Newborn 1927

After receiving the notification, Jiang Xingfu quickly arrived in Jinan, where Yang Jiefang met with him in his office.

Yang Jiefang got straight to the point: "Second Uncle, you single-handedly built the Yantai industrial zone, and it's been very successful! I'm thinking of establishing a naval port, a shipyard, and supporting factories at the southern tip of Hainan Island. In other words, it will become another heavy industrial zone. You will still be in charge of this matter, so I'd like to appoint you as the commissioner of the Qiongya Special District. I wonder what your thoughts are on this?"

Jiang Xingfu said earnestly, "Xiao Yang, we're not strangers, so I won't hold back. If I say anything that's not to your liking, please bear with me! After all, we're family, and I won't have any ill intentions."

This opening remark surprised Yang Jiefang, who replied, "Second Uncle, you flatter me. We're family, how could I not trust you? Just say what you want to say!"

Jiang Xingfu asked, "Can I select the officials at all levels in this Qiongya Special District myself?"

Officials within Yang Jiefang's jurisdiction were roughly divided into two categories: those who remained in their posts and new officials trained through political and legal schools. With Yang Jiefang's deliberate support, the proportion of new officials grew increasingly larger, and their status rose accordingly, clearly arousing the suspicion of the former officials. These former officials preferred to associate with the Jiang and Mou families, representing the local gentry.

Yang Jiefang has matured politically and understands how to maintain political balance. He is no longer as single-minded as he was when he first started out, trying to support new forces like Xu Yuezhi and Liu Qianchu.

Yang Jiefang replied, "Of course. Please submit a list for me to see first!"

Jiang Xingfu was prepared and immediately handed over a list. Yang Jiefang took it and glanced at it; sure enough, none of them were from political and legal schools, they were all from the gentry class. Jiang Xingfu advocated for national development through industry, and the people he selected were all practical talents.

Yang Jiefang praised, "Second Uncle, you've put in a lot of effort! These are all truly talented people! With their assistance, I can confidently entrust the Qiongya Special District to you. Don't underestimate this small special district; I plan to establish it as a separate province in the future. Also, I must remind you! You are all northerners, so don't simply copy the northern model when you go to the south, lest you suffer from culture shock. You need to communicate more with the local officials and govern according to local conditions."

Jiang Xingfu nodded and said, "I understand that principle. When we get to the south, I will carefully investigate the local situation. Now that we have occupied Qiongya, we can't just build a military port. We also need to govern it well so that it can play a greater role for us in the future."

Although Hainan Island is currently considered undeveloped, its strategic location is extremely important from the perspective of sea control. As a team in the prime of our careers, most people are preparing for the future, not focusing on short-term gains. Yang Jiefang already occupies a considerable territory, but few are satisfied. The world is so vast; there are still many places we haven't conquered.

Yang Jiefang searched his memory for information about Hainan Island and quickly came up with a plan for its development. Due to its unique geographical environment, Hainan Island can harvest rice three times a year, making it a potential grain-producing region if developed properly. In addition, there is sugarcane, a very important cash crop. Those who understand the strategic value of sugar know how high it is.

Besides agriculture, industry also needs to be developed. Since a shipyard and submarine manufacturing facility are to be built here, it's essential to construct a steel mill. Hainan Island itself has abundant iron ore, oil, and natural gas resources. Besides oil and rubber, the South Pacific region likely also possesses some coal and iron resources. Transporting these resources back to China and smelting them into steel on Hainan Island is a sound option.

Yang Jiefang and Jiang Xingfu had a long talk, during which they developed a detailed plan for the future development of Hainan Island. Jiang Xingfu sincerely admired Yang Jiefang's insight and became even more confident about this trip south.

Given the current situation, sending officials was not an option; troops also needed to be dispatched. Yang Jiefang knew that the island was not peaceful, and he didn't know if the renowned Red Detachment of Women had even been formed yet. Yang Jiefang only wanted to focus on developing the Sanya port in the south; he didn't want to concern himself with the inland areas unless things escalated too much. Therefore, it wasn't advisable to send too many troops for the time being. He transferred a battalion from the Marine Corps to garrison Sanya and sent two S-class destroyers to patrol the sea. In addition, Yang Jiefang planned to send an engineering regiment to build the naval port; if there wasn't enough construction personnel, he would recruit laborers locally.

Once everything was ready, Jiang Xingfu led the officials heading south aboard naval vessels and set sail for the south. Meanwhile, Li Zongren from Guangxi also traveled north to Jinan.

Yang Jiefang dared not neglect this fellow and met with him immediately. Upon meeting, the fellow exclaimed, "Brother Yang, what wonderful news! I've come to tell you the good news!"

Yang Jiefang was speechless for a moment, then said, "Brother Li, you're a soldier by origin. When did you learn this kind of literary rhetoric? What kind of good news are you bringing me?"

Li Zongren laughed and said, "Brother Yang, you are such a wise man, why are you so blinded by your own interests? Chang is a villain! To covet the presidency, he imprisoned Hu Gong in such a way, which has already aroused public outrage. At this time, we revolutionary soldiers should rise up and attack him, and we will surely force him to step down again. At that time, who else but Brother Yang will be the commander-in-chief of the three armies?"

Yang Jiefang's heart skipped a beat. He knew that the micro-management expert had resigned three times and successfully returned to power each time. Could this second resignation be related to the current standoff between Ning and Yue?

Li Zongren's words were tempting, but they were just that—tempting. Yang Jiefang wouldn't fall for it, and said with a smile, "Brother Li, have you forgotten that there is a deputy commander-in-chief below the commander-in-chief? Even if he steps down again, the position of commander-in-chief of the three armed forces will never fall into my hands. Besides, I am not a party member, I am young and inexperienced, and the party elders will not support me."

Li Zongren wanted to persuade him further, but Yang Jiefang waved his hand and said, "If you came here for this matter, then you've made a wasted trip. We're both soldiers, so we should speak frankly. Just say what you have to say!"

Li Zongren was somewhat helpless. Those who achieve great things are invariably people of unwavering resolve; how could a few words sway their hearts? He could only frankly say, "I'm sure Brother Yang has already guessed the purpose of my visit to Jinan. I'm not afraid of Brother Yang laughing at me. Guangxi is a barren land with impoverished people, and we have no money. Brother Yang's weapons are good, but they are too expensive; we can't afford to buy them. Therefore, I would like to ask Brother Yang for some weapons."

Yang Jiefang chuckled and said, "Brother Li, your tone doesn't sound like you're asking for something; it sounds like I owe you something."

Li Zongren, however, replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Although I have no money, Brother Yang's weapons are definitely not free. If you ever need my help in the future, just say the word, and I and my 100,000 Guangxi men will be at your service." His words implied a willingness to pledge allegiance, but whether this was genuine or not was another matter.

In Yang Jiefang's memory, the Guangxi soldiers were quite formidable fighters. During the Northern Expedition, Li Zongren's 7th Army earned the reputation of a "steel army," on par with the "iron army" of the 4th Army. During the War of Resistance against Japan, especially the Battle of Shanghai, they fought extremely fiercely. The Guangxi army had a tenacious fighting spirit, but their outdated weaponry was always a weakness. Yang Jiefang had a good impression of this fellow and, after careful consideration, decided to help him out, considering it a good deed.

Yang Jiefang said, “What do you mean by willingly being driven? Brother Li, you flatter me. Brother Li is a revolutionary veteran, someone I admire. Since you have asked, how could I refuse? However, Brother Li, you are unaware of this. Although my weapons are good, they consume a great deal of ammunition and are heavily reliant on logistics. Guangxi does not have a complete military industrial system, and it is difficult to be self-sufficient in ammunition. Even if I provide you with good weapons and equipment for free, without sufficient ammunition, you will not be able to unleash their full power.”

Li Zongren knew Yang Jiefang was telling the truth, but he had already considered these issues. He immediately said, "Brother, you are absolutely right. I dare not ask for too much. We wouldn't be able to operate those planes and tanks properly; transporting those large-caliber artillery would also be a major problem. Therefore, I only want some lighter weapons. I know your army is undergoing a complete re-equipment. Brother Yang, you don't think much of those weapons that have been replaced. Rather than letting them rust in the warehouse, why not give me a few?"

Yang Jiefang said, "Brother Li, are you trying to belittle me? The weapons we've replaced are hardly presentable! If I'm going to give you anything, it has to be your latest weapons. How about this? I'll help you assemble a few simplified versions of the Lu-equipped divisions."

Li Zongren was overjoyed and immediately asked, "What's the simplified version?"

Yang Jiefang said, “As far as I know, the Guangxi Army’s infantry divisions are purely infantry divisions, generally organized as one division with two brigades and one brigade with two regiments. The division headquarters then organizes auxiliary troops such as engineers and supply troops. A division only has seven or eight thousand people. My idea is to keep this organization roughly the same and just add some heavy weapons. Each infantry squad will be equipped with eight semi-automatic rifles and two submachine guns; each infantry platoon will be equipped with two light machine guns and two grenade launchers; each infantry battalion will add a machine gun company, equipped with four mortars and six heavy machine guns; the division headquarters will also add an artillery battalion, equipped with 12 75mm mountain guns and 6 75mm field guns. Add to that the engineer battalion, supply battalion, guard battalion and other auxiliary troops, and the whole division will be around full strength.”

Li Zongren immediately began to carefully calculate, and upon doing so, he couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. This infantry division was equipped with 18 mountain and field guns, 48 ​​mortars, 72 heavy machine guns, 276 light machine guns, 276 grenade launchers, and over 4000 rifles, submachine guns, and pistols in total. Even this simplified version of the Shandong-equipped division was far more impressive than his current troops!

After calculating, Li Zongren asked impatiently, "Brother Yang, how many infantry divisions like this can you equip me with?"

Yang Jiefang replied, "Equip three divisions first! However, I can give you the weapons for free, but you'll have to pay for the ammunition yourself. It's not that I'm reluctant to part with the ammunition, but people—if they use something for free too often, they won't know how to cherish it."

How could Li Zongren dare to object? Gunfire meant money! He needed to find a way to buy ammunition. He changed the subject, saying, "Brother Yang, everyone knows you have a Midas touch. How about we cooperate and work on some profitable projects?"

Yang Jiefang asked, "Brother Li, what kind of cooperation do you want?"

Li Zongren laughed and said, "Brother Yang often says, 'To get rich, build roads first.' Guangxi is rich in resources, but the main reason it's so poor is the lack of railways. Why don't we cooperate to build a railway?"

Yang Jiefang chuckled and said, "Brother Li, you've got a good plan! I guess I'll have to foot the bill for the road repairs, won't I?"

Li Zongren said, "Since we are cooperating to build the road, we can't expect you to pay for it all by yourself. We might as well follow the example of Shanxi and each of us pays half."

Yang Jiefang nodded and then asked, "Is there a route planned?"

Before coming to Jinan, Li Zongren never expected Yang Jiefang to be so easy to talk to, let alone have any plans. He shook his head and said truthfully, "Since Brother Yang is willing to cooperate, I will immediately start planning this matter after I return to Guangxi."

Yang Jiefang said, "Then let's discuss it in detail after Brother Li has made his plans. There's another project right now, I wonder if Brother Li would be interested in collaborating?"

Li Zongren immediately became interested and asked, "What project?"

Yang Jiefang said, "It's quite a coincidence. I'm actually looking to produce white sugar on a large scale. And Guangxi happens to be a major producer of sugarcane. How about we partner up and open a large sugar factory?"

Li Zongren clapped his hands and praised, "Excellent! To be honest, although Guangxi is suitable for growing sugarcane, our sugar production technology is too backward, coupled with inconvenient transportation. As a result, the Japanese have taken the lion's share of the domestic sugar market."

Yang Jiefang was already aware of the situation he described. The Japanese in Taiwan were cultivating sugarcane and using machines for juicing, having already entered a mechanized production model. Meanwhile, China was still using animal or water power for juicing, putting it at a significant disadvantage in both production capacity and quality. Therefore, the domestic sugar market was almost entirely monopolized by the Japanese.

Yang Jiefang outwardly maintained a friendly relationship with Japan, but he consistently viewed Japan as a mortal enemy. Naturally, he wanted to break the Japanese monopoly in certain industries. He genuinely planned to invest heavily in the sugar industry to compete with Japanese sugar producers. Furthermore, he also intended to develop canned fruits such as pineapples, aiming to economically suppress Japan.

The two quickly finalized their collaborative project. They agreed to open a sugar factory and a fruit canning plant in Qinzhou. Located across the sea from Hainan Island, it would be convenient for shipping. With shared interests, their relationship grew even closer. As for expanding the cooperative's business into Guangxi, that was no problem at all.

After reaching an agreement, Li Zongren did not immediately return to Guangxi. Instead, under Yang Jiefang's arrangement, he visited and inspected the industrial zone in Jinan. Li Zongren was deeply impressed and planned to establish an industrial zone in Guangxi as well. Therefore, he repeatedly consulted with Yang Jiefang, seeking his assistance. Finally, Yang Jiefang agreed to cooperate in building a port and a coastal industrial zone in Qinzhou.

Li Zongren's trip to Jinan was remarkably fruitful. Upon returning to Guangxi, he immediately convened an enlarged joint meeting of the Guangxi provincial party, government, and military. He proposed a strategic policy of "wealth among the people and military presence among the people," injecting a much-needed boost into Guangxi, which had been ravaged by war.