The train ground to a halt at the Beizhen Station in Jinzhou. As the doors slid open, soldiers poured onto the platform. Song Youzheng, a regimental commander of the 27th Division, walked over to Xu Chengfeng. He glanced at the Siping Army troops, who had already assembled into neat formations, and then at the officers and men of his own 27th Division, who were still noisily struggling to organize themselves. He let out a subtle sigh.

Once the troops were in order, they immediately marched toward the garrison of the 28th Division. Upon reaching the gates, an adjutant from Feng Linge’s staff went forward to announce them. The camp gates swung open, and a major emerged to welcome them.

The group entered the division headquarters. Xu Chengfeng produced the military orders and handed them to the vice-commander of the 28th Division. The directive ordered the 28th Division to immediately dispatch two regiments to Heilongjiang to swap garrisons with the local forces there.

Even though the vice-commander verified the authenticity of the documents, a look of disbelief remained plastered across his face. He instinctively resorted to stalling tactics. "Please, brothers, go down and rest first. I need to hold a meeting about this."

Xu Chengfeng asked calmly, "These are General Zhang's military orders, countersigned by Commander Feng Linge of the 28th Division. What is there to discuss? Are you debating whether the 28th Division should obey military orders?"

Although his tone was flat, Xu Chengfeng’s words were anything but polite. In the army, disobedience was a capital offense—let alone disobeying a formal order signed jointly by General Zhang Xiluan, the Zhen'an General who controlled the region beyond the Pass, and Feng Linge, the commander of the 28th Division.

Hearing this, the vice-commander was momentarily at a loss. Commander Feng Linge had gone to Fengtian to celebrate Zhang Xiluan’s birthday. Why would he suddenly send people from other units with orders to immediately swap garrisons with the Heilongjiang Provincial Army? This was a massive undertaking! If there was to be a garrison swap, Feng Linge should have returned to command it personally. If the vice-commander acted rashly and Feng Linge blamed him later, what would he do?

Meeting Xu Chengfeng’s sharp gaze, the vice-commander suddenly had an idea. He asked, "Major Xu, please wait a moment. I will send a telegram to Commander Feng to ask how the deployment fees should be handled."

***

Almost simultaneously, Cheng Ruofan, wearing the rank of major and dressed in a handsome homespun military greatcoat, walked into the Jilin Provincial Army Headquarters in Changchun. Several regimental commanders of the Jilin Provincial Army finished reading their orders but showed no intention of acting immediately. Their eyes fell upon Cheng Ruofan.

They saw a young major they had never met before. He had delicate features and a refined, scholarly air; he looked less like a soldier and more like a dashing noble scion. Yet the news Cheng Ruofan brought was starkly at odds with his appearance. He was ordering two regiments of the Jilin Provincial Army to proceed to Fengtian to participate in military exercises with the Jilin Military Governor, Meng Enyuan. This seemed entirely too strange.

After discussing it amongst themselves, the regimental commanders asked, "Major Cheng, what exactly is going on here?"

Cheng Ruofan’s face darkened, and he spoke coldly. "What is there to ask? Isn't it stated clearly in the orders! The southern rebels have risen in rebellion. The Great President has ordered military exercises to be organized beyond the Pass so that forces can be ready to advance on the capital to provide support at any moment."

The commanders were naturally aware of Cai E’s uprising, and they knew their own division commander was a staunch supporter of Yuan Shikai’s bid for the monarchy. Although the orders were urgent, they weren't entirely inexplicable. Finally, one said, "It’s just that these deployment fees..."

Cheng Ruofan shot to his feet, startling the commanders. But then, his expression dissolved into a smile, and he instantly became amiable and approachable. "Older brothers, you only need to prepare to march. Since Marshal Zhang has issued the order, how could he fail to consider these details?"

That night, the regimental commanders deliberated until late but failed to reach a conclusion. The matter was indeed bizarre, but they had no other recourse, so they decided to stall.

Just as the commander of the 2nd Regiment returned home, his guard reported that Cheng Ruofan had arrived.

"How many people did he bring?" The 2nd Regiment Commander became alert.

"Commander Cheng brought only four people."

"...Invite him in."

Cheng Ruofan entered the main hall and wasted no words. He directly pulled out two letters and handed them to the commander. The commander opened them, and his expression instantly turned serious. After finishing both letters, he asked, "Is the situation with Lord Zhang really that critical?"

"When Lord Zhang sent this brother here, he specifically instructed me to hand this letter to you alone, Commander. You are someone Lord Zhang trusts. The current situation is urgent. If we cannot gather troops quickly, and the rebels within the army seize the chance to cause chaos, it will be difficult to suppress them."

Cheng Ruofan’s tone was sincere, and the 2nd Regiment Commander believed him. More importantly, he was originally a subordinate of Zhang Xiluan. Of the two letters, one was naturally handwritten by Zhang Xiluan, and the other was written by the commander’s own father in Fengtian. He could not mistake their handwriting.

Given the situation, the commander steeled his heart. "I will lead my troops to Fengtian tomorrow. It’s just that the other two regiments..."

Cheng Ruofan answered decisively, "Lord Zhang said in his letter that two regiments going to Fengtian is enough. This brother will remain in Changchun with troops; I certainly won't let those people cause trouble."

***

The 2nd Regiment Commander slept poorly that night, feeling that something was amiss no matter how he thought about it. At first light, he woke up groggy and read the two letters twice more. Worried he might be being deceived, he took out previous letters from Zhang Xiluan and his father to compare the handwriting. They were indeed authentic.

Although he didn't know what major event had occurred, he had decided to obey the order and proceed to Fengtian.

In the morning, just as he arrived at the barracks, the 3rd Regiment Commander hurried over. Seeing his expression, the 2nd Regiment Commander dismissed his guards. Only then did the 3rd Regiment Commander speak. "Commander Cheng sent me a letter last night. The Marshal privately wrote ordering me to go to Fengtian."

After speaking, he stared at the 2nd Regiment Commander. Seeing no surprise on his colleague's face, he lowered his voice and asked, "You received a letter from the Marshal too?"

The 2nd Regiment Commander nodded. Both he and the 3rd Regiment Commander were from the Yi Battalion of the Xiang Army, old subordinates of Zhang Xiluan, and could be considered part of the Huai Army lineage.

Since Zhang Xiluan had issued orders, the 3rd Regiment Commander asked in a low voice, "I wonder if Commander Gao will go?"

The Jilin Provincial Army was the Beiyang 23rd Division. The 1st Regiment Commander, Gao Shibin, was the nephew of Governor Meng Enyuan. Compared to the commanders of the 2nd and 3rd Regiments, he was a true confidant of Division Commander Meng.

The 2nd Regiment Commander didn't answer the question but asked instead, "If Commander Gao doesn't go, will you go?"

The two commanders exchanged a look, and both formed their own ideas.

At the appointed time that morning, the three regimental commanders of the 23rd Division assembled at division headquarters. Cheng Ruofan arrived leading a detachment of troops and parked several large carts at the entrance.

When the three commanders came out, Cheng Ruofan’s men pulled back the hemp cloth covering the carts, revealing the chests underneath. The lids were thrown open, and the shining silver dollars inside made the three commanders and their subordinates squint involuntarily.

Some of the less disciplined among them stared straight at the silver dollars, practically drooling.

Cheng Ruofan walked up to the three commanders and smiled. "Brothers, according to the rules, the deployment fee is double pay. When do you plan to set out?"

Gao Shibin, the 1st Regiment Commander, did not answer immediately. Instead, he called the other two commanders back inside the headquarters and asked, "What do you two think?"

The 2nd and 3rd Regiment Commanders had already made up their minds. They sneered, "We reckon that fellow named Cheng wouldn't dare fake the Marshal's orders. We'll take the money and go to Fengtian. If he dares to forge the Marshal's official documents, we'll petition the Marshal, combine our forces, and kill our way back. That surname Cheng won't be able to stop us."

Gao Shibin hadn't expected them to be so resolved. Although he still found Cheng Ruofan suspicious, the troops accompanying Cheng were indeed from the 27th Division in Fengtian. Gao Shibin had sent someone last night to find an acquaintance and confirmed that the 27th Division troops were indeed there on Zhang Xiluan’s orders for a garrison swap. And Zhang Xiluan had ordered the Jilin 23rd Division to Fengtian for exercises.

Originally, Gao Shibin wanted to stay in Changchun. However, seeing that the other two commanders were ready to depart, he hesitated. On second thought, his ability to hold his ground in Changchun relied entirely on his uncle, Meng Enyuan. This matter was too strange. If he really went to Fengtian, what if something happened?

Finally, Gao Shibin said, "I will stay in Changchun."

The other two commanders were instantly displeased but didn't show it. They simply bid their farewells and left.

They returned to their respective units to prepare. Once the troops had received their deployment fees at the train station and began boarding, the two commanders began to whisper.

"That surname Gao actually dares to look down on the Marshal like that!"

"When the Marshal led us in fighting the Russians and the Japanese, that kid was still drinking milk somewhere!"

The soldiers, having received their deployment fees, were all smiles. They boarded the emergency train dispatched for Fengtian. Amidst the whistle of steam, the train slowly pulled out of the station, heading straight for the provincial capital.

Only when the train had disappeared from view did Cheng Ruofan turn his head back. The smile was gone from his face. He spoke seriously to the two regimental commanders from the 27th Division. "Brothers, let's go take over the barracks."