Newborn 1927

In the evening, Jiang Xiaojun brought Mu Yanshu back to the courtyard where she shared a residence with Yang Jiefang. When they first met, their words were full of tension; now, the two were as close as sisters. Women really are strange creatures! For the next two days, Jiang Xiaojun and Mu Yanshu went out together and slept together. She even brought Mu Yanshu along when she gave lectures to the special forces, letting everyone know that she had gained a good sister.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the third day that Mu Yanshu came to see Yang Jiefang alone. Yang Jiefang had actually been waiting for her, waiting for the sole legitimate heir of the Mu family to come see him. Yang Jiefang invited her to sit down and said, "Miss Mu, the conditions on the mountain are simple; I've neglected you these past two days." Mu Yanshu replied, "Young Master, please just call me Yanshu; Xiao Jun calls me that too. Your capable wife is truly excellent! With her accompanying me, how can I be considered negligent?" Yang Jiefang asked, "Miss Yanshu, you've seen everything you needed to see these past two days. What are your impressions of Qinglong Village?" Mu Yanshu chided, "I told you, just call me Yanshu. Don't call me 'Miss,' that's too formal. Everyone in Qinglong Village doesn't seem like a bad person; they all abide by the ten rules you established. It's completely different from the mountain stronghold I imagined."

Yang Jiefang said, "A country has its laws, a family has its rules, and a mountain stronghold should have its own rules. Only when everyone abides by the rules can the world be at peace. The reason the world is in chaos now is because there are too many people who don't follow the rules." Mu Yanshu said, "I understand. Little Boss, you want to redefine the rules of this world? Your ambition is quite grand!" Yang Jiefang asked, "Do you think I will succeed?" Mu Yanshu replied, "I hope you will succeed!" Yang Jiefang said, "As the saying goes, 'A hero needs ten helpers.' If no one helps me, I can't succeed. Since this is also what you hope for, can your Mu family lend me a hand?"

Mu Yanshu replied, "Our Mu family's strength is limited, and I'm afraid we can't play the same role as the Jiang family. But I still want to do my part. Young Master, what do you need our Mu family to do?" Yang Jiefang said, "Currently, we are implementing new policies in Qixia County. Although this will harm your Mu family's interests, it is within an acceptable range. I hope your Mu family can cooperate!" Mu Yanshu nodded and said, "Of course. Our Mu family has always been a kind family; otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to survive for so many years. Your new policies benefit the people and the country, and we will definitely support them."

If this can be achieved, then Yang Jiefang's minimum requirement will be met. Yang Jiefang continued, "That's good. Yanshu, please tell your mother that the younger generation surpasses the older, and each wave is stronger than the last. It's not easy for the Mu family to have survived for so many years. We should adapt to the times and actively seek development. If we remain stagnant, we will be eliminated sooner or later." Mu Yanshu replied, "How should we adapt to the times? Please show me the way!" Yang Jiefang said, "As far as I know, your Mu family's income mainly comes from land rent and lending. In an agricultural society, this is indeed a stable source of income. But it's not enough in an industrial society. Foreign countries have long since entered the industrial society of mechanized mass production, and China will enter the industrial society sooner or later. Your Mu family has accumulated a lot of capital over generations. This money buried underground is no different from stones. If a portion of it is invested in industry, it will surely bring unimaginable returns." Mu Yanshu pressed, "Could you be more specific! What industries should we invest in?"

Yang Jiefang, having anticipated this, said, “First, develop agriculture. Your Mu family owns a large amount of mountain land, but growing grain there doesn't yield much. If you were to cultivate apples, a cash crop, on a large scale, the profits would be much higher. I happen to have a ‘Guide to Apple Cultivation Techniques’ here; you might want to take it back and refer to it.” He had compiled this guide after returning from Qixia County. Fruit cultivation has a relatively long profit cycle, and ordinary farmers don't have the conditions for large-scale cultivation. To promote apple cultivation in Qixia County, only wealthy landowners like the Mu family could do it. Mu Yanshu took the guide, glanced at it, and said, “Okay, I'll consider it.”

Planting still falls under the category of agriculture, Yang Jiefang continued, "Secondly, invest in the financial industry. I know your Mu family has a long tradition of lending, but this traditional lending model will eventually be replaced by new types of banks. Transforming and upgrading by investing in the financial industry is also a good way to develop." Mu Yanshu replied, "After we go back, I will suggest to my mother that we invest in the Qixia County Rural Credit Bank. How much do you think would be appropriate for us to invest?" Yang Jiefang thought for a moment and replied, "You decide! Qixia is just a small county town, it can't absorb much capital. A few hundred thousand silver dollars in working capital is enough. If your Mu family has sufficient funds, you might as well open a factory."

Mu Yanshu nodded and listened quietly. Yang Jiefang followed up, saying, "I heard you bought a building in Yantai, planning to do entrepot trade. Actually, I don't recommend you do that. You don't have overseas connections, you don't understand international market conditions, and you can only pick up what others have left over; doing foreign trade like this will only earn you a pittance, and it's difficult to grow a strong and large enterprise. Instead of dealing with other people's manufactured goods, you should set up a factory and produce your own. Currently, there is a shortage of domestic goods, and imported industrial products are expensive. The products you produce don't need to be of high quality; as long as the price is cheap enough, you don't need to worry about not having a market." Mu Yanshu asked, "Setting up a factory is certainly profitable, but what should we produce?" Yang Jiefang... Fang laughed and said, "People need to eat and wear clothes first; only after solving the problem of food and clothing can we talk about other things. Your mother is a woman; perhaps she's good at weaving? In that case, we should open a textile factory. If you're more concerned about food, then let's open a fertilizer factory! Fertilizer can greatly increase grain production; it has huge development potential." Mu Yanshu laughed and said, "I heard you opened a clothing factory and a textile factory in Xujiadian. Wouldn't it be redundant for us to open another textile factory? I guess what you really mean is that you want us to open a fertilizer factory? I've also heard that fertilizer can increase production, but we don't know how to do it." Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "I happen to have a formula for producing nitrogen fertilizer here. Why don't we cooperate?"

Yang Jiefang's chemistry knowledge was limited to a high school level, but the production process of nitrogen fertilizer wasn't complex; the technical challenge lay in the catalyst. This catalyst is undoubtedly a trade secret for countries worldwide. Even after the founding of the People's Republic of China, it took considerable effort to research and develop it, subsequently leading to the establishment of nitrogen fertilizer plants across the country. In Yang Jiefang's time, this catalyst was already well-known. Of course, actually setting up a nitrogen fertilizer plant wasn't as simple as it seemed; it required the expertise of professional chemists to lead the effort.

Mu Yanshu was slightly taken aback at first, then smiled and said, "So you were prepared all along. In that case, let's cooperate to open a fertilizer plant! Our family has so much land, we really need a lot of fertilizer." Yang Jiefang was relieved. With shared interests, the Mu family would definitely support his new policies and the new government. Then, Mu Shiping and his ilk could use it without worry. Yang Jiefang happily said, "Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation!"

Mu Yanshu smiled and said, "Young Master, you're quite the businessman! I heard you have collaborations with the Gao and Jiang families. I wonder what your thoughts are?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Isn't this a good thing? It's a win-win situation; everyone can make money, including your Mu family." Mu Yanshu gazed into Yang Jiefang's eyes and said, "So, Miss Gao or Miss Jiang, who will you marry?"

Yang Jiefang was taken aback. "You really dare to ask?" For most people, this would be a death sentence! But for Yang Jiefang, it was no big deal. In his materialistic era, changing girlfriends was as easy as changing clothes. Many people juggled several girlfriends at the same time.

Although this era advocated a new type of monogamous marriage, there were still quite a few men with three wives and four concubines. Moreover, he was unwilling to give up any of them, so he said, "You think you can't have your cake and eat it too? I guess I'm not strong enough. As long as I'm strong enough, even if I were to serve up a Manchu Han Imperial Feast, no one would gossip."

Mu Yanshu returned to the Mu family manor the next day. The Black Widow personally escorted her back, saying she wanted to see it through to the end. Mu Yanshu's bound feet made walking difficult, so she was carried on horseback. She couldn't ride a horse and needed someone to lead her. The Black Widow returned to the mountain two days later, and upon her return, she told Yang Jiefang some good news. The Mu family announced that they would fully cooperate with the new county government in reducing rent and interest rates, and would invest 300,000 silver dollars in the Qixia County Rural and Urban Credit Bank. As a result, the Qixia County government's implementation of new policies and the reorganization of local security forces accelerated rapidly.

Although the Mu family appeared to be very cooperative, Yang Jiefang believed that they would definitely make two preparations and do their best to bribe the government.

Then, another piece of good news arrived: Jiang Tingxuan had returned from Japan. He came to Qinglong Village again, bringing back not only a large amount of supplies but also three hundred warhorses—genuine Japanese army warhorses, each over 1.5 meters tall at the shoulder. Ma Shangfei was overjoyed and said, "Although they've been castrated and can't be used as breeding horses, these horses are truly excellent! Little Boss, shouldn't we expand our cavalry?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Sure, expand it into a large battalion first, comprising three companies. You can choose the personnel from within the village; if that's not enough, you can recruit from outside." Ma Shangfei said, "These horses are more than enough to form two battalions; could we expand to a few more companies?" Yang Jiefang said, "One must take things one step at a time. Let's train one large battalion first!" Ma Shangfei had no choice but to agree.

Jiang Tingxuan said, "This is just the first batch; there will be more to come. This time, I bought over a thousand Japanese horses. More than six hundred of them are mares, and they've already been bred with stallions from the Japanese Horse Administration." Yang Jiefang was overjoyed and said, "Such good news! Brother, you've done a brilliant job!" Jiang Tingxuan continued, "There are also thirteen stallions registered with the Japanese Horse Administration, with a shoulder height exceeding 1.6 meters. I had their death certificates forged to obtain them. There are only six thousand of these horses in all of Japan." Yang Jiefang praised, "Brother, you've put in a lot of effort. With these stallions, we can improve our domestic horses."

Jiang Tingxuan, however, seemed somewhat worried, saying, "Xiao Yang, I'm really concerned! I can't let my guard down!" Yang Jiefang asked, "What are you worried about?" Jiang Tingxuan replied, "The Japanese Horse Administration has a horse administration plan. Japan has a total horse population of 1.5 million, and can provide at least 300,000 military horses to the military every year. Japan is an island nation, so I'm not surprised they're developing their navy, but what do they need so many military horses for? I never thought about it before, but now that I do, I'm shocked! Only China is easy to bully around here! I'm really worried that one day, these military horses will appear in China dragging cannons. Although I married a Japanese woman, I'm still Chinese. When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. I understand that principle."

Yang Jiefang paused slightly, then said, “Brother, you can see the whole picture from a single spot. Since the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan has been like a gadfly clinging to China, sucking its blood and strengthening itself. Its desire to destroy us has never died. If we don’t strive to become stronger, our descendants will be enslaved by them, just like North Korea is now.” Jiang Tingxuan nodded in agreement, saying, “That’s right. For the sake of our descendants, we brothers are willing to go all out. You stay here and train the troops well. I’ll find a way to get you the supplies you need. Only when we are strong can we avoid being bullied by foreign powers.”

Yang Jiefang asked again, "What supplies did you bring back this time?" Jiang Tingxuan replied, "This time, I brought back a large quantity of military backpacks, entrenching tools, military blankets, canteens, and other military supplies. Oh, and twenty high-powered radios. It's just that transporting the weapons in is a bit troublesome!" Yang Jiefang said, "It's inconvenient to land the weapons in Yantai, so we'll transport them to Haiyang County. We'll use small boats and bring them into port in multiple batches." Jiang Tingxuan asked, "Is it safe here?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Absolutely safe. Haiyang County is already under my control. However, we still need to maintain proper camouflage."

Jiang Tingxuan continued, "The news of your victory over the joint encirclement by the three counties has reached Japan. They have a very high opinion of you and have provided an additional three million yen in loans, the kind that requires interest payments. However, they are very stubborn about purchasing weapons, insisting that we buy their machine guns." Japanese machine gun designs are somewhat peculiar; the Type 97 light machine gun and the Type 92 heavy machine gun haven't even been designed yet. In Yang Jiefang's eyes, the current light and heavy machine guns are all garbage and he doesn't even look at them.

Yang Jiefang immediately said, "Then we won't buy them. We can buy more rifles, but we need to stock up on ammunition. We'll buy the mountain guns, field guns, and mortars according to my requirements. Forget about machine guns; we can buy them from the British. They're not only of good quality, but also cheaper." Jiang Tingxuan nodded and said, "They highly recommend a small cannon that can be carried by a single soldier. They say it's their invention, and no other country has it. Should we buy some?" Yang Jiefang scoffed, "That's a grenade launcher, a close-combat weapon. Its accuracy is basically a matter of luck, but it's easy to carry. If it's cheap, we'll buy some. Are there any problems with the armed merchant ships I asked for?" Jiang Tingxuan replied, "They're old ships that have been refurbished and converted. They only have a displacement of 500 tons, so they're not worth much. They're fine for the naval police; they can sail at sea and on inland waterways, and they can intimidate those pirates and piracy. They're too bad for warships!" Yang Jiefang laughed, "Take it slow. We'll have warships sooner or later. It seems we still have some money to spare. Don't keep it; invest it all in the futures market."

Jiang Tingxuan said, "That's exactly what we were talking about. Currently, most people believe the market will decline. I'll buy long as you suggested. In the Japanese futures market, wheat is measured in tons, with a minimum price fluctuation of one yen per ton, and ten tons make one lot. I bought a total of 100,000 lots, a million tons of wheat futures, just waiting for the market to rise." Yang Jiefang shook his head and said, "That's not enough. Keep buying. If you don't have enough money, take out a loan." Jiang Tingxuan shook his head and said, "It's difficult to operate without collateral! However, I will budget in advance, set aside enough money for purchasing supplies, and invest the rest. If we're going to win, we'll win big." Yang Jiefang said, "Then let's get the 21st Bank to act as a guarantor. It's our ally now, it should do something for us!"