Three days later, on December 16, at around ten o'clock in the morning, the evacuation fleet at the Pearl River Estuary finally returned safely after five days and nights of turbulence.
When we were still 100 kilometers away from the Pearl River estuary, that is, around 7:30 in the morning, the Chinese from Singapore and Malaysia stayed on the deck after breakfast and refused to go back to the cabin. Everyone wanted to witness the fleet entering the Pearl River in person. At that moment, I don’t want to miss any detail,
Zhang Liangfeng informed early that the Xinghua Volunteer Army generals like Lin Jiangshi, Hu Tiejun and others were looking forward to seeing their country's fleet.
As the Japanese Navy gathered the most elite naval forces in the country to form a Western Expedition Fleet to go to the Indian Ocean, and as the Tainan Kaohsiung Airport was completed and put into operation, the South China Sea finally had some characteristics of China's inland seas, a large group of mixed torpedo boat troops, two " "Hengshan-class" frigates, three "Hengshan-class" destroyers, two "Songshan-class" heavy cruisers, and as many as twelve Ming-class submarines, Chen Ce and Chen Yuanyang dispatched almost all available naval forces When they came out, the torpedo boat "Jinan", the first warship produced by the Xuebing Army, served as the flagship of the mixed fleet. Chen Ce personally sat on it and led the mixed fleet to greet them eighty kilometers away. When he saw the evacuation ship After the formation, he ordered to sound the whistle,
The whistle blew longly, and the mixed fleet of the Xubing Army in a flying formation slowly sailed into everyone's sight. Lin Jiangshi was extremely excited and said to Hu Tiejun beside him: "I didn't expect that the Xuebing Army actually has such a large navy. "
With tears in his eyes, Hu Tiejun nodded repeatedly and said: "It's not easy, it's really not easy." More professional soldiers like him can better understand the difficulty of developing a large-scale fleet for the Xuebing Army. You must know that China at this time The coast is entirely owned by the Japanese. In terms of battleship displacement alone, the largest "Hengshan-class" heavy cruiser in the Xuebing Army Navy only weighs over 6,000 tons, let alone compared with the Japanese aircraft carriers and battleships. The Japanese army's 10,000-ton heavy cruisers are not at the same level at all. However, as long as he thinks that the submarine of the Xuebing Army once attacked and killed the "Kaga" aircraft carrier in front of a Japanese fleet, Hu Tiejun felt that although the Xuebing Army Navy They are still very weak, but they are not without the strength to fight, and given time, they may really be able to defeat Japan's combined fleet.
Experts know the ropes, but laymen watch the fun. When Hu Tiejun saw the Xuebing Army's mixed fleet, his instinctive reaction was to compare it with Japanese warships, while Tan Kah Kee and others only cared about the fact that China also has its own fleet, and They dare to show it off,
"Look, our country's warship." The Chinese on board the "Kunshan", which was at the top of the list, excitedly discussed,
"Yes, there are many."
...In the midst of people's discussion, "Woo," the "Kunshan" also blew its whistle, and immediately, almost all merchant ships and cruise ships also blew their whistles.
Accompanied by the mixed fleet, the evacuation fleet sailed steadily towards the Pearl River Estuary, and at the Pearl River Estuary, they received a warmer welcome. Thousands of various types of fishing boats, merchant ships, and passenger ships formed a huge The fleet, crew, and fishermen put up banners and wrote slogans such as "Welcome home" and "Welcome back to the motherland" on the ship. At around 11:15, when the "Kunshan" slowed down under the guidance of the "Jinan" torpedo boat As we slowly sailed into the Pearl River, the sound of "cracking" firecrackers rang out, and hundreds of fishing boats, fishermen and crew members on small commercial ships shouted in unison: "Overseas Chinese, welcome home."
Witnessing this scene and listening to such a warm and familiar local accent, Tan Kah Kee and others all had tears in their eyes. They crowded to the side of the boat and waved their hands vigorously. Some young men and older girls even used their strength to suck milk. He shouted: "Motherland, your overseas wanderers are back."
On the "Qiangyun", Zhang Liangfeng couldn't help but shed tears when he saw this scene. Cui Lin, a staunch and iron-blooded man, couldn't help but shed tears as his eyes turned red. He felt that Xiao Yi and the other brothers were looking at him with slight surprise. To himself, Cui Lin still felt embarrassed, rubbed his eyes with his hands and cursed: "Mom, what a fool, what kind of guy could do this, I was so moved that I felt sad."
Xiao Yi chuckled and said to his left and right: "Hey, this is the first time I shed tears when we see each other. It's rare."
"It's a rare thing. I was just blown by the sea breeze." Cui Lin said harshly,
When Zhang Liangfeng heard this, he turned around and said with a tearful smile: "Just because a man doesn't shed tears easily doesn't mean he can't shed tears. If a few compatriots can be spared from death, it doesn't matter if I cry for three days and three nights."
When he said this, Cui Lin's expression suddenly hardened and he said, "Where's that bastard Bai Sihua? They should let them see it and feel the power of us Chinese."
Zhang Liangfeng smiled and said: "I still need you to remind me that I have asked Aesop to escort them out."
Such a grand and humane celebration scene is undoubtedly a warm cup of chicken soup for the souls of the Chinese people at the Pearl River Estuary. But for British people such as Bai Sihua, it is a torture of conscience and a test of the soul. shock,
The Xuebing Army put up such a grand ceremony to welcome back the Chinese from Singapore and Malaysia. This not only shows that they attach great importance to overseas Chinese, but also indirectly illustrates another issue, that is, the ultimatum issued by the Xuebing Army is definitely not just talk. That's all,
No matter which country or nation, the most powerful force it possesses is not economic or military, but the cohesion of the whole people as one. The so-called people rowing oars and sailing a big ship, as long as the whole people are united, even if the front is It's a mountain of swords and a sea of fire, and they will definitely be able to get through it in the end.
In the late Qing Dynasty, why were Westerners able to ride on the necks of the Chinese and even do whatever they wanted on the land of China with the help of the 30,000 to 48,000-nation coalition? The key is that China at that time was a piece of loose sand. Bai Sihua knew this period of history. In this way, he could more and more realize the huge power contained in this scene. The louder the cheers of the Chinese people, the more frightened he became. Seeing an opportunity, he walked to Aesop and spoke in a particularly friendly and humble tone. Ask him: Can I talk to you?
I don’t know what medicine the British are selling in the gourd, but Aesop didn’t refuse.
Bai Sihua invited him aside a little sneakily, making sure that no one noticed them, and said in a low voice: "Sir, there is something I have been holding back for a long time. Fundamentally speaking, the Jews and us English people actually belong to the same region. Yes, in the eyes of Chinese people, we are all Westerners."
Before he finished speaking, Aesop understood what he meant. He shook his head, looked at Bai Sihua with slightly pitiful eyes, and mocked: "What does that mean, sir, I will never forget, when we What did you British do when the Jews groaned under the German butcher's knife? Appeasement, I'm sorry you can think of it. Sir, a true friend will definitely stand up when the other party encounters disaster. What a pity. , Until now, I have not heard of any British people doing anything to save us Jews, sir, let’s face reality honestly.”