Shenyang fell overnight. When the news spread throughout the country, college students in Beiping and Nanjing immediately marched on the streets to protest the government's weakness toward Japan, and college students in Jiangdong provincial capital also came to the provincial capital to petition for the government to declare war on Japan.

The provincial chairman, Yan Su, came forward to reassure the students and promised to submit the petition to the central government, which stabilized the situation, but he did not go to Nanjing, but went to Beitai with the students' blood letters.

Chen Zikun, the real head of Jiangdong Province, is in Beitai for disaster relief, the Jianghuai River is overflowing, starvation is all over the land, the Huaijiang River has also broken many embankments, more than 100,000 people in the province have been flooded, fertile land has been flooded, the homeland has become a country, there are people everywhere, and hundreds of people die of starvation every day.

Rumors came out of nowhere, saying that there was food in Beitai, and a large number of refugees flocked to the north of the city and west of the city, dozens of miles of camps, and all the hungry people lived.

Although Chen Zikun holds the post of Beitai county magistrate, it is only an honorary title, and the real presiding officer is Xiao Lang, the deputy county magistrate, who is a technical official from Tsinghua University, who is not inferior to running civil affairs, suspending all construction projects, vacating the city hall and stadium for refugees to live in, and raising food for disaster relief in various ways.

The whole of China has been flooded, it is said that the water on the streets of Hankou has not reached the feet and necks, this year's grain harvest has been completely failed, and all localities are collecting grain for disaster relief, how can there be surplus grain to buy, originally the three northeastern provinces were affected by the disaster, the area affected by the disaster is relatively small, and the Executive Yuan is planning to allocate a batch of grain to the south, who knows that at this juncture, the Japanese Kwantung Army suddenly attacked, occupied Shenyang, and there was no hope for grain in the northeast.

China has been hit by a disaster, international grain prices have been rising, and the prices of American wheat and Siamese rice have been twice as high as usual, which has made matters worse.

The rule handed down in ancient times is that the porridge for disaster relief should be able to stick into the chopsticks and not fall, below this viscosity, the emperor is going to cut off the braincase of the disaster relief, but now forced by the situation, even the Beitai County Government, which has always been kind, can only distribute gruel with clear soup and little water.

Yan Su took a small steamer all the way north, and the river flooded along the way, and the river was much wider than before, and you could see the villages and trees flooded in the water, and the dead livestock were floating everywhere, and the devastation was unbearable to see.

Arrived in Beitai, went directly to the Jiangwan Mansion, and discussed national affairs with Chen Zikun in the conference room on the second floor.

Chen Zikun read the students' petition and said: "The elite of the Feng army is all in the Guannei, but there are still 200,000 horses in the three eastern provinces, how can they be so unbearable, they were defeated and retreated by the Kwantung Army. ”

Yan Su said: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has lodged the strongest protest with Japan and asked the League of Nations for help, and now it depends on how the international community exerts pressure on Japan, and Britain and the United States will not sit idly by and watch Japan annex Northeast China." ”

Chen Zikun said: "Britain and the United States are not a good thing, when Japan forcibly occupied Qingdao, I saw their essence, and Japan is the same as the raccoon dog, but the food is a little more civilized, they can't count on it, people have hit the door, and they are noisy to protest, I think the Ministry of Foreign Affairs changed to the Ministry of Protest to forget it." ”

Yan Su said worriedly: "Internal and external troubles, how is it good." ”

Chen Zikun said: "The Northeast is not only the territory of his old Zhang family, but also the land of China...... In the final analysis, we have to unite the whole country to fight the Japanese, and we are 50 years behind Japan. ”

Upstairs discussing national affairs, the side door downstairs opened gently, Xiaobei tiptoed in with poplar roots, this is the first mansion of poplar roots, the ground is paved with smooth marble, spotless, the furniture is shiny, like a palace, he wore a pair of mud-stained rotten shoes, cowering and afraid to move forward.

"Follow me." Xiaobei pulled the poplar root into the kitchen, there was porridge in the pot, and there was a plate of fried meat and a plate of steamed buns on the table.

The poplar root was overflowing with saliva, and his belly screamed angrily, there has been a famine in the city recently, the price of food has skyrocketed, and the family can't open the pot, he hasn't eaten enough for a long time.

"Eat!" Xiaobei pushed the porridge pot in front of the poplar root.

Yang Shugen did not hesitate, grabbed the rice spoon and ate it violently, holding the steamed bun in one hand, taking a bite from time to time, the cheeks were round, chewing constantly, and tears of happiness came out.

Although Xiaobei was also a bitter child, he had never been hungry to this point, and he was stunned to see Yang Shugen eat all the porridge in an instant, eat two steamed buns, and stuff the remaining two into his arms, saying that he would bring them to his mother.

"And this." Xiaobei opened the refrigerator door, took two bottles of milk, a box of refining ruin, and a red sausage, all of which were stuffed to Xiaobei, and the two of them walked out as if they had won a battle, holding the loot, and when the kitchen maid came back, they grabbed the poplar root and shouted to catch the thief.

Chen Zikun and Yan Su came down from upstairs, saw this scene and hurriedly stopped the servant, and asked Xiaobei: "What's the matter?" ”

Xiaobei said: "He is my friend, there is no food at home, I will bring him to eat something." ”

Poplar Root lowered his head and trembled with fear.

Chen Zikun smiled: "In this way, why don't you take your friend to the room to sit down, and turn around and ask someone to send a bag of rice over, which is a gift from your father." ”

Xiaobei grinned, pulled up the poplar roots and went upstairs, leaving a string of dirty footprints, Chen Zikun smiled at Yan Su and said, "This kid is kind-hearted, follow me." ”

Yan Su also smiled: "Kunwu, you are not kind, you don't blink your eyes when you kill people." ”

Chen Zikun laughed heartily and said: "There is a famine everywhere, and the family has also quit big fish and meat, just like refugees, have a porridge, Xiao'an, I have wronged you." ”

"Wherever and where, share weal and woe with the people, as it should be." Yan Su said.

The maid had a sad face: "Master, the young master and the kid have eaten up all the porridge, and the steamed buns are gone." ”

The two looked at each other and laughed.

……

The situation in the northeast continued to deteriorate, and almost every day there was bad news, such as the loss of Changchun, Jilin, and Qiqihar, and the Kwantung Army's momentum was like a bamboo, as if it had entered a no-man's land, and the Chinese government repeatedly backed down and pinned its hopes on international intervention, and at the same time, Song Ziwen, vice president of the Executive Yuan, negotiated with the Japanese minister Shigemitsu Aoi to seek a solution, but the Japanese side still insisted that the conflict was caused by China, and the Kwantung Army took resolute measures only to protect the overseas Chinese.

The Japanese government repeatedly ordered that the situation should not be expanded, fearing that it would provoke the international community and cause the Soviet Union to intervene, but the Kwantung Army would not accept the orders of the foreign monarch and unscrupulously continue to advance westward, directly approaching Jinzhou.

The Council of the League of Nations informed China and Japan that they proposed to withdraw their troops and establish a demilitarized zone, but the Kwantung Army ignored them, and at the same time, the Japanese navy stationed in Shanghai was also ready to move, and the wealthy families of Zhabei and Nanshi fled to the concession one after another.

At this time, the suppression of bandits in Jiangxi was at a critical moment, and with a fire, it would be accomplished, but all sectors of society were dissatisfied with Chairman Chiang's policy of first reassuring the outside world and at home, and even Finance Minister Song Ziwen was quite slight, claiming that he was unwilling to use the funds for internal friction, Chiang Kai-shek severely reprimanded him, and Song Ziwen resigned in anger.

The three northeastern provinces were taken away by the Japanese, but China was still torn apart, Jiangxi had a Soviet area, and Guangzhou also had a new national government, if it were not for the September 18 incident, a new north-south civil war would break out again, and in the face of foreign enemies, Nanjing and Guangzhou were forced to finally compromise due to the situation.

In November, the delegates from Nanjing and Wuhan met in Shanghai and agreed to convene the Fourth National Congress of the Kuomintang, reorganize the Nationalist Government, and merge Ningbo and Guangdong.

The Nanjing delegates proposed that Chiang Kai-shek go north to take control of Beiping and recover the country's territory, but the Guangzhou delegates categorically refused, insisting that Chiang Kai-shek must go to the wilderness, and that he should be relieved of his military power and expelled from the party, and the two sides could not talk about going together at all.

Chen Zikun, as a member of the Central Executive Committee, attended the meeting as an observer, and the two sides were extremely annoyed by the words and swords, and he was really impatient to listen, so he suddenly took the case and said: "The country is rotten like this, you are still pestering who is the boss, you make trouble, I resign!" With that, he left the table angrily.

The crowd disagreed and continued to argue.

Chen Zikun returned to his residence in Shanghai, and Shuangxi, who had returned from injury, told him in a low voice that there were guests arriving in the south, and when he entered the inner room, there was a person sitting in the shadows, with a thin face and bright eyes, it was Zhao Dahai.

"Brother Dahai, when did you arrive? You're very well-informed, and you know I'm in Shanghai. Seeing his old friend, Chen Zikun suddenly swept away the gloom in his heart.

Zhao Dahai said: "I have nothing to do but go to the Three Treasures Palace, and I have to ask for your help this time." ”

"Need medicine again?"

"This time it's not medicine, you need to purchase a batch of machinery and equipment, I heard that your Spring Foreign Bank specializes in importing this kind of machinery, and the fertilizer and water do not flow into the fields of outsiders, so I came to you." Zhao Dahai smiled and handed over a purchase list.

Chen Zikun understood at a glance: "These are all machines used in the arsenal, which belong to strictly controlled materials, I'm afraid it's not very convenient." ”

Zhao Dahai said: "Zikun, you are the chairman of the National Defense Construction Supervision Commission, you can help my brother with a note, you can rest assured, you can't treat your brothers badly." ”

As he spoke, he took out a blue cloth bag and untied it, and it was shining, all of which were small yellow croakers with one or two.

Chen Zikun said: "Brother Dahai, you are late, I was still the chairman of the Supervisory Committee in the morning, and now I have resigned." ”

"That's right, don't worry." Zhao Dahai was obviously a little lost.

"Brother Dahai is now in charge of procurement, this is a fat difference." Chen Zikun half-jokingly said that seeing Zhao Dahai lose weight like this, he didn't look like a master who was full of private pockets.

Zhao Dahai said: "These gold bars are the treasury of the government of the Chinese Soviet Republic, and if you can't buy machines, you can't make bullets, you can't repair damaged guns, you can't fight without weapons, and the Red Army soldiers have to use cold weapons to fight desperately with the enemy......

At this point, his voice was low, as if to bring back some painful memories.

Chen Zikun said: "Brother Dahai, after 918, I saw the telegram of your party, and the matter became the prelude to the imperialist's war against the Soviet Union, and the proletariat should organize to defend the Soviet Union, oppose Japan, and eliminate the Kuomintang government, I wondered, we are all Chinese, and the **** son is not related to the old people, why help them, now that the Japanese occupy the northeast, the Chinese should abandon their past grievances and unite to fight Japan." ”

Zhao Dahai thought for a while and said: "The class is higher than the state and the nation, Zikun, these truths are discussed in detail in the works of Marx and Lenin, you probably haven't read them, I will bring you a copy when I have time." ”

Chen Zikun sneered: "Marx's book, I read it ten years ago, to be honest, it's not enough, there is a problem with the classification of the social system, his old man is a researcher of European historical changes to make a conclusion, the unique agricultural civilization in East Asia, and Europe are fundamentally two different things, besides, he is just a philosopher, these big truths have not been practiced, who knows if it is right." ”

Zhao Dahai said: "Zikun, I'm just a worker, I haven't been to school for a few days, I used to be always confused, since I followed the party, I feel like a person, what you said, I can understand, after all, your living environment is different from mine, strictly speaking, we are enemies of different classes, but I came to see you today as a brother, business matters, if you can't help, forget it, our brothers will have a long life in the future, farewell." ”

After saying that, he got up and left, Chen Zikun closed his eyes depressedly, and the sound of pushing the door sounded, and he said: "I will help you ask about the machine." ”

"Thank you." Zhao Dahai looked back and took a deep look at Chen Zikun, who was haggard in the sofa, and left resolutely.

Chen Zikun sighed, picked up the newspaper on the coffee table, and there was a news on the subpage: The poet Xu Zhimo's plane crashed and crashed in Jinan.

Turn it over and look at another page, which features a poem:

Zhao Si is romantic, Zhu Wu is crazy, and Pian Hu Die is the best.

Gentle Township is a hero's mound, which cares about the East Division entering Shenyang.

The urgent military book came in the middle of the night, and the opening strings and orchestras urged each other again.

Shenyang has been rested and reviewed, and has hugged Gillian a few times.