Newborn 1927

At this moment, Kong Zongru, nicknamed "Iron Abacus," strode in and loudly announced, "Relay the chief's words: everyone go to the entrance of the Gathering Hall to collect your lucky money." He had been waiting at the entrance for some time, guessing that Yang Jiefang had finished speaking before coming in. The crowd was overjoyed and rushed out in a flurry.

Besides the newly arrived Cao Laoba and the eight from Doushan Village, everyone else who had contributed to the stronghold received a "lucky money" payment. The amount was related to the length of time each person had been in the stronghold and their contributions, and the distribution was personally supervised by the leader, the Black Widow. According to custom, after receiving the lucky money, they would have a reunion dinner and then go on holiday. Many people would go down the mountain to go home before dark. On the eighth day of the lunar new year, the leader personally led the Widow's team to guard the stronghold gate, strictly checking and registering the names of those going down the mountain. This once again refreshed Yang Jiefang's understanding of bandits. In fact, the leaders and core members of the stronghold were the real professional bandits; the lower-ranking members could be seen as laborers, both bandits and civilians. After receiving their lucky money, they would go home and return before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, still considered heroes of the stronghold; if they didn't come back, as long as they didn't reveal the stronghold's secrets, it wasn't considered betrayal, since they didn't actually possess any core secrets. These people, when they returned home, wouldn't go around proclaiming that they were bandits; they would only say they were working as laborers outside. This is exactly the same as the fallen women of later generations.

This year's New Year's Eve dinner consisted of pork dumplings, and alcohol was allowed, with a small bowl of sweet potato liquor limited to one person per table. Yang Jiefang, who didn't drink, gave his bowl to Hou Fei and the others at the table. While eating his dumplings, Hou Fei whispered, "I told Brother Sun, Brother Yan, and the others about those ten rules you mentioned today. Whether others support them or not, our men must support them. If they're unwilling to follow your rules, they shouldn't come after the New Year. We don't need people like that. Brother Sun said, 'It's better to have fewer men than more scoundrels!'"

Yang Jiefang glanced at Sun Zhiyong and the others, and said, "Thank you for your support, brothers. From now on, you are all my elder brothers! Brothers, from this moment on, we must lead by example, strictly demand of ourselves, and abide by these ten disciplines. Only when we ourselves have done them can we demand of others. With these ten disciplines as a prerequisite, our armed forces will be different from others, becoming a new armed force with discipline and faith. This is what I have told you before: an army that wholeheartedly serves the people." His voice was not loud, but his words were firm and powerful. Sun Zhiyong, Yan Donglai, and the others all nodded in agreement.

None of Yang Jiefang's team members went down the mountain. Hou Fei, Ma Shangfei, and others were homeless, while the people from Zhao Jiazhuang and Doushan Village, though they had homes, had only been there a short time and weren't in a hurry to go back. After finishing their meal, Yang Jiefang was about to return to his lodgings when Liu Yishou from the Leopard Team approached with a grin and said, "Brother Yang, is now convenient? Our Boss Lin invites you!" Yang Jiefang asked, "Where is Brother Lin?" "At his lodgings." Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go with you." Hou Fei, who was traveling with him, immediately said, "I'll go with you too. Brother Liu, you won't mind, will you?" Liu Yishou shrugged and said, "Whatever." His expression reassured everyone, and they didn't say anything more. Hou Fei accompanied Yang Jiefang to Liu Yishou's lodgings.

The room was full of people, all members of the Leopard Team. Lin Baozi greeted them with a smile, saying, "Brother Yang, please have a seat!" He led Yang Jiefang to a table in the center. Hou Fei sat down next to him, followed by Lin Baozi and Liu Yishou. Surprisingly, Peng Dahu and Peng Fangtao from the Tiger Team were also there. Yang Jiefang greeted them and waited for them to speak.

The men at the table exchanged glances before Lin Baozi spoke first, saying, "Brother Yang, you've been up the mountain for a while now, and we haven't had a proper chat, so you might not know me very well. When I was a child, my family was quite well-off, and I even attended a private school for two years. But somehow my father became addicted to gambling, losing not only our family fortune but also my mother and selling my sister; in the end, even I lost to the gambling den to pay off debts. So, I grew up in gambling dens and have witnessed the harm gambling has caused. I agree with the ten rules you established, which include prohibiting gambling. As for the other rules, although I..." "I can't fully understand it, but it makes sense," Yang Jiefang said. "So, Brother Lin agrees with the ten rules I proposed?" Lin Baozi nodded. "Yes. It's just that the Boss saved our lives, and I can't support you if she doesn't agree with you. I hope you can understand that!" Yang Jiefang patted his hand and said, "I understand. Brother Lin is a grateful person, and I'm not the kind of ungrateful person." Lin Baozi continued, "Fortunately, the Boss eventually agreed to your proposal. My brothers and I have nothing to say; we'll abide by your rules."

Yang Jiefang glanced at everyone, finally fixing his gaze on Peng Dahu and Peng Fangtao, and asked, "Brother Peng, do you two have any other opinions?" Lin Baozi had spoken, so it was time to urge Peng Dahu to follow suit. Peng Dahu said, "Brother Yang, Baozi's words are also my opinion. Ultimately, the leader of this stronghold has the final say. Even if you marry Miss Gao in the future, as long as the leader is there, we can only obey him." Yang Jiefang smiled helplessly and said, "Of course. The first of the ten rules is to obey orders in all actions, including mine. Brother Peng, don't hold back, just speak your mind!" Peng Dahu took a deep breath and said, "I joined the army at sixteen, just wanting to make a living, never thinking of achieving anything great. After a few years..." Having gained some experience, I felt increasingly uneasy. The generals fought each other all day long; those who won gained power, those who lost were stripped of their posts, and nothing happened to them. We common soldiers died or were crippled, and the generals didn't care at all. Thinking about it, it was truly damn pointless! Heh, maybe I just didn't follow the right person. Anyway, I'm fed up, I don't want to do it anymore, and I want to hide in these mountains and live a few peaceful days. But in this world, what peaceful days are there? Brother Yang, your suggestion today has truly impressed me. I was thinking then, if I had followed a general like you, how could I have become a deserter and ended up in this situation today!

Yang Jiefang laughed, "Then you've finally met your match. We can start from scratch, and who knows, your future achievements might even surpass those of those great generals." Peng Dahu sighed and said, "I don't deny that you have some knowledge, but you're still too young..." Yang Jiefang immediately understood his implication, so he stood up and said, "The reason people are afraid of being taken advantage of is because they worry about losing what originally belonged to them. Brothers, let me ask you, what do you have now? What do you have besides this worthless life? In chaotic times, human life is cheap as a dog. Go out and ask around, how many silver dollars is your life worth? Is it worth more than a rich man's dog?" Everyone was taken aback by the question, looked at each other, and remained silent. No one felt that Yang Jiefang was insulting them; on the contrary, they agreed with him.

Yang Jiefang continued, “From the day you came up the mountain to become outlaws, you never had to say goodbye to the peaceful life of a wife, children, and a warm bed. You were faced with only two paths: one was to drift aimlessly through life, taking each day as it came; the other was to refuse mediocrity, to risk your lives, and try to make something of yourself. To achieve anything, you need a mentor; without one, you're unlikely to amount to anything. And I am the best mentor you will ever have. Missing me will be a lifelong regret. I know you don't trust me because you worry I'm too young and unreliable. But age aside, who else do you know better than me?” "Am I more capable? Who else is as willing to teach you as I am? I want to accomplish something great, and I'm willing to lead my brothers in doing it. Whether you're old or young, to achieve great things, you have to make sacrifices and take risks. You have nothing left to lose; the worst outcome is just losing your lives. Think about it carefully: what will you gain by risking your lives? If you follow me, while I can't guarantee you'll all become rich and powerful, I can promise to share both the hardships and the joys with my brothers. I treat my brothers like human beings and will never let you sacrifice yourselves in vain. If you are injured or disabled, I won't abandon you!"

Peng Dahu spoke up, "Brother Yang, just tell me straight! How much are our worthless lives worth to you?" Yang Jiefang immediately felt a bit defeated. Couldn't we talk more about feelings and less about money? Clearly, these people valued tangible, visible, and attainable benefits. What ideals? Faith? It was too early to talk about those. Fortunately, Yang Jiefang was prepared and replied, "In my heart, my brothers are priceless. To help my brothers resolve their worries, I have drafted a plan: Anyone willing to follow me will receive a monthly subsidy of three silver dollars during the first three months of training; those who pass the assessment after three months will receive five silver dollars; if selected as a squad leader, the monthly subsidy will be ten silver dollars, a company commander twenty silver dollars, and a battalion commander forty silver dollars; if someone unfortunately dies, there will be a one-time compensation of one hundred silver dollars; if someone is injured, I will also arrange a job for them, allowing them to enjoy the same treatment as before the injury."

As soon as he finished speaking, the men below shouted, "Let's do it! Let's do it!" "We'll follow Brother Yang!" "Hehe, even our worthless lives are worth a hundred silver dollars!" Lin Baozi slammed his fist on the table and said, "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Brothers, I believe Brother Yang will keep his word, are you all relieved now?" People living at the very bottom of society in this era were truly terrified of poverty, driven to desperation by it. As long as the money was right, they were genuinely willing to risk their lives for you. Yang Jiefang, however, was speechless. This ideological education still needed to be strengthened!

The rest of the conversation was uneventful, consisting mainly of additional details, including the monetary rewards for meritorious service. Of course, with rewards come punishments, and Yang Jiefang explained the disciplinary measures for violations. Clearly, these people no longer cared much about these details. Because many needed to get down the mountain quickly, the conversation ended abruptly.

As Hou Fei left, he seemed unusually happy, saying, "Now, the Tiger Team and the Leopard Team are closer to us. Hmm, I need to tell Brother Sun and the others." Yang Jiefang said, "Tell them to continue training tomorrow morning. Even though it's the New Year, training can't be neglected." Hou Fei's smile immediately vanished, and he left with a bitter face. Yang Jiefang returned to his residence and, as usual, tutored Wang Dali and Chen Ergou in reading and writing.

The next morning, Yang Jiefang gathered the members of the Liberation Team for a morning run. Only Bao Ziqiang and Zhao Yuanbao remained from the intelligence team; Chu Shiwu, Mantou, and the others had all gone back, so the two of them joined the run. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, no one was up yet, and the mountain village was very quiet. Seeing that everyone's spirits were a bit low, Yang Jiefang said as he ran, "Running like this is no fun. I'll teach you a song! I'll sing a line, and you can repeat it as you run." Everyone inwardly scoffed; they were already out of breath from running, and now they wanted to sing? But no one openly objected. So, Yang Jiefang sang as he ran: "Ten miles, I love you! A day gives you good health. Ten miles, I miss you! Running every day makes you grow strong. Ten miles, cures all ailments, a day without running feels unhealthy. Brothers in front, run faster! Brothers behind, give it your all! After we finish running, we'll get extra chicken legs, extra chicken legs..." After he finished singing, everyone couldn't help but ask, "Will we really get chicken legs after we finish running?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Yes, we can." Everyone immediately laughed and shouted, "We get chicken legs! Run faster!" Sure enough, they ran with even more energy.

After finishing his run, Yang Jiefang, without even washing up, went straight to the kitchen to find Wu Laokou and demanded that everyone who participated in the morning run receive an extra chicken leg. Wu Laokou's face immediately changed, and he said firmly, "No way! How can you do that? There are so many people on the mountain; if everyone takes chicken legs, how many chickens would we need?" Yang Jiefang replied, "We slaughtered so many chickens before the New Year; there are plenty of chicken legs, aren't there? I don't need many, just prepare forty chicken legs for me." Wu Laokou said with a bitter face, "Brother Yang, it's not that I'm being disrespectful, but the chickens slaughtered before the New Year are meant to supply the entire village. We can't just use them all up in a day or two during the New Year holiday, can we? What will we eat then? There's a rule on the mountain: we must stop killing before the fifteenth of the first lunar month. If we eat all the chicken legs today, there won't be any left for tomorrow or the day after." "I'll add money," Yang Jiefang said. Old Wu shook his head. "Adding money won't work either! How much more are you going to offer?" Yang Jiefang laughed. "One silver dollar can buy a chicken. I'll trade you two chicken legs now. You won't lose out, will you?" Old Wu said, "Have you thought this through? Forty chicken legs would cost twenty silver dollars. Are you really going to add more?" Yang Jiefang nodded. "Don't worry! Money's no object. Just do as I ask." Old Wu thought for a moment and then said, "Okay, when do you plan to eat? How do you want it?" "In the morning! Braised." "No problem. Remember to bring the money. It's the New Year, cash only. No bookkeeping." Indeed, the power of money is great!