Newborn 1927

A robust middle-aged woman jogged into the kitchen, calling out, "Young Master... the Chief invites you!" Yang Jiefang turned around and said, "Miss Jiang, although we're currently in the mountain stronghold, I want to lead the brothers onto the right path. Therefore, I need to learn more about the outside world. You grew up in Yantai, and your father is a government official; could you tell me more about your experiences?" This time, Jiang Xiaojun didn't refuse, saying, "Sure." However, the Chief had summoned her for business, so they couldn't discuss it in detail. Jiang Xiaojun turned to Chu Gu and said, "We should go back now." Chu Gu agreed, and the two walked hand in hand. Yang Jiefang smiled slightly and followed behind them, arriving at the courtyard where the Black Widow lived. Jiang Xiaojun and Chu Gu went to the backyard, while Yang Jiefang went to the front living room.

Several people were seated in the living room. Besides Black Widow, all the elders from the mountain, including Master Kong, Niu Sanbian, Old Wu, Carpenter Li, Tian Wu, and Medicine Pot, were present. Seeing the solemn expressions on everyone's faces, Yang Jiefang knew something important must have happened. He stepped forward to greet them and asked, "Chief, what brings you here?" Black Widow replied, "Someone on the mountain wants to pull up the incense sticks and wants to ask your opinion." Yang Jiefang asked in surprise, "Pull up the incense sticks? Who wants to pull up the incense sticks?"

"Pulling out the incense sticks" is a ritual performed when an important member of the group leaves. Since joining involves lighting incense and kowtowing, leaving naturally involves pulling out the incense sticks – a respectable act. Generally, if the reason is valid and the others believe he won't betray his brothers, they won't make things difficult for him and will let him leave. However, if someone distrusts him and stabs him in the back while he's pulling out the incense sticks, he has no one to blame but himself; usually, no one will stand up for him. Therefore, pulling out the incense sticks is risky, and it's usually discussed beforehand with the other members, requiring their unanimous consent before proceeding.

Carpenter Li and Tian Wu stood up almost simultaneously and said, "It's us. We're getting old, and we don't have the same drive as when we were young. We just want a few years of peace. Please, Young Master, let us go down the mountain! We know the rules of the underworld; we promise not to say a word about what we should or shouldn't say." Yang Jiefang nodded and said, "I understand. Do you two have any requests?" The two exchanged glances, and Carpenter Li said, "We've been in Qinglong Village for over twenty years, always loyal and devoted. We wouldn't dare say we've done anything particularly meritorious, but we've certainly put in some hard work. The village isn't short of money now; if you could give us a few silver dollars so we can settle down back home, we would be extremely grateful." Yang Jiefang understood. He wanted to lead his brothers to do something big, but some people weren't willing. They had tried to stop him before, and when they couldn't, they wanted to quit. Everyone has their own ambitions, and you can't force them. Yang Jiefang turned to the Black Widow and said, "Boss, I have no objections." The Black Widow said, "They want ten thousand silver dollars as a resettlement fee, and you have no objections either?" Yang Jiefang sneered inwardly. These two were truly greedy, thinking they could become incredibly wealthy with that money, unaware that in this chaotic world, such money would only bring them death. They might understand this principle, or perhaps they were just hoping for a lucky break or had something to rely on, but Yang Jiefang didn't want to concern himself with that. He replied, "It's entirely up to you, Boss! If you think it's acceptable, then I have no objections." Carpenter Li and Tian Wu both breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at the Black Widow.

The Black Widow, her face dark, said in a deep voice, "If you want to leave, I won't stop you; if you want some money to settle down, I can give you that. But although the stronghold is rich now, it wasn't accumulated over the years, but rather earned by the young leader and his gang risking their lives. This has little to do with you. It's not that I'm being unkind, but I want to treat everyone fairly. Forget about the ten thousand silver dollars. Considering your hard work over the years, you two will each take three thousand silver dollars, and the rest of you will take one thousand. Go back and be rich!"

Carpenter Li and Tian Wu were overjoyed and quickly bowed, saying, "Thank you, Chief! Thank you, Junior Chief!" Three other men of similar age also came forward to express their gratitude. It turned out that five people wanted to withdraw from the group with their money. Niu Sanbian roared, "You bunch of ungrateful bastards! Don't call yourselves brothers anymore!" Carpenter Li looked ashamed and said, "In the future, if any of my brothers happen to pass by my door, please come over! I will still treat you like a brother." The others echoed, "Me too." Niu Sanbian snorted coldly and turned his head away. Black Widow called out loudly, "Anyone else want to withdraw their incense sticks? Bring them up! We'll open the incense hall tomorrow, and we'll all withdraw ours and leave." Carpenter Li, Tian Wu, and the others agreed and all got up to leave. The crowd watched them leave, their expressions varying—some shaking their heads and sighing, some with indignation, and some simply ignoring them.

After the group left, Black Widow continued, "Young Master, you've seized so much this time, how should we reward those who participated in the operation?" Yang Jiefang replied, "I think the main reward should be spiritual, with material rewards as a supplement. Everyone involved, including the intelligence team, should receive a collective second-class merit! Currently, we've promised a compensation of one hundred silver dollars for the fallen, so let's cap that on the rewards for the survivors—one hundred silver dollars each!" Black Widow frowned, "Won't the brothers object to such a small reward?" Yang Jiefang said, "I'll only take this much for myself, what objections could they possibly have? Future rewards will follow this example. As long as it's fair and just, no one will complain." Black Widow nodded in agreement and then inquired about the next steps. Yang Jiefang's public sharing of his ideas was met with unanimous support from everyone present.

The news that Li the carpenter and his companions wanted to leave the partnership quickly spread throughout the mountain village, but everyone quickly forgot about it and didn't take it to heart.

The next morning, after the morning run, Yang Jiefang arranged for the distribution of firearms. Each person received a rifle, and those at the company commander level and above received a Mauser pistol. Everyone was very excited, clutching their guns like precious treasures, even though they were unloaded. Yang Jiefang then addressed the group, adding shooting posture training to their daily drills. Shooting postures were divided into standing, kneeling, and prone positions, and everyone was required to choose one posture each day and practice for at least half an hour. Training in disassembling, assembling, and maintaining firearms was also added.

After arranging these things, Yang Jiefang selected a squad from the PLA special forces and assigned it to Shanpao for training, forming a mortar squad. This had been agreed upon on the way back. Shanpao was an artilleryman before going up the mountain, and was named for his ability to operate mountain guns, so mortars were naturally no problem for him. At first, he was a bit arrogant and wanted to go back to his original squad as its captain, turning it into a mortar squad. Yang Jiefang reprimanded him, threatening to kick him out of the special forces and send him back to being a low-ranking officer. Shanpao quickly begged to stay in artillery, and only then did Yang Jiefang let him go, making him the captain of the mortar squad.

Yang Jiefang then approached Peng Dahu, asking if any of his men knew how to operate heavy machine guns. Peng Dahu laughed, "I used to be the squad leader of a heavy machine gun platoon. I've seen those two Maxims; they're domestically made copies, and they work." Yang Jiefang said, "I'll give you two choices: one is to join my Liberation Army as the leader of a machine gun squad; the other is to teach them how to use and maintain heavy machine guns and continue as the leader of your Tiger Squad." Was there even a choice? Peng Dahu immediately said that he was reluctant to leave his Tiger Squad brothers, but he could wholeheartedly teach the heavy machine gun squad members how to operate the heavy machine guns. The subsequent training required little intervention from Yang Jiefang and was arranged by each squad independently.

As noon approached, the Qinglong Stronghold sounded the assembly horn once more. Under the command of their respective captains, the heroes quickly assembled. Although the formation was still somewhat disordered, it was much better and quieter than before. Black Widow, leading the various leaders, stood on the platform above the training ground and announced loudly: "Brothers, today five veteran brothers wish to withdraw from the stronghold. This has been agreed upon by our leaders and all the managers and commanders. We hope you will understand and not make things difficult for them. Anyone here who wishes to leave should do so openly and honestly. As long as the reason is sufficient and you can guarantee not to reveal our stronghold's secrets, Qinglong Stronghold will send them off with courtesy and a certain amount of money based on their length of service and contributions."

The people below remained silent, listening attentively. Black Widow didn't waste any words. She summoned Li the Carpenter and his four companions to explain their reasons to the rest of the group. The five men stepped forward one by one, each giving a similar explanation: they claimed to be old and useless, wanting to retire and live out their days. Whether true or false, at least they had a plausible reason; no one objected, and the matter was approved.

Next, Black Widow led the stewards and leaders into the Hall of Righteousness. Black Widow lit a stick of incense and placed it before the statue of Guan Yu, then stepped aside. Li the Carpenter, Tian Wu, and the other four knelt on the ground in unison, shouting, "Lord Guan above, the chief and junior chief in the center, we have wandered the mountains for over twenty years, grateful for your care and kindness. We leave today, hoping for your forgiveness. When we meet again, we will still be brothers. Heaven above, earth below, may those who do not keep their word be struck by lightning!" After speaking, they all rose and took three sticks of incense each. Black Widow waved her hand, and several strong widows brought the money prepared for the five men to them. It contained gold and silver, a heavy weight indeed. The five men were very happy, wrapped it in red cloth from the wooden tray, carried it on their shoulders, bid a final farewell to everyone, and left with the incense. According to custom, they had to descend the mountain before the incense in their hands burned out.

Yang Jiefang followed the group out of the gathering hall and escorted them to the gate of the mountain stronghold. All five men had wives and children, and had already packed their belongings, waiting at the gate. The five men reunited with their families and happily headed down the mountain. Only Li the carpenter's son, the young carpenter, turned back and shouted, "Little Master, can I stay? I want to come with you!" Li the carpenter scolded him and forcibly pulled him away. Yang Jiefang laughed, "You're still young. Go home with your parents! When you grow up, if you still want to come with me, you're welcome anytime." The young carpenter reluctantly agreed, which drew another scolding from Li the carpenter.

As the group slowly descended the mountain, a fast horse galloped uphill. When the man and horse reached the entrance of the stronghold, Yang Jiefang recognized the rider as Chu Yi; he then instructed the guards not to stop them. Chu Yi had obviously also seen Yang Jiefang and his group, and rode straight up to them before stopping.

Black Widow spoke first, asking, "Chu Yi, what brings you up the mountain?" Chu Yi, sweating profusely and panting, replied, "Boss, Little Boss, brothers, long time no see. I have some important news to tell you all, so I came." Yang Jiefang asked, "What news? Don't rush, tell me slowly." Chu Yi wiped his sweat as he spoke, "Little Boss pulled off a big heist in Yantai this time, turning the whole city into chaos. The underworld and the legitimate world clashed over that box supposedly worth three million silver dollars, resulting in many deaths and injuries. The East China Sea Garrison Command has issued orders to conduct a purge of the East China Sea region. Black Bear's Rushan Village and our Qinglong Village are among those targeted."

Everyone tensed up immediately. Chu Yi grabbed a water pouch from his waist, gulped down several mouthfuls, and continued, "Wu, the quartermaster of the garrison command, was caught red-handed by his wife for having a mistress. He ran away with her, taking the armory's ammunition and the guards with him. It's speculated that he went to Rushan Village to join Hei Xiazi. It's said that the two have been secretly in contact and doing business together; they're practically in cahoots. The East China Sea garrison command is short of ammunition and heavily in arrears with pay, so they're applying for replenishment. If they can get the supplies, they might really have to go out of the city to suppress the bandits. Boss, boss, brothers, we need to prepare early!"

Yang Jiefang knew that Zhang Zongchang was leading the Zhili-Shandong Allied Army south to resist the Northern Expeditionary Army. He couldn't possibly attend to this minor matter in Jiaodong. It wouldn't be easy for the East China Sea Garrison Command to replenish ammunition and pay. So he said, "By the time they get their ammunition, our troops will be almost fully trained. We can use them as practice then. Therefore, all captains must rigorously train their men and strengthen their combat readiness." Bai Lang chimed in, "We have plenty of men, guns, and ammunition now. If they dare to come, we guarantee they won't return." The others agreed.

Chu Yi pulled something from his pocket and said, "Little Boss, look at this." Yang Jiefang took it and saw it was a bronze plaque with the image of the Tianjin city gate. He couldn't help but ask, "What is this?" Chu Yi replied, "This is the badge of the British-controlled Chinese Regiment of Weihaiwei. I got it from a retired veteran of the regiment. Black Bear from Rushan Village has one of these badges. This badge represents their achievement in capturing Tianjin." Yang Jiefang clenched his fist and said fiercely, "These traitors and sellouts deserve to be torn to pieces!" "Brother, Yantai City is in complete chaos right now. Think of a way to plant a few spies in the garrison command." Chu Yi replied, "That's already underway, and we've also planted people in Rushan Village. However, the ten thousand silver dollars you gave me back then isn't much left." Yang Jiefang understood his meaning and said, "Money isn't a problem. Qinglong Village isn't short of funds right now. Chief, could you approve another ten thousand silver dollars for Brother Chu Yi's operating expenses?" Black Widow replied, "You can decide on such a small matter; don't ask me."