Newborn 1927

Yang Jiefang was a little disappointed and turned back to his lodgings. He saw a scene of utter dejection; everyone was lying on their beds, too tired to move. Yang Jiefang knew what was going on and chuckled inwardly, saying, "What's wrong with everyone? So idle? Have you finished all the training?" Everyone wore wry smiles. Hou Fei said, "I didn't expect such simple movements to be so difficult!" Yang Jiefang asked, "Has anyone finished all the training?" Hou Fei replied, "A few. The Tie brothers finished first, then Brother Lu, Brother Sun, Brother Yan, and Brother Gui. Of the Zhao family members, only Brother Changming and Brother Changgui finished. Wang Dali also did well and finished. Everyone else got stuck on pull-ups and didn't finish." Yang Jiefang was still a little surprised and said, "That's already pretty good. Let's stop here for today. Make a note of those who didn't finish, and we'll continue tomorrow." Everyone looked helpless; even the Tie brothers, who finished the fastest, didn't seem particularly proud.

Yang Jiefang went to the opposite room to check on the Zhao family again, offering them encouragement as well. Then he shouted loudly in the main room, "Just rest a bit, don't just lie there. We'll have a special meal tonight, so let's get started now. Those who need to knead the dough, knead the dough; those who need to butcher the sheep, butcher the sheep. Chen Ergou, Zhao Yuanbao, you two hurry up and get the pot boiling water." Everyone had no choice but to get up. Sun Zhiyong was the first to step forward, saying, "Little Yang, how about we hire a cook? If we're this tired every day, when will we ever get a hot meal?" Yang Jiefang had actually been thinking the same thing, but didn't have a suitable candidate. He nodded and said, "That's a good idea. Do you have anyone in mind?" Sun Zhiyong replied, "I'll look around. It shouldn't be too hard to find one." Yang Jiefang responded, "Alright, then I'll leave it to you. Let's get started ourselves today. By the way, everyone listen up! I've invited Commander Bai and his brothers over for dinner, as a way of returning the favor. Brother Sun, go and get a jar of wine and put it on my tab. Let's have some fun tonight!" Sun Zhiyong agreed and went out. Everyone was delighted and immediately got to work.

A goat weighs only fifty or sixty pounds. Besides the head and offal, a few white radishes were added, and the whole thing was boiled in one pot. In another large pot, a steamer was set up to steam buns. Before the mutton was even cooked, Bai Lang arrived with a group of brothers. Bai Lang, carrying a small jar, approached Yang Jiefang and said, "I don't have anything special to offer, but here are ten pounds of sorghum liquor. Take some for the brothers to try." Yang Jiefang took the jar and laughed, "This is good stuff! We only managed to get a jar of sweet potato liquor from the storeroom. However, I can't drink it; I'll pass out immediately. Brother Sun and the others will have to drink with you." Then he gestured for everyone to sit down. Some were familiar with each other, others were not; they introduced themselves and began chatting.

Yang Jiefang, along with Sun Zhiyong and Yan Dong, sat down at the same table with Bai Lang. Bai Lang spoke up, "Brother Yang, Brother Sun said you're planning to hire a cook?" Yang Jiefang nodded in agreement. Bai Lang looked around and said, "This place is a bit small; it's a bit cramped. Why don't you have it prepared in the kitchen? My mother works there; I'll tell her, and we can have a separate meal for you. It won't be much trouble." Sun Zhiyong chimed in, "I had the same idea. How about we subsidize the cost of hiring a cook for Mother Bai? We can still eat in the kitchen!" Everyone looked at Yang Jiefang, waiting for his decision. Yang Jiefang pondered for a moment, then agreed to the plan, smiling, "Then please tell Mother Bai, Brother Bai, we'll have to trouble her." And so the matter was settled.

The mutton wasn't even cooked yet, but everyone, seated at six or seven tables, started drinking with fried peanuts. Yang Jiefang had never been a drinker; he couldn't even handle one beer, let alone baijiu. He could only watch everyone else drink and chat. Naturally, the conversation turned to training. Bai Lang listened for a while and then asked, "Brother Yang, judging from your speech in front of the Hall of Righteousness, you seem quite confident in yourself?" Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "For individual competitions, some people have extraordinary talent, I wouldn't presume to say; but for team competitions, I truly have that confidence!" Bai Lang smiled and said, "I just don't understand, what benefit do you get from such a competition? You don't seem like someone who craves empty fame."

Yang Jiefang knew that Bai Lang was actually a person with ideals and aspirations, but limited by his own knowledge, his pursuits seemed somewhat aimless. Yang Jiefang naturally liked such a person, so he didn't beat around the bush and said, "A person should have some dreams in life, what if they come true? Brother Bai, what is your dream?" Bai Lang was taken aback by the question, shook his head, and said blankly, "I don't want to drift through life aimlessly. I want to achieve something, but I can't say exactly what I want to do or how to do it." Many people are in this situation; they want to work hard and make a name for themselves, but they lack direction and don't know how to proceed. Therefore, a good mentor is extremely important!

Yang Jiefang asked directly, "Brother Bai, what do you think of me?" Bai Lang gazed at Yang Jiefang and said, "You're very good! It's just that you're a few years older... It would be better if you were a few years older." Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "Could it be that Brother Bai also thinks I'm too young and therefore unreliable?" Seeing Bai Lang's hesitant expression, he knew the answer. Yang Jiefang changed the subject and asked, "Brother Bai, have you ever heard of Huo Qubing?" Bai Lang shook his head blankly and said, "Never heard of him." Yang Jiefang said, "He was a famous general during the Han Dynasty. At the age of seventeen, he followed his uncle on a campaign, daring to penetrate deep into enemy territory with only eight hundred cavalry, and managed to defeat the Xiongnu, beheading more than two thousand enemy soldiers. Because of his outstanding achievements, he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Champion. After becoming famous in that battle, he led his army to attack the Xiongnu many times, winning battle after battle. At the age of twenty-two, he reached the Xiongnu's sacred mountain, Langjuxu Mountain, and because he performed the Fengshan ceremony on the mountain, he established the highest achievement of Chinese military generals. In other words, later generations of military generals regarded his achievements as the highest military achievement. Now, more than two thousand years later, there are only four military generals who have achieved what he did. Brother Bai, do you think being young is a problem?"

Bai Lang listened with admiration, praising, "Such a person is like those described in plays; it's probably only one in eight hundred years!" Yang Jiefang said, "In the vast land of China, from ancient times to the present, there have been many people who achieved fame at a young age, which I won't list one by one. During the Guangxu era of the Qing Dynasty, Mr. Liang Qichao, who launched the Hundred Days' Reform, was known as a 'child prodigy.' He wrote an article called 'On Chinese Youth'; I remember a few sentences from it, let me read them to you!" As he spoke, he stood up and cleared his throat. The crowd, who had been drinking and chatting, immediately fell silent.

Yang Jiefang recited aloud: "To speak of the age of the nation, let us first speak of the age of its people. The elderly often think of the past, while the young often think of the future. Thinking of the past breeds nostalgia; thinking of the future breeds hope… Therefore, the responsibility of today lies not with others, but entirely with our youth. If the youth are wise, the nation is wise; if the youth are wealthy, the nation is wealthy; if the youth are strong, the nation is strong; if the youth are independent, the nation is independent; if the youth are free, the nation is free; if the youth progress, the nation progresses; if the youth surpass Europe, the nation surpasses…" Europe; when its youth are mighty on Earth, its nation will be mighty on Earth. The rising sun shines brightly. Rivers emerge from their hidden depths, flowing into a vast ocean. Dragons rise from the abyss, their scales and claws flashing. Young tigers roar in the valleys, terrifying all beasts. Eagles test their wings, stirring up dust and wind. Rare flowers begin to bloom, resplendent and magnificent. The sword is sharpened, its edge gleaming. The sky is blue above, the earth is yellow below. Stretching through a thousand ages, encompassing the eight directions. The future is like the sea, the days ahead are long. How beautiful is my young China, as timeless as the heavens! How magnificent are the youth of China, as boundless as the nation!

Yang Jiefang was a skilled orator, and the forty-odd people present were completely captivated. Even if they couldn't understand everything, they grasped the core idea that "a strong youth makes a strong nation." Bai Lang suddenly slammed his hand heavily on the table and shouted, "What a fine saying! A strong youth makes a strong nation! I don't understand national affairs, but whether our Qinglong Village is strong or not really depends on whether we young people are strong enough!" These words drew unanimous agreement and agreement from the crowd.

Bai Lang stood up, looked at Yang Jiefang, and said seriously, "Brother Yang, if... I mean if... you were in charge of Qinglong Village, what would you do?" Upon hearing this, everyone stared at Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang felt a chill run down his spine, and his heart pounded. He wasn't naive enough to think he could control Qinglong Village in his current state; prematurely revealing his ambition when his strength was insufficient would be foolish! So, after a slight pause, Yang Jiefang immediately laughed, "Brother Bai, you're joking! I never had such a thought. Hehe... I've never considered that, so how could I answer your question?" He then sat down rather sheepishly. Bai Lang was slightly disappointed and sat down as well. The others turned away and continued drinking.

Yang Jiefang continued, "Brother Bai, Qinglong Village has its own leader; it's not our place to make decisions. However, if we young people want to do something, I do have some ideas." Bai Lang's eyes lit up, and he said, "Tell me!" Yang Jiefang countered, "Brother Bai, are you afraid of death?" Bai Lang's face changed, and he angrily retorted, "Brother Yang, what are you saying? I—Bai Lang—and all my brothers, none of us are afraid of death!" His men echoed him unhappily, "We've all been through thick and thin, we've been to the gates of hell several times, who's afraid of death?" Yang Jiefang pressed further, "Then are you afraid of hardship and fatigue?" This question stumped everyone. Bai Lang frowned and said, "If we're not afraid of death, who cares about hardship and fatigue? Brother Yang, just say what you have to say!"

Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "Brothers, you're all getting on in years, yet you're all still single, without even a wife. Isn't that because you're all labeled 'bandits'? It has absolutely nothing to do with whether you've done anything immoral or not. How many decent girls would want to marry a bandit?" He paused here to observe their reactions. Everyone lowered their heads, clearly having been struck by a chord. The mountain stronghold strictly forbade the abduction of women, making marriage a major problem.

Yang Jiefang continued, “If we want to get rid of this bandit label, there are only two possibilities: First, the world will be at peace, and we won’t need to become outlaws. Then, we can either go home to farm or go out to work, living normal lives again. If we work hard for another two or three years, we might be able to get married. The second possibility is that we will be recruited by the government. The world has been in chaos for so many years, and who knows when it will finally be peaceful? I’m afraid that even when everyone’s hair turns white, the world will still not be at peace. There are quite a few old bachelors in Qinglong Village. When they followed the old leader up the mountain, they were just as young as we are now. If we don’t want to end up like them, then recruiting by the government is the only way out.”

Bai Lang immediately shook his head and said, "This path won't work either. The warlords everywhere are constantly fighting and killing each other; we don't want to risk our lives for them. Brother Yang, you don't know, there are quite a few people on the mountain who used to be soldiers." Yang Jiefang immediately explained, "I know that; the Peng brothers are typical examples. But what I mean by being recruited is not the same as what you understand. We can obtain an official position through recruitment, so we won't be bandits anymore. Then, we can hold our own army, garrison a region, and not take orders from anyone, naturally not needing to risk our lives for anyone." Bai Lang understood, but wasn't quite convinced, and frowned, "Will that work?" Yang Jiefang replied, "The way things are now definitely won't work; therefore, we need to train a strong army, an army that dares to fight and can win battles, an army that all the warlords will avoid; then… hehe, will everyone still be unable to find wives?" Everyone smiled knowingly, their hearts filled with longing.

Bai Lang, however, grasped the key point and asked, "How should such an army be trained? Brother Yang, can you train it?" Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "I can!" His tone was very certain, which made Bai Lang immediately ask expectantly, "Tell me about it!" Even if he hadn't asked, Yang Jiefang would have told him anyway, so he replied, "To train an elite army that can win every battle, you need to start from four aspects: First, discipline, iron-clad discipline; second, military skills, requiring everyone to have excellent military qualities; third, weaponry and equipment; fourth, logistical support." There was another very important point that Yang Jiefang didn't mention, which was ideological arming, faith; mainly because he was worried that they wouldn't understand, he simply omitted it. Bai Lang, Chen Zhiyong, Yan Donglai, and the others all fell into deep thought.

After a long pause, Bai Lang spoke up, "That's easier said than done. Let's leave aside the first and second points for now. How do you plan to address the third and fourth?" Yang Jiefang laughed, "I have my own way of dealing with that. Brother Bai, one must take things one step at a time. The first thing we need to do is train our team!" Bai Lang smiled, "You mean, my brothers should also train according to your method?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Brother Bai, if you don't want to continue wasting your time, why not train with us? I've already had Carpenter Li build the training ground, and we'll soon be able to conduct professional military training on a specialized training ground. Of course, military training is physically demanding, so we're providing special meals. If your Wolf Team trains with us, you can eat with us. Three meals a day, white flour every day, and meat every three to five days. I'll cover all the expenses. Starting tomorrow, we'll train in the morning and study in the afternoon."

Bai Lang laughed heartily and said, "Brother Yang, so this is what you were waiting for! Brothers, what do you think?" His men all laughed and said, "As long as Brother Yang provides food, what's the harm in doing it?" "Just for a bite of wheat flour, we have to train!" "It's stupid not to eat meat when there's meat to be had, let's train then." Bai Lang turned around and said, "Brother Yang, you heard that, from now on, we brothers will train with you. If we can really train a strong army, hehe, no matter how old you are, we brothers will follow you!"

Yang Jiefang was incredibly frustrated. All his rambling about Huo Qubing and the "Young China" had been utterly useless, less effective than a bowl of noodles. He now understood that talking about faith and ideals with these people in the mountain stronghold was far less effective than giving them a piece of meat. So, Yang Jiefang called out loudly, "Brother Monkey, is the mutton cooked yet?" Hou Fei immediately replied, "Not too tough, not too mushy, just right!"