Under the new name of Xiao Suyi, Lieutenant Xiao Yat followed Brigadier General Li Sancai, the new chief military attache of the Chinese Embassy in Russia, to St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia, in February 1917. It was already a bright spring in Guangzhou, where Xiao Yiyuan worked, but Petersburg was still a land of ice and snow. The snow on both sides of the street was a foot deep, and no one cleared it. The deserted streets saw few pedestrians, dampening his interest in the strange and exotic capital. The temperature was so low that Xiao Yat couldn't bear it, and it was almost ice. Sitting in the Ford car sent by the embassy to pick up the station, the military coat issued in Harbin could not stop the cold air at all, and the windows were frozen, so that Lieutenant Xiao Yi, who was paying close attention to the exterior and trying to memorize the road, had to keep wiping the windows with his cotton gloves, and felt that his feet in long leather boots were numb from the cold......

"It's really cold, Harbin is much more comfortable than here." Brigadier General Li Sancai, who was sitting in the back row, said to Lieutenant Colonel Wu Feng, the military attache of the embassy who came to pick him up.

"It's snowing a lot this year. Heating is inadequate. Wu Feng wiped the glass with leather gloves, "It's really quiet today." At this time in the past, there were many protesters and rioters on the streets, and the girls also took to the streets. ”

"But after all, it's the capital, these buildings are really beautiful...... Li Sancai looked out from the front of the car, and a large and magnificent building complex appeared in the field of vision, which looked like it was only three floors, but the intuitive height exceeded the common five-story buildings in China. Outside, there are white columns decorated with golden reliefs, the windows of the vaulted dome appear very tall, and the ceiling is a statue of a different shape, draped in a thick layer of frost.

"That's the palace. It's all called the Hermitage. The embassy is not far away. Vice President Fan and Director Zhang are waiting for you at the embassy. ”

"How's our troop? How's the war going? ”

"There were small firefights, but big fighting stopped."

"The country is worried that the troops will not be able to withstand such a cold ......"

"I heard Deputy General Fan who had just returned from Tomaszow say that there were a lot of frostbites, especially the 3rd Army and the 15th Army......

"Is there a problem with the supply of the troops?"

"Nothing is a big deal. Recently, a batch of eiderdown sleeping bags were sent from China, which were well received by the troops, but the number was too small. You asked about provisions, but there was a problem with Petersburg, and it was very strict......"

"Oh?"

"This winter has been particularly tough, with heavy snow and very low temperatures. It is said that the steam locomotives of more than 1,000 trains in Russia exploded due to freezing. You must have heard of it. Russia's railway system has been a disappointment. Now it's even harder. Although Russia as a whole was in a manageable state, food and fuel were difficult to get into the big cities, and the supply in the cities began to become strained. Petersburg is not only the capital of Russia, but also the most important industrial center. It's a long way from the inland. Therefore, the problem is the most severe. After New Year's Day. Due to the lack of coal, timber and oil, many factories were shut down and workers had nothing to do. Wandering the streets, cold and hungry, frightened and angry. The bakery has bread, but the oven can't be heated, so the bread can't be baked. The women waited in line for hours and did not receive their quota of food...... You see, that's the residents who gathered to protest against the government......"

A dark crowd appeared in Li Sancai's field of vision, mostly bloated women, who were stopped and roared excitedly. The police and military who maintained order used wooden sticks to stop the crowd trying to break through the cordon. Turning the corner, I saw groups of unarmed soldiers walking in a chaotic manner......

Lieutenant Xiao Yi, who served in the Guangzhou branch of Guoan, suddenly received an order to report to the Harbin branch. After they went, they attended a study class on the Russian issue, where they were given more than a dozen special topics on the situation in Russia by personnel from the Military Intelligence Agency, the General Administration of State Security, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But there is no mention of the work of the more than 20 of them. Xiao Yi understood that his new mission was undoubtedly aimed at Russia, but he would not ask, listening to lectures during the day and discussing in groups at night. All the notes were taken away after the exam. He was immediately given a new name, and his working relationship was transferred to the Russian Division of the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he explicitly served as an assistant to General Li Sancai, who had gone to St. Petersburg to serve as chief military attaché, and in fact acted as General Li's aide-de-camp.

Some of their men entered the diplomatic system, and some were integrated into the army. Since hundreds of thousands of expeditionary forces remained in Russia, huge quantities of supplies were transported to Harbin from all directions, and then loaded onto trains and transported to the front. The railway connecting Harbin to the main Siberian line was completely taken over by the Chinese, and most of the Russian railway managers were withdrawn, and a small part became deputies hired by the Chinese. The main cities and transit stations of the Siberian main line leading to the western front were also taken over by the Chinese Railway Corps and the Joint Logistics Headquarters. Most of Xiao Yat's classmates were assigned to work in the military station.

Changing his name was something he had long been used to, and during the long journey from Harbin to Petersburg, Xiao Yat had become accustomed to his new name. He didn't know General Lee. It's just that I've heard of this veteran figure in the intelligence system, at the beginning of the establishment of the Mengshan Army Intelligence Department, he became the section chief, and he was at the same level as Wang Zhifeng. Although the progress was slower later, in the two major systems of military intelligence and national security, there were very few people who did not buy General Li's face.

But Li Sancai said that he knew him, and at that time he was still a doll running around the village with two tubes of snot. His father's name is Xiao Guanyu, and now he is the deputy speaker of Yizhou City, with a small official position, but he is deeply respected. Because his father knew most of the founding fathers of the republic, the president even ate at his house. Unfortunately, there was no camera at that time, otherwise my father would have hung a picture of the president's visit to the house in the most conspicuous part of the hall.

Xiao Yi's two elder brothers were both soldiers, the eldest brother is now in the political department of the Southern Military Region, wearing the epaulette of a colonel, and the second brother died in the war against Japan in 1914. As a result, the lintel of his house was nailed with a wooden plaque of the glorious martyrs' family, with which he could enjoy the preferential treatment of exemption from paying agricultural taxes and receive a pension from the Civil Affairs Bureau every year. But his father never paid less taxes, let alone received his second brother's pension. His father was a well-known enlightened squire in the area, and he took the lead in selling his family's 110 acres of land at the government's price, which was sold to the peasants by the government. Over the years, everything that the government has called for. The father always went out of his way to respond to the execution. The second sister-in-law, who had been married for less than a year, remarried a year ago, and her father gave the second sister-in-law a rich dowry, and sent the widowed daughter-in-law out of the door according to the custom of marrying a daughter, which became a beautiful talk in Fei County. In Yizhou, no one dares to underestimate the Xiao family, and during the New Year's holidays, officials in the county, city and even the province always come to sit at home, in his opinion, the purpose is to let their father say a few words to those big people who can't reach them on their behalf. Because his father has good personal relationships with many big names in the center, especially Chen Chao, who is in charge of the police. He also maintained a friendship with his father. He graduated from military school and entered the national security system. It was the result of my father's letter to Uncle Chen. This result made him regret because he missed the opportunity to participate in the Battle of Shandong. Most of his classmates were divided into the 16th and 18th Divisions, both of which were units that participated in the war against Japan. When I went home a few years ago, I saw a few classmates visiting relatives, and the lowest one was a captain. There was also a lucky person who was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel by being awarded the Order of Hero of the Second Class. He was envious.

It's a great time to stir up. With the outbreak of a series of wars, the status of soldiers is getting higher and higher, and Xiao Yat is eager to make a contribution. He was eager to be promoted, but he knew that he had to fight for opportunities, and if he did what he did, he would never get ahead. Therefore, Xiao Yi received the order to go to the Harbin branch and immediately realized that the opportunity had come. The country is fully engaged in the European war, countless factories are working day and night to produce a variety of military supplies, most of which are exported to Europe, Britain and France and other Entente countries have given more and more orders to China, and there are ocean-going freighters bound for Europe moored in the port of Guangzhou, and even pig bristles have become a scarce material for export. What are the chances of staying in the Guangzhou Bureau? Maybe you will never encounter a big case that is enough to make you famous in your life. But in Russia, it was different, and sure enough, judging from the content of the Harbin short course, the intelligence department was working with the military and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to plan a major operation in Russia......

In Xiao Yat's cranky thoughts, a Ford sedan with a dragon flag drove into the Chinese embassy. Xiao Yi got out of the car and stomped on his numb feet, habitually observed the surroundings, and then opened the car door for Brigadier General Li Sancai.

Ambassador Lu Zhengxiang and Director Zhang Xiaoding walked out of the building with a few people to greet Li Sancai, it was too cold outside, the sky was overcast, and it seemed that it was going to snow again. Without saying a few words, everyone hurried back to the building and went directly to Ambassador Lu's spacious and warm office.

"General Fan means that you want to live on his side, and now that he has gone to the Winter Palace, it is really not easy to meet the Russian Emperor once." Lu Zhengxiang understood that Li Sancai was just in the name of a chief military attaché, and as for what tasks he was performing, Lu Zhengxiang did not bother to ask, and he, the ambassador to Russia, also had to listen to the instructions of Lieutenant General Fan Deping.

"Is the liaison office far from here?" Li Sancai asked. Lieutenant General Van der Ping, who also served as the head of the Liaison Office of the Expeditionary Force in Petersburg, came to Petersburg to absolutely accept the leadership of Lieutenant General Van der Ping.

"Not far away, on Nevsky Prospect. You actually passed through just now. It is a residence arranged by the Russian General Staff, and the conditions are much better than here. Lu Zhengxiang personally made a cup of tea for Li Sancai and said to Xiao Yi, "Young man, whatever, do it yourself." Once here, you're home. ”

"Just now we saw that there were quite a few troops in Petersburg, what does it mean that the Russians left so many troops in the capital? Isn't the front line strictly short of personnel? Li Sancai asked.

"There are tens of thousands of soldiers stationed in Petersburg." "The vast majority are new recruits who are afraid to go to the front and are deeply confused about the future. Some demagogues gave them long speeches advocating revolution and ending a war that was hated by all classes of Russia. In short, the situation has been very chaotic lately, and I have given an order that embassy personnel are generally not allowed to leave this courtyard. Be careful, too. In this case, you guys will take a hot shower here first, and then talk about it when General Fan returns. ”

"Okay, okay, I haven't taken a shower for half a month. By the way, you must make some pasta for lunch, and you canned bread every day is really unbearable. Li Sancai said to Ambassador Lu.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you're satisfied." Zhang Xiaoding said with a smile.

After taking a hot shower and sleeping on the couch in the reception room on the first floor, Xiao Yat woke up in a daze, got up and looked out of the window, and saw a Renault parked at the door, and Lieutenant General Fan Deping, wearing a gray coat of the Wehrmacht, got out of the car. Xiao Yi hurriedly sorted out the military appearance, Fan Deping had already pushed the door in, Xiao Yi snapped and stood upright, "Lieutenant Xiao Yi salutes you!" ”

Fan Deping, who looked tired, stood down, "Xiao Yi? Yes, Li Sancai is here? Are you Xiao Guanyu's youngest son? Right? I lived in your village for a month. Ha ha. Fan Deping was in a better mood, "How is it?" Didn't freeze your dick, did you? ”

Unexpectedly, the dignified lieutenant general would make such a vulgar joke as soon as they met, Xiao Yi blushed, not knowing how to answer.

"What about Li Sancai?"

"Report to Deputy Chief Fan, General Li is upstairs."

"Come up with me." Fan Deping shook his head.

Lu Zhengxiang, Zhang Xiaoding and Li Sancai were discussing things, "You are back, how is the situation?" Zhang Xiaoding was a little impatient.

"Lieutenant, you keep me outside the door, no one is allowed to come in." Fan Deping instructed Xiao Yidao. (To be continued......)