Newborn 1927

Gao Huilan asked, "Brother, what are Uncle's plans for the guard team? How many people are there, and who will be the captain?" Gao Yao replied, "We'll select a group of key members from the village and recruit some young people from nearby villages. A hundred or so people should be enough. As for the captain, there are only a few decent people in the village, so we'll just choose one. The guard team is mainly for deterring petty thieves; they can't really fight people with real weapons." Gao Huilan pressed, "Then who do you think is most suitable to be the captain?" Gao Yao said, "Gao Qiang, what do you think?" Gao Huilan shook her head and said, "Gao Qiang is capable, but he's too arrogant. Many people look down on him." "He's used to it. If he can't command respect, how can he be the captain?" Gao Yao thought for a moment, then asked, "What about Gao Ming?" Gao Huilan replied, "Him? He's a nice guy. Although everyone likes to be around him, he's indecisive. He's only suitable to be the captain's assistant, not the captain." "What about Gao Meng? He's quick and decisive, surely he'd be good?" "He's certainly bold, but he lacks strategy. He's suitable to be a vanguard, not a commander." Gao Yao laughed, "This one won't do, that one won't do either. Then tell me, who's the most suitable?" Gao Huilan puffed out her proud chest and said, "Don't you think your sister, me, is the most suitable person?"

Gao Yao stared at Gao Huilan in surprise and said, "Are you kidding me? You're a young lady, shouldn't you be at home taking care of your husband and children? What kind of person are you, going out here fighting and killing?" Gao Huilan said, "I don't like hearing that. Just give me a straight answer! Can you give me this captaincy of the guard team?" Gao Yao shook his head firmly and said, "No way. I'm telling you, Brother Yang, aren't you going to try to persuade her? That's too dangerous! Could she really have done that?" Yang Jiefang smiled, but before he could answer, Gao Huilan interrupted, "He can't control me. As for me, hehe, if I'm not willing, you won't get the money from the cooperation. Let's see how you cooperate then!" Gao Yao immediately changed his tune and said, "I've thought about it carefully, Xiaolan, you've never been any less capable than the others since you were little. Maybe I should talk to my father about it again!" Gao Huilan immediately smiled and said, "That's right. You go back first! Let's take a walk around some more." Gao Yao left with a smile on his face, feeling depressed.

Yang Jiefang said, "Don't be so smug! Even if you were made the captain, it would be a fake captain. Do you really think your uncle would let you lead the team out?" Gao Huilan said, "It doesn't matter, as long as I'm the captain. By the way, do me a favor!" Yang Jiefang said, "What do you mean by 'help'? Just tell me what it is." Gao Huilan said, "I've been thinking, this guard team needs to receive formal military training. Especially those key members in the village that my brother mentioned, could you teach them for me?" Yang Jiefang said, "That's no problem. But you have to send them to Qinglong Village." That, of course, wasn't a problem either.

Yang Jiefang discussed the details further with Gao Wen and his son, refining various aspects. Gao Yao and Gao Huilan selected twelve young men from the Gao family, including three outstanding youths: Gao Qiang, Gao Meng, and Gao Ming. They would be sent to Qinglong Village for military training and to study military theory under Yang Jiefang. Yang Jiefang and Gao Huilan each wrote a letter for them to take. In his letter, Yang Jiefang explained the cooperation and requested that the Black Widow allocate funds to the Gao family. After all, this was her husband's family; she had no reason to refuse.

As night fell, cattle and sheep returned to their pens, and weary birds returned to their nests, but Yang Jiefang led his special forces quietly out of the village. Gao Huilan and Pangya stood at the village entrance, watching them go until Yang Jiefang and his men completely disappeared into the night. She and the special forces members all knew that Yang Jiefang's real purpose in bringing so many people out wasn't to take Gao Huilan home; cooperating with the Gao family was just a side benefit. Yang Jiefang clearly had other plans. Although he hadn't said where he was going, everyone knew. After leaving the Gao family, Yang Jiefang announced directly: "From now on, we will implement covert marching, traveling at night and resting in the forest during the day. We will avoid villages and towns along the way as much as possible and will have to find our own food supplies, but we cannot violate the ten rules. Our destination is the Chu family in Yantai, where we will meet up with Chu Shiwu and Zhao Yuanbao. It's about two hundred li from here to Yantai, and I plan to get there in three nights. Any problems?" The group exchanged glances; they were all elites from Qinglong Village, and no one dared to say anything against their word, so they all said they had no problem.

Hou Fei volunteered to lead the way, with Yang Jiefang in the middle, marching quickly alongside. Around midnight, exhausted and hungry, they had to stop and rest. Sun Zhiyong, carrying a bow and arrows, used his extensive hunting experience to kill a roe deer that had come out to forage. After a simple preparation, they made a fire and roasted the meat, distributing it to everyone. Because they still had to continue their journey, they only ate until they were half full, carrying the remaining meat with them. Yang Jiefang then instructed everyone to bury the hides, the fire, and the leftover bones on the spot, ensuring no trace was left before continuing their journey.

At daybreak, the group found a sheltered, sunny valley to hide in. After finishing the remaining roe deer meat and setting up sentries, they rested on the spot. In the afternoon, everyone woke up and had to split up again to find food. Sun Zhiyong and Cao Laoba led a group to hunt; Hou Fei and a few others dug up some wild yams; Wang Yang and his men caught some fish and shrimp by the river. All the food was cooked and divided equally among the group. They couldn't eat as much as they wanted, so everyone ate half and left half. After dark, they continued their journey, shooting and taking away any wild animals they encountered. They traveled for three consecutive nights and arrived outside Yantai City as planned.

The group continued to sleep in the wilderness until noon. After resting, Hou Fei went to the Chu family home alone. He was gone for half a day, returning only in the evening, followed by Chu Shiwu. Hou Fei explained, "They're all in Yantai City, that's why I'm late." Chu Shiwu added, "Young Master, Zhao Yuanbao has been staying in the city. I go into the city every morning and return to the Chu family home in the afternoon." Yang Jiefang said, "I understand. Tell everyone what you've gathered!" Chu Shiwu agreed, "Yes."

Yan Donglai, Sun Zhiyong, and the other 24 special forces members all gathered around. Chu Shiwu said, "There is indeed a material warehouse at the foot of Xishan Fortress. The ammunition and supplies of the East China Sea Garrison Command are stored there, and Warehouse No. 3 stores munitions. Normally, a company of soldiers guards the supplies. Unlike other companies, this is a full-strength company with more than 120 people. They guard it very strictly, and outsiders are not allowed to get close at all. We can't find out what's going on inside. However, we did find out a little about a quartermaster named Wu in the headquarters. This man is from the same hometown as Zhang Zongchang, and relying on this connection, he is extremely arrogant! Like Zhang Zongchang, he is greedy for money and lustful, and a miser who only takes in and never gives out. We don't know how much of the stuff in that warehouse he has sold off."

Yang Jiefang interjected, "Explain yourself more clearly. How exactly is he arrogant, greedy, and lecherous?" Chu Shiwu replied, "Isn't he in charge of military supplies? Normally, he can delay or deduct soldiers' pay at will. In Yantai, no matter which unit you're in, you can't get any supplies without giving them bribes. Not only does he make money off the army, but he also preys on the merchants of Yantai. Isn't Brother Yi opening a fish processing plant? Even before it's officially open, many departments have come knocking, and he's among them. You once said you wanted to keep an eye on this quartermaster. Brother Yi proactively approached him, and guess what? He directly demanded 50% of the shares. Think about it, over the years, who knows how many people he's extorted." Yang Jiefang laughed, "It's alright, just consider it money for peace!"

Chu Shiwu continued, "This man has a mistress outside, a young woman named Bai He. She's indescribably beautiful! And her demeanor is so elegant; if you didn't know her, you'd think she was a lady from a wealthy family. It's a pity! She can only hide in secret. Wu Junxu's wife is a shrew; if she finds out, she'll definitely sell her to a brothel. I heard she's done it before. Wu Junxu has a son, about our age, also a good-for-nothing, spending his days eating, drinking, gambling, and smoking, never doing anything productive."

After Chu Shiwu finished speaking, Yang Jiefang said, "Everyone heard that. This Wu Junxu is our target for this operation. My requirements are to obtain as much weaponry as possible while ensuring our own safety. Also, Wu Junxu must have made a lot of money over the years, so we need to find a way to make him return it all. Now, you guys come up with the action plan, and I will review it."

Everyone pondered the situation. Gui Liqiu blurted out, "We kidnapped Director Li last time, so why not just do the same and kidnap Wu Junxu? Wouldn't that solve everything?" Yan Donglai said, "We definitely need to kidnap him, but the key is how. Chu Shiwu, do you know Wu Junxu's daily whereabouts?" Chu Shiwu replied, "He lives at the headquarters, and every time he goes out, he's surrounded by about ten people. He's a coward; it's unlikely he can kidnap someone in the city." Gui Liqiu asked, "Does he bring people with him when he goes to his mistress's place?" Chu Shiwu nodded, "That's right. And he never stays there overnight; he always goes during the day. It's like visiting a brothel; he's done and leaves. Judging by how long he stays there, he's probably not very good in that area." Everyone smiled knowingly, and Gui Liqiu scolded, "If you don't have the ability, why keep a mistress? You'll be drained dry sooner or later."

Sun Zhiyong said, "Could we start with the people around him? Like his wife or son?" Chu Shiwu said, "Their relationship isn't very good, so kidnapping his wife probably won't work. Maybe we can start with his son! After all, he's his only son, so he can't ignore him." Sun Zhiyong said, "His son probably has that many people protecting him too, right?" Chu Shiwu shook his head and said, "No, he usually has two bodyguards." Liu Yishou interjected, "You just said his son is a gambler, whore, and drug addict. Does he gamble often?" Chu Shiwu said, "Yes, he gambles often, but unfortunately, he has bad sportsmanship. He's happy when he wins, but he tries to renege on his debts when he loses. People who know him don't want to gamble with him." Liu Yishou turned around, clapping his hands, and said, "Young Master, could you make an exception and let me gamble with him?"

Yang Jiefang said, "Tell me your plan first!" Liu Yishou said, "The worse a person's gambling character is, the more they gamble. People who know him don't want to gamble with him, so he'll definitely gamble with strangers. I doubt many people in Yantai remember my face, at least this little rascal doesn't know me, and I don't know him, so we're a perfect match. If we beat him, it's fine if he doesn't renege on his debt, but if he does, we can kidnap him openly. Debts must be repaid, it's only right, no one will say anything. Then, whether we get guns or money, it's up to us, isn't it?" Yang Jiefang said, "That's a good idea. Are you sure you can beat him?" Liu Yishou patted his chest and said, "Our skills are absolutely top-notch in Yantai. With his looks, if he were skilled, would he be a deadbeat? The worse a person's gambling character is, the worse their gambling skills are." Yang Jiefang said, "Since you're confident, I'll make an exception and allow you to gamble during the operation. But remember, you're only gambling for the operation."

Liu Yishou was overjoyed and said, "That little rascal has two bodyguards with him. I can't handle this alone; I'll need to ask a few brothers to come with me." Yan Donglai said, "You can choose anyone. Whoever you pick will go with you and follow your orders." Liu Yishou chose Liu Heizi and Tiedan. Yan Donglai said, "The three of you will be in the open, and I'll bring two more people to assist you in the shadows. The rest of you will wait outside the city. Little Boss, do you think this will work?" Yang Jiefang shook his head and said, "The plan isn't perfect yet."

Sun Zhiyong said, "We can't just sit around waiting outside the city. Tonight, we'll go scout out the Xishan armory. If we can successfully launch a surprise attack, then we can take the weapons as we please. If it's not suitable for a surprise attack, we should at least find out the surrounding situation first." Yang Jiefang nodded in agreement.

Gui Liqiu said, "And that mistress, I think we can make a fuss about her too. Generally speaking, the thing these mistresses who can't be seen in public want most is to become the legal wife. Besides, as Fifteen just said, once her identity is exposed, she might be sold to a brothel. To protect herself, she'd probably be more than happy if we killed the legal wife. We can use this to our advantage and cooperate with her. If she can get Wu Junxu out of the city, things will be much easier." Yang Jiefang said, "Our actions cannot harm the innocent; that's the bottom line. Fifteen, what kind of person is that woman named Bai He?" Chu Fifteen thought for a moment and said, "She doesn't seem like a bad person. She speaks softly and gently, and she especially likes small animals. By the way, she keeps a white cat as a pet, and she holds it in her arms all day long; she loves it!" Gui Liqiu said, "Liking small animals doesn't make someone a bad person? I like small animals too." (Thinking to himself: I like to eat them.) Chu Shiwu ignored him and continued, "Wu Junxu's wife is indeed no good person. She's ugly and has a bad temper. She gets upset when she sees pretty girls or wives on the street and calls them vixens."

Yang Jiefang said, "Bai He will remain unmoved for now. I will go into the city tomorrow to observe and then make a decision. Let's follow Liu Yishou's plan and target Wu Junxu's son. It would be best to lure Wu Junxu out of the city. Brother Sun, be careful to guide him outside the city. We can monitor the armory, but we must not take any risks."

And so the matter was decided. After dark, the group that planned to go into town the next day went to the Chu family's house with Chu Shiwu. Sun Zhiyong led the rest of the group to the Xishan arsenal for reconnaissance.