Chapter 18 Reunion

The ancient Grand Canal flows leisurely to the south. Compared with the past, the current Jinghang Grand Canal is wider and deeper.

Standing in the bow of the cement ship, Sheng Si looked at the Grand Canal. He was not in the mood to look at the appearance of the Grand Canal, and was not in the mood to praise the greatness of the "Imperial Project", because he clearly knew what was behind the Imperial Project, that was, his relatives and friends had flowed on the Grand Canal in front of him. Sweat.

"Hey! The Grand Canal destroyed his Sui Dynasty. Why didn't it destroy China!"

Sheng Si sighed in his heart that he had no good impression on the Chinese Empire at all.

But on the way back from the south of the coal mine in Shanxi, he had to admit the fact that compared with the flag people, the Han people were better at governing the country. Under their governance, the country was more prosperous than in the past. Even when he passed through Peiping, he looked at the prosperity of Peiping. He had gone to the wrong place by himself. Fang.

"The capital master let his mother's Chen Guizi empty, and they have all become fucking ghost cities! What's wrong with our flag man? Even if our ancestors have committed a crime, we can't be coal black here!"

Although he rarely participates in the occasional complaints of the people around him, in Sheng Si's view, the flagmen of the capital division are all imprisoned in the labor camp to dig coal. The capital division has not had 20 years, and it must be difficult to see prosperity. After all, the current country is in Nanjing, and the capital division has long become Beiping, and even the former royal forbidden place - the Forbidden City. It has become a museum, and even ordinary people can sit on the dragon chair and take photos if they want.

It's really not true. Sheng Si has no leisure to confirm. For him, the most important thing is to go home and return to his family. He was arrested in Nanjing nine years ago and later sent to Shanxi coal mine to dig coal. He has not seen his family for nine years.

For a long time, he thought that he might not see them in his life, but he never wanted to write to them. The women and children in the flag were released in the first batch the year before last, and they had already set down in Yangzhou.

From that day on, he was eager to go home, but he was waiting for release. In order to be released a day earlier, he worked hard and worked hard. Now he is finally free, but the labor camp only bought him a train ticket to Peiping. As for the rest, he had to pay for the fare by himself. In order to save money, he didn't buy fire. The ticket, but after the introduction of others, take the cargo ship on the Grand Canal to go home, as long as you help with the work along the way, not only do not need tolls, but even give you a meal after work.

Originally, the Grand Canal, which was built with the railway, did not decline, but gradually prospered with this kind of ships made of barbed wire and cement. The Grand Canal connects the water town in the south of the Yangtze River, the Yangtze River, the Huai River, the Yellow River and the north of China. It is this kind of cement ship that connects these river networks with China's economy. Especially last year, after the completion of the Huaihe River into the sea project and the widening and deepening of the Grand Canal, water transportation has occupied an increasing role in China's traffic.

When thinking of the word Huaihe River into the sea project, Sheng Si couldn't help but think of what he heard in the labor camp. The Huaihe River into the sea project, Baocheng Railway, Sichuan-Han Railway, Chengkun Railway, Hainan Island Rubber Park, Shanxi coal mine, and the greening of northern Shaanxi are regarded as the brilliant achievements of the Chinese Empire. Behind it is a pile of white bones.

Millions of colonists and Han annivers like him who were in "forced labor" during the restoration period showed the industrial and economic achievements of the Chinese Empire at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives. When he was in the labor camp, he thought that he was either in the labor camp. Die, or be killed by a mine, never thought that there would be a day of freedom.

Labor for freedom is just a dream for him. In the mine, he has met too many people. Because he does not believe that there will be a day of freedom, he chooses to commit suicide, but in the end, everything has changed!

Labor in exchange for freedom has changed from a distant dream to a reality.

Two years ago, after a brave reporter exposed the inside story of the forced labor camp in the newspaper, the whole country was in an uproar. People didn't expect that millions of people were detained in the country, engaged in the most dangerous and tiring labor for 12 hours or more a day. Moreover, in the labor camp, no one As a man, any guard can beat them or even shoot them.

In the end, in the face of accusations from the outside world, the Minister of Internal Affairs was forced to resign. A few months later, under the proposal submitted by some members of Congress, the people who accepted seven years of forced labor finally achieved the ultimate goal of forced labor.

"Work for freedom!"

They exchanged their own labor and sacrifice for China's waterway transportation network in exchange for... In the end, they won freedom.

"Freedom comes at a price!"

Sheng Si couldn't help sighing. After working for nine years, he finally got freedom. When he left the coal mine, the reward of nine years of hard work was freedom and 90 yuan "salary", which is... "Oh, in fact, I said, you..."

Sucking a cigarette pot, Lao Hutou, the owner of the ship, looked at the "Tongus man" beside him. He had seen his certificate. Unlike other people, they took the "certificate" issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Two years ago, when the House of Commons discussed how to treat those flagmen, it caused a debate. In the end, they passed the vote. They were still not "Chinese". Naturally, they could not enjoy the various rights and interests of the Chinese people. If it hadn't been for Russia's refusal, those members of Congress would really want to send them to their hometowns. The Russians didn't agree.

Finally, for humanitarian reasons, Congress agreed to the "resident identity card" issued to them by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is fundamentally different from the imperial citizen identity card. As residents, they only "temporarily live" in China, and they do not enjoy any citizenship or national power.

However, in his heart, Lao Hu feels that it is not easy for these people. It has been a matter of many years. Now... " According to me, you should think about it and see how we can make China accept you, forgive you and work. Yes, you have been working for several years, but what do the people think about? You But the person who killed tens of millions of us, this sin... is hard to redeem!"

He shook his head and said that there was no trace of hatred in Lao Hu's tone. If the little grandson carried this matter, he would bite his teeth to death, and his face was full of anger. He couldn't wait to eat the meat of the Tongus people. Fortunately, there were no Tongus people in the school, otherwise... "Atonement..."

Reciting this word, Sheng Si shook his head helplessly, "You don't accept us. What do we take to atone for our sins?"

When I thought of talking in the restaurant, I pronounced "six" as "six" instead of "road". As a result, I was almost kicked out by a stick. How can I atone for my sins?

"Come on, don't talk about accepting or not. You say that to me. It's okay, but if it's outside..."

Spitting smoke, the old man looked at the canal and listened to the roar of the diesel engine in his ear.

" Maybe someone will be shot to death, and the Tongus man will be killed..."

The eyelids are slightly raised.

"At most six years in sentence, in some places, the training team has even been acquitted!"

After saying that, Lao Hu stopped talking. After decades of sailing on the ship, he had seen everything and heard of everything. Naturally, he was not surprised by this kind of thing. There was nothing he could do. Who would make the people hold a fire in his heart.

"Well, let's not talk about this. The ship is about to arrive in Yangzhou. Listen to my words and live your stability honestly. As for the past... let's go!"

In the past, can it be okay?

Sheng Si didn't know that he looked at the closer and closer Yangzhou City. At this time, his mind was full of family members he had not seen for many years. How are they?

After saying goodbye to Lao Hutou and others on the dock, Sheng Si walked towards Yangzhou City with simple luggage on his back. When he approached the gate, he saw a tall white jade archway.

"Loyalty Archway?"

Looking at the archway, Sheng Si did not feel strange. There were such arches in many cities. This was built by the Han emperor after the Han people won the tripod. Then he looked at the "sincerely serve the country" written on it, which was given by the emperor to the people of Yangzhou. When he approached, he saw a book wall on the right side of the archway. .

"Yangzhou Ten Records: On April 14th of Jiyouxia, the history of the governor's town can be used... After walking through a ditch and a pool, the corpses were piled up, the hands and feet were pillowed together, the blood entered the water and the ochre, turned into five colors, and the pond was flat. To a house, Nai Tingwei Yongyan and Yao Gongju also entered directly from the back door. The house was deep and there were corpses everywhere..."

Looking at the words on the wall of the book, Sheng Si only felt dark in front of him. Looking at the prosperous and noisy Yangzhou, the tragedy of the ten-day slaughter of Yangzhou seemed to appear in front of his eyes. There seemed to be countless wronged souls under the prosperous Yangzhou city, as if they were about to pour out of the ground to ask for his soul.

He left the city in a daze. At this time, Sheng Si had only one idea. He had to leave Yangzhou no matter what. He must never live here.

Finally, after several inquiries, he walked into a lane and walked to the door of a simple courtyard. The wooden door was not closed. Looking at the courtyard, he was fixed. In the yard, he saw the woman who was giving the stove there. It was... Wanru, that's right, it was her!

Just as he was about to speak, a teenager in black suddenly broke into the yard.

"Mother, mother, declare war, declare war, China declares war on Germany, it's going to war!"

The teenager who rushed into the yard took a sip of herbal tea first. When he drank the tea, he didn't see his mother standing up looking at the courtyard door, and he was stunned.

"Mother, I want to be a soldier. I want to be a soldier. If I become a soldier, I can change from a resident to a national. I'm going to atone for the crime we have committed..."

The woman standing by the fireside didn't hear her son's words. She just looked out of the door and looked at the man outside the door.

"Four, fourth brother... Come on, Apu, give your father a good time!"

Wanru quickly pulled her son and said in a hurry.

"Dad..."

Looking at the person who looks old even from the age of 50, Sheng Puquan doesn't believe in his eyes. Is this the father in memory?

Looking at Wanru and then at the 16-year-old teenager, Sheng Si felt hot in front of him, but he resisted his tears.

"Change, change the name..."

Silly answered twice, as if he remembered something again.

"A, Apu, what are you talking about? What's the declaration of war!"

(to be continued)