Newborn 1927

To the east of Da Kuangji flows the Zhishui River, originating in the mountains south of Da Kuangji and flowing north into the Fulong River. The Zhishui River is highly seasonal, with its flow significantly decreasing in autumn and winter, making it easily waded across. However, in the freezing cold, no one wants to wade across; therefore, a bridge was built, becoming the only route between Da Kuangji and Yang'er Mountain. The forward positions of the Laiyang County Garrison Brigade, however, are not located here, but rather at the foot of Yang'er Mountain further east. After all, the officers and soldiers are on the offensive and do not need to be in a defensive position.

When Yang Jiefang devised the plan to raid Da Kuangji, he considered various scenarios. If the raid failed and a stalemate ensued, his biggest concern was that the eastern detachment would reinforce Da Kuangji. Therefore, he assigned Bao Ziqiang and Mantou to monitor the enemy situation there. Fortunately, the situation at Yang'er Mountain didn't falter; they held back the eastern detachment, preventing them from supporting Da Kuangji and forcing them to await Da Kuangji's reinforcements.

Yang Jiefang led his men away from Da Kuangji, heading east to the bridge where they stopped. He ordered Lu Ziqi and Zhao Changming to each lead a small team to escort the prisoners aside for guarding. Gunshots rang out intermittently from Yang'er Mountain, indicating the battle was nearing its end, and the outcome was uncertain. Soon, the gunfire would reveal that Yang'er Mountain had won; the occasional gunshots were approaching.

Yang Jiefang didn't cross the bridge, but instead ordered everyone to spread out in a fan shape on the west side. Not long after, a group of soldiers came running from the east; judging by their gait, they were fleeing for their lives. This group of about twenty soldiers was completely disorganized. When they reached the middle of the bridge, they discovered dozens of dark gun barrels pointed at them from the other side. The soldiers were stunned. Their path was blocked, and they were being pursued from behind. What to do? A desperate counterattack? They didn't have the courage. To die rather than surrender? They lacked the integrity. After only a brief pause, the soldiers made a unanimous decision: they all raised their hands and surrendered.

Tian Dan led his men to the bridge and saw Yang Jiefang and his men receiving the surrender of government troops. He waved for his men to stop and walked over alone. Yang Jiefang greeted him, laughing, "Brother Tian, ​​you're quick! I just fired my first shot, and you've already started fighting." Tian Dan laughed back, "Brother Yang, don't misunderstand! I wanted to strike first, but I was afraid of alerting the government troops in Da Kuangji and disrupting your plans. It seems you've taken care of all the government troops in Da Kuangji!" Standing on the bridge, seeing the government troops crouching on the ground in the distance, he admired Yang Jiefang even more.

Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "We were lucky to succeed. Not a single one escaped, and we even wiped out the outpost on Beishan on the way here. Now, Yang'er Mountain is out of danger and can celebrate the New Year in peace!" Tian Dan breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "Brother Yang, I won't thank you enough. If you ever need my help again, just say the word, and I won't hesitate." Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "Brother Tian, ​​there's no need to be so serious. We're all in the same boat, and it's only natural to help each other. We came to rescue Yang'er Mountain on the orders of our leader, and now that the mission is complete, we've given each other something." "I've been waiting," Tian Dan said. "These past few days have been tough, brothers! Come on, let's go up the mountain and have a good drink." Yang Jiefang replied, "Brother Tian, ​​it's not that I'm not giving you face, it's just that all the brothers want to go home. It's over a hundred li from here to our Qinglong Village. Today is the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, there's no 30th yet, and the day after tomorrow is New Year's Eve. If we go up the mountain with you and get drunk, we definitely won't be able to set off today, and we might not even make it tomorrow. Wouldn't we be spending the New Year on the road?" His words left Tian Dan speechless.

Just then, another large group of people rushed over from the east. Tian Dan glanced back and called out, "Oh, it's the Big Boss and Boss Xu!" Yang Jiefang indeed saw Xu Zishan striding over, accompanied by a dignified middle-aged man, presumably Tian Yisan, the Big Boss of Yang'er Mountain. Behind them followed more than a hundred men, carrying various weapons—guns, muskets, broadswords, and spears. Yang Jiefang quickly understood: Tian Dan was leading a group of elite troops in the vanguard, while Tian Yisan was leading the rest, cheering them on. Now that Tian Dan had defeated the opposing government troops, they naturally wanted to follow behind and bolster their morale.

Tian Dan hurriedly turned around and went to greet them, leading Tian Yisan and Xu Zishan onto the bridge. He introduced them, "Boss, this is Brother Yang Jiefang. Look over there, Brother Yang has wiped out all the government troops in Da Kuangji." Tian Yisan clasped his hands and said, "Young Brother Yang, you are indeed a young hero! Thank you very much this time. Enough with the small talk, come with me up the mountain, let's have a good drink." Yang Jiefang was dumbfounded. You guys keep talking about drinking, but I don't drink at all! Can't you say something else? He clasped his hands and smiled, "Greetings, Boss Tian, ​​you flatter me. Boss Xu, it's a pleasure to meet you again." Xu Zishan's lips twitched, and he said, "Young Brother Yang, you really screwed me over this time. I've worked hard for so many years, and finally built up a fortune, and it's all gone in an instant." Yang Jiefang said helplessly, "Boss Xu, if I say this has nothing to do with me, you definitely won't believe me, right?" This question left Xu Zishan speechless. Tian Yisan quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "It's all in the past. As long as everyone is alright, we can earn the family business slowly in the future."

Yang Jiefang said, "Regardless of whether this has anything to do with me, Chief Xu has indeed suffered a considerable loss this time. Fortunately, those soldiers have been captured by us now. As the saying goes, every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor. Why don't we just find those soldiers and get our losses back?" Xu Zishan's eyes lit up, and he immediately looked at the soldiers in the distance. Yang Jiefang continued, "These officials live a life of luxury in the city, much richer than us ordinary folks! There are over eighty soldiers here, just over eighty 'fat pigs.' If we don't seize this opportunity to make a big profit, we'll be doing ourselves a disservice. Oh, and there are thirteen corpses; we can't let those go either. I heard that in the city, after dealing with prisoners, they charge their families a bullet tax. It's not unreasonable for us to ask the government for some body collection fees, is it?" Xu Zishan immediately agreed, "Brother Yang, that makes sense. Boss Tian, ​​what do you think?" Tian Yisan thought for a moment and said... "Brother Yang, tell me how this works!" Yang Jiefang said, "I haven't figured out the specifics yet. You two are seasoned veterans, you've seen more than I have. I'll leave this to you two leaders! We're in a hurry to go back for the New Year, so we'll leave these soldiers to you. If it goes well, you can share some of the profits with our Qinglong Village; if we don't get much, then we'll make sure to compensate you for your losses first!" Xu Zishan laughed, "How could I possibly accept that?" But he didn't feel embarrassed at all; he really wanted to swallow all the benefits whole.

Tian Yisan hesitated, and Tian Dan, seeing this, couldn't help but advise, "Chief, we've already broken ties with the government; there's no going back. Besides, I don't think these government troops are anything special." Tian Yisan sighed and said, "A small county garrison may not seem like much, but they have hundreds of thousands of government troops behind them. If the government sends a large army to encircle and annihilate us, how can we possibly stop them with our small force?"

Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "Doesn't Chief Tian read newspapers usually?" Tian Yisan replied, "Newspapers? We don't have those in Yang'er Mountain." Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "No wonder Chief Tian isn't very aware of the current situation. The National Revolutionary Army in the south is launching a major Northern Expedition. Wu Peifu and Sun Chuanfang have already been defeated, and Zhang Zuolin and Zhang Zongchang are about to be finished. They are struggling to protect themselves, so how could they possibly send a large army to encircle and annihilate us? As for the revolutionary army in the south, they'd be happy if the enemy's rear was on fire, so they certainly wouldn't make things difficult for us." Tian Yisan hurriedly asked, "Really?" Yang Jiefang replied, "There are relevant reports in the newspapers. Just have someone go into the city and buy a few newspapers to check and you'll know if it's true or not." Hearing this, Tian Yisan naturally didn't doubt it and nodded, saying, "No wonder people say that a scholar can know everything without leaving home."

Yang Jiefang then turned to Xu Zishan and said, "Chief Xu, do you remember what I told you back in Zhao Family Village?" Xu Zishan replied, "Of course I remember," but he wasn't sure what Yang Jiefang meant. Yang Jiefang continued, "I said back then that if the three of us joined forces, we could accomplish great things. Now that Chief Tian is here, I'll say it again. If you want to do something big, now is the time. Those big shots are currently fighting to the death, and they can't afford to worry about the minor details. Once they're done fighting, our strength will be fully developed. Chiefs, can you give me a straight answer, whether you're going to do it or not?" Xu Zishan's strength was greatly diminished, so his opinion was irrelevant. He looked at Tian Yisan. Tian Dan also looked at Tian Yisan expectantly and called out, "Chief—"

Tian Yisan countered, "Brother Yang, let me ask you one question: If one day you accomplish something great and this place is under your control, what will you do? I know you once shouted a slogan with Tian Dan. Slogans are catchy, but they're too empty. Can you come up with something more substantial?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Master Tian is testing me. To be honest, I haven't thought it through yet. It's not that I lack ideas, but I have two plans in mind that I need to carefully consider."

Tian Yisan nodded and said, "Since that's the case, let's wait for you to consider this matter before we make a decision. Let's talk about the current situation. To be honest, I don't really want to break ties with the government. Otherwise, with the strength of our Yang'er Mountain forces, we could easily drive away these government troops in Da Kuangji if we really fought to the death. I sent Tian Dan to Qinglong Village to ask for reinforcements, simply hoping to use our numbers to force the government troops to back down. But you didn't play by the rules and started fighting with the government troops on the way. Although it was your Qinglong Village that did it, this debt will definitely be attributed to Yang'er Mountain. Now we have no choice but to break ties. Oh well, too many debts don't bother us, too many lice don't itch. I've also captured a few government troops here, and together with the ones you captured, there are over a hundred dead and alive. Hand them over to me! I'll go and ask the government for some benefits. Let's agree on this first: no matter how much we get, we'll split it equally among the three of us, okay?"

Yang Jiefang clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Good, let's do it that way!" He turned around and ordered his men to bring the captured officers and soldiers over to the bridge and hand them over to Tian Dan. Tian Dan led his men to escort the prisoners across the river. Zheng Sandao followed them to the bridge; his task was complete, and he was going to return to his unit and go back to Xu Zishan's side. After handing over the prisoners, Yang Jiefang bid farewell to Tian Yisan, Xu Zishan, and the others. Tian Yisan and Xu Zishan tried their best to persuade him to stay, but Yang Jiefang ultimately declined, and the two sides parted ways at the bridge.

Yang Jiefang handed the captured soldiers over to Tian Yisan, but kept their guns, ammunition, and money as spoils of war. The heroes of Qinglong Village, carrying their spoils, happily turned west, intending to turn north at the fork in the road ahead and return the way they came. Just as they reached the fork, a flock of sheep came from the direction of Da Kuang Market to the west. The shepherd was none other than Cao Laoba. Cao Laoba was carrying a musket on his shoulder, cow horns filled with gunpowder and cowhide bags filled with iron shot hanging from his waist, along with his butcher's knife, and a sizable bundle on his back. His wife followed behind him, also carrying a bundle and holding their son in her arms. Seeing Yang Jiefang and the others, Cao Laoba was overjoyed and shouted, "Brother Yang—!" He abandoned his wife and child and ran forward.

Yang Jiefang greeted him with a smile, "Brother Cao, where are you going?" Cao Laoba smiled bitterly, "I killed some government soldiers in the street, how can I stay in this market town? I had nowhere to go, so I thought I'd come and seek refuge with you. I quickly packed up and came to catch up with you, luckily you haven't gone far." Yang Jiefang understood their family's current situation and couldn't refuse them, so he said, "It's great that you've come. Not only did the information you provided help us a lot, but your marksmanship is exactly what we need." He then turned around and asked loudly, "Brothers, Brother Cao is coming to join us, are you all welcoming him?" The heroes naturally shouted in unison, "Welcome!" Cao Laoba quickly clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Thank you all for taking me in! From now on, you are all my brothers. If I ever betray you, you can cut me three times and pierce me six times!" Yang Jiefang quickly said, "You're too kind, too kind. You've brought your wife and children with you, how could we not trust you?"

As they spoke, Cao Laoba's wife approached. Cao Laoba quickly turned and introduced her, "Wife, this is Brother Yang. He's a great benefactor to our whole family! Brother Yang, my wife's surname is Liu, and her name is Liu Maixiang. You can just call her Maixiang from now on." Yang Jiefang finally had a chance to really look at Liu Maixiang. She was quite pretty, with delicate features, though her skin was a slightly dark wheat color. Liu Maixiang bowed slightly and said, "Brother Yang, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I would have died, but it would have been truly pitiful for my child to lose his mother!" She looked at her sleeping child in her arms, her affection evident. Yang Jiefang replied, "Sister-in-law, to be honest, it wasn't me who saved you, it was Jiang Xiaojun. Alright, let's not talk about that anymore, it's all in the past. Let's get going while it's still early! Brothers, if you're not carrying anything, come and lend a hand and help Brother Cao and Sister-in-law Cao carry some things!"

Hou Fei walked over with a grin and said, "With my skinny arms and legs, I won't carry anything. Brother Cao, you can leave these sheep to me. I promise I'll herd them all to Qinglong Village without losing a single one!"