Chapter 92 Reaction

In the early morning, the windows of the China Broadcasting Corporation building in Nanjing were illuminated by the morning sun, but there were only endless electric lights in those grave-like broadcast rooms. In the corridor and small room of the news department of China Broadcasting Corporation, although it is still early, people have come and gone.

Gu Pengqi, with a beard, sat in front of the old writing table, smoking a long cigar and scratching on a yellow notebook. Despite the popularity of his spare time programs, he did not give up the program "Celebrities in the City". He often said that after the boom of spare time programs, news and radio programs are still his way to make a living. The loud and even harsh sound of the advertising announcer came from a pocket radio on his desk.

Gu Pengqi is very disgusted with those extremely exaggerated advertisements, but he has to choose to accept it, because the broadcaster's income is all from advertisements. Moreover, the criteria for evaluating the success of an announcer and the success of a program are very simple - that is, the price of the program advertisement and the label of the program advertisement. The higher the price, the more it proves the success of an announcer.

As an announcer of a news radio program, Gu Pengqi is undoubtedly successful. It should be said that it is very successful. His program advertising price ranks in the top three in the country. However, he doesn't like advertisements very much, especially those that know they are fake, but for the company, they are never there. Well, what they care about is income, advertising income, yes... Just then, the phone rang. He wanted to ignore it, but he grabbed it again and roared:

"Hey, who is it? I'm writing... Ah! Sorry, Yichen. Is there any urgent news?

Hearing the phone call from a reporter station in Wuhan, he immediately leaned back on the swivel chair, listening to the phone with one ear, but recording with a pen in the other hand. In the past two or three years, through the huge investment of Imperial Telegraph and Telephone Company, China has initially established a "long-distance telephone" system. In the past, telephones were only limited to one city, and only users in the city could make calls to each other. However, since last year, except for Tibet, calls between provinces. Line Unicom, of course, I'm afraid it's still out of military needs. Otherwise, the phone bill of 50 cents a minute is not affordable for ordinary people. But for journalists, the use of long-distance calls means a change. They can call in the shortest time, within a few minutes of the outbreak of the incident. Calling newspapers or broadcasters, but even so, high telephone charges are not affordable to broadcasters. They usually have regulations that only big news and emergencies can use long-distance calls. Knowing that the phone bill was very expensive, Gu Pengqi did not delay the other party's time.

"In these firelight, these storms, there are a small group of people who designed and organized this terrible rainstorm, pouring on all mankind..."

Listening to the angry roar on the other end of the phone, it only stunned him. In his impression, Wang Yichen is a very "quiet" reporter. Most of the time, he will tell the news calmly, but now, what's wrong with him?

"Hey, Yichen, what's going on? Calm down!"

"Calm down, how can you make me calm down? But as a person, he can still calm down. Now my body is full of blood. The streets are full of wounded, thousands of wounded. On the river, there are dead bodies everywhere, and many of them are children..."

What... Gu Pengqi was stunned. What's going on?

"What the hell happened?"

"Explosion, someone attacked "Jiang Lun 13" with a bomb..."

"Jiang Lun 13..."

Listening to the name, Gu Pengqi only felt familiar. He quickly covered the phone and shouted at the door.

"Who knows Jiang Lun No. 13? I want his information!"

"Why did you attack this ship?"

The president of the nobles is on the boat!

After hearing the voice on the other end of the phone, Gu Pengqi felt that the big sweat dripped from his forehead. Even if there was no evidence, he could guess who did it - it was the republican.

At this time, his assistant rushed into the office and gestured desperately to her boss.

"Wait a minute, my assistant is here."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Pengqi covered his headphones with his hand and asked, "Do you have any news?"

"Jiang Lun No. 13 is a luxury Yangtze River cruise ship of 1562 tons departing from Shanghai. There are 482 passengers on board. Yuan Shikai, the president of the aristocratic Academy, and his entourage are on this ship. In addition, 315 students from Tongcheng Third National Middle School and the First Female Middle School are going to visit..."

Next, what the assistant said again, Gu Pengqi was no longer clear. He only felt dizzy. It was over, it was all over. While a sense of sadness rose in his heart, his mood was shrouded in unprecedented anger. He listened to the sound from the other end of the phone and kept recording on the pen. He will not doubt Wang Yichen's report. In fact, no one dares to fake this kind of news.

Finally, he hung up the phone. At this time, Gu Pengqi's face was full of tears. He looked at the confused assistant and said.

"Listen now, I'm going to see the director and prepare for our program. There's big news!"

With that, Gu Pengqi raised some heavy steps and walked out of the door, holding the recorded news event in his hand. "... In short, if we ensure the supply of 300,000 Japanese troops and more than 10 million Russian troops and materials in Russia, we should not only help the Russians rebuild the Siberian iron. Lu is still helping them rebuild the Central Asian Railway, and it must also take into account the construction of the Persian Railway. It is expected to invest..."

In the office of Nanjing Qinzheng Building, Guan Ming Hall, which sits in front of His Majesty's desk, lists the figures one by one again. Because China now bears the supply of materials to Russia, it must consider the traffic problem.

"Wait, Zheqin, what I want to know is that now, has Russia paid us cash for our exports to Russia? I mean gold or silver, not some ruble!"

Decisively interrupting Guan Ming's words, Chen Moran seriously asked that although the most important thing for China is to make money from war, in order to increase exports and even reduce the supply to the domestic market, since the outbreak of the war, the country's gold reserves in the treasury have increased rapidly.

In 1914, when the war broke out, China's gold reserves were only 1238.5 tons, but only 2.5 billion yuan. Now, one year after the outbreak of the war, the gold reserves have increased to 4.8 billion yuan. At this rate of increase, by the end of the war, China's gold reserves can increase to at least 10 billion yuan or more.

Although 95% of Russia's materials are now imported from China, considering the drastic changes in Russia next year, Chen Moran does not want China's banknotes to be wasted.

"The export of military materials to Russia is paid by military loans from Britain and France to Russia, which are paid by Britain and France. The export of non-military materials to Russia is directly settled with gold, and Russia also exports no less than 3.5 million tons of oil and other minerals to us every year. At present, we Ross's exports only barely maintain the trade surplus.

"Oh, that's right,"

After sip of tea, Chen Moran nodded.

"Then we can consider further increasing exports to Russia."

Seeing that His Majesty said so, Guan Mingtang mentioned his previous suggestion:

"There is no problem at all to further increase exports. Russia's market is far larger than originally expected. Russia is a backward non-industrial country. Everything they rely on imports, from military needs such as weapons, ammunition, drugs and ready-to-wear to ordinary cotton. Import, but the capacity, the capacity limits our exports to Russia.

Hearing Guan Mingtang mention the transportation capacity again, Chen Moran said directly:

"Didn't we build a railway in Persia? If that railway is built, the transportation capacity should be able to meet the needs.

But Guan Mingtang shook his head and said:

"Your Majesty, what we need to consider is the long-term interests. Now the Persian Railway is jointly established by the Sino-Russian Railway Company. This railway alone, Russia owes us 50 million Huayuan, and the transformation of the Siberian Railway requires an investment of 2.4 Huayuan, the transformation of the Central Asian Railway requires 100 million Huayuan, three railways, Russia Si owes us 300 million Huayuan. On the one hand, they can repay the loan with oil, but on the other hand, we can take the opportunity to intervene in the Siberian Railway and the Central Asian Railway and take shares in it, so as to seek a say in post-war Russia, and

When Guan Mingtang said his "railway theory" proudly, Chen Moran only felt that a duck cooked duck flew away. 300 million, 300 million was enough to build several capital ships, but now he let himself take 300 million to rake water. Yes, the Persian railway is his own consent, and the reason why he is the same The reason for that request is very simple. On the one hand, it is to turn China's attention from Arabia to Persia, and on the other hand, it is to send troops to Turkey "quickly and decisively" next year. Before other forces intervene, they first occupy it to expand China's... Well, colonies!

Suddenly, Guan Mingtang's words paused slightly, and his pair of small eyes looked at his majesty with expectation.

"Your Majesty, if we have these three railways, then we are equivalent to mastering the Russian Far East and Turkestan. If necessary, of course, I mean that when there is a conflict between China and Russia, our army can march into Russia along these three railways without worrying about iron. The road was damaged..."

Chen Moran, who was originally about to interrupt Guan Mingtang's words, immediately became interested when he heard what he said.

"Zheqin, tell me what you think."

"Your Majesty, if a joint-stock company is established, then we have the right to send our staff to the railway, and our staff can indirectly control the railway station and railway bridge. Of course, this requires a series of operations."

I was aware of His Majesty's grim look at him.

"Of course, it is difficult to guarantee his valid surname for this kind of thing, but..."

Guan Mingtang said hesitantly.

"It's better to be prepared than not to be prepared. If we rebuild it, we can know more about the railway, so that when the army makes plans, it can use the train schedules of the three railways to make corresponding plans. According to the capacity of the three railways, I have consulted the staff department. Yes, they agreed to intervene in the management and construction of the three railways, and they said that if necessary, they could consider sending military contractors to repair the railway.

Suddenly, a new word appeared in Guan Mingtang, and the person who invented the word just sat in front of him. The term military contractor happened to Chen Moran, and it was also invented for Russia. Now most of the staff and crew on trains and merchant ships to Russia are "military contractors", and they The reason for this status is that they are all reservists of the army or navy. At the beginning, this principle was also taken into account the needs of next year. In this way, it can at least ensure that trains and merchant ships will not be damaged or requisitioned by revolutionaries.

"Military contractor..."

He muttered the word softly on his lips, with a smile on Chen Moran's face. He seemed to be able to imagine that if there were tens of thousands of Chinese "workers" on thousands of kilometers of railways, but once there is a revolution in Russia, what kind of school effect will happen? They can quickly control the railway, and no one can take it from their hands. If the railway is recaptured, they will become the vanguard of China's interference in Russia.

But... Thinking about it, Li Zicheng hesitated instead. The reason was very simple, because his purpose was not just to appear red in the world. If it was just that simple, he only needed to send some agents, a little poison, and dozens of bullets to end it. Everything.

But... At this moment, the thick steel-wrapped wooden door was pushed away, and a servant came in with a pale face, even ignoring the normal court etiquette.

"Your Majesty!"

The attendant did not realize his excess at all. At this time, his expression seemed extremely sad and indignant, and there were even tears in the corners of his eyes.

"What's going on? Captain Liu.

Looking at the young attendant, Chen Moran did not pursue his rudeness. He just asked kindly, what happened to his family? If so, he should ask the chief minister for leave.

"Your Majesty, Wuhan, the Wuhan Garrison District called."

The servant's voice was a little sobbing. As a Wuchang man, when he received the phone call, his mind was blank, and he even forgot that this kind of thing should be reported to the attendant first.

"President Yuan of the House of Lords was bombed by terrorists at the dock... Terrorists used no less than five tons of explosives... The casualties caused by the attack are estimated to be more than 1,000 casualties, and may even more..."

Then, in the report of the attendant, Chen Moran fell into a long silence from the initial surprise. At this time, Guan Mingtang, as a Christian, whispered a prayer, and then he looked at the attendant and asked.

"Have you sent rescuers? What does Hubei need?

Then he turned to his majesty and said.

"Your Majesty, I need to call the governor of Hubei Province immediately!"

"Your Excellency the Prime Minister, the Governor of Hubei Province and a large number of parliamentarians are also..."

"Who did it?"

After the attendant finished speaking, Chen Moran stretched out his trembling fingers and asked coldly. Now it is necessary to find out who did it. No matter who it is, even if it escapes to the ends of the earth, you can't escape.

At this time, Guan Mingtang's face, which became a little pale after hearing this incident, showed a slight solemnity.

"How could this happen? If the officials of the provincial government and the members of the parliament die, then..."

After thinking for a moment, he looked at his majesty and said.

"Your Majesty, if this is really the case, please make an order to immediately implement military control over Hubei Province, and the army will temporarily maintain social order. Moreover, during this period, the Ministry of Staff and the Ministry of Internal Affairs ordered troops to be on alert throughout the country to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

He nodded. Chen Moran knew that if the news was accurate, I'm afraid it could only be like this.

"Your Majesty, I hope to go to Wuchang immediately. If possible, it's best to go there by plane!"

After Guan Mingtang made a request, Chen Moran just nodded silently and then said.

"Pay attention to safety. You go to Wuhan in person to appease the local people and comfort the injured. If... I will go there in the near future!"

After Guan Mingtang left the office, Chen Moran, whose face was full of anger, shouted at the door.

"Call me Zha Zhiqing!"

When he came back from a horse riding walk in the horse farm in the suburbs, Zha Zhiqing learned the bad news of Yuan Shikai's death. He was stunned at first, and then muttered:

"How is it possible? How could this happen? Why..."

In the governor's palace, no one knows who the murderer is.

This is completely outside his plan, especially causing so many casualties. In his plan, this should have been just... However, the subordinate's report gave him a stick.

The subordinates in front of him were suddenly silent, and Zha Zhiqing also stopped.

"Crazy, those damn republicanists are crazy. Are the people their enemies? These damn bastards..."

Suddenly, Zha Zhiqing shouted loudly. He even smashed his fists against the wall with hatred. The group of damn bastards forced him to a corner with this big event. Although he has not yet been summoned by His Majesty, he can still think that after learning the news, His Majesty will show What kind of thunderous anger, at that time... Maybe your majesty's anger is what he needs, but it does not mean that it is beneficial to him.

"Sir, there is a call from the palace. Your Majesty wants you to enter the palace immediately!"

Like everyone else, everyone present was equally anxious, and one of his subordinates immediately made a suggestion to him.

"It is strictly forbidden to immediately broadcast the news of the Wuchang dock explosion, and continue to broadcast normal programs..."

At this time, someone rushed in again.

"Listen to the radio!"

(to be continued)