"Outside the number, outside the number, the Northern Expeditionary Army He Yingqin General Headquarters Liankesu and Chang Erzhou, the troops are approaching Zhenjiang; General Chen Tiaoyuan, governor of Anhui Province in the northern political axe, led his troops to change banners in Wuhu and was inaugurated as the general of the 37th Army of the National Revolutionary Army.......

“…… General Wang Pu, a famous general of the Anhui Army, led his troops to change banners and was electrified as the general commander of the 27th Army of the National Revolutionary Army; Bai Wenwei, the veteran of the League, raised his arms and raised the banner of the 33rd Army of the National Revolutionary Army on the line of Huoshan Mountain on the border of Hubei and Anhui; General Ma Xiangbin, the Hefei garrison of the Anhui Army, changed his banner in Hefei and was electrified as the commander of the Fifth Division of the National Revolutionary Army......"

"The Northern Expeditionary Army is approaching the city of Nanjing, and the 40,000 soldiers of General Cheng Qian and General Dai Yue have formed a flank attack on Nanjing, and Sun's army has a tendency to abandon the city and retreat......"

"General Zhang Xueliang, the young marshal of the Feng army, led an army of 50,000 troops to the aid of General Sun Chuanfang, the brother of the righteous family, and held Nanjing, but he was afraid that the Jinpu line would be cut off and stop at the southern section of the Jinpu line; General Zhang Zongchang, deputy commander-in-chief of An[***], inspected Shanghai's defense, and together with General Sun Chuanfang, he left Shanghai and went north on a gunboat to ............ The Xue Yue Department of the Northern Expeditionary Army captured Shanghai North Railway Station, Liu Zhi's Department was stationed in Zhabei, and the people cheered in the middle of the road......"

All the people were clearly aware that the occupation of Nanjing by the National Revolutionary Army and the determination of Shanghai in the southeast in one fell swoop had become an irresistible historical trend, and the whole of China and even the whole world were extremely shocked and moved by the fact that it took less than a year for the National Revolutionary Army to take the Northern Expedition from Guangzhou to occupy half of China.

The European and American powers, which were deeply afraid that their interests in China would be threatened, were panicked and restless, and sighed for a long time at the rapid progress of the National Revolutionary Army and the revolutionary fires that were burning everywhere; after the British imperialists successively committed the "Wuhan 13 Massacre" and the "Jiujiangxun Case", which led to the repossession of the Hankou and Jiujiang concessions by the Nationalist Axe, they went so far as to openly declare their support for the warlord Sun Chuanfang's just action of "protecting the territory and securing the people." The French colonialists seemed to be righteous and awe-inspiring in calling for ensuring the safety of the lives and property of the people of Shanghai and Nanjing. Behind the scenes, they secretly communicated with Sun Chuanfang's ministry to provide a lot of military and economic assistance, while the great powers represented by the United States and Germany were cautious in their words and deeds, closely watching the development of the situation, and the envoys of various countries were either overtly or secretly restless, constantly shuttling between Shanghai, Changzhou, and Han.

Just when the external turmoil was constantly surging, An Yi, who had made great achievements in war, was leisurely strolling with He Jing, a reporter from the Central Daily, and Zhou Chongan, a well-known current affairs reporter from the "Declaration", in the Gu Garden in the northwest of Kunshan City.

In the past three days, the two of them have not only been able to observe the military training of the model battalion of the Reading Force, but also freely interview any officer and soldier of the Reading Force Regiment, watch the engineer company build bridges for the residents of the station with amazing speed and excellent quality, and attend the earnest talks held by all walks of life with An Yi. The ability to restore normal business development is deeply admired.

An Yi, who has been recognized by the whole country as an outstanding representative of the younger generation of the revolutionary army, has always maintained his own unique and distinctive style, from Kunshan capitalists to peddlers and pawns, he can talk with him casually, and he is kind and kind. No matter where he goes, An Yi, as a general, is still dressed in a school officer's uniform, wearing the same dark green canvas rubber-soled field shoes as the officers and soldiers under his command, wearing an armed belt and a pistol short sword, looking meticulous, concise and generous, the only sign that can show his identity as a general is the red-edged nameplate worn on his chest.

The three of them came to the green pavilion by the pool to sit down and take a rest, and Zhou Chong'an, who kept in touch with the Shanghai headquarters through a messenger, smiled at An Yi:

"General, since your remarks at the press conference appeared in the newspapers, it seems that the European countries are quite dissatisfied, and the British newspapers and the English newspapers of the Public Concession themselves have evaluated your attitude with 'deep regret and concern,' while the Americans and Germans have called you a 'hawk' in the National Revolutionary Army, a typical representative of the young generals in the Revolutionary Army, but they highly praise your magnanimous attitude towards religion and speak highly of the general's personal charm.

In addition, according to the rough statistics of the Circulation Section of this newspaper, the 10,000 copies of the book "Model Camp," co-authored by newspaper colleagues Miss Ye Qing and Brother Jincheng (He Jingzi), were sold out in just four days after a circulation of 10,000 copies in Shanghai, and the same was true in Nanchang, Changsha, Guangzhou, and Wuhan.

Several old-timers of our agency said that this was a miracle that had not been seen for many years, and the reaction from all walks of life was quite strong. ”

He Jing on the side explained in a low voice: "Miss Ye called me last night and asked me to say hello to you, she said that the quota of major bookstores is too large, and the quota in Shanghai alone exceeds 30,000 copies, and even booksellers in Tianjin and Xi'an have called to buy them, so the total number of copies printed in the second edition is 80,000 copies."

At present, the Americans are discussing with her about the publication of the English version, and suggest that when the reprint is reprinted, it should be considered to be printed in the Shanghai Concession, so as to obtain better printing quality and graphic effects.

It can be seen that the book "Model Battalion" is very popular with readers from all walks of life, and we also want to continue to write the performance of the general's headquarters in the Tonglu Battle and the Kuntai Battle as a sequel to "Model Battalion", I wonder if the general will allow it? ”

An Yi was surprised: "Can you sell so much?" How many people read books? ”

"General don't underestimate the current publishing market, as far as I know, there are more than 50,000 students in Shanghai's major junior colleges, girls' schools, and normal schools alone, and this book is the first book to reflect the Northern Expedition with detailed interview materials, and it happens to coincide with the critical moment when the revolutionary army is stationed in Shanghai, and the people from all walks of life are all rejoicing, and the celebration parade is held one after another, and the young students and people from all walks of life who participate in the parade are often hundreds of thousands. On the contrary, I think that the print run of the second edition of Brother Kaneshiro is very conservative with a print run of 80,000 copies, and I am afraid that the third edition will need to be prepared in less than half a month. Zhou Chongan said with a smile.

An Yi immediately sighed bitterly: "I regret it, I really regret it!" Knowing this, I should have negotiated with Miss Ye Qing about how to share the dividends, but I drank a little wine that night and made her fool, and I promised her not to take a penny without any consideration, and now it seems that the loss is huge! ”

He Jing and Zhou Chongan looked at each other and laughed, pointing at An Yi and shaking their heads again and again. The smile on An Yi's face had not faded, and he suddenly noticed two familiar faces on the opposite side of the pond, and hurriedly motioned for the two to stop, and pointed to the pavilion opposite.

Zhou Chongan looked up and asked An Yi in great surprise: "That, that...... Isn't that Colonel Yin Jinan? Who is the gentle and beautiful lady next to him? ”

"It's Colonel Yin! I can't imagine ......."

An Yi wiped his eyes in surprise, and after confirming it repeatedly, he couldn't help but smile, and explained in a low voice: "If I say it, you probably won't believe it, the beautiful girl next to Jinan is surnamed Duan, it seems to be called Xin'er...... Right! It should be called Xin'er, she is the youngest daughter of General Duan Chenghuai, I met it when I visited General Duan's mansion last time, but I didn't expect to get together with this kid Jinan, this is big news, haha!

No wonder, I said why Ji Nan has been running to General Duan's mansion for a while now, I always thought that he was doing General Duan's political and ideological work, but it turned out that he was a drunkard who didn't mean to drink! ”

Zhou Chongan was very surprised: "That girl is the daughter of General Duan?" …… Are you talking about the captured general Duan Chenghuai, who is still under house arrest in your army? ”

"That's right, it's General Duan Chenghuai, the commander of the Anhui Mixed Brigade who guards Kunshan! However, since yesterday, we have lifted General Duan's house arrest, and in accordance with the instructions of the Nanchang General Headquarters of our Revolutionary Army, we have given complete freedom to General Duan and his subordinate generals, and more than 1,400 captured officers and men have been dismissed, of whom more than 400 have voluntarily joined our Reading Force Regiment and have now been transferred to the Zhoushi Town garrison for rigorous training. ”

An Yi explained, his eyes still looking at Yin Jinan, who was immersed in happiness and didn't know that he had been discovered. Thinking that this strict guy with the surname Mu Ne would actually take advantage of his position to guard and steal himself, An Yi couldn't help but want to laugh.

Seeing the strange look on An Yi's face, He Jing smiled and suggested: "Let's not disturb Colonel Yin, he and Miss Duan look very relaxed and happy, it was a war year, this kind of love at first sight is very difficult to encounter, let's let them enjoy this rare reunion time." There were two guards not far behind him, and if he knew that we had seen it, he would be blushing and uncomfortable, haha! ”

The figures of Yin Jinan and Miss Duan disappeared at the entrance of the trail on the south side of the lotus pond, and the three of them smiled heartily, continued their topic, and after discussing the current grim situation, Zhou Chongan asked An Yi:

"General, how are you prepared to deal with the split that has formed within your party? What would you do if you were to become hostile in the future? ”

An Yi took a deep breath, took out a cigarette and lit it slowly: "To be honest, I'm also very confused now, it's extremely heart-wrenching to have the current situation, as you all know, the soldiers in my revolutionary army who live and die together are naturally divided into two factions. The day before yesterday, you asked me, why did the 6th Regiment stationed in Taicang go to Zhabei in Shanghai? I really don't know how to answer you, but I can guarantee that no matter what changes, my heart for the Northern Expedition will never waver, and I have sent a battalion under my command to Dacang to take over the defense of the Sixth Regiment, and after the Third Division comes from Suzhou to take over the defense, I will immediately lead my troops to Changshu to prepare for the upcoming Northern Expedition. ”

"General, do you think it is possible to continue the Northern Expedition in a short period of time under such a confusing and chaotic situation?" He Jing asked sadly.

"Yes! And it won't take long, the reason for this should be better than mine, no matter which faction finally gains power, it must hold high the banner of Sanming Cooking Righteousness, and must complete the great cause of the Northern Expedition that Mr. Zhongshan dreamed of, otherwise, it will be abandoned by the people. An Yi replied affirmatively.

Zhou Chongan stared at An Yi with blazing eyes: "General, please forgive me for my recklessness, I still want to ask you, in case the revolutionary army is going to break up, how should you deal with yourself?" ”

An Yi looked at the void outside the pavilion, and finished smoking half a cigarette before replying in a low voice: "I'm sad, to be honest, I really don't want to see that day coming, since joining the army, I have gone through hardships several times to live and die on the front line, from a small acting engineer company commander step by step to today's major general commander, almost all the major battles since the Northern Expedition have been personally involved, but deep down in my heart, from the original blood surging to the current anxiety and confusion, I don't feel that I have anything great, I didn't feel that I had made any contribution to the country and the nation.

Many people ask me why I don't change into a general's uniform, in fact, in addition to wearing the original clothes to facilitate training and walking, there is another reason that I don't want to tell others, that is, the general star on my collar does not make me feel much glory, all my military exploits are established in the civil war, in a way, I used to destroy my compatriots, although many of them are stubborn and heinous, but still cannot enjoy the honor brought by this. ”

Zhou Chongan and He Jing looked at An Yi in shock, An Yi turned his head and smiled bitterly: "Two, although we haven't been together for a long time, I know the talent and mind of the two of them, and I have already treated them as bosom friends in my heart, otherwise I wouldn't have told you so many real feelings." I hope you don't report what I said today, just a private discussion between friends, can you agree to my request? ”

"I respect your opinion, and being your friend is my biggest reward." Zhou Chongan smiled sincerely at An Yi.

He Jing nodded: "Don't worry, I cherish our friendship very much, but I still want to ask you to allow me to write about the two follow-up battles of the Reading Force Regiment and the Model Battalion, which are meaningful to me and the revolutionary army." ”

An Yi smiled slightly: "I agreed!" He Jing, why don't you change the direction of the report for the time being? For example, to visit the ramie textile factory under construction in Nanchang, ask the local people how they feel and listen to their voices, it is estimated that by the end of the year, factories, schools, hospitals, residential areas will rise from the ground, the lives of the local people will undergo significant changes, a new industrial and commercial area will be born, its far-reaching impact is far above one or two bloody battles, and the meaning is not the same, because one is construction, the other is destruction. ”

He Jing sighed in surprise: "I understand, thank you Xiaoyi!" Thank you...... I'm sorry I'm so excited that it's rude to call you that. ”

"How so? I listen very comfortably, if you want to call it that, I'm not used to cumbersome ways of calling me, haven't you seen that the warlords who were still fighting you to the death yesterday are calling each other brothers and sisters and working together in the blink of an eye? This is the case between Wu Peifu and Zhang Zuolin, between Zhang Xueliang, Zhang Zongchang and Sun Chuanfang, and between Feng Yuxiang and Wu Peifu, Cao Kun, and Zhang Zuolin.

If you think about it, how many of them can call each other by their first or nicknamed names like you and me? An Yi said with deep meaning.

He Jing was moved and laughed, and Zhou Chongan hurriedly interrupted He Jing: "Wait! If I'm not mistaken, General An just meant to build an industrial and commercial zone in Nanchang, right? ”

"It's not about to be built, it's already being built! Brother Zhou is a doctor of economics who graduated from a famous European university, and perhaps he can better understand the far-reaching significance of economic construction, and I can tell you very responsibly that batches of advanced production equipment imported from Europe and the United States are constantly arriving in Nanchang; Mr. Ou Yaoting, a patriotic provincial and Hong Kong chaebol, and Mr. Kong Xiangxi, a pro-revolution industrialist and banker, all started industrial and commercial investment in Nanchang. The first transportation company in Nanchang, with sixteen trucks and buses, has been established and is operating; Xiao Yi participated in the investment of the ramie textile factory is about to complete the construction of the factory and the construction of the staff residential area, and the selection of the first batch of 30 young science and engineering students he sponsored to study in Europe and the United States is about to end...... Xiao Yi predicts that in a year, the entire Nanchang will absorb about 50,000 employed people, and within two years it will have the prototype of an industrial and commercial city, and the small old Nanchang will be famous for its advanced factories and high-quality products.

When I go back this time, I will focus on publicizing this part, so that the people can see a kind of hope and a spirit from it! He Jing explained proudly.

Zhou Chongan looked at An Yi blankly: "Why haven't I heard you mention it?" ”

An Yi smiled slightly: "Don't mention it, let's talk about it later." It's not too early, let's go back, tonight I invite you to the Tianxiang Building in the city to drink, tomorrow you get out, I will close the barracks, start a month-long intensive training, during which no reporter can enter the military management area, otherwise I will not care about the background of the violators, I will be detained and interrogated according to the law.

The officers and men of our regiment will no longer participate in any receptions, earnest talks, and all kinds of social activities, and all the places where our headquarters are stationed will be under 24-hour military control until our unit is ordered to leave...... Why are you staring at your eyes so big? Let's go, after drinking this meal and wine, I don't know what the next time we meet! ”

…… There was nothing to say all night, and in the early morning of the next day, yellow and white notices stamped with the seal of the Reading Force Regiment of the Second Division of the National Revolutionary Army appeared in a conspicuous position at the entrance of the street outside the city of Kunshan, and the content of the white notices was as follows:

At 3 o'clock in the afternoon, a trial meeting will be held at Xihekou on the outskirts of the city, and the political and military justice departments of the Revolutionary Army's Reading Force will openly burn 147 boxes of seized opium and publicly execute seven murderers and opium dealers who committed the most heinous crimes.

The contents of the yellow notice are 10 wartime management regulations, which make strict regulations on the demarcation of military restricted areas and demonstrations, which make people from all walks of life in Kunshan moved:

All military camps, shooting ranges, and railway bridges in Kunshan are listed as military restricted areas, and it is strictly forbidden for anyone to peep in and out; If social organizations, industrial and commercial associations, and schools from all walks of life in Kunshan need to hold a parade, they must report the content, purpose, route, and time of the parade to the political and military law department of the Reading Force of the National Revolutionary Army one day in advance, and only after obtaining approval can it be carried out, otherwise it will be regarded as collaborating with the enemy and disrupting the public order on the front line and will be dispersed and punished.

(To be continued)