After seven years, Zhu Qinglan, who has big ears and a majestic demeanor, has aged a lot, Gu Pan Shengxiong's eyes can't hide a little melancholy and loneliness, and there are many wrinkles on his broad forehead and the corners of his eyes, and there is no longer the energetic and confident Fengyi seven years ago.

Xiao Yimin strode forward, humbly greeted his subordinates, and then warmly took Zhu Qinglan's hand: "Brother Ziqiao, it's been a long time!" ”

Zhu Qinglan, who stepped down from the position of governor of Guangdong Province, has been living in seclusion in Shanghai for the past two years, his prestige has passed, he is unknown, and is gradually forgotten by the whole world.

"If it weren't for the care of Senior Brother Wei Yue and the earnest teachings of his teacher, I am afraid that the foolish brother would not have been able to leave his home in Shanghai!"

Zhu Qinglan's mentor is Zhao Erxun, who has changed his life and taught him for nearly ten years, and his junior brother is undoubtedly Xu Weiyue, who is now thriving in the Chinese and foreign press and publishing circles and has a prominent reputation, it stands to reason that as early as seven years ago during the restructuring stage of the Sichuan New Army, Zhu Qinglan, who was the commander of the Sichuan New Army, should have called Xiao Yimin his junior brother, but this junior brother has not been called out until now, which shows how deep the guilt in Zhu Qinglan's heart is.

Where does Xiao Yimin not know Zhu Qinglan's complicated mood at the moment? Suddenly forgetting that there were other people around him, he took half a step closer, clasped Zhu Qinglan's hands, and sighed with emotion: "Senior brother, it's good to come, it's good to come, in fact, you should have come a long time ago!" ”

Zhu Qinglan immediately burst into tears, closed his lips, took Xiao Yimin's hand and shook it again and again, unable to say a word.

"Haha! What a day it was for! Come and meet the distinguished guests from afar, and then have a good drink together! Yang Du's laughter came in time.

Zhu Qinglan hurriedly brought Xiao Yimin to a handsome and upright man behind him, who knew that before he opened his mouth, he heard Xiao Yimin exclaim: "General Jingcun...... Yimin is disrespectful, disrespectful! ”

Chen Jiongming, who was moved by the scene of Zhu Qinglan and Xiao Yimin's brother recognizing each other, had calmed down, but he never expected that Xiao Yimin, who was expected to be very likely to be true to him, would immediately extend his enthusiastic hands to his subordinate and political enemy after being surprised, and his tone was respectful and enthusiastic, without any hypocrisy.

Chen Jiongming didn't have time to think about it, he took half a step ahead and grabbed Xiao Yimin's hand tightly: "My subordinates took the liberty to come to the door, and I hope that Yishuai will forgive his subordinates for their abrupt crimes!" ”

Xiao Yimin shook his head and laughed heartily: "Where is it?" I thought that this time I could take advantage of the meeting of the superintendents of the southern provinces to ask Brother Jingcun for advice, who knew that the overseers of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces called to ask for leave, Guangxi only sent the military affairs office to attend the meeting, but Guangdong did not see anyone, originally I thought that all walks of life in Guangdong had a grudge against Yiming, but now I can see Brother Jingcun, Yiming is really happy, and his heart is much more stable. ”

Chen Jiongming still wanted to say a few polite words, but when he saw his old friend Cheng Qian and Wu Peifu, who had had a few face-to-face friends, striding from behind, he hurriedly put away all his distractions, nodded with a smile, and saluted.

The living room was suddenly full of surprises and excitement, Cheng Qian, who has always been old and serious, saw the old chief Zhu Qinglan, and immediately became pleasantly surprised, and he also saw it with the courtesy of his subordinates, and then stepped forward to take Zhu Qinglan's hand and asked for warmth, and blamed why he suddenly cut off the news two years ago?

Wu Peifu and Chen Jiongming had already chatted enthusiastically, and the two powerful generals of the north and south were all talented people, standing together extremely conspicuously, and Yang Du, who was proficient in Zhou Yi and good at physiognomy, sighed.

Seeing off Xiao Yimin's two wives who came together to greet politely, everyone walked into the back garden under the enthusiastic guidance of the host, and after a few words of greeting, they sat down around the newly placed exquisite banquet, and after drinking three glasses in a row, they let out a burst of laughter again.

Next, no one mentioned the matter, except for the emotional reminiscence, they couldn't help but raise their glasses and bump into each other, and in the end, it was Zhu Qinglan, who was full of heart but extremely moved, who was drunk first, and was soon carried into the guest room by the guards.

The banquet finally dispersed, and Xiao Yimin, who was getting bigger and bigger, couldn't help but say that he kept Chen Jiongming, who came to Nanjing secretly, and Yang Du, who was in charge of everything, warmly invited Chen Jiongming to stay for a few more days, and finally returned to the Yang Mansion next door.

Wu Peifu and Cheng Qian, who were floating in their feet, knew that Chen Jiongming's appearance was extraordinary, so they said goodbye with a big grin in wine, and the two turned around and immediately climbed their shoulders and backs to each other, and let out a few laughs and scolds between each other from time to time, and Chen Jiongming, who couldn't drink because of old stomach problems, straightened his eyes:

"One is the Hunan Overseer, the other is the Henan Overseer, both are recognized as famous generals in the world, who would have thought that the two people, who have never had any intersection rumors thousands of miles apart, would be so close in private? And there is such a frank side! ”

Came to the simple and elegant study and sat down, Chen Jiongming, who was proficient in tea ceremony, finally appreciated Xiao Yimin's tea art spread all over the world, Chen Jiongming drank a cup of Junshan Maojian tea with a long fragrance, clear and jade, and suddenly felt relaxed and happy, and after a few praises, he looked at a twelve-year-old boy wearing a small soldier uniform on the side: "Yimin, who is this handsome little brother?" ”

"My eldest brother's eldest son, whose name is Liu Chengming, goes to school at the Invalids Primary School opposite the camp during the day, and he works as a soldier for me after school." Xiao Yimin said with a smile.

The young man with delicate facial features resembling his father Liu Bingxian saluted Chen Jiongming with a military salute, then stepped forward and carefully picked up the kettle, took a step back and turned around to add spring water. made Chen Jiongming and Xiao Yimin laugh.

Putting away his laughter, Chen Jiongming sighed: "Speaking of Brother Zicheng, I feel very sad in my heart, he is a great talent!" When he first appeared in the Guangzhou base camp, I noticed him, and then I heard about his experience, and then saw the courage of his soldiers, I especially wanted to make friends with him, but I ...... It's a pity, it's a pity! ”

One "just", one "it's a pity", just five words, exhausting countless complicated past and grievance entanglements.

Xiao Yimin was also embarrassed, and after adding a cup of hot tea to Chen Jiongming, he asked with a smile: "After Brother Jingcun returned to Huizhou, he never went to Guangzhou to serve as a military affairs officer, and the younger brother can understand Brother Jingcun's thoughts to some extent, but if the confrontation continues, not only will Brother Jingcun's 20 years of hard work be in vain, but also let down the tens of millions of people in Guangdong who are extremely grateful and supportive to Brother Jingcun!" ”

Chen Jiongming's hand holding the teacup froze in the middle, and he slowly put it down after a few breaths, followed by a sad sigh:

"What the virtuous brother said, I don't know! It's just that after the catastrophe, my heart was broken, if it wasn't for Brother Ziqiao rushing from Shanghai to Huizhou, let me see the situation clearly and identify the direction, I'm afraid I would have taken the whole family back to Nanyang. ”

Xiao Yimin doesn't know what Zhu Qinglan has done during this time, but he has always learned about Zhu Qinglan's seclusion in the French Concession through the Shanghai Station of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and he also knows that Zhu Qinglan and his senior brother Xu Weiyue are mixed together, and they also jointly established a charitable foundation, which must have the teachings and guidance of Xiao Yimin's father-in-law Zhao Erxun.

If Zhu Qinglan didn't take the initiative to come today, Xiao Yimin would not take the initiative to go in the future, after all, the death of his mentor Zhao Erfeng has always been an unsolvable pain in Xiao Yimin's heart, judging from the situation at the time, Zhu Qinglan also bears a certain responsibility, so even if Zhu Qinglan later served as the military envoy of the Northeast and Guangdong provinces, the military affairs office, the acting overseer, the provincial governor and other important positions, and also stayed in the Yanjing Army Headquarters for a period of time, Xiao Yimin did not take the initiative to contact him, even Duan Qirui called to ask Xiao Yimin's opinion some time ago, wanted to reactivate Zhu Qinglan, who lived in seclusion in Shanghai, Xiao Yimin did not give any advice.

But today Zhu Qinglan came, not only took the initiative to come to the door as a senior brother, but also brought Chen Jiongming, who had never met before, and the sincerity and help contained in it made Xiao Yimin quite moved after being stunned, and he also had the idea of supporting Zhu Qinglan again.

After all, since the embarrassment of escaping from Sichuan, Zhu Qinglan, who has learned from the pain, has made a lot of achievements, he has a rare talent in civil affairs, his two sleeves are clean, honest and honest reputation and profound qualifications, vividly placed in front of the world, although many people have forgotten, but as long as Zhu Qinglan comes back, no one in the political and political circles will dare to ignore the existence and influence of Zhu Qinglan, and it will also become a great help to Xiao Yimin Group.

At this moment, listening to Chen Jiongming's sad and unwilling sigh, Xiao Yimin quickly thought of many things:

"Brother Jing Cun is only young and not confused, so he must not say such discouraged words...... As far as I know, the people of Guangdong, especially the industrial and commercial circles in Guangdong, are calling for Brother Jing Cun to take charge of Guangdong. Moreover, Guangdong's political environment is no longer as muddy as it used to be, and extremists who advocate violence and assassination are either dying in a row or dying overseas, and Guangdong's ruling environment is thousands of times better than before. ”

As soon as Chen Jiongming heard it, he knew the kindness and support expressed by Xiao Yimin, and the stone hanging on his heart was finally put down:

"Speaking of which, I have to thank you, if it weren't for General Wang Zhanxu's righteous help, the greedy Gui army with the surname of bandits blocked from Heyuan to the west of Dongguan, I am afraid that countless people in eastern Guangdong will be poisoned by the Gui army, and because of this, the Sichuan army with strict military discipline and orders and prohibitions has won the heartfelt support of the people of Guangdong, and now dozens of counties in the Chaomei region have become blessed places in the minds of the people, and the merits are immeasurable!"

Xiao Yimin laughed: "It's over!" Brother Jingcun, I really didn't expect you to come, I was going to sort out the military and politics of Guangdong after the Spring Festival, but now it's okay, I can discuss the future of Guangdong with Brother Jingcun. ”

Chen Jiongming nodded, took out a letter from his arms and handed it over: "Thank you for everything that Brother Xian has done for Guangdong and me Chen Jiongming, but there is something I have to ask for your opinion first." ”

Xiao Yimin took the letter and opened it immediately, and after reading it, his confidence was shocked: "I really didn't expect that my Hongmen would have such a wide branch, you and I are both 'righteous generation' brothers, and I didn't expect that Brother Jingcun would be the leader of the Zhigongtang country!" Speaking of which, is the rumor that Mr. Situ Meitang issued a statement on behalf of the overseas Chinese community in the Americas to break with Sun Wen? Mr. Chen Lianbo, the president of the Guangdong General Chamber of Commerce, who was almost killed by Gui Jun, is really your brother? ”

Chen Jiongming nodded: "Yes, it was Uncle Lian who asked me for help, and I knew that the virtuous brother had laid a general trend in Hainan, and the foolish brother admired it!" ”

Xiao Yimin shook his head: "Brother Jingcun, don't worry, the younger brother will order the Lingao troops to send Brother Lian's son and the children of the clan back to Huizhou, as for the many matters mentioned by Mr. Situ Meitang in the letter, they still need to be discussed one by one, but the younger brother can call San Francisco and ask my brother Xiao Zhen to visit Situ senior as soon as possible." ”

Chen Jiongming stood up gratefully: "Thank you, Brother Xian, in this way, even if the foolish brother hangs up the crown and leaves, there will be no regrets!" ”

Xiao Yimin hurriedly stood up: "No, if you insist on leaving before this, I will at most pretend to save a few words, but now you can't go, no matter how much the price is paid, the younger brother will also push you to the position of governor of Guangdong Province at the national meeting in February next year!" You can rest assured about the army, if the Gui family dares to stop it, I will completely solve him! ”

"Virtuous brother ......" Chen Jiongming was so excited that he couldn't speak.

"Brother, speaking of which, there is a deep relationship between you and me, and after several years of investigation and understanding, the younger brother knows that his brother's noble demeanor and noble character have never equated you with that group of revolutionaries! I won't say anything tonight, I'll invite you to drink, let's get drunk, and the two bottles of Socrates that the British Minister Juerdian gave me are probably to your liking......"

(To be continued)