Chapter Ninety-Two: Sharpening Blades in Anticipation of Battle

"I understand. Did the brothers continue their training after the Japanese left?"

Jin Dadao replied, "Of course they did. They haven't missed a single day. Zhang Zuolin and Brother Feng's men both came by as well. When I went to pick up Xianhe, I missed him; I inquired and found out that Zhang Zuolin had snatched him away first."

Yang Xiaolin was stunned. "What? Is Zhang Zuolin so unscrupulous? Did he harm Xianhe?"

Jin Dadao shook his head. "Not at all. I asked Tang Dahu to go and inquire with him. Zhang Zuolin said that since we spared his life at Gulu Mountain, him nursing Xianhe back to health settles the score between us. He originally intended to have you deliver a message upon your return, saying he would send Xianhe back and then discuss some matters with you. But as soon as he heard the news about you kidnapping the foreigners, he released Xianhe immediately and sent word that if we ever meet in the future, we should act as if we have never seen each other."

Yang Xiaolin gave a bitter smile. "So, Xianhe is back?"

"He’s back. Brother Feng had also come looking for you. That kid Zhang Zuolin is now an officer in the Fengtian government, with over a thousand men under his command, and he’s become quite arrogant. Brother Feng wanted to take him down and originally came to ask for our help."

Jin Dadao stopped there, but Yang Xiaolin could guess the rest. Feng Delin must have also cut off contact once he heard about the kidnapping. It seemed that because of the kidnapping, "Yang the Ghost" had become a foul-smelling plague that no one wanted to touch; even bandits like Zhang Zuolin and Feng Delin were steering clear, terrified of being associated with him.

"Is there anything else?"

Jin Dadao said, "The rest is good news. Everyone knows your name now. The mountain strongholds in the Changbai Mountains have basically all sent representatives. Following the old customs, they have sent us money and grain, saying they are counting on our protection."

Yang Xiaolin realized immediately that this was not necessarily good news. The hunters living in those strongholds were clearly afraid of Yang the Ghost’s reputation and feared he would come to raid them. They were sending tribute in hopes that he would follow the old rules: take the money and refrain from causing trouble.

He looked at Jin Dadao. "Did you accept the money and grain?"

Jin Dadao replied, "I did. If I hadn't, they wouldn't have felt at ease."

This made perfect sense. Bandits lived by raiding, and given Yang Xiaolin’s current reputation, others would assume he had no reason to show mercy. If he refused the protection money, they would only suspect that Yang the Ghost had already set his sights on their strongholds.

Yang Xiaolin thought for a moment. "Fine. Have Clerk Kong keep a record of who gave us what, and after the autumn harvest, we will return it to them. The discipline I laid down cannot be ignored; if we take things from the common people, we must pay for them."

At the mention of discipline, Jin Dadao’s expression shifted. "Commander, after 'Erganzi' returned, I gave him a severe beating. I have also stripped him of his rank as a platoon leader. Do you think further punishment is needed?"

Jin Dadao was clearly trying to protect the man. Yang Xiaolin didn't say anything further; in the Chinese mindset, there was a custom against double jeopardy for the same offense. Since Jin Dadao had already punished him, he would let it be. If he were to override Jin Dadao’s decision, it would be an insult to both of them. Moreover, Yang Xiaolin didn't find Erganzi’s actions hateful so much as ridiculous. The fool actually thought he could settle down with a Russian woman just because he had slept with her once—he was truly dim-witted.

"Any decision you make in my absence is my decision. Since he has already been punished, let it go. By the way, is Erganzi still planning to leave?"

Jin Dadao glared. "He wouldn't dare! Besides, where would he go? That kid is a complete mess; he’s incapable of anything except being a bandit with us."

Yang Xiaolin said, "Assemble the brothers. I want to see our troops! We are about to go to war, and we have a little time left. I will lead the brothers in training myself."

What the Russians didn't know was that Yang Xiaolin now had over 2,300 men under arms. Some were miners who had originally intended to go home after receiving their severance pay; upon returning, they found they no longer had homes. Out of grief and rage, they turned back to join Yang the Ghost to fight the Imperial Court and the foreigners.

Previously, they had wanted to live because they had reasons to endure being cowards. But when they could no longer find a home in this world and had nothing left but their own wretched lives, what was there left to fear?

More than two thousand brothers stood in perfect formation before Yang Xiaolin. Though they lacked uniform attire, their lines were incredibly straight, and their posture with their rifles was standard—it was clear that the Japanese had taught them well.

Yang Xiaolin knew that his bandit force was already the best in western Liaoning. They knew how to shoot, understood why they held their weapons, and grasped basic tactics. This alone allowed Gulu Mountain to look down on every other bandit group in the region.

"Excellent!"

Yang Xiaolin circled the front of the ranks and jumped onto a large boulder. "I can see that you have worked hard and suffered during this time, because I see courage in you! I see a killer's instinct! Today, I have a major announcement: the Imperial Court has gathered its troops. As soon as the snow melts, they will head into the mountains to encircle and annihilate us. I want to know—are you afraid?!"

After Yang Xiaolin finished speaking, the bandits shouted in unison, "No!"

As they shouted, they held their rifles high in perfect synchronization. The display was unlike anything from the past, making Yang Xiaolin feel that this truly was an army. A smile appeared on his face. "I know you aren't afraid, because you are true men, and I am not afraid either! Even though they have gathered seventy or eighty thousand troops and have the Russians, I am confident we can defeat them. My confidence comes from you! When I look at you, I know you are the best! Those guys are absolutely no match for you! Tell me, shout it out—do you have the confidence to defeat the enemy? Do you?!"

"Yes!"

The roar shook the entire valley. Yang Xiaolin was very satisfied. "From today on, I will lead your training. I can tell you now, my training is stricter than the Japanese; it will make you feel like you can't go on! But remember: the more sweat you shed in training, the less blood you will lose on the battlefield! All company and platoon leaders, step forward!"

Yang Xiaolin practiced what he preached. He immediately implemented the training regimen his own sergeant had used on him when he was a soldier. He had the company and platoon leaders divide the troops into combat units to practice marching, jogging, standing at ease, and at attention. One should not underestimate these basics; they were what taught a man the meaning of a collective, of a unit, and helped soldiers form the habit of obeying orders.

The Japanese had clearly already covered this, and the two thousand men moved with a sense of familiarity. However, the afternoon training would be different—Nyerere, the physical fitness instructor, began to take the lead.