Newborn 1927

Gao Huilan blocked Jiang Xiaojun's path and advised, "Miss Jiang, he was indeed inappropriate in what happened at the city gate. But there was a reason, please don't take it to heart!" Jiang Xiaojun said, "You're that wanted criminal, humph, none of you are good people." Gao Huilan walked over and whispered, "There's been some misunderstanding. Actually, we're friends with your brother. Look at my makeup today, it was your sister-in-law who did it." Jiang Xiaojun said, "I can see that. She even prepared these clothes for me. Don't try to get close to me, I'll definitely expose you later." This girl was still angry and wouldn't listen to anything.

Gao Huilan frowned, sensing the situation was getting a bit tricky. Aunt Chu picked up Jiang Xiaojun's bundle, dusted it off, and handed it to her, asking, "You ran away from home all by yourself, didn't you?" Jiang Xiaojun replied irritably, "Who ran away? I just don't want to live in the city anymore; I want to go back to my hometown in the countryside, is that not allowed?" Aunt Chu said, "Alright, alright, where is your hometown? We'll take you back."

Gao Huilan said, "She can't leave yet." Given her current state of mind, she absolutely couldn't let her go; who knew what she might do? Gao Huilan dared not take any risks now. Yang Jiefang also knew this and said, "What do you think we should do?" Gao Huilan said, "Let's keep her with us for now, and decide what to do later." Then she gave Chu Gu a look, and Chu Gu understood, immediately standing behind Jiang Xiaojun. Jiang Xiaojun sensed something was wrong and said, "What do you want to do?" In this situation, escape was impossible for her.

Sun Zhiyong, Yan Donglai, and others made room for Gao Huilan and the others to ride. Yang Jiefang called Bao Ziqiang and Chu Shiwu aside and instructed them, "I'd like you two to keep an eye on that livestock dealer Zhang Guolao. Come and tell me immediately when he has collected all 108 fat sheep!" The two understood and rode off. Yang Jiefang then returned to the Chu family's house with the others.

Zhao Changgui didn't go this time, staying at the Chu family's house with several women. After resting, Yang Lianhua had recovered somewhat and stood in the courtyard looking out. Seeing Yang Jiefang and the others return, she happily came out to greet them. Only then could the siblings have a proper conversation. Yang Lianhua sensed the change in Yang Jiefang; if his appearance hadn't remained largely unchanged, she wouldn't have recognized him.

The next morning, Chu Shiwu returned with news that Zhang Guolao, the livestock dealer who was also known as Lao Zhang the human trafficker, had collected over a hundred sheep and was heading to Huangwu. Yang Jiefang was overjoyed and immediately gathered everyone to set off. Gao Huilan did not go this time, staying at the Chu family's house with the remaining women.

Huangwu wasn't far from Yantai City. Old Zhang, with two helpers, was driving his flock of sheep, quite excited, thinking he was about to make another small fortune. Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves filled the air, and a group of men rushed over and surrounded them. Seeing that these men were all masked and carrying guns, Old Zhang immediately shouted, "Zhang Guolao, the livestock dealer, greets you gentlemen! May I ask which gang you belong to?" The leaders of these men were Sun Zhiyong and Yan Donglai. Yan Donglai asked doubtfully, "Zhang Guolao? Have you ever heard of that name?" Sun Zhiyong shook his head and said, "Never heard of it. I suppose you're not from the gang." Yan Donglai said, "We've only been in this business for a few days. There are plenty of names we haven't heard of. Our boss said we don't rob our own kind. We don't want to rob the wrong one." Sun Zhiyong said, "We really haven't heard of it. Who knows if it's true or not?"

Old Zhang finally understood; this group were newcomers to the trade. The worst kind of troublemakers in the underworld were these greenhorns, while seasoned veterans were much easier to talk to. So, Old Zhang said, "I'm one of you, a lot of people have heard of me. Which one of you is the boss? What's your name?" Sun Zhiyong angrily retorted, "You've got all this information, are you looking for trouble? Brothers, let's go, let's rob a few sheep for the New Year." Yan Donglai shouted, "Wait, let's figure things out first. We can't break the rules!" Old Zhang quickly said, "Right, right, we're all in this together, no need to be so acrimonious. You all just want to eat sheep, right? No problem, I'll provide a few, okay? I know the rules of the trade." Yan Donglai said, "Look at you, quite savvy, seems like you really are from the underworld." Sun Zhiyong said, "Why don't we ask the boss first?" Yan Donglai agreed, "Sure. Hey, Zhang, would you like to meet our boss?" Old Zhang was more than happy to oblige and readily agreed. Sun Zhiyong said, "According to the rules of the underworld, we'll take you tied up. No objections?" Forced by circumstances, Old Zhang had no choice but to reply, "No objections." He then handed over the pistol hidden on his person and was tied up.

Soon, Old Zhang was led to a secluded spot nearby, where a young man was digging a pit. The young man was Yang Jiefang. The pit was almost finished, and he turned to look at the newcomers. Old Zhang and his two companions were pushed forward, and when they saw Yang Jiefang's face clearly, they exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master Huang!?" Yang Jiefang smiled slightly and said, "Look closely, I am Yang Jiefang, from Zhao Family Village in Laiyang County." Upon hearing "Zhao Family Village," Old Zhang immediately remembered and exclaimed, "It's you!" Yang Jiefang didn't waste any words, slowly walking forward, pulling out a short knife as he went, and said, "Good that you remember. Human traffickers, buying and selling people like livestock, don't deserve to be called human." Villains often die from talking too much nonsense, and Yang Jiefang was no exception. After speaking, he plunged the knife into Old Zhang's chest. The human trafficker Old Zhang instinctively tried to dodge, but bound behind his back, he couldn't escape. He watched helplessly as Yang Jiefang plunged the knife into his heart, his eyes wide with shock. Yang Jiefang drew his dagger and dodged the gushing blood. The human trafficker, Old Zhang, collapsed, his blood quickly pooling on the ground.

The other two traffickers knelt down abruptly, begging for mercy. Zhao Changgui, standing nearby, said, "Those women you sold to the brothel, did you spare them? Do you know how miserable they were?" The two traffickers suddenly realized what had happened and said, "So it was you who did it?" Zhao Changgui didn't waste any words, and with two swift strokes of his knife, he killed the two men. Sun Zhiyong and Yan Donglai stepped forward, took all the valuables from the three men, and then threw the bodies into a pit and buried them.

Yang Jiefang took a deep breath to calm himself. This was his first time killing someone, and although he had been mentally prepared, he was still somewhat unaccustomed to it. The earlier charade by Sun Zhiyong and Yan Dong, where they tied up the human traffickers, was naturally at Yang Jiefang's behest, the purpose being to toughen him up by killing someone.

After burying the people, Yang Jiefang's emotions gradually calmed down. Then, he told everyone to drive the sheep away. First, they went to the Chu family's house, where Gao Huilan had already prepared several carriages, and immediately loaded the loot onto them. The group rode horses or carriages, driving the sheep back to the mountain. They traveled non-stop and finally arrived at Qinglong Village at nightfall.

Upon receiving the news, the villagers gathered at the gate to welcome them. They were all incredibly excited at the sight of the acquired sheep and money. Master Kong, along with his son Kong Zongru, personally counted the loot. The Black Widow's eyes narrowed with joy as she lovingly stroked her daughter's head. Gao Huilan requested that the women be placed under her care, refusing any credit for the rest. Everyone agreed, and the Black Widow consented as well.

After the handover was completed, Yang Jiefang asked his brothers to help carry his personal belongings back to their residence. Back at their lodgings, the brothers were naturally overjoyed. Yang Jiefang casually asked, "How's everything here while I was gone? Nothing happened, right?" Hou Fei immediately complained, "Luckily you came back with your fortune again, otherwise I was really worried I'd be eaten out of house and home. I've suffered these past few days." Yang Jiefang asked curiously, "What happened? What went wrong?" Hou Fei smiled bitterly, "You promised that you'd provide meals for everyone who came to training, white noodles every meal, and guaranteed meat every three to five days. Now, there are over three hundred people participating in the training, all the young and strong ones have come." Yang Jiefang was overjoyed and said, "That's a good thing." Hou Fei said with a bitter face, "What good thing? It's easy with the upper-level people, they just follow their team leaders to train. But what about the middle and lower-level people? They've all been dumped on me. Over two hundred people! If it were two hundred sheep, I could definitely take care of them, but with over two hundred people, I really can't keep an eye on them."

Yang Jiefang couldn't help but laugh and cry, saying, "That's because you didn't use the right method. Using the right method will work just as well. Now that the brothers are all back, it's a good time to help you distribute the work. Brothers, come here, let's divide the personnel into groups!" Everyone gathered around. Yang Jiefang pondered for a moment and then said, "Everyone heard what Brother Hou said. There are over two hundred people in the middle and lower halls training with us now. This is a perfect opportunity to expand and strengthen our Liberation Army. I've decided to integrate these people with our Liberation Army. Ten to twelve people will form a squad, and three squads will form a company. I estimate we can form six or seven companies this way. We'll train them separately, using the companies as units."

Hou Fei suddenly realized, "That's right! That way, each company would only have about thirty men. Why didn't I think of that? Brother Yang, give me a company to train; I can manage that number of men." Yang Jiefang said, "No problem. These six or seven companies will each have a company commander and even a deputy commander. Besides the company commanders, there will be many squad leaders; all the brothers need to learn how to lead this team well." Everyone was delighted, as this meant they all had a chance to become commanders, and they began to ponder their options.

Ma Shangfei spoke up, "Brother Yang, could I also lead a team?" Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "Of course." Ma Shangfei continued, "I mean a specialized horse team, one composed entirely of people who can ride horses, even a small team would be fine." Yang Jiefang immediately understood his meaning and said, "A small team is too stingy; it should be at least a company. There are plenty of horses on the mountain now; we can buy more if needed. Horses need to be walked regularly, right? This is a good opportunity for you to practice your riding skills. Brother Fei, you can choose the men yourself; if you find someone suitable, they're all yours." Ma Shangfei was overjoyed and said, "I will definitely train a professional horse team."

Seeing everyone's eagerness, Yang Jiefang knew they were impatient and continued, "Besides Fei Ge's horse team, the rest will be organized into six squadrons. Hou Ge, you'll be the squadron leader of the first squadron; Sun Da Ge, you'll be the squadron leader of the second squadron, with Lu Da Ge as your deputy. Can you handle it?" Hou Fei, Sun Zhiyong, and Lu Ziqi all patted their chests and guaranteed it. Yang Jiefang continued, "Yan Da Ge will be the squadron leader of the third squadron, with Gui Da Ge as his deputy; Tie Jia Ge will be the squadron leader and deputy leader of the fourth squadron; Chang Ming Ge will be the squadron leader of the fifth squadron; and Chang Gui Ge will be the squadron leader of the sixth squadron. Are you all confident in leading the team well?" Everyone replied in unison, "No problem." Yang Jiefang didn't directly appoint the squadron leaders, leaving it to them to choose and recommend their own, with Yang Jiefang making the final appointments. The atmosphere became exceptionally lively, everyone calculating how to select their men. There were even arguments over who should be chosen. Yang Jiefang didn't interfere, letting them resolve it themselves.

Then, Yang Jiefang called Bao Ziqiang and Chu Shiwu aside and said, "You two aren't in these seven teams. I want you to choose a group of clever young people to form another team. I will personally teach you to read and write, and teach you intelligence gathering, commonly known as 'inquisitive reporting.'" Having been a time traveler, he had watched many spy films and declassified intelligence documentaries, so he knew how to train intelligence personnel for this era. Bao Ziqiang and Chu Shiwu exclaimed in surprise, "You know this too? And you can teach us?" Yang Jiefang said, "You haven't been to school, so you don't know. How to conduct reconnaissance and intelligence gathering has already been written into books and taught in various military academies. Although I haven't done it myself, I've read such books and remember the contents. Now I'll teach you what's in the books; you must study them diligently." The two suddenly understood and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Yang Jiefang continued, "You'll still have to participate in the daily military training, but the intensity will be reduced. Your main role is to gather intelligence from the rear; you generally won't be involved in frontline combat. Therefore, when selecting candidates, we require quick thinking and high loyalty, while physical fitness requirements can be lowered. Also, regarding appearance, it's best to have an average appearance, the kind that blends into a crowd. Those who are too good-looking or too ugly aren't well-suited for this job; their faces are easily remembered." Bao Ziqiang and Chu Shiwu were completely convinced. They were both inquisitive, and although they hadn't summarized their own experience in this area, they had a deep understanding of it. Especially after the Gao Huilan incident, they truly agreed.

At this moment, Zhao Yuanbao squeezed in and said, "Can I join this team?" He wasn't physically fit and had suffered enough these past few days; however, he was educated, quick-witted, and of average appearance, which made him suitable for intelligence work. Yang Jiefang naturally agreed, and the remaining personnel could be chosen by themselves, with no limit on the number. The two were overjoyed.