Newborn 1927

After receiving Wang Xuncai's report, Yang Jiefang immediately made arrangements for the situation in Gansu. He first recommended Ma Hongbin to the Nationalist government, formally appointing him as the chairman of Gansu Province, and at the same time removing him from his post as commander of the Provisional Seventh Division.

The Provisional 7th Division was reorganized into the Independent 1st Division of the People's Liberation Army, and Wang Xuncai was appointed as its commander. Considering that the Provisional 7th Division currently only had slightly over 7,000 men and was stationed in Liangzhou, Ganzhou, and Suzhou, Yang Jiefang decided to incorporate the 8th Division's cavalry regiment and the newly reorganized Lanzhou garrison regiment into the Independent 1st Division. He also ordered Wang Xuncai to lead the cavalry regiment and the Lanzhou garrison regiment across the Yellow River westward to complete the reorganization of the troops. The 32nd Regiment remained stationed in Lanzhou, still under the command of the 8th Division.

Gansu was now in their grasp. Yang Jiefang hadn't forgotten that Li Siguang had said there was oil in Yumen, Gansu. They didn't want to exploit the oil in Shandong for the time being, but they could safely explore the oil in Yumen. This was a place that even the foreign powers couldn't interfere with. He immediately summoned Kong Zongru to discuss the oil exploration.

After careful consideration, Kong Zongru said, "Although the railway is about to reach Lanzhou, it's still over a thousand kilometers away from Yumen. The transportation burden for oil extraction there would be too great. It wouldn't be worth it!"

Yang Jiefang said, "Then let's build the railway all the way to Yumen."

Kong Zongru said, "It's over a thousand kilometers long, and there's the Yellow River in between. This railway can't be built in a short time. What I mean is, why not refine the oil directly in Yumen and transport the finished oil back to the interior? The transportation volume should be reduced by at least 70%."

Yang Jiefang immediately said, "Then let's do it simultaneously. The railway needs to be built, the oil needs to be extracted, and the oil refinery needs to be constructed at the same time."

Kong Zongru smiled wryly and said, "Are you worried that you won't be able to spend the 1 billion yen you've received?"

Yang Jiefang said, "Money held in your hands and not spent is just a pile of waste paper. Only by spending it can its value be realized. For a country, true wealth is never this pile of waste paper in its hands, but the rational development and utilization of talent and resources. Don't look at our country as poor and backward now. In fact, we have no shortage of talent in road and bridge construction, mining and metallurgy, etc. What they lack is a platform to showcase their talents."

Kong Zongru agreed, saying, "That's true. I only learned when we relocated the Taiyuan Arsenal that Zhang Kai's 'Kai' explosives were actually at a world-leading level. This would elevate the power of our artillery to a whole new level. The recoilless gun you mentioned before hasn't been developed yet due to propellant issues. This project has been handed over to Zhang Kai, and he says he's confident he can make it a success."

Yang Jiefang was overjoyed and said, "This is really good news! Let Zhang Kai handle this project in Baotou, and don't let those foreigners get involved."

Kong Zongru continued, "This is another topic I was planning to discuss. Mr. Gu Weijun is about to return to China, and I heard he's bringing back another group of military experts. Commander, there are quite a few foreign experts in our military enterprises! They know all our secrets. They know exactly how strong we are."

Yang Jiefang said, “I understand what you mean. Sometimes there’s no other way. Their technology is more advanced than ours, so we have to learn from them. It’s still necessary to use foreigners. After learning, we have to innovate ourselves to surpass them. Therefore, the Baotou industrial zone will no longer use foreigners. Also, the extraction and refining of oil in Yumen will be entirely done by Chinese people.”

Kong Zongru nodded and said, "I understand. Leave this to me!"

No sooner had Kong Zongru left than Xiao Tu from the communications department delivered a telegram. This telegram was from Feng Yuxiang. In it, he wrote: "I, your foolish brother, have returned to power and have no intention of fighting with you, my virtuous brother. I only wish to sincerely cooperate with you to create the Republic of China."

Since they had extended an olive branch, he couldn't ignore it. Yang Jiefang immediately had someone summon Chu Yi from the Military Intelligence Department. He wondered how his investigation was going.

Shortly after, Chu Yi arrived and said, "Commander, after Feng Yuxiang stepped down, he went into seclusion in Fenyang, Shanxi. During this period, our Military Intelligence Bureau neglected to monitor him, which is my dereliction of duty."

Yang Jiefang waved his hand and said, "I didn't expect him to make a comeback so quickly. Let's not talk about the past. Tell me, what information have you found out here?"

Chu Yi replied, "Feng Yuxiang has already gone south to Nanyang, Henan, and is actively recruiting his old troops. After Sun Dianying's troops were reorganized into the Third Route Army, the army was transferred to Nanyang. Han Fuqu still holds the title of Chairman of Henan Province, so he simply moved the capital of Henan Province to Nanyang."

In this way, Feng Yuxiang could use the Nanyang Basin as a base to control southwestern Henan. If things went well, he could conquer the Central Plains to the north, control Hubei to the south, and take Hanzhong to the west.

Chu Yi continued, "News came from Nanjing. The Soviet Russian ambassador to China personally approached President Chang to negotiate, wanting to reinstate Feng Yuxiang's party membership and position as Vice Premier of the Executive Yuan. Given the situation between Nanjing and Guangdong, and under pressure from the Soviet Union, President Chang's attitude softened somewhat, which can be considered as tacitly agreeing to Feng Yuxiang's return to power."

Yang Jiefang nodded slightly and murmured, "As expected, it was the Soviet Union pulling the strings behind the scenes!"

In 1926, Feng Yuxiang returned to China from Soviet Russia. With Soviet support, he was able to quickly regroup the Northwest Army. He then swore an oath in Wuyuan and joined the Northern Expeditionary Army. According to Yang Jiefang's familiar history, Feng Yuxiang was also able to form the Chahar Anti-Japanese Allied Army because of Soviet support. The Soviet Union's support was aimed at containing Japanese ambitions in Outer Mongolia. Now, the People's Liberation Army has entered Outer Mongolia. Soviet support for Feng Yuxiang's comeback is, without a doubt, intended to restrain Yang Jiefang.

Chu Yi continued his report: "The Fifteenth sent word that the Soviet army has reinforced its troops in Kulun. Commander, just as you predicted, if we want to recover Outer Mongolia, we will inevitably have to go to war with the Soviet Union."

Yang Jiefang said, "Have the fifteenth day of the lunar month continue to monitor the movements in Kulun. The Outer Mongolian army is not a concern; the key is to find out the size of the Soviet Russian army, its weaponry, and who their commander is!"

Chu Yi agreed, then added, "There's another matter that we need to pay attention to. Yan Xishan in Shanxi has made contact with the Japanese. He's recruited 40,000 to 50,000 young men to build railways, implementing military-style management, with them doing drills before starting work every day. He's clearly trying to use the railway construction as an opportunity to secretly train his army."

Feng Yuxiang's return to power led the Military Intelligence Bureau to pay extra attention to Yan Xishan. Yang Jiefang was not surprised by this. His strength and tough foreign policy had already aroused the suspicion of the great powers. It was foreseeable that they would unite to strangle him.

Going forward, history will gradually deviate from its original trajectory. Yang Jiefang will no longer be able to rely on foresight to plan ahead and cope with the changes. He has no idea whether he can handle it. At this moment, he thinks of his instructor again. He thinks of his instructor's courage and determination to take on seventeen people at once, and his resolve is strengthened.

After reporting to Feng Yuxiang on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Yang Jiefang immediately sent a telegram back: "I am also willing to cooperate sincerely with you, brother. If you encounter any difficulties, I will do my utmost to help you. I urge you to always remember, brother, who should the guns of Chinese soldiers be pointed at?"

In late April, Gu Weijun returned to China, bringing with him a group of German military experts, including technical personnel specializing in the construction of U-boats. After reporting to Yang Jiefang, Gu Weijun did not stay in Jinan but went to Nanjing to assume the post of Foreign Minister. His first task upon taking office was to negotiate with the Soviet ambassador to China regarding Soviet interference in China's internal affairs.

Yang Jiefang is not yet ready to reclaim Outer Mongolia. His primary task this year is to deal with the September 18 Incident; if he can defeat the Japanese army in one fell swoop, he can consider reclaiming Outer Mongolia next year. He sent Gu Weijun to Nanjing to negotiate with the Soviet ambassador to China on the matter of Outer Mongolia, but it was merely a verbal battle, destined to yield no results. Yang Jiefang was not in a hurry, letting Gu Weijun continue the negotiations, paving the way for his other plan.

That day, Yang Jiefang received a telegram from Gao Yao. The telegram stated that Kong Xiangxi wanted the sales agency rights for kerosene. Kong Xiangxi's condition was—to support the cooperative in developing business in the southern provinces.

Kerosene, also known as oil, gets its name from its use in lighting. It's a byproduct of petroleum refining and a relatively inexpensive source of lighting oil. Currently, the world primarily uses distillation to separate petroleum. Light oils like gasoline and diesel typically have an oil yield of around 25%. Heavy oils like kerosene have a higher yield but are unsuitable for internal combustion engines. Due to China's low electricity penetration rate and the high cost of lighting materials like tung oil and candles, kerosene lighting has become widely used.

China used kerosene lamps for a long time. Yang Jiefang only saw kerosene lamps at his grandmother's house in a remote mountainous area when he was a child. Electric lighting was not introduced until the village-to-village road lighting project was implemented.

Before Yang Jiefang established the oil refinery in Rizhao, China imported all its kerosene. Kong Xiangxi used his power to monopolize the import and sale of kerosene. Some say the Nationalist government was a comprador government, and there's some truth to that. State power was in the hands of comprador families like the Kong and Song families. Their philosophy was that buying was better than manufacturing, and they used their power to monopolize these transactions, severely hindering the development of Chinese national enterprises.

Yang Jiefang was very disgusted by Kong Xiangxi's behavior. After some consideration, he decided to agree to his request. He would first get the cooperative's business operating nationwide.

Yang Jiefang's guiding principle was that it's better to build than to buy. He believed in investing heavily in basic industrial development to achieve self-sufficiency. He reasoned that since the Soviet Union had transformed itself from an agricultural nation to an industrial one through a five-year plan, Yang Jiefang, with his inherited knowledge and experience, could do the same.

In May, Sun Ke, Wang Miqingwei, Chen Jitang, and others established the National Government in Guangzhou, challenging the Nanjing National Government. They offered to pay 800,000 silver dollars monthly for military expenses to win over the Guangxi Army to join the fight against Chiang Kai-shek. The Guangdong and Guangxi armies were reorganized into the First and Fourth Army Groups of the National Revolutionary Army, respectively, with Chen Jitang and Li Zongren serving as commanders-in-chief. The First Army Group was stronger, possessing 150 regiments and a complete army, navy, and air force; the Fourth Army Group had only 72 regiments, consisting solely of ground forces, and its weaponry was relatively outdated.

Meanwhile, Feng Yuxiang, who was entrenched in Nanyang, was not idle either. After some effort, he finally achieved results. Ji Hongchang, the commander-in-chief of the 22nd Route Army, led his 30th and 31st Divisions to defect to Feng Yuxiang again, betraying Chiang Kai-shek.

Ji Hongchang's rebellion was also out of desperation. Near the end of the Central Plains War, in order to preserve his strength, he chose to defect from Feng Yuxiang to Chiang Kai-shek. His troops were quickly transferred to the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Area to suppress the Red Army. Ji Hongchang concurrently served as commander of the 30th Division, leading it to garrison the Huangchuan and Gushi areas, facing the Hubei-Henan-Anhui Soviet Area across the river. Initially, he won several battles and captured some prisoners.

He personally interrogated some prisoners, and during the conversations, he discovered that he was not dealing with bandits at all, but a group of revolutionary fighters with faith. He immediately objected; he had joined the army for the revolution, how could he allow himself to be slaughtered by fellow revolutionaries?

Ji Hongchang not only refused to fight the Red Army again, but even conceived the idea of ​​joining it. He secretly released Red Army prisoners and had them deliver messages to him. Subsequently, he contacted the Red Army high command several times, expressing his desire to join. The Red Army actively sought to recruit him, sending Chen Changhao to make contact.

However, Ji Hongchang's wishful thinking was misplaced. He had the ideal of joining the Red Army, but his officers and soldiers disagreed. Most of these soldiers were only after promotions and wealth, not the kind of revolutionary fighters with convictions. Even Ji Hongchang's sworn brother—Zhang Xiangyin, the commander of the 31st Division—strongly opposed it. This thwarted Ji Hongchang's plan to lead his troops in an uprising.

Although Ji Hongchang failed to lead his troops to join the Red Army, he was unwilling to continue fighting against them. Seeing his passive approach to suppressing the Communists, President Chiang Kai-shek was not about to tolerate him. He first transferred the 31st Division to Huangpi, and then sent a special envoy to oversee the 30th Division.

To evade the special envoy's supervision, Ji Hongchang ordered some soldiers to remove their uniforms and impersonate guerrillas to fight against his own troops. However, this tactic might work once or twice, but repeated occurrences inevitably led to his exposure. Therefore, he was now in a precarious situation, caught between a rock and a hard place.

On the other side, after the 31st Division was transferred to Huangpi, they encountered a tough opponent and suffered a series of defeats. Their opponent was no ordinary peasant, but a proper graduate, one of the three outstanding soldiers of the Whampoa Military Academy, who had once saved President Chiang Kai-shek's life. Zhang Xiangyin discovered that the person beating him was actually a student highly regarded by his superior. Who could he complain to? Not only did his losses go unrepaired, but he was also strictly ordered to continue taking beatings—to suppress bandits.

At this time, Feng Yuxiang sent people to his door. These people refused to join the Red Army, but surprisingly readily agreed to return to Feng Yuxiang, their old superior. Consequently, Ji Hongchang led two divisions of the 22nd Route Army to quickly leave the battlefield and defect to Feng Yuxiang. Now with two armies under his control, Feng Yuxiang felt even more confident. He reorganized these two armies into the Second Army Group, appointing himself commander-in-chief. This created a situation where they seemed poised to coordinate with the First and Fourth Army Groups in the south.

With financial support from Soviet Russia, Feng Yuxiang was actively expanding his army, but weapons and ammunition couldn't be replenished quickly enough. Therefore, like Chen Jitang and Li Zongren, Feng Yuxiang also set his sights on Yang Jiefang, hoping to obtain weapons from him. He sent Yang Jiefang a telegram requesting to purchase weapons.

Since his last meeting with Lu Zhonglin, Yang Jiefang had summoned several former high-ranking generals of the Northwest Army. Like Lu Zhonglin, these men claimed they had done everything they could for Feng Yuxiang and would never betray Yang Jiefang again. This reassured Yang Jiefang considerably. He was genuinely worried that internal instability would affect his grand plan for the War of Resistance. Fortunately, Feng Yuxiang was sensible and did not send anyone to contact the Northwest Army generals who had pledged allegiance to Yang Jiefang.