Republic of China era: A hundred-year-old still practicing martial arts? Is that right?

Zhang Yuting looked at Chen Tianze and said in a deep voice, "He Ze is a wolf in sheep's clothing. He has rebelled against his superiors and caused chaos in the region. You are an official and have a responsibility to protect the territory. I believe you have that much sense of propriety."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Chen Tianze nodded quickly, "This subordinate swears to defend Jiangcheng to the death and would never dare to have any disloyalty!"

"How about I give you a chance to redeem yourself?" Zhang Zhengting walked to the map and pointed to Jiangcheng.

"I will leave a squad of marines under your command to assist in the defense and, together with the various armed groups in Jiangcheng, you can hold Jiangcheng even if you just leash a dog."

"If you defend it well, I will recommend you to the higher-ups for commendation; if you don't..." He didn't finish his sentence, giving Chen Tianze a cold glance.

The meaning of that one glance was self-evident.

Chen Tianze felt a cold sweat break out on his back and quickly stood at attention:

"Understood! I will certainly perform my duties diligently and safeguard Jiangcheng!"

He knew perfectly well that although the Marine Corps was supposedly under his command, to put it bluntly, he was essentially a military supervisor.

Ostensibly, they were helping him defend the city, but in reality, they were keeping an eye on his every move and also keeping an eye on the civilian armed forces in the city.

Zhang Zhengting then gave a few more instructions on the deployment of defenses along the river, using high-sounding official language such as "it is our duty to defend the territory" and "we must jointly suppress the rebels." Chen Tianze nodded repeatedly as he listened.

Finally, Zhang Zhengting waved his hand: "Alright, go back now, and remember what you said today."

"This humble servant takes his leave!" Chen Tianze felt as if he had been granted a pardon, quickly bowed, and turned to leave.

He only breathed a long sigh of relief after he stepped onto the small boat and it rowed towards the shore.

In the command room, the adjutant watched Chen Tianze's small boat gradually disappear into the distance before asking in a low voice:

"Admiral, are we just going to let him go back like this? What about Lin Ji...? Aren't we going to ask him about it?"

Zhang Zhengting stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the river outside the window, remaining silent for a long time.

The river wind whipped up the water, creating waves that lapped against the gunwale, making a continuous splashing sound.

"Lin Ji..." he began slowly, "I have led troops for thirty years and have seen many masters, both skilled in martial arts and strategists."

"But someone like him, who can be praised by all the people in the city, and who can have the warlord and the underworld forces revolve around him, is still the first of his kind."

He glanced at the map indicating Kyoto's location, his tone becoming more assertive:

"I am a soldier. I don't care about the factional struggles in the court, nor do I care about the Xinghua Society or the National Salvation Society. But I serve the court and risk my life for the governor. It would be a blessing for the country to have such a person under our command. If not..."

He didn't say what he was going to say, but the meaning was clear.

If they cannot be used by the court, they will sooner or later become a scourge to the court.

"Then...should I arrange for someone to keep an eye on him?" the adjutant asked in a low voice.

"No rush." ​​Zhang Zhengting shook his head: "The war isn't over yet. Let's deal with the situation in the south first."

……

By the time Chen Tianze rushed back to the governor's mansion, the sun was already setting.

He walked in a hurry, and as soon as he entered the room, he saw Lin Ji still sitting in the study. He was overjoyed and said, "Mr. Lin, I'm back."

Lin Ji was still holding a cup of tea, watching the leaves of the sycamore tree outside the window fall one by one.

"Mr. Lin!" Chen Tianze rushed in, about to tell him what had happened on the ship.

Lin Ji turned his head first, chuckling as he spoke, "Zhang Zhengting asked you to redeem yourself through meritorious service, but he also left you a way to monitor you?"

Chen Tianze's lips curled slightly, and he froze on the spot.

After a long pause, he swallowed hard, his face filled with admiration.

"Amazing! Mr. Lin, you're amazing! It's exactly as you described." He had a lot to say, but Lin Ji told him about the ship's events almost perfectly.

"What's so hard to guess?" Lin Ji put down his teacup. "Zhang Zhengting comes from a military background and is very steady in his work. With the National Salvation Association in danger, he's heading south; he won't let his own backyard catch fire."

Chen Tianze, with his military background, immediately understood Lin Ji's meaning: "You mean, he left troops behind to supervise the army, both to help me maintain order and prevent the National Salvation Association from making any rash moves, and to have someone watching me so I wouldn't dare to act recklessly, so he could go south to suppress the bandits?"

"That's roughly it." Lin Ji nodded, looking at Chen Tianze: "Don't panic. Just agree to whatever he says, and guard your territory properly. If he can't find anything wrong with you, he won't touch you."

"Yes, yes, I'll listen to you." Chen Tianze nodded repeatedly, like a pecking at rice.

Now he admires Lin Ji from the bottom of his heart.

This person is not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also has a clear mind and can calculate everything perfectly.

You can't go wrong by following him.

He sat down, wiped his sweat, and suddenly remembered something. He looked up at Lin Ji, his eyes filled with urgency:

"By the way, Mr. Lin, you mentioned before... there was a way out. What exactly is this way out? Can you tell me now?"

Lin Ji didn't answer directly, but turned to look at the sky outside the window.

The sun had already sunk behind the eaves, and the sky was tinged with orange-red; dusk was about to fall.

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, the rhythm very slow, as if he were calculating time.

"Don't rush," he said slowly. "That person should be on their way."

"That person?" Chen Tianze was taken aback. "Who?"

"The person who can help you break this deadlock," Lin Ji said calmly. "Zhang Zhengting's troops are watching you, and He Ze's people are watching the city. You're caught in the middle. Relying on yourself, you'll capsize sooner or later. At this point, you need a new force to intervene, and then this matter will be resolved."

Chen Tianze was completely confused and wanted to ask more, but Lin Ji shut his mouth, clearly unwilling to say anything more.

He felt a tickle in his heart, but dared not ask any more questions. He could only sit down and sit with them, his heart pounding like a rabbit in its stomach.

The sky outside the window gradually darkened.

The guards in the courtyard lit lanterns, and the dim light shone through the window paper, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

"Knock knock knock..."

There was a knock on the study door.

Chen Tianze jumped up and was about to go forward to open the door.

Lin Ji slowly spoke: "Don't rush, it's Li Shuwen."

"Come in," Lin Ji called out to the outside.

Li Shuwen pushed the door open and came in.

"What's wrong?" Lin Ji asked.

"We've taken a tour of the city." Li Shuwen walked to the table and lowered his voice. "Eight speedboats came down from the water, each with more than twenty soldiers on board. They've already landed."

"They've taken over the barracks at the south gate and are setting up posts everywhere," he said, glancing at Chen Tianze beside him.

Chen Tianze's face flushed, feeling a little embarrassed.

That squad of soldiers was the very sailors Zhang Zhengting had said were under his command.

Judging from their demeanor now, they probably won't listen to his orders at all. They came ashore without even saying hello, and simply found a spot on their own to set up barracks.

This is not a defense effort; it's clearly an attempt to seize half of Jiangcheng by relying on this.