It rained heavily during the night and did not stop until the early hours of the morning.

Soon after dawn, the two friends took to the streets to inquire about the latest battle situation.

Yesterday evening, the exchange of fire between the two sides lasted for three hours before it stopped. It was not until the early hours of this morning that the "missing" Japanese soldier was found by the Japanese side, and after the Chinese and Japanese representatives held talks, they agreed to withdraw their troops from the Lugou Bridge together.

Wen Jianning and the others were both relieved when they heard this, although they also hoped that their army could be able to drive these days out of North China in one go, but they knew better that it was just a good expectation. At present, the two sides are strong and weak, and if the situation can be brought under control and the surrounding counties and districts and Beiping are not further affected, it will be the most ideal result.

Although there is hope for peace talks, the spontaneous support for the front line from the streets of Peiping has not stopped.

The Peking Student Salvation Federation, which Wen Jianning saw on the street yesterday, also organized fundraising on the street today. After they said that they were freshmen who were about to enter Peking University in September, they were quickly accepted by the student group, and they distributed leaflets with them, counted the materials collected, and prepared to go out of the city to Wanping later to comfort the soldiers on the front line.

They were busy until the afternoon, and when they had almost counted the supplies, one of the leading seniors spoke up and asked, "Is there any student who would like to go out of the city with us?"

Her speech drew an enthusiastic response from a group of students.

"Take me one!"

"I'll go, I'll go, I'll go!"

"I'll go too!"

Zhong Hui didn't care about his cold and uncomfortable throat, so he took Wen Jianning's hand and raised it together: "We want to go too." ”

There are too many students who want to go to the front line together, and Wen Jianning and the others are only halfway to join, so it stands to reason that they don't have their share. But when she heard that they were from Hong Kong, the leading senior sister finally nodded and agreed to take them with her.

It is not that because they came to the mainland from Hong Kong to study, they have no special care for them, but the students who went with them were carefully selected, and most of them came from different provinces and regions in China, so as to pay tribute to those patriotic soldiers on behalf of the youth of the whole country. In addition to the National Salvation Federation organized by the students in Peiping, social organizations such as the Red Cross also organized medical teams to go to the front line to help the wounded. The two of them mingled in the group of students and marched out of the city with the large army.

Zhong Hui has a cheerful personality and talks a lot, even if she coughs a few times because she is sick, she can't stop her enthusiasm for talking with other students in the same class, and Wen Jianning doesn't talk much, just quietly listening to their talk.

When she finally stopped when she was tired, Wen Jianning asked in a low voice, "Why didn't you discuss it with me, and suddenly said that you were going." ”

Zhong Hui was a little excited, and a little embarrassed to say: "I was so excited that I forgot to tell you." Okay, Jianning, we're about to see the soldiers, it's a rare opportunity, you can forgive me this time. ”

Wen Jianning didn't want to blame her, but she was just instinctively worried.

Although China and Japan have discussed the results of the peace talks, as long as the Japanese themselves have not really withdrawn their troops, it means that the matter has not yet been concluded. There was a truce outside the city not long ago, and there may be some accidents.

She thought as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

It was still a heavy rain last night, but today the weather is excessively sunny. The scorching sun was high overhead, scorching the mountain road beneath their feet, and the cicadas hid in the shade of the trees in the distance and hissed. Although a group of students were sweating hot, they were about to see the soldiers on the front line, and they were in high spirits, talking and laughing all the way, and the atmosphere was warm, until the person walking in front suddenly stopped, and everyone stopped one after another, not understanding what was happening in front of them.

Wen Jianning and the others listened to the discussions of the people around them, and only then did they know that the security brigade in front of them was about to change their guards. It's just that for some reason, I refused to let me go, and the two sides were arguing and blocking the way.

Several student representatives had already stepped forward to inquire about the news, and they stayed where they were with the others.

At first, the students were just chatting and waiting, but as the weather got hotter and hotter in the afternoon, a group of impatient boys finally couldn't hold back and wanted to go up to ask what was going on, but were stopped by the people in front of them. Seeing that the two sides were about to clash, a man who looked like a captain hurried to persuade them: "Students, you should get out of here first and go back to the city." ”

The senior sister surnamed Shen in the lead asked, "This captain, is it that I am unwilling to withdraw and want to embarrass you?"

When she spoke, she attracted the attention of all the students.

The man who looked like the captain knew that these students were young and vigorous, and they were the most impulsive.

If they do get on it, things will be even more difficult to manage.

He shook his head again and again, and said in a reassuring voice: "Students, don't worry, we will solve the affairs outside the city." You are still students, you must focus on your studies, and you must defend your home and country, and your own soldiers are in the front. It's not safe here, so please go back to Beiping City as soon as possible, and don't worry your parents and teachers at home. ”

Wen Jianning frowned, only thinking that this person was really stupid, and he was afraid that his classmates would not leave even more.

Sure enough, as she expected, a group of students heard that the meaning of his words was wrong, and thought that he was going to sabotage the results of the peace talks.

Zhong Hui also muttered beside him: "How can anyone be born a soldier and a student." ”

Wen Jianning pinched her, and she stopped talking.

After some deliberation, they finally agreed to hand over the donated materials to the security brigade and the Red Cross for escort, and they organized the student group to return to Beiping City by the same route.

A group of students came happily, but they were forced to return halfway, and on the way back, they had no interest in talking, and walked dejectedly.

Zhong Hui's throat was itchy, and he couldn't help coughing a few more times, looking at Wen Jianning next to him, he found that her face was solemn.

She whispered to her friend: "I think the withdrawal of troops from both sides this time is just not so smooth." ”

Wen Jianning nodded, China and Japan negotiated peace, their side did not want to cause more trouble, and they made compromises, but the enemy was menacing and deliberately provocative, how could it end so easily. Even if it can be resolved peacefully, the Japanese side will definitely have to knock out the marrow. The thought of this made her heart sink even more, and the impact of such close contact with her country being bullied by foreign countries was far greater for her than the outrage that seemed from newspapers and history textbooks.

On the second day, they unexpectedly heard the news that the peace talks between the two sides had broken down and that they would face each other across the city again.

The Japanese first refused to allow the security brigade to change guards, and then made concessions after negotiations between the two sides, but they did not withdraw their troops as agreed. In the early hours of the morning, the Japanese tried to storm the city again, but were met by our troops.

In addition, the Japanese army also set up checkpoints along the road to block the traffic between Beiping and Lugou Bridge. At this time, it is even more difficult for ordinary people trapped in Beiping City to find out the news outside the city again. The last news that came into the city said that a large number of Japanese troops were coming from various areas around Beiping and were approaching Wanping City in the near future.

There will be a big war between China and Japan, which has become a fact in front of everyone in Beiping City.

In the next few days, Wen Jianning and the others heard the news of the peace talks several times one after another, but the results of these negotiations were all turned into empty talk without exception under the deliberate provocation of the Japanese army.

The atmosphere of the anti-Japanese war on the streets became more and more enthusiastic, and Wen Jianning and her sisters went to the streets every day to help distribute leaflets, or to help the United Salvation Association do what they could. But it didn't last long before it was forced to stop.

Because Zhong Hui's cold has worsened again.

Originally, she was just coughing and runny nose, but after several days of running around and tired, she had symptoms of fever one after another, and she had a high fever that did not go away. At this time, Wen Jian would rather not let her run to the street to distribute leaflets again, and forcibly let her stay in her room to recuperate, in addition to occasionally going out to inquire about the news, he also reduced the time he spent outside.

But it's getting harder and harder to get to the bottom of the news.

With the city cut off from the outside world, most of the means used by citizens to obtain information came only from hearsay. A few of them have a few people with ulterior motives to muddy the waters, and rumors will soon spread through the streets.

All of a sudden, all kinds of rumors flew all over the city in Beiping, and it was difficult to distinguish between true and false.

Wen Jianning had no choice but to buy all the newspapers available on the market and analyze them with Zhong Hui. But two girls who don't understand military affairs can't analyze it usefully together, so they can only continue to wait with worries, waiting for a result in this battle.

In the blink of an eye, it has been ten days since the Battle of Lugou Bridge broke out.

On this day, Zhong Hui was waiting at home to listen to the radio from the radio, and Wen Jianning came back from outside to inquire about the news.

As always, she didn't bring any news back.

It is rumored that the above people were still reluctant to fight again, and tried to make peace with the Japanese themselves. However, in just a few days, the two sides reached many agreements, and the terms were repeatedly torn up by the Japanese themselves. Even so, the above is still trying to make peace, and the Quartet is maneuvering for peace talks, but it has never been determined to confront the aggressor head-on.

Wen Jianning heard that people of insight in the Peiping academic circles had already planned to unite and ask the 29th Army to concentrate on resisting the enemy, but he did not know whether their collective petition would yield results.

"Peace talks, peace talks, it's time for peace talks, what else is there to talk about!" Zhong Hui was emotional for a while after hearing this, scolded a few words loudly, and soon coughed heartbreakingly, as if he wanted to cough out the heart in his chest.

Wen Jianning was frightened, and hurriedly patted her back and handed the water, and waited for her to stop, before she looked at her flushed cheeks and persuaded: "Don't worry, in my opinion, this peace talk is just a temporary expedient measure, delaying the time to prepare for the big war later." However, your illness can't be delayed any longer, I'll take you to the hospital to have a look. ”

Zhong Hui also felt that his illness was really wrong this time, and finally stopped refusing.

Due to the war, donkeys, horses, and mules were all requisitioned to help transport supplies outside the city, and the rickshaw drivers who can be seen everywhere on weekdays are nowhere to be seen, and they are probably going to support the front line, Wen Jianning can only help Zhong Hui to the nearest hospital.

Zhong Hui was very sick, and the high fever made her weak and her limbs weak, so she relied on Wen Jianning's support to move forward.

Although Wen Jianning's strength is not small, he can only walk forward slowly with the weight of another person on his body.

They had only walked some distance along the base of the wall when they suddenly heard several rumbling explosions in the distance, and the ground trembled beneath their feet. The streets were suddenly overturned on their backs, and pedestrians on both sides of the road panicked and tried to find a place to hide.

Wen Jianning also hurriedly pulled Zhong Hui against the wall and squatted down with his head in his hands.

It wasn't until a moment later that they realized that there was nothing going on. The fire in front of him was soaring, black smoke was billowing out, the situation was terrifying, obviously there was a lot of fire, and I don't know how many people's homes would be turned into ashes in the smoke and fire.

Wen Jianning helped pat the dust on Zhong Hui's body, and he didn't know whether to comfort Zhong Hui or comfort himself: "It's okay, it should be that the shells outside fell into the city." ”

Zhong Hui looked blankly at the black smoke rushing to the sky in front of him: "Jianning, is this a war?"

Wen Jianning looked at the billowing black smoke and didn't answer for a while.

After a long while, the two of them came to their senses and continued to walk in the direction of the hospital in silence.

Zhong Hui had pneumonia due to a severe cold during this time, but fortunately they came to the hospital early, and their condition was not too serious.

Still, it scared both of them.

Pneumonia is not a minor problem at this time, and if you are not careful, it is very likely to leave the root of the disease.

At this time, Wen Jian would rather not allow Zhong Hui to be willful anymore, and was determined to let her stay in the hospital until she recovered. She was faintly worried in her heart, there was a war going on outside the city, and it wouldn't be long before the wounded soldiers would be sent from outside the city one after another, and the hospital in Beiping might not be enough at that time. When that time comes, if Zhong Hui wants to go to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment, I'm afraid it won't be so easy.

She had to let Zhong Hui recover from her illness as soon as possible.

After settling Zhong Hui here, Wen Jianning went back to the courtyard alone to get a few changes of clothes and daily necessities for her to go to the hospital to take care of. When he was almost ready to leave, Wen Jianning casually glanced at the radio in the bedroom, and then remembered that he had almost forgotten to listen to today's radio.

She sat down, turned on the radio, and listened quietly to the voice of the chairman on the radio.

“...... Whether or not the Lugou Bridge Incident can be extended into a Sino-Japanese war depends entirely on the attitude of the Japanese government. The key to the continuation of hope for peace is the ...... of the actions of the Japanese army."

Wen Jianning only heard this, so he turned off the radio, and he was in no mood to listen to it anymore.

This speech may still play an inspiring and anti-Japanese role for ordinary people across the country, but for people like her who are really trapped in Beiping City, they still feel only depressed after hearing it.

The significance of Peking to the Chinese people is no less than that of Nanjing, which is now the capital. The imminent fall of a country's capital undoubtedly means that the entire country is at a critical juncture of life and death. And at such moments, their armies are powerless to protect them, and can only resist the resistance of the invaders, and it is really heart-wrenching to realize this.

She sat alone in the house for a long time before returning to the hospital.

In the next few days, the fighting between the two sides became more and more intense, and the artillery fire once affected the vicinity of Yongding Gate and Guangsheng Gate. There was always negotiation and negotiation on the radio, but the Japanese planes had already flown over Beiping and circled.

The situation that Wen Jianning was worried about finally happened. A large number of wounded soldiers were evacuated from the front and sent to various hospitals in Beiping, and she was soon tactfully told by the nurses that she hoped that they would return home to recuperate, because there were too many wounded soldiers from outside the city and the surrounding counties during this time, and there were not enough beds, and they had to make room for the army.

Wen Jianning originally wanted to fight with them again, so that her friend could stay in the hospital for a few more days to recuperate, but in the end, she was still defeated by the nurse's sharp teeth, and finally had to hire a car to take Zhong Hui back to the courtyard.

After going back, Wen Jianning said to Zhong Hui with guilt: "I'm sorry, if only I could hold on a little longer." ”

Lying on the bed, Zhong Hui, who was pale, whispered: "It's okay, I don't want to stay there, I don't want to stay in the hospital to listen to the cries of those wounded soldiers......

The hospital was where the wounded and sick lived, and the atmosphere inside was already heavy, and after the wounded soldiers sent from the front filled the adjacent wards one after another, the atmosphere was almost painful and oppressive.

The groans of pain in the other wards were heard day and night, and could be heard everywhere in the corridors. Wen Jianning had to speed up his pace every time he fetched water, not to mention Zhong Hui, who stayed in the ward all day.

She was in a somewhat complicated mood after listening to Zhong Hui's words, and was about to persuade her a few words, but she heard Zhong Hui's voice choked slightly: "They protected us, but we can't do anything......"

As soon as Zhong Hui said this, Wen Jianning's eyes couldn't help but moisten slightly, and he hurriedly changed the topic in disguise: "Okay, since you want to go home to recuperate, you must pay attention to your body." ”

At night, she settled Zhong Hui and slept after taking medicine, and then went back to her room and lay on the bed with her eyes open.

From time to time when the fighting resumed in the city, the sound of artillery could be heard from the outskirts of the city from a distance where they lived. It's fine during the day, but it's really disturbing at night. Zhong Hui took medicine before going to bed, so he was about to be asleep. But Wen Jianning hadn't slept a single night, and she often had a mess in her mind all night, and she couldn't close her eyes for a moment until dawn.

However, on this night, after tossing and turning many times, Wen Jianning suddenly felt that something was wrong.

She quickly rolled over and sat up, looking out the window.

It was summer, and the sound of insects chirping in the yard was heard. Wen Jianning realized that she hadn't heard the sound of cannons for a while. In the old days, this sound would have been more ordinary. But at the moment when this kind of war is suddenly heard, it is unsettling.

She sat in the dark and waited for a long time, but she did not hear the cannon fire again. These days, the sound of cannons is constant, making it difficult to sleep, which makes the cannons suddenly silent, but it makes people even more unable to sleep.

Wen Jianning walked to the window with his clothes draped, only to see the dark night sky outside the house.

In the dark, she had a hunch that Beiping might not be able to be saved.

(End of chapter)