Newborn 1927

Yang Jiefang bid farewell to Old Wang and left Doushan Village. Many villagers saw them off at the village entrance. The eight young men glanced back every now and then before continuing on their way. The oldest, Wang Xunyong, was seventeen, and the youngest, Wang Xun, was only fifteen. As Yang Jiefang traveled, he chatted with them, trying to learn about their personalities, interests, and talents.

The heroes were eager to return home and barely stopped along the way. After traveling for more than seven hours, they arrived back at Qinglong Village in the late afternoon. This time, they had acquired more than two hundred guns, a value to the village far greater than tens of thousands of silver dollars. Normally, once they entered the village, many people would have gathered to watch. But this time, the village was quiet, without a single person in sight. Yang Jiefang was full of doubts and asked the guard at the gate. The man replied, "The brothers on the mountain have all gone to the kitchen for a lesson. If it weren't for us on duty, we would have gone to the lesson too." Yang Jiefang asked in surprise, "I wasn't even on the mountain. Who is lecturing everyone? And everyone went to the lesson? When did the brothers in our village become so eager to learn?" The man smiled and said, "You'll see when you go."

Yang Jiefang, his face full of doubt, instructed everyone to leave their guns at the entrance of the Hall of Righteousness and sent men to inform the chief and Master Kong, among others. He himself headed straight for the kitchen. Upon reaching the door, he saw it was packed with people. Surprisingly, Yang Jiefang's entrance from the lower hall went unnoticed. When Yang Jiefang reached the central hall, he was stunned. Before the blackboard stood a stunningly beautiful young woman, holding a book and reading aloud, word by word: "...I opened the history books, but they had no dates. On every page, crookedly written, were the words 'benevolence, righteousness, and morality.' I couldn't sleep, so I carefully examined it for half the night, and finally, I saw between the lines that the entire book was filled with the two words 'cannibalism'..."

Yang Jiefang never expected that Jiang Xiaojun would be reading aloud to the bandits of Qinglong Village in the kitchen, reading Lu Xun's "Call to Arms." Her voice was clear and melodious, like a nightingale singing in a valley, captivating everyone. The heroes listened intently, completely unaware of Yang Jiefang's arrival. It was the first time Yang Jiefang had ever seen these people so focused on a lecture.

Jiang Xiaojun stopped reading after finishing the last sentence, "I'm human too, they want to eat me!" She casually glanced up and saw Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang clearly saw her face light up at first, then her lips curl into a smirk as she turned away. No one else noticed this movement except for Chu Gu, who was sitting at the front. Chu Gu turned around, saw Yang Jiefang, and stood up, calling out, "Yang Jiefang—" Only then did the heroes notice Yang Jiefang's presence and stand up to greet him. Some called him Brother Yang, others Commander Yang. Yang Jiefang smiled and greeted everyone.

Hou Fei, following closely behind Yang Jiefang, greeted the others and said smugly, "Brothers, we've got a lot of good stuff this time! Let's go see!" Someone asked, "What good stuff?" Hou Fei laughed, "Over two hundred guns! Isn't that good stuff?" Everyone was stunned, almost unable to believe their ears. Before Yang Jiefang came up the mountain, the entire stronghold only had a little over two hundred guns, and even including muskets, just over three hundred. This acquisition of over two hundred guns was far more valuable than money. Seeing their disbelief, Hou Fei added even more astonishing details, saying, "We defeated two or three hundred government soldiers, seized over two hundred guns, and captured over a hundred of them alive. Hehe, we didn't bring back the men, but we brought back every single gun! They're right in front of the Hall of Righteousness." Seeing the wide-eyed astonishment on everyone's faces, Hou Fei became even more smug. Immediately, Fei slapped him on the back of the head and said, "This is all thanks to Brother Yang, what are you so proud of?" Everyone laughed and finally believed the truth. Someone said, "Let's go out and see!" and they all rushed out.

Jiang Xiaojun turned around, glared at Yang Jiefang, and said, "You're back, fine, but now I can't even attend classes." Yang Jiefang smiled and said, "Miss Jiang, can we make a deal?" Jiang Xiaojun immediately replied, "No deal." She then turned to the side, her chin slightly raised, like a proud peacock, showing Yang Jiefang half of the back of her head. Yang Jiefang, being an experienced manipulator in his past life, naturally knew the true meaning behind her expression; she was just waiting for him to negotiate. Yang Jiefang continued, "I see everyone enjoys your lectures, so from now on, we'll teach the afternoon cultural classes together. After all, it's tiring for one person to teach all afternoon. You'll teach the first half, and I'll teach the second half. What do you think?" Jiang Xiaojun turned around, glanced at Yang Jiefang, and said, "That depends on my mood. If I'm in a good mood, I'll teach these kids on behalf of Mr. Lu Xun... well, I'm just advocating for Mr. Lu Xun, it has nothing to do with you." Yang Jiefang smiled slightly, not bothering to argue, and said, "Okay, thank you, Miss Jiang!" Jiang Xiaojun pouted and said, "They call me 'Mr.'!" Yang Jiefang immediately changed his address to "Beautiful Young Lady Mr." Seeing his good attitude, Jiang Xiaojun was very pleased and couldn't help but smile.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached, and Gao Huilan rushed over, calling out, "Yang Jiefang—" her face beaming with undisguised joy. Following closely behind her was Fatty, also beaming with delight. Yang Jiefang turned around and shouted, "Miss, we're back. The mission to rescue Yang'er Mountain was a complete success." Gao Huilan eagerly asked, "You really defeated two or three hundred soldiers with just over sixty men? How did you do it?" Yang Jiefang laughed, "Of course, I fought when I could win, and ran when I couldn't!" Gao Huilan rolled her eyes at him, clearly unconvinced, and said, "My mother and the others also want to know how you did it. They went to the Hall of Righteousness. Come on! Let's go to the Hall of Righteousness and tell everyone!" Without another word, she shoved Yang Jiefang towards the door.

Jiang Xiaojun, seeing this, immediately frowned. Aunt Chu asked, "Don't you want to go listen?" Jiang Xiaojun replied, "Listen to what? I don't want to hear." Her eyes, however, remained fixed on Yang Jiefang, who was walking further and further away. Aunt Chu said, "I'm very curious about how this battle was fought. He actually managed to defeat two or three hundred government troops with only sixty men. Hmm, if you're not curious, then you should go back first!" She turned and left. Jiang Xiaojun looked around, finally unable to suppress her curiosity, and said, "I'll go with you." She followed closely behind Aunt Chu.

When Yang Jiefang arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Righteousness, Black Widow, Master Kong, and all the other high-ranking members of Qinglong Village were already there. They had all dropped what they were doing and rushed over after hearing that Yang Jiefang had defeated the government troops and captured over two hundred guns. Kong Zongru was also there, directing his men to inspect and register the captured weapons. He looked like he had been ill, having lost a considerable amount of weight.

Hou Fei was recounting several battles with great enthusiasm. He exaggerated somewhat, but the crowd listened with rapt attention, as if he were telling a story. Yang Jiefang didn't interrupt him, letting him finish the tale. Hou Fei emphasized Yang Jiefang's abilities, describing how he deployed resources, commanded the battles, and handled the aftermath. The incident of Cao Laoba's wife being humiliated was omitted; only his contributions were mentioned. He also briefly introduced the eight newcomers from Doushan Village.

Black Widow and the others, of course, had their own judgment and still couldn't believe it was true. Black Widow turned and asked, "Commander Yang, is everything he said true?" Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "Boss, everyone, these two hundred-plus guns are right in front of us, how could they be fake? Although Hou Fei wasn't detailed enough in some aspects, the general outline of the events is correct." Black Widow said, "I really don't know what you were thinking back then, how could you dare to use sixty men to fight against nearly two hundred government troops?" "This matter isn't urgent, we'll explain it in detail later." Yang Jiefang then raised his voice and shouted, "Brothers, do you want to learn this method of fighting?" Everyone shouted, "Yes!" Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "That's easy. I just discussed it with Miss Jiang, that is, this beautiful young lady: starting tomorrow, every afternoon she will teach everyone to read and write; after she finishes, I will explain this method of fighting to you! After I finish explaining, you will understand, and then it will be your turn to defeat the government troops!" Everyone was even more curious and couldn't wait for Yang Jiefang to start explaining now. Yang Jiefang refused to say more, leaving everyone eager to know more, yet helpless.

Kong Zongru had already finished counting the captured guns and reported, "Boss, we've captured a total of 205 rifles and 46 pistols this time..." Black Widow was very happy and said loudly, "Brothers, you've all worked hard. I'll treat you to a special meal tonight. Your contributions this time will also be recorded." Everyone was excited. Black Widow turned to Yang Jiefang and said, "Yang Jiefang, you've done the most work. Do you have any requests? Just say them!" Yang Jiefang said, "I do have a request, and I hope the leader will agree. Our brothers on the mountain are divided into two categories: combat personnel and non-combat personnel. I hope all combat personnel can be freed from labor production and focus on military training, ready for battle at any time. At the same time, these guns shouldn't be left in the warehouse to rust; they should be distributed to every combat personnel. To avoid accidental discharges, ammunition can be withheld. The purpose of this is to let the brothers become familiar with the guns and perform routine maintenance." He had long had this idea and had discussed it with Gao Huilan, who had naturally also told Black Widow, but there had never been a suitable opportunity to bring it up publicly. Black Widow, prepared for this, immediately agreed, saying, "Brothers, I used to strictly control firearms, mainly to prevent those with ulterior motives from escaping with them. Now, our Qinglong Village is thriving, and more people will want to join us. Anyone who tries to escape with a gun is foolish. Since Commander Yang has made this request, I will no longer control them. Starting tomorrow, all combat personnel will be issued firearms. However, all combat personnel must undergo military training and cultural studies according to Yang Jiefang's methods. Combat personnel will have three meals a day, with meat every three days, while non-combat personnel will continue to have two meals a day. From now on, there will be no distinction between upper, middle, and lower ranks; only combat and non-combat personnel." Having announced this publicly, she naturally wouldn't easily change it. Everyone was overjoyed. Kong Zongru asked, "Will these firearms still be stored away?" Black Widow replied, "Of course they will be stored away, and then distributed to the combat personnel tomorrow." Kong Zongru agreed and arranged for all the firearms to be moved to Black Widow's courtyard.

Yang Jiefang introduced Cao Laoba and the eight young men from Doushan Village to Black Widow. Fortunately, some new houses had recently been built in the mountain stronghold, and a courtyard was set aside for Yang Jiefang to house these people. Yang Jiefang's own courtyard was already full, so he separated Bao Ziqiang, Chu Shiwu, and other intelligence personnel, and then transferred Hou Fei, Wang Dali, and Chen Ergou to live with the eight from Doushan Village. Hou Fei and the other two were initially reluctant, not wanting to be separated from Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang stated that to facilitate the training of Bao Ziqiang and the other intelligence personnel, he would also move to the new courtyard. Hou Fei then happily led the eight from Doushan Village to their new place. Ma Shangfei immediately requested to move as well, and Yang Jiefang agreed. In addition, Cao Laoba, with his wife and children, needed separate accommodation. Black Widow agreed to give each family a separate, grid-patterned house.

Seeing the Black Widow and the various managers leave one after another, the heroes lingered in small groups, chatting and reluctant to disperse. Suddenly, Jiang Xiaojun spoke up, "Those who haven't finished copying the text, please finish it! I'll lead everyone in reading it tomorrow." Upon hearing this, the heroes immediately stopped chatting and returned to the kitchen to copy the text from the blackboard. Jiang Xiaojun, very pleased with herself, glanced back at Yang Jiefang, then turned and left.

Watching Jiang Xiaojun's departing figure, Yang Jiefang couldn't help but ask, "Why is she giving a lecture?" Gao Huilan said, "Do you really think she's someone who never leaves the house? She's always busy. She's just giving a lecture for the novelty. Once the novelty wears off in a couple of days, let's see if she'll still be giving lectures!" Aunt Chu interjected, "I'm afraid not. The other day in the kitchen, she saw the 'Heroes' song, 'Men Should Be Self-reliant,' 'Only by Striving Can You Win,' and 'Ode to Young China' hanging on the wall, and she was quite moved. She said then and there that she wanted to awaken more people to break down this iron house. Looking at her enthusiasm now, she doesn't seem to be joking."

Yang Jiefang knew that Jiang Xiaojun was a progressive intellectual woman, and it was understandable that she would be influenced by Lu Xun's "Call to Arms." Yang Jiefang was naturally pleased, adding, "The mountain stronghold is a mixed bag; we need to be careful about her safety!" Gao Huilan was a little unhappy, saying, "You're really concerned! I had Aunt Chu with her precisely to protect her." No wonder Aunt Chu sat in the very first seat when Jiang Xiaojun lectured. Aunt Chu said, "Don't worry! No one dares to approach her now. Unless she wants to." She was so confident because the first time they came out, Liu Yishou saw Jiang Xiaojun's beauty and tried to strike up a conversation. But before he could get close, Aunt Chu kicked him to the ground, coldly spitting out a single word through gritted teeth: "Get lost!" The Black Widow strictly controlled guns; others couldn't carry guns. However, Aunt Chu and Fatty, who were responsible for protecting Gao Huilan, always carried guns. Liu Yishou dared not provoke Chu Gu and slunk away. He was one of Lin Baozi's top men, and if even he was afraid, who else would dare to invite trouble? When Jiang Xiaojun came to teach the heroes, they were overjoyed. Even those who were originally uninterested in reading came to listen. Many of them actually had an epiphany and were able to learn.