It was getting late, and Ji Ye took out his revolver from the holster in his bedroom as usual, which was a gift that the comrades of the Zhejiang West Branch of the Guangfu Society received when they were training with the People's Party. Taking out the maintenance tools from the table bucket, Ji Ye first wiped the surface of the gun, and then unloaded the gun and began to wipe and oil the parts. As a warrior who has been born and died, this is a very calming job. Because of wiping many times, without even bothering about it, Ji Ye's hands dexterously quickly disassembled the gun. Her mind was thinking about things that had nothing to do with guns.

The General Association of the Liberation Association demanded that the West Zhejiang Branch hand over the "suspect" Chen Boping, and this demand caused fierce confrontation among the middle level. More than sixty percent of the members demanded that Xu Xilin refuse this rude request.

"They say Pepin is a suspect or a suspect? Why? One day I can say that Pepin is a suspect, tomorrow I can say that I am a suspect. Li Yudong shouted loudly, "Then we say that there will always be someone in the group who is a suspect, and will always admit it or not?" ”

This attitude is very supported by young cadres, but some "old-fashioned" cadres have other views, "There will always be a good time, and they will also panic after Mr. Tao was killed, so they deliberately made trouble for us." If you resist so hard, there is no room for reconciliation at all. If we don't say that Pepin is not with us, let him avoid the limelight for the time being. ”

Even the young and vigorous cadres are not ready to completely turn their faces with the association, it is okay to quarrel with each other, in fact, everyone hopes that this matter can be relieved. After all, at this juncture when Tao Chengzhang was killed, he fell out with the general association, and under the crowd, the western Zhejiang branch couldn't be washed even if he jumped into the Yellow River. Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin finally agreed to this opinion.

Ji Ye has always opposed any compromise, and she believes that any compromise means admitting that Chen Boping is suspected of instructing Chang Kaishen to kill Tao Chengzhang. And Ji Ye firmly believed that Chen Boping did not do this at all. Since you haven't done it, why should you grieve the West Zhejiang Branch? Why bother with Chen Boping? However, since Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin have decided, Chen Boping has also agreed, and this matter will run like this for the time being.

The parts of the revolver had been wiped, Ji Ye quickly put together the parts of the pistol, and then pulled the trigger a few times in neutral. The gun runs well and feels smooth. Holding the weapon in his hand, Ji Ye felt that he had more courage. Even in the Zhexi branch of the People's Party, Ji Ye is also quite radical. One of the greatest characteristics of the People's Party is that it has the courage to struggle, "if you seek peace through struggle, you will survive peacefully, and if you seek peace through compromise, you will die peacefully!" Chen Ke's words left a deep impression on Ji Ye. At the beginning, the western branch of Zhejiang was struggling, that is, it did not dare to fight against the local gentry and mobilize the masses. With the enrichment of experience in struggle, and with the increasing proficiency in mobilizing the masses and relying on the masses, the strength of the western Zhejiang branch has also grown.

No matter how you look at it, the assassination of Tao Chengzhang by the West Zhejiang Branch was "seeking peace through compromise." Although it is unclear exactly what happened in the assassination, Ji Ye believes that this unequal peace is destined to bring good results. God knows what would happen if there were no more weapons in hand.

Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin had no intention of swallowing their anger, and the West Zhejiang Branch shirked that Chen Boping was not in West Zhejiang, and asked in a tough tone how the assassination of Tao Chengzhang could occur, and Hangzhou was completely unable to manage itself? This hardline attitude seems to have played a role, and things are not as bad as they thought for the time being, and the Liberation Association will always send Tao Chengzhang's friend Zhao Hanqing to the West Zhejiang Branch on February 22 to explain what happened. Somehow, some tensions between the two sides were eased.

Zhao Hanqing served as Tao Chengzhang's confidential secretary, and when he mentioned Tao Chengzhang's assassination, he couldn't cry anymore. Regarding the matter in Hangzhou, Zhao Hanqing strongly persuaded: "Jianhu, Bosun, you two are both veterans of the Restoration Society, and when Tao Gong is gone, you must try your best to take responsibility and maintain the unity of the Restoration Society." How many words did Tao Gong say for Zhexi when he was there, you can't live up to Tao Gong's efforts. ”

These words were sincere, not only Qiu Jin and Xu Xilin were completely moved when they thought of Tao Chengzhang's efforts. Even Ji Ye, who has a tough attitude, can't help but feel a little regretful.

"Brother Zhao, how should you deal with this matter at the moment?" Xu Xilin asked.

"The best way to do this now is to reduce confrontation and avoid misunderstandings." Zhao Hanqing persuaded, "Tao Gong's bones are not cold, the murderer is at large, the war clouds are thick, and the crisis is lurking. If the Liberation Society is divided and meets each other, how can it be replaced by the underground pottery? Now there will always be people fishing in troubled waters, and some people want to take advantage of this matter to make trouble. The comrades in western Zhejiang must not spoil the situation and give them an excuse to succeed. This time, Mr. Cai was very sad because of Tao Gong's death and vowed to find the murderer. Those real murderers won't be complacent for long. ”

Xu Xilin nodded again and again, "We don't want the Restoration Society to split, but some people just refuse to let us go and want to splash dirty water on our heads." I also asked Brother Zhao to explain to Mr. Cai when he met Mr. Cai that these things were definitely not done by us. If Mr. Cai is willing to hold a meeting, Jianhu and I are willing to go and always confront those people. ”

Qiu Jin also said: "Mr. Zhao, since you have said that there will always be people who are afraid that they will not be able to get rid of this matter, our Zhejiang West Branch will also work hard to investigate by itself, and try to catch the murderer as much as possible to comfort Tao Gong's soul in the sky." ”

"So good! So much better! Zhao Hanqing's face was happy, "Bosun, you have to be careful in everything, someone dares to assassinate Mr. Tao, and you in western Zhejiang should also pay attention to your own safety." However, in order to avoid giving people the truth, it is necessary to tighten the inside and loosen the outside, and do not move troops at will. As long as Zhexi does not give the truth, and we work hard to lobby in the association, I think the matter will be solved soon. As for the investigation, I don't think there's a need to be in a hurry, it's not that you shouldn't do anything, but at the moment, it's better not to give the truth. ”

After Zhao Hanqing left, although the comrades in western Zhejiang still felt that the association was very hostile, someone could mediate at the association, so as not to be unreasonable, and the once extremely tense atmosphere began to relax. Moreover, it has been spring ploughing recently, and specific things have piled up in various places, and the cadres of the West Zhejiang Branch want to go to the countryside to solve problems, so it is naturally impossible to gather in Changxing for a long time. As the political commissar of the Anji Military Sub-district and the standing committee member of the Anji County Party Committee, he also returned to Anji County to work.

Anji Mountain has a lot of land and little land, and it has never been a wealthy area. More precisely, the same is true for the entire western part of Zhejiang. Relying on the mountains to eat the mountains, although there are many mountain goods, they must be able to sell them. Moreover, some valuable mountain goods cannot help the entire Anji people get rid of poverty. It wasn't until the People's Party bought a lot of bamboo, chestnuts, walnuts and tea that Anji's economy improved. This is also the fundamental reason why the West Zhejiang Branch is so close to the People's Party. Only the BJP can solve the economic problems. It is impossible for the Restoration Society to provide any employment opportunities to western Zhejiang. Even the more famous bamboo in Anji, the purchase price of Hangzhou merchants is very low, and the purchase volume is even lower.

In order to improve the bamboo transportation capacity, Ji Ye has been investigating the rivers in Anji, hoping to find the most suitable water transportation route. It is true that the People's Party has purchased a large volume, and Anji's transportation capacity has reached its peak, and if it cannot improve its transportation capacity, Anji's bamboo trade may only stop at the current level. Therefore, on February 25, the liaison officer of the People's Party found Ji Ye in the mountains who was directing the masses to dig bamboo shoots and discuss the matter with the masses.

The intelligence agent sent a letter from Li Shouxian, secretary of the southern Anhui prefectural party committee, who warned Ji Ye of the possibility of a full-scale military conflict in the near future. Because of Tao Chengzhang's assassination, the development of the situation has begun to exceed the indirect control of the People's Party, and in such an emergency situation, Li Shouxian suggested that Ji Ye make comprehensive preparations, including military struggle.

Such a letter that only stated the implementation, but did not give a detailed explanation, made Ji Ye a little confused. She asked the correspondent, "Is there something going on over there with Secretary Li?" ”

The correspondent saw that there was no one left and right, so he whispered: "The day before yesterday, that is, on February 22, a British fleet began to cruise on the river from Nanjing to Wuhu. Including the Wuhu sub-district, the whole of Anhui has entered the first-level security. There are also changes in Jiangsu. If the Zhejiang West Branch encounters any trouble now, I am afraid that it will not be possible to get actual support from our side for the time being. Secretary Li wrote a special letter to inform Mr. Ji Ye. ”

"Hah!" Ji Ye laughed, "Secretary Li hopes that our West Zhejiang Branch can take care of itself, right?" ”

has known Li Shouxian for so long, and has a lot of contacts in official business, and the two have also received training from the People's Party at the same time, Ji Ye has a deep understanding of Li Shouxian's style. He never mentions things that he can't do, and sometimes Li Shouxian will be particularly "polite" when he speaks, if others can't understand, Li Shouxian won't have any excessive requirements. Of course, there is no need to expect any assistance from Li Shouxian at this time.

Sure enough, the correspondent smiled after hearing this, "Of course, Secretary Li hopes that the West Zhejiang Branch can take care of itself, so that we don't have to worry about any problems on the flanks in southern Anhui." ”

Western Zhejiang plays an extremely obvious role as a wing for the People's Party, and because of the special status of the Western Zhejiang Branch, the People's Party certainly does not want Western Zhejiang to encounter any problems. When you are talking, you can discuss more things, and the correspondents are shrewd people, and the words can be passed in an orderly manner. When he and Ji Ye discussed the current situation, everyone thought that no matter what, there would be a war between the People's Party and Beiyang before this winter. Therefore, the People's Party can only wait for the British to move with gunpowder. The Liberation Society was in a mess at this time, hoping that the West Zhejiang Branch could take care of itself.

Seeing that the conversation was almost over, the correspondent said: "In fact, Secretary Li believes that the best way for the Restoration Society to protect itself is not to participate in the war, but at the moment, the Liberation Society obviously has no such plans. We don't want to sow discord, but from a purely political point of view, if our People's Party is now the headquarters of the Liberation Society, we would have taken action against the western branch of Zhejiang a long time ago. Under the current situation of the great enemy, who is a friend and who is an enemy must be thoroughly sorted out. If it is an enemy, it will be attacked, and if it is a friend, it will be united. We think that the West Zhejiang Branch is our friend, so when we have no ability to help under the current enemy, we can only inform Mr. Ji Ye first. Of course, if the West Zhejiang branch asks us for help, we will not sit idly by. ”

"Then why didn't Secretary Li say these words directly to the West Zhejiang Branch?" Ji Ye asked.

The correspondent replied regretfully: "Secretary Li is only the secretary of southern Anhui, and he has officially reached a military alliance with the West Zhejiang Branch, and Secretary Li cannot make this decision." Moreover, Chairman Chen has asked someone to write to Mr. Qiu, but he has not received a response so far. That's going to be hard. Mr. Ji Ye also knows organizational discipline. ”

This kind of thing is indeed very difficult to do, just as Ji Ye cannot forcibly change the mind of the Zhejiang West Branch, Li Shouxian cannot ignore the organization's decision to formally reach an offensive and defensive alliance with other political parties. The two looked at each other speechlessly, and could only shake their heads and sigh.

In the end, the correspondent gave Ji Ye and Li Shouxian a gift, and suggested that Ji Ye try it now. It was a food called yokan that was carefully wrapped in oiled paper. The surface is smooth and delicate, like meat jelly. The taste is sweet and delicious, full of flavors unique to bean paste and chestnuts. Ji Ye liked this thing after taking a bite. Like the People's Party, the West Zhejiang Branch implements a policy of equality for all. The basic salary of workers is the same, and the allowance is linked to the job skills. In addition, without the financial and material resources of the People's Party, Ji Ye can only eat enough on weekdays. When she encountered such a sweet snack, she almost ate two of the six pieces of yokan in a hurry, and then she remembered that she should give one to the correspondent.

"Mr. Ji Ye, there's no need for that. We now have this in the winter food allowance in the army. The correspondent smiled, "Secretary Li received a letter from Mr. Ji Ye last time, mentioning that he wanted to develop an industry suitable for Anji. Our People's Party happened to be making this dim sum, so Secretary Li asked me to bring these over. Look at what Mr. Ji Ye means, if Mr. Ji Ye thinks it's good. After the war, we can discuss the production of this product. ”

"Can dim sum make a lot of money?" Ji Ye said with a smile.

"There is not enough sugar right now, so we can't say anything else. However, after the liberation of Guangxi and Guangdong, sugarcane can be valued on a large scale. At that time, we can talk about this money-making problem. The guard laughed.

After sending off the correspondent, Ji Ye looked at the yokan in his hand, and wanted to continue eating but was a little reluctant. She felt that the style of the People's Party was too difficult to understand, and that it was strange to be able to do anything. Dim sum is good, but it's impossible to make a lot of money with dim sum. But she didn't dare not believe that the People's Party must have a different way to make a lot of money than other old ways. put away the yokan, Ji Ye didn't bother to think about it, she returned to the scene and continued to work.

On February 29, 1915, when the British delegates formally asked to meet Wang Youhong, the governor of Jiangsu, Wang Youhong immediately received the British representatives. In the past few days, although British warships have not made any substantive moves, seven or eight large warships have traveled back and forth from Shanghai to Wuhu and anchored outside Nanjing, Zhenjiang, and several other important cities in Jiangsu, which has greatly affected shipping.

Wang Youhong had known the news for a long time, but Jiangsu itself did not even have a few civilian steamships, and it was powerless to fight against the British fleet. The Jiangsu Governor's Office studied countermeasures for several days in a row, but could not find a way. But Wang Youhong completely saw it, "Those who should come will definitely come, and wait for the British to talk to us." ”

Yu Chen is already the director of the Political Department of the Jiangsu National Defense Force, and other officers are worried, but Yu Chen has a clear attitude to support Wang Youhong. He liaised with troops everywhere to calm the morale of the army. With Yu Chen's efforts, everyone got the news, at least he didn't panic because of the sudden problem. So when he met with the British representatives, Wang Youhong took Yu Chen with him.

The demands of the British were no different from those of Cai Yuanpei, and they hoped that Wang Youhong would join the anti-people's party alliance, and with the 100,000 troops of Jiangsu, he would surely become an important force. As a famous-stirring stick, the British gave Wang Youhong a bunch of preferential treatment, such as supporting Wang Youhong's monopoly on Shanghai.

Yu Chen's face changed a lot, but in contrast, Wang Youhong's expression was always calm. Waiting for the British to speak, Wang Youhong replied: "We have a parliament in Jiangsu, and I need to vote on these things in the parliament to decide." ”

The British delegates did not say much, and among the various forces in China, the British were most familiar with the political system in Jiangsu. Adult men who own a certain amount of property and a certain amount of tax have the right to citizenship, and citizens have the right to vote and to stand for election. Political leaders under this system do not have dictatorial power in the full sense of the word. The representative asked, "Then Wang Dudu, how long will it take for you to give me an answer?" ”

Wang Youhong replied coldly: "The parliament is not so fast, according to the request put forward by the British side, I think it will be the end of March." ”

"Why does it take so long?" The representative of the United Kingdom was somewhat surprised by the timing.

Wang Youhong laughed, "Hehe." This is not a declaration of war, if it is a declaration of war, it is simple, and everyone decides whether to fight or not. You raised a series of questions, such as the Shanghai issue, and you said that you could leave Shanghai to us to manage. But can we take over Shanghai in Jiangsu? What kind of management will be implemented after the takeover? What kind of laws are to be enacted? What exactly is the authority of this takeover? This kind of thing is very troublesome to say. ”

After hearing this, the British representative scolded Wang Youhong in his heart for being an old fox. But Britain does need Wang Youhong's cooperation now, even if it cruises on the Yangtze River with a fleet, but the British do not want to and cannot use force to force Wang Youhong. What if Wang Youhong feels that something is wrong and defects to the People's Party? So scolding in my heart, the representative still politely said that he was waiting for the result.

After sending the British delegates out, Yu Chen couldn't help but ask, "Wang Dudu, have the British really considered handing over Shanghai to us?" ”

Wang Youhong was obviously dissatisfied with Yu Chen's political judgment, "Hehe! Director Yu, who will chew and spit out what you eat? If it comes to the time when you don't vomit, we agree that they will have to vomit if they don't agree. ”

"Is the governor going to convene a council?" Although Yu Chen was criticized, he obviously still had the idea of luck in his heart.

"The parliament is definitely going to be convened, Zhejiang and the British have said so, and it will not work if the parliament is not convened. But I'll tell the BJP about the latest happenings. ”

"Why?" Yu Chen was quite surprised.

"Telling the People's Party is nothing to lose us, and there is no need for I, Wang Youhong, to be a dog to the British. People will always die, even if it is a miserable death, it is better than being infamous for the ages and never turning over after death. Wang Youhong replied coldly.

Yu Chen didn't immediately understand this, but Wang Youhong didn't explain it anymore, "Director Yu, I sent you to contact the People's Party about this matter." ”

On March 3, 1915, Ji Ye was busy on the front line until the sun went down as usual, but he saw the correspondent of the West Zhejiang Branch running in the direction of the construction site out of breath, he didn't know how many times he fell on the mountain road, his clothes were torn many times, his legs were covered with mud, and his face was even scratched. As soon as the correspondent saw Ji Ye, he couldn't care about the other people around, and he couldn't help shouting, "Political Commissar Ji, the Beiyang Army suddenly rushed into Huzhou." Moreover, a Beiyang army has begun to surround our Anji County. ”

During this period of time, the relationship between the West Zhejiang Branch and the General Association has finally eased a lot, although the Beiyang Army blocking the road is still there, but after the personnel dispatch back and forth, things have not continued to deteriorate. Ji Ye thought that he would always do something nonsense, or send a new representative, but he never expected that it was the Beiyang Army that drove into the base area in western Zhejiang. She hurriedly asked, "How is Anji County now?" ”

The correspondent hurriedly replied: "The troops resolutely did not allow the Beiyang Army to enter the county seat, so the Beiyang Army began to besiege the city. I was ordered by the county party committee to report the matter to Political Commissar Ji. Most of our comrades are not in the county seat, and there are at most seven or eight hundred troops in the county seat, including troops at all levels. Before leaving, I secretly looked at the lineup of the Beiyang Army, and there must be at least two or three thousand people. ”

As he was talking, a voice like thunder suddenly sounded faintly from the county defense line in the distance. Ji Ye's face immediately became extremely ugly, it was not thunder, it was the sound of shelling. Turning around, Ji Ye ordered the comrades who had gathered around him: "In a group of two, a group of people will immediately report the situation to the branch of Changxing." The other groups went to other places to summon the comrades and gathered at the Linjiapu barracks. ”

"What about the county seat?" The correspondent asked anxiously.

"It's too late, we can only give up in the county." Ji Ye clenched his teeth and squeezed out this sentence from between his teeth.