Chapter 84 Revolutionaries

The Gregorian New Year of the 11th year of the Empire has just passed, and the Lunar New Year is coming. However, Wuhan, an important town in Central China located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the streets are full of lanterns and a colorful New Year atmosphere, and even the air seems to be frozen. On this day, the sky was chaotic and the clouds were very low. The cold current from Xinjiang Province and Outer Mongolia caused the temperature to drop sharply in the three towns. The cold and humid northwest wind blew the wires on the poles - a blizzard is coming!

However, at this moment, I don't know how many people are worried - since sending troops to the Middle East last year, after the Expeditionary Force launched the Battle of Baghdad, there seems to be no news in the Middle East, and the last thing people want to see is staged there - trench warfare!

Originally, in the imagination of many people, when the Imperial Royal Guards landed, those barbaric Turkish soldiers would not fight, and the defeated generals and political axe officials fled to Turkey one after another... In an hour, China would liberate the already hot Arabian Peninsula... However, the most The final result fell through everyone's eyes. A news report was sent from the front. The wounded, thousands of wounded, were transported from the Arabian Peninsula to Chinese East Africa. The newly developed colony was treated. Through those news reports, people saw the cruelty of the war.

At the same time, a worrying thing happened. More and more people received conscription letters. According to the newspaper, the army has expanded from 1.25 million people before the war to 6 million people, and the navy has expanded from 250,000 people before the war to 500,000 people, with nearly 7 million troops. This is an unprecedented thing in the history of the country.

As for the real situation in the Middle East battlefield, even the reports of journalists are not very detailed. Anyway, most of the war news are sent by journalists according to the standard manuscripts provided by the Expeditionary Force Information Office. There are fixed formats, fixed words, and even more reports. Some people can fail. With a back, sometimes it's enough to change the time and a noun!

When the victory of a slightly larger battle is over, all walks of life should stop work and classes according to the fixed procedures, and gather in the square in front of the city hall or the parliament building carrying the national flag. Often they will choose to do it in the afternoon, because the working hours in the afternoon are the shortest, and then they will hold a lantern game to express themselves. Disdain for the enemy and love for the glorious guards.

Of course, the thieves who were not caught in the eyes of the happy people are even more grateful for the victory of the soldiers in front of them. It is now very convenient for them to exceed the task targets. As for others, there seems to be nothing.

But what about the truth?

No one knows what is going on ahead. On the battlefield, the army has the right to restrict reporters' interviews, but the reports sent by journalists in the way of removing officials. I'm afraid that only those interviews with meritorious soldiers will attract the attention of the people. War is always the same.

However, for more people, they still experience the inconvenience caused by the war. First of all, the railway is always late. Then, the market begins to lack materials, and factories always give priority to export, not only because the profit of exports is larger, but also because exports can create more foreign exchange and the corresponding domestic supply. It is compressed, which directly leads to a shortage of supplies in the market.

However, the war also brings benefits. Almost every factory is expanding production and the scale of the factory as much as possible. While the workers are rushing up to accelerate production, the working hours of workers are also extended, twelve hours, thirteen hours, or even longer, and The direct return is the doubling of workers' income.

After more than a year of participating in the war, the shortage of materials on the market has been alleviated to a certain extent. In recent years, in order to ensure the supply of the domestic market, the political axe requires enterprises to ensure the supply of the domestic market before and after the Spring Festival. Such a year is undoubtedly a fat year, whether it is for the general public or students. It means that it's all like this.

However, in this Spring Festival, there are always some discordant voices. For example, there will always be some "eye-opening republicans" who oppose the war, and there will also be some people who have lost their relatives in the war and turn to support the demonstrations. Their reason for calling for an end to war is very simple. China should not bleed for Westerners.

And there are also some people who accuse the political axe of using war, suppressing public opinion, rejecting public opinion, turning the army into concentration camps, sending a large number of dissent into the army, and even killing them directly. Some people even mentioned the sudden death of some well-known republican leaders in prison. Their sudden death will always It makes people think... Because in recent years, various schools are closed, and many people stay in school for the Spring Festival. Those high school students and college students who have nothing after the holiday have flooded into the teahouse, which makes the teahouse business particularly prosperous. The teahouse owners are both happy and worried about this unexpected situation - because young students always talk about some rebellious things in the teahouse in their opinion - republicanism, abdication, and even assassination... Only let these teahouse owners make money while coaxing these masters out.

Located in the Deyue Teahouse near Dazhimen Railway Station in Hankou, students in all kinds of clothes are secretly spreading the gossip that the Guards suffered "disastrous" on the front line and the front line was deadlocked. The listeners have different expressions: some are worried; some are smiling; some are happy in their eyebrows and laughing in their hearts... What kind of people, What kind of idea do you have? It's honest.

At this time, a middle-aged man in blue clothes and a large-brimmed top hat with a slightly thin body opened the thick cotton felt at the door of the moon teahouse and stepped into the noisy tea room. He looked at the lively scene with his eyes. Seeing that his seats were full, he walked straight in. A teahouse clerk with a long-mouthed copper pot in his hand greeted him and said:

"Oh, sir, your home is here! Upstairs, upstairs - please!"

When the teahouse led the gentleman to the slightly secluded stairway, he suddenly whispered:

"Please enter the No. 2 tea room. The guests have been waiting for a long time."

Mr. calmly climbed up to the second floor and stepped into the No. 2 Yazuo Tea Room. On the wall of the small tea room, there are a few calligraphy and paintings that I don't know who they are from; there are several tea sets on a quaint tea table; there is a charcoal basin next to the table, and a copper kettle sitting at the top of the burning charcoal fire, with wisps of fog on the edge of the spout and lid. At this time, a tea guest sitting at the table saw the gentleman coming in and quickly got up to meet him.

The gentleman who just entered the door is Li Shaoshao, about 40 years old. This is a reporter from the Huazhong News Agency of Empire Daily. As soon as he entered the room, he took off his hat and said.

"Hard work, hard work. It is said that those black windbreakers have been checked very closely recently.

"Black windbreaker" is the Republican name for agents of the Investigation Bureau. The reason is very simple. Those investigators always like to wear black windbreakers or black suits. They don't like to wear clothes, because suits are more convenient and faster to draw guns.

"That's okay. The rally was held in Hong Kong. As soon as it was over, we went our separate ways. I didn't take the train. I took a boat to Taiwan first, and then transferred from Taiwan to Fujian, so it took so long to get into no trouble."

A person who wears a dark gray tweed short coat, wears a pair of myopic glasses, and is similar in age to Li Shaoshao. His pseudonym is Zhou Jieru, and he is a person in charge of the Hubei branch of the Republican Party. He went to Guangzhou for a meeting a week ago, which was a secret gathering of republican faction and returned to Hankou yesterday.

Zhou Jieru made tea for Li Shaoshao with boiling water in the copper pot and sat down again. After a little greeting, Lao Zhou cut to the point:

"There are 172 people in total!"

Hearing this number, Li Shaoshao showed a little doubt on his face.

"It's all heart disease!"

Listening to this sentence, Li Shao's face suddenly changed. He worked as a reporter in Huazhong News Agency and had a wide range of news sources. In the past two months, many people have died of heart disease, which is too suspicious. And now, the number has finally been determined, 172 people, these 172 people are still the backbone members of the republican faction!

What's more terrible is that they all died of heart disease!

"So, is there any evidence that they did not die of natural causes?"

Li Shaoshao asked.

"Not yet."

Zhou Jieru shook her head and said, "Minister Cai asked us not to disclose this news to the outside world for the time being, because we have no conclusive evidence to prove that they died in the assassination."

It's not just that there is no evidence!

Li Shaoshao remembered the dead he knew. Someone raised an objection. They asked the designated institution to conduct an autopsy. They chose the most neutral university and even professors from several medical schools to conduct an autopsy. However, the results of the examination were the same as the official examination results. Even if there were some nuances, they could not be changed. The reality of "natural death".

But... 172 people did not have a heart attack in the past, and they did not die early or late, but they fell ill in just two months. How can this not be doubtful?

"Is it possible that torture induced a heart attack?"

When Li Shaoshao said this, a friend from the medical school came to his mind and told him that torture could also cause a heart attack. At this time, the charcoal fire in the charcoal basin was burning vigorously, and the red fire reflected on their faces, which made their faces red, but there was a trace of helplessness in their red faces.

There is no evidence!

It only takes four words to overturn everything!

In silence, Zhou Jieru's face suddenly became serious. He suddenly said:

"The appointment with you this time is to convey the instructions of the party department."

Li Shaoshao looked at Zhou Jieru attentively and waited for the following.

Zhou Jieru continued:

"Since the tyrant uses assassination against us, we must return the assassination with assassination and blood for blood! Before the Spring Festival, Yuan Shikai, the president of the House of Lords, will come to Wuhan. At that time, we will ask Yuan Shikai, the president of the House of Lords! It's up to you!"

A thunderous sound sounded in Li Shao's ear. After listening, he didn't say anything for a long time. He was completely stunned and assassinated the dean of the House of Lords. How easy it was! However, he also understood that if it was not difficult, he would not put the burden on himself again, and he was a reporter of the Imperial Daily. At that time, he would have the opportunity to accept Yuan Shikai. If there was a chance, he only needed a short gun, just like Sarajevo.

After some thought, he raised his head and said:

"I recognize this difficult bone. It's just that the result is still unpredictable.

"That won't work."

Zhou Jieru shook her head and said, "This matter is only allowed to succeed, not to fail. Because we really can't afford to lose in this matter! In the past three years, we have taken many actions to remove some small roles. The big roles have never been solved. This time, we can't do anything. We all have to succeed?

"However, I'm just a reporter of the Empire Daily. Even if I have the opportunity to get close to him, it's just a chance, and the time is so tight..."

Looking at Zhou Jieru, Li Shao said with some distress.

"I... I didn't shoot in the past!"

There is no gun ban in China. If there is anything good about Chen Moran's tyrant, I'm afraid it's at this point. According to his history, only Meng Yuan and Manqing, these two aliens imposed colonial rule on the Central Plains. In order to prevent the people from overthrowing their colonial rule, they restricted the Han people from holding weapons, or even limited Making kitchen knives, so China can't stop shooting.

Although there are no guns, not everyone will buy a gun and go to the shooting range to shoot the target. As a literati, Li Shaoshao had never fired a gun in the past. Before today, he didn't even think that he needed to shoot one day.

"The gun is difficult to work unless you are lucky."

Zhou Jieru added water to Li Shaoshao's teacup and said:

"In my impression, you are an extremely firm republican. You believe that if the Chinese want to get rid of their fate as slaves, only by establishing a republic and implementing a true constitutional government can the Chinese people gain the personality of being a human being."

When she spoke, Zhou Jieru kept paying attention to Li Shao's expression. She didn't say until it was confirmed that there was nothing abnormal.

"Use a bomb! Blow up that man!"

Bomb!

Li Shaoshao only felt trembling all over. He looked at Zhou Jieru, although he couldn't speak for a long time.

How many people will die in a bomb attack?

"Yes, the use of bombs will indeed cause some indirect damage, but for the sake of revolution and the republic, this is the only way!"

Zhou Jieru said earnestly.

"And if you kill Yuan Shikai, then all of China will know that we assassinated an imperial lackey, and it is the second lackey. Yuan Shikai is not worthy of sympathy. He is not only a tyrant's lackey, but also owes too much blood debt. In North Korea, he even used the Zhulian policy to kill. People, people like this don't deserve to live in the world at all!"

"Hmm..."

In silence, Li Shaoshao answered gently, "If you want to do it, you must plan it well."

"Well, it's necessary."

Zhou Jieru nodded and then said, "We should learn from the assassination of North Koreans when they opposed aggression, learn from their experience, and launch a deadly attack in the most unexpected place?"

The so-called North Korean righteous men are "terrorists" for China. For those terrorists, most of the Chinese people know something about them in the newspapers. They used to be allies of China in a sense. During the Sino-Japanese conflict, some North Koreans have provided too much help to China, and even the army has They were supported and trained, but later, after China annexed North Korea, many military-trained North Koreas became terrorists who resisted the merger.

The fundamental reason why they assassinated the officials who cooperated with the Governor's Office in North Korea, the [***] officers were attacked the barracks, and Yuan Shikai's iron fist suppression in North Korea was because of the assassination of those people, and what was disgusting was the "indirect damage" caused to civilians during the assassination. That's why China will They are called "terrorists", and the Governor-General of North Korea has even promulgated a law that terrorists can be imprisoned in special military prisons without trial.

They don't have much good impression on the "North Korean righteous man" Li Shaoshao. The reason is very simple. In order to kill a pro-China official, that is, the so-called DPRK anniam, they will not hesitate to kill hundreds of ordinary citizens, and even put bombs in the school. It can be said that it is their "righteous men" who want to kill the education director. The planting of bombs at the Seoul High School Games directly led to the death of more than 600 teachers and students, which made the "righteous man" a real terrorist and lost the support from the people, which was quickly extinguished by Yuan Shikai.

Now, Zhou Jieru said that she wanted to learn from them. Is it to learn from their brutality? Learn how they kill innocent people indiscriminately?

"What? Do you think we shouldn't learn from those righteous people?

Aware of the change in Li Shao's expression, Zhou Jieru asked with a smile.

"I just think those people are a little too cruel?"

"That man's means of doing things may be cruel. If we want to defeat the talent, we will be more cruel and ruthless than him. The reason why we lose again and again is that we think that the tyrant still has a human side. We think he is too kind, so we fail, and the tyrant takes advantage of us. In this way, Mr. Sun will be put in prison, and our comrades will be put in prison, and finally die in prison.

In Zhou Jieru's words, it seems that everything is attributed to the brutality of the tyrant and the talent of the tyrant. In short, he has countless excuses to justify his actions.

"What we have to do now is to prepare everything in advance, and then act with the camera to strive for success."

"Good!"

After a long silence, Li Shaoshao agreed. Then, they further discussed the specific details of how to carry out the operation. After that, Li Shaoshao got up and left the table first. After a while, Zhou Jieru also walked out of the moon teahouse. He first glanced at both ends of the street, and then looked up at the sky, but saw the overwhelming snowflakes falling from the sky silently. He wrapped a scarf around his neck and walked towards a bleak, cold and chaotic alley...

(to be continued)