The location of the disaster relief recreation will be near the Taigong Temple on the outskirts of the city. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Many of the refugees were hired to level the land and set up a performance stage, and the atmosphere was extremely lively.

As soon as Zhou Hexuan and the others arrived at the place, the local person in charge immediately greeted them and took them into the city to arrange accommodation.

The situation in the county town is extremely bad, and ragged beggars can be seen everywhere. At least 30% of the shops on both sides of the street are closed, which shows the withering of commerce.

Zhou Hexuan even saw that a grain store was closed, and a sign was hung outside, which read: The grain has been sold!

I don't know if the grain has really been sold, or if the boss deliberately does not sell it, anyway, the situation is not optimistic.

When they came to the hotel, as soon as everyone put down their belongings, an old man in a long robe came to visit him, clasped his fists and saluted: "Thank you for your great help, the old man Zhang Quan'an, the president of the Shanghe County Charity Association." ”

"Hello President Zhang, I am Zhou Hexuan of the Tianjin Jimin Association," Zhou Hexuan introduced, "This is the former Qing Empress Wanrong, this is Meng Xiaodong, and the Chunhe class she brought." ”

Zhang Quanan was a little confused, and said excitedly: "The emperor ...... The queen is also here? ”

"Hello, I'm Wanrong." Gracefully and generously stretched out her hand, she was now much more cheerful than before.

Zhang Quanan was stunned there, and had the urge to kneel and kowtow, but after thinking about it, he still shook hands with Wanrong tremblingly, and said with a red face: "The people of Shanghe County, welcome the queen mother!" ”

Wanrong said, "Just call me Miss Guo." ”

Zhang Quanan said yes again and again, and was excited for a long time before talking to Meng Xiaodong and Chun Heban.

After the greetings were over, Zhou Hexuan asked, "President Zhang, can you tell us about the disaster relief situation in Shanghe County?" ”

"Alas," Zhang Quanan sighed before he began to tell, "Last year's famine started in Lunan, which was the hardest-hit area, and Shanghe County was actually quite good. A large number of victims from southern Lunan went north and gathered in Jinan, the provincial capital. Shanghe County is next to Jinan and has received many victims. But later, there was also a spring famine in the local area, coupled with locust plagues and droughts, and the number of victims increased. The local wealthy businessmen and gentry also donated money to put porridge a few times, but unfortunately to no avail. The victims later went north to Kanto, and many of them froze to death in winter, leaving only a few hundred people at the beginning of this year. ”

"That's not bad." Zhou Hexuan said.

"The most hateful thing is the little Japanese son who was killed that day!"

Zhang Quanan denounced: "This year's disaster has become more and more serious, and little Japan has killed people everywhere in Jinan, and the residents and victims of the city have no choice but to run north. Our Shanghe County is the only way to escape, and in the past few days, 20,000 or 30,000 people have poured in, and the grass roots and bark outside the city have been stripped away. ”

Zhou Hexuan asked: "In addition to money, what else do you need help with?" ”

"Money is useless," Zhang Quanan stressed, "the most important thing is grain, and now Shandong can't buy grain even if there is money." I donated 30,000 catties of grain this time and took out all the old guys, but judging from the current situation, these grains can't last long at all. To put it mildly, the old family has a big business, and there are many people who need to be fed. Donating 30,000 catties of food is my limit, and I have to keep some just in case. ”

"Can the government bring in grain?" Zhou Hexuan asked again.

"Transport, fart," Zhang Quanan said in a foul voice, "Lunan is the hardest hit area, and the grain transported from the south has already been divided by Lunan, how can it reach Shanghe County?" Don't you know, there are bandits outside the city, originally only one or two hundred people. But because of the famine, it has now grown to more than 2,000 people, and robbery and kidnapping are all evil, and my Zhuangzi in the east of the city was looted by them, and even the seedlings were pulled out and eaten. If this continues, the number of bandits will increase, and it is even possible to attack the county seat. Qidong County in the southeast (later merged into Zouping County) was captured by bandits a few days ago, and the bandit leader was called Zhang Mingjiu, who heard that he used to be Zhang Zongchang's orderly. ”

Zhou Hexuan asked: "What about the Red Gun Society?" I've heard that the red guns in Shandong will make a lot of trouble. ”

"I don't know elsewhere, the Red Gun Society around Jinan is quite peaceful, they just resist rent and donations, and unite to deal with the government. Under normal circumstances, as long as they are not gentry who have done too much evil, they will not mess around," Zhang Quanan sighed, "Alas, if the red grain in the Northeast is constantly transported, it will be good!" The price of sorghum rice is low, and it can be full. ”

Zhou Hexuan thought about it and said to himself: "I may be able to think of a way." ”

"Mr. Zhou, do you have a way?" Zhang Quanan said excitedly.

"I know Zhang Shaoshuai, and I may be able to persuade him to continue transporting red grain," Zhou Hexuan said, "but you have to communicate with the southern government in advance, otherwise the red grain will be transported halfway, and it may be intercepted as enemy funds." ”

Zhang Quanan grabbed Zhou Hexuan's hand: "Mr. Zhou, if you can do it at this time, you will be the savior of the people of Shandong!" ”

"Do your best, whether you succeed or not depends on the will of God." Zhou Hexuan said.

Zhang Quanan thanked him again and again, chatted with Wanrong and Meng Xiaodong for a few words, and then said goodbye and left, he had other guests to visit.

After dark, Zhou Hexuan was about to continue writing "The Chrysanthemum and the Knife" after dinner, when Harrett Aban suddenly came to knock on the door.

The American reporter's face was very ugly, and he said: "I have just interviewed 12 refugees from Jinan, and according to their statements, it is indeed the Japanese army who are deliberately causing trouble. Since the Northern Expeditionary Army entered Jinan on May 1, the Japanese army has been killing Chinese soldiers and civilians sporadically, and I was deceived by the Japanese! ”

Zhou Hexuan said: "I hope you can report this truthfully." ”

"I will, thanks for reminding me." Harrett Aban finished and left.

"Wait a minute!" Zhou Hexuan shouted.

Harrett Aban asked, "Is there anything else?" ”

Zhou Hexuan said: "Have you ever wondered why the Japanese carried out massacres in Jinan? ”

"The massacre of civilians and diplomats is completely out of the ordinary, and it can only be said that the Japanese are too brutal." Harrett Aban said.

Zhou Hexuan reminded: "What if the Jinan incident is combined with "Tanaka Song" and the Manchurian and Mongolian issues? ”

Harrett Aban still couldn't figure it out and asked, "Is there anything to do with these events?" ”

"Of course," Zhou said, "the Japanese regarded Northeast China and Shandong as their sphere of influence from the very beginning, and no one else could touch them. It can be seen from last year's Oriental Conference that Japan has decided to invade China by force. It seems to me that they carried out the massacre in Jinan this time to test the reaction of the great powers and the southern government. As a result, the great powers only condemned, and the southern government behaved extremely weakly. Their next step should be to assassinate Zhang Zuolin and invade the Northeast in the next two or three years. ”

Harrett Aban was dumbfounded, but when he thought about it, he felt that there was some truth. But this is just speculation, and there are no facts to verify it.

He returned to his room, spread out the manuscript paper and wrote: "The Jinan incident, which occurred from May 3 to May 11, has been thoroughly investigated. It all started in Japan......"