Newborn 1927

Yang Jiefang said, "Then let's decide on this! I will provide each teacher with a copy of 'Call to Arms' as teaching material. I hope everyone will not only teach the brothers to read and write, but also carefully understand the original meaning of Mr. Lu Xun's 'Call to Arms,' and let them know it. In addition, military theory classes cannot be neglected. My idea is this: starting today, after lunch, we will each spend two hours reading and writing in different places. Then we will all go to the drill ground for outdoor teaching, and I will give you a lecture on military theory." Master Kong frowned and said, "Are you still going to talk about your guerrilla warfare? It's only sixteen characters, haven't you already finished explaining it?" Yang Jiefang laughed and said, "I've only explained the concept of guerrilla warfare, just getting started. To explain guerrilla warfare thoroughly, it will take at least a week. After guerrilla warfare, I will talk about mobile warfare; after mobile warfare, I will talk about the three-three system, four groups per team, the six major tactical principles, and so on. Hehe, as long as everyone wants to learn, I guarantee I won't finish in three months." Master Kong was dumbfounded, but Bai Lang and several other captains were excited.

The matter was settled, and after the meeting, everyone busied themselves with their own work. Yang Jiefang, however, approached Kong Zongru alone to inquire about the preparations for the clothing factory. Kong Zongru didn't particularly enjoy dealing with Yang Jiefang, simply giving a brief explanation that the preparations were basically complete. Guai Laosan had been invited to be the head tailor and begin training the workers. The sewing machines, purchased through Jiang's Trading Company, had also been shipped from Japan and would arrive soon. He gave a few perfunctory replies and was about to leave when Yang Jiefang wouldn't let him go. He demanded that Kong Zongru collect information on the height, weight, waist circumference, and leg length of all members of the Qinglongzhai combat team. He also requested that several standard sizes be established based on this information, and that the clothing factory would use these standard sizes for all future garments. In this era, clothes were made to fit each individual, resulting in a perfect fit, but not suitable for mass production. Kong Zongru initially thought Yang Jiefang was deliberately making things difficult for him, but after thinking about it, he realized it made sense and agreed. Yang Jiefang then demanded that the styles be standardized, and that he personally design the styles, colors, and patterns. Kong Zongru replied, "Then you'd better hurry, or you'll be late and I won't be your fault." Then he left without looking back.

Yang Jiefang turned back to Yan Donglai and Sun Zhiyong, instructing them to strike while the iron was hot and quickly assemble the special forces team. The two acted immediately, gathering men in no time. Ever since they learned of Yang Jiefang's intention to form a special forces team, they had been searching for talent, eagerly awaiting his official order. Since everyone was at the training ground, they simply rounded them up. Yang Jiefang led them aside and, upon closer inspection, recognized them all. Except for Cao Laoba, Zheng Sandao, and one brother who had accompanied him up the mountain, the rest were veterans of the mountain, its elite members. The Jiefang team included Yan Donglai, Sun Zhiyong, Gui Liqiu, Hou Fei, Tiedan, and others, along with Liu Heizi from the Wolf Team, Liu Yishou from the Leopard Team, Wang Yang from the Dragon Team, and Shanpao from the Tiger Team—a total of twenty-four men. Yang Jiefang appointed himself captain of the special forces team, dividing it into two squads: a sniper squad led by Sun Zhiyong, and a special forces squad led by Yan Donglai.

Yang Jiefang first gave everyone a general explanation of the purpose of forming the special operations team and the characteristics of special operations. Wang Yang suddenly retorted, "Isn't this just resorting to underhanded tactics?" Yang Jiefang was speechless for a moment, then said seriously, "Underhanded methods are acceptable, but there must be a moral bottom line. If a person has no moral bottom line, what difference is there between them and a beast? Starting tomorrow, I will personally supervise your training according to my training syllabus. The training intensity will be much higher than others. To ensure your nutritional needs are met, I will provide you with special meals, four dishes and a soup per meal, with both meat and vegetables. Your monthly living allowance will be five silver dollars." With such generous benefits, everyone immediately became happy, rubbing their hands together, ready to give it their all.

After lunch, classes officially resumed. Jiang Xiaojun was invited back to teach in the kitchen. The audience consisted of three to four hundred people from the Liberation Army, the Intelligence Team, and the Special Forces. The other four teams found other places to attend their classes. Notably, Gao Huilan changed her mind and didn't teach the Wolf Team, arranging for Chu Gu to substitute, much to Bai Lang's dismay. Chu Gu, who spent all her time with Jiang Xiaojun, had some experience in teaching.

During his break, Yang Jiefang sketched out the design of future camouflage military uniforms and handed it to Kong Zongru, requesting that he produce three thousand sets of spring uniforms. Kong Zongru looked at it and exclaimed, "What kind of pattern is this? It's all over the place! Where am I supposed to find fabric like this?" Yang Jiefang rolled his eyes at him and said, "That's your problem. If you can't get the brothers' uniforms ready on time, believe me, I'll have them all spit on you until you're drowned!" Then he turned and left without looking back. Kong Zongru gritted his teeth behind him, but there was nothing he could do. He had no choice but to go down the mountain to find Master Xie, also known as Guai Laosan, to discuss and seek help.

After the two-hour cultural lesson, Yang Jiefang gathered everyone again at the drill ground to continue explaining guerrilla warfare. Yang Jiefang was eloquent, and his explanations, incorporating classic battle examples, were vivid and engaging. Everyone listened with rapt attention; even those who didn't understand were entertained. In their words, this was much better than the storytelling in teahouses! Yang Jiefang explained it repeatedly for a week, including the tactics derived from guerrilla warfare. Once everyone had a basic understanding of the essence of guerrilla warfare, Yang Jiefang began explaining mobile warfare. Mobile warfare also has a sixteen-character principle: avoid the enemy's main force, lure the enemy deep, concentrate forces, and defeat them one by one. It sounds similar to guerrilla warfare, but it is quite different. He combined mobile warfare and guerrilla warfare, explaining them for another week. Finally, Yang Jiefang used the Four Crossings of the Chishui River as a battle example, omitting place names and using the insurgent army and government troops to represent the two sides. This battle example took two days to explain. Those who listened were filled with reverence, exclaiming that it was a divine command, a battle fought by gods. Their worship naturally transferred to Yang Jiefang, earning him a standing ovation.

That evening at dinner, Yang Jiefang was stopped at the kitchen door by Li Yichao, the captain of the Dragon Team, and Kong Zongru. Curious, Yang Jiefang looked at the two men, then heard Li Yichao say, "Master Kong would like to invite you to dinner. Would you do me the honor?" Yang Jiefang didn't immediately agree, but instead looked at Kong Zongru. Kong Zongru's attitude had changed drastically. He said, "Young Master, my father isn't just representing himself; he's also been entrusted by Niu Sanbian and others to have a proper talk with you!" Yang Jiefang immediately smiled and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Li Yichao and Kong Zongru were delighted and quickly said, "Please!" Their attitude was very respectful.

Yang Jiefang followed the two men to the residence of the Kong family father and son. Master Kong came out to greet them, bowing and saying, "Young Master, I apologize for the intrusion, please come in!" Yang Jiefang returned the bow, saying, "Master Kong, you're too kind." Inside the living room, a table of food and drink had already been set out. Yang Jiefang and Master Kong sat down as host and guest, while Li Yichao and Kong Zongru remained seated. Kong Zongru picked up a wine pot and poured wine for Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang said, "Master Kong, don't rush to drink. Let's talk first, then we can drink." Master Kong, however, picked up his wine cup and said, "This cup is to apologize for my previous misunderstanding!" He then drank it all in one gulp. Kong Zongru immediately refilled his cup. Master Kong picked it up again and said, "This second cup is on behalf of Niu Sanbian, Li the Carpenter, and Tian Wu, to apologize for the previous unpleasantness." He then drank it all in one gulp as well. Yang Jiefang stared blankly at Master Kong. This change in attitude was quite drastic and sudden. Master Kong then raised his cup for the third time, saying, "From now on, we will all respect you as the Junior Leader of Qinglong Village, the only leader besides the First Leader. Please forgive all the unpleasantness of the past!" Black Widow appointing Yang Jiefang as Junior Leader was one thing, but whether the leader truly accepted it was another. Having said that, even though Yang Jiefang wasn't a drinker, he had to give face. He quickly picked up his cup and said, "Master Kong, we were all on different sides before, and that's just how our positions determined our thinking. There's nothing wrong with that. Apologies are too much. However, I'm still very happy that everyone trusts me. Regardless of right or wrong, let's put the past behind us. I'll drink this cup!" Then he downed it in one gulp. It was strong sorghum liquor, burning as it flowed down his throat into his stomach. Yang Jiefang had never drunk such strong liquor before, and he almost vomited, but he managed to suppress the discomfort and the smell of alcohol.

Master Kong breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I'm relieved to hear what you said, Little Master. Please eat while it's hot, let's chat as we eat!" Yang Jiefang said, "Brothers, please sit down and eat with us! I can't eat properly with you standing here like this." Master Kong nodded and let Li Yichao and Kong Zongru sit down together.

Li Yichao asked, "Young Master, how come you have such high military expertise at such a young age? Don't laugh at me, but I've also read some military books. But I haven't found a single word about guerrilla warfare and mobile warfare in those books." Yang Jiefang laughed, "If I told you that a genius in my mind imparted this knowledge to me, would you believe me?" Li Yichao nodded seriously and said, "I believe you." Yang Jiefang said, "You actually believe me just because I said it casually?" Li Yichao said, "Besides that, I really can't understand where you learned these military strategies from?"

Master Kong agreed, "Some people are like that, born with knowledge that defies logic. Zongru, you should learn from the young master." Kong Zongru replied, "Yes. Young master, to be honest, although I can't handle guns, I've never submitted to anyone since I was a child. But I truly submit to you! I'm completely convinced. It's normal that Xiaolan likes you. You two are a match made in heaven. I just hope you won't let her down in the future! I treat her like my own sister now." Yang Jiefang replied, "Don't be discouraged. There are plenty of fish in the sea. The world is so big, and there are so many flowers. There's always a beautiful flower waiting for you." "Go pick it!" Kong Zongru smiled bitterly and said, "The flower I've carefully nurtured since childhood has been plucked by you. Come, let me toast you. After this drink, I'll let go completely. I hope we can become good brothers in the future!" Having said that, Yang Jiefang, no matter how bad at drinking, couldn't lose face. He raised his glass and said, "Alright, from now on we're brothers. As the saying goes, 'An army marches on its stomach,' so from now on, you'll be in charge of logistics! If you want to learn double-entry bookkeeping, I really can teach you." After saying this, the two finished their drinks, smiled at each other, and from then on, their enmity was forgotten.

Although the wine glasses were small, after two glasses of baijiu (Chinese liquor), Yang Jiefang felt dizzy and disoriented. He couldn't remember what he said afterward. When he regained consciousness, it was already the morning of the next day. Opening his eyes, he saw Gao Huilan looking at him with concern. Yang Jiefang sat up abruptly and realized he was in his own room. Apart from Gao Huilan, there was no one else inside. Outside, the sun was shining brightly; it was a beautiful day, and the weather was getting warmer.

Gao Huilan asked, "How are you feeling? Better? You really can't hold your liquor! I thought you were just being modest." Yang Jiefang asked, "What are you doing here? Where is everyone else?" Gao Huilan replied, "They've all gone to training. You were so drunk, someone had to take care of you! Your sister is at Xujiadian down the mountain, so I had to watch over you." Yang Jiefang laughed, "Thank you. It was worth getting drunk this time. I didn't expect the Kong family father and son to change so much and so quickly. Now we can focus on development." Gao Huilan said, "We have to thank Mr. Lu Xun! Using 'Call to Arms' as teaching material was a wise move. I heard that after Master Kong read it, it was like a sudden awakening. He suddenly understood, slapped himself a few times, said he was Kong Yiji, and even cried bitterly. Then he changed his ways. He initially demanded that his brothers be taught to read in order to seize power, but now he genuinely wants to educate people." Was it really that exaggerated? Yang Jiefang was curious at first, and then he understood. Living in this era, with extraordinary life experiences, one can better appreciate the profound meaning in Mr. Lu Xun's articles, right?

Yang Jiefang still felt a bit dizzy. One advantage of grain liquor was that even if you got drunk, it wouldn't make you feel intoxicated. He leaned against the headboard and said, "Can you tell me about Master Kong? I feel his experiences are extraordinary!" Gao Huilan nodded and said, "His real name was Kong Shiye. In his words, 'Those who excel in learning should serve in government, otherwise they should live in seclusion.' Because of his 'master's' demeanor, everyone called him Master Kong, and over time, people got used to that title. He considered himself a descendant of Confucius and studied the Four Books and Five Classics from a young age, hoping to pass the imperial examinations with flying colors. But who knew? After ten years of hard study, he only passed the preliminary examination and became a mere student. The Qing court then abolished the imperial examinations and adopted modern learning. He failed the imperial examinations..." He longed for new learning, yet rejected it, naturally feeling indignant. So he traveled far and wide, contacting classmates and teachers, hoping the Qing court would reinstate the imperial examination system. Unexpectedly, after several years of this, not only did nothing happen, but the Qing Dynasty itself collapsed. With the establishment of the Republic, the Duke Yansheng relinquished his title, and the path to the imperial examinations was completely gone. His family also suffered some misfortunes, and he and his son ended up in Qinglong Village. Yang Jiefang asked, "He considered himself a descendant of Confucius, how arrogant! What misfortune could have made him lower himself to become an outlaw?" Gao Huilan sighed, "His wife ran away with someone else."