Newborn 1927

Zhao's mother changed the diaper, re-wrapped the baby, and took the child out. Yang Jiefang sat by the bedside and talked with Zhao Xiaohui for a while. Zhao Xiaohui was weak after childbirth and soon fell asleep again. Yang Jiefang quietly left the ward and went to Liu Yamei's office. Every time he came to the hospital, he had to come to her office.

Liu Yamei was carefully reading a document when she glanced at him casually and said, "Why aren't you with them, mother and child? What are you doing here?" Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "I came specifically to thank you." Liu Yamei casually replied, "Why thank me? The child isn't mine. By the way, I quite like that child. How about I be his godmother?" If she hadn't deliberately given Yang Jiefang the wrong medicine, this child probably wouldn't exist. Or rather, this child should have been hers to give birth to. Yang Jiefang replied, "No problem. Any child I give birth to can call you Mom."

Liu Yamei said, "One is enough. I have feelings for him." She handed him the documents, adding, "You've come at the right time. Take a look! Tang Feifan's research has yielded results." Yang Jiefang, of course, couldn't understand medical papers, so he simply ignored them and said, "Just tell me the results! How many tens of thousands of units were extracted?" Liu Yamei glanced at him and said, "Look how anxious you are. It's only just been extracted; the efficacy is still being tested. It verifies your statement. Penicillin is indeed remarkably effective! It's no less effective than Qu's 'Miracle Pill.'" Yang Jiefang said, "Keep an eye on it for me. Tell me immediately if there's any news! Also, please tell Dr. Tang Feifan that the extraction method must be kept secret!" Liu Yamei rolled her eyes at him and said, "Do you expect me to teach you?" Then she waved her hand and said, "If there's nothing else, you can leave! Don't disturb my work." This woman was now a workaholic; she seemed to be using work to numb herself from thinking about personal matters.

Yang Jiefang didn't want to disturb her, so he got up and left the hospital. Zhao Xiaohui and her child were being cared for by her mother, so Yang Jiefang couldn't really help. Seeing that it was still early, he didn't go home but went to the provincial government office instead. Kong, who also served as the mayor of Jinan, wasn't in his office at the moment. When he wasn't there, documents were usually handled by his office secretary, Zhang Wenqiu. Yang Jiefang said, "Secretary Zhang, bring me the documents that need processing!" and went into his office.

Zhang Wenqiu agreed and brought in several documents. Yang Jiefang opened the documents, and one of them, a list of recommendations, caught his attention. This was a list he had Liu Qianchu recommend. Since Yang Jiefang was after Shi Yousan, he naturally wanted to bring the territory of northern Henan under his control. Things were different now; it couldn't just be a military occupation. He also needed to prepare a group of officials to take over local administration. The people on the list were all selected from political and legal schools, most of whom Yang Jiefang didn't recognize, and he probably hadn't even met them. So, he returned the documents to Zhang Wenqiu, asking her to contact Liu Qianchu and arrange a time for the people on the list to come to the provincial government. Yang Jiefang wanted to meet with them beforehand.

After getting off work and returning home, his family already knew about Zhao Xiaohui's pregnancy. Gao Huilan was also seven or eight months pregnant and expected to give birth before the new year; she was currently at home awaiting delivery. Among the wives, Mu Yanshu was also pregnant. The three women who weren't pregnant yet—Chu Gu, Jiang Xiaojun, and Sheng Fangyi—now seemed to look at Yang Jiefang with longing in their eyes.

On October 26th, Yang Jiefang did not go to the Fourth Army headquarters, but instead went to the provincial government office. He had barely sat down when Chu Yi delivered a telegram. It stated that at dawn that day, Chiang Kai-shek's and Feng Yuxiang's armies had engaged in full-scale firefight along the Gongxian-Dengfeng line, meaning that war between Chiang and Feng had officially begun. Yang Jiefang instructed Chu Yi to inform Ye Ting and Qu Tongfeng of the news, telling them to remain calm and wait.

Next, Yang Jiefang met with a group of officials recommended by Liu Qianchu in the conference room. He had a long talk with them about future governance of the region. These people were selected by Liu Qianchu, and most were likely Party members. Yang Jiefang had no doubt about their character and ability; what they lacked was work experience. Yang Jiefang's conversation focused on one thing: upholding the principle of serving the people, proceeding from reality, and pragmatically solving the urgent problems that the local people needed to address.

After the meeting, back in his office, Yang Jiefang found a telegram on his desk. It was from the United States, across the ocean, and contained only one sentence: "Predictions? Yes? Stock market crash." This was an urgent telegram from Jiang Tingxuan. Yang Jiefang knew that a major economic depression was imminent, and it was time to activate his previous plans.

Yang Jiefang immediately summoned Jiang Xiaojun. Her main focus now was assisting Gu Weijun with foreign affairs, and she occasionally tutored the special forces in Japanese. Although Jiang Xiaojun had studied English with Sheng Fangyi for a while, she was somewhat confused by the telegram Yang Jiefang handed her, and frowned as she asked, "What does this mean?"

Yang Jiefang replied, "The United States has experienced a financial crisis, an unprecedented financial tsunami. Their crisis is our opportunity." Jiang Xiaojun asked, "Why did you call me here? What does this have to do with me?" Yang Jiefang explained, "The American financial crisis will definitely affect Japan. I want you to go to Japan. Withdraw all the stocks you hold and the money in the bank. If you can exchange them for gold and silver, do so and ship them back to China." Jiang Xiaojun pressed, "Including the money in the 21st Bank? That's 200 million yen! Do they have that much cash?" Yang Jiefang said confidently, "Withdraw as much as you have. Just focus on bringing the money back." Although Jiang Xiaojun didn't quite understand Yang Jiefang's intentions, she agreed and went to prepare.

After arranging things for Jiang Xiaojun, Yang Jiefang first drafted a telegram and sent it to Yan Donglai via the military intelligence department's dedicated radio. He instructed Yan Donglai to prepare in advance and ensure Jiang Xiaojun's safety. Then, he wrote two letters, one to Jiang Tingxuan and the other to Cheng Jiaju, providing detailed instructions for the subsequent work. Concerned that sending letters might be too slow, he also sent brief telegrams to both of them separately, allowing them time to prepare.

When they got home that evening, Sheng Fangyi approached him and said, "I heard you're sending Xiaojun to Japan?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Yes." Sheng Fangyi then asked, "Is it because she speaks Japanese?" Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "That's partly it. Also, she's been to Japan before and has some connections there that could be more effective." Sheng Fangyi continued, "Although I don't speak Japanese, I speak English very well. Do you think I could be more useful?" Yang Jiefang asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly have this idea?" Sheng Fangyi hesitated for a moment before saying, "My seventh sister wrote to me. She said I shouldn't just stay in a small performing arts troupe; I should use my strengths to play a bigger role. But what strengths do I have? After thinking about it, the only one I can think of is being fluent in English."

Yang Jiefang thought for a moment and understood the reason. He smiled and said, "Is your seventh sister worried that your position at home is unstable? Actually, your worries are unnecessary. I am not the kind of person who is fickle and abandons others after starting something." Sheng Fangyi said, "Actually, I also want to do something. The art troupe doesn't need me. After Xiaohui finishes her postpartum confinement, she can manage the art troupe and she won't be any worse than me."

Yang Jiefang understood her meaning and thought for a moment before saying, "I happen to have something here that requires a reliable person to handle." Sheng Fangyi pressed for details, "What is it?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Go to the United States to recruit talent, all kinds of talent. I wrote a letter to Jiang Tingxuan, but I felt that the words didn't quite express my thoughts. He's been in the United States for two years, and the domestic situation has changed dramatically. He may not be able to accurately grasp our current needs."

Sheng Fangyi nodded and said, "Are you worried that he won't fully grasp your intentions, and therefore won't achieve the desired results?" Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "That's right, that's roughly what I mean. After all, I haven't seen him for two years." Sheng Fangyi said, "Then let me go to America! We've spent over a year together, I know your ideals, and I understand what you need right now. I can also understand some of those thoughts that can't be expressed in words." Yang Jiefang thought about it and realized that sometimes, tacit understanding is worth a thousand words. The Eighth Miss used to be just a naive and innocent girl who didn't understand social etiquette, but after spending more than a year together, under her influence, Sheng Fangyi is no longer the same naive girl she once was.

On October 27th, Chiang Kai-shek publicly issued a document denouncing the rebellion. Yang Jiefang, upon seeing the article titled "The Government's Responsibility Today and the People's Current Status," knew it was written by Yang Yongtai. He immediately sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek: "Shi Yousan has betrayed us and joined Feng Yuxiang, intending to attack Zhengzhou." He quickly received Chiang Kai-shek's reply: "This petty traitor is fickle and his actions deserve execution."

Upon receiving the telegram, Yang Jiefang immediately went to the headquarters of the newly formed Fourth Army and said, "Commander Ye, Chief of Staff Qu, now we have a legitimate reason to start the war." Both men looked on incredulously. Based on a completely fabricated piece of information, Chiang Kai-shek hadn't even bothered to verify it before allowing Yang Jiefang to attack Shi Yousan? Yang Jiefang explained, "In Chiang Kai-shek's eyes, we are all targets he wants to eliminate; he'd love for us to kill each other. Commander Ye, you can issue the order now." Ye Ting didn't waste any more words and immediately issued the order to send troops.

Subsequently, the engineer brigade departed from Heze and proceeded to Dongming to construct a pontoon bridge at the Yellow River crossing. A vanguard battalion of the First Brigade crossed the Yellow River by boat and preemptively occupied Changyuan. Simultaneously, the Second Brigade also dispatched its vanguard south from Yanggu County and occupied Puyang.

At this time, Dongming, Changyuan, and Puyang to the north were all under the jurisdiction of Hebei Province, and there were no troops stationed there. Shi Yousan's troops were mainly stationed along the Pinghan Railway and the Daoqing Railway. The Daoqing Railway, running from Daokou in Huaxian County to Qinghua in Jiaozuo, was the earliest east-west railway built in Henan Province. The two railways intersected in Xinxiang, which became the location of Shi Yousan's headquarters.

Over the years, warlord conflicts had raged on, and the common people had long been accustomed to the comings and goings of the army. They would generally avoid the city upon seeing troops entering. But today was different. When they saw the army in camouflage uniforms approaching, most asked the questions that concerned them most: "Will your arrival mean rent and interest reductions?" "Will you abolish exorbitant taxes and levies?" These places were very close to Shandong, and they had long heard about the various beneficial policies implemented by the young commander in Shandong, hoping that their own areas could also experience rent and interest reductions and the abolition of exorbitant taxes and levies.

The advance troops drafted the words of ordinary people into telegrams and sent them back to their superiors, which quickly reached Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang was overjoyed and said, "The northern Henan and southern Hebei regions are mine." He immediately ordered the local officials who had been prepared in advance to set off with the follow-up troops, and the army was responsible for taking over each city it occupied.

The following day, the Dongming pontoon bridge was completed, and the main force of the First Brigade crossed the river and advanced westward. Simultaneously, the vanguard of the First Brigade advanced westward along the north bank of the Yellow River, reaching Fengqiu. The main force of the Second Brigade entered Puyang, while its vanguard headed towards Huaxian. A regiment stationed in Huaxian was caught off guard and decisively defeated, forced to withdraw from the county. The cavalry brigade also advanced westward from Guantao County, bypassing Daming and quickly seizing Anyang.

Only then did Shi Yousan learn that his troops had been attacked. He was initially confused, but quickly reacted. First, he ordered his trusted subordinate and sworn brother, Gao Shuxun, to gather troops and counterattack Huaxian. Then, he telegraphed Chiang Kai-shek to complain about Yang Jiefang. Chiang Kai-shek quickly replied with a telegram: "This petty thief is fickle and deserves to be punished."

Shi Yousan concluded that Yang Jiefang had defected to Feng Yuxiang, which displeased Chiang Kai-shek. Now that Chiang Kai-shek was backing him, he became bolder and immediately led a large force towards Huaxian. As for Sun Zhiyong's First Brigade in the south, they had not yet engaged Shi Yousan's troops, and Shi Yousan was unaware of their arrival.

Ye Ting wanted to annihilate Shi Yousan's forces, but what he feared most was not an attack, but rather that Shi Yousan would flee at the first sign of trouble. Now, Shi Yousan's advance instead of retreating played right into his hands. He ordered the main force of the Second Brigade to deploy in Huaxian, while the First Brigade continued westward along the north bank of the Yellow River, outflanking Xinxiang from the rear. The cavalry brigade remained stationed in Anyang, monitoring the Jin army in central Hebei, while also guarding against Shi Yousan's escape to the north.

On the evening of the 29th, Gao Shuxun assembled a force of nearly 20,000 men and arrived at the outskirts of Huaxian County. He did not immediately launch an attack, but instead ordered his troops to construct defensive fortifications on the spot. Bai Lang also did not initiate an attack. The following morning, although Shi Yousan's follow-up troops had not yet arrived, Gao Shuxun decided to launch the attack first.

Just then, a roar came from the sky. Everyone looked up and saw a large black dot flying in from a distance. Gao Shuxun rushed out of the command post, grabbed his binoculars, and saw a large group of planes flying in like a flock of eagles; their imposing presence clearly indicated hostile intent. He had never encountered such a situation before and didn't know how to handle it, so he instinctively ordered all units to take cover.

However, the plane simply flew overhead without doing anything. Gao Shuxun quickly realized that the plane was definitely heading towards Shi Yousan's unit behind them. He immediately drafted a telegram, trying to warn Shi Yousan. Before he could send the telegram, he heard a series of sharp whistling sounds coming from the sky. Immediately afterward, shells landed on the position and exploded. Clearly, the People's Liberation Army had launched the artillery barrage first.

Gao Shuxun immediately shouted, "Watch out for artillery fire! Observer, locate the enemy's artillery positions! Send orders to the artillery to counterattack!" After giving the orders, he didn't even have time to draft a telegram. He lay prone at the observation port of the bunker, observing outside. He saw the hastily constructed bunkers being destroyed one after another like shoddy tofu. The density and caliber of the enemy's artillery exceeded his expectations.