After continuous busyness, everything gradually got on track, and An Yi's life was extremely fulfilling, and he spent every day in constant harvest.
At the same time, the external situation is changing.
The young Zhuge Bai Chongxi and He Yingqin, who had military power, were full of enthusiasm and jointly defeated Sun Chuanfang's southward army, achieving a record of annihilating 20,000 enemies and capturing nearly 30,000 enemies.
Sun Chuanfang, who had originally made a desperate attempt to complete his victory in one battle, suffered a failure and lost 60,000 officers and soldiers in the battle. His vitality was severely damaged. He could only retreat to the front line of Jiangbei with hatred and reorganize the country in the hope of making a comeback.
Bai Chongxi, who had a far-sighted vision to seize the enemy's opportunity, took advantage of the victory and commanded the 44th Army and the First Army to cross the river and pursue it northward. He recaptured Jingjiang, Taizhou, Yangzhou, Liuhe, Pukou, and Yizheng in the north of the Yangtze River in one fell swoop, and once again drove Sun Chuanfang away.
After arriving in northern Jiangsu, Nanjing, the military and political center, turned the corner and was now under the heavy protection of various departments of the revolutionary army, making it impregnable.
As a result, the trio of Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi and He Yingqin once again shocked the world. Their illustrious military exploits in the "Bloody Battle of Longtan" were recited throughout the country, and the reputation of the three people was also extremely high. In addition, Li Zongren has always been humble.
His performance and his uninterrupted efforts to unite various factions were rewarded handsomely, and his popularity instantly overshadowed any leader of the military forces competing for power, and he won the praise and recognition of many elders in the party.
Those who were originally weak-willed and vacillating in attitude also changed their previous reserve and looked towards Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi and He Yingqin who were able to turn the tide but were polite. While sending out kind words, they also sent representatives to extend olive branches.
In order to obtain a good position in the new government.
Feng Yuxiang, who had been watching with a cold eye and loudly claiming that only Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek was the legitimate one, also became more relaxed. He wrote articles in newspapers and magazines to praise Bai Chongxi, He Yingqin and Li Zongren. Li Zongren seemed to be in the spotlight for a while, and their status was at the top.
It is incredible to say that Li Zongren and the others should be thinking about how to increase their voice in the new regime, rectify the army and officials, take advantage of the victory of the Northern Expedition, fulfill the Prime Minister's will, and realize their own ideals and ambitions.
However, at this time, they sent a high-profile call to the whole country, calling for the unemployed Chiang Kai-shek to be reinstated and lead the revolutionary army to move forward again.
As soon as the power came out, it immediately won a round of applause. Countless people were moved by the broad-mindedness and high integrity of Li Zongren and others. Only the pro-Chiang newspapers and magazines in Jiangsu and Zhejiang continued to ridicule Li Zongren and others. They grabbed Li Zongren, Bai Chongxi forced Chiang to step down, and
He Yingqin refused to let go of his openly rebellious braids, and nicknamed them "White Fox" based on the homophony of the first character of the three people's surnames.
Chiang Kai-shek, who lives in seclusion but always keeps an eye on Nanjing and the general trend of the world, fully understands the essence of the high profile of Li Zongren and the others, that is, after fighting a war with great vigor and heavy casualties, Li Zongren and the others suddenly found that the regime they had obtained was already heavily in debt, and they themselves were also
He was penniless, so Chiang Kai-shek simply looked on and ignored him.
But what made Chiang Kai-shek extremely disappointed and painful was that the First Army he founded actually obeyed the orders of an outsider, Bai Chongxi, and fought to the death. The acting commander of the Second Division, Liu Zhi, also served as the division commander. He quickly followed the Changzhou and Kunshan lines.
Rushing to Longtan to join the war, the railway was blown up by Sun Chuanfang's agents, causing overturning and casualties of more than 3,000 people. Liu Zhi still remained
Without hesitation, he personally led the remaining main force to the war zone. After several bloody battles, only 4,000 of the 14,000 officers and soldiers were left; Deng Zhenquan's 1st Division, Wei Lihuang's 14th Division, Tu Sizong's 22nd Division
They all suffered heavy casualties and were unable to fight anymore. Gu Zhutong's 3rd Division and Chen Cheng's 21st Division, which had always obeyed him the most, also suffered nearly one-third casualties.
Chiang Kai-shek, who was in Shanghai to discuss the current situation with his sworn brother Huang Yong, veteran Zhang Jingjiang and others, never expected that so many soldiers who were born in Huangpu would willingly become the steps for Li Zongren to rise to power. Apart from being frustrated, he suddenly suddenly
Thinking of An Yi who resigned without hesitation and refused to give in despite the hail of bullets, I felt that only this beloved disciple who shared the same fate with me was my most loyal subordinate and confidant.
It happened that Kong Xiangxi needed to accompany Ou Yaoting and his daughter to Nanchang for inspection and investment. Before leaving, he quietly came to say goodbye and thoughtfully asked Chiang Kai-shek if he had any instructions for An Yi?
Chiang Kai-shek immediately wrote a long letter to An Yi full of longing, giving many encouragements to this frustrated student who had the same problem.
At this time, An Yi, although he was also very concerned about changes in the outside world, was powerless and could only devote all his attention to the development of industry and commerce in old Nanchang. In fact, he was not as relaxed as the smile that often appeared on his face.
The wounded and sick gradually recovered, and An Yi stayed in the hospital for a long time.
In addition to the reduction, the half day he saved by suspending military training with the team was enough for him to have more time to imitate and improve weapons, but he was also busier because of it. Almost every time the veteran wanted to discuss things with him, he would
You need to get to each factory, construction site or secret manufacturing workshop.
More than 20 doctors who followed Kruse from Nanjing to help had returned in batches before the beginning of the month. Dr. Kruse, who liked old Nanchang very much, decided to serve as the director of surgery and medical school professor of the old Nanchang Hospital. He volunteered with the church
Catherine, a French female doctor on the expert team, is getting better. Catherine, a 27-year-old gynecologist, wants to fulfill her promise to stay in Nanchang and work for three years.
There was no way to go to Nanjing with Kruse to work, so Kruse had to give up his generous treatment at Nanjing Jici Hospital and move to Old Nanchang. However, An Yi was very generous and did not hesitate to accept Kruse's monthly salary of five yuan.
Bai Dayang increased it to 800, but added two additional conditions: signing a three-year work contract, and serving as a professor of surgery at the "Jiangnan Medical College" that was recruiting students.
Kruse agreed readily. This outstanding surgical expert who was proficient in English, French, and German and could speak Chinese eventually became the vice president of An Yi's medical school.
At 4:30 in the afternoon on September 7, a luxurious American passenger ship slowly docked at Changbei Pier. Jiangxi Provincial Chairman Zhu Peide led dozens of government officials and army generals to already stand on the pier to welcome him.
A welcoming team composed of hundreds of gentry and celebrities from the General Chamber of Commerce, Nanchang Workers' Federation, and Nanchang Chamber of Commerce and thousands of workers came to the scene and lined up to welcome him.
Amidst the thundering applause and cheers, the graceful Kong Xiangxi took the lead to walk down the gangway, followed by Ou Yaoting and his daughter, Hans, the general manager of the Far East District of Lulin & Co., Ltd. in Germany, and his assistant Lauter, and Heinli, the general manager of the Far East District of Lihe & Co.
Hope and their hundreds of followers.
An Yi, who was following Zhu Peide, looked at the quiet and generous Chu Er without blinking, her beautiful big eyes filled with tears of excitement as she walked down the gangway. In an instant, her heart stopped beating and her head went blank.
The moment their eyes met, An Yi and Chu Er's eyes lost everything, all the dignitaries, money, wealth, the vast blue lake, the noisy crowd, waving colorful flags and bursts of warm applause.
They are unable to enter their infatuated vision and surging hearts. The blood rushing in their bodies roars continuously, and the seemingly endless love and ecstasy has already drowned everything around them.
An Yi, who was greedily enjoying the affectionate reunion after a long absence, suddenly felt a stinging pain in his lower back. Before he could recover, the old man's low-pitched scolding had already reached his ears: "Don't be embarrassed, your whole body is just like this."
Like a nymphomaniac, he is not afraid of others laughing at him!"
An Yi suddenly came to his senses, smiled slightly at Chu'er, who was so close, with her heart-wrenching tears rolling down her face, and greeted Kong Xiangxi who happened to be in front of him and stretched out his hand, nodded politely, and shook it affectionately with both hands.
Kong Xiangxi had already seen An Yi's gaffe when he got off the boat, but he didn't point it out at this time. He held An Yi's calloused hand very kindly and smiled softly: "You are more mature and taller than in the photo."
"Thank you, sir. It's a great honor for me to meet you, sir!"
An Yi returned to normal in an instant and politely thanked Kong Xiangxi. Kong Xiangxi turned slightly and gave up his seat to Ou Yaoting, who could not hide his excitement.
Ou Yaoting grabbed An Yi's outstretched hands, suddenly pulled him into his arms, hugged him tightly, and whispered in his ear: "In the days when you were trapped in Jiangbei, your aunt and Chu'er cried every day.
I can't do anything..."
Everyone was very surprised to see the well-known provincial and Hong Kong tycoon Ou Yaoting and An Yi hugging each other tightly, and then gave them warm applause.
An Yi's eyes were red and his throat was blocked. He hugged Ou Yaoting, who was like a loving father, and then gently let go: "I'm sorry, no one knew it would be like this. I miss you too!"
Ou Yaoting patted An Yi's shoulder vigorously, with a happy smile on his face.
Zhu Peide laughed, and came up with the old Taoist to say a few polite words, and then shook hands with Hans and several foreign capitalists. Kong Xiangxi and Ou Yaoting, who had calmed down, participated in it very gracefully, exchanging pleasantries and greetings, plus exchanges with celebrities from all walks of life around them.
The introduction was lively.
An Yi left the crowd and came to the pretty and blushing Chu'er: "Chu'er, you seem to have grown taller, more beautiful and more charming."
Chu'er looked at An Yi excitedly, her beautiful big eyes once again covered with mist. An Yi quickly stepped forward and comforted in a low voice: "Just now your father hugged me. I was not prepared at all.
On the other hand, I thought, how wonderful it would be if it were my Chu'er!"
Chu'er was so embarrassed that her neck turned red. She lowered her head involuntarily, but quickly raised it to look into An Yi's eyes. Her moist red lips trembled a few times and whispered:
"Brother Xiaoyi, you are so bad... you are much stronger than before..."
An Yi smiled slightly: "I originally wanted to buy a bouquet of flowers for you, but the only two small flower shops in the city have closed. I wanted to pick the roses and begonias in front of the Governor's Mansion, but Senior Zhu stopped me.
I forced you into the car, I'm sorry, Chu'er, I always wanted to give you a bouquet of flowers but couldn't."
"I'm so satisfied when I see you. It's thousands of times more precious than sending any flowers!"
Chu Er, who calmed down her mind, smiled sweetly, her beautiful face shone with a moving brilliance, and her alluring beauty almost made An Yi crazy again.
The motorcade soon stopped in front of the newly renovated Jiangxi Hotel. The guests, surrounded by stars, passed by the armed and energetic guards one by one, went up to the top floor, and entered their rooms to tidy up.
An Yi, Zhu Peide, Lao Shoudao and seven or eight important officials and generals were sitting in the large lounge near the stairs, chatting and drinking tea while waiting for the guests to wash and change and go downstairs to attend the grand welcome dinner.
Wang Jun, commander of the Third Army, joked with An Yi: "Brother An, the scene when you and Mr. Ou met just now was really touching. People who didn't know it thought you were father and son! And you and Mei
Like a fairy, the scene when Miss Ou, who has attracted the attention of countless young talents, stood facing each other, was deeply touching! By the way, what did you say next?"
Everyone laughed after hearing this, and all looked at An Yi with interest.
An Yi shrugged and replied with emotion: "I didn't say anything. We have been apart for so long, and I don't know what to say. In fact, even if there are thousands of words, how can I express my feelings at this moment in just one moment?"
How are you feeling? Alas, my husband has high expectations for me, but I gave up business and joined the army. I owe Chu'er a lot, especially when I wanted to bring a bouquet of flowers to greet her just now, but I couldn't do it. I feel very regretful!"
Everyone was very moved after hearing this. Zhu Peide turned to the old Taoist beside him and whispered with regret: "Brother Taoist, I'm a step too late!"
The old Taoist smiled slightly: "My dear niece, she is as beautiful as a flower. She is in her 28th year. Why are you so anxious? My dear brother, there are so many powerful generals and talented people around him now. I am afraid that I will not be able to find a good son-in-law who can ride a dragon."
?”
Zhu Peide let out a long sigh: "Oh, Brother Dao, you are trying to calm my heart! It doesn't matter, even if the little girl is a bit beautiful, how can Mr. Ou's daughter be comparable to ordinary people? Xiaoyi has a good taste, I
I’m convinced! By the way, how did they meet?”
In a low voice, the old Taoist briefly told Zhu Peide about An Yi's days as a clerk in a trading company before he made his fortune, and then frowned slightly:
"Brother, I don't know how they got along well. It seems that there are not many opportunities to meet. Especially after Xiaoyi's Northern Expedition, he never met the daughter of the Ou family again. Mr. Ou came to Nanchang twice before.
He didn't even take Miss Ou with him, and Xiao Yi has been leading troops to fight outside.
This is a bit strange to say, and it is difficult for most people to understand, but it can be seen that Mr. Ou still likes and respects Xiaoyi very much, haha!
Let me tell you something: the rubber-soled military shoes worn by your lieutenant generals now are the kind of rubber shoes produced by Mr. Ou's Nanyang factory. They were designed by Xiaoyi himself. I'm afraid you don't know, right?"
Zhu Peide looked at An Yi in surprise, who was chatting and laughing with his generals in a low voice. He turned to the old man and asked in disbelief: "Really?"
The veteran nodded seriously: "Of course it's true! Including the engineer shovel, military kettle, military satchel and new canvas bomb bag you just bought from me, they were all designed by this guy, haha! In another month or two
, he would also take out several new military products and show them to his wise brother.
When Mr. Kong and Mr. Ou come to Nanchang this time, I am afraid they will cooperate with him on some big deals. Brother Xian, just wait and see. If you think it is suitable, you might as well invest in it, like this with Mr. Kong and Mr. Ou.
You can’t go wrong with the cooperation of excellent people!”