Chapter 383: The Great Escape
In the original history, Ma Xiangbo was on his way from Guilin to Kunming. When passing through Lang Son, Vietnam, he fell seriously ill and stayed there for a while. Feeling that his time had come, he insisted that he would die on Chinese soil even if he died.
During this period, Mr. Ma fell into a coma for a long time. Once he woke up, he asked, "Where are we?"
His granddaughter Ma Yuzhang, who was with him, replied, "This is Lang Son."
When Mr. Ma heard that they had not yet entered China, he immediately said anxiously, "Let me go! This is not our land, I want to go back home!"
Later, when Mr. Ma woke up again, everyone was still in Vietnam. In order to appease Mr. Ma, Ma Yuzhang told him that they had arrived at the border of Yunnan and Guizhou. Only then did he feel relieved.
Now that he can die in Kunming, on a well-built campus, Ma Xiangbo must be able to feel a little more at ease.
When the news came out, the entire Southwest Associated University was immersed in great sorrow. Zhang Xingjiu stopped the teachers and students who came to pay their respects and read out Ma Xiangbo's will to them, "I wish I could donate another sum of money to the country. After I die, all the money you receive must be donated to the anti-Japanese front! If you dare to disobey, you will no longer be a descendant of the Ma family!"
Then a simple funeral was held and he was temporarily buried near the campus of Southwest United University. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, he would be moved to the campus of Aurora University. This was his final resting place.
During the funeral, Zhang Xingjiu and his family saw Ma Xiangbo off for the last time. Unfortunately, his eldest son still could not come. Zhang Guoqiang was still in northern Shaanxi, and he really could not leave because the war was urgent.
Zhang Guowei hurried over from Hong Kong, took a boat from Hong Kong to Vietnam, and then took a train from Vietnam to Kunming.
After the funeral, Zhang Guowei originally wanted to spend a few more days with his family, but was driven away by Zhang Guoqiang because he had more important work to do.
Since the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, although the British government has deliberately maintained Hong Kong's neutral status, many Hong Kong Chinese have contributed money and effort to the motherland's war of resistance, and many national salvation organizations have also used Hong Kong as a base to carry out anti-Japanese activities.
Of course, Zhang Guowei’s contribution was indispensable in this. Several factories under his name switched to producing various military supplies, which strongly supported the domestic war of resistance.
Therefore, the Japanese repeatedly protested to the British Hong Kong authorities against the anti-Japanese behavior of the Chinese in Hong Kong, and had already been secretly preparing plans to attack Hong Kong.
Zhang Xingjiu was very clear about this, so he specifically called Zhang Guowei and privately told him his assessment of the situation in Hong Kong. The Japanese attack did not meet expectations, so they had to find another breakthrough.
Now that the war has broken out in Europe, countries like Britain and France are temporarily unable to take care of Asia, and have even withdrawn their troops from Asia back to Europe. Their ability to intervene militarily in Asia has been greatly weakened.
In addition to the conflicts between the Japanese army and navy, the navy certainly could not bear to watch the army capture cities and territories without achieving any success, so they would inevitably launch an attack on the colonies of European countries in Asia.
As one of the most important ports in Asia, Hong Kong was bound to become the focus of the Japanese's attack. With the British military deployment in Hong Kong, there was certainly no way to stop the Japanese's attack.
Once they launch the attack, the fall of Hong Kong will enter the countdown, so Zhang Guowei must hurry up and prepare for retreat and not waste time on personal matters.
"I understand. I will go back to Hong Kong now and ask the workers to seize the last time to produce while making preparations for evacuation. Even if the factory is blown up, it will not be left to the Japanese." Zhang Guowei also realized the seriousness of the matter.
"When the time comes, you must first protect yourself and your family. It would be best to send them to Kunming first. Then, if you still have the strength left, you can try to take a few British people away." Zhang Xingjiu continued to remind.
"Don't think that the Japanese are fighting fiercely now. In fact, they have no chance of winning. The British will come back after the war. If you save them, you will be doing them a favor. These favors will be of great use after the war."
Zhang Guowei was a little confused. "After we drive away the Japanese, we should also take back Hong Kong, right?"
Zhang Xingjiu shook his head. "Driving away the Japanese devils is just the beginning. The Nationalist government has been full of complaints over the years. In comparison, northern Shaanxi is full of vitality. Once the Japanese devils get out of China, there may be another fight."
"If Shaanxi wins, Britain and the United States will surely regard China as a thorn in their side and try their best to blockade China internationally. By then, if Hong Kong is retained, there will still be a window for re-export trade. At this time, your responsibility will be even greater."
"You should use the connections you have built up over the years to purchase more urgently needed supplies and equipment for the country to support domestic construction. So if you can, it's best to save more people."
Zhang Guowei finally understood. "Father, don't worry. I have known many people from all walks of life in Hong Kong over the years. They may not be reliable if you ask them to do something serious, but every man has his own way. Asking them to help with smuggling and rescue people from prison is the right thing to do. As long as you are willing to spend money, rescuing a few British people is not a problem at all."
"Well, that's good. You must also protect yourself. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, our family will return to Shanghai to reunite." Zhang Xingjiu patted Zhang Guowei's shoulder solemnly.
"Dad, where is our eldest brother now? You always said he was studying abroad, but it's been so many years, how come he hasn't come back even once? Even if the research is very important, there should be time to take a break, right?" Zhang Guowei couldn't help asking.
"I will tell you when the time comes. You will know in a few years."
Zhang Guowei still had doubts in his mind. He returned to Hong Kong with doubts and immediately began to prepare according to Zhang Xingjiu's arrangements. He held banquets every day, especially for the prison guards working in the prison. Even if the Japanese came in the future, some of them would stay to continue serving. These people were the key to saving the British.
In 1941, it took the Japanese only 18 days to capture Hong Kong. Governor of Hong Kong Mark Young surrendered, while Zhang Guowei, along with a group of British people holding important positions in the Governor's Office, fled Hong Kong using a route that had been prepared long ago, successfully completing the great escape.
(End of this chapter)
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