Newborn 1927

Yang Jiefang wrote another letter and sent it by express horse to Yantai, to be delivered to Shi Zhongcheng. Shi Zhongcheng was truly shocked upon receiving the letter. Only a few days had passed? Yang Jiefang had actually wiped out Hei Xiazi! Hei Xiazi, with his formidable reputation, was as fragile as paper. Of course, Shi Zhongcheng knew Hei Xiazi wasn't weak, but he had underestimated Yang Jiefang's strength. If he could wipe out Rushan Village in one fell swoop, he wouldn't be able to stop him from attacking Yantai.

So, the next day, Shi Zhongcheng went out of the city to meet Yang Jiefang again. He learned about the real Yang Jiefang from Huang Sheng, and when they met again, he no longer had the confidence he had before. Yang Jiefang was still smiling and said, "I'll give you the credit for wiping out Rushan Village. If you want some prisoners to decorate, I can send you some. I guarantee they're all Hei Xiazi's confidants."

Shi Zhongcheng shook his head directly and said, "That's unnecessary. Little Boss, you said last time that you were willing to accept my reorganization, does that still stand?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Yes, of course it does! There's no future in being a bandit. Who would choose to be a thief if they could be an official? I just don't know what official position Commander Shi has prepared for me?" Shi Zhongcheng replied, "According to your request, your troops will be reorganized into the Second Garrison Brigade, and you will be the brigade commander. However, I can only give you the organizational structure; I can't provide the military pay. To be honest, my First Garrison Brigade also suffers from insufficient military funding." This was actually Zhang Zongchang's usual practice, nothing new. His more than thirty armies were formed in the same way.

Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "If you're short on military funds, just tell me! I've recently made some money; I have money and grain as I please. How about this? I'll cover the expenses for the 1st Garrison Brigade as well." Shi Zhongcheng said, "That won't trouble you, young master. Although military funds are tight, feeding the brothers won't be a problem." This was the truth; if they really took Yang Jiefang's money, this army would eventually belong to Yang.

Yang Jiefang still smiled and said, "Brother Shi, that's not right of you. From now on, we're all family. Why be so formal? Whether it's the First Garrison Brigade or the Second Garrison Brigade, they're both troops of the Garrison Command. We have to treat everyone equally!" Shi Zhongcheng frowned slightly and said, "It seems that the young master doesn't think much of this brigade commander position! If you have any thoughts, feel free to speak up."

Yang Jiefang replied, "Brother Shi, I'll follow you from now on simply to secure a good future. If you can get promoted again, I'll rise with you." Shi Zhongcheng understood; this young master certainly had big ambitions! He pondered, "I've just been promoted to Commander of the East China Sea Garrison, and eliminating bandits within my defense zone is my duty. With such limited merit, I'm afraid it won't be easy to get promoted." He didn't dare to make a definitive statement, wanting to test what tricks Yang Jiefang might have up his sleeve. After all, who wouldn't want to be promoted three ranks within a year?

Yang Jiefang said, "You've quelled the banditry within your defense zone in less than three months since you took office as the East China Sea Garrison Commander. How can such a capable officer be left idle? Why don't you apply to the higher-ups to expand your defense zone a bit? That way, you can quell banditry in even more areas." Shi Zhongcheng pressed, "Expand the defense zone? By how much?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Not too much. How about changing 'East China Sea' to 'Jiaodong'?"

Shi Zhongcheng had long known that the young master had a big appetite, but he never expected that he would want to swallow the entire Jiaodong region whole. But then he thought, who would complain about having a higher rank or more territory? Shi Zhongcheng was tempted, but he couldn't say it out loud. He shook his head and said, "Jiaodong Garrison Commander? I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

Yang Jiefang agreed, "I know it won't be easy. Would it be easier if we added another million silver dollars?" Shi Zhongcheng was startled and exclaimed, "One million!" Yang Jiefang nodded, "That's right. With the merit of suppressing bandits in the defense zone, plus a million silver dollars for bribes, could you become the Jiaodong Garrison Commander?" Shi Zhongcheng, making sure he hadn't misheard, thought carefully for a moment and said, "That's hard to say." Yang Jiefang said, "Oh, it seems you're still not confident! Then add another million, would that increase your chances?"

Shi Zhongcheng nearly collapsed. "Don't you guys have money to burn? You're throwing millions away! I can barely even scrape together ten thousand!" It's true what they say, comparison is the thief of joy. Shi Zhongcheng finally understood: this young master was determined to take Jiaodong. So, he retorted, "If I became the Jiaodong Garrison Commander, what would you want?"

Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "I'm too young to dream of a high-ranking official position. A minor post will do. If you become the Jiaodong Garrison Commander, I'll be your junior commander!"

Shi Zhongcheng nearly spat blood. This was supposed to be a minor official? Fine, you can be the little boss of Qinglong Village, and you'll be in charge of the whole village; but if you were really made a minor commander, I'm afraid even I, the great commander, would have to listen to you. Shi Zhongcheng laughed self-deprecatingly, "I thought I came here to recruit bandits, but it turns out the bandits want to recruit me."

Yang Jiefang said, “What are officers and soldiers, bandits? Who can tell the difference these days? Don’t you know what kind of background Zhang Zuolin and Zhang Zongchang came from? Brother Shi, I consider you a brother, and I’m going to speak frankly with you today. The world today is like the late Eastern Han Dynasty, with warlords vying for power and heroes rising up everywhere. If you and I want to establish ourselves in this chaotic world, there are only two paths. First, you can have a strong army to control a region; if you understand politics and economics, you can go a step further and participate in the struggle for power. Second, you can follow the right person, and even without great ability, you can achieve something great. Brother Shi, you are a kind person, a pure soldier, and you don’t understand politics or economics, so the first path is not suitable for you. Your way out is the second one: follow the right person. Obviously, Zhang Zongchang is not someone you should follow.”

Shi Zhongcheng retorted, "You mean you're someone I should follow? Haha, what makes you think you're worthy?" Yang Jiefang replied, "What makes me think I am? It's because of your two thousand-plus soldiers. If I wanted to wipe them out, I could do it. Don't believe me? My troops have three meals a day, plenty of white flour buns, and meat every three days. So, the brothers train daily, and their combat effectiveness increases every day. But your troops only eat two meals a day, one dry and one wet; they only train for half a day every three days. If you train like that, even if you train for ten or eight years, your combat effectiveness won't improve much. And as for weaponry, your garrison brigade only has a few light machine guns, and not a single heavy weapon. My troops, on the other hand, can equip even small cannons to the company level. What do you have to compare with me? The reason I didn't attack Yantai is firstly, I don't want the city to be destroyed by war; secondly, I think you're a decent person, and you're young, it would be a pity to ruin you in my hands. Have you ever heard the saying: choice is more important than effort? If you choose to follow me, I can save you ten years of struggle."

Shi Zhongcheng hesitated. He knew in his heart that Zhang Zongchang was not someone worth following. His uncle, Shi Congbin, hadn't actually wanted to fight for Zhang Zongchang; he had been forced into battle. He had intended to retire after this battle, but instead, he was defeated and killed. He gazed at the young leader before him. To be honest, he admired him quite a bit and had once thought of recruiting such a person to his own cause. But now, after meeting him, he knew he was being unrealistic. How could such a person easily submit to someone else? Recruiting him was clearly unrealistic.

Standing to the side, Huang Sheng interjected, "Commander Shi, don't feel wronged. Xiao Dangjia is a dragon among men, one in eight hundred years. If this were ancient times, he'd be a founding emperor! What do they say in plays? 'Follow the dragon early, or you'll miss your chance.' You know better than any of us what kind of person Zhang Zongchang was and who his men were. Do you think you could get along with them? I think we're on the same side. Following Xiao Dangjia to build a great career is better than dying alongside Zhang Zongchang! And another thing, Xiao Dangjia's money-making skills are unparalleled. If you follow him, you won't have to worry about your brothers who risked their lives for you going hungry!"

These words served as a wake-up call for Shi Zhongcheng, and he quickly made a decision. The current situation was either one side subduing the other, or the other subduing him. Subduing someone like Xiao Dangjia was impossible for him; being subdued himself might be a way out. Besides that, were there any other options? What's the point of saying that choice is more important than effort? It sounds nice, but often, people don't have a choice. His uncle, Shi Congbin, didn't have a choice back then, and he didn't have a choice today either.

Thinking this through, he reconsidered his strategy. Bandits had a tradition of offering a pledge of allegiance; if he couldn't provide one, he'd appear utterly incompetent. He knew his value lay not in his abilities, but in his exploitable identity. The young master wanted control of Jiaodong and was willing to spend two million on bribes; he had to find a way to make it happen. Of course, he knew he could continue asking the young master for money—the more money the young master poured in, the easier it would be—but that would only make him appear even more incompetent. After some deliberation, Shi Zhongcheng resolutely said, "Young master, as you wish, give me two million, and I'll find a way to get you the position of Jiaodong Garrison Commander."

Yang Jiefang smiled slightly and waved his hand. Wang Xun then came out carrying a wooden box and went straight to Shi Zhongcheng. Yang Jiefang said, "This contains a HSBC bank draft, fully redeemable. It's two million taels of customs silver, worth over three million silver dollars. Do you have any problem securing the position of Jiaodong Garrison Commander by the end of the month?" What could Shi Zhongcheng say? He saluted and said loudly, "I guarantee to complete the mission!" This was a soldier's promise.

Yang Jiefang said, "I'll be waiting for the Commander's triumphant return." Shi Zhongcheng took the wooden box, turned, and left. This time, he didn't suggest taking Huang Sheng with him, and Huang Sheng was happy to stay and return to Yang Jiefang's side.

Yang Jiefang laughed, "Judging from your expression, you've passed your brother-in-law's test?" Huang Sheng smiled bitterly, "If he could make the decisions, he would have married my sister off long ago. Miss Shi has her own ideas, and he can't control her. Little Boss, this is not a good matter!" Yang Jiefang patted his shoulder and said, "I'm here for you, aren't I? I'll help you, and I can win over even the most aloof woman. She's had surgery and is lying in Qinglong Village, unable to move. Don't bother with anything else lately, hurry back to Qinglong Village and take good care of her!"

Huang Sheng agreed, but then said with some worry, "She wants to kill Sun Chuanfang for revenge. This is going to be difficult. What if she fails?" Yang Jiefang said irritably, "Then you'll be responsible for her body. She chose this path herself, so she has to bear the consequences." Huang Sheng immediately said with a bitter face, "No way! She's my future wife. Little Boss, give me some advice!" Yang Jiefang was both amused and annoyed, and said, "What do you do? You're in intelligence work. Getting the intelligence right and minimizing the danger is your job." Huang Sheng suddenly understood and said, "I understand."

Yang Jiefang returned to Rushan Village and began reorganizing its internal structure. His first task was to deal with the prisoners. After careful screening, he selected a group to recruit. These were a group of people without any faith; they followed whoever was strongest, and since Yang Jiefang was so powerful, they were eager to join him. Yang Jiefang was very selective, rigorously screening each individual. In this chaotic era, bandits were everywhere, just like all over the country. Not all bandits were bad people; many were simply driven by poverty and went with the flow. Truly heinous criminals were still a minority.

After a selection process, over 800 out of the 1,300-plus people passed the screening. News also came from Bai Lang in Haiyang County that he had selected over 500 people. Yang Jiefang instructed Li Yichao and Qi Xiaobao to transfer the qualified individuals from Haiyang County to Rushan Village for unified training and reform. As for the remaining unqualified individuals, well, sorry, they were all sent to Xujiadian for construction work.

In the midst of busyness, time always flies by, and more than half a month has passed in the blink of an eye. The more than 1,300 newly recruited personnel have undergone a significant improvement in their morale under rigorous military training and ideological education.

On July 27th, Shi Zhongcheng personally arrived at Rushan Village. He was returning from Jinan and was originally scheduled to take a boat from Qingdao to Yantai; however, when the ship made a temporary stop in Haiyang County, he heard that Xiao Dangjia was still in Rushan Village, so he directly ordered the ship to proceed into Rushankou. Yang Jiefang, upon hearing of Shi Zhongcheng's arrival, personally went to the Rushan Village dock to greet him.

The two met at the dock. Yang Jiefang intended to shake hands with him. However, Shi Zhongcheng stood at attention, gave a military salute, and said, "Young Master, I have not failed you. Now I should call you Commander." After saying that, he took out a file folder from his briefcase, opened it, and took out a letter of appointment, which he then presented to Yang Jiefang.

Yang Jiefang took it and saw that it was personally signed by Zhang Zongchang. Zhang Zongchang, the "dog-meat general," was notoriously uneducated, but this signature was quite good. Because of Shi Zhongcheng's merit in suppressing bandits, he was promoted to Commander of the Jiaodong Garrison, and the original Donghai Garrison Command was also upgraded to the Jiaodong Garrison Command, giving him full command of all local garrisons in Jiaodong except Qingdao. Yang Jiefang, for his merit in assisting in the suppression of bandits, was appointed Major General and Brigade Commander. Zhang Zongchang liked to give the ranks of the bandit leaders he recruited high, making them feel prestigious, but generally, they didn't receive any pay.

Yang Jiefang shook the letter of appointment in his hand. This worthless thing had cost him three million silver dollars. However, with it, he could rightfully control the entire Jiaodong Peninsula. He turned to Shi Zhongcheng and smiled, "Commander Shi, you've worked hard. Come, let's go ashore and rest, then we can discuss the reorganization of the troops." Shi Zhongcheng didn't dare to be presumptuous, saying, "There's no Commander Shi here, only Junior Commander. Whatever Junior Commander commands, this humble servant will obey." Yang Jiefang chuckled, "Don't be so serious. We're brothers now, it's better to be easygoing. How about this, you're a few years older than me, I'll call you Brother Shi from now on?" Shi Zhongcheng agreed, "Then I'll be too kind." In their future interactions, both in public and in private, this form of address would be very important.