"You son of a bitch! You still have the nerve to talk to me about difficulties? There's such a huge problem in Jinzhou, and you're hiding in Fengtian pretending to be deaf and dumb. Do you think I'm stupid?"

Kikuchi paused, turned to stand by the door, and stood with his hands at his sides, showing no impatience whatsoever.

It turns out they were cursing Yang Yuting.

That's fine, let him vent his anger first.

A deep voice came from inside: "General, I'm having trouble allocating funds lately... I just don't want to delay the arrival of this batch of good equipment. As you know, the Japanese always pay first and then—"

"Bullshit!" Zhang Zuolin's voice rose even higher. "The Jinzhou camp is of utmost importance, how dare you embezzle this money!"

The rest of the conversation was hard to hear, except for the occasional slap on the table... But Kikuchi Takeo could clearly sense just how angry this highest-ranking official in the Tohoku region was.

After about five or six minutes, the sounds inside finally subsided.

Yang Yuting strode out with a dark face, while the usually calm and collected "Little Zhuge" was so flustered that he almost bumped into Kikuchi.

"Hehe, Chief of General Staff Yang."

Kikuchi offered a gentle smile, deliberately ignoring his lapse in composure, and asked, "Is the Commander-in-Chief here?"

Upon recognizing the person who had arrived, Yang Yuting immediately composed himself.

Seeing the Japanese man's forced smile, his inner turmoil intensified, but he still coughed politely and put on airs: "Ahem, is this Mr. Kikuchi? The commander is inside... He mentioned that you were coming when we were discussing business earlier."

Kikuchi knew he was making a fool of himself, but he just smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with him before straightening his collar and stepping into the hall again.

Zhang Zuolin was standing in the center of the hall, wearing a gray cloth long gown.

He had his back to the door and faced the huge map of the northeastern border on the wall. His shoulders were slightly heaving, like a tiger that had just roared and was slowly calming down.

Kikuchi stopped and bowed slightly: "Commander-in-Chief."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zuolin immediately turned around and glared at him coldly: "Mr. Kikuchi, you've arrived?"

Before Kikuchi could respond, he coldly added, "However, my good advisor... you Japanese are truly heartless!"