Newborn 1927

This regimental commander voiced the sentiments of the entire Third Battalion, which was not what Wu Miao wanted. He immediately grabbed the commander and shouted, "If you dare to disrupt morale, believe me, I'll shoot you!" The commander was terrified and repeatedly said he wouldn't dare. Wu Miao released the commander and looked at the others, finding that the entire Third Battalion was in dire straits. After a final count, it was found that as many as nineteen commanders had been killed instantly, almost all with a single shot; another fifty-three were wounded. The number of casualties was higher than the commander had said. Even worse, the officers suffered heavy casualties: the Third Battalion Commander and Seventh Company Commander was killed, the Eighth Company Commander was killed, the Ninth Company Commander was wounded, and five platoon leaders were also killed or wounded. Those who survived were filled with fear, their usual arrogance completely gone. Wu Miao shouted, "How could this be? How many of them are there?" The answer was always the same: thirty or forty people.

Everyone was devastated and wanted to give up. Only Zhao Changming and the others knew in their hearts that Yan Donglai's special forces had shown mercy. They hadn't pursued the Third Battalion when it retreated; otherwise, few of them would have escaped. The young master's claim that they could take on ten men each was no exaggeration.

Wu Miao was completely bewildered and at a loss, unsure of what to do. Zhao Changming walked up to him and advised, "Commander, take these fallen brothers back if you can, and bury them if you can't! As for the wounded brothers, let them go back! They can still receive treatment now; it will be troublesome if it drags on." Wu Miao shouted, "No, they can't go back. This battle has only just begun, and we need manpower now. Don't you understand that minor injuries shouldn't keep you from the front lines? Everyone who's standing must continue advancing. Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with by me, the county magistrate." These security regiment members were all locals with families, and none of them dared to disobey Wu Miao's orders.

Zhao Changming further advised, "The Third Battalion's organization is currently incomplete; it needs to be rebuilt as soon as possible. If we encounter the enemy again, losing command will be even more troublesome!" Wu Miao deeply agreed. He glanced around and noticed that the men's eyes darted away, indicating they were unfit for the task. Only those from Zhao Family Village remained calm and fearless. Wu Miao knew that the only ones he could rely on were the men from Zhao Family Village, but they already had two battalion commanders. He couldn't simply hand over the Third Battalion to them, could he? That would leave him a commander without troops. After a moment's thought, Wu Miao loudly proclaimed, "To govern an army, one must first choose the right general. I need a battalion commander capable of shouldering great responsibility. Is there anyone who wants to be a battalion commander? Please volunteer!"

He had barely finished speaking when a man raised his hand and said, "Were you calling me?" Wu Miao looked in the direction of the voice and, lo and behold, it was someone from Zhao Family Village again. Wu Miao didn't recognize him and frowned, asking, "Who are you?" The man replied, "My name is Mao Shuisheng. The regimental commander just called me. Does he want me to be a battalion commander? I can do it. Don't worry, regimental commander! My ancestor was Mao Wenlong." Wu Miao was utterly dumbfounded. He had said he was volunteering; what did that have to do with him, Mao Shuisheng? Why drag Mao Wenlong into this? Did he even have the ability? His ancestor was Wu Qi, but what good was that?

Thinking it over again, Wu Miao thought, "Forget it. Since you want to be the battalion commander, you've already volunteered." He then asked, "Is there anyone else willing to be the battalion commander? Just raise your hand." As it turned out, apart from Mao Shuisheng, no one else was willing to step forward. In the end, they had to choose the best of a bad bunch, appointing the squad leader from Zhao Family Village as the battalion commander. Mao Shuisheng naturally led his squad to the Third Battalion, and the vacant company and platoon commander positions were filled from among them. Thus, all three battalion commanders of the entire security regiment came from the Zhao Family Village security team.

Wu Miao, being a seasoned official, was adept at assessing situations. Knowing he was no longer in control, he summoned the three battalion commanders to discuss the next course of action. Zhao Changming, instead of discussing the plan, asked, "County Chief Wu, is there some discord between you and that County Chief Zhao?" Wu Miao sighed, "Discord? The scene at Qingfeng Restaurant the other night completely ruined things. Frankly, if I don't perform well this time, I don't know how he'll manipulate me." Zhao Changming nodded, "I understand. County Chief Wu, you must outshine that Zhang Datou this time, right?" Wu Miao clapped his hands in agreement, "Exactly! But what should we do now? You're all my right-hand men; come up with a plan!"

Zhao Changming laughed, "Actually, it's easy to earn merit, but I'm afraid County Chief Wu won't do it." Wu Miao didn't immediately respond, saying, "Tell me first." Zhao Changming said, "The reason we were ambushed is because we wanted to go to Facheng and attack the young master of Xujiadian. If we turned back and didn't go to Facheng, wouldn't we be fine?" Wu Miao immediately shook his head, "No way. If we don't go to Facheng and don't attack Xujiadian, where will I earn merit?" Zhao Changming said, "Xujiadian is in Haiyang County, and Qinglongzhai is in Qixia County. What do they have to do with our Laiyang County? It's not like we don't have bandits to fight in Laiyang County. Why do we have to go to Haiyang County's territory to help them fight bandits?" Wu Miao pressed, "Explain yourself clearly. What do you mean by that?"

Zhao Changming analyzed, "Right now, Haiyang County and Qixia County are holding Qinglongzhai back from the south and north respectively, and Zhang Datou and his men are launching a sneak attack. We're just bystanders; it doesn't matter whether we go or not. Even if we win the battle, we won't get any credit. Zhang Datou's credit will definitely be greater than yours, County Chief Wu! So why should we go to Facheng?" Wu Miao thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "That seems to make sense. Go on!"

Zhao Changming continued, "I heard there's a band of bandits on Yang'er Mountain in Laiyang County. They've started some kind of anti-grain army, and they're notorious in the county. Why don't we turn around and attack Yang'er Mountain? That young leader is tough to deal with, but Yang'er Mountain is easy prey. Last year, a detachment of the garrison wiped them out. Now we have over a thousand men; isn't that a piece of cake?"

Wu Miao slapped his thigh and said, "That's right! The county has wanted to wipe out Yang'er Mountain for a long time. They just haven't made a move because they're afraid of the young leader of Qinglong Village. Qinglong Village is barely able to protect itself now, how can it possibly support Yang'er Mountain? Haha, let's do it! Even if Zhang Datou wipes out Qinglong Village, he'll only get a third of the credit. If I destroy Yang'er Mountain, I'll get the whole credit." He patted Zhao Changming's shoulder, shaking off his previous dejection and helplessness, and became smug again.

Taking advantage of his good mood, Zhao Changming continued, "County Chief Wu, you're an educated man, so you can just stay in the rear and direct the operations. How about leaving the actual fighting to us?" Wu Miao understood that this was a power grab. Although forced by circumstances, he was somewhat unwilling, so he said, "Battalion Commander Zhao, you seem quite interested in Yang'er Mountain!" Zhao Changming replied, "Yes, County Chief Wu, have you forgotten? Xu Zishan, who robbed our Zhao Family Village last year, is right here in Yang'er Mountain. He and Tian Yisan of Yang'er Mountain are sworn brothers." Wu Miao nodded and said, "In that case, I'll give you a chance for revenge. From now on, you are my deputy regimental commander, in full command of this bandit suppression operation in Yang'er Mountain."

Zhao Changming immediately accepted the order and then gathered all the members for a pre-battle mobilization. The members breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that they wouldn't be attacking Qinglongzhai but instead would be attacking Yang'ershan. Under Zhao Changming's command, the Laiyang County Security Regiment turned back for a while, then changed course and headed south towards Yang'ershan. The journey was smooth, without any harassment. Therefore, their speed increased considerably, and they reached the north mountain of Da Kuangji at sunset. Zhao Changming decided to camp on the north mountain for the night and launch the attack early the next morning. Wu Miao and the other members were initially unwilling; they preferred to spend the night in Da Kuangji. However, Zhao Changming told everyone that there were definitely spies from Yang'ershan in Da Kuangji, and spending the night there would be tantamount to suicide. The group had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

Zhao Changming gazed towards Da Kuangji and Yang'er Mountain, a wave of emotion washing over him. The last time he came here with Yang Jiefang was to rescue Yang'er Mountain; yet, just a few months later, he was leading men to wipe them out, again under Yang Jiefang's orders. He couldn't really blame Yang Jiefang; in his eyes, these bandit groups were either to be used by him or to be completely eradicated. Yang'er Mountain and Qinglong Village had a good relationship, and Yang Jiefang's several proposals for a joint operation had been rejected. "Well then," he thought, "I'm sorry, I'll just have to wipe you out." Using the government to carry it out was a way of saving face for both sides.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Zhao Changming woke everyone and ordered them to run towards Yang'er Mountain. It was almost time for the final push, but the group members didn't complain. Under Zhao Changming's command, they launched a surprise attack on Yang'er Mountain. Their attack went surprisingly smoothly; there were no sentries along the way, and they stormed into the mountain stronghold in one swift charge. Those sentries had actually been cleared out beforehand by Yan Dong. With Cao Laoba, who knew the stronghold well, taking care of the sentries was a piece of cake.

Although the Jiaodong Anti-Grain Reclamation Army at Yang'er Mountain numbered over a thousand, most were farmers who had just laid down their hoes and had not received systematic military training. Their weapons were mainly broadswords and red-tasseled spears. Caught off guard, they were no match for the security regiment. However, the security regiment, with its advantage, still possessed some fighting strength. It ended the battle without suffering many casualties, capturing five or six hundred men. Unfortunately, their leader, Tian Yisan, and Xu Zishan, along with other leaders, escaped. Zhao Changming secretly lamented the poor military quality of the security regiment. If Yang Jiefang had led the Qinglongzhai men in this battle, he guaranteed that not a single person from Yang'er Mountain would have escaped.

Wu Miao said he didn't care; these leaders all had families. They fled, but their families didn't. After some interrogation, Wu Miao found the leaders' families. He originally wanted to kill them to vent his anger, but Zhao Changming dissuaded him. Zhao Changming said, "County Chief Wu, only by catching their leaders can we truly achieve our goal. What's the use of capturing so many of these small fry? Why not keep these families alive and lure the leaders out!"

Wu Miao thought about it and realized it made sense. He then picked out the able-bodied bandits and prepared to take them back to the county town for imprisonment. The remaining old, young, women, and children were left there to fend for themselves. At the same time, he announced: "Listen up! Tell Tian Yisan and Xu Zishan that they have three days to surrender to the county town. I, the county magistrate, will treat them leniently. If they don't come by the deadline, don't blame me for being impolite. These four hundred-plus people will be beheaded one by one until they are all killed."

Zhao Changming softly advised, "County Chief Wu, it's not safe to stay here any longer. Let's go back to the city first! With this achievement, we can get away with it." Wu Miao also knew that this place wasn't safe, so he didn't say much, but praised, "Deputy Commander Zhao, I didn't expect you to be so capable in battle. What do you think if we turn around and attack Qinglong Village again?" Zhao Changming's expression immediately changed, and he said, "County Chief Wu, we only caught a rabbit here. You don't think we have the ability to fight tigers, do you?" Wu Miao also knew that Qinglong Village was different from Yang'er Mountain, so he didn't dare to insist and said, "Then let them go for now and go back..." "We can clean up the mess later. By the way, take everything here, and burn anything we can't take." Zhao Changming quickly stopped him, saying, "County Chief Wu, you just said that as long as Tian Yisan and the others surrender in the county town, they'll be treated leniently. If you go this far, will they dare to surrender?" Wu Miao thought it made sense, so he said, "Then let's not burn it." Zhao Changming continued to persuade him, "There's still grain; leave some for the old, young, women, and children, so they'll know your magnanimity." Wu Miao laughed and said, "Deputy Commander Zhao, you're really something! Okay, I'll listen to you."

Zhao Changming quickly thanked them and then gave the orders. The security team searched the area thoroughly, finding all the valuables to be taken as spoils. They certainly wouldn't let go of the money they found, nor the weapons; the remaining items, such as cloth and valuables, were packed up and taken away. As for the grain, it was left untouched, citing its weight. After their busy work, the security team, escorting the captured bandits and carrying the spoils, happily returned to Laiyang County.

Yan Donglai and his special forces team monitored them from a distance. He wrote a letter and had it delivered to Qinglong Village. Their special forces team was also to follow the security regiment until they entered the city.

Upon receiving this news, Yang Jiefang pondered for a while, deciding to write a letter to Yan Donglai. His right hand hadn't fully recovered; it trembled constantly, whether he was using chopsticks or writing. So, he dictated a letter to Black Widow, who then wrote it down for Yan Donglai. The letter instructed him to go to Laiyang County and, from the periphery, cooperate with Zhao Changming to secretly control the county. Now that the Laiyang County garrison had been wiped out, the security regiment was their only legitimate armed force. Zhao Changming, based on his performance this time, would have a significant opportunity. Yang Jiefang's goal was simple: Laiyang County and the county government could remain untouched, but they had to be used for his purposes.

He had just finished arranging things in Laiyang County when someone reported that Sun Zhiyong's messenger had arrived. Sun Zhiyong didn't write a letter, but had the messenger deliver a verbal message: "Young Master, we defeated the security regiment of Qixia County and captured their commander alive. Captain Sun says that Qixia County is currently weak in defenses, making it the perfect time to attack the county seat. He and Captain Peng have decided to lead the brothers to take the county seat and make you the county magistrate!"