Newborn 1927

Yang Jiefang instructed the two men to strengthen security and maintain order for tomorrow's public trial. The city gates were to be temporarily closed, with entry and exit strictly prohibited; they would be reopened once the situation within the city had stabilized. He then dismissed the two men and summoned Chu Gu, asking her to draft a new policy platform. By the time the new policy platform was finished, it was late at night, and a wave of weariness washed over Yang Jiefang, who fell asleep on the table. When he awoke, it was already dawn. He felt something slip down and looked down to find a blanket. Yang Jiefang knew that Chu Gu must have covered him with the blanket; he wondered if she had slept well the previous night.

Last night, many people didn't sleep well. Ever since the bandits from Qinglong Village entered the city, the townspeople had lived in constant fear. They kept their doors and windows locked, afraid to go out; at night, they were even more terrified, fearing these bandits would suddenly break in. Early this morning, several clerks from the county government office, banging gongs, walked around shouting, "The county government has ordered that the market be closed today. A public trial will be held in the vegetable market. All the elders and folks of the county are invited to participate! Let's work together to punish corrupt officials!" The people didn't know what a public trial was, but hearing that it was about punishing corrupt officials, they became interested.

Qixia County lacked the grand squares of later times; instead, its vegetable market featured a large open space for vendors. Of course, it wasn't just a marketplace for vegetables; daily necessities, livestock, and other goods were traded there, making it a comprehensive market. To the east of the market was an open-air stage, the venue for this public trial. As news of the trial spread throughout the town, the stage quickly filled with people. The prominent figures of the county often managed to persuade ordinary citizens to give up seats closer to the stage; compared to the common people, they were more interested in the developments of current affairs.

Several armed men from Qinglong Village, dressed in camouflage and carrying guns, stood on the stage, surrounded by others maintaining order. Peng Dahu stood in the center of the stage, looking down with a serious expression. Feeling the time was about right, he turned and nodded slightly. A man then picked up a wooden mallet and struck a large gong with a loud "bang!" The crowd knew the show was about to begin and immediately fell silent.

Peng Dahu shouted, "Fellow villagers, my name is Peng Dahu, and I am the captain of the Tiger Squad under the Little Boss of Qinglong Village. Don't be afraid, Qinglong Village acts on behalf of Heaven and will not harm the people! We, Qinglong Village, have ten rules, proposed by the Little Boss, which everyone in the village must abide by. These ten rules are posted on the play title board in front of the stage, and also at the major city gates..." Those standing below the stage then noticed a piece of paper with the ten rules written on it on the wooden board used to announce the play titles. Some literate people even read it aloud. These ten rules quickly spread among the crowd.

Peng Dahu paused briefly, then continued, “These ten rules are posted for two reasons: first, to reassure everyone that we will not harm the common people; and second, to allow the entire city to supervise us. If any of us violate these ten rules, please tell me! I will deal with it seriously and without leniency! As I said before, we came to the city to uphold justice, not to bully the people. To uphold justice, the first step is to punish those corrupt officials!” After saying this, he stepped aside, secretly relieved; he had spent a considerable amount of time learning these words from Yang Jiefang before memorizing them. As soon as he finished speaking, cheers erupted from the audience.

Next, it was Mu Shiping's turn. He lacked his usual imposing presence, appearing somewhat timid, like a submissive wife. He stepped to the front of the stage and loudly proclaimed, "Fellow villagers, I am Mu Shiping, the magistrate of this county. Today, I am presiding over this public trial to join you in judging the corrupt officials who have oppressed the people of the county." There was no loudspeaker, so the armed men from Qinglongzhai, who were maintaining order, relayed the message to ensure as many people as possible. The people were overjoyed to hear that corrupt officials were being tried.

Two armed men escorted a man out from backstage. The man had a wooden board stuck in his back with the words "Corrupt Official" written on it. One of them kicked him in the back of the knee, forcing him to kneel on the stage, facing the audience. Many people in the audience recognized the man as the county magistrate and immediately understood.

Mu Shiping pointed at the county magistrate and said, "Everyone has seen this. This is Magistrate Lin of Qixia County. Over the years, he has committed countless evil deeds in Qixia County. Today, we will put him to trial and let everyone judge whether he deserves to die. He has ten major crimes, the first being: 'Creating pretexts to extort money from the people...'" Just this first charge alone was enough to make the people below the stage shout for his execution, feeling that he deserved to die a thousand deaths. Zhang Zongchang had been amassed wealth in Shandong for years, which had long aroused widespread resentment among the people, and now this resentment was being vented on this unfortunate county magistrate. Many of the people of some status in the audience knew or were even familiar with this county magistrate, and they gleaned different information from this. Some of these ten crimes were true, while others were somewhat far-fetched, simply a way of amplifying the mistakes of others onto this county magistrate. At the same time, Mu Shiping was also exonerating others, including these influential figures in the audience, which relieved them.

There was no proper trial; it was a direct verdict, with no opportunity for the county magistrate to defend himself before he was forced to plead guilty. Yang Jiefang, born into a later society governed by the rule of law, disliked this method of trial after experiencing the public trial in Zhao Family Village. However, the people needed an outlet for their emotions to be addressed, so he had no choice but to resort to this method to quickly rally public support. While the county magistrate was unlucky, he wasn't entirely innocent.

After Mu Shiping finished reading out the ten charges, County Magistrate Lin turned around and shouted, "Mu Shiping, how dare you treat me like this? Have you thought about the consequences? I have powerful connections in the province." Who doesn't have powerful connections to become a county magistrate? But Mu Shiping had no choice; it was either him or her. Mu Shiping, having lost all hope, retorted, "Even now, you still think you can act lawlessly just because you have powerful connections. The entire county thinks you deserve to die. What else do you have to say? I hereby sentence you to death, to be carried out immediately." Peng Dahu immediately pulled out a pistol, walked behind County Magistrate Lin, and fired three shots into his back. County Magistrate Lin immediately collapsed and died.

The people below the stage were stunned to see the county magistrate executed on the spot. They seemed unable to believe it was real. After a moment of silence, they erupted in cheers. It was as if all the suffering they had endured over the years had been released, and they felt much lighter.

Mu Shiping thought the matter was over, but then a person came out from backstage, holding a stack of papers, and handed them to him, saying, "Read the Little Master's orders!" Mu Shiping took them, glanced around, and didn't see the Little Master. He then looked down at the documents in his hand. He didn't have time to read them carefully, only glancing at them briefly, before turning around to continue speaking.

After the cheers from the audience subsided slightly, Mu Shiping continued, "From this moment forward, I will act as the county magistrate of Qixia County until a new magistrate takes office. To strengthen public security in the county and better protect the lives and property of our people, the Qixia County Security Corps is hereby formally established, with Peng Dahu appointed as its commander. He will be fully responsible for the organization and construction of the Security Corps." Although everyone already knew Peng Dahu, he still stepped forward and saluted as a greeting.

Mu Shiping continued reading from the manuscript: "In order to benefit the people of this county, a new policy will be implemented in this county starting today. The first policy: abolish exorbitant taxes and levies..." The first policy alone excited the people. If these heavy taxes and levies could really be abolished, and only a few types of taxes were retained, it would truly be a blessing for the people.

Then, Mu Shiping read out: "Article Two: Rent and interest reduction; land rent shall not exceed 35% of the main grain yield; annual loan interest shall not exceed 1.5%; for those loans still being repaid, if the interest paid exceeds double the original amount, interest will be suspended and principal will be repaid; if it exceeds twice the original amount, principal and interest payments will be suspended..." After some explanation, the people quickly understood and immediately burst into thunderous applause. The applause soon stopped, because Mu Shiping was still speaking, and they were afraid of missing anything.

Mu Shiping continued reading: "Article Three: The county government will fund the establishment of a rural credit bank; this bank will accept deposits and make loans. Simultaneously, it will provide credit loans to farmers who have borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates, helping them repay their loans and redeem their mortgaged means of production; it can also lend money to farmers to purchase seeds, farm tools, draft cattle, and other means of production; these loans require no collateral and enjoy a three-year interest-free period. If the loan is not repaid after three years, the annual interest rate will not exceed one and a half percent." Those who had borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates were almost moved to tears, pinching themselves several times, truly worried that this was all a dream.

Mu Shiping grew increasingly alarmed as he read. He hadn't expected this young manager to be so capable. With these measures in place, wouldn't the entire county be grateful to him? He continued reading: "Article Four: Encourage economic development... Support the establishment of factories and the development of commerce... This county is mountainous with limited arable land. The county government will, according to local conditions, encourage those with the means to plant apple trees and become wealthy..." The famous Yantai apples of later generations were mainly produced in what is now Qixia County. Apple trees were already being planted extensively at that time, though not on the scale of later generations. To help the people of Qixia County prosper, Yang Jiefang had no choice but to draw on the planting experience of later generations and promote apple cultivation here. Although fruit tree cultivation had a long harvest cycle, it was always better to work hard today than later. Yang Jiefang decided to allocate some money to subsidize farmers who were planting fruit trees on a large scale.

Such a new policy was unheard of, and Mu Shiping grew increasingly alarmed as he read it. In recent years, with warlord conflicts raging, which general, after capturing a city, wouldn't think of how to exploit the common people? This young leader, however, was doing the opposite, handing out money. The poor were overjoyed, while the wealthy were somewhat displeased; such a policy would undoubtedly damage their interests. Then, when Mu Shiping read the fifth article, they knew that this young leader not only had a compassionate heart but also ruthless methods.

Mu Shiping continued reading: "Fifth, severely crack down on organized crime, prostitution, gambling, and drugs; within this county, any armed force not under the jurisdiction of the Security Corps or whose legitimacy is not recognized will be uniformly considered organized crime, and the Security Corps will resolutely eliminate them without any leniency! All brothels, both overt and covert, will be shut down, and those who force women into prostitution will be severely punished… The planting, sale, and consumption of opium are prohibited… All gambling dens will be shut down, and those who gamble in groups will be severely punished…" After reading the five new policies, Mu Shiping ordered all the people in the county to go home, not to gather, and not to worry, assuring them that the Security Corps would not harm any innocent civilians. Once the Security Corps stabilized the situation in the city, the city gates would be opened, allowing everyone to come and go freely. Yang Jiefang, from beginning to end, remained behind the scenes, never showing his face, maintaining a certain degree of mystery.

After the public trial adjourned, Yang Jiefang acted swiftly, immediately summoning a meeting of those personnel recommended by Mu Shiping as suitable for retention. He went straight to the point, saying, “Although the county magistrate has been publicly executed, his ill-gotten gains must be confiscated; and those unsuitable staff members, though spared the death penalty, are not exempt from punishment, and their ill-gotten gains must also be recovered. And everyone here, have refrained from taking advantage of others over the years, so voluntarily hand over your ill-gotten gains! This money will be used as the county government's operating expenses. Hmm, since we are implementing new policies, we need a new name. From now on, we will no longer call it the Administrative Office, but the County People's Government. Remember, we are a government that serves the people and lets the people be the masters of their own destiny. I welcome everyone to work in the new government; if anyone is unwilling to serve in the new government, please stand up now!” Who dared to stand up at this point? Everyone understood: those unsuitable for retention would have their property confiscated, while those retained only needed to voluntarily hand over some assets to get by, and could at least keep some for themselves. Of the fifty or so people in the room, not a single one stood up.

Yang Jiefang continued, “Very good! Everyone is willing to work for the new government, but I don’t accept just anyone. I will conduct a three-day training and assessment for you to improve your professional skills. Before that, you must first undergo the first assessment: that is, to cooperate with the security team to severely crack down on the organized crime, gambling, and drug-related forces in the county. If any of you are involved with these forces, now is the time for you to distance yourselves, and I will not pursue your responsibility. Anyone who conceals information and I find out will be punished even more severely.” As soon as he finished speaking, someone stepped forward, admitting that they had connections with certain forces and were willing to lead the security team to eradicate them. Yang Jiefang was very satisfied. With the cooperation of these people, coupled with the intelligence that Huang Sheng had gathered through his investigations, the organized crime, gambling, and drug-related forces in the county were about to suffer a devastating blow.