Awe-inspiring righteousness
A week later, on a sunny day, without anyone's knowledge, Zhang Chenglin went to Tangshan alone.
But the day before he left, he secretly sent out two letters.
A letter was sent to Shanghai.
A letter was sent to Taiwan.
——
Standing on the border of Tangshan, one can still see the flames of war raging in the northeast not far away, and the air is filled with the smell of gunpowder.
Zhang Chenglin remained calm, his eyes devoid of any emotion, waiting for the person standing in front of him to speak.
Wearing a Japanese military uniform, Uchida Yujin had a somewhat rugged appearance, but spoke fluent Chinese: "Now that things have come to this, I will not beat around the bush with Mr. Zhang. The 100,000 silver dollars are yours, and the soldiers under Mr. Zhang's command will be at my disposal. After the matter is settled, Fengtian will also be given to Mr. Zhang."
“I can see the colonel’s sincerity.” Zhang Chenglin’s face showed a hint of joy, and he almost immediately decided: “I am naturally happy to accept as well.”
"The situation in China is extremely serious right now, and I don't think I have any place to stand here."
"Now that the colonel has extended this olive branch, it would seem ungrateful of me not to accept it."
The negotiation lasted no more than half an hour, and Zhang Chenglin and Yujin Uchida signed the agreement with their own agendas.
Zhang Chenglin left Tangshan with a car loaded with silver dollars sent by Uchida Yujin. One of his men, standing next to Uchida Yujin, watched the car get further and further away and asked in confusion, "Why not just arrest him and use him as leverage?"
“There is an old Chinese saying, ‘The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.’” Uchida Yujin turned around. “Zhang Chenglin is of no use to the Communist Party, and arresting him will not benefit us. But since he wants money, we have a bargaining chip. After all, he now has Zhang Deyue’s men, a bunch of greedy rats, who can undoubtedly be used by us.”
"Moreover, we might finally find the Communist Party's stronghold that we've been searching for all this time."
The subordinate didn't understand what he meant and asked, "What does that mean?"
Uchida Yujin's mind was racing: "This 100,000 silver dollars is no small sum. If it is transported out, it will attract attention. If Zhang Chenglin is not genuinely cooperating with us, then it will definitely be transported to our headquarters. At that time, we will know exactly which way the wind blows and where our next move will be."
Killing two birds with one stone.
His subordinates were completely convinced.
——
When Zhang Chenglin returned to his base in Handan, it was just getting dark.
The lights were on in Zhong Shuhuai's room, where Zhang Chenglin, Ruan Jin, and Ji Yuxing were present.
Zhong Shuhuai looked at the three people and sighed helplessly: "Jing Yi is taking a little longer to catch his breath."
Zhang Chenglin's expression remained unchanged, and he tapped his right middle finger on the table casually. "He's usually a very easygoing person, so it's rare for him to suddenly get stuck on something."
"Upright and righteous."
For some unknown reason, Ji Yuxing smiled and said this as he made eye contact with Zhang Chenglin.
Zhang Chenglin paused for a moment, then nodded.
Zhong Shuhuai, unaware of the riddles they were playing, pushed a letter on the table toward Zhang Chenglin and said, "Mr. Sheng's reply arrived a quarter of an hour before yours. Mr. Sheng agrees with your control over the 100,000 silver dollars: 70,000 to the Party Central Committee and 30,000 to Shandong to build the first line of defense in East China."
Zhang Chenglin nodded, realizing that he hadn't finished speaking, and waited quietly for him to continue.
"But... how are we going to get these 100,000 silver dollars out?" Zhong Shuhuai's question made Ruan Jin and Ji Yuxing frown. "This 100,000 is no small sum. I bet the Japanese are watching us closely to find a location for the Central Government."
"I don't believe that bastard Yujin Uchida didn't have a backup plan."
After listening to Zhong Shuhuai's words, Zhang Chenglin suddenly asked, "Do you have a close relationship with the owner of a private bank in Handan?"
“Yes, there is…” Zhong Shuhuai did not quite agree with his idea: “But depositing this amount of money into a private bank is useless at the moment. After all, the state has strict control over private banks. A transaction of 100,000 at once will not be able to be processed.”
“This is what I’m thinking,” Zhang Chenglin said, glancing at the flickering kerosene lamp on the table. “We’ll exchange these 100,000 silver dollars for paper money at a private bank, and then find some trustworthy people to secretly take a few banknotes while they’re doing business, and carry them little by little to Shandong and Shanghai.”
"As for these silver dollars that have been exchanged, they will be kept here for the time being. If you are worried that things might go wrong, you can have your brother come and take some at a time, taking small amounts multiple times until they are all gone."
Zhang Chenglin's suggestion was unanimously approved by the three people present. So the next morning, Zhong Shuhuai's bank owner friend came here, and that afternoon, nearly two thousand yuan in banknotes left Handan and quietly went to Shandong and Shanghai.
The 100,000 silver dollars were left untouched at the Handan headquarters. Zhong Shuhuai's bank owner friend found a prime location in the backyard of the headquarters, dug several large pits, and buried them all.
They said they would come back to dig when the country is peaceful and prosperous.
The 100,000 silver dollars, converted into paper money, were transported to Shandong and Shanghai within a week as originally planned. Years later, after Japan suffered a crushing defeat and surrendered, Uchida Yujin never understood how those 100,000 silver dollars had appeared out of thin air in Shanghai and Shandong until he left China.
He will never know how many pairs of cloth shoes the people of Handan wore out, how much sweat they shed, and how many torrential rains they endured to bring about a peaceful and prosperous era for future generations.
At the same time, Zhang Chenglin received a reply from Taiwan.
Like a letter home, Zhang Shengmin first inquired about Zhang Chenglin's recent situation, then asked about his well-being. His reply, which was tens of thousands of words long, was filled with concern and longing for his brother Zhang Chenglin.
In response to Zhang Chenglin's initial request, Zhang Shengmin simply wrote one line at the very end of those several pages of family letters:
National peace is an unchanging truth that has existed globally for billions of years.
No one else ever saw that reply; it burned to ashes under the kerosene lamp beside Zhang Chenglin.
Therefore, no one ever knew that Zhang Chenglin had traveled thousands of miles to borrow troops from Zhang Shengmin in Taiwan to jointly resist foreign enemies.
So no one knew that Zhang Shengmin's reason for refusing was the "national peace" sought by hundreds of millions of people around the world.
Zhang Chenglin patted the dust off his hands, which hadn't actually gotten on them, and just as he stood up, he heard someone knocking on the door again.
The door opened, and Ji Yuxing stood outside. "Mr. Zhong called a meeting; another emergency has occurred."
Without hesitation, Zhang Chenglin closed the door and followed Ji Yuxing outside.
When they arrived, there were already seven or eight of Zhong Shuhuai's trusted confidants in the room, and Gong Jingyi and Ruan Jin also came in.
Ruan Jin was the last to enter. He turned around and closed the door, then approached the small square table in the center of the room. Zhong Shuhuai spoke up: "Old Tan sent a letter saying that Bo Lingfeng, the garrison commander in Shandong, has betrayed us. Last night, under the cover of Bo Lingfeng and others, the Japanese army marched south from Dalian along the Bohai Sea and landed in Penglai. Today, they have occupied most of Penglai."
Zhang Chenglin's heart tightened as Zhong Shuhuai continued, "Old Tan has already arranged for the troops originally stationed in Shandong to quickly move to Weihai, Qingdao, Rizhao, and Weifang, and other places have also strengthened their defenses. The situation in Hebei is relatively stable at present, so Mr. Sheng's idea is that one of you four should take a team to support Yantai."
"I'll go," Ruan Jin said first, drawing attention from everyone present.
“I grew up in Yantai and know Yantai better than Ah Lin. Even if we don’t talk about that, from any perspective, I am the most suitable person to discuss this.”
Zhong Shuhuai did not immediately agree, but instead asked Zhang Chenglin, "What do you think?"
Zhang Chenglin nodded, "Mr. Sheng always trusts him to fire the first shot in Shandong."
Ruan Jin's eyes flickered, but he didn't say anything.
——
With Ruan Jin gone, the breath that had been finally caught in the Handan headquarters was once again held back. Looking north towards Shanhaiguan, and south towards northern Shandong.
They were all ready to provide support at any time, for when the smoke of war rises, no land can find peace for even a moment.
However, Bo Lingfeng's influence extended throughout Shandong. Despite the support from Hebei, Shanghai, Sichuan, and Chongqing, the Japanese army still advanced south from Penglai and reached Linyi in just half a month.
Shandong has a pleasant climate with four distinct seasons. Mid-May is the best time of year in Shandong, when the honest and kind-hearted people of Shandong should be enjoying the spring scenery, such as going out for a walk and flying kites.
Unfortunately, war broke out that year, and demons and monsters came from the north. The firelight illuminated the sky, and cries of grief filled the air.
The Shandong defenders retreated again and again, leaving Tan Yuanbo with no other choice but to write to Shanghai again, hoping that Sheng Dongsheng could send more men to support Shandong.
When the central government's transfer order reached Zhong Shuhuai, he was given the opportunity to make a decision almost without hesitation.
It's time for Chang Cheng-lin to go home.
When the nation is in peril, it needs heroes.
But loyal bones will surely perish with their homeland.
As arranged by Sheng Dongsheng and Zhong Shuhuai, Zhang Chenglin led a team to support Shandong, heading straight to Linyi, and set off early the next morning.
With winds blowing from all sides, tonight is destined to be a sleepless night for many.
After dinner, Ji Yuxing stayed in Zhang Chenglin's room for more than three hours, analyzing the current situation and every possible step that might come next, also wanting to hold onto what might be one last glimpse.
Not long after Ji Yu left, Zhang Chenglin stood by the window, looking at the full moon in the sky, and the image of a certain person unconsciously surfaced in his mind.
More than three months have passed in the blink of an eye. When he left, there was still a slight chill in the air of Shandong, but it was a rare peaceful place outside of Shanghai.
Spring is in full bloom across China, and Shandong should also be warm now, yet war is raging everywhere.
The eastern part of Shandong is engulfed in war, but according to current battle reports, Zaozhuang is relatively stable. It is just unknown how long this stability will last.
How is she doing in Shandong? Did she forget about him long ago during the war?
In this chaotic world, it seems destined that some relationships will end in regret.
Despite his overflowing regrets and deep affection for his family and country amidst the chaos of the times, he had no choice but to prioritize his nation and its people.
A scholar must be resolute and persevering, for his burden is heavy and his journey is long.
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