The old man was finally able to stay alone with An Yi to talk. With a few clever words, the group of brothers who were following An Yi left knowingly. The father and son went up to the wide balcony full of bonsais and flowers on the second floor.
, the more than 30-meter-high canopy-like ginkgo tree beside the balcony blocked the still hot sunset. There were several exquisite side dishes, a pot of wine, and two small porcelain cups on a retro curved-leg tea table.
There are two wicker chairs, which are refreshing and simple, with a warm atmosphere everywhere.
An Yi poured wine for Lao Dao, put down the small flask, quickly picked up the "Declaration" on the side and read it carefully. After reading the big news on the front page, he smiled with satisfaction:
"Look at the title, "Mutiny in the Ninth Army of the Revolutionary Army." Not to mention the content, even the suppression and exchange of fire are vividly written. If I didn't know the inside story, I would have thought it was like this, brilliant!
As a result, Li Zongren and the others couldn't move them even if they wanted to. Uncle De could use the excuse that the Jiangxi Red Army was developing rapidly, the situation was pressing, the Third Army was empty, and the garrison in Jiangxi itself was already stretched thin, so he didn't need to send a single soldier...
Is it the idea you gave Uncle De?"
The old man raised his glass and touched it gently with An Yi, took a small sip, and slowly put it down:
"We can only escape in this way, but your uncle De attaches great importance to your opinion of 'the soldiers should be elite and not numerous'. They all know that the two divisions of the Ninth Army under his command are actually a group of rabble, most of which were disarmed by Tang Shengzhi.
The 20,000-odd officers and soldiers who escaped from the Ninth Army of the Guizhou Army, at least 15,000 of whom smoked opium, were all skinny and emaciated. They were almost out of breath after running for two miles. What are they doing here?"
"Really?" An Yi asked.
"Two regiments are left with the designation of the Ninth Army, and the rest are all transferred to nearby counties for rest and recuperation. I heard that many former Ninth Army generals are thinking about returning to their hometown of Guizhou these days. Your Uncle De has already sent someone
When he returns to Kunming, he wants to secretly recruit thousands of new soldiers to supplement them. They don't have your ability. They dare to recruit soldiers wherever they go and can lead them well. That's why your Uncle De always urges you to quickly send out a team of instructors to help him train troops.
"
The old Taoist was quite touched, and he deeply praised An Yi's way of running the army.
After drinking for three rounds, An Yi picked up a boiled peanut and threw it into his mouth: "If Er Mao asked me to go home for dinner early, he must have something to say, so go ahead and say it, I'm all ears."
The old man leaned back and let out a long sigh: "With such a big family fortune, I am a little overwhelmed! Today I will give you an inventory. The total assets in my hands are now up to 22 million yuan.
So huge, there is another gold inventory of about 8.5 million yuan.
Among the 22 million, the Invalid Army Hardware Factory, Water Factory, Military Uniform Factory, Grain and Oil Processing Factory, Water Transport Company, Ordnance Factory, and this residential area of 160 houses have built most of the East Pier, Jiangxi
A total of about 14 million yuan was spent on the nearby grain storage warehouses, dozens of kilometers of roads, more than 3,000 acres of land, construction and equipment, about 2 million yuan of raw materials in stock, and about 5 million yuan in cash in hand.
, we will soon have to pay 500,000 to the Shanghai Construction Company that built the pharmaceutical factory. After all, there will probably be 5 million left, which will basically be gone when Hans's third shipment of goods arrives to pay for it.
The ramie textile factory, printing and dyeing factory, transportation company and gas station that you have jointly owned with the local business group are not included. Huang Yingwu's father-in-law Zhou Dashan helps you manage it. Every month he will give me a copy of the bill.
, your shareholding is estimated to be only about 700,000, and dividends will not be distributed until the end of the year.
That's all, but the construction of cement roads along the lake and small pavilions and gardens for pedestrians to rest are almost finished, and more than 200,000 yuan will be spent to complete the inspection and acceptance."
"I really didn't expect to be so rich, tsk tsk! It seems that joining the army is the right path. How many years have you been working on it? If you really ask me to do business, I guess it's just a small business now! Come on, let me toast you.
, let’s not talk about foreign things, haha!” An Yi picked up the wine glass with joy, and when he saw the old man’s unwillingness, he couldn’t help but stretched out the wine glass, bumped it heavily and drank it down in one gulp.
The old Taoist drank the wine in his glass and looked sadly at An Yi, who was pouring the wine for him diligently:
"Don't be too happy too soon. I know you are feeling bitter. You and your brothers paid for all of this with your lives. Tell me, how do you feel about being in the army for the past two years?"
An Yi put down the wine bottle, looked at the old Taoist's slightly compassionate eyes, his heart darkened, and he was silent for a moment and replied in a low voice:
"Uncle, I have learned a lot in the past two years, especially from the beginning of the Northern Expedition last year to now. I have learned more than the sum of my lifetime knowledge.
At the beginning, I was really confident. I thought that in this ground-breaking revolutionary camp that cares about the country and the people, I would be able to realize many dreams. As long as I work hard, everything will eventually get better, so I never be stingy with my brains.
and strength. I never care about my own gains and losses. I don’t mind if my military exploits are not recognized and valued. I am very generous when others take advantage of me. When I am suppressed and manipulated by others, I will accept it as long as it is not too much.
, I always think that these are some bad habits in the revolutionary army, which will be corrected slowly.
But in the end I realized that I was wrong. Especially after entering Zhejiang to fight, I clearly saw that there was so much darkness in the army that I thought were all revolutionary brothers, which was far beyond what I could tolerate! I originally always
I thought that something could be purified in the baptism of blood and fire, and that many people would have a profound enlightenment after experiencing life and death, and thus embark on the ideal path in my mind. However, I found that this was not the case at all, and the vast majority of people still healed their scars.
I forgot about the pain, so I kept thinking of the humanity you emphasized to me repeatedly before leaving for Guangzhou...Uncle, you are right!"
Seeing the painful An Yi pick up the wine and drink it all in one gulp, the old Taoist couldn't help shaking his head and sighing. Instead of telling An Yi to drink slower, he picked up the jug and poured it for him slowly, and said quietly:
"Since ancient times, those who live in troubled times cannot control their own destiny. No matter heroes or heroes, they all exist in a single thought. Successful kings and defeated enemies reincarnate endlessly. This is true in every dynasty. Looking at the past five thousand years, how many people can
Achieve a harmonious relationship between heaven and man and be remembered for eternity?
Don’t blame yourself too much or be too harsh. It’s amazing how far you have come in just two years! Don’t worry, just look at the brothers who are following you and swearing to serve you to the death. You will feel a lot better.
, the days are long.”
"I'm not discouraged."
An Yi cheered up and grinned.
The old Taoist nodded: "Principal Jiang, who valued you highly, lost power and resigned, and you were also suppressed. Judging from the various comments published in major newspapers recently, the outside world seems to always have a close connection between you and your principal, intentionally or unintentionally.
Together, it makes people feel that you, teacher and student, share the same destiny. Sometimes I even feel that there is a big hand behind this that is changing the clouds and rain.
Major newspapers have spoken highly of you, while President Jiang has received mixed praise and praise. Your ability to stand out and lead the way and receive unanimous praise is a bit beyond my expectation. Several so-called observers even regard you as a The most influential figure in the revolutionary army in the future, I believe that one day you will become a leader.
I have been thinking about this issue for the past few days, and I feel that you have capital that no one else can buy with money. However, I don’t know what you think about the future. Based on my analysis, your principal chose to quit at this critical moment. It is very likely that this is a strategy that not only gets rid of the predicament of being criticized by the public, but also allows him to watch the various princes compete for power and gain against each other. If my estimate is correct, he will eventually make a comeback and make a comeback, and it will not take too long...
Why are you surprised? Don't think I'm making any more mysteries. Just analyzing the current increasingly chaotic situation, you can see that no one can clean up this mess except your Principal Jiang, and there are calls from all walks of life for him to be reinstated. It seems that the sound is slowly rising. Even the leader of the Northwest Army, Feng Yuxiang, publicly called the whole country, calling on Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek to put the cause of the party and the country first. It is thought-provoking!"
No matter how bad An Yi's history is, he naturally knows some historical trends, but he is not familiar with the details, so he admires the level of the old Tao. At this time, he suddenly thought of how many people with lofty ideals and heroes are like the old Tao in this troubled world. Hidden like this in the wilderness? If the entire nation could suddenly wake up and devote themselves to the great cause of driving away foreign humiliation and unifying the country, where would there be so many hardships, twists and turns and painful internal strife?
"What are you doing standing still?"
The old man raised his voice and was very dissatisfied with An Yi's distraction.
An Yi smiled apologetically: "Uncle, I admire you! I think of the legendary prophet."
The old Taoist rolled his eyes at An Yi and brought the topic back again: "When you come back this time, I find that you have changed a lot. Your vision has broadened and your intelligence has become higher. Especially your military resourcefulness is impressive and you are ashamed of yourself. !However, I don’t know what your plans are for the future? In the future, will you continue to help your principal conquer the world as you did in the past, or will you rebuild an army and spend the rest of your life comfortably guarding your property? "
An Yi put down his chopsticks and pondered for a long time, then raised his head and whispered: "Uncle, I must stand up again. I will not settle for a small fortune just by guarding these industries. I will still go all out to build a strong army to catch up with the enemy." The highest ideal is to join the great powers and establish a unified country.
To be honest, Principal Jiang is indeed very good to me, respects, cares and loves me. I am very lucky to have such a teacher. Many times I am so moved by him that I can't help myself. However, I am definitely not fighting for him personally. What I do is for the benefit of the entire country and the entire nation, not for any one individual!
Uncle, many things seem to be destined, and I can’t explain many things clearly, but please rest assured that what my nephew does will be worthy of the country, the ancestors, you, and the brothers who follow me. Be worthy of your own conscience!
For the sake of the country and the dream in my heart, even if I am surrounded by enemies again, I will dive in without hesitation!"
The old Taoist silently stared into An Yi's eyes, nodded seriously, and finally said something after a while: "Just do whatever you want to do, and I will help you take care of this home..."
The uncle and nephew said nothing more, but drank slowly and ate vegetables slowly.
The second aunt couldn't hear the conversation on the balcony, so she thought for a while and called Er Mao and Zhu Zhu to bring a small plate of pickled radish with vinegar. After An Yi said a few words to the two little guys, he stood up and told Lao Dao that he had to go back.
Take a shower and have a meeting later.
The old Taoist nodded without holding back. After An Yi left, he poured himself a drink and resumed his original free and easy demeanor. He looked much more relaxed.
"Dad, Zhu Zhu has completed registration today. He is in the same class as me and will sit behind me." Er Mao poured the wine for Lao Dao sensibly, while Zhu Zhu stood aside and couldn't hide the joy on his face.
The old Taoist put down his chopsticks and said, "Sit down, Zhuzhu. You can eat whatever you want."
Zhu Zhu shook his head: "I ate down there...Uncle, why didn't General An eat?"
"He's full." The old Taoist asked casually: "Zhuzi, how is your new home?"
Zhuzi replied excitedly: "It's so big and beautiful. My uncle Wang secretly shed tears when he got the key and entered the house. He said he wanted to bring all the parents in the country over to enjoy the happiness, but...but my sister didn't want to live in it, and she still stayed there.
In the hospital, my sister said she couldn’t get in without passing the door.”
The old Taoist laughed, hugged the pillar, picked up a peanut and put it into his mouth.