That night, huge national flags were hoisted in all the concessions. On the top floor of the Wan Guo Apartment, the American flag, the British flag, the flags of France, Italy, Germany, Portugal, the Soviet Union, Sweden and other countries were hoisted. It was truly a Wan Guo apartment.
apartment.
Yuan Mingzhu and Ning Xiner took their maid, luggage, and belongings to Lu Ming's apartment. They would stay here at least until the war subsided.
Although this place is not as spacious and comfortable as the place where they live, safety is the first priority now.
"Is it really safe here?" Ning Xiner asked.
Her face was a little pale, and she was obviously frightened by the violent sound of gunfire.
"It should be safe, Lu Ming said, this is the safest place in Shanghai." Yuan Mingzhu replied.
Her expression was not much better than that of Ning Xiner. The two of them cautiously opened the window and looked out. It was night outside, with occasional shells flying through the air.
They never expected that war would suddenly come to them. Although they did not see the fierce fighting between the two sides, the roar of the planes and the violent bombings were enough to scare them.
"What if the Japanese really invade Shanghai?" Ning Xiner asked.
"They won't come in. Lu Ming said it. They just want to scare us this time. Those female reporters also said that the British and American governments will come forward to stop the Japanese." Yuan Mingzhu understood the situation better than Ning Xiner and comforted the other party.
At the same time, I am also comforting myself.
"Mingzhu, I want to ask you something, and you must promise me." Ning Xiner suddenly said.
"What's going on?" Yuan Mingzhu felt a little scared, so she told her at this time, it couldn't be a good thing.
"Promise me first." Ning Xiner said.
"Okay, I promise you." Yuan Mingzhu gritted her teeth.
She looked at Ning Xiner with surprised eyes, wondering what secrets she would reveal and what secrets there were between them.
Ning Xiner took out a pistol and handed it to Yuan Mingzhu.
"Why did you give me the gun? I'm carrying it myself." Yuan Mingzhu was a little confused, and Ning Xiner's movements were a little strange.
"If the Japanese attack this apartment, use this gun to kill me. Never let me fall into the hands of the Japanese." Ning Xiner said with a trembling voice.
"You...what are you talking nonsense about? I told you this is Wanguo Apartment. The Japanese don't dare to come in. Otherwise, why would we come here?" Yuan Mingzhu stuffed the gun back.
"Take it, remember you have promised me. I originally thought of committing suicide at that time, but I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to do it." Ning Xiner said with tears in her eyes.
"Sister Xin'er, don't worry, it won't come to that point. If it does come to that point, I will be the same. We will die together." Yuan Mingzhu said firmly.
"Yes, you shot me first and then committed suicide. You were so bold and cruel that you pulled the trigger and it was over." Ning Xiner bit her lip and said.
Yuan Mingzhu also had tears in her eyes, but she made her laugh. She thought to herself, when it comes to being bold and ruthless, who can compare to you, Ning Xiner?
Yuan Mingzhu knew that Ning Xiner was frightened by the sudden war, and she was the same. A girl who had never experienced a war scene, how could she not be afraid at this time?
However, Yuan Mingzhu's mentality is more stable than Ning Xiner's, and her consciousness is also clearer.
After talking to the foreign female reporters during the day, and Lu Ming telling her that the Japanese were just blackmailing China this time and not really going to war, Yuan Mingzhu was somewhat mentally prepared.
The two maids had made up the two beds in the suite, so the maids naturally had to squeeze onto the sofa to sleep. Fortunately, the two sofas Lu Ming bought were large enough, so it would not be a problem to sleep the two slender maids.
"We live here, where will Lu Ming live?" Ning Xiner asked, looking at the rooms inside and outside.
"He still has a house in the apartment. He has a place to live. Don't worry about him. By the way, he must have good wine here. Let's have a drink." Yuan Mingzhu said with a smile.
She really felt like she needed to drink some strong alcohol to calm her nerves now.
After a while, she found a bottle of whiskey from the wine cabinet, then took two glasses and started drinking with Ning Xiner.
After two glasses of wine, both of them looked better and felt less scared. They felt that even if the Japanese soldiers rushed in, they could hold their guns and fight for a while, killing at least two of them.
After Mr. Dong heard the sound of gunfire outside, he knew what had happened. He took a look at the window, immediately sat at the table, turned on the radio and sent an urgent telegram: At 11:30 midnight, the Japanese army launched an attack on Shanghai.
Target 19th Route Army Camp.
Everyone in the Blue Clothes Club got dressed and went to their respective offices to wait for orders. Everyone was issued guns and ammunition.
Kang Ze suddenly thought of a question: "Brother Lu, do you think the Japanese will bomb our place?"
He was really worried about this problem. If a few aerial bombs fell, the Shanghai branch of the Blue Clothes Society would basically be disbanded.
"No, they are just to cover the Marine Corps' attack on the 19th Route Army. They are not conducting unlimited bombing of Shanghai. They also have to pay attention to the international impact." Lu Ming's mood was very stable.
Lu Ming himself felt strange. He didn't have the slightest fear now. On the contrary, he looked like an excellent chess player who had understood every move his opponent was going to make.
"Let's let everyone go into the basement to take shelter and try to ensure safety," Kang Ze said.
Lu Ming also agreed that although the basement was not a formal air defense bunker, it was still much safer than upstairs.
Ten minutes later, all members of the Blue Clothes Club entered the basement. They all went underground. Only the security personnel remained on the ground.
Lu Ming did not stay in the basement, he decided to drive home. Kang Ze and others repeatedly dissuaded him and waited until daybreak to see the situation. It was not safe to drive on the street now, but Lu Ming insisted on leaving.
Lu Ming didn't want to sit in the basement and listen to the sound of gunfire outside. If a shell happened to fall on his head, he would accept his fate.
After going downstairs, the first thing Lu Ming felt was a chill. Tonight, January 28, 1932, it seemed to be particularly cold. The northwest wind howled by, causing pain on his face.
The ghosts and monsters came out, the streets were full of the smell of ammunition, and there was a chilling atmosphere. Lu Ming couldn't help but feel like he was dancing with the god of death.
After driving out, he discovered that all the street lights in Shanghai were turned off. Shanghai, known as the Paris of the East and the city that never sleeps, seemed to be suddenly covered with a curtain.
Lu Ming couldn't help but think of what the British Foreign Secretary said after the last European War started: The lights in London have gone out, the lights of European civilization have gone out, and they will not be lit again this century.
The lights in Shanghai are also extinguished tonight, but the lights of Eastern civilization will never be extinguished and do not need to be lit again. Lu Ming said in his heart.
In the past few days, he had actually been a little bit afraid, fear of war, fear of death, but when the war really started, he was not afraid at all, and was even faintly excited.
He really wanted to drive to the headquarters of the 19th Route Army to have a look, but considering that there was a fierce exchange of fire on the front line, he didn't want to cause trouble.
Regardless of whether they are afraid of death or not, any Chinese civilian appearing at the battle scene at this time will be a burden and will cause trouble to the Chinese soldiers.
There were no pedestrians on the street, and police were on duty at every intersection. The city government did not declare a curfew, but the police station still sent all police officers to the streets to prevent bad elements in the city from taking advantage of the unstable public sentiment and doing all kinds of things.
Breaking, looting and even setting fires.
This kind of thing happens all the time. Scumbags often show up during times of social unrest, and even engage in open warfare and take advantage of the situation, taking advantage of the panic and uneasiness of the people.
Residents hid in their homes. A few boldly opened the door and looked outside. They listened with fear to the violent explosions coming from outside from time to time. They all had a feeling of doomsday.
Amidst the chaos, from time to time, the cries of children and the scolding of adults could be heard coming from each house.
The police did not stop Lu Ming's car when they saw it. They may not know Lu Ming, but he is definitely not an ordinary person who can drive such a good car.
When approaching the intersection of Wanguo Apartment, Lu Ming stopped the car and saw a person standing there in the distance.
This figure was too familiar to him. The person standing in the cold wind was none other than his brother Zhang Ziyang.