The Zhuangyuan Tower is located at the west end of the Zhuangyuan Bridge across the East Lake. To the north is the ancient City God's Temple and Shengxian Well, to the south is the Fire Temple and Wenchang Pavilion, and to the west is the Bell and Drum Tower and the historic Jiangxi University. Therefore, the surrounding area is full of prosperity and scenery.
Excellent.
The two-story Zhuangyuan Building was very lively today. The city's gentry, virtuous, and famous ladies gathered together to attend a thank-you banquet hosted by the provincial chairman, General Zhu Peide, and hosted by the famous Northern Expedition general, General An Yi.
The more than fifty large tables on the first floor were packed with people, and the dignitaries in the private rooms upstairs also went down to the hall on the first floor to attend the pre-banquet ceremony. Colorful flags were flying at the gate, party flags were hung high, and the hall was colorful and joyful.
When Yi and Zhu Peide's Citroën car slowly stopped at the door, escorted by three American cars full of guards, there were crowds of spectators around, and applause immediately broke out.
Zhu Peide got out of the car, called An Yi, and walked hand in hand. He waved to everyone along the way and introduced Nanchang political, cultural and business leaders to An Yi from time to time. After a while of greetings, he was surrounded by stars.
Enter the hall.
Amidst the prolonged applause, Zhu Peide pulled the smiling An Yi onto the temporarily arranged red carpet podium, faced the crowd in the hall, and bowed repeatedly, attracting laughter and even warmer applause.
Zhu Peide took a step forward, raised his hand for silence, and then delivered a congratulatory speech. After he thanked all walks of life in Nanchang and the elders all over the city, he immediately praised An Yi to the sky, starting from the Battle of Fengxin to the Battle of Xuzhou, and the whole hall listened.
There were bursts of applause and thunderous cheers, which made An Yi, who thought he had thickened his face a few layers, feel ashamed and uneasy, and his handsome face turned red. This made the ladies and ladies in the audience admire him with admiration and their eyes gleamed.
Zhu Peide's eloquence was very good, and he described An Yi's many military exploits in an ups and downs, which made the men and women in the audience mesmerized.
Lin Xudong, who had been standing inconspicuously behind An Yi, whispered a few words to Shen Fengdao beside him, and then found an opportunity to quietly step forward and report in a low voice behind An Yi's head:
"Brother, just listen. Don't look around. The younger brother accidentally saw Brother Dai Lidai and three other people of similar age. They are sitting at the big table on the left front by the third window, staring at you with their eyes.
. I met Brother Dai that night when I had dinner with Adjutant Li Zongren in Nanjing. I was deeply impressed and will not admit his mistake."
An Yi was surprised in his heart, but his face was unusually calm. He did not look at where Dai Li and others were. Just as Zhu Peide finished his speech, An Yi stepped forward to give a speech of thanks amidst warm applause. People all over the city and representatives from all walks of life came to An Yi
On the day of return, An Yi and his brothers were given heroic treatment and honors. An Yi was extremely grateful and always felt indebted.
Knowing that Dai Li and others were present, and perhaps close friends of Li Zongren of Nanjing and Wang Jingwei of Wuhan, An Yi immediately became vigilant and decided to cancel most of the thank-you speech he had originally planned, and gratefully thanked representatives from all walks of life, students and teachers.
, the elders, young and old, and the people in the city thanked each other one by one, said a few polite words, and then turned the focus to business:
"... Nowadays, the national crisis is looming and the civil war is endless. The soldiers at the front are bleeding and sacrificing themselves in order to realize Mr. Sun Yat-sen's legacy. Due to the situation and the heavy casualties among his officers and soldiers, An Yi can only disband and return to the rear. Every time he thinks about it, he feels extremely panicked.
, extremely guilty!
However, there is more than one way to serve the country, and saving the country through industry is one of them. At this time, the hall is full of respected elders, wealthy gentry and wise men, and countless people are constantly striving for the unification, prosperity, and strength of the country. Everyone pays taxes, grain, and other various means.
We support the soldiers on the front line in various ways, and they are all making contributions silently and unknowingly.
Many times we don’t see the contribution we have made. To give a small example, every family has to eat salt and wear clothes. Every pound of salt or foot of cloth purchased includes taxes and duties stipulated by the government. No matter it is
Merchants pay taxes or we buy goods. This money has been paid. Every penny of taxes paid will eventually converge into a river like a trickle, turning into the uniforms on the soldiers and the weapons in their hands.
Roads, docks, our army, our country, and our nation are making progress little by little in these invisible details."
The crowd in the hall had never heard of such a novel argument. They all looked at An Yi and listened intently. An Yi continued:
"Therefore, An Yi plans to devote all its efforts to the development of industry and commerce. The several welfare factories for disabled soldiers currently invested in old Nanchang, and the ramie textile factory that has started production in a joint venture with local talents are An Yi's initial attempts to save the country through industry.
Next, An Yi will use his meager efforts to persuade relatives, friends and old friends to generously support and attract investment to build more industries, schools, hospitals and roads in old Nanchang. I also ask your elders, brothers and sisters to give you spiritual support. We also welcome businessmen.
Collaborate with seniors in the industry.
Here, I would like to inform you that Mr. Kong Xiangxi, who has invested in power plants and telegraph and telephone companies in this city, and Mr. Ou Yaoting, who has cooperated with An Yi to invest heavily in the old Nanchang Industrial Base, will come to Nanchang next month to continue
Develop and construct investment projects that were interrupted due to the Nanchang incident.
This is a rare opportunity, which shows that our Nanchang has outstanding people and a promising future."
An Yi's compliments and revealed business opportunities immediately received applause from the audience. Zhu Peide also smiled and nodded with great satisfaction. An Yi changed his voice and said a touching sentence:
"An Yi is from Sichuan. He has been wandering around since he was a child and has called his home all over the world. The reason why he chose to settle down in old Nanchang is because An Yi is infinitely grateful to this fiery land and the simple and kind people. He also feels guilty because, in Fengcheng,
Battle of Xin, Battle of Nanchang, Battle of Jinxian, Battle of Quzhou, Battle of Tanglan, Battle of Luling, Battle of Chun'an, Battle of Kunshan, Battle of Yangzhou, Battle of Taizhou, Battle of Five Rivers, Battle of Lingzhou
In battles such as the Battle of Si and the Battle of Xuzhou, thousands of Jiangxi children sacrificed their young lives for the Three People's Principles and for the country... But I, An Yi, survived and became a model battalion commander from an engineer company commander.
, from the model battalion commander to the supplementary regiment commander, from the supplementary regiment commander to the independent regiment commander, and finally to the independent division major general commander, An Yi's officers are getting bigger and bigger, and more and more brothers have sacrificed under his men, so An Yi has something in his heart.
Ashamed and suffering.
I am always thinking - how can I do my best to repay my fathers, fellow villagers, brothers and sisters in Jiangxi? An Yi would rather be the son of the people of Jiangxi and regard old Nanchang as his hometown and home. He is determined to improve himself bit by bit.
Your home is well built! Thank you!”
The whole hall burst into applause and cheers, and many people were moved beyond words. However, An Yi respectfully invited Zhu Peide to come forward and speak amidst the applause. Zhu Peide also invited several leaders from the business community and social groups to speak. Leaders from all walks of life who were originally prepared to speak
After sighing, he finished speaking a few words, ordered the wine to be served, and toasted Zhu Peide and An Yi together.
An Yi drank three glasses of wine in a panic and respectfully, and then climbed up to the second floor amidst the applause and crowds of the crowd.
Dai Li and Kang Ze, who were drowned in the crowd, looked at the people talking around them and didn't know what to say for a moment. Kang Ze looked away from the faces of the two beautiful young women sitting next to him, who were talking about General An Yi.
When he came back, he turned to Dai Li and whispered:
"Brother Yunong, An Yi's eloquence is getting better and better. Hearing the battle just now gave me a headache. He couldn't stop talking and finished it in one breath. It's admirable! According to his current reputation, I guess just now
What I said is about to be published in the newspapers again. This guy actually decided to settle down here instead of going back to our hometown in Sichuan. I really didn’t expect it.”
Dai Li smiled slightly: "Xiao Yi has always been very eloquent and shrewd. From what he said just now, it seems that he is determined to be a profiteer. It's not easy to handle!"
Kangze nodded: "The trust between Mr. Guofu (Chen Guofu's surname is Guofu, his name after becoming an official) and Mr. Yongqing (Liu Wendao) will probably be difficult to fulfill. Seeing him like this, how can he still be willing to work with him?
Shall we go to Shanghai together? Alas! Let’s eat. We’ll talk after we finish...Brother Zi’ang (characterized by Lu Yixuan) and brother Xiangyun (characterized by Zhao Rui). You’re welcome. Use your chopsticks. It’s rare to see such rich Nanchang cuisine.
, I don’t know when I’ll have it next time I want to eat it!”
Lu Yixuan and Zhao Rui smiled slightly and began to enjoy the meal unceremoniously. These two heroes who had just joined the principal's guard did not talk much. They had only heard of An Yi before but had never seen it with their own eyes. This time, as Kang Ze and
Dai Li's security personnel were on a business trip to Nanchang at the same time. They traveled non-stop all the way and they were already starving after arriving in Nanchang for only half a day.
After drinking and eating, Kang Ze and Dai Li were discussing whether to meet An Yi directly here or go to Old Nanchang to ask for a meeting. Lin Yaodong had quietly come behind the two of them and said enthusiastically to Dai Li who turned around:
"Brother Dai, I just saw you in a blink of an eye, and I didn't dare to acknowledge you. I didn't expect it was really you! Brother Dai came to Nanchang for business, why didn't he come to play with my eldest brother?"
Dai Li stood up happily and introduced to Kang Ze: "Brother Zhaomin, this is Brother Lin Yaodong, An Yi's chief of bodyguards. We met when we were in Nanjing... Brother Lin, this is your senior brother and fellow Sichuan fellow Kang
Zekang Zhaomin."
Lin Yaodong politely shook hands with Kang Ze who stood up. Kang Ze was moved in his heart, smiled slightly and asked in a low voice: "Does your master know that we are here?"
"I don't know yet. Please wait a moment, two eldest brothers. I will go upstairs and tell the eldest brother. I think he will be very happy." After Lin Yaodong said that, he immediately turned around and left. Dai Li had no time to call, and he did not expect Lin Yaodong to be there.
put on a show.
Lin Yaodong came back quickly a few minutes later and said that An Yi was worried that there would be too many people to leave, so he asked Dai Li and others to go upstairs together to talk.
Dai Li and Kang Ze heard that this was what they wanted, so they quickly called their two companions and followed Lin Yaodong up to the second floor and entered the small private room at the west end. An Yi was already standing behind the door, extending his hand warmly with greetings and emotions.
After the mutual introductions were completed, as soon as they sat down, Dai Li and Kang Ze were asked nonchalantly what they were doing here.
Kang Ze frowned and said: "A few of us came here to visit you on the order of the principal, from Fenghua to Shanghai, and then from Shanghai to Nanjing. It happened that you had just left the day before, and several classmates who stayed in the Nanjing Military Headquarters immediately saw us.
We were shocked when we heard about the unfair treatment you received. We immediately reported the situation to the principal via telegram. After receiving instructions from the principal, we conducted an unannounced visit in Nanjing for three days. After writing a complete report, we rushed to Nanchang without stopping.
To... This is a handwritten letter ordered by the principal to be handed over to you. Because of what happened to you and the soldiers of the Independent Division, the principal cried several times and was worried. Fortunately, you came back safely, but you suffered such unfair treatment. I guess the principal was sad.
Besides, I am furious!"
An Yi sighed, closed his eyes sadly, folded the letter and put it in his coat pocket. Dai Li quickly stopped him and whispered: "Open it first and take a look, otherwise Brother Yu and Brother Zhaomin will not be able to complete their mission."
An Yi glanced at Dai Li and Kang Ze in surprise. He unfolded the envelope and tore the seal. He took out the letter and saw the back of the check. He turned around and saw that it was one million signed by Kong Xiangxi. After thinking about it, he put it in the envelope again and put it in his pocket.
inside:
"I am very grateful, I will remember it from the bottom of my heart! Two senior brothers, please go back to old Nanchang with me for a while. We senior brothers have not been able to be together for a long time, and we have a lot to say in our hearts!"
Dai Li and Kang Ze looked at each other and nodded in agreement. Lu Yixuan and Zhao Rui watched everything silently, and they all commented on An Yi in their hearts.