Ning Zhiheng felt that it was better to talk things out with his father, Ning Liangcai. Ning Liangcai was a shrewd man; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to build such a business from scratch. He was a man of both brains and courage.
Thinking of this, he began to describe in detail: "The situation has changed. In the past six months, I have arrested quite a few Japanese. Now these Japanese have started investigating my information, and as a result, I have caught them. But this will not last long. If the Japanese retaliate against you then, I will be far away in Nanjing and unable to help you, especially in Hangzhou. The Japanese are quite powerful and can deal with you with ease. So after I heard the news, I rushed back immediately. I don't have much time. My family must all move west to Chongqing within seven days. Don't leave anyone behind."
Upon hearing Ning Zhiheng's honest words, Ning Liangcai's expression changed drastically. This situation was beyond his expectations. The Japanese had occupied the concession in Hangzhou and established a consulate for forty years, and had long since built up considerable strength. If they were to deal with an ordinary businessman like him, it would be effortless.
Without hesitation, he had already prepared a way out and was not flustered. He slapped his thigh and said, "Alright, let's not drag it out. In the next few days, take away those who are willing to come with us, and we won't force those who are not willing to come. All good things must come to an end, and I can't worry about too much!"
"No, take them all! Leave none behind!" Ning Zhiheng's tone was resolute and brooked no argument.
"What do you mean?" Ning Liangcai asked in surprise, not fully understanding Ning Zhiheng's meaning.
Ning Zhiheng confirmed again, "We will take all of our branch of the family with us. Other members of the Ning clan who are willing to leave must also be taken. My mother's two maternal uncles and their families must also be taken. In short, we will take as many as we can!"
Ning Liangcai leaned forward, looking at Ning Zhiheng for a while before saying uncertainly, "In that case, how can we persuade them? Right now, even your eldest and second uncles can't be persuaded. Zhiheng, doing this will only make people dislike you. Everyone has their own destiny, why force it!"
The eldest uncle, Ning Liangsheng, was the principal of a school and was considered the most cultured in the branch of the family. He also upheld some of the traditions of the Ning family as a scholarly family, so he always had a lot of prestige among the three brothers. He was also the most stubborn. Ning Liangcai had mentioned the matter of moving west to him a few times, but he had refused outright each time, so in the end he simply stopped mentioning it.
As for Erboning Liangpin, he held a minor official position in the municipal government and was naturally reluctant to leave.
As for the younger sister, Ning Yunying, who married her uncle, Jiang Junmao, they also owned two shops and were quite well-off.
It can be said that the Ning siblings were a middle-class family with no worries about food and clothing, so how could they possibly abandon their family and business and leave their ancestral home in Hangzhou to go to the border town?
Even Ning Liangcai himself, if it weren't for Ning Zhiheng, would never have thought of moving his whole family to Chongqing. Therefore, Ning Liangcai was quite dismissive of Ning Zhiheng's suggestion to take everything with him.
Ultimately, he completely underestimated the enormous harm that the Japanese would inflict on the Chinese nation in the future, and he could not have foreseen the unprecedented calamity that Hangzhou would suffer six months later.
Ning Zhiheng had already planned this. He waved his hand and said decisively, "They have no say in this. I brought twenty armed men with me this time, and the Hangzhou military intelligence station also has a large number of people. If they don't agree in the end, we'll take them all away by force. Once they're on the boat, they can't just jump into the river!"
Ning Zhiheng had planned this trip long ago. He knew that his family members were reluctant to leave their homeland, and no matter how he explained, no one would believe him. Besides, he was always a man of few words and wouldn't waste time on this. He simply cut the Gordian knot and forcibly sent them to Chongqing.
Whether his relatives understood or appreciated his sentiments was not his concern. Given his temperament, he didn't need to consider their feelings. This was much better than staying here and waiting for the Japanese to slaughter him.
Given the devastation of this catastrophe, the chances of these relatives surviving in Hangzhou are slim, not to mention the eight years of precarious existence as subjugated people. Therefore, whether they like it or not, Ning Zhiheng will not allow such a tragedy to happen. Although temporary coercion may make his relatives unhappy, they will naturally understand his good intentions in the future.
He couldn't change the course and trends of the world, but he wanted to do his best to help those around him escape this catastrophe.
"Is this necessary?" Ning Liangcai heard Ning Zhiheng's tone leaving no room for negotiation and knew that his son would not listen to his opinion at all.
In fact, he had long known that his son's current status and power far exceeded his expectations, and if he wanted to force his way out of things, the entire Ning family would be powerless to stop him.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a little helpless and lost. The child who was still young and stubborn yesterday had grown up in the blink of an eye and transformed into the person he is now, who has enough power and influence in this world and can decide the fate of a family with just a few words. He really didn't know whether he should be happy or sad.
Ning Zhiheng paid no attention to his father's feelings of sorrow and grief. He got up and went to the middle of the study, laid down a large leather suitcase on the floor, unfastened the leather buckle, and said, "When I go to Chongqing this time, I will take this money with me. I think it will be enough for the entire Ning family to get through this war and not let them suffer too much."
After saying that, he opened the suitcase, revealing it full of pounds and dollars. Ning Liangcai knew from the beginning that these four suitcases must be important items brought back by his son, but he never expected that such a large suitcase would be full of pounds and dollars.
He practically sprang up from his seat in an instant, and in a few steps he was in front of Ning Zhiheng. He stared at the stacks of brand-new banknotes for a long time without saying a word.
It's important to understand that the most valuable currency circulating in the Chinese financial market right now is the British pound, followed by the US dollar. The domestic legal tender has been rapidly depreciating, and the three major state-owned banks are using this currency reform to forcibly plunder private wealth. At this point, the serious consequences are already beginning to emerge.
Currently, the exchange rate between the British pound and the US dollar is rising steadily. This large box of pounds and dollars has almost doubled in value in just one year, which is now an immeasurable fortune for a well-to-do businessman like Ning Liangcai.
He didn't know where his son had acquired such wealth, but he knew Ning Zhiheng was right; this box of wealth was enough to ensure that all his family members would have no worries about the future.
But soon, his values were overturned once again, because his son opened another large suitcase, which, like before, was full of pounds and dollars.
Ning Liangcai felt he should calm down and properly organize his thoughts.
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