Newborn 1927

Chapter 239 The Hetao Plain

The news reached Yang Jiefang almost simultaneously. Although the crisis was over, Yang Jiefang felt some regret. It was difficult to connect this incident with the Japanese, and it was also uncertain whether there were Japanese spies hiding in Baotou. The enemy seemed to be using a feint, their aim being to seize the horses. But the timing—why now and why earlier?—made one suspicious of the enemy's true intentions. Moreover, besieging a high-ranking commander just to seize a few stallions seemed illogical. He ordered that the captured prisoners be interrogated rigorously to find the mastermind behind it all.

The interrogation of the bandits heading towards Longche yielded little valuable information. The captured bandits were all low-level thugs, some from Suiyuan, some from Chahar, and others from Outer Mongolia. The bandit leader they mentioned was merely a nickname; they had no idea who he was, so where were they supposed to find him?

The interrogation at the horse farm yielded some valuable but ultimately useless information. The cavalry attacking the horse farm were local militia from Chahar Province, led by a man named Damichusulong. It was unknown whose orders Damichusulong took.

Yang Jiefang immediately thought of Prince De, but dared not make a hasty conclusion.

Yang Jiefang immediately sent a telegram to Ma Shangfei, instructing him to investigate this man named Damichusulong. This investigation wouldn't yield results quickly, so it had to be put aside for now. Yang Jiefang then focused on handling the matters at hand.

In this battle, our side suffered some casualties. Those wounded soldiers were treated by medical personnel, needless to say. Yang Jiefang ordered that all those who died in battle, whether officers and soldiers of the 3rd Cavalry Division or the 210th Brigade, be compensated according to the standards of the People's Liberation Army. This greatly pleased Fu Zuoyi.

Taking advantage of the situation, Wu Zhichen said, "Commander, quite a few bandits have escaped. For the next period of time, my Third Cavalry Division will definitely continue to pursue and capture these bandits, striving to eradicate the banditry problem on the grasslands. Could the 210th Brigade be allowed to stay and guard the horse farm for a while?"

Yang Jiefang did not immediately agree. He turned to Fu Zuoyi and asked, "Commander Fu, what is your opinion?"

Fu Zuoyi replied, "I will obey the young commander's orders!"

Yang Jiefang said, "Although Suiyuan Province has a small population, it is quite large. With the current defensive forces, it is really difficult to cover everything. If the Third Cavalry Division wants to take the initiative to attack, the troops left to guard the local area will be stretched thin. Commander Fu, please transfer the 72nd Division to Suiyuan as well! From now on, the military pay of the 35th Army will be allocated in a unified manner according to the standards of the People's Liberation Army. Weapons will also be replaced in a unified manner."

Fu Zuoyi was overjoyed and quickly saluted, replying, "As you command."

Yang Jiefang continued, "This matter isn't over until we've exposed a Japanese spy. The danger of the dragon carriage remains. What should we do next? What are your thoughts?"

Wu Zhichen said, "For the young commander's safety, he cannot return to Jinan by imperial carriage. My suggestion is that after the young commander finishes his inspection, he should secretly return to Jinan by another train. This imperial carriage can stay behind to attract the enemy's attention. Perhaps it can even lure out the enemy hiding in the shadows and eliminate them."

Fu Zuoyi praised, "Openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass, I think it's feasible."

Yang Jiefang laughed, "Since you both think this is feasible, then let's arrange it this way!" He turned around and informed Jiang Xiaojun and Sheng Fangyi that once the dragon carriage returned to Baotou, they should secretly move the belongings out of the carriage. When they left the dragon carriage earlier, they had both left alone, leaving their personal belongings behind. Given their status, they must have had quite a few belongings, including many undergarments that they hadn't had time to pack, all left in the carriage. No one else dared to touch these undergarments, so the two of them had to pack them themselves.

Sheng Fangyi quietly approached Yang Jiefang and said, "Could we separate the carriage we're in?"

Yang Jiefang asked, "Are you reluctant to part with that first-class carriage?" The imperial carriage had two first-class carriages in total. One was originally reserved for the emperor, but now it was used by Yang Jiefang for official business and receiving guests. The other was originally reserved for the empress, but now it was used by Jiang Xiaojun and Sheng Fangyi, and it was also where Yang Jiefang slept at night.

Sheng Fangyi said, "It's not that we're reluctant to part with them. It's just that we have a lot of stuff, and it's too much trouble to pack it all up, making it difficult to keep it discreet. Also, we've gotten used to living in this carriage, and it's really hard to adjust to other carriages!"

Yang Jiefang knew that, having been pampered since childhood, she never wanted to wrong herself, no matter what. After careful consideration, he figured it was just changing one of the carriages, and as long as he disguised it beforehand, there shouldn't be any problems. So he agreed to her request and made the arrangements.

He then secretly sent a telegram to Yan Donglai, instructing him to make preparations in advance to blow up the dragon carriage in Datong. He believed that as long as the dragon carriage was blown up, regardless of whether Yang Jiefang was harmed or not, it would be a great achievement for the Tianjin Garrison Command. He would then attribute this credit to Zhongye Cunfu and release him back to Tianjin, which would surely bring unexpected benefits.

In the afternoon, the train returned to Baotou. Li Fuxing immediately went to see Yang Jiefang and gave him a detailed report of what had happened. Yang Jiefang looked at the sixteen-year-old boy in front of him as if he were seeing his own brother. This kid had been growing up, which was very gratifying. At the same time, he thought that after returning to Jinan, the guard brigade should be expanded into a guard division. This kid could be promoted appropriately.

After reporting what had happened, Li Fuxing mysteriously pulled out a cloth bag and said, "Little Commander, look what I found!" As he spoke, he opened the bag and spread it out in his palm.

Yang Jiefang looked up and saw a small clump of sand, faintly emitting a yellowish glow. He stared intently, then asked in bewilderment, "It looks like gold dust?"

Li Fuxing praised, "That's right, this is Jinsha. We found it in a shell crater while we were cleaning up the battlefield. We dug around it and found that there was actually a gold mine hidden there. Those bandits were really something, I don't know where they got the information from? They thought the dragon chariot was made of gold and tried to rob it. Little did they know, they were standing on a gold mine at the time."

Yang Jiefang chuckled, then suddenly remembered another problem. The attack on the dragon carriage definitely needed to be kept secret. But the dragon carriage had been stuck in Laoyanghao for a day and a night; there had to be a plausible explanation. Now, since a gold mine had been discovered there, they could say—the young commander accidentally discovered a gold mine while inspecting Laoyanghao, hence the day and night's delay. Such an explanation would certainly add to his mystique.

Now that a gold mine has been discovered, it's natural to start mining it. In today's international community, we live on the gold standard. International trade is all paid for with real gold and silver. Nobody wants to have too much gold.

Yang Jiefang immediately summoned Li Boyan, placed the gold dust that Li Fuxing had brought back in front of him, and said, "A gold mine has been discovered in Laoyanghao. You organize people to go there and mine it."

Li Boyan was greatly surprised, thinking to himself: Is this young commander a lucky star sent from heaven? Or did he already have news of the gold mine? He then replied: "Yes. The cavalry division has captured many bandits and is preparing to send them to mine. Since a new gold mine has been discovered, let them go and dig for gold! This will also effectively prevent the miners from stealing gold dust."

Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "That's fine. Aren't they here for the gold? Then let them pan for gold every day."

Li Boyan changed the subject, asking, "Young Commander, will we continue the inspection? If so, I'll make arrangements in advance." While ostensibly a question, he was actually subtly reminding Yang Jiefang that, given the current situation, it was no longer appropriate for him to appear in public; it would be best for him to return to Jinan as soon as possible.

Yang Jiefang replied, "Since I've come all this way, I should at least see what I need to see. I've already visited the Baotou Industrial Zone and the horse farm, but I haven't seen those collective farms yet. Tomorrow, I'd like to go and see how their construction is going."

Li Boyan asked, "Where would you like to inspect? I'll make arrangements in advance and make sure your safety is absolutely guaranteed."

Yang Jiefang continued, "Bring over all the information about those farms. I'll review it before making a decision about our inspection trip. There's no need for advance arrangements! We'll go quietly and try not to alert the local authorities. As for security, you don't need to worry about it! My safety is taken care of."

Li Boyan replied, "Yes. I'll go back and get the documents right away."

The information was quickly delivered. Yang Jiefang began reviewing it overnight. The saying goes, "The Yellow River brings a hundred harms but enriches the Hetao Plain," referring to the fertile Hetao Plain, often called the "Jiangnan of the North."

The Hetao Plain is divided into three parts: the area where Baotou and Guihua are located belongs to the Qiantao Plain; the section from Dengkou County to Wuliangsuhai Lake is called the Houtao Plain; and the area where Yinchuan, Ningxia is located is called the Xitao Plain. The Qiantao Plain and the Houtao Plain are collectively known as the Dongtao Plain, which covers a total area of ​​26,000 square kilometers.

The Houtao Plain, located at a bend in the Yellow River's course where it is blocked by the Yinshan Mountains and turns eastward, is an alluvial plain formed by the Yellow River's silt deposition, making it highly susceptible to flooding. During floods, the Yellow River inundates vast areas, creating extensive swamps. The size of Wuliangsuhai Lake thus fluctuates considerably. At its largest, the lake covered millions of acres. In 1929, a severe drought in the Guanzhong region reduced the Yellow River's flow, shrinking Wuliangsuhai Lake to approximately ten thousand acres. This geographical environment, while a fertile pasture for nomadic peoples, was less conducive to agricultural civilizations. Consequently, this region has remained largely undeveloped.

At the beginning of the year, over one million disaster victims from Shaanxi were relocated to Suiyuan. Some were assigned to industrial construction in Bayan Obo and Baotou, while others were settled in the former and latter plains of the Taoyuan Plain for farming or animal husbandry. Following Yang Jiefang's initial plan, hundreds of collective farms were established. In one year, over two million mu of land were reclaimed, and this number continues to rise.

The Houtao Plain resettled over 300,000 disaster victims from Guanzhong. Besides cultivating the land, their most important task was controlling the floods. Even a Chinese person unfamiliar with water conservancy can find methods for flood control in history books. Managing the Houtao Plain was relatively simple: emulate the Dujiangyan Irrigation System by building dikes in Dengkou County to divert Yellow River water for irrigation while simultaneously preventing flooding. Of course, this required a unified plan and a significant investment of manpower and resources. However, since modern times, constant warfare, political instability, and widespread poverty have prevented effective management of the Houtao Plain. Because the Yellow River floods remained uncontrolled, the area is sparsely populated. Currently, including newly relocated disaster victims, the population is less than one million.

From the moment Yang Jiefang took control of the Jiaodong region, he was willing to spend money on dredging rivers and constructing water conservancy projects. He was also generous in investing in this "Jiangnan beyond the Great Wall." Currently, he is organizing relocated disaster victims and local residents to build dikes in Dengkou County, dredge several main canals from Dengkou to Wuliangsuhai Lake, and dig new branch canals for irrigation. This region has over 10,000 square kilometers of land; if fully developed, it's not impossible to cultivate tens of millions of acres of arable land.

After reviewing the materials submitted by Li Boyan, Yang Jiefang decided to make a trip to the Houtao Plain. It's only a little over 100 kilometers from Baotou to Wuliangsuhai Lake. At a fast pace, it would only take half a day. However, inspecting the entire Houtao Plain in a short time was impossible. Yang Jiefang could only focus on visiting and greeting the people who were still working diligently on water conservancy projects. He wanted them to know how much importance he placed on the management of the Houtao Plain.

The next day, Li Boyan arrived early. No matter where Yang Jiefang wanted to inspect, he had to accompany him throughout. As usual, Yang Jiefang traveled with a guard company. Wu Zhichen again assigned the Third Cavalry Division's guard battalion to accompany and protect him.

In choosing his route, Yang Jiefang didn't head directly to the Houtao Plain. He first circled the Qiantao Plain, inspecting some newly established collective farms along the way. After traveling for a while, a large expanse of wheat appeared on both sides of the road, standing out vividly against the backdrop of withered yellow everywhere. Yang Jiefang couldn't help but slow down, observing carefully as he walked. In the cold wind, the wheat seedlings swayed, giving the impression of being fragile and vulnerable.

Li Boyan explained from the side, "This is winter wheat being trial-planted. Winter wheat can be harvested half a month earlier than spring wheat, and the yield is also higher. After harvesting the winter wheat, we can rush to plant another crop. However, it's much colder here in Suiyuan than inland areas. We don't know if this wheat can survive this cold winter. According to the local farmers, this winter is exceptionally cold."

Yang Jiefang observed carefully and found that the wheat was growing quite well in some places, so he said, "Most of the wheat that can survive are relatively cold-resistant. You should pay attention to cultivating more cold-resistant wheat varieties and try to cultivate seeds that are suitable for the local climate and have a high yield. For those lands with a low survival rate, then replant spring wheat. It doesn't matter if some seeds are wasted; we can't let the land that we've worked so hard to cultivate go to waste."

Li Boyan replied, "I will handle it accordingly. I guarantee that we will have a sufficient amount of grain next year."

Despite the cold winter, people were still busy in the fields. A group of people could be seen working in the distance. The land had been burned before, leaving it blackened. A tractor led the way, followed by a group of people, breaking up the turned soil and picking out the grass roots. The selected grass roots were placed in baskets. Someone was responsible for carrying away each basket. Clearing land is never an easy task, even with modern tools.

One of them walked towards Yang Jiefang and the others. When he got closer, he recognized Li Boyan and shouted, "Mayor Li—it's you!"

Li Boyan seemed not to recognize the man. Looking at him, he asked, "Who are you?"

The man introduced himself: "I am Li Hu, the security captain of the Second Farm of the Third Division. Mayor Li, are you here to inspect our work?" Each farm has a part-time security team responsible for protecting the farm's security and maintaining local order.

Li Boyan pointed to Yang Jiefang beside him and said, "See? The young commander has come to see you."

Yang Jiefang was wearing a Zhongshan suit and was younger than Li Boyan, so he looked like his secretary.

Li Hu didn't notice at first, but upon hearing Li Boyan's introduction, he was overjoyed and quickly shouted, "Little Commander—" After shouting, he immediately stood at attention and saluted.