Newborn 1927

Yang Jiefang convened a combat meeting in Qingdao to discuss how to deal with a large-scale Japanese invasion. Although they now possessed a navy and air force, they had no advantage over Japan. Yang Jiefang was confident he could withstand small-scale Japanese attacks. However, if the Japanese launched a large-scale invasion, coastal cities like Yantai and Qingdao would be impossible to defend, and the Jiaodong region, surrounded by sea on three sides, lacked strategic depth. The only option would be to abandon the coastal cities and preserve their strength. Strategic materials were to be transferred to Linyi in advance, with guerrilla warfare in the Yimeng Mountains as a last resort. Fortunately, Kong Zongru had returned, and he and Zhao Changgui undertook the task of transferring the strategic materials.

Yang Jiefang was constantly prepared for a Japanese attack, but the attack was delayed. Jiang Xiaojun sent several telegrams back to Yang Jiefang through the commercial radio of the Jiang's Trading Company. Yang Jiefang gradually learned some of the inside story. The Japanese government indeed had no contingency plan for a large-scale military intervention, and there were differing opinions between the military and political circles regarding whether to continue with a large-scale deployment.

Following the Battle of Yantai, Yoshio Nakamura quickly returned to Japan. He submitted an assessment of the PLA's combat capabilities. Based on this assessment, the Japanese military determined that at least four fully-staffed standing divisions would be necessary for a decisive victory, along with naval support. The total force was estimated to exceed 100,000 men. The Army Ministry clamored for increased military spending to restore the standing divisions to full strength, declaring a desire to retaliate and regain lost ground.

The Navy Ministry is also asking for money. Last year, Yang Jiefang ordered two light cruisers from Japan. The Navy Ministry had a clever plan: to refurbish the two old warships and deliver them to Yang Jiefang as new ships. Surprisingly, Yang Jiefang agreed to this bizarre request; however, he stipulated that delivery must be completed within a year, with payment only after acceptance. Now, the refurbishment of the old ships is nearing completion, and if Yang Jiefang ultimately refuses to pay, the Navy Ministry's initial investment will be wasted. This money can only be obtained from the Cabinet.

The Japanese peace faction argued that the Sixth Division's atrocities in Jinan had already isolated Japan diplomatically. They believed that if Japan continued to send troops, aside from the cost, it would inevitably face sanctions from Britain and the United States. These Western countries were unwilling to allow Japan to monopolize the interests in Shandong. The likely outcome would be a situation where Japan spent money and manpower, suffering heavy losses, and gaining nothing. In other words, the costs were too high, and the benefits were limited—it was simply not worthwhile. Amidst the arguments, time quietly slipped away.

In mid-June, the Northern Expeditionary Army had already occupied the Beijing-Tianjin area. Nakamura Yoshio came to Qingdao and requested a meeting with Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang agreed to see him and had him escorted to Pingdu, where he was received at his headquarters. After exchanging pleasantries, Nakamura Yoshio said, "Mr. Yang, I must admit, your fiancée, Miss Jiang, is outstanding. She has won the favor of Madam Asahi and often accompanies her to various occasions. Thanks to their efforts, our government has agreed to negotiate peace with your army."

Yang Jiefang was somewhat surprised. He'd been anxiously waiting for over a month, only to be met with a coward. Indeed, only those who can fight can make peace! Yang Jiefang asked, "What are your country's conditions?" Nakamura Yoshio replied, "All the soldiers and flags captured by your army in the last conflict must be returned. Our country will no longer pursue responsibility for this conflict." Yang Jiefang asked again, "That's all?" Nakamura Yoshio said, "Mr. Yang, is there anything you need to add?" Yang Jiefang said, "This conflict caused our country enormous losses; why haven't you mentioned a word about it?" Nakamura Yoshio replied, "As I just said, we will not pursue any related responsibilities. Actually, our country also suffered considerable losses. Not only did we lose a standing division, but a large number of our overseas citizens lost the businesses they depended on for their livelihoods."

Yang Jiefang thought for a moment, then asked, "Can you represent the Japanese government?" Nakamura Yoshio replied, "If we can reach an agreement, I can represent the cabinet to sign the relevant agreement with you." Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "Mr. Nakamura, as you know, I have always advocated establishing an alliance with your country to jointly resist the colonial invasion of Western countries. This conflict was truly excessive by your army. If we can put aside our differences, that would be wonderful! According to international conventions, releasing the prisoners and returning the ashes of the fallen is not a problem. But it seems we have no obligation to return the spoils of war?"

Nakamura Yoshio asked calmly, "What are your conditions?" Yang Jiefang replied, "I've expanded my forces by two more divisions and need to replenish our weapons and ammunition. You can exchange them for weapons and ammunition!" Nakamura Yoshio said, "As far as I know, your weapon and ammunition reserves are enough to equip ten divisions. You'd still be short of weapons?" Yang Jiefang said, "In war, there are losses. I suffered considerable losses in this battle too!" Nakamura Yoshio asked again, "How much weapon and ammunition do you want?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Enough weapons to equip two divisions. However, ammunition must be plentiful." Nakamura Yoshio said, "It's just a few flags. Do you think they're worth so much weaponry?" Yang Jiefang replied, "I've heard that your army's regimental and higher-ranking regimental flags are all personally awarded by the Japanese Emperor? If they are captured by the enemy, the entire army must commit suicide and their unit designation revoked. Is that true?" Yang Jiefang led his special forces in a surprise attack on the Japanese command post and captured their regimental flag intact.

Nakamura Yoshio's expression changed slightly. He said, "Although the rumors are untrue, the military flag was indeed personally bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor, representing His Majesty's face. I will convey your opinion, but whether the military will agree is uncertain. Mr. Yang, actually, we would prefer to be friends with you and strengthen cooperation." Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "Haven't we always been friends? The Yantai Industrial Park is the result of our cooperation. I hope this conflict won't affect our cooperation." Nakamura Yoshio nodded and replied, "That would be wonderful!" He then added, "As far as I know, your relationship with the Nationalist government is not harmonious. With your current military strength, why don't you control the entire Shandong province and remain independent of the Nationalist government?"

Yang Jiefang replied, "Who says I don't want to? If it weren't for the need to guard against another Japanese invasion, I would have driven Sun Liangcheng out of Shandong long ago. Now that the opportunity has been missed, it won't be so easy to drive him away again." Nakamura Yoshio immediately said, "As long as you send troops to drive Sun Liangcheng out of Shandong and make him independent of the Nationalist government, the weapons and ammunition you need will not be a problem."

Yang Jiefang said, "My goal is to drive Sun Liangcheng out of Shandong and take control of the entire province. This is my own business and has nothing to do with this prisoner exchange. Mr. Nakamura, please don't get confused." Nakamura Yoshio quickly replied, "Yes. Forgive my intrusion, but as a friend, may I ask: what specific plans and timelines do you have regarding Sun Liangcheng?" Yang Jiefang naturally understood his meaning and said, "You are my partner, so I won't hide anything from you. A year ago, when we first started cooperating, how much territory did I have? Now I control half of Shandong. A year from now, I am confident that I can squeeze out Sun Liangcheng and take control of the entire province."

No matter how unfamiliar Yang Jiefang was with history, he knew that the Jiang-Gui War, the Jiang-Feng War, and the Central Plains War would break out next, and that Sun Liangcheng would leave Shandong and go south to participate in the war. There was no need for him to drive him away.

Yoshio Nakamura, unaware of these details, assumed it was a promise and guarantee from Yang Jiefang, and thus smiled, saying, "Mr. Yang, we are partners, so naturally I should help you solve some problems. I will deliver the weapons and ammunition you need as soon as possible!" Yang Jiefang also smiled and said, "Very well, as long as the weapons and ammunition I need are delivered, I will immediately return your army's flag." Yoshio Nakamura got the reply he wanted and returned to Japan satisfied.

With the threat from the Japanese army temporarily eliminated, the entire army breathed a sigh of relief. After a period of reorganization and training, the newly formed units had begun to integrate. Yang Jiefang renamed the three regiments, all composed of officers and soldiers from the original 37th Army, as the 13th, 14th, and 15th Regiments, respectively, and combined them into the 5th Division, appointing Liu Zhennian as its commander. In this way, the army now possessed five infantry divisions, three independent infantry regiments, two cavalry regiments, and one artillery regiment.

Yang Jiefang wanted to form another artillery regiment and contacted Henry to purchase cannons. He also asked Henry to buy a batch of military vehicles to try using them to tow the cannons. Eight draft horses were needed to pull one cannon, which was too costly and slow, and simply couldn't meet Yang Jiefang's needs.

After settling his affairs, Yang Jiefang returned to Jinan. Xu Yuezhi, in Jinan, contacted the Shandong Provincial Party Committee and learned that many arrested comrades were imprisoned in Jinan prisons. He wanted Yang Jiefang to help them get released. Yang Jiefang had no choice but to come personally. Xu Yuezhi provided him with a list, but Yang Jiefang did not immediately release these people. He launched another crackdown in Jinan and Qingdao, but the results were not significant, only catching some small fry. Everyone knew he liked to launch crackdowns; the big shots either laundered their money or escaped. But these small fry were numerous enough to overcrowd the prisons.

He then appointed Chu Shiwu as the head of the Jinan Police Department, instructing him to use the interrogation of suspects involved in organized crime, gambling, and drugs as an opportunity to conduct a thorough search of the city's inmates. The plan was to secretly transfer and release those on the list. Those party members whose identities had already been exposed would naturally not remain in Jinan and would have to leave Shandong secretly after their release. Xu Yuezhi had no objection to this. Yang Jiefang then asked Xu Yuezhi to recommend some unexposed party members for positions in the military and political departments. Xu Yuezhi agreed. However, the Shandong Provincial Party Committee had previously suffered severe damage and was short-staffed, requiring personnel transfers from other regions.

The Japanese side acted swiftly, delivering the weapons and ammunition Yang Jiefang had requested within a few days. Yang Jiefang then transported the captured Japanese military flag and the ashes of fallen Japanese soldiers from Jinan to Qingdao, where the transaction was completed. A similar handover took place in Yantai.

Through this crisis, Yang Jiefang realized that without control of the sea and air, coastal cities were unsuitable for building heavy industry or serving as political centers. Previously, there was no other choice, but now, with expanded territory and a central city like Jinan, Yang Jiefang decided to move the political center from Yantai to Jinan. Except for the Yantai Naval Academy, everything that could be moved was relocated there.

The Yantai Heavy Industrial Park was half-built. It suffered some damage in the Battle of Yantai, but the damage was minor. Yang Jiefang decided to continue construction. However, he planned to build another heavy industrial base in the interior. He knew that Shandong had abundant coal and iron resources and could be completely self-sufficient. The Yantai steel plant would be left to compete with Japan for coal and iron resources in Northeast China.

After another half month of busy work, the Yantai Army School, Yantai Air Force School, aircraft repair factory, and the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, among other institutions, were all relocated to Jinan and renamed. There were no major military reshuffles. The 4th Division remained stationed in Yantai and the surrounding area, the 2nd Division in Qingdao, and the 3rd Division remained in Linyi. The newly formed 5th Division underwent training in Pingdu and Laiyang and was not moved. Three independent regiments and a cavalry regiment were transferred to garrison areas around Jinan.

It's worth mentioning that after arriving in Jinan, Qu Tongfeng contacted some acquaintances, mostly former instructors from various military academies in Jinan. They hadn't followed Zhang Zongchang out of Jinan and had been invited to join the Jinan Army Academy. Consequently, an artillery major was added to this academy.

Yang Jiefang originally planned to contact Sun Liangcheng after things stabilized in Jinan to ease tensions with the Nationalist government. However, before things could stabilize there, a major incident occurred in the rear.

First, Shi Zhongcheng sent a telegram: Fang Yongchang had suddenly arrived in Yantai, attempting to persuade Shi Zhongcheng to rebel and return to Zhang Zongchang's command. How could Shi Zhongcheng listen to him? He immediately detained him and telegraphed for instructions on how to deal with him.

According to a message sent by Huang Sheng from Tianjin, after fleeing Jinan, Zhang Zongchang first settled in Dezhou, but soon suffered another major defeat and fled again. After the Northern Expeditionary Army controlled the Beijing-Tianjin area, Zhang Zongchang fled to eastern Hebei. By this time, Zhang Zuolin was dead, and Zhang Xueliang had taken power. Zhang Xueliang sent Yu Xuezhong to tightly close the Shanhaiguan Pass, preventing Zhang Zongchang from leaving. Unable to escape and pursued by enemy troops, Zhang Zongchang was truly desperate. At this point, why would Fang Yongchang still come to Yantai as an intermediary? Could he possibly fly all the way to Jiaodong?

Yang Jiefang was puzzled when an urgent telegram arrived from the Penglai County government. Zhang Zongchang had landed his troops in Penglai. Penglai County was undefended and unable to withstand Zhang Zongchang's attack; the county government had no choice but to evacuate. The reason Penglai County had no troops stationed there was because the Second Fleet of the Beiyang Navy was stationed on the Changshan Islands. Yang Jiefang did not want to engage in conflict with them.

Soon, news also arrived from Huang County that a large number of Zhang Zongchang's soldiers had landed at Longkou Port. The Huang County government was forced to make an emergency evacuation to avoid retaliation from the bandits.

Yang Jiefang immediately informed the entire army, ordering Shi Zhongcheng to hold Yantai and prepare to fight Zhang Zongchang. He also telegraphed Liu Zhennian to urgently proceed to Zhaoyuan to set up defenses.

The military intelligence agency mobilized all its connections, trying to figure out what was going on. Huang Sheng in Tianjin was also completely bewildered, having no idea what was happening. This time, the intelligence team had failed.

Just then, a telegram arrived from the Yantai Naval Academy. The telegram's contents were provided by Yuan Fangqiao, commander of the Second Fleet of the Beiyang Navy stationed on Changshan Island. It turned out that the Japanese shipping company had dispatched a large number of ships to transport Zhang Zongchang's troops, trapped in the Jidong region, from Qinhuangdao to Jiaodong. Yuan Fangqiao dared not intercept the Japanese ships, but he relayed this information to the Yantai Naval Academy. According to his information, Zhang Zongchang's remaining troops numbered as many as 50,000, all of whom were his elite troops.

Yang Jiefang knew that the Japanese were behind this, and they were determined not to give up. They wanted to use Chinese against Chinese. Having clarified the truth, Yang Jiefang was less worried. The Japanese had run out of tricks; he estimated they wouldn't launch a large-scale invasion of China in the near future. As for Zhang Zongchang, he was nothing but a defeated dog; what was there to fear?

He telegraphed Guo Shousheng, ordering him to lead the fleet to Penglai Port, and instructed him to contact Yuan Fangqiao to try and persuade the fleet to surrender. Yuan Fangqiao was from Rongcheng County, and this Second Fleet was essentially a Rongcheng clique, with a high percentage of officers from Rongcheng.

One regiment of the Second Division under Bai Lang was left to garrison Qingdao, while the main force sailed to Yantai to participate in the battle. A flight squadron was also ordered to fly to Fushan Airport to undertake aerial reconnaissance missions.

Yang Jiefang personally led two cavalry regiments to the scene. He then ordered Gao Huilan to lead three independent infantry regiments and an artillery regiment to follow.