Chapter 571 570 [Southward]

Tianjin Railway Station.

The early summer sun was warm and pleasant. Zhou Hexuan sat in the waiting hall with his secretary Yu Peichen and bodyguard Sun Yongzhen.

Before the train entered the station, two middle-aged men suddenly came over.

One of the men met Zhou Hexuan's eyes, and both of them were stunned for a moment. The man came over and said hello with a smile, "Mr. Zhou, do you still remember me? My name is Gu Shiwen."

"So it's Brother Gu, long time no see!" Zhou Hexuan shook hands and greeted.

The "Gu Shiwen" introduced the middle-aged man next to him and said, "This is my friend, Yang Yongqing, a reporter from Shenbao."

Zhou Hexuan smiled and said, "Hello, Reporter Yang."

"Yang Yongqing" shook hands enthusiastically and said: "Mr. Zhou, I have admired your name for a long time!"

"Gu Shiwen" is actually Ji Hongchang, while "Yang Yongqing" is Xuan Xiafu, an underground party member. Both of them were disguised, and Ji Hongchang had a moustache on his chin. If you don't look carefully, you really can't recognize them.

Zhou Hexuan asked: "Are you two going to the south?"

Ji Hongchang smiled and said, "Go to Shanghai to do something."

"Then I wish you both a smooth journey, and see you in Shanghai." Zhou Hexuan didn't talk nonsense, for fear of revealing the identity of the other party.

"Farewell!" Ji Hongchang walked to another corner and sat down after finishing speaking.

In fact, things are not complicated. More than a month ago, Xuan Xiafu officially introduced Ji Hongchang to join the party. This time, he was going to Shanghai to complete the party membership procedures. Xuan Xiafu has a bigger background than Nan Hanchen. This person is one of the heads of the Special Section of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, that is, one of the national leaders of the underground party.

The anti-Chiang anti-Japanese organization organized by Nan Hanchen and Ji Hongchang in Tianjin was planned and headed by Xuan Xiafu. It's just that with Zhou Hexuan's current status, it is difficult to get in touch with Xuan Xiafu, so he doesn't know him at all even if he sees him face to face.

Let alone Zhou Hexuan, an "outsider", even Yu Peichen, who belongs to his "insider", is not qualified to contact Xuan Xiafu at all. Yu Peichen asked curiously: "Mr. Zhou, that friend of yours just now looks very familiar. Is he some important person?"

"It's just an ordinary writer, you probably made a mistake." Zhou Hexuan said.

"Maybe my eyes are dazzled." Yu Peichen muttered to himself. She always felt that the chubby middle-aged man just now was very similar to General Ji Hongchang whose photo was published in the newspaper.

The train arrived at the station soon, and the three of Zhou Hexuan boarded the special compartment, while the two of Ji Hongchang boarded the second class compartment. Except for the pleasantries when we first met, everyone deliberately stopped contacting. After all, Ji Hongchang is now a political wanted criminal, and it is very dangerous for him to go to Shanghai to swear to join the party.

It was the first time for Yu Peichen to sit in a special class car, and he looked at the furnishings in the car curiously.

The second-class compartments of trains during the Republic of China were roughly equivalent to the hard (soft) seats of later generations. The first-class cabin is much more advanced, with a very comfortable single sofa, and the space is extraordinarily spacious.

The special class cabin is very powerful, it can accommodate four people to sleep and rest, and there are writing desks, water pipes, flush toilets and other equipment. Apart from the bumps and noise of the train, the conditions are better than most hotels.

Yu Peichen thought to himself: In the past, taking a long-distance train was a pain, but now it is a pleasure.

Zhou Hexuan watched the scenery flying out of the window for a while, then took out the manuscript paper and started writing, stopping to scribble and revise from time to time. Sun Yongzhen, on the other hand, leaned on his seat, closed his eyes and rested his mind, with his right hand in his arms, ready to draw his gun to defend against the enemy at any time.

Standing behind Zhou Hexuan, Yu Peichen watched the beautiful pen characters appear on the manuscript paper. The content was clearly the follow-up plot of the novel "Black Soil". She couldn't help admiring Zhou Hexuan not only for his literary talent, but also for Zhou Hexuan's diligent spirit of not forgetting to write while riding the train.

Fruits were prepared in the stateroom, and Yu Peichen was careful not to make a sound, and quickly peeled two apples and cut them into pieces. One was placed in front of Zhou Hexuan, and the other was placed by Sun Yongzhen.

As if he could see it, Sun Yongzhen suddenly opened his eyes and nodded his thanks to Yu Peichen. He picked up an apple and put it in his mouth to chew, but the right hand holding the gun was still in his arms.

This train uses the latest imported steam locomotive, and its theoretical maximum speed has reached 140 kilometers per hour, which is no different from the T-prefixed express trains of later generations. It's a pity that the condition of the railway is a bit bad, and the train dare not move forward at full speed.

The three sat for a full 20 hours, finally arrived in Nanjing, and then changed trains to Shanghai.

Although Zhou Hexuan hates the corruption and incompetence of the Kuomintang government very much, the contribution of the Kuomintang to China is beyond doubt. Chang Kaishen unified China in name. From Tianjin to Nanjing and then to Shanghai, he can pass without hindrance along the way, and the cities and towns along the way are relatively stable and peaceful.

Before the Northern Expedition, it was really hard to describe. From Tianjin to the south by train, traces of war can be seen everywhere, and people who fled to avoid the flames of war can be found everywhere.

In this comparison, at least the rule of the Nanjing Nationalist Government has brought rare peace to the common people—the premise is to forget the four northeastern provinces that have been occupied and the half-occupied Chahar.

After arriving in Shanghai, Zhou Hexuan lived in a garden house on Haige Road that night.

Yu Peichen has become numb from habit, she is not surprised that Zhou Hexuan has a luxurious mansion in Shanghai, she is just thinking: "Do you want to stop by to visit your mother and uncle?"

Yu Peichen's grandfather, Cen Chunxuan, has been living in Shanghai for these years.

During the Second Revolution, Cen Chunxuan even competed with Sun Yat-sen for the leadership and once served as the Grand Marshal of the Yuan Army. It wasn't until the first cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party that Sun Yat-sen went to Shanghai to meet Cen Chunxuan. The two finally settled their suspicions and discussed the plan for the Northern Expedition together.

Cen Chunxuan paid a lot of money during the Northern Expedition. In the first two years of the Songhu Anti-Japanese War, Cen Chunxuan also donated 30,000 oceans to the 19th Route Army to fight against Japan.

It's just that at the end of April last year, Cen Chunxuan had already passed away. But Yu Peichen, the granddaughter, was unable to go to Shanghai to send her grandfather off for the last time due to lack of travel expenses.

Perhaps in the eyes of many people, it is incomprehensible why Cen Chunxuan has money to donate 30,000 oceans to the 19th Route Army to fight against Japan, but does not have money to support his own granddaughter?

It's actually very simple, the Yu family and the Cen family have fallen out long ago.

The Yu family had a prodigal son who couldn't even support his wife and children. Eight years ago, Yu Peichen's mother took several children and went to Shanghai to join Cen Chunxuan, leaving Yu Peichen and her second sister to study in the north.

This feeling of being dependent on others is very uncomfortable. Although the Cen family did not despise them, Yu Peichen's mother was very strong and tried her best to support her children's education by herself, and did not ask the Cen family for money.

Yu Peichen and his second sister had a very difficult life in the north. Only three years ago, they came to Shanghai to visit relatives and enjoyed some help from Cen's family. For example, my uncle introduced Yu Peichen to progressives, starred in the play "The Dumb Wife" directed by Xiong Fuxi, and was selected as a student representative to attend the Pacific Academic Conference and so on.

"Mr. Zhou, I...I want to ask for leave tomorrow." Yu Peichen said hesitantly.

Zhou Hexuan said: "Sure, what's the matter?"

"I want to visit my mother and uncle, who live in Shanghai." Yu Peichen's ideological realm is obviously not enough, and he can't reach the level of "three times without entering the house".

Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "Let Yongzhen pay you a month's salary, buy more gifts, don't look too shabby."

Yu Peichen said gratefully, "Thank you, Mr. Zhou!"