The Sino-Soviet peace talks were on the verge of rupture, and the US ambassador to the Soviet Union, Harriman, came to visit and persuaded the delegation to make concessions on the Outer Mongolia issue, which had long been controlled by the Soviet Union and had already been completed, and even if it was not allowed to become independent, it would not be able to change the status quo, but would have angered the Soviet Union.

The only thing China can rely on is the United States, the backers have spoken, Song Ziwen has no tricks, he smoked a pipe and sat quietly for a long time that night, and saw him again the next day, the person seemed to be ten years old, haggard, faltering, startled, stepped forward to help each other, Song Ziwen waved his hand: "It's okay, I have a stomach problem, and I am angry." ”

Seeing him like this, Chen Zikun knew that he had already thought about it, so he said, "Ziwen is going to sign?" ”

Song Ziwen smiled bitterly: "To sign or not, he has to take it from Mongolia, let's keep Xinjiang and Northeast China first, but before signing, I have to ask the central government." ”

Chen Zikun was sad, and couldn't help but think of Xu Shuzheng, who died in his hands back then, Outer Mongolia was once recovered by Beiyang, and today he wants to give it up, but he can't do anything in the delegation, and he really has a sense of frustration.

"Zikun, what do you want?" Song Ziwen said.

"I think of an old friend, it's been 20 years, I don't know if he will jump out and scold me."

……

Just when the negotiations were about to reach a consensus, the allies convened the Potsdam Conference, and Stalin was going to hold a meeting with the new US President Harry Truman and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

As soon as Song Ziwen arrived in Chongqing, he resigned from the post of foreign minister, and this kind of temporary pick-and-no-go behavior made Chen Zikun smile bitterly.

The trip to Moscow made Chen Zikun depressed for a while, and huge portraits of Chiang Kai-shek, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin were hung everywhere on the streets, known as the four world leaders, and the common people were also intoxicated, thinking that China was really proud and ranked among the world's great powers.

At the end of July, the United States, Britain and China issued the Potsdam Proclamation, urging Japan to surrender unconditionally, and Chen Zikun noticed that the proclamation did not involve the Soviet Union, and knew in his heart that there were differences between the United States and the Soviet Union, and the crux of the problem was whether the Soviet Union was at war against Japan.

One day in early August, Chen Zikun was reading the newspaper in the study, Xiao Nanzheng was playing with the two children of Xue Bin's family in the yard, and lived in Chongqing for a long time.

Suddenly, the phone rang, and Chen Zikun picked up the receiver: "Where?"

"Zikun, it's me, good news, great news, we don't have to sign the traitorous treaty!" It was Song Ziwen's excited voice over there.

Chen Zikun stood up and clenched the microphone: "What did you say, what's going on?" What upheaval has happened? ”

Song Ziwen said: "This morning, an American bomber dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, and blew up the entire Hiroshima! Japan's surrender is imminent, and there is no need for the Soviet Union to send troops! ”

"Atomic bomb!" Chen Zikun was greatly shocked, he had vaguely heard of a mysterious Manhattan project when he was in the United States, it is said that a lot of manpower and material resources were consumed, but he did not expect that the weapons developed were so ferocious, a bomb could destroy a city, according to this way of fighting, a dozen bombs, Japan's war potential would be completely exhausted, and the war was expected to end in the near future.

He didn't know when the phone hung up, he had been immersed in excitement, the United States had the atomic bomb, the Soviet Union was bound to be timid, after the end of the European war, the Soviet Union and the United States directly from allies to fierce enemies, the conflict was on the verge of breaking out, all because the two sides were equal, now the United States has powerful weapons, the balance has been broken, the war will not happen, the entrenched Japanese army in the three northeastern provinces, and there is no need for the Soviet Union to solve it, it is really a great blessing.

But no one expected the shamelessness of the Soviet Union, after the second atomic bomb exploded in Nagasaki, the next day the Soviet Union could not wait to declare war on Japan, and the million-strong army drove straight in, as if entering a no-man's land, the so-called elite Kwantung Army had long been decayed, sick and weak, and the remnants of the army were wiped out by the powerful Soviet army like autumn wind.

Since Northeast China was occupied by the Soviet Union, China was instantly at a disadvantage, and this treaty had to be signed if it was not signed; on 14 August, the "Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship and Alliance" was formally signed in Moscow by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Shijie and Soviet People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Molotov.

On 10 August, Japan sent a note to its allies that it was willing to accept the Potsdam Proclamation, and at this point, World War II was actually over, but Japan had not formally surrendered, and ordinary people were still in the dark.

Chen Zikun called a meeting of all the old subordinates in Chongqing overnight at his home and told them that victory was imminent and that they would immediately prepare to return to Jiangdong.

"In such a hurry?" Yan Suqi said, "Hasn't Japan surrendered yet?" ”

Chen Zikun said: "The official announcement is in the past few days, as soon as Japan surrenders, the occupied area will immediately fall into a vacuum, whoever grabs it counts, if we don't hurry back, others will take the lead, lose the territory, talk about everything is empty, haven't you had enough days like this." ”

When everyone heard this, they were full of energy.

At the end of the meeting, everyone didn't even have time to go home, hurriedly got in the car and went straight to the airport, Chen Zikun changed into a military uniform and prepared to leave, his wife and children lined up in the living room to see him off, Chen Zikun's eyes crossed everyone, Yao Yilei, Jianbing, Lin Wenjing, Xia Xiaoqing, Liu Ting, as well as Xiaonan and Jiao'er, he went on a business trip every once in a while, and his family had long been accustomed to it, but this time was different, because this would be the last time he embarked on the journey.

Every time he set out, Chen Zikun would say, wait for me to come back, but this time he didn't say, he said, "After a while, we will go home." The youngest daughter, Jiao'er, is six and a half years old, tilted her head and said, "Dad, isn't this our family?" ”

Chen Zikun pinched her little face: "Chongqing is not our home, Jiangdong is our hometown, Dad will pick you up in a few days and go to see our castle." ”

The riverside villa in Beitai is beautiful, and after the fall, it has become an eternal pain in the hearts of the Chen family.

"Dad, you come and pick me up early."

"yes, got it." Chen Zikun kissed his daughter and touched Xiao Nan's head, this picked up son is fifteen years old, his hearing is gradually recovering, and his language function is no different from that of ordinary teenagers.

Saying goodbye to his family, Chen Zikun went out to get in the car, the convoy roared away, and went straight to the Baishiyi Air Base, over the airport, and the transport planes shuttled back and forth.

Chen Zikun has his own private jet, this DC3 has been in service for many years, between Chongqing and Shanghai, has been responsible for doing private work, no logo painting, and now urgently sprayed with the blue sky and white sun emblem, passengers boarded, closed the door, full of the joy of victory and took off.

A few hours later, the plane landed at the Jiangbei Field Airfield, where the generals of the Anti-Japanese National Salvation Army gathered, Chen Zikun convened an emergency meeting, and Yan Su, Chen Qilin, Gai Longquan, Chen Shou, Zeng Jiao, Shuangxi, Liang Maocai, and other cadres were all present.

Chen Zikun looked around at everyone and said sonorously: "Brothers, within a week, Japan will officially announce its surrender, *** The Eighth Route Army has issued an announcement, saying that the last battle against the Japanese invaders, Chongqing is also urgently dispatching troops to prepare to receive, the strength of the Japanese army in the occupied area is still there, munitions, materials and even soldiers, are the objects of contention, we don't care about other places, Jiangdong is our old territory, brothers have been fighting for eight years of bloody resistance, so many people have been killed and injured, coming, can you let others snatch our place!" ”

"Can't!" Here's a response.

"Whoever dares to rob it, just do it with him!" Liang Maocai stood up and said.

Chen Zikun pressed his hands and said: "The situation in Jiangdong is more complicated, in Jiangbei, we want to rob with the Eighth Route Army, in Jiangnan, we have to rob with Gu Zhutong's men and horses, on one side is ***, on the other hand is the regular army of the national government, can we kill them?" ”

There was laughter below, and the laughter was full of pride and self-confidence, although the Jiangdong Anti-Japanese Salvation Army had the name of a miscellaneous army, its equipment was better than that of the expeditionary force, and it was on a par with the army stationed in India.

Chen Zikun made some deployment, and the troops were divided into two routes, one under the leadership of Chen Shou to recover Beitai, one under the leadership of Chen Qilin in Jiangnan, and the other way to take over the provincial capital under his own leadership.

……

In the Daqingshan area, the base area of the Eighth Route Army, the head of the column held a meeting of cadres above the company level, and the political commissar Ye Xuefeng had a serious expression and said: "Comrades, Chairman Mao of the Party Central Committee issued a statement on the final battle against the Japanese invaders, the Soviet Red Army has entered the northeast, and the time has come to defeat the Japanese invaders and all their lackeys. Under these circumstances, all anti-Japanese forces of the Chinese people should launch a counteroffensive on a national scale and closely and effectively cooperate with the Soviet Union and other allied countries. The Eighth Route Army, the New Fourth Army, and other people's armies should, under all possible conditions, carry out extensive attacks against all aggressors and their lackeys who are unwilling to surrender, annihilate the forces of these enemies, seize their weapons and assets, and violently expand the liberated areas and reduce the ...... the occupied areas."

With a burst of warm applause, Wu Changqing said: "Comrades, although victory is at hand, we must pay attention to the actions of the Kuomintang reactionaries, they are bound to rob us of the fruits of victory, now I order, the troops advance to Beitai, and take over the city before the Kuomintang!" ”