The color is deep. The thundershowers have stopped. There is a freshness in the air. The cumulonimbus clouds also dissipated, and the cold moon cast a faint light on the earth, reflecting the road that had been washed very clean by the rainstorm.

The streets are deserted. There was no half of a figure in sight, only the shadow of the lamp pole was reflected alone in the dim light of the streetlamp. And because of the power plant's power cut, half of the street lights went out, making the secluded street even more silent.

After a long time, the silence of the secluded street was broken by the sound of horses' hooves, and a horse-drawn carriage with the badge of the American Chamber of Commerce drove into the street, then turned into an alley, and quickly stopped. The two American Yanmars pulling the carriage snorted impatiently, as if urging the passengers in the carriage to get off the train quickly.

The door of the carriage was pushed open from inside, and a young man emerged from the car, none other than Xiong Sung-ki, a party officer of the United Front who is also a senior adviser to the Senate.

After getting out of the car, Xiong Chengji stood by the car and thanked the American who was still sitting in the car.

"Mr. Merry. Thank you for sending me back, it's not easy to walk in this alley, and your carriage is not easy to turn around, I'll just walk back the rest of the way, please go back. Something about the Yanchang oil field in Shaanxi. Now it has basically been negotiated, the rest is to wait for the funds in place, technical experts to come to China, for the Shaanxi extension of the oilfield, China's central government attaches great importance to it, will be fully assisted, as for the transportation of refined oil, you don't have to worry, Longhai Railway will build a branch line, in the future can transport oil by train. ”

"It's a pleasure to work with you, Mr. Xiong. Today's banquet was a great success. I believe that this is the beginning of the good cooperation between the Texaco Oil Company of the United States and the industrialists of your country, and in the future, we will further explore the development of your country's oil industry, in my opinion, your country is vast, and the amount of oil reserves must be very amazing, some people say that your country may be an oil-poor country, but I think that it is because of insufficient exploration, as long as the central government of your country can carry out unified regulations and exploration. I am confident that your country's oil extraction industry will make great progress. Moreover, Mr. Xiong, I have seen a very valuable pragmatic attitude and simplicity in your country's political circles, which can be seen from your palace, and it is hard for me to believe that an important figure in Congress would have rented such a place in such a slum if it were not for your return, and if all the politicians of your country were like you, then your country would have risen to become one of the great powers of the world

The American businessman sitting in the carriage smiled goodbye to Xiong Chengji, then instructed the coachman to turn around and drive away from the secluded alley.

Xiong Chengji turned around and walked towards the depths of the alley, where his apartment was in the innermost part of the alley, a courtyard house, although it was not a slum as Mei Rui described, but it was indeed not a high-end place, and the courtyard house was shared with several students from other places who had come to Beijing to study.

In the past, Zhao Bei heard that Xiong Chengji's place was shabby, and he intended to pay for him to buy a small courtyard near Huayuan Hutong, but Xiong Chengji politely refused, because Xiong Chengji was unwilling to accept the president's favor, and he had a short mouth. Take people softly, Xiong Chengji still understands this truth. As a senior adviser to Congress, his role is to oversee the work of the central government. Naturally, he can't have too close personal relations with officials in the government, although Zhao Bei is considered his close friend, but the friendship of gentlemen is as light as water, if this kind of friendship is based on the established interests. It's inevitable that I'll be a little bit of a villain.

What's more, Xiong Chengji was very happy to live with those young students, which reminded him of the time when he instigated the revolution in the new army in the past.

According to the original plan, Xiong Chengji basically planned to go to Peking University with those young students to attend a sorority meeting today, and by the way, he would tell the "Iron Youth League" about the Anqing New Army uprising, but in the afternoon, Li Yuanhong, president of the Senate of the National Assembly, sent a butler over and asked Xiong Chengji to attend the banquet with American businessmen for him in the evening, but Xiong Chengji did not go to the sorority meeting.

At this time, it was late at night, and the young students who participated in the sorority must have returned, Xiong Chengji quickened his pace, rushed to the rented courtyard, and when he got closer, there was a car parked in the alley outside the courtyard gate, almost completely blocking the traffic in the alley, which made Xiong Chengji feel quite strange, I don't know who parked the car here, so he hurriedly stepped into the courtyard.

The young students were still asleep, but they were sitting in one of the rooms, and there was still a person standing at the door, and when they saw Xiong Chengji coming back, they hurriedly greeted him.

"Brother Xiong, Mr. President sent an adjutant to pick you up and take you to the Presidential Palace." The man said, and raised his arm to point into the room.

"The president summoned me? Right now? ”

Xiong Chengji was even more surprised. At this time, he also understood the origin of the poison in the small sedan car at the gate of the courtyard, so he looked into the house, and saw a person coming out of the house, but it was not a stranger, but the adjutant of the chamberlain, Major 6 Yuguang. He is the son of Rong Ting, the town guard of southern Yunnan, and has served as a deputy in the chamber for more than two years, and is highly regarded by the president. "Mr. Xiong, the president asked me to invite you over." 6 Yuguang walked up to Xiong Chengji. He saluted and presented the order of the attendant's room.

Xiong Chengji nodded, didn't ask much, and followed 6 Yuguang out of the courtyard and got into the car, because the alley was too narrow. I couldn't turn around, so I had to reverse all the way out of the alley, and then turn around and go straight to the presidential palace.

After entering the presidential palace, 6 Yuguang drove Xiong Chengji all the way to the warning area of the commander's hall, then stopped the car, took the pass and led Xiong Chengji into the small building, rushed to the small conference room on the second floor, and then retreated, leaving Xiong Chengji in the conference room.

There were already a few people sitting in the conference room. Zhao Bei sat behind his desk, and was discussing quietly with Zhan Tianyi pointing to the map, as for the few people on the sand. Basically, they were all Zhan Tianyou's assistants, and when they saw Xiong Chengji enter the house, several people hurriedly got up to say hello.

Zhao Bei turned his head and glanced at it, and said, "Weigen, I told you a long time ago that it is impossible to erect a telephone pole in the place where you live for the time being. If you can't put up this pole, you won't be able to install a phone. If I can't install a phone, I won't be able to find your person. Major 6 told me just now that he would go to your house first. One asked, knowing that you went to the American Chamber of Commerce. So I drove to the American Chamber of Commerce again, but the banquet network was dispersed, and you had already taken the carriage back. So he hurriedly turned around and chased you, but he missed your carriage on the way, and ran ahead of you.

You'd better move as soon as possible. It really didn't work, so I just moved to Nanyuan and lived in the aviation base

Xiong Chengji was a little embarrassed, and said with a wry smile: "Maybe Major 6 didn't go the same way with me, when Mr. Merry sent me back." We went to the telegraph office and sent a telegram to the US head office, urging the technical experts to leave for China as soon as possible. By the way, it's late at night, and I wonder what the president is looking for me? ”

Zhao Bei pointed to the few people on the sand. Then he pointed to Zhan Tianyou, who was standing beside him, and said, "Didn't you say last time that a few comrades-in-arms couldn't find anything to do after retiring and wanted to ask me to help them find an errand?" No, this time Zhan Gong came back, and he was planning to recruit a group of foremen, requiring that he should have worked in the army, and that he could endure hardships and obey discipline, so I thought of you

"That's it?.

Xiong Chengji was a little strange, so he summoned him to the Presidential Palace Commander Hall overnight for these trivial things, which is not like Zhao Bei's style, although Zhao Bei has some taste of doing things personally, but it is not so detailed.

Glancing at the engineers and technicians sitting on the sand, Xiong Chengji suddenly understood why Zhao Bei said this, there are many people here, and it is indeed not a place to talk about secrets. Zhao Bei asked him to come late at night, definitely not for a few. Veterans who retired due to injuries can't find a job, they can't always say in front of others, "It's not convenient to talk here" purely out of respect for Zhan Tianyou and others, Zhao Bei will deliberately say this.

Knowing what Zhao Bei meant, Xiong Chengji nodded and said: "Those robes are all retired due to injuries, although the injuries are not serious, but the legs and feet are not sharp enough, I just don't know if Zhan Gong is willing to accept it, in fact, a few days ago, I have said hello through the Military Service Department of the 6th Military Department, and the work of several of them has already been settled, and they are all watching the gate in the imitation weaving factory." ”

"It's not a good job to watch the gate, or it's better to go to the northwest to open the frontier for soldiers. Wounded and discharged from the army for the sake of the revolution, this is a hero of the country, how could Zhan Gong refuse them? ”

Zhao Bei looked at Zhan Tianyou with a smile. Seeing that the other party also nodded again and again, but obviously did not realize that this was just a small trick between the president and Xiong Chengji, and even asked seriously where the retired soldiers were injured in order to arrange their jobs.

This conversation is half an hour. And then. Zhan Tianyou agreed to arrange jobs for those veterans, and then said goodbye to the president. Gone with his assistants.

After the group of railway engineering experts left, Zhao Bei and Xiong Chengji got to the point.

"Ajine, please come over now. I do have important matters to discuss with you. ”

After speaking, Zhao Bei took out a few pieces of paper from his pocket and handed them to Xiong Chengji.

Xiong Chengji took the pieces of paper and looked at them, but there were several pleadings, or confessions, and then looking at the inscriptions, it turned out to be several members of the United Front Congress, judging from the content of the defense. All of these people had participated in the conspiracy and Tsego in connection with the Outer Mongolia riots some time ago, and they all tearfully exposed the plot of the National League to impeach the president in these pleads.

You can read between the lines. The members of Congress have recognized their grave mistake, so they intend to confess to the president and exchange their minds for the president's forgiveness.

"What does this mean? The chairman intends to expel them? ”

Xiong Chengji didn't understand that although he was a party affairs officer of the United Front, the United Front was a political party group, not an underworld or a Jianghu society, and did not pay attention to "family law." "Therefore, even if Zhao Bei handed over the list of these people to him, he could only suggest that these guys who ate inside and outside be expelled, if Zhao Bei planned to do so, he would not have to call him to the presidential palace at all, just send someone to send a list over.