Chapter 111 Journey

On the morning of December 27, 1901.

On the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai.

The cloudy sky seemed to suddenly clear up, and the snow stopped. The blue sky was covered with a few piles of cotton-like white clouds. Western-style buildings on the Bund stood in the noise. Nanjing Road, Longhai Road,... Pedestrians are like tides, rushing to the banks of the Huangpu River.

The Huangpu River, the turbid river, the huge ships with stars and rice flags, the dull whistle, and the thick smoke from several factories that have started construction in Pudong... The dock is full of people of all kinds of people. Suits, leather shoes, robes and coats are all on the dock. From time to time, there can be people's shouts on the dock, and occasionally cries when they leave their relatives. They can even see some young people who stay abroad, kneeling in front of their fathers and kowtowing with a serious expression.

What kind of high hall is there? The son does not swim, but the words of national affairs come out of their mouths.

For the Chinese, the signing of the Treaty of Peace between Xin Chou and Various Countries a hundred days ago, the person's compensation of forty-five million taels is like a heavy ear. Even the most conservative old scholar knows that if it weren't for the strong foreign land, I'm afraid that the country will be destroyed, and the wave of studying abroad is far worse than the previous ones. The year is even worse.

At about nine o'clock, a black and white carriage squeezed into the dock in the crowd of people. After the carriage stopped, three women and three men came down from the black carriage, and three men came down, while a man, two women and three women came down from the white carriage. The woman wearing a cyan Confucian skirt with a Western-style gauze hat and a tweed jacket looked a little conspicuous on this crowded dock.

"It's Boss Chen and Mrs. Chen of the industrial company!"

People suddenly recognized two of the three. At this time, Chen Moran's name has long been a household name in Shanghai, and the wedding disturbance made Ji Li famous in Shanghai. She married a British noble lady and used others to "competite for Chinese men". Next to the couple, it was Catherine.

At this time, Chen Moran and Ji Li were whispering the thought of parting. The appearance of the two people on the dock was astonish. It was okay for the foreign lady to come, but Boss Chen of this industrial company was also like this... But he was relieved that Boss Chen was not He also came back from abroad.

"Write to me when you get there!"

Gently stroking Ji Li's smooth and delicate face like a baby, Chen Moran gently kissed the tears in the corners of her eyes. Even if she went by herself, when she could leave, tears still flowed out.

"Then you should also write to me!"

Holding her husband in her hand, Ji Li muttered softly. She was reluctant to leave here, but she couldn't help it.

Catherine looked at the relatives and reluctance of these two people, but her heart was full of mixed feelings. Chen Moran had no money, which may be a secret to the outside world. But Catherine knew that he was really out of money. Just a few days ago, he finally emptied his account in Huisheng Bank. The deposit of up to 10 million US dollars was transferred from Huisheng to Citigroup, which was the capital that Ji Li brought to Mexico.

"Be careful of your body when you get there, okay?"

When Chen Moran and Ji Li said goodbye there, Catherine, who was standing next to her, told an old man who looked like an old servant.

"Morell, you must take good care of Ji Li, understand?"

As the old housekeeper of the Sterling family, even after the decline and bankruptcy of the Sterling family, Morrel has been with her sisters. In Catherine's opinion, he is her most trusted person. Only when he is with her sister will she be relieved.

"Yes! Miss Catherine, I hope you take good care of yourself here!"

Morrel, wearing a British top hat, said calmly that from Britain to China and from China to Mexico, he was used to guarding the two young ladies of the Sterling family.

The whistle sounded, which was the last whistle to urge people to board the ship. For the last time, he wiped the tears from the corners of Ji Li's eyes with his thumb and looked at her. Although Chen Moran was reluctant, there was nothing he could do. He was almost poor. After emptying the emergency account of 10 million US dollars, in addition to transferring 5 million dollars to the common account, he even took the risk of printing 5 million dollars and put it in. In the accompanying luggage.

"Risa, take good care of your wife, do you understand?"

Looking at Risa, Chen Moran's expression was full of begging. Risa will go to Mexico with Ji Li.

Risa nodded and opened her mouth again but didn't say anything.

"Ji Liang, protect your wife!"

The meaning of asking in the young master's eyes only made Zhu Jialiang's heart come at all costs.

"Young master, Jia Liang and his brothers will live up to the young master's trust. Please rest assured that the brothers will spare their lives to protect their wives!"

Nodded. Chen Moran didn't say anything more. There was another whistle. Finally, Ji Li and his entourage still stepped on the first-class gangway, and the other 19 attendants had already boarded the ship, but 16 of them were in the medium cabin. Although this is an American ship, the Chinese can also buy first-class tickets, but only There are four people in first class who are responsible for protecting Ji Li.

When the code "Mary cruise ship" was about to leave, the shouts converged into a heat wave on the dock. The Mary cruise ship docked on the dock. The bow was full of colorful flags, red, yellow, green and purple, fluttering in the breeze, and the blue empty, mixed yellow river, reflecting each other, and the scene was spectacular.

"Wow!"

The siren of the Mary sounded, which was the siren of departure. On the river and on several nearby docks, several cargo ships and passenger ships also sounded the whistle, which was a tradition to see off the Mary.

Sun Xiyun, standing on the side of the side, looked at the dock to see off his family, and two lines of tears gushed out of his cheeks like spring water. Half a year ago, she didn't expect that she would step on a cruise and leave her parents to study in the East, but what about now? In order to ask for her father's consent, after three days of hunger strike, her father finally agreed to study in Dongyang.

Her eyes turned to the person in the other direction on the dock. He didn't come to see him off. He came to see his wife off. Where is his wife going? Are you going to the United States? Why do you have to make this ship? Sun Xiyun, who was full of tears, only felt annoyance, but finally let out a helpless sigh.

He is married and has a beautiful foreign daughter-in-law with British aristocratic blood. Why do you miss him? Despite this thought, the tearful eyes couldn't help looking at the person waving to the boat.

Did he see me? Are you waving to yourself?

When Sun Xiyun was waiting for a burst of joy in his heart, he heard a shout from next to him. How many times did the man call the name that appeared in her dream? He turned his head and saw that it was not his beautiful foreign daughter-in-law?

When the ship left the dock, she looked at the faded figure. Ji Li wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Her heart was full of the pain of parting. She turned her head, but she saw a Chinese doll-like girl with the same tears on her face, but she looked like a pear blossom and rain.

"Miss Sun!"

Ji Li, who met an acquaintance on the ship, was just happy, "Miss Ji Li!"

Sun Xiyun, who was seen, showed a helpless smile, but did not call out Mrs. Chen.

After more than ten years of erosion, the Mary looks old. The turbid water of the Huangpu River flowed through the vortex on both sides.

Chen Moran, who was standing on the dock, waved to the ship as frequently as the people who saw him off. He did not know that his wife had met an acquaintance on the boat.

At this moment, Chen Moran's mood is a little excited, even a little excited, but it is also very heavy, even tragic. Looking at the cruise ship that is gradually moving away, it even produces some smell of "the wind is rusty and the water is cold, and the strong man is gone".

Finally, the figure of the cruise ship Mary was blurred, and the people who saw him off on the dock began to disperse. When he turned around and got on the carriage, Chen Moran stood still. Looking back at the blurred shadow of the ship on the Huangpu River, she couldn't help sighing, and Catherine looked at his appearance and wanted to say something, but it stopped at this time.

"May God bless Ji Li and be safe there!"

After getting into the carriage, Chen Moran closed his eyes and muttered in his heart. He also knew that it was time for him to restrain his children's love. Now Ji Li has gone to Mexico for his dream, and for him, perhaps the most important thing is to do his own things well.

On the first night of the Western calendar year, a 100-ton iron-shell steamboat on the sea was spraying black smoke on the sea. When the pungent sea breeze blew, Chen Moran, who was standing on the watchtower, couldn't help wrapping his coat and looked at Shengshan Island with a telescope. According to the collected information, there was a stream on Shengshan Island. Pirates.

Chen Moran looked at the soldiers on the deck who were preparing to attack. The troops who were temporarily pulled out were all eager to try. The cruelty in their eyes when they were preparing was only chilling.

"Xianghuai training does not train officers, and Beiyang also trains officers, but we only have soldiers now."

Xiao Yuren said next to him that there were no officers in the unit in front of him, but temporarily acted as a squadron leader by relying on the selected captain.

"We have to take our time with everything. In March, we will graduate from the first phase of Huangpu. At that time, our training base will be selected on this Shengshan Island, pulling out 200 cadets and officers from the first phase. Here we still have more than 500 non-commissioned officers, one veteran with three or four recruits, so that we will not only set up the shelf. And it also leaves time for those cadets and officers to adapt. After half a year of training, the officers who were originally unfamiliar in command are not only familiar with the company's platoon tactics, but also can also pick out the excellent ones for further promotion!"

When Chen Moran was talking, twelve foreign-style wooden boats were put down beside the steamboat. There were eleven people in each boat, just one class. The wooden boat came out of the sea and let the waves hit the wooden boat. The soldiers on the boat rowed the boat with all their strength. The dark wooden boat was just some dark shadows on the sea. They were facing As the island approached, the unselected people on the ship became a little anxious.

The wooden boat arrived at the shore. When he got off the ship, the cold sea water overflowed the leather boots and soaked in the boots, only letting people inhale the cold air. Wei Ze, who was walking in the front with a rifle on his back and a pistol in his right hand, gestured behind him.

"Forbidden sound!"

Although it was a darkness where you couldn't see your fingers, when everyone wanted to see the gesture of danger, they lowered their breath, or held a rifle or a pistol, in several triangular formations and slowly past the slope. The speed was not fast, but very cautious. More than ten minutes later, a hut on the mountain beam appeared in Wei Ze's sight. It was a whistle and a gesture.

Two people rushed out of the triangle behind him. The gun was put into the condom, the bayonet was held in his hand, and quietly approached the whistle. After only a few small screams were heard, the people on the whistle were solved.

Standing on the mountain beam and looking down, the bandit cave built along the mountain in the bay, which is sheltered from the wind and the sun, reflected in the eyes. Like those villages on the island, the bandits also chose the semi-circular bay shelter from the wind. Most of the houses were grass houses and only a few stone houses. Because it was late at night, the lights in the room had already gone out.

"Captain, stay alive!"

He Xiuliang, who was on one knee and stared at the bandit's hole, asked softly.

"The instructor said that he suppressed this group of bandits for the exam! In my opinion! Let's take them all"

With a comparison, He Xiuliang's eyes showed some cruelty.

His suggestion did not surprise Wei Ze. He looked around.

"Brothers, what do you think!"

"Anyway, it's just a group of evil pirates. If you kill them all, it's for the sake of the people!"

The eleven squad leaders around him nodded one after another, and their eyes were full of eagerness and even some expectations. The suffering they suffered on Hell Island has long made them cruel and fierce. After the sheep under the whip becomes a wolf, it will only be more ferocious than the wolf.

Wei Ze nodded and gently arranged the offensive echelon. The main reason why Oscar, Rudolph and others chose him to command was that he had been the director of the shed and had more or less experience.

"Use a bayonet as much as possible!"

Finally, he said that the talent lying on the mountain beam was divided into three strands and rushed to the bandit cave built on the mountain from three directions.

"Are you worried about them?"

Xiao Yu's problem only made Chen Moran shake his head.

"I'm not worried about our people, I'm worried about those pirates!"

His words only made Xiao Yan's face puzzled.

"Our people have been tortured on the training ground for several months. After forcing out their beast names, they are a group of beasts whose beast names are suppressed. Now they are released from the cage. You and I know what this group of fierce people will do now. I dare to say..."

"They won't live!"

Xiao Yu's face changed, and he understood Chen Moran's worry.

"It's not just pirates there..."

These pirates are not so much pirates as fishermen of bandits. Although they can be described as extremely vicious, there must be not only pirates in the bandit's cave, but also their families.

"It's just a training!"

Chen Moran's eyes were cold, and he held the railing on theboard of the ship.

"The reason why I didn't say anything is to see if they have any bottom line. As I said, we soldiers just need to catch a few bottom lines. I just want to see where their bottom line is!"

This is testing the bottom line with human life!

Xiao Yan was shocked, but he opened his mouth and didn't say anything. He knew the price of doing this, and he also knew the meaning of doing it. This army must maintain some bottom line.

What is the bottom line? The bottom line of people's surnames!

The dead silence of Shengshan Island in the curtain was suddenly broken by the sound of gunfire. The next moment, the gunfire was loud. Listening to the faint sound of gunfire, Chen Moran's heart twisted into a small handful. The hearts of everyone on the same ship were twisted into a small ball. Oscar, Rudolph and others also listened nervously to the gunfire in the air. Look There is Shengshan Island like a sleeping beast on the sea 100 meters away.

Suddenly, a fire broke out on the hillside of Shengshan Island Bay, like a lying beast on the sea in the twilight. First, a few regiments, and then half of the mountain burned. It was the flame when the grass house was lit. A few seconds later, two green signal bombs dragged the smoke dragon to the night sky.

The flare only made Oscar's face smile, which is a sign of success.

"Mr. Chen, I think we can check the results!"

Chen Moran nodded, and the steam iron boat began to lean towards the bay.

At the same time, on Shengshan Island, the pale-faced Wei Ze stared at the two brothers next to him.

The sneak attack was originally very smooth, but after finding women and children in the room, things changed. Although the big guys had long wanted to kill a few people to relieve their anger, they really killed those women and children. Not everyone really did it. The sneak attack turned into a strong attack. These pirates were mostly with earth guns, big knives and so on. It's okay to scare the people. When they meet this group of people who are like wolves rushing out of hell, they suddenly softened, not to mention that they were still holding foreign guns in their hands.

I thought it was the officers and soldiers who would suppress them, but they knelt down and surrendered. The battle was very smooth, but the problem was... Looking at the woman who was crying in two ragged clothes not far away, and then at the two brothers, the two couldn't move when they saw the woman. Although they didn't make a big mistake, they thought about the camp. The military rules sighed in my heart, and the hand holding the gun clenched.

Walking two steps forward and facing the eyes of the two brothers, Wei Ze lowered his waist.

"I'm sorry, brother, the military rules are like a mountain!"

As soon as the words fell, before the two of them spoke, they raised their hands with two shots. The middle of the mountain with flames restored their tranquility. Everyone looked at the two bodies that fell softly. Most of the surrendered pirates, women and children looked at this scene incredulously. Although the two people put the woman into the house. La, but he was stopped before he could succeed, and now he lost his life.

And the more than 100 people with guns around them were not shocked by this scene. Although they looked at the two bodies with some sympathy, they looked like they were taken for granted.

"Class 7 is out!"

With a deep shout, the nine people stood up. As soon as they stood up, the gun was removed by the people around them. They knew what would happen next.

"One person is wrong, the whole class, silver plunder women, kill! The whole class was sentenced to 50, as an example! Execution!" !

When stepping on Shengshan Island by boat, the nine people who greeted Chen Moran and his party were on the beach, with their hands and feet on the ground and their buttocks were executed there, "Forty, forty-one..."

The crackling of sticks on the buttocks echoed on the beach, accompanied by a muffled hum.

(to be continued)