Episode 30 Nanjing, undercurrents surging

It wasn't until the evening that Zhu Yourong slowly woke up, and then the first thing he said was to ask.

Wei Zijin had been guarding her bedside. She sadly told the Empress that there was no good news. Most of the reconnaissance aircraft sent were shot down. Only a few managed to return to Gansu. According to the analysis of photos from the airport, there are no large-scale battles in the areas of Dihua and Changji now. In other words, the Soviet army has basically controlled the above areas. About 200 kilometers north of Dihua, large-scale battles are taking place. It should be the half of the division that rushed back from Altay and is engaged in battle with the Soviet army.

"There are fires everywhere in Dihua City," Wei Zijin wept, "and judging from the photos, half of the Grand Mosque at the South Gate has collapsed...... The Soviet flag flutters over the vaulted tower...... The Soviets have completely captured the mosque......"

"The ...... of the South Gate Grand Mosque" Zhu Yourong coughed weakly twice and said calmly, "That's the largest mosque in Dihua...... Stand up for them...... Finally, it is in the South Gate Grand Mosque that sticks to it......"

Wei Zijin held back his tears and nodded.

Zhu Yourong didn't speak, nor did he shed tears, just lying like this, looking at the ceiling with his eyes distracted.

After a while, she asked softly:

"Where is this?"

Wei Zijin replied in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, we are still in Xiangfu."

Zhu Yourong looked at the sunset slanting in from the window, and sighed:

"Oh, it's dark......"

"Your Majesty," said Wei Zijin, "a number of princes and ministers have already come to visit. It was received by the county lord and the slave maid. Elder Shen Ge came again just now to visit His Majesty's condition. He also left a few people here. It seems that as soon as His Majesty wakes up, they will report to Shen Ge Lao. ”

Zhu Yourong didn't speak, just nodded.

Wei Zijin raised his head, looked out the window, and said softly:

"If Lord Xiang is still ...... He would never dare to do this. ”

Zhu Yourong was stunned for a moment and asked:

"Don't you dare, what?"

Wei Zijin sneered slightly:

"Surveillance – surveillance of us, and surveillance of ...... Your Majesty. ”

Zhu Yourong showed a shallow smile, reached out to hold Wei Zijin's hand, and laughed softly:

"Zijin...... It's not like you think...... Elder Shen Ge just wanted to ...... I want to come in time when I wake up, so that I can continue to persuade me not to declare war on the Soviet Union...... I know he's doing it for the good of the country......"

Wei Zijin lowered his gaze, paused, and said:

"Your Majesty, I have already let the car drive into the Xiang Mansion, and we should go back to the palace in a while...... Your Majesty, we ...... We can't stay here overnight. ...... outside"

Zhu Yourong nodded, clenched her hand slightly, and said:

"I know...... What's the legend out there...... Let them go to the legends...... This thing, this thing......"

She choked in her throat and said with tears in her eyes:

“…… It can only be a legend. ”

Wei Zijin was separated for a while, and then asked:

"Your Majesty, just now someone from the Jinling Broadcasting Company came and asked Your Majesty if you want to declare war on the Soviet Union on the radio tonight? Are they going to enter the palace to prepare? ”

Zhu Yourong was silent for a while, shook his head, and said:

"No need...... How to do it, let Shen Ge Lao decide...... I really ...... I really don't have the strength......"

"Your Majesty!" Wei Zijin exclaimed, "...... you?" ”

Zhu Yourong smiled and said:

"Zijin, what Shen Ge said makes sense. We're all too young, so it's up to politicians to do this kind of thing......"

……

In the night, the gate of Xiangfu slowly opened. With countless spotlights, the queen's motorcade slowly drove out. No one in front of the crowd made a loud noise. People spontaneously gave way to a way. The Queen's motorcade was moving at a very slow pace, with a large car in the middle tightly curtained with its curtains drawn. The overall atmosphere was sad and solemn, like a funeral convoy.

In one of the windows of the mansion, the curtain gently raised a small corner, and Xiuxiu hid behind, biting her handkerchief, staring at the empress's motorcade that was gradually moving away, tears constantly lingering. And behind her, Qiu Yu lay on the bed, almost crying and fainting. The light in the room was getting darker and darker, and Xiuxiu leaned weakly against the window, looking at the sunset in the distance.

At this moment, in addition to sadness, another feeling of isolation and helplessness gradually enveloped her. She felt a fear in her heart.

Xiuxiu hugged her arms, shed tears, leaned against the wall, and slowly sat down on the floor.

"Autumn Stream."

She whispered.

Qiu Yun lay on the bed wrapped in the quilt, turned over, and looked at her blankly.

Xiuxiu choked up and said:

"You say, what are we going to do?"

Qiu Yu's eyes were blank and he didn't say a word.

After a long time, Qiu Qian said:

“…… I want to die. ”

Xiuxiu sighed, showed a wry smile, and shook her head.

Then, holding on to the windowsill, she stood up with a force, felt the bell on the bedside table, and shook it a few times.

A moment later, a maid entered.

Xiuxiu wiped her tears and asked:

"Commander Li and Commander Du...... Didn't they just come to visit His Majesty and us? Is it still there? ”

The maid replied:

"Ma'am, they are gone. Probably back to the headquarters. ”

Xiuxiu nodded and commanded:

"Help me go and invite them to come, and say that there is a consultation."

The maid glanced at her, bowed her head, and said:

"Yes."

"Wait a minute!" Xiuxiu stopped the maid who turned around and was about to leave, and said quietly, "Forget it...... Help me call the headquarters, ask if they are not there, and say I have something important...... Ask to see ...... Ask to see the two commanders. ”

"Yes."

After the maid went out, Xiuxiu also went out, almost all the way to her mother's room, holding on to the wall.

Shang Xiaojun was sitting in a dimly lit room, holding an accordion, playing alone in the dark. The melody of the chant "Lord Bless the World" sprinkled all over the room with the organ, like a soothing agent for the soul, which immediately made Xiuxiu's whole heart relax.

The sound of the piano stopped, Shang Xiaojun turned his head, saw that it was his daughter, smiled and said softly:

"Xiuxiu, come here...... Let mom see you. ”

In the dark, Xiuxiu snuggled in her mother's arms and cried to her heart's content.

But only a moment later, Xiuxiu raised her head crying and whispered:

"Mom...... I'm going to headquarters...... The adults are gone, and there are a lot of things to arrange......"

"That's right," Shang Xiaojun stroked her daughter's head and smiled lovingly, "now is really not the time to cry." Go, Xiuxiu, do whatever you have to do. We've come this far from a small family in the countryside, and it's been good. What's yours is yours, it's not yours, so don't fight with others. Just keep what you have now.

“…… Xiuxiu, you know, my mother has always dreamed of returning to Jiangnan, buying a garden in a beautiful place, and then telling you a good boy with an honest and responsible job, and a good girl with an innocent family background for Ziyu. We lived together as a family and like a fairy...... Do you say okay? Xiuxiu. ”

The corners of Xiuxiu's mouth twitched, and she cried "slurpily", nodding with tears.

"By the way, Mom," she said, snorting, "Qiu Yu just said she wanted to die. You make people look good at her, don't let her do stupid things. ”

Shang Xiaojun nodded and sighed:

"Alas...... That kid was so infatuated. She is completely open to love for Tingzhi...... You push me to go, and I'll accompany her personally. ”

Xiuxiu nodded, got up and pushed her mother out of the house.

She pushed her mother into Qiu Yun's room, and asked her younger brother Ye Ziyu and a maid to take care of the point, wiped away her tears, changed her clothes, and went to the headquarters next door from the small door.

……

The headquarters of the People's Guard Corps is already a busy mess. Officers came and went, telephones rang one after another, and staff officers and heralds from various departments ran around......

Xiuxiu sat in the waiting room outside the office of the commander of the security team, her eyes down, her arms holding her bag, her legs tightly together.

Sitting together in the waiting room were several young female officers. Everyone peeked at Xiuxiu, no one spoke, and the atmosphere in the room was awkward. These little female officers have the same rank as Xiuxiu, but before, they were basically Xiuxiu's subordinates, and Xiuxiu instructed them to play the same way. Xiuxiu never had to be like them, sitting in the waiting room waiting for the "call", and they all went in with their feet raised.

Now, Xiang Xiaoqiang is no longer there. Fourteen Gege is also gone, and the security team has a stomachache and is the highest commander. Xiuxiu was also very interested, so she didn't go in directly, but just asked the secretary who had a stomachache to report it, and then sat down very consciously and waited in line with the others. The others in the room were surprised to see her, and first said to her a comforting word such as "mourning and change", and then no one spoke.

After the secretary with a stomachache came out, Xiuxiu immediately got up to meet him, wanting to follow him in to see that her stomach hurt. Unexpectedly, the secretary politely asked her to sit down, and said that he would call her.

Xiuxiu suddenly understood, with this sentence of "waiting in order", her status in the headquarters fell from "Mrs. Commander" back to an ordinary little lieutenant.

The little female officers around also saw it, and everyone exchanged glances with each other, and they all counted it in their hearts. They all began to look at Xiuxiu with a look full of superiority.

Xiuxiu lowered her head, bit her lip, and forcibly held back the tears that were about to fall, controlling not to cry out, and also to control not to faint.

……

Just when Xiuxiu was waiting to see her outside the door with a stomachache, Shen Rongxuan gave a radio speech in the Shoufu Mansion. In his capacity as the first minister, on behalf of the Ming Empire, he expressed his anger at the "incident" of the Ming army's sneak attack that occurred in the early morning, and announced that he did not recognize the legitimacy of the "International Volunteer Brigade", but he did not make it clear that the "International Volunteer Brigade" was the Soviet Army. He made his stand clear, announcing that he would increase his troops in the northwest, eliminate this "international volunteer brigade", maintain national unity, and never allow the "Ili Empire" to be restored.

Shen Rongxuan completely stood on Xiang Xiaoqiang's side in his speech, emphasizing how prescient Xiang Xiaoqiang was before, and had long foreseen the hidden ambitions of the Soviet Union. Shen Rongxuan almost put the blame on a few old men in the command, and pointed the finger at Zhang Zhaoxian and Tang Yunsheng. He took advantage of all his oratorical talents, and impassionedly exaggerated how Xiang Xiaoqiang found out that the situation was not good and how he asked for reinforcements from the rear again and again after he arrived in the northwest, and how the chiefs of staff of the high command were stubborn and resolutely refused again and again.

- In the end, of course, it was Xiang Xiaoqiang's prophecy that came true, due to the stupidity, short-sightedness, and self-righteousness of the high-level of the command, which led to the annihilation of the First Division of the People's Guard and the Northwest Dispatch Team of the Army Aviation, which led to the fall of the Ming hero Xiang Xiaoqiang, and the death of the outstanding intelligence talent and the princess of Liaoyang in the Ming Dynasty......

Shen Rongxuan's accusations were very level, and he did not take away the responsibilities of the cabinet, but examined himself very painfully. However, this has achieved a wonderful effect: it sounds like the cabinet has no responsibility at all, and it is purely the responsibility of the first minister to carry out unnecessary review with the sense of responsibility of the first minister of a country. No matter who sounds like it, the biggest person responsible for this incident is the high command.

But speaking of which, this is basically true. At least the refusal of the command to increase troops directly led to the downfall of Xiang Xiaoqiang and the First Division. This is not wronged by the high command.

After accusing the command, Shen Rongxuan recalled Xiang Xiaoqiang with a painful memory of Xiang Xiaoqiang's mentors, friends, elders, and talent discoverers. He almost shed tears, recalling how he met Xiang Xiaoqiang for the first time at the Dongchang meeting, how he tried his best to overcome public opinion, how he organized a team for Xiang Xiaoqiang to go to the enemy in the Northern Qing Dynasty, and how he encouraged Xiang Xiaoqiang and gave him courage like an elder in the later defense of Nanjing......

Shen Rongxuan praised Xiaoqiang and the People's Guard, its outstanding military exploits, and every department and commander of it......

……

By the time the speech was over, Zhang Zhaoxian had already driven into the palace and submitted his resignation to Her Majesty the Empress.

At ten o'clock that night, Empress Zhu Yourong approved Zhang Zhaoxian's resignation.

An hour later, the Jinling Radio Station broadcast the news in a timely manner - due to a serious error in the judgment of the situation, the first division of the People's Guard Corps was wiped out, the northern Xinjiang fell, and Zhang Zhaoxian, chief of the general staff of the imperial command, took the blame and resigned.