Chapter 2: Flowers in May (May I)

In the seventeenth year of the Republic of China, the Northern Expeditionary Army attacked Shandong, and the people of Jinan were eating pot pulp and welcoming the king! As a result, as soon as the Japanese intervened, the National Revolutionary Army immediately declared that it would not resist and allowed more than 7,000 of its troops to be disarmed. Later, the Japanese entered the city and burned them to death, and even Cai Gongshi, the negotiation commissioner of the Nationalist Government, dragged him out and shot him in public. However, Mr. Chiang Kai-shek, who was the commander-in-chief of the National Revolutionary Army at the time, not only refused to lead the army to avenge Cai Gong, but strictly ordered the Northern Expeditionary Army not to shoot back, so as not to expand the incident. On 17 May, as the last two units of the Northern Expeditionary Army were ordered to withdraw from Jinan, the Japanese army entered the city as victors. A massacre was carried out against the unarmed residents of Jinan, killing more than 11,000 people that day, and more than 6,000 residents were brutally injured by cutting off their noses, fingers, breasts, and feet.

After the incident, the central government, in order to "take into account the overall situation", continued the Northern Expedition by detour. Completely erase the entire Shandong from memory. However, the people of Jinan will never forget who failed them at the most critical moment! It is no longer believed that the central government can really take on the heavy responsibility of rejuvenating the country and cleaning away foreign humiliation.

Rao is Peng Xuewen, no matter how eloquent he is, in the face of bloody facts, he can't defend the central government. stared at Fang Guoqiang's eyes for a long time before he muttered: "At that time, it was because the country had not yet been reunified. The government has no strength to resist, so it can only endure the humiliation for the time being, and try the courage of lying on the salary! ”

"A good country has not yet been reunified?!" Fang Guoqiang shrugged his shoulders and pouted with a sneer, "When the 918 incident occurred, was the country unified?" During the bloody battle of the Great Wall, was the country unified? Is it now, when the 29th Army is struggling to support the rear in Beiping, is the country unified? If the Japanese invaders continue to move south after taking Beiping, will the government still use the excuse that 'the country has not yet been reunified' to endure humiliation and bear the burden again?! After so many years of the Xinhai Revolution, the government can't even integrate the country, what else can such a government expect it to do? ”

A series of questions made Peng Xuewen overwhelmed. His eyes kept retreating, until he retreated to the flat ground, and then he suddenly came to his senses, opened his throat and roared loudly: "That's better than you going to Yan'an!" If it weren't for the fact that they kept pulling their backs, the country would have been unified a long time ago! ”

"I'm just saying, that's an option!" Fang Guoqiang finally pulled back a game, standing on the stairs, condescending, "At least, they are brand new, unlike your central government, which is old and decrepit. ”

"One country, one government!" Peng Xuewen took a step forward, waving his arms and shouting slogans.

"If this government can't afford to protect the people, it should take the initiative to let the virtuous take the initiative!" Fang Guoqiang took a few steps down and confronted him.

The two glared at each other, their chests heaving, and their breath was like two mad bulls. Always ready to lower the corners and open the other person's intestines.

In essence, Fang Guoqiang and Peng Xuewen are actually the same kind of people. They are all fierce and fierce, worried about the country and the people, and at the same time feel deep despair about reality. The difference is that the latter's desperate targets are local warlords. And the former, the object of despair is the Kuomintang central government!

Like most young people of this era, they are confused, resentful, and desperate to find a way to save the country and the nation. Like most other young people of this era, once they believe that the path they are looking for is the right one, they will follow it all the way to the end, and they will not regret it.

If someone blocks their path, they will not hesitate to press over each other's corpses. It doesn't matter if the other party has the intention or the intention. Therefore, if they do not meet, it is fine, and when they do, there will inevitably be a violent collision. Just like today, saber rattling.

Fortunately, the other students from Beiping and Shandong did not go far, and when they heard that the voice behind them was wrong, they immediately turned around and ran back, hugging the waists of Peng Xuewen and Fang Guoqiang. pulled the two back to their respective rooms.

A sudden turmoil, in the face of friendship, temporarily stopped. But the conversations between Peng Xuewen and Fang Guoqiang were clearly heard by all the students present. On this night, I don't know how many people tossed and turned in the comfortable Simmons bed in the Peace Hotel. I don't know how many people suddenly found that the choice they took for granted may not be completely correct. At least, from another point of view, there are still many flaws and problems.

When they got up the next morning, all the students, including Zhang Songling, had dark circles under their eyes. Everyone tried their best to avoid last night's topic, but when their eyes met occasionally, they saw more confusion and confusion in each other's eyes. After breakfast, a middle-aged man surnamed Zhu went upstairs and returned the hotel deposit and meal money paid yesterday to everyone, and apologized very sincerely to everyone for Boss Qin.

"Brother Qin is too polite. We came uninvited this time, which has already caused a lot of trouble to Brother Qin. It's good to let him break the bank again! For this patriotic and honest businessman, Zhou Jue admired it from the bottom of his heart, smiled and waved his hand, indicating that he did not dare to accept such a generous gift from the other party.

"It should, it should!" The shopkeeper Zhu and the mustache that everyone met at the front desk yesterday are very different in terms of dealing with people. While nodding his head, he continued to add with sincere fear: "Our host said that you are all the hope of the future of the country and deserve his support. From now on, we will make the Peace Hotel our home, and we will welcome you whenever you come. No matter how long you stay, you won't be charged! ”

"Brother Qin is really too polite!" Peng Xuewen also felt very embarrassed, and smiled and bowed his hand to the shopkeeper Zhu.

"Don't dare, don't dare!" Shopkeeper Zhu was so frightened that he jumped to the side, and immediately returned with a long look, "Aren't you killing the villain?" I'm just an errand boy, how dare I accept your care! Our boss also said that he had already chartered the big stage in the town, and when the young masters and ladies wanted to go to the show, they would go directly. Venue, equipment, and all related fees are all free of charge! ”

"This Brother Qin......" Tian Qingyu, who prides himself on being a well-traveled man, shook his head lightly. His family was originally engaged in the dart game, but after the establishment of the Republic of China, it was changed to the transportation of people and goods. Among the people who come and go at home, there are three religions and nine streams, and everything is all-encompassing. But any so-called Jianghu high-roller compared to Boss Qin is like a firefly compared to the sun and the moon, and he can't shine at all!

"Then our charity performance will be under the banner of Brother Qin, which can be regarded as his exclusive sponsorship!" Fang Guoqiang's thinking is more direct, since he has received the benefits of others, he must reciprocate. lest I think about it later, and I always feel unsteady in my heart.

This suggestion was met with a rallying cry. Including Peng Xuewen, who has always been at odds with Fang Guoqiang, also smiled and nodded again and again, "Then let's go over early, clean up the venue first, and familiarize ourselves with the surrounding environment." By the way, we also handed out some flyers and pulled out a few banners, so that no one else knew what we were doing! ”

"Good! Let's go! Everyone nodded.

In the end, it is a young person, and he is in a hurry to do things. It was only about ten o'clock in the morning, and the entire stage had been cleaned up. Several students with musical expertise beat gongs and drums and played the erhu. Han Qiu and Liu Jing, who were in charge of the report, appeared together.

All the shows have been performed countless times on the way, and when they are repeated again, it is natural to be familiar with them. Most of the passengers stranded in Huluyu were trying to escape the war. Hearing the melody of grief and indignation, and thinking about his current situation, it is easy to resonate with the stage.

At this time, Zhang Songling can suffer. As soon as the Japanese devil he played appeared, he received countless greetings from rotten persimmons and stinky nests. As a result, Han Qiu and Liu Jing had to interrupt the performance again and again, and came out to explain to the audience that this devil was played by his own people, not authentic Oriental goods, so that the audience could temporarily calm down their anger. However, when the little devil came to the door again, picked up Tian Laocai's daughter and walked to the back room, the audience once again forgot that they were watching the performance, grabbed the things around them, and smashed their heads and faces at the little devils.

"Smack!" Tian Qingyu, the landlord and old wealth, couldn't block it, and watched a blue brick volley in the air and slapped on Zhang Songling's waist. slapped Zhang Songling swayed, staggered a few steps, and directly threw Lu Ming, who was a girl in his arms, to the ground.

"Kill the devil!" "Kill the devil!" Zhou Jue, who played the second young master of the landlord's family, saw that the situation was not good, so he simply rushed out of the backstage in advance. Tian Qingyu, the landlord, also made a decision, raised a wooden kitchen knife, and slashed at the "translator" who pulled him. In the roar of a landslide and tsunami, Zhang Songling stumbled into the background. Immediately, a song "On the Songhua River" perfectly pushed the performance to a climax.

"What do you think, does it hurt, does it hurt?!" Han Qiu was careful, left Liu Jing alone at the front desk to raise donations, and trotted to visit Zhang Songling.

"Oops! Oops! Zhang Songling, who has never suffered any crimes since she was a child, grinned in pain. Lu Ming, who was the second lady of the landlord's family, couldn't take care of removing his makeup, so he opened Zhang Songling's shirt and checked it carefully. I saw a huge bruise from the shoulder blade to the waist cone, and the surrounding area was already faintly oozing blood.

"These people, they have the ability to do this kung fu......" Han Qiu was so angry that his eyes were full of tears, and he gritted his teeth and complained.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's really okay!" Zhang Songling exposed her bare limbs in front of a girl for the first time, and she was so ashamed that she wanted to find a hole to get into. "They hate me, which means that Brother Lu's drama is well written. Let's go out for a curtain call. Immediately, the performance of those people in Peking began! ”

"Hmm!" Han Qiu nodded, and together with Lu Ming, he took Zhang Songling's arm and walked to the front desk.

“…… Which year, which month,

To be able to return to my lovely hometown?

Which year, which month,

to be able to recover the endless treasure?

Daddy, Daddy, Daddy......"

At the foreground, the singing continues. The audience all stood up, tears in their eyes, and applauded the students vigorously. A little farther away, more travelers were attracted by the singing, desperately squeezing towards the front of the donation box.

"Thank you, everyone, thank you!" Fang Guoqiang led everyone to bow and thank the enthusiastic audience over and over again. No one noticed that there were four ragged guys, squeezing out against the flow of people and quickly disappearing into the adjacent alley.

The four of them were all sturdy, and after three turns and two turns, they came out of the depths of another alley like lurking poisonous snakes. I looked around, quickened my pace, and after a while, I came to the back of the Peace Hotel, next to the clear and quiet lake.

There is a small boat that rows through the layers of lotus leaves and floats here. Hooked the four ragged fellows into the cabin and sailed away silently, stopping moments later in front of a nondescript fisherman's yard on the other side of the lake.

The four guys who had been picked up on the boat had changed into gray tunics again, jumped on the dock with agility, and hurried into the small courtyard of the fisherman's house. Walk through the antechamber and around the vegetable patch to a thatched hut near a well in the backyard.

In front of the thatched hut, two men dressed in black were standing guard. When he saw the four tunics, he nodded and commanded in a low voice: "After the captain asks you to come back, go in and see him immediately." Mr. Qin, Mr. Pan, and Mr. Mitsui are also there, be careful not to talk nonsense! ”

"Got it!" The tunic that walked in the first place impatiently agreed, and reached out to open the door curtain.

The room lit up and saw a few pieces of antique furniture in bright yellow. Each piece has the unique charm of the court before the stock, and when it is on the market, it is worth at least 100,000 oceans. In the middle of the room is a traditional Chinese table of eight immortals. Several people in long robes were smoking cigarettes and laughing and rubbing mahjong.

"Team Yue, we're back!" Seeing that the Zhongshan suit that took the lead was babbling outside, he entered the house, but immediately changed his deferential face. He tiptoed to the mahjong player with his back to the door, bowed down and whispered.

"It's back!" The mahjong player, known as the Yue team, nodded, slowly typed a nine-strip, and then asked with a smile, "Hard work." How did those little hairy kids get their lesson?! ”

"Subordinate, subordinate ashamed, failed to complete the task you explained!" The tunic that took the lead took half a step back and reported curtly.

"What's going on?! Someone covers them? Captain Yue picked up another card, pondering how to play it, and patiently asked.

The speed of several other mahjong players slowed down significantly, and they all tilted their heads to listen to how the tunic explained their dereliction of duty. Seeing that the three of them were furious, the tunic reached out and wiped the non-existent beads of sweat on his forehead, and reported in a low voice: "Those little guys are indeed very good at demagoguery. Before his subordinates arrived, the stage was already crowded like a big set. From the moment everyone listened to the first song, they began to scold, scolding ......" He lowered his head and secretly glanced at the short mahjong player sitting at the top of the Yue team with the corner of his eye, and then continued to add, "The army of the scolding friendly country is a well-dressed beast. And follow those little guys and shout anti-Japanese slogans. The subordinates took advantage of the chaos to throw several large bricks on the stage, one of which clearly hit the target, but failed to bring it down. Later, the atmosphere became more and more intense, and the subordinates were afraid of revealing their identities, so they hurriedly led people out! ”

"I'll just say, your old Yue's method is not smart!" Qin Degang, who was sitting at the bottom of the Yue team, played a card and counted it with a smile. "This group of students, with a clear mind and a firm will, is not what you and I usually see. If you want to hurt a few people and force them to retreat, in the end, I am afraid it will only backfire! ”

"These little things don't know how thick the sky is!" Captain Yue frowned, and a somewhat helpless expression appeared on his face. "National affairs, even Chief Song and Mr. Yin don't dare to make a rash decision, what are they blindly mixing with?! Xiao Yuan, you did the right thing today. At present, the crowd in Huluyu is excited, and we can't easily make public anger. Otherwise, once the popular uprising is provoked, the gains outweigh the losses! You go down to have dinner with the brothers, and then keep an eye on the hairy children, what to do with them, and wait for notice! ”

"Yes!" Xiao Yuan, who took the lead, bowed down again and walked backwards. Captain Yue thought for a moment, and then suddenly spoke, "Wait, they hired three carriages!" You have to think of a way to do it to the coachman, but you should also be careful, don't make public anger, don't cause trouble to Mr. Qin! ”

"My subordinates know what to do!" The tunic suit, who was called Xiao Yuan, bowed again, and then led his subordinates out of the door. Listening to the footsteps outside, Qin Degang said with a smile while fiddling with the mahjong tiles in his hand: "I bet with you, even if there is no carriage, they will carry the roll on their backs and walk to Beiping from here!" ”

"Impossible!" Captain Yue grabbed a card again and rubbed it repeatedly with his thumb. This time, he caught Zhang Yitube, and he couldn't use it, but it was inevitable that there would be risks when he hit it. "They are all reading babies who have never experienced wind and waves, and they can really be stronger than soldiers?!"

"Mr. Yue probably doesn't know yet!" The short mahjong player sitting on him sat up straight and said with a sneer: "They came here from Shandong singing all the way here." Originally, I took the train, but the train stopped in Ping'an Village, so I hired a carriage to travel on my behalf. In order to keep his companion from thinking that the price of the car was too high, the man surnamed Tian actually discounted a piece of Swiss-made gold watch as a 'dead pawn'! ”

Swiss-made gold watches are rare even in big cities such as Peking and Shanghai. It is usually bought by wealthy families to make their children the last support during the journey, or to send their future daughters-in-law to "recognize relatives". The "dead pawn" is a kind of pawn trade, which means that the owner of the object has completely given up the intention of redemption, or is no longer ready to turn back.

Hearing the words of the short mahjong player, Captain Yue's brows quickly wrinkled into a lump, and his fingers rubbed and rubbed on the cards, and he couldn't make any decisions for a long time. Seeing that he was always hesitating, the young mahjong guest opposite smiled and said in a low voice: "It's not strange, right now, there are also poor students in Beiping." Originally, Mr. Song had been moved by my uncle's words, but he was incited by the little acid of the student corps, and he began to hesitate again! These student babies, don't see that they don't have the ability to do things, and they will hold you back, but they all have a hand! Mr. Matsui, you say, am I right?!" (Note 1)

"Yes! Mr. Pan has a point! The short mahjong guest sneered and agreed, "My teacher, Mr. Tsuchihara, said a long time ago that the student barracks is the egg of the 29th Army!" If you don't cut off the eggs, you will never be able to tame the bull of the 29th Army! Mr. Qin, Mr. Yue, at this moment, don't add fresh blood to the cadet camp! ”

"This ......." Captain Yue gritted his teeth and inhaled, "they, they are all seeds of reading......"

One was not paying attention, and one of the tubes in his hand fell to the table. The young mahjong guest on the opposite side was quick-eyed, and immediately grabbed it and spread out his own cards, "It's paste, a dragon!" ”

Note 1: The Cadet Corps, also known as the Cadet Battalion, is the Student Army. It was Song Zheyuan who recruited patriotic students from Beiping and other places to form a team. Originally, it was used as an officer reserve of the 29th Army for key training, but during the 77 Incident, it was attacked by the Japanese army because of the betrayal of the traitor Pan Yugui, and the whole army was annihilated.