"And that's to be expected." Xu 19 sighed and said, "In the Battle of Songhu, nearly 100 divisions were defeated, and 78 out of 10 lost personnel and equipment, and more than a dozen divisions were disabled in the Battle of Nanjing, and the losses of personnel and equipment were even heavier. ”

He Lingxiao said: "The soldiers have been replenished, but the equipment has not yet been landed, and now the recruits of each regiment can only practice with wooden guns first, what do you call this?" ”

Yang Shaoren said: "The more important thing is the funding, the Quartermaster Department is empty." ”

Feng Shengfa said: "The national government is also difficult now, and it is reaching out to ask for money everywhere. ”

"I don't think so." Xu Shijiu sneered and said, "Shizao, when I inquired about the training place of our division in Wuhan, I went to Hankou Xinsheng Road by the way, and found that the senior officials of various departments in Wuhan were not affected by the war situation at all, and they were almost singing every night, which shows that the national government is not without money, but those high-ranking officials are not willing to spend it on the troops." ”

He Lingxiao also sneered: "It's already an open secret that the front line is tight and the rear is tight. ”

Yang Shaoren also said angrily: "I really don't know what these bastards think, they have the money to go to the dance hall to kill the punishment, the money to go to the bar to drink a bottle of thousands of oceans, the money to hold a dance party all night, and the money to spend a lot of money on the gold cave, but they can't afford to buy ammunition and military supplies for the national army, these silverfish."

"Alright, don't say it." Feng Shengfa was annoyed and interrupted, "Is it useless to say this? ”

Xu Shijiu pondered for a moment, and suddenly said: "Master, I can't get guns and ammunition, but I'm still sure to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars from the pockets of celebrities from all walks of life in Wuhan." ”

He Lingxiao and Yang Shaoren couldn't help but look at each other with sympathy, and Feng Shengfa also said hopefully: "Ah Jiu, are you really sure?" ”

At present, the 58th Division is really poor, and if Xu Shijiu can really get hundreds of thousands of donations from Hankou, it will really be a rescue.

Xu Shijiu said: "Celebrities from all walks of life in politics and business are all iron roosters, and under normal circumstances, it is more difficult for them to pay than to ascend to the sky, but they also have weaknesses, that is, they want to save face, especially if they don't want to lose face in front of those celebrity courtesans, I dare not say that they are very sure, but they are still six or seven points sure." ”

In fact, Xu Shijiu is still conservative, this matter is basically nine out of ten, because he used to be like this in Shanghai back then, of course, this time can no longer be in the name of the security corps, and then said: "But Shizuo, I'm afraid you have to sacrifice your reputation and take a trip to Hankou's gold cave." ”

"That's fine." Feng Shengfa said, "It's a trivial matter. ”

After a pause, he said: "Ah Jiu, this matter should be sooner rather than later, when will you leave?" ”

Xu Shijiu smiled bitterly: "Master, this matter is not in a hurry, if you want those political and business celebrities to pay money obediently, and you have to invite a heavyweight to come to Wuhan, I have to send a telegram to Shanghai first." ”

Shanghai, Paramount Hotel Ballroom.

The hour hand points to 10 o'clock at night, and Shanghai's luxurious nightlife is about to kick off.

Although Shanghai has become an isolated island, the ten-mile ocean field is still luxurious, and celebrities from all walks of life are still singing every night.

The welcome band was already playing melodious saxophone music, and gentlemen in suits and leather shoes, shiny leather shoes, and hairs combed so that they could not stand on their feet, either single or carrying their female companions, came in through the door one after another, and the dancers who were smoking in the hall would occasionally give them a wink.

These dancers are specially recruited by Paramount Hotel, all of them are young and beautiful, with a slender figure, they can not only dance with the guests, but also spend the night with the guests, in fact, they are high-class prostitutes.

However, if you think that these dancers are the courtesans of Greater Shanghai, you are wrong.

In Shanghai at that time, courtesans belonged to the praise that had just been imported, only those who were born in a family, received good haode education and etiquette training since childhood, plus beautiful as flowers, graceful figures are worthy of being called courtesans, like these sitting in the hall to solicit guests can only be called dancers, and can not be called courtesans.

The real courtesans will not appear in the hall at this time, they are all resting in the VIP room.

But even if it is a real courtesan, it is also divided into three, six, nine and so on, and the most powerful courtesan in Shanghai at the moment is undoubtedly Tang Ying, Tang Ying's father is a famous doctor in Shanghai, and his family has been wealthy since he was a child, graduated from the Chinese and Western Girls' School, that is, St. Mary's Girls' School, can speak fluent English, and can even sing Kunqu Opera in English.

Looking at Shanghai Beach, I don't know how many self-proclaimed young and golden, suave, and talented Junyan fell for Tang Ying, before the Song family's eldest son Ziwen, near Shanghai's wealthy businessman Li Gongzi Zufa, and Yu Dafu, Hu Shi and other literary heroes intersected with him, and recently there are Xiong Qigongzi's fierce pursuit, which is really famous in Shanghai.

However, the scenery is like Tang Ying, and she also has her troubles.

At this time, Tang Ying took a telegram and fell into sorrow, and even Zhou Shuping and Chen Manli didn't know when they walked into the VIP room, Zhou Shuping and Chen Manli were also famous celebrities in Shanghai, but the two girls were a little too young after all, and they were less mature than Tang Ying.

Zhou Shuping snatched the telegram away, and pretended to be surprised: "Ah, where did you send the Hongyan Legend?" ”

Chen Manli also came over to take a look, but found that only six simple words were written on the papermaking of the telegraph office, in Han, Sulai, and something, but the payment was nineteen words, the two women were immediately confused, the content of the telegram was very easy to understand, someone asked Tang Ying to go to Wuhan, but who is this person in Nineteen? Is there such a person among Tang Ying's admirers?

And this person is also very popular, when Tang Ying is a dancer who is recruited?

Zhou Shuping and Chen Manli originally thought that Tang Ying would tear up the telegram, or crumple it into a ball and throw it into the garbage basket, but to their great surprise, Tang Ying actually took the telegram back and folded it carefully, and then put it in Louis Vuitton handbag, Zuihou got up and said a little sadly: "Two sisters, I am not feeling well, so I will go back first." ”

Zhou Shuping hurriedly said: "Sister Ying, Xiong Qishao is still waiting for you to sing the young grandmother's fan on stage?" ”

Tang Ying just frowned when she heard this, then turned around and left, without any hesitation, this is also in line with Tang Ying's consistent style, for those admirers who have fallen under the pomegranate skirt, Tang Ying has always not cared much, but today's situation is a little special, who is that nineteen?

Zhou Shuping and Chen Manli couldn't help but have a strong curiosity.

Although Zhou Shuping debuted late, after all, she also grew up in Shanghai, and she had heard of some of Tang Ying's romantic affairs back then, and said to Chen Manli at the moment: "Sister Manli, I heard that Sister Tang Ying was crazy in love with a small officer of the Shanghai Security Corps soon after she got married, and later the two broke up because of the East Window incident. ”

Chen Manli said: "Sister is saying that it was the telegram sent by the junior officer?" ”

"Very likely." Zhou Shuping bit her fingers and said thoughtfully, "Sister Tang Ying must have been touched and sad about the past, otherwise how could she leave Xiong Qishao and go back first?" "Xiong Qishao is the favorite nephew of Xiong Xiling, a wealthy businessman in Shanghai, and in Shanghai, Xiong Qishao can be regarded as a model of young and golden, graceful and suave.

Chen Manli pursed her red lips and said softly: "I really want to see what this person looks like, and he actually compares Xiong Qishao to him." ”

"Sister Manli, don't you want to snatch love? Hee-hee, but that's right, if you can take Sister Tang Ying's lover over, the top courtesan in Shanghai should be replaced. Zhou Shuping's beautiful eyes turned, and suddenly said, "Sister Manli, why don't we go to Wuhan and secretly follow Sister Tang Ying." ”

Chen Manli said: "How do you know that Tang Ying will definitely go?" ”

Zhou Shuping said: "Intuitively, there is a chance that she will go." ”

Zhou Shuping's intuition was very accurate, Tang Ying had indeed decided to go to Wuhan.

Tang Ying debuted at the age of sixteen, and there are countless men in the Shanghai social scene, but there is only one man who really leaves a deep imprint in her heart, he is Xu Shijiu, few people know that in Tang Ying's heart, even her first love Song Ziwen is far from being compared with Xu Shijiu.

To this day, Tang Ying can't forget the scene when she first met Xu Shijiu.

It was one day in the month of the Republic of China (1934), Tang Ying returned to Shanghai from Beiping, and just got off the train and saw Xu Shijiu standing on the platform smoking, he was wearing a thin windbreaker, wearing a wide-brimmed top hat, with his head down, with a thick worry and loneliness on his face, at that moment, Tang Ying actually felt a heart-wrenching pain.

Looking back now, Tang Ying's heart still hurts faintly.

There is a good saying, even if some people get along for a lifetime, they will never be able to collide with the spark of love, but some people only need a glance in the crowd to fall in love for a lifetime, Tang Ying thought that his fate had arrived, but unfortunately, creation made people, zuihou They still couldn't come together.

Thinking back to the bits and pieces when she was with Xu Shijiu, Tang Ying was already in tears unknowingly, this hard-hearted man was bound to bite him when they met.

The next day, the Hankou edition of Ta Kung Pao and the Hankou edition of Ta Kung Pao reported on the second page that Tang Ying, a Shanghainese socialite, would come to Hankou with her sisters Zhou Shuping and Chen Manli on the British Royal Navy's light cruiser "Newfoundland".

Celebrities from all walks of life gathered in Wuhan rushed to tell each other, looking forward to the arrival of Shanghai celebrities.

With the unexpected death of Xu Zhimo, Lu Xiaoman fell into a low point in his life, Tang Ying has become a prominent socialite in China at that time, and it may be difficult for future generations to imagine her influence in China at that time, if you have to make a comparison, her influence in China at that time was similar to Marilyn Monroe's influence in the United States more than ten years later.

The officials of the Wuhan camp finance department were particularly excited, if Tang Ying could use her influence to hold a charity performance, she would definitely be able to win the generosity of celebrities from all walks of life gathered in Wuhan, of course, how much of the proceeds from the charity performance would eventually fall into the private pockets of these officials, and how much would be allocated to the troops, only God knows.