The staircase leading to the underground labyrinth was lined with officers, and many of the rooms were inhabited by young men from Wang's "personal guard", all of whom had been selected. Some of the rooms were stuffed with wine, fish, small sausages, and ham. The young men of the Guard paid little attention to the generals of the past. They slept, ate, drank, and laughed loudly as they talked about obscene jokes, and remained silent only near Wang Wei's private residence.

Wang's last refuge is divided into an office, a bedroom, two living rooms, and a bathroom. There is a conference hall that intersects the office. Not far away is a room for his pet dog cubs. On the upper floor there is a long hall arranged in eighteen small rooms. Here was the telephone station, followed by two rooms taught by Wang Weiwei's personal doctor, and then six rooms belonging to the commander of the Nanjing garrison. Not far away was the kitchen and the room of Master Ji Yuan, who was Wang's private cook and skilled in vegetarian dishes, followed by the large dining room and the rooms of the officers and orderlies. The staircase in the bunker leads from here to the garden of the Prime Minister's Palace. A few steps down the stairs will take you to the press office led by Mei Sipin. Adjacent is Wu Sibao's office. Captain Lao Mei is in charge of the work here. Next to it is the room of Zhan Guoqiang's representative stationed in the base camp and the captain of the guard detachment. He married the sister of Wang Wei's wife. In addition, there are Colonel Feng, Wang Wei's military adjutant, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' doctor in the base camp, Wang Wei's driver, co-pilot, representative of the Propaganda Department, and the army spy team led by Chang Kaishen and his adjutants. Chang Kaishen's office is also here. There were more than 700 people in this gloomy underground bunker, so they could only meet in Wang Wei's office. Here, the ventilators make a uniform noise, and everything appears orderly, avoiding the disintegration and smoke of the outside world.

Wu Sibao decided to start the lifesaving program he envisioned in March here. The price of this plan was the life of the fifty-year-old man whom he called "a genius", "the great son of the nation", and "the founder of a thousand autumns". He was sitting in front of him at the moment, with a strange smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Chairman," said Wu Sibao, "I always tell you the truth, even the harshest truth, whatever it may be. ”

It is precisely because he never tells the truth, but only guesses what Wang Wei wants to hear. In addition, in the conversations of the people around him, in newspaper articles and radio programs, Wang Wei created things that Wang Wei had guessed, and Wang Wei obeyed his words.

"So," said Wu Sibao, "allow me now, on the day of the decisive battle for the future of the nation, to tell you some of the opinions that have been proven to be true. ”

"Yes, Wu Sibao, it should be like this"

"Like you, I am a firm believer in victory, no matter what it costs us. The special courts are operating in the city, executing on the spot those who have been bribed, panicked and deserted, with the army and party judges acting together. Order is important. But large swathes of the north and south were temporarily divided. So I thought that the only way out was you, and it was precisely you, who sent Zhan Guoqiang to the north immediately to lead the national struggle there. I think it would be wise to ask you to send Li Shiqun to the south, and let him lead the battle of our fortress there, but that's not all, sir, you know, the nation regards you as superior to the god emperor, and it is unimaginable that a nation that has lost its respect, but it is intimidating you with this, it is irrelevant. ”

"I don't understand what you mean." Wang Wei paused slightly. Wu Sibao immediately felt that he clearly knew what he was going to talk about now.

"Your declaration that you will remain in Nanking, personally lead until the final victory, and live and die with the inhabitants of the capital, will inspire the nation and give them strength Zhan Guoqiang has an opinion, and if all the people of the country, without exception, throw their forces into the struggle, then you will retire. Does this make sense, and does it make more powerful intimidation to those who shake and flee? ”

Wu Sibao released a tentative balloon. Zhan Guoqiang would never dare to say such a thing, but this view needs to be more firmly instilled in Wang Wei's brain. This perception should be strengthened and calmly disguised with "surprise and restraint" talk.

"I don't know what to say to Mei Sipin," Wu Sibao continued, "but he would never dare to make such a suggestion to you, because it is related to the selfish interests of his department and our propaganda work, and I dare to tell you his suggestion." ”

"Do you think there is a basis for this proposal?"

"Since there are people waiting for you in the impregnable fortress, since you can leave Nanking at any time," Wu Sibao said unhurriedly, "then I think this kind of last resort step, this kind of political game, is not without benefit." ”

"Well," replied Wang Weiwei, "I will find an opportunity to say this openly," his eyes suddenly flashed with a grim and intelligible glow that he had never felt before, "and what I fear most in this world is to fall into the hands of the enemy." At that time, they will put me in a cage and travel around the world, yes, that's right, Wu Sibao, I know these demons so," Wang Wei also started his own trick, "Maybe I should really have the intention of retiring?" ”

"No, you can't think so. I have been to the city and seen the mood of the people, who are full of determination to fight for victory, to crush the enemy, and to drive them all away; I heard the conversation of the citizens of Nanking, who were calm and determined, and at the moment they spit on the corpses of traitors hanging on the gallows, the nation is so strong, victory will come, and you really know your people. ”

Wang Wei smiled faintly and nodded carelessly: "Okay, Wu Sibao, I'll find time to scare those who are scared." ”

Wu Sibao walked towards the door, and Wang Wei laughed softly: "However, if your confidence in victory is shattered, do I want to fulfill my promise?" ”

Wu Sibao turned around, Wang Wei's right hand grabbed the trembling left hand hard, and looked at him beggingly, as if a child did not want to listen to a terrible story, or rather, wanted to know that the end was satisfactory first.

"If faced with failure, I will shoot myself in your face, my teacher." Wu Sibao said, "My life and destiny are linked to you and are unbreakable, and you think of myself when you arrive." ”

"How are the people on the street dressed?" Wang didn't ask.

Wu Sibao was taken aback by this question. He thought of the thousands of corpses on the side of the road, the children who died of starvation, the rickety old women who had died in the line of people receiving steamed buns, the ruins, the craters on the roads, the raging fires, and the small wooden signs on the chests of the soldiers hanging from the gallows, which read: "I do not believe in victory." So Wu Sibao timidly replied: "Spring always makes Nanjing people beautiful, my teacher." The girls took off their coats and the children played in their shirts.

"Have the tables in the tea room been moved to the street garden?"

Wu Sibao was stunned: What if Mei Sipin revealed a trace of truth to him? Or show him pictures of the atrocities of the Allied Air Force? 596

"Nope." He replied, keeping his eyes fixed on Wang Wei, "Not yet, my teacher." People were waiting for victory, fishermen and shops near factories were crowded with workers. ”

"I stopped drinking during the First Northern Expedition." Wang Wei said, "I hate alcohol, do you know why?" When I was a kid, I drank too much and was so uncomfortable that I was going to die. Since then I have been afraid and hated alcohol. I saw myself lying with my face down, my hair unkempt, my temples aching unimaginably, and my mane dripping with cold sweat, and from then on I made up my mind that when we were on our feet, I would put all the drunkards, and their children and grandchildren, in prison. There is no place for them among our people. We pursue ideals, they pursue illusions in fever. This illusion made man weak, a victim of greedy people and cruel Bolsheviks. But after the victory, I will go with you to Linden Avenue and take a walk along the street. By the way, go to an ordinary small restaurant to have a glass of Shaoxing Huadiao wine. ”

Half an hour later, Wu Sibao's assistant and captain recounted his work as a colonel beside Li Shiqun.

"The marshal has expressed this meaning," he said, "and the scene of 192O at the grand gala is about to be repeated." If the Chairman agrees to go there, then the struggle will enter a new stage, and our fate will be decided on the battlefield, and if the President remains in Nanking, we will have to consider how we can save the nation from the catastrophe of destruction. Mei Sipin needs to be reminded of the tradition of two soldiers of the warring army talking at the Henghe negotiating table. The marshal became active and ordered to immediately collect excellent examples from history. He was particularly interested in the conflicts related to the expeditions of ancient antiquity. ”

After that, Wu Sibao summoned Chang Kaishen.

"The counter is on." As he spoke, he paced in the small office of the Dark Castle, "You must ask Zhan Guoqiang to suggest that the two sides make a surrender proposal. ”

"Unconditional surrender?"

Wu Sibao was dissatisfied with this kind of questioning, although he understood that Chang Kaishen had the right to ask this question. He asked rhetorically, "What do you think?" ”

"Like you," Chang Kaishen replied, "in my opinion, now is the time to tell the truth, Minister. ”

Wu Sibao nodded, smiled to the side, and asked, "Would you like to have a drink?" ”

"Yes, but I'm afraid. Now is the time to stay absolutely awake or panic. ”

"There's still a week at our disposal, Chang Kaishen, that's a lot. Seven days have "one hundred and sixty-eight hours, or ten thousand minutes." Then I'll have a drink, and you can slander it. ”

Wu Sibao poured himself wine and tasted it with relish. "There's nothing better than Moutai from Guizhou," he said. The pleasant feeling of being drunk and having nothing to do is the sweetest in life, isn't it? ”

"That's right." Chang Kaishen replied weakly. Of course, he didn't know that Wu Sibao was taking revenge on Wang Wei when he talked about the pleasure of a drunk, revenge on Wang Wei's brutal behavior, coldness and lack of understanding of life's joys, and revenge on various phenomena of life. Wu Sibao took revenge with these words for everything he lost. He connected himself to Wang Wei. Power is only useful if it is realistic. You're on the edge of power, but if everything falls apart, the outcome is completely different.

"Why do you look so depressed?" Wu Sibao toasted again, and then asked.

As a result, Chang Kaishen used Li Guangyuan's words as an answer, and he immediately understood that it was these words that he was talking about at the moment: "I don't like to be a puppet of games and harmony, Mr. Minister." If I didn't understand the final vision, I wouldn't have done that, and I would feel useless and insignificant, which is even more terrifying. ”

"I'll tell you everything, Chang Kaishen. It didn't work yesterday, not even an hour ago, but now it can and should be said. I'm a left-and-right person, you know. I couldn't sleep in a room with only one door, something terrible was tormenting me. Even if Zhan Guoqiang made an agreement with that side, he would still not be able to control it without me: it was wonderful to have the party above his guard. As a result, we can find the reins to control him, the party apparatus is in my hands, and agent 76 is in your hands. Mei Sipin? Not necessarily, although I don't rule it out. His officers were equally incapable of controlling the country. He understands this and we can control it. But it's a way of thinking, a possibility. The second is: they didn't come to an agreement. Then I will make a peace proposal to that side, and I will hand over to him a country of order and strength. I said to him; 'Please accept us, or your allies will take it' You're playing a good game with Moscow, isn't it? When other places received information about negotiations with the West, they were bound to be furious, and he wanted to clear the fields that were used as aircraft bases for debris that hindered flights, and then began to raid. ”

"These are two doors." "And they can all be blocked." What then? Jumping out of the window? ”

Wu Sibao smiled and lowered his eyes slightly: "I can only run." But we jumped from the first floor, Chang Kaishen. We are trained. It's not the first 'window' that we're submarines. The base is ready to meet it. The underground headquarters of our movement began to work, and the general would give us a piece of land equivalent to North China between the great rivers, which was enough at first. Is there anything else the doctor is already there? ”

"Where's the 'window'?" Chang Kaishen smiled coldly, "I'm going to jump now." Please pour me some wine. Now it's all clear, you can confuse it for an hour. ”

"Will Zhan Guoqiang prompt Ding Mocun to openly defect to the West?"

"You'd better ask more accurately: Chang Kaishen, can you let Zhan Guoqiang carry out an anti-Ding Mo Village? And I'll say, 'Yes, I can, otherwise I'd be a Müller?' At what time? ”

"Wait, wait, everything will take time"

Chang Kaishen shook his head: "I don't believe in your doors, minister. I have prepared a cemetery for myself, placed an empty coffin on the side, and made a marble tombstone. When do we jump out of the window? ”