Zhou Hexuan took a passenger ship south, intending to land in Shanghai and then go overland to Nanjing to find Zhang Leyi. Among the friends he knew, only the Zhang family was doing business in the south, and they were the most ideal partners.
But after arriving in Shanghai, Zhou Hexuan tragically discovered that he could not go to Nanjing yet.
Because both Shanghai and Nanjing are at war!
In mid-February, Sun Chuanfang fought with the Northern Expeditionary Army in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas. The Northern Expeditionary Army attacked in three ways and defeated the main force of the defenders in a few days. Bai Chongxi and He Yingqin successfully joined forces in Hangzhou. Then they divided their forces again, attacking Shanghai on one side and attacking Shanghai on the other.
Take Anhui.
Under the pressure of the army, the defenders of Anhui turned their backs and surrendered one after another. Even the governor of Anhui Province and the garrison envoy of Wuhu declared rebellion and each took their troops to join the Northern Expeditionary Army.
Zhang Zuolin quickly sent a telegram to Zhang Zongchang and Chu Yupu to move to Nanjing for support. Zhang Xueliang's direct troops also went to Xuzhou to support them (the main force of the Feng army was in Henan to fight against Wu Peifu at this time).
But still can't stop it.
When Zhou Hexuan arrived in Shanghai by boat, Bai Chongxi had just captured Songjiang and Suzhou, and Chen's troops surrounded the suburbs of Shanghai. He Yingqin made great progress and successfully occupied Zhenjiang, while Cheng Qian reached Dangtu, and the two of them attacked Nanjing in a tense manner.
Sun Chuanfang, Zhang Zongchang and Chu Yupu saw that Nanjing was in danger, so they had to withdraw their main forces to the north of the Yangtze River to set up defenses, hoping to rely on the natural dangers of the Yangtze River to stabilize the war.
At this point, in the entire Jiangnan region, only Shanghai and Nanjing were still in the hands of the warlords, and they were surrounded by the Northern Expedition Corps. The city was only broken in a matter of seconds.
The concession wharf was still bustling, but Zhou Hexuan could still feel something strange. He even vaguely heard the sound of cannons from Songjiang.
"Rickshaw!" Zhou Hexuan waved.
The coachman rushed over and asked, "Where are you going, sir?"
"French Concession, Fuxi Road, Siming New Village." Zhou Hexuan said.
This is the address of Xu Zhimo. Shortly after he got married last year, he and Lu Xiaoman moved to Shanghai.
"Sir, sit still." The driver started running hard.
"boom!"
Another cannon shot came, and the ground shook slightly.
Zhou Hexuan asked: "There is a war in the suburbs, aren't you afraid?"
The driver smiled and said: "What are you afraid of? It would be better if the Northern Expeditionary Army invades. I heard that they are an army of ordinary people."
Zhou Hexuan couldn't help but smile. At this time, our party was still helping to promote the Northern Expeditionary Army. This propaganda work was indeed very powerful.
Soon I arrived at Xu Zhimo's house in Siming New Village. It was a three-story Western-style building, and the entire building was rented by Xu Zhimo. There were even wheel marks at the gate. It seemed that Xu Zhimo took a car when he went out, and he really enjoyed it.
Zhou Hexuan rang the doorbell, and soon a servant came to open the door and asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is Zhou Hexuan, and I am a friend of Zhimo and Xiaoman." Zhou Hexuan said.
"Mr. Zhou, wait a moment." The servant immediately went back to report.
Two or three minutes later, Lu Xiaoman came downstairs to greet him personally and smiled warmly: "Mingcheng, I didn't expect you to come. You are such a rare visitor."
"Hello, Miss Lu," Zhou Hexuan followed her in and asked, "Where is Brother Zhimo?"
"He is at school and will come back later." Lu Xiaoman said.
Xu Zhimo is now a professor at Guanghua University and Daxia University. He is usually invited to attend various lectures and write poems and books. He definitely belongs to the high-income group. But even so, the life of the couple is tight, because
There are more than ten servants, drivers, and cooks in the house.
Zhou Hexuan came to the living room and sat down. Lu Xiaoman personally ground coffee for him and served it in exquisite Western porcelain. Even the coffee spoon was made of silver.
"You will actually enjoy life." Zhou Hexuan smiled, with a hint of ridicule in his tone.
Lu Xiaoman did not avoid the suspicion between men and women. He sat down next to Zhou Hexuan and said, "Shanghai is indeed more suitable for living than Peking. There are more fun places here. By the way, there is a dance tonight. Mingcheng, why don't you go too?"
"Okay." Zhou Hexuan responded casually.
There is still a war going on in the suburbs, but the dances in the city are still going on. This is a bit funny.
Lu Xiaoman asked again: "Does Mingcheng have any new poems recently?"
"I am mainly writing novels." Zhou Hexuan said.
Lu Xiaoman leaned on the armrest of the sofa, looking lazy and casual, with half of her white and tender calves exposed. She stared at Zhou Hexuan with charming eyes and smiled slightly: "That's a shame, I have always liked reading Mingcheng's poems, especially the poem "
"Seeing and Not Seeing".
Zhou Hexuan's brows twitched, thinking that this girl is not teasing me, right?
Zhou Hexuan carefully looked at Lu Xiaoman's expression and eyes and found that it was purely because of his own carelessness.
A woman like Lu Xiaoman can seduce the opposite sex with just a few gestures. This move is not intentional, it comes out naturally and has been integrated into her blood and bone marrow.
When we met last year, Lu Xiaoman was much more serious, but now he is developing into a flirtatious person.
how to say?
Ever since Xu Zhimo and Lu Xiaoman moved to Shanghai, Lu Xiaoman has been doing activities almost every night, listening to operas, dancing, playing cards... He goes to bed at midnight every night and doesn't get up until noon the next day.
When she was young, Lu Xiaoman was a talented woman. She could write and translate, and her painting skills were said to be good. However, the corrupt and degenerate life in Shanghai had gradually caused her to lose her spirituality, until she later became addicted to opium, and she was completely hopeless.
Zhou Hexuan was wary and deliberately kept a distance to avoid causing trouble for nothing.
Don't bully your friend's wife.
Xu Zhimo returned home probably in the evening. As soon as he entered the door, he waved the newspaper and said: "Great news, Shanghai will soon be at peace!"
"Why did you come back just now? Mingcheng has been waiting for you for half an afternoon." Lu Xiaoman complained.
Zhou Hexuan stood up with a smile: "Zhimo, long time no see."
"Mingcheng, why are you here?" Xu Zhimo was overjoyed. He is a hospitable person.
Zhou Hexuan explained: "I originally wanted to go to Nanjing to do something, but I was stuck in Shanghai and couldn't leave."
Xu Zhimo handed the newspaper to Zhou Hexuan and said with a smile: "You will be able to set off soon. The war in Shanghai will not last for a few days."
Zhou Hexuan took the newspaper and looked at it, but it was an extra number that had just been published by "Shen Shen"——
Li Baozhang, commander of the Ninth Division of the Shanghai garrison, and the Yangtze River Fleet of the Beiyang Navy surrendered to the Northern Expedition one after another. Today, only a small number of Sun Chuanfang and Zhang Zongchang's troops are still resisting in Shanghai.
At the same time, the Shanghai working class organized and led by our party also launched a large-scale uprising and cooperated with the Northern Expeditionary Army outside the city.
Zhou Hexuan put down the newspaper and said with a smile: "It seems that the winner will be decided tomorrow at the latest."
"You men, you know how to fight all day long," Lu Xiaoman brought a suit and threw it to Xu Zhimo and said, "I asked the servant to iron it for you. Put it on quickly. If you don't go out, you will be late for the dance.
.”
"Mingcheng, I'll excuse you first." Xu Zhimo said with a smile and ran upstairs to change clothes.
Seeing Xu Zhimo's happy look, Zhou Hexuan wanted to tell him: Keep a close eye on your wife and never let her come into contact with a handsome guy named Weng Ruiwu.
Green and green, the spring breeze turns the south bank of the river green again.
