Newborn 1927

On the morning of the fourth day after Yang Jiefang's assassination, two horse-drawn carriages sped into Qinglong Village. News had already spread from Xujiadian, and the carriages carried doctors brought from Yantai specifically to treat Yang Jiefang. Jiang Tingxuan was among them, leading the way on horseback. The gates of Qinglong Village were wide open, without any obstruction. Bai Lang, Peng Dahu, and other team leaders, having heard the news, rushed to the gate to greet them. Five people alighted from the carriages. Jiang Tingxuan briefly introduced them: one was an internist named Liu Licheng; two surgeons, the older one named Yuan Zhengyang and the younger one his student Lu Bin; a pharmacist named Wu Yiheng; and the last, a young and pretty woman, a nurse named Yuan Zhifu, Yuan Zhengyang's daughter. They were all brought in from Yuhuangding Hospital in Yantai. The carriages also carried a large box of Western medicine and a box of medical equipment. The Jiang family had gone to great lengths and spent a considerable sum this time.

The group led the doctors to Yang Jiefang's room. Jiang Xiaojun was overjoyed, as if she had seen a savior. She immediately chased Gao Huilan out of the room to make room for the doctors, thus avenging herself for what happened that day. Finally, she also left the room and stood guard at the door to talk to her brother.

Several doctors immediately sprang into action. Internal medicine doctor Liu Licheng took out a stethoscope; the young surgeon Lu Bin pulled out a pair of scissors and began snipping away the strips of cloth wrapped around Yang Jiefang's hands and feet, muttering as he cut, "These tattered strips of cloth are obviously not sterilized; no wonder he hasn't woken up after so many days." His movements were swift and fierce, not only cutting open the cloth but also casually discarding the herbs wrapped inside. Even worse, he cut open Yang Jiefang's only remaining pair of shorts from both sides, presumably because he thought they were too dirty and wanted to throw them away. Yang Jiefang felt a sudden emptiness and a chill below, and unable to bear it any longer, he opened his eyes and said slowly, "I know you are all professional doctors, and you're used to naked patients. At least show some consideration for the patient's dignity; cover up what needs to be covered!"

Internal medicine doctor Liu Licheng was about to examine Yang Jiefang's pupils when Yang opened his eyes, startling him. Lu Bin, who was holding Yang's underwear, sneered, "A little mudskipper who hasn't even grown his pubic hair yet, who cares to look at him?" As he said this, he casually covered Yang Jiefang with the underwear. Yang Jiefang thought he sometimes had a sharp tongue, but who knew this guy would go even further? If he weren't restrained, he would have kicked him and rubbed his mouth into the ground. Was there really such a mean person?

Yuan Zhengyang spoke up, "Didn't you say you were still unconscious? You don't look like you just woke up." Yang Jiefang said, "If I hadn't made it sound more serious, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to get you all here." Yuan Zhengyang looked around at the group and said, "Let's examine you first! Since you're here, we should give Old Master Jiang an explanation." The group then fell silent and began their thorough examination. After a careful examination, they quickly arrived at a preliminary diagnosis. Yuan Zhengyang stood in front of Yang Jiefang and said, "You're recovering well. As long as you don't do strenuous exercise, you can get out of bed and walk around a bit. Hmm, these herbs have had some effect; you should continue with the herbal treatment. We can't be of much help, so we won't bother you any longer." His implication was that he was about to leave the mountain.

With war looming, Yang Jiefang was worried about the lack of a field hospital. How could he let these doctors, who had come to his doorstep, go? He immediately said, "You're already here, what's the rush? Let's stay for a couple of days!" Yuan Zhengyang replied, "Given your physical condition, you don't need us at all. But there are people in Yantai waiting for us to perform surgery." Yang Jiefang replied, "I might not need you now, but I definitely will in a couple of days. You must be tired from coming all the way from Yantai. Rest for a couple of days and get your energy ready for the upcoming surgeries." Yuan Zhengyang frowned slightly and said, "We'll talk about what happens in a couple of days. If surgery is really needed, we can send the person to Yantai. Or we can come back again." Yang Jiefang shook his head and said, "That's too much trouble! Let's stay for now! We'll keep your wages, no, we'll double them." Yuan Zhengyang fell silent.

Lu Bin sneered, "So you're not planning to let us go back, are you?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Don't say that. I'm just asking you to stay a few more days, that's all. Anyway, Yantai city doesn't need a few more doctors, does it? But I really can't do without you guys!"

Yuan Zhengyang said, "I understand. But I can't stay idle. A few days or two are fine, but if it goes on for too long, I get restless. How about this? We'll stay here for three days. If we still have nothing to do after three days, we'll come down the mountain immediately, and you can't stop us." Yang Jiefang agreed without hesitation, saying, "No need to wait three days. I really do have something I need your help with. There's a young woman who was burned as a child, disfiguring her. I've been looking for a good surgeon to perform plastic surgery on her! Are you confident you can take on this job?" Yuan Zhengyang asked, "Is it the young woman we met when we came in?" Yang Jiefang nodded, "That's right, it's her. She was a good girl, but fate was unfair, disfiguring her. If she can recover even a little, it will boost her confidence. Her future will be different." Yuan Zhengyang nodded, "Okay, I agree." He was the backbone of the group; once he agreed, the others didn't object. Of course, they knew they had no other choice.

Lu Bin suddenly spoke up, "Teacher, I'm afraid I can't handle such delicate procedures as plastic surgery; you'll have to be the surgeon. However, I'm not without work. Since he'll be bedridden for a few more days, why don't I practice and circumcise him?" Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Yang Jiefang. Even with his thick skin, Yang Jiefang felt embarrassed and his face immediately turned purple. He forced a smile and said, "No need for that!" Lu Bin changed to a smiling face and advised, "As the saying goes, 'Don't shy away from a doctor's advice.' As a doctor, I'm telling you, if that thing isn't cut, it won't work properly. I heard you're Mr. Jiang's son-in-law. It's alright if your thing doesn't work, but don't harm Miss Jiang." Looking at his smug face, it was impossible to find fault with him. Yang Jiefang knew he was doing it on purpose, but there was nothing he could do. As a person from later generations, he wasn't ashamed of this hidden ailment, but how could he dare entrust his manhood to this man to operate on? Seeing Yang Jiefang's discomfiture, Lu Bin became even more smug and said, "I know you can't accept it right away. Take your time to think it over. Once you've made up your mind, just let me know, and my scalpel will be ready for you at any time."

Yuan Zhengyang snapped, "Alright, Xiao Lu, that's enough." He turned back and said, "Should I go out and explain the situation to everyone? I think Mr. and Miss Jiang are still waiting for our news." Yang Jiefang replied, "Go out and tell everyone that you rescued me. Because my injuries are quite severe, I need to rest in bed for a few days." Everyone understood what he meant and went out to do as Yang Jiefang said.

When everyone heard that Yang Jiefang had woken up, they were overjoyed. Jiang Xiaojun was the first to rush in; if it weren't for Yang Jiefang's injuries, she would have loved to throw herself into his arms. She glanced back at Gao Huilan and said, "I told you, traditional Chinese medicine won't work. To cure illnesses and save lives, you need Western medicine." Gao Huilan felt she had lost a round and remained silent with a sullen face. Yang Jiefang retorted, "Don't talk nonsense! Traditional Chinese medicine has its strengths, and Western medicine has its uses." Jiang Xiaojun immediately complained, "I'm not talking nonsense! You don't know. That Dr. Sun that someone found looks old and has no skills. He didn't even manage to save anyone, yet he dared to prescribe medicine. I really don't know where he got his confidence!" Gao Huilan couldn't help but retort, "Dr. Sun said long ago that he only needed a few days of treatment to wake up. Now that he's awake, it's hard to say it's not the result of Dr. Sun's treatment."

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Yang Jiefang quickly said, "Alright, stop talking. Although I've been unconscious for the past few days, I'm still quite conscious. Please arrange for these doctors who treated me to stay here. What's the situation in the stronghold now? Please tell me!" Jiang Xiaojun didn't care about the situation in the stronghold; Gao Huilan did. She gave a brief explanation. Before he could finish, Black Widow and the other leaders of the stronghold rushed over, crowding Yang Jiefang's room. It immediately became a meeting place, and Yang Jiefang held a meeting on the spot while lying on the bed.

Yang Jiefang didn't rush to deal with the government's encirclement and suppression. Instead, he said, "From now on, people entering and leaving the mountain stronghold must be strictly controlled. The news of my awakening must not be leaked. Continue to claim that I am still unconscious and receiving intensive care." No one objected, and the matter was settled.

Yang Jiefang continued, "War is imminent, and I've decided to establish a field hospital in our Qinglong Village. I'll appoint 'Medicine Pot' as the hospital's director, responsible for its establishment and daily management. The hospital will have departments of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Western Internal Medicine, and Western Surgery. Although we don't have many doctors yet, let's get the organizational structure in place first. Also, we'll select some quick-witted and agile women from within our village to serve as nurses in the field hospital, and let them learn professional nursing skills from the new nurse who arrived today." This field hospital was a matter of life and death for the brothers, so no one could object; everyone unanimously agreed.

The biggest concern for everyone was how to deal with the joint siege of Qinglong Village by the three counties. After arranging the field hospital, Yang Jiefang said directly, "This joint siege by the three counties looks intimidating, but it's not scary at all. First, let's analyze the enemy's composition. Each of these three counties has a police force of over two hundred people, their elite. We've fought against them, and their combat effectiveness is truly nothing to write home about. As for those hastily assembled security regiments, they're just a bunch of farmers, their combat effectiveness is even less impressive. On the other hand, our Qinglong Village, after this period of rigorous training, has individual combat skills that these garrison and security regiments can't match. With equal weaponry, one against three is no problem at all." At the end of last year, Yang Jiefang led a team that hadn't undergone rigorous training and defeated the Laiyang County garrison by taking on three opponents. Now, with a rigorously trained team, facing a security regiment even worse than the garrison, taking on three, or even ten, is no problem. Everyone felt much more at ease after hearing this.

Yang Jiefang continued, "Secondly, the three counties are located in three directions, which means that the three enemy forces are located in three different directions. It is not realistic for these three enemy forces to join forces in one place before attacking us. I estimate that they will adopt a strategy of advancing separately and then attacking in a coordinated manner to encircle and annihilate us. These three enemy forces are at varying distances from us, and it will not be easy for them to reach our Qinglong Village at the same time. This gives us an opportunity to take advantage of the situation."

Bai Lang agreed, "Little Boss, you mean we can take them down one by one, just like we did with the Laiyang County garrison last year?" Everyone else realized this too. If they faced only one group of enemies at a time, it would be easier; at most, it would be a one-against-three situation. Everyone was confident of winning this battle, and the atmosphere immediately relaxed. So, which group should they attack first? In terms of distance, Haiyang County was the furthest, while Laiyang County and Qixia County were about the same distance. Everyone discussed it, and in the end, they all agreed to attack the Laiyang County group first, for no other reason than that Tian Wu was among that group of enemies.

Yang Jiefang said, “The government hasn’t started its operation yet, so discussing which route to attack first is meaningless. However, it’s still necessary for us to make some arrangements in advance. Bai Lang’s Wolf Detachment is in the south, responsible for monitoring the enemy force in Haiyang County; Peng Dahu’s Tiger Detachment is in the north, responsible for monitoring the enemy force in Qixia County. If the troops in these two counties make any unusual movements, you must report to me immediately. Before my orders arrive, your task is to hold off the enemy as much as possible and prevent them from advancing quickly. Remember! Never engage the enemy in a direct confrontation! They outnumber you, and you will suffer losses if you fight them head-on.”

Bai Lang laughed, "Don't worry, I've fought guerrilla warfare with you before, I know how to fight. You tell me how long to stall, and I'll stall for that long; you tell me where to drag them, and I'll drag them there." Yang Jiefang trusted Bai Lang quite a bit, then turned to look at Peng Dahu. Peng Dahu said, "Young Master, I'm not very bright, I'm afraid I can't handle the flexible guerrilla warfare. But you said that honest people fighting a war of attrition is also a method. Qixia County has many mountains, plenty of places suitable for ambushes and defenses. As long as I have a breath left, I won't let a single enemy get through."

Hearing their words, Yang Jiefang said, "It's good that you have this determination. Don't act recklessly. I'll leave these two directions to you two brothers. As for the enemy in Laiyang County, let our Jiefang team handle them!" Lin Baozi and Li Yichao immediately chimed in, "What about us?" Yang Jiefang said, "You also have a very important task, which is to keep an eye on Hei Xiazi of Rushan Village. Don't forget, Hei Xiazi has always been our Qinglong Village's mortal enemy. In addition, Li the Carpenter has defected to Hei Xiazi, so we have to be on guard! Normally, they won't join forces with the government to encircle and annihilate us, but we must prepare for the worst. You keep an eye on them! If he doesn't move, you shouldn't act either; if Hei Xiazi's main force moves out, you should try to launch a surprise attack on his stronghold." Lin Baozi and Li Yichao immediately understood and agreed at the same time. Lin Baozi said, "If he sends a small force to fish in troubled waters, we'll wipe them out on the way!" Yang Jiefang replied, "You can decide for yourselves then. But don't forget to send the message back to Qinglong Village." The Leopard Detachment and the Dragon Detachment together number two to three hundred men, well-equipped and well-trained. With equal numbers, they are confident they can wipe out Hei Xiazi's forces.