Xiang Xiaoqiang noticed that Shi Shigege always called herself "adult" in a polite manner when she was in front of others. Once she was alone with him, she would always call him by his first name.
"...My lord, the adjournment cannot be long. I will briefly express my thoughts for your consideration."
Xiang Xiaoqiang glanced at Xiuxiu and said:
"Ah, princess, please speak."
Shi Shi Ge Ge also glanced at Xiu Xiu, smiled slightly, and said:
"I must have felt it, too. To support a team of several thousand people, you have to use so many things. You must not try it. Now it is obvious that the navy has seized this opportunity and is eager to go out. They want to do this."
Things are getting bigger. Aircraft carriers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers, and minesweepers are all going to go there. Too many people need a chance. Besides, it’s the country’s money that’s being spent anyway.”
Xiang Xiaoqiang frowned, this is really what happened. It felt a bit like "taking public funds".
but……
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind: Although it is wasteful to dispatch so many ships, what the two naval commanders said is reasonable. It is necessary to dispatch every type of ship. If they are cut down at will, it is likely to cause the mission to fail.
Failed. And when Shi Shigege said this now, could it be...?
Xiang Xiaoqiang's heart tightened and he felt suffocated: Could it be that she was still secretly planning for the Manchus?
But Shi Shigege smiled and continued:
"However, it depends on how you look at this matter. You now hold in your hand His Majesty's imperial edict authorizing you to control the national armed forces. The national armed forces obviously include the navy. But the problem is that before today, you did not have a piece of imperial edict.
No one really listens to you."
When Xiuxiu heard this, she raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes. She already understood and turned to look at Xiang Xiaoqiang.
Fourteen Gege continued:
"... But today is different. Today you have the nominal power to mobilize the navy, and the navy is willing to listen to you. This is a well-deserved good opportunity. This time, His Majesty has given you full power over this matter.
, and the Navy wants to mobilize again. They will listen to you no matter how you arrange it. As long as you satisfy their wishes-to mobilize in a large scale. As long as it succeeds this time and helps the Taihang Mountain Column on the road, the Navy will be the number one contributor.
.
"This benefit will be seen by the entire Ming army. In this case, a good precedent will be set this time. Everyone knows that you, Xiang Xiaoqiang, are the most popular general in the army, and they know that any military operation will be carried out by you
If you come and do it, you will get the greatest support from His Majesty. If you fight with you, you will have the greatest certainty of victory and meritorious service. The first time this happens, there will be a second time. If you do it a few more times, your edict will no longer be there.
It’s a piece of paper.”
Xiang Xiaoqiang was prompted by her, and his mind suddenly became clear. Yes, this is not a loss at all, this is simply an excellent opportunity!
He looked at Shi Shi Ge Ge, feeling really moved and feeling guilty for his doubts at that moment. He was very glad to have Shi Shi Ge Ge by his side.
"Don't show His Majesty's signature to them," Shi Shigege added. "After His Majesty signs the battle plan, you put it away, then rewrite it yourself, sign your own name, and mobilize the navy yourself. Some people question it.
If so, take out the edict. They will definitely obey you this time. If they obey you the first time, they will obey you the second time. - As long as there is no harm... But remember, you must let Your Majesty
Sign first, just in case."
Xiang Xiaoqiang stretched out a hand to Shi Shigege and said excitedly:
"Your Highness the Princess, thank you very much! ...Xiang Xiaoqiang is so good and capable that he can receive such help and advice from Your Highness the Princess! Oh, I am so lucky!"
Shi Shige smiled humbly, glanced at Xiu Xiu, took Xiang Xiaoqiang's hand, and the two shook it vigorously.
Xiu Xiu stood aside, feeling jealous and admiring of Shi Shi Ge Ge.
Her wonderful eyes moved from Xiang Xiaoqiang's face to Shirifeng Gege's face, then from Shirteen Gege's face to Xiang Xiaoqiang's face, and finally to their clasped hands.
The two held hands tightly, and Xiu Xiu stared at them closely, pretending to stand there with a low eyebrow, feeling sad in her heart.
…
Back at the meeting, Xiang Xiaoqiang listened to the navy's more detailed plans and requirements, and then asked the army aviation people to fully discuss with them, making his own judgment on the sidelines, while also absorbing the nutrients of sea and air combat.
Finally, Xiaoqiang made the decision, and the East China Sea Fleet immediately formed a squadron, departed north at 5:00 this afternoon, and moved to the Dongjiang Fleet. The squadron ships are equipped as follows:
The battleship Hongwu, the aircraft carrier Tianxuan, the aircraft carrier Tianji, the heavy cruiser Lu Bu, the heavy cruiser Sun Wu, and twelve destroyers. The two aircraft carriers unloaded bombers and torpedo planes, and all carried Sea Kingfisher fighter jets.
The Navy's request for other supply ships and minesweepers was rejected. On the one hand, Xiaoqiang wanted to show his will and authority. On the other hand, the Dongjiang Fleet had all these miscellaneous ships. And there were already several light and heavy cruisers there.
, and destroyers. To be honest, sending aircraft carriers and battleships over this time is enough.
At the same time, Xiang Xiaoqiang instructed Li Guoliang to prepare fifteen Junkers-52 transport aircraft and prepare to load the supplies and take off in more than ten hours.
He also ordered Tumache to keep in touch with the backbone of the Taihang Mountain column, those members of the underground organization of the Tiandihui, during these ten hours, and asked them to select a suitable airdrop area and then send it back with the password.
In this first airdrop, in addition to the first batch of food, urgently needed daily necessities and medicines, ten portable radios and batteries will also be airdropped to them. This will make it easier for them to break them into parts and disperse their operations if they have to.
In addition, there is a batch of information that is crucial to their development in the mountains: a bundle of detailed military topographic maps of the Taihang Mountains, maps of civilian administrative areas, distribution maps of the Qing army's military forces in and outside the Taihang Mountains, and even in North China, and a map of the Taihang Mountains-Lüliang Mountains.
County maps of a dozen major counties, as well as basic information on several large groups of bandits in the Taihang Mountains, their number, weapons, general scope of activities, etc. The information about these bandits is that they are lurking in Baoding, Shijiazhuang, Zhangjiakou, and Taiyuan in Nanming.
It was obtained by spies in the police stations of these surrounding big cities.
In the following airdrops, Xiang Xiaoqiang also planned to send officers to them in order to train and control them, regularize them, and at least become guerrillas instead of bandits.
As for the money, they must wait until the officers sent to take control of them before they can be given. Otherwise, it will only be a disaster for this undisciplined group of people to suddenly see a huge sum of money.
…
After the meeting, looking at the empty conference room and the huge sliding map board, Xiaoqiang felt a strong excitement in his heart.
I finally directly commanded the navy for once! This time with a stroke of my pen, one battleship, two aircraft carriers, two heavy cruisers, twelve destroyers, and ships with a total tonnage of 150,000 tons were dispatched!
This feeling, this satisfying feeling, I can't even imagine unless I have experienced it myself.
Xiang Xiaoqiang sighed for a while, and after recalling the feeling of dispatching thousands of troops, he returned to his office.
Stomachache was already waiting there. When he saw Xiang Xiaoqiang, he immediately came over and said mysteriously:
"Sir, my subordinates have found it."
"What?"
She had a stomachache and lowered her voice: "Your Majesty asked your subordinates to check the four English songs in the morning. I checked them out at noon! There was a meeting in the afternoon and I never had time to tell you..."
"Oh, oh," Xiang Xiaoqiang glanced at Qiu Qiu and Xiu Xiu, and saw the two little girls chattering, so he held his stomach to the side and asked in a low voice, "How are you doing?"
My stomach hurts and I laugh softly:
"Sir, those guys at Sticky Bar are really good at picking out songs. This is not an ordinary song at all. Most people don't even know it! These songs are all adapted from English poems, and they are all very good poems...
The composer is Yepes, a young guitar composer from Spain... Its lyricist is incredible, guess who it is?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang frowned, glared, smiled, and said in a low voice:
"It's Rabindranath Tagore!...That's a great poet! These four lyrics come from an English poetry collection of his called "Gitanjali", which are four poems..."
"ah!"
"Sir, it turns out that this collection is composed of poems. There are more than a hundred poems in total. The young man named Yepes is also a genius. He actually composed each poem into a guitar piece that can be played and sung... Two years ago
A British music company bought them and made them into records, but the sales were very poor... because the company was so determined that they gave away more than a hundred songs and made a complete set of records. If people want to buy them, they have to buy them.
A complete set, who would be willing to buy it... The lyrics and music of these songs are indeed good at a loss. In the end, the British princes, nobles, and wealthy people from the upper class bought dozens of sets, and the company lost less...
…”
Xiang Xiaoqiang slowly understood. Two years ago, when Zhu Yourong was studying in the UK, she must have bought a set and she must have liked it...
"Where are the lyrics?" he asked anxiously, "Where are the lyrics?"
"I brought it to you," said Stomachache with a smile, and took out a book of poems from his bag and handed it to him, "This is the Chinese version. I have dog-eared the four poems that you want to check."
Xiang Xiaoqiang held it in his hand. It was a thin book with a gold cover. There were four words "Gitanjali" on the cover. When he opened it, there were lines of verses printed vertically. It was brand new and smelled of ink.
. This guy doesn’t know how to read poetry even if he has a stomachache. This book looks like a new one at first glance.
His fingers stopped on a folded page, slowly opened it, and gently smoothed the creases, only to see what was written on the page:
…
The song I want to sing has not been sung until today,
I always tune the strings on my instrument every day.
The time has not come yet, the lyrics have not been filled in yet, only the pain of hope is in my heart.
The stamens have not yet opened, only the wind sighs by.
I didn't see his face or hear his words. But I only heard his gentle footsteps walking behind me.
The long day passed in laying out a seat for him, but the lights were not yet lit and I could not invite him in.
I live in the hope of meeting him, but the day of meeting has not yet come.
…
Looking at these clear Chinese verses, Xiang Xiaoqiang's heart trembled.
Were these the verses that Zhu Yourong sang last night?
"But I only heard his gentle footsteps, walking behind me... I live in the hope of meeting him, but the day of meeting has not yet come..."
How in line with the situation at that time!
Zhu Yourong not only noticed himself at that time, but also played the guitar under the moonlight and sang softly to hint at himself!
Xiang Xiaoqiang's heart was pounding, his face turned red and white, and he slowly turned to the corner of the next page.
He smoothed it gently and read silently:
…
"The snare is tough, but my heart aches when it comes to tearing it apart.
I want to be free, but I am ashamed of wanting to be free.
I know for sure that priceless treasure is in you, and you are my best friend.
But I can't bear to part with my house full of mundane things.
I am clothed in dust and death. I hate it, but I hold it close lovingly.
My debts are great, my failures are great, my shame is secret and deep.
But when I come to pray, I tremble, lest my prayer be granted. Astronomy is tenacious... I want to be free, but I am ashamed of wishing to be free... You are my best friend..."
These poems are as if they were tailor-made for Zhu Yourong and himself...
Zhu Yourong was bound by a tough net, and she wanted to be free. However, her innate identity, the education she received since childhood, and the responsibilities she shouldered... all of this made her ashamed of her desire for freedom...
Reason told her that this kind of "freedom" was immoral and irrational...
Xiang Xiaoqiang recited silently, the more he recited, the more his lips trembled:
"But when I came to pray, I trembled lest my prayer should be granted..."
Xiang Xiaoqiang read this sentence, closed his eyes, and felt in his heart what Zhu Yourong felt at that time, the feeling of shame, desire, and inner struggle...
After a moment, he gently opened his eyes, took a deep breath with trembling, and slowly turned to the next page.
"I'm just waiting for love, to finally give myself into your hands.
They want to use laws and regulations to restrain me, but I always avoid them.
Because I am only waiting for love, to finally give myself into your hands.
They blame me, and I know they are right...
but……
I am only waiting for love, waiting to finally give myself into your hands..."
…
Xiang Xiaoqiang closed his eyes and felt his heart trembling violently, and the intense pain spread throughout his body.
Zhu Yourong, the queen of a country and the girl who loves her deeply, was playing the guitar and singing these verses while crying. What was her mood like!
She was confessing her love to herself!
Confession, this is something that everyone can do, but it is so difficult for Zhu Yourong to do it! How not easy! What a strong moral restraint and what a strong sense of shame that she has to overcome!
Everyone can confess to the person they love, but she can't! She must hold the guitar, face the moon, and sing out!
You can imagine how long it took her to carefully select these four beautiful and appropriate English poems and sing them specially to herself...
And after she did all this and thought she had finally made a choice, she...
Nothing happened.
Got nothing.
The man she was looking forward to hid behind the bushes. After listening to her shy confession and appreciating her shame and tears, he did nothing and turned around without saying a word.
Only herself, the moonlight, the lake, and the guitar in her arms were left.
…
Xiang Xiaoqiang stared blankly at the opposite window, and the poetry collection in his hand fell on the table. Then it fell to the ground again.
With a "pop" sound, Qiu Qiu and Xiu Xiu looked back at him. They were startled when they saw his appearance and ran over quickly.
Xiang Xiaoqiang held the table and waved his hand numbly. They asked anxiously, but they couldn't hear anything. He shook his head slightly twice and said hoarsely:
"I...I'm fine, I want to stay by myself for a while..."
Then he fell down in the chair.
But the three people didn't dare to leave when they saw him like this, especially Qiu Qiu Xiuxiu. They kept asking him anxiously and softly what was going on...
Xiang Xiaoqiang became angry, raised his palm and was about to slam it on the table, but he stopped halfway and slowly stopped.
He raised his head, looked at his two beloved wives, smiled sadly, and took one of their hands:
"I shouldn't bang the table with you...I'm sorry...This is my fault...But, I just want to be alone for a while."
After saying that, Xiang Xiaoqiang stood up with difficulty from the table, bent down to pick up the book of poems, and walked out almost staggering step by step.
Qiu Qiu wanted to chase after her and ask again, but Xiu Xiu gently held her back.
I had a stomachache and felt like I was like a super light bulb just now. Now I finally caught the opportunity and quickly apologized to the two ladies, saying that I still had things to deal with, and slipped away in a flash.
…
Xiang Xiaoqiang came to the conference room, closed the door, and locked it.
Then he looked at the empty conference room, slumped down in a chair dejectedly, took out a cigarette from the cigarette tin on the table, lit it and held it in his mouth.
Xiang Xiaoqiang put his feet up on the conference table, puffed out smoke from his mouth and nose, and two tears streamed down his face.
But he didn't wipe away his tears. He just silently dragged a full ashtray over, dumped it on the ground, put it on the table, and flicked the ashes while smoking.
At this time, he felt that only the nicotine and the stimulating smell of cigarettes could relieve the pain in his chest.
With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Xiang Xiaoqiang put the poetry collection on his lap and read the poems softly again.
…
He clearly knew how much harm he had inadvertently caused to Zhu Yourong.
Such a good girl, who loved herself so much, broke through many inner barriers in order to love herself... She gave herself a chance, but she failed to seize it.
The reason why I didn't catch it is ridiculous and sad - I don't know English!
What’s even more ridiculous and sad is that Zhu Yourong doesn’t know this! Why doesn’t he know? He lied to her himself!
...an intelligence officer from MI6...haha!
Holy shit!!!
…
A hand was placed on his shoulder.
Xiang Xiaoqiang was startled when his scalp exploded. He jumped up, touched the holster of his gun and turned around to look...
Fourteen Gege held a pile of documents in her arms and stood in front of him, with her head lowered and taking out a handkerchief in one hand.
Then, he thrust a handkerchief into Xiang Xiaoqiang's hand again, with the tenderness of a big sister in his eyes.
"Holy shit!"
Xiang Xiaoqiang's blood surged, and he held a fourteen-checked handkerchief in his hand. Instead of wiping his tears, he stared at her, said "Humph..." and blew his nose hard.
Throwing the handkerchief on the table, he looked at the fourteen grids and asked: