Chapter 234 Battlefield

In the morning, it is very comfortable to bask in the first sun: it is neither hot nor cold.

A gust of wind floated gently. No one can figure out where it comes from and where it goes. It's just that there is a soft feeling on the face, like a velvet cloth brushed by.

And the green space in the square in front of the palace is green, and the leaves are tender, so the people walking on the sidewalk can smell the fragrance of flowers and plants, and there is a unique smell of spring. This is a good time for an outing. At this time in previous years, Nanjing citizens often go out. The best season for youth.

After the founding of the empire, with the admiration of Chinese customs, the trend of outing became more and more popular. Men, women and children often went out with their families.

But this spring, Nanjing is very different from the past. The whole sky over Nanjing is shrouded in a strange atmosphere. Military police on duty can be seen everywhere on the streets of Nanjing, unarmed police standing at the street, and soldiers without weapons and armed belts are standing in various governments, including the Consultative House. Outside the door of the axe mechanism, it is ready to form a sincere wall at any time. The atmosphere in Nanjing is extremely depressing, and there is a trace of tension in this depression.

In front of the palace, the royal guard in the army dress put down the rifle in their hands for the first time. They stood outside the palace gate with white gloves, with a serious expression of vigilance. In front of them, there were rows of young people sitting there without saying a word.

"We will defend our civil rights!"

"GIV you back my civil constitution!"

One banner after another in black on a white background were held in the queue of thousands of young students sitting quietly, and around the square, a military policeman looked at them quietly. From time to time, there were magnesium lights flashing in the square, which was the reporters taking pictures of them.

The students sit quietly, but among the students, there are one elderly person after another with their jobs.

"Li Zicheng, eat some. When you are full, you will have strength..."

"...eat a little, just take a bite!"

"Drink a sip of water, look at the sun coming out..."

The teachers and officials who comforted the students and swam back and forth among the meditators. Their only purpose was to let these students eat.

Food!

By the square in front of the palace, several army cookers were cooking, and the fragrance of rice permeated the square with the wind. By the cooker, dozens of soldiers were devouring the food, but when they ate, they always knocked on the rice bowl loudly, as if they were deliberately seducing the students.

Quiet!

In the square, the students sitting quietly sat there without saying a word, with a pair of godless eyes looking at the gate of the palace. Occasionally, someone would look at the government office building. They expected that after the window screen, His Majesty would stand there, look at them, and finally agree to their petition.

Hungry!

I'm really hungry!

Breathing the fragrance of rice in the air, Cao Shijing only felt that his stomach was beating the drum, the stomach wall was squirming, and the stomach acid was burning the empty stomach. This was the third day.

"You know, you're stupid to do this!"

Sitting in front of his classmates, Wei Nan advised softly.

"Your father, your mother, your Cao family, there is only one college student like you. Do you know how much the country and the people expect from our generation?"

Wenan tried to understand it with emotion and persuasion to let his classmates eat a mouthful of rice, but Cao Shijing, who had no strength, just hung his head and sat there without saying a word.

"If you do this, if you really starve to death, are you worthy of your parents? Are you worthy of the country and the people you are talking about?

His silence annoyed Wei Nan. Wei Nan roared loudly, and his roar even moved Cao Shijing. Cao Shijing raised his head, and his pale and bloodless face showed a smile.

"If I don't do this, I will be really sorry for them, we..."

In silence, a tear flowed from Cao Shijing's eyes.

"It is precisely because the country and the people are full of expectations and expectations for our generation that we have to do this. If we don't do it, forty-five million people will lose their power and freedom in four years!"

"Freedom, you can sit here, that is freedom, what kind of freedom do you need, you say, tell me what you want, you..."

"I want the civil constitution!"

Cao Shijing said lightly.

"What we want is a civil constitution, even if the civil constitution is stricter than now, I am also willing, because it is the choice of the people, just like we chose the emperor in those years, but what about today?"

Looking up at the palace gate with the royal badge hanging, Cao Shijing's face showed a trace of sarcasm.

"Today, all people choose the emperor but trample on China's civil rights!"

"But..."

Shaking his head, Cao Shijing looked at his classmates.

"Do you have a cigarette?"

He lighted a cigarette for him. Cao Shijing smoked a cigarette and coughed several times, and there was a trace of absolute color on his face.

"We have our responsibility and our backbone. Every generation has the backbone of every generation. Perhaps, we failed to die for the nation on the battlefield of restoration. It is their backbone and responsibility to the nation that put them on the battlefield, but today, we have to go to our battlefield. We are willing to In order to maintain the power of forty-five million people, die!"

"You're just playing with words eloquently and meaninglessly. Do you think you're for the power of the people? But take a look, look at what the newspaper says, and see what everyone thinks!"

With the newspaper in his hand, Wei Nan shouted loudly.

"You are trampling on yourself, you are pretending to be public opinion, you are using your own death to force your majesty to make concessions, and you are using your own life to kidnap your majesty!"

The roar of Wei Nan echoed in Cao Shijing's ear, but he looked up at his angry classmates.

"This is an unnecessary conversation, isn't it?"

"I hope you can make the right choice! For you, your family, and your country!"

"You are softening me!"

"What do you say in your heart? Is that the same way?"

"I think you already know me very well!"

"Tell me what you say in your heart!"

Facing the direct look of his classmates, Cao Shijing lowered his head slightly. After a moment of silence, he looked up at the classmate who couldn't understand him.

"Everything in my life is important to me, and freedom means everything! I know you won't laugh at me, Anan. This is our opportunity and our pure faith. I believe that freedom belongs to everyone. I believe that our citizens should enjoy the opportunity to choose the constitution as they choose the emperor."

At this time, there was a trace of longing on Cao Shijing's face. He seemed to see the excited look on his father's face when he told him that we could choose an emperor. He seemed to see that when he first saw your majesty's portrait, there was only one voice in his heart. That was his emperor, it was him. It is the emperor elected by everyone, not because of his blood, not because of his guns, but just because of his contributions to this country and this nation. He gives freedom to the people, and the people give him the highest honor!

But what about now? It's all over. In his opinion, his emperor betrayed them and the citizens who elected him to the throne.

"Maybe people like you won't understand,"

At this time, he looked at Wei Nan with a trace of relief in his eyes, and he said in an extremely heavy voice.

"But please respect my life! The desire for freedom and the firm love of faith mean that I can stick to my faith without fear and risk my life. It's not the only thing I can do, Anan! But that's right!"

Silence, facing the explanation of his classmates, Wei Nan didn't know what he should say for a while, but he knew what his classmate would face.

"Is this your choice?"

Looking at his classmates, Wei Nan knew that his classmates, like him, the republican students of various schools, found the most powerful weapon against the "imperial constitution". They sat here and went on a hunger strike to death, which would regret the most basic feelings of human beings - mercy!

"...they are creating tension and igniting the flame of hatred!"

A cold voice came out of Chen Moran's mouth and looked coldly at the 986 young people in the square. Among them were students, republicans, and even revolutionaries who wrote a letter of repentance and were released from prison.

"They used their own death to demonstrate to me, to this country, to 450 million people. They used their own death to incite the emotions of the whole country, and they used everyone's mercy!"

He snorted coldly. For the first time, Chen Moran was angry with these. They were not petitioning themselves. They were using their own death and trapped themselves in a dangerous situation.

"Your Majesty, it's the fifth day!"

Zhang Zhidong asked His Majesty in a trembling voice.

"Your Majesty, in any case, in order not to let them starve to death, you must do something, even if it is..."

"No!"

With a categorical roar, through the window screen, Chen Moran looked coldly at the students who were sitting in silence. Although he admired their courage and their choices, they put themselves in a dilemma. If he makes concessions, what will happen in the future?

Will they use hunger strike as a weapon to fight against themselves again and again? Power is won, but it is not in this way. They can fight for themselves and petition themselves, but... "This is a war!"

The silent Chen Moran's expression darkened, and his eyes no longer looked at those young people.

"Their behavior is to pull the battlefield to their bodies - this is the last battlefield and the most sacred battlefield! I admit that they have courage and responsibility, but..."

The last time he looked at the people outside the window, Chen Moran's expression also became resolute.

"This afternoon, I will go to Zijin Mountain to escape the summer heat!"

(to be continued)