Newborn 1927

Last night, Yang Jiefang told the Black Widow and her daughter that they had two or three months to prepare, which was largely to reassure them. He wasn't sure when the government troops would come to encircle and suppress them, so he wanted to speed things up and take control of Qinglong Village as soon as possible. He hadn't originally planned a fierce conflict with Niu Sanbian and his men, but now there was no room for retreat. Niu Sanbian and his group treated Qinglong Village as a lawless zone, outside the jurisdiction of the government but not overly provoking them, and they disapproved of Yang Jiefang's proactive attitude. Yesterday's delivery of the prisoners to the mountain made them realize that Yang Jiefang had completely broken ties with the government. This meant that the entire Qinglong Village was bound to become a thorn in the side of the government, in extreme danger. Their dissatisfaction with Yang Jiefang had reached its peak.

Yang Jiefang's three shots alerted the entire Qinglong Village, and everyone rushed to the scene. First to arrive was Yan Donglai's patrol team, followed by Bai Lang, Li Yichao, Peng Dahu, Lin Baozi, Zheng Sandao, and others, and finally Black Widow and her group. No one knew what had happened, but they were shocked to see Yang Jiefang pointing a gun at Niu Sanbian.

Gao Huilan, following closely behind the Black Widow, rushed forward upon seeing the scene, grabbed Yang Jiefang's hand that was holding the gun, and shouted, "What are you doing? Why are you pointing a gun at Uncle Niu? He's a veteran of the stronghold!" Then she snatched the gun away. Yang Jiefang did not struggle with her, letting her take the gun.

Niu Sanbian, seemingly feeling safe, stamped his foot and shouted, "Everyone saw it! Yang Jiefang is arrogant, domineering, and lawless. He's not even the boss yet, and he already has a problem with us old folks. What will happen if we hand over Qinglong Village to him?" Master Kong, accompanied by his son Kong Zongru, arrived just in time and immediately chimed in, "Boss, Yang Jiefang fired at our own men on the mountain. This is extremely serious; we must give everyone an explanation." Black Widow's strict control over firearms was precisely to prevent such an incident. Now it had happened, and it was Yang Jiefang, the very man she had placed so much hope in, which truly gave her a headache.

Yang Jiefang felt it was time to speak, so he scanned the entire room and turned to Niu Sanbian, saying, "Niu Sanbian, do you think the lives of these captured soldiers are entirely in your hands? You can kill them at will, is that it?" Despite the large crowd, Niu Sanbian wasn't afraid of Yang Jiefang and coldly replied, "So what if I am? I killed plenty of soldiers when I was young." Yang Jiefang then looked back at the crowd and said, "Brothers and sisters, I once proposed ten rules, the last of which is not to mistreat prisoners. Don't you all find this hard to understand? After all, we are clearly irreconcilable enemies with the soldiers. Some of our brothers or relatives died at their hands. Why can't we mistreat them?" This rule was indeed difficult for everyone to comprehend; Yang Jiefang had voiced their shared concerns.

Yang Jiefang didn't wait for their answers and continued, "Why did you brothers join the bandits in Qinglong Village? Isn't it because this world is too chaotic? If the world were peaceful, who wouldn't want to go home and live a stable life? Why live this life of constant danger and uncertainty? But brothers, when will this chaos end? Who can end this chaos? Since ancient times, those who win the hearts of the people win the world! What does it mean to win the hearts of the people? It means enabling all the common people in the world to live a good life. Whoever achieves this will win the hearts of the people, and whoever achieves this will win the world! To be honest, I don't plan to stay in Qinglong Village forever. Sooner or later, I will lead a group of like-minded brothers to fight and end this chaos. If I can conquer a county, I will enable the people of that county to live a good life; if I can conquer a province, I will enable the people of that province to live a good life; if I conquer the whole of China, I will enable the people of the whole country to live a good life! Is there anyone among you who is willing to join me?"

"I'm willing!" "I'm willing!" Sun Zhiyong, Yan Donglai, and others shouted. Bai Lang blurted out, "Me too!" Li Yichao, Kong Zongru, and others almost blurted it out as well, but managed to hold back.

Yang Jiefang changed the subject, pointing to the soldiers behind him, and said, “These people may have done many wrong things, but not everyone deserves to die. Steward Niu thinks that now that he controls their lives, he can kill them at will. But have you brothers thought about this? If we conquer a county, aren't the people of that county also under our control? Can't we kill them at will then? Heh, some might say that it's the same. But in my opinion, it is the same. You can kill these prisoners at will today; then tomorrow, once you enter the city and become an official, why should I believe you will treat those ordinary people well? Why should I believe you will let the people live a good life?”

The crowd slowly turned around, gradually understanding the profound meaning behind Yang Jiefang's insistence on not mistreating prisoners. Yang Jiefang then turned to Niu Sanbian and said, "Manager Niu, you usually hate those corrupt officials the most, hate their embezzlement, their abuse of power, and their disregard for human life. But with your current mentality, if you were an official, you'd probably do even worse! Those officials you hate are just doing what you've always wanted to do but haven't been able to. What right do you have to be indignant?" That's how the world is; some people seem righteous, but their hearts are actually very dark; if you put yourself in their shoes, they would only become more repulsive. Niu Sanbian was shocked and stunned. He wasn't good at arguing, and although he wanted to retort, he was at a loss for words.

Master Kong stepped forward and said, “I know Niu Laosan. He’s not that kind of person; he’s just a bit impulsive sometimes and tends to overthink things. However, since ancient times, killing prisoners has been considered unlucky, while treating them well has always been seen as an act of benevolence. If these people are willing to listen, there’s no need to make things difficult for them.” Although he was trying to help Niu Sanbian out of his predicament, he also agreed with Yang Jiefang’s rule of ‘not mistreating prisoners.’ After hearing this, everyone basically accepted this rule as well.

At this moment, Zheng Sandao spoke up, "Brother Yang, you can't even bear to harm the captured soldiers, so wouldn't you be even better to your brothers? I was still hesitating about joining Qinglong Village, but now I've decided. I want to join Qinglong Village and follow Brother Yang to do great things. Brother Yang, will you take me in?" The eleven brothers who came with him all shouted, "We are also willing to join Qinglong Village, please take us in, Brother Yang!" Yang Jiefang smiled, very happy, and immediately said, "I warmly welcome Brother Zheng and all the brothers to join Qinglong Village! Chief, please accept them! I believe they are all heroes!" In front of Black Widow, he still had to maintain the proper attitude.

Black Widow chuckled and said, "Since you brothers think so highly of Qinglong Village, we have no reason to turn you away. Zheng Sandao, since you've come for Yang Jiefang, then join the Jiefang team!" Zheng Sandao and the others happily agreed. Black Widow continued, "While you're all here, I have something else to announce. I'm just a woman, and I don't really have much ability. Over the years, I haven't been able to manage Qinglong Village well, making life difficult for everyone. I've always wanted to find someone capable to be the second-in-command, to manage Qinglong Village in my place, but I haven't found a suitable person. Now, that person has appeared. Since Yang Jiefang came to the mountain, he has brought a lot of money to Qinglong Village, and everyone has seen his abilities. Therefore, I have decided to appoint Yang Jiefang as the second-in-command." Everyone was surprised; some were delighted, some were astonished, but no one objected.

Yang Jiefang immediately shouted, "No, no, I won't be the second-in-command!" Everyone was even more surprised, staring at Yang Jiefang in disbelief. Yang Jiefang laughed, "Boss, you're the boss, and I'm the second-in-command, so wouldn't I be your brother? That's not right, not right at all! How about I be the junior boss? You're the boss, you make the big decisions; I'm the junior boss, I'll handle the small things! What do you say?" Seeing his humble expression, everyone was dumbfounded. Gao Huilan chuckled, then realized it wasn't right and covered her mouth to suppress her laughter. Looking at the golden couple, Yang Jiefang and Gao Huilan, everyone quickly realized, who would be brothers with their mother-in-law? It was indeed inappropriate. So everyone shouted, "Greetings, Junior Boss!" The title didn't matter; what mattered was that from now on, Yang Jiefang would be the rightful second-in-command of Qinglong Village. Master Kong, Niu Sanbian, and the others all turned ashen-faced. They wanted to object, but everyone present was Yang Jiefang's men, so they could only watch helplessly. If they really angered Yang Jiefang, next time it might not just be shooting at the ground.

Following the crowd's lead, Black Widow said, "Then let's call him Little Boss! Alright, that's enough for today, go back to what you were doing!" Carpenter Li urged the prisoners to get to work, and the others dispersed. Yan Donglai led his team on patrol. Zheng Sandao approached Yang Jiefang and said, "Brother Yang... um, Little Boss, shouldn't you assign us brothers some tasks?" Yang Jiefang looked at Bai Lang and said, "Brother Bai, I'll trouble you to take Brother Zheng and the others to familiarize themselves with the stronghold first. We can assign tasks in a couple of days." Bai Lang laughed, "No problem, leave it to me." He led Zheng Sandao and his men away.

Gao Huilan handed the gun back to Yang Jiefang and said in a low voice, "Knowing these people as I do, they won't let this go. You need to be careful in the future! It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark!" Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "I haven't even left the newbie village yet, how could I die so easily?" Seeing Gao Huilan's bewildered expression, Yang Jiefang smiled, took Gao Huilan's hand, and said, "Let's take a walk together!" Gao Huilan blushed and let Yang Jiefang take her hand.

The two hadn't gone far when they ran into Kong Zongru. The look in Kong Zongru's eyes as he stared at Yang Jiefang was practically spitting fire. Yang Jiefang gripped Gao Huilan's hand tightly, glaring defiantly at Kong Zongru. Gao Huilan leaned closer to Yang Jiefang, bringing them even closer together, and then said, "Brother Kong, what brings you here?" Kong Zongru felt a chill; the "Brother Zongru" of the past had become "Brother Kong," and the distance between them had widened further. Kong Zongru was a man of great forbearance, and suppressing his sorrow, he said, "The chief wants me to set up a clothing factory in the stronghold. Was that your idea?" Yang Jiefang turned to look at Gao Huilan and said, "You want to set up a clothing factory? To solve the clothing problem for the brothers in the stronghold, that's a good idea! You really are a capable wife!" Kong Zongru angrily retorted, "What are you playing dumb for? I'm asking you, Little Chief—" He said the last three words through gritted teeth. Yang Jiefang turned around and said, "Is that how you talk to the head of the family? You call yourself a descendant of Confucius? That's incredibly rude. But… I'm magnanimous, so I won't hold it against you." Kong Zongru suppressed his anger and asked, "Why were I assigned to this task? You don't actually think I'd do anything for you, do you?" Yang Jiefang stared at him sideways for a moment and said, "I've heard you've read quite a few books. Do you know the *Tao Te Ching*?" Kong Zongru, not understanding, replied, "Of course I know it. It was written by Lao Tzu, a contemporary of Confucius. What does that have to do with our affairs today?" Yang Jiefang laughed, "Of course it's relevant. I ask you, do you know why Lao Tzu wrote the *Tao Te Ching*?" Kong Zongru said, "I don't know. If you want to know, ask him yourself!" Yang Jiefang laughed, "I know, because… Lao Tzu wanted to!" Kong Zongru was stunned for a moment, then instantly realized what Yang Jiefang meant, and was furious. Pointing at Yang Jiefang, he shouted, "You—watch your mouth! Whose father are you?"

Yang Jiefang said, “Kong Zongru, remember this: you’re not doing this for me, but for the brothers on the mountain. You’re in charge of the mountain stronghold’s money and provisions, so you should know that food and clothing are the foundation of survival. I need to make sure the brothers on the mountain are well-fed, and then I need to make sure they’re well-clothed. The purpose of setting up the clothing factory is to solve the problem of clothing and blankets for the brothers on the mountain. Right now, everyone is wearing thick cotton-padded coats, but in a while, when the weather gets warmer, they’ll definitely need to change to spring and autumn clothes. I require you to prepare at least three thousand sets of spring and autumn clothes in advance. This is the first thing I, as the junior manager, have to do, so you’d better do it well! If you mess it up, don’t blame me for being rude to you!”

Yang Jiefang's blatant targeting of Kong Zongru greatly displeased him, yet he couldn't refuse, as these matters were originally his responsibility. He glared fiercely at Yang Jiefang and said in a deep voice, "If you dare to nitpick, I'm not one to be trifled with; I'll fight you to the death." Yang Jiefang scoffed, "Just do your job and don't try to fight me. Otherwise, the fish will die, but the net won't break. If I were you, instead of wasting time talking to me, I'd rather figure out how to get things done quickly!" Kong Zongru thought about it and agreed. Since he couldn't avoid it anyway, he might as well do things well and build a good image in front of his brothers. Having figured this out, he ignored Yang Jiefang, turned around, and left without a word.

Watching Kong Zongru's departing figure, Gao Huilan whispered, "He's always been an arrogant person. Is it really appropriate for you to punish him like this?" Yang Jiefang said, "That's precisely why I'm going to whip him. But don't worry! He's not a bad person by nature, and I have no ill intentions towards him. If he can lower his arrogance and calm down, he might be someone who can shoulder great responsibilities."