Although Xiang Xiaoqiang had mentioned that she might be in similar danger when he first persuaded Fourteen Princesses to come to Ming Dynasty. But now that he heard the fearful and weak voice of Fourteen Princesses with his own ears, he still felt his heart tremble.
He calmed his mind and said softly:
"Where are you?"
"I am at home."
"How is the situation?"
Fourteen Gege hesitated and said:
"No... I don't know. I'm probably fine now."
Xiang Xiaoqiang felt relieved and said:
"Wait a moment."
He grabbed another phone:
"Take in the People's Guard Headquarters... Take in the Commander's Office. Qiu Qiu, it's me. Are you okay?... Okay, I'm fine, I'm fine too. Okay, don't cry, don't cry... Listen, give up right away.
Teng led a platoon of second-level armed forces to the princess's residence in Liaoyang and came to visit... Yes, it was not a siege or a protection, but after the shelling, we were worried about the princess' safety and came to visit. Zi Teng knew what to do. Yes, emergency action
, do it right away. Well, okay, my dear Qiu Qiu, okay!"
Xiang Xiaoqiang's terminology for the People's Guard, the first-level armed force is a combat uniform, with a submachine gun, a helmet, and no grenades. That is, those who are ready to fight. The second-level armed force is ordinary military uniforms, with two box guns hidden in the waist. This
It is a hidden weapon and is on alert.
I sent someone out first, and then picked up the phone number fourteen.
Xiang Xiaoqiang asked softly:
"what happened?"
Fourteen Gege’s voice was very hesitant again:
"I think it might be... people sent from the north who want to kill me."
When Xiang Xiaoqiang originally heard Shi Shi Ge Ge saying that someone was trying to kill her, his first impression was that it was someone from within the East Factory. Now that he heard what she said, he felt that it was completely possible and said:
"Are you sure it's safe now?"
"probably."
"Okay. You know Zi Teng? I'll ask him to check on you first. You can ask someone to open the door for him. I'll be there soon."
Xiang Xiaoqiang hung up the phone and asked the female officer to go to the conference room to apologize for him, saying that something very important had happened and needed to be handled by the People's Guard. Although the heads of various military units participated in this meeting, it was mainly to discuss combat operations.
Regarding the issue of defense deployment, although the People's Guard is a military unit, it does not participate in military operations yet and is mainly responsible for political tasks. This first meeting of the headquarters also means an appearance meeting. There is nothing to do with the People's Guard, they also command
No People's Guard.
Xiang Xiaoqiang knew that his stage was not on the Yangtze River defense line, but in the city of Nanjing.
The car was speeding on the field road. It was already broad daylight, and the muffled thunderous sound of artillery and sporadic explosions could be heard in the distance.
In the distant sky, there are occasionally a few planes flying in circles, testing and provoking each other. They all seem to have two wings.
Immediately afterwards, he watched the two planes flying in circles, flying closer and lower. The plane in the back kept firing at the one in front. He could hear the clear "click, click, click" sound of the machine gun. Suddenly, the plane in front
The aircraft dragged out a long column of white smoke, turned twice, screamed and fell into the distance.
War. Naked war is right before our eyes.
Entering the urban area, the smell of gunpowder smoke became stronger, and there were some ash flying in the air, all coming from the western and northern parts of Nanjing.
The streets in the eastern part of the city were full of refugees who had fled from the west and the north. Adults and children were terrified. Many people were covered in blood, with broken arms and legs. They were screaming and being carried around by their relatives looking for doctors. A building was being built on both sides of the road.
There was a tent with a big red cross sign painted on it. Citizens in the east and south were organized, and under unified command, they set up tents, carried the wounded, and carried the bodies. The military police were maintaining order. Many people sat on the ground and cried loudly.
They had lost their relatives and homes, and were covered in dust. No one paid attention to them. There were still many people wearing only underwear, bare feet, and wrapped in blankets that had just been given to them, shivering and looking at all this.
Xiang Xiaoqiang felt that his heart was bleeding. He forced himself not to look out the window or think about things he couldn't decide.
He forced himself to think about what he cared about most at the moment: the fourteenth grid...
First of all, the phone calls at Shishigege's residence must have been monitored by Dongchang, including the call just now. She did not call other places but called herself first. It seems that she also suspected that the person who wanted to kill her was not from Beiqing.
.In addition, she said "Maybe they were people sent from the north" with a very hesitant tone, so she probably meant it to Dongchang. Xiang Xiaoqiang judged that even if someone from Dongchang wanted to kill her, it was unlikely that it was the higher-ups who ordered her.
, mostly for personal revenge. This way she won't be in danger again in a short period of time.
When we arrived at No. 14, Jianzi Lane, Qinhuai District, there was already a member of the People's Guard waiting at the gate. He supervised the two maids to open the door and put them in after confirming that the car was Xiang Xiaoqiang.
In every key place in the courtyard, there was a member of the People's Guard "appreciating the flowers". When they saw Xiang Xiaoqiang, they all stood at attention and saluted. The maids hid in the distance and watched in awe.
Xiang Xiaoqiang was very satisfied when he saw that the Princess Mansion was under control and there was no commotion. It was within the level of "being a guest". He had a stomachache and was drinking tea with Shi Shi Ge Ge in the living room. He would not be like Shi Shi
Si Gege is sitting on his knees like that, with his whole buttocks on the futon. This kid is clever and talkative. He is trying to make Fourteen Gege happy, and he doesn't shy away from talking about everything they did in Beiqing to build friendship.
, the story about Shi Shi Ge Ge and Xiao Wu eating noodles and rolled meat was brought to life. Shi Shi Ge Ge was not shy and stayed with him like a generous host.
Seeing Xiang Xiaoqiang appear at the entrance of the living room, Shi Shi Ge Ge and his stomachache felt relieved. Shi Shi Gege stood up and looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang. Even if his stomach hurt, he got up quickly.
Although he knew that Shishi Gege was fine, when he saw her sitting there, Xiang Xiaoqiang was still a stone in his heart. He stepped forward quickly and asked softly:
"How are you?"
Fourteen Gege looked at him:
"I'm fine...are you okay too?"
"Ahem."
I turned away from my stomach and coughed twice.
Xiang Xiaoqiang woke up and quickly bowed:
"Is your highness the princess okay?"
"Oh... My princess is well. I'd like to thank you for your concern."
…
The three of them sat down again, and Xiang Xiaoqiang asked the maids out because of his stomachache. Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at Shi Shige's uneasy look and said with a smile:
"No matter what their status is, they are sent here as maids, so we will serve as maids. If we are too deliberate, we will feel guilty."
Fourteen Gege smiled slightly and briefly described the matter.
During the shelling, everyone was crowded in the air-raid shelter. Suddenly the lights went out, and then a rope was pulled from behind and strangled her neck. But that person never thought that Shi Shigege had been trained as a spy.
With both hands, she first locked the man's wrist, and then hit the man in the stomach with her elbow. The man was probably frightened, and threw away the rope and gave up. After a while, the bombardment ended, and everyone came out one after another, including the fourteenth princess.
Without saying anything, she touched the rope and it turned out to be a black skirt belt. When she came out, she saw that the Saotome-style maid uniform was missing a skirt belt.
Fourteen Gege recalled it, and she felt that the person was a woman. At that time, there were seven or eight people close to her in the air-raid shelter, but now she can only recall three. One of them was Saotome style.
Knock Xiaoqiang on the head, this is a typical Agatha-style, or Conan-style case. If it were in the novel, the Saotome-style case is definitely not the murderer, but the person who was deliberately cast into suspicion by the real murderer.
But I am neither Poirot nor Conan, and this is not a novel. The top priority now is not to solve this mysterious case in the secret room, but to ensure the safety of the Fourteenth Grid as soon as possible. In addition, see if I can use this excuse to remove Dongchang's tentacles. Get out of here and take charge of the Fourteenth Grid by yourself.
He asked Shi Shigege:
"What do you think should be done?"
Fourteen Gege said:
"I have to report this matter to His Majesty before...Before Dongchang... Also, don't you think this is an opportunity?"
Very good, it’s exactly the same as my plan. It’s great to discuss things with smart people. Xiang Xiaoqiang also said:
"The phone number you called me must have been reported to Shen Rongxuan now. But now that the war has just begun, as the chief minister of a country, he probably can't care about this. Shen Rongxuan is also somewhat magnanimous. I guess he knows that I am coming. , I know that nothing will happen to you. He has to be responsible for the entire Ming Dynasty, and he will not compete with me at this juncture... By the way, who told you the phone number of the Supreme Command?"
Fourteen Gege smiled slightly, lowered his head and said:
"This...I knew it all along."
When Xiang Xiaoqiang thought about what she did, she was immediately relieved. Not to mention the headquarters, she might know about Shen Rongxuan and even Zhu Yourong.
He let Stomachache take the people to stay here to protect the Fourteenth Gege, and drove into the palace to visit His Majesty.
…
The Forbidden City in Nanjing became a sea of sandbags.
The important main halls and some of the most exquisite buildings are piled high with sandbags to protect the outside. There are two huge and exquisite bronze lions outside the Meridian Gate, a bronze turtle and a copper crane inside, and a gilded bronze statue in front of the main hall. The copper water tank and the stone slope with the dragon carving in front of Fengtian Hall were all protected with sandbags. Xiang Xiaoqiang also saw some ancient trees that were hundreds of years old and had half of the sandbags removed. The Imperial Guards were removing them. .
The female officer who led Xiaoqiang into the palace explained to him that His Majesty originally wanted to surround these ancient trees with sandbags, but later the chief gardener said that this would kill the trees, so His Majesty gave up.
Alas, it seems that this girl Zhu Yourong is trying her best to protect everything that belongs to her like an old hen.
Xiang Xiaoqiang listened to the "booming" sound of cannons in the distance and felt curious, so he asked:
"The courtyard here is such a big open space, why is there not even an anti-aircraft gun? Is there any taboo?"
The female officer explained that both the Ming and Qing dynasties had issued statements in Geneva, agreeing that the Forbidden City in Nanjing and Beijing and areas with concentrated historical sites were undefended zones and that shelling and bombing were prohibited. Of course, they were "separately" issued statements at the same time, and Each claimed that the other's Forbidden City belonged to them, and of course they had to protect it.
...It is unexpected that although the Ming and Qing Dynasties were feuding, they could still reach consensus on such issues. Just like the Qing Dynasty did not touch the Ming Tombs.
The Fengtian Hall, Huagai Hall, Jinshen Hall, Wenhua Hall and Wenlou, Wuying Hall and Wulou in the front of the Forbidden City in Nanjing are collectively referred to as the "front dynasty", where they used to go to court and hold various ceremonies. The ones at the rear are Qianqing Palace, Jiaotai Palace, Kunning Palace, Rouyi Palace (East Palace), Chunhe Palace (West Palace), Imperial Garden, etc. are the places where the emperor and his concubines lived and lived, becoming the "hou court". The former dynasty and the rear court combined It's called the "Court".
Although Zhu Yourong is a woman, as the emperor, she does not live in Kunning Palace, but in Qianqing Palace. One of her self-titles in her calligraphy and painting works is "Master of Qianqing Palace".
In the imperial study room of Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yourong was sitting in an armchair, holding a speech manuscript in her hand, memorizing it while crying. She looked at the manuscript silently, sniffling from time to time.
This is a speech that will be broadcast to the whole country tonight, calling on the military and civilians across the country to unite to fight against the Qing invaders, and to declare that he has decided to stay in Nanjing and live and die with the capital of the Ming Dynasty.
Zheng Gongyin, who was sitting opposite, looked sad and looked at the fatal manuscript in his niece's hand. He hesitated to speak.
Behind Zhu Yourong, a middle-aged woman in luxurious clothes held her shoulders lovingly. Zhu Yourong raised his face in her arms and cried out with tears in his eyes:
"Nanny..."
This noble lady is Zhu Yourong's wet nurse, named Mrs. Li, and titled Mrs. Guangde. Zhu Yourong lost his mother when he was young, and was brought up by his wet nurse, Mrs. Li, who regarded her as his own mother. Now Zhu Yourong is the emperor, and Mrs. Li's status He is highly respected and has the same status as Zheng Gongyin. They are both the closest people to the Queen.
Mrs. Li stroked Zhu Yourong's hair and said softly:
"Rongrong, good boy, don't be stubborn. Be obedient. Let's go to Hangzhou. Hangzhou...Hangzhou is my hometown. I'm old and want to go back to my hometown to recuperate. Rongrong, just go back with me, okay?" Rongrong, you are a filial child..."
"Nanny..." Zhu Yourong raised his face, curled his lips, tears stayed again, and he sobbed, "I was the cause of this disaster, I must stay...Nanny, and uncle, let's go , I will have someone escort you to the south...I...I can't leave, I am the Emperor of Heaven..."
Zheng Gongyin was extremely anxious and said this, but if Zhu Yourong didn't leave, it would be hard for none of their relatives to leave. Although they could leave if it was really impossible, Shen Rongxuan, Xiang Xiaoqiang, and those in the cabinet would definitely stay. The Queen's relatives. When the time comes, these relatives will be gone, but those close ministers will stay with Her Majesty through the most difficult moments. It is conceivable that even if Nanjing is defended, the status balance between the foreign ministers and the imperial relatives will be greatly tilted in the future. .But as long as Zhu Yourong can be persuaded to leave, it will be a big difference. In the most difficult years, the ones who accompanied His Majesty are their relatives, and those foreign ministers will definitely stay in Nanjing.
At this time, the female officer came in and announced:
"Your Majesty, the Commander of the People's Guards wishes to see your Majesty."
Zheng Gongyin and Mrs. Li looked at each other and their spirits were lifted.