That night, Xiang Xiaoqiang and Zheng Yucong were placed under house arrest. Although it was not explicitly stated that they were under house arrest, it was almost the same as house arrest.
In a dormitory for senior officers on duty in the prisoner of war camp, they were arranged in two rooms, with double guard posts of Qing soldiers standing at each door. They were not allowed to go out, saying that they wanted to "protect" their safety. This officer's dormitory was
The duty dormitory was only for Qing army officers to stay when they were on duty inside the prisoner of war camp, or when superior officers came to inspect. The senior Qing army officers who were stationed here had residences in Chifeng County, and there were also villas nearby.
I don’t really live here either.
Although it is only a duty dormitory, the interior is still quite luxurious. There are no separate rooms in this "duty dormitory". They are all inner and outer rooms with bathrooms. Each room has a marble fireplace, a telephone, and there is a lack of water here.
In Inner Mongolia, each bathroom has separate Western-style shower facilities. So now they don't even have an excuse to go out.
Xiang Xiaoqiang and Zheng Yucong were eating dinner in their respective rooms, and they were both very angry. Although they couldn't see each other, they were both asking the same question: What if the other party keeps treating the two of them in the next two days?
What should I do if I am under house arrest like this?
Especially Xiang Xiaoqiang, when he opened the window, looked at the boundless night in the distance, and breathed in the cool summer night breeze on the Inner Mongolia prairie, he felt a very ominous premonition in his heart.
...At dusk, with the spirit in my chest and the confidence to be fearless, I acted as a hero. It was indeed very satisfying. After suffering the grievances of Beiqing one after another, I finally grabbed a gun and shot
The officials of the Northern Qing Dynasty in front of them were too afraid to move, and Zhang Liansheng, who shouted the truth loudly, was saved. What he did at that time was really at odds with himself.
The status of the representatives of Nanming was disproportionate. Moreover, the other party had cameras and cameras at the time. If the two reporters from the Northern Qing Dynasty had a little bit of professionalism, then their "barbaric behavior" would go down in history and become one of the most shocking scenes in the 20th century.
One. There is no doubt that it will also let Beiqing seize the topic and gain the upper hand in the next contest.
However, if he had not done that, Zhang Liansheng, the only one who risked his life to shout out the truth, the man with the toughest backbone and the noblest spirit among the thousands of Ming army prisoners of war, would have been poisoned at that time. Zhang Liansheng could risk his life to do this.
If he makes the most heroic choice, then he must keep him.
Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't know if his last few harsh words at that time could scare those Beiqing officials from torturing and retaliating against Zhang Liansheng. But he knew that they would never dare to harm his life again.
But, is it really?
Xiang Xiaoqiang is a little worried. The premise of all this is that he is here, and it must be two days later, Zhang Liansheng can leave on the same boat with him in the first batch of repatriated prisoners of war. If not, then if he leaves, can Zhang Liansheng's life be guaranteed?
Just very
It's hard to say. The only thing I can threaten is that if Zhang Liansheng is not among the first batch of repatriated prisoners of war, then I and Zheng Yucong will not go back. Because in this case, Emperor Guangwu's brother will not be able to come back, and the officials here can't stand it.
This kind of pressure.
Now it seems that the Beiqing officials here are tougher than they thought. Although they did not dare to do anything to themselves, they "protected" both themselves and Zheng Yucong. This level of toughness surpassed that of Xiang Xiaoqiang
In this case, I am afraid that whether or not I can leave in two days is up to me.
…
Sure enough, in the next two days, Xiang Xiaoqiang and Zheng Yucong were "protected" in their own rooms. They were not allowed to go out to eat, sleep, or go to the toilet. The fire in Xiang Xiaoqiang's heart grew stronger and stronger, and he walked back and forth in the room.
, like a lion in a cage. Moreover, he also heard faint sounds coming from another suite on the same floor - Zheng Yucong was yelling, losing his temper, and there seemed to be the sound of throwing things.
...Sigh, with Zheng Yucong's temper, she couldn't bear being locked in the room for two days and not allowed to go out!
The building was not very high. Xiang Xiaoqiang wanted to climb down from the back window several times, but every time he stood at the window, he saw two Qing soldiers standing below. It didn't matter that the Qing soldiers were still carrying cameras.
The meaning is very clear: as long as you climb out of the window without fear of embarrassment to the general, we will take pictures of you.
I spent two days in such a depressed and manic manner. On the third day, finally, the agreed date for the repatriation of the first batch of Ming army prisoners of war arrived.
Xiang Xiaoqiang and Zheng Yucong also met for the first time in two days. The two stood in the square of the prisoner of war camp, both looking at the rows of ragged people in front of them with cold expressions, the fire and grief and indignation in their hearts burning silently.
.
These prisoners of war were already skinny and skinny, their skin was dry and rough, and they were extremely red and black from the sun. Many of them were injured and could hardly stand. They were supported by their companions on both sides to prevent them from falling. They knew that they were about to leave this place.
Beiqing Hell, I will go home soon, many people are so excited that they burst into tears.
After Xiang Xiaoqiang and Zheng Yucong met with these prisoners of war, they began to count the number of people. The first batch was 1,500 people. They counted them twice to make sure that the number of people was correct before stopping.
However, Xiang Xiaoqiang did not see Zhang Liansheng.
"Master Mo."
Xiang Xiaoqiang said calmly.
Lieutenant Colonel Moore, the highest commander of the prisoner of war camp, said with a smile:
"What advice do you have for the general?"
"Where is Zhang Liansheng? I remember I asked him to be among the first batch to go back to Ming Dynasty with us."
"Master Mo, it seems that you are really planning to cause trouble for both you and me."
Several Beiqing officials present laughed.
Moore also laughed, as if he suddenly realized something, and said with a smile:
"Oh, Zhang Liansheng, I remember it, that one..."
Then he put away his smile, shook his head, and said sadly:
"General Xiang, when you mentioned it, I really remembered it. This... that young man can't leave with you."
Several other officials from the Northern Qing Dynasty also shook their heads and lowered their heads sadly.
Xiang Xiaoqiang stared at them coldly, feeling a bad feeling in his heart.
"Speaking of which, this is also very unfortunate..." Moor shook his head and sighed, "Zhang Liansheng suddenly suffered from chest pain and tightness yesterday afternoon and fell to the ground... Our brothers who were guarding him quickly sent him to the prisoner of war camp clinic.
The man in the clinic was not very well anymore. The military doctor immediately rescued him and gave him oxygen...but he could not be saved. Zhang Liansheng...is already dead. Well, that is to say, unfortunately, he passed away."
Xiang Xiaoqiang felt that all the blood in his body was gathering in his head, and his limbs were already cold. He guessed that his face must be extremely scary at this time.
Zheng Yuqing was furious and said in a trembling voice:
"You... how dare you... him..."
Moore then sighed:
"Yes, unfortunately, our place is a prisoner of war camp, not a big city, and we don't have good rescue equipment... But having said that, he died of acute myocardial infarction. A heart attack is such a disease. It's hard to go to a big hospital.
It’s hard to cure. It’s too late and it’s too late. Doesn’t the hospital treat the disease but not the life?”
Xiang Xiaoqiang finally suppressed his anger and said in a hissing voice:
"Where's the body? Take a look at the body."
Moore said:
"Already cremated."
Xiang Xiaoqiang stared at him.
Moll showed an understanding smile and said with a smile:
"General Xiang, Princess, you must be able to understand this... We are a prisoner of war camp here with a high population density. After a person dies, the body cannot be left for a long time. It must be cremated quickly, otherwise the plague will easily occur... Well, General Xiang, this is
One is a diagnosis of sudden myocardial infarction issued by a military doctor, and this one is a death certificate issued by a doctor.
...Did you see it? It has the signature of our military doctor on it, in black and white, as well as our official seal, and the signature certificate of me, the highest officer... Haha, General Xiang, if you are not satisfied, you can also ask to see our military doctor.
"How about the professional qualification certificate... General Xiang, are you satisfied with it?"
...Okay, very good, sudden heart attack, natural death.
Zheng Yucong was already in tears. She was trembling and about to get angry, but Xiang Xiaoqiang pulled her down and said hoarsely:
"Where are the ashes?"
Several officials from the Northern Qing Dynasty were a little surprised. They thought Xiang Xiaoqiang would definitely make a big fuss. They didn't expect to be so understanding. In fact, no matter how angry Xiang Xiaoqiang was, they were not afraid. Because in dealing with it this way, they asked the emperor for instructions.
The emperor's intention was very clear. He must let Xiang Xiaoqiang know that this is the Qing Dynasty, and he must be made aware of who controls everything in this land.
After a while, two military doctors actually brought a box of ashes.
Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at the urn on the ground and took off his hat. Zheng Yucong beside him was already crying.
Xiang Xiaoqiang raised his head, looked at the more than a thousand prisoners of war who didn't know what was going on in front of him, and suddenly shouted loudly:
"Brothers! This dead brother is also one of you! Two days ago, when other brothers were at bayonet point and forced to lie, it was Zhang Liansheng who risked his life to shout out the truth.
, let the princess and I know what happened to you in the mine! But as you all saw, just one day later, this brother... turned into this box of ashes in front of you... Why? Haha, sudden myocardial infarction
!”
More than a thousand prisoners of war looked blankly at the urns on the ground in front of them, showing no reaction.
Xiang Xiaoqiang suddenly understood that they had become very numb. They had been here for so long, and they had become accustomed to this kind of thing, or things that were ten times crueler and darker than this. They were no longer surprised.
Xiang Xiaoqiang felt that he was very sad and a failure.
He sighed, feeling like he wanted to cry. Sadness and depression accumulated in his chest, and he couldn't breathe in or breathe out.
Thousands of officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty have been suffering from this feeling for more than half a year. People thousands of miles away in the Northern Qing Dynasty have been suffering from this feeling for more than two hundred years.
Xiang Xiaoqiang slowly squatted down, gently stroked the urn, then picked it up and turned to hand it to Zheng Yucong.
"Among thousands of people, the only person whose spine was not broken is now reduced to ashes and is lying inside."
Zheng Yuqing didn't mean to be shy at all. She reached out and hugged the urn, crying with tears on her face, and nodded vigorously, as if the brave man was being held in her arms at this moment.
…
He turned to Xiaoqiang, looked at the circle of Beiqing officials, and whispered:
"Give me the diagnosis and death certificate."
Moer immediately handed him the two certificates. Xiang Xiaoqiang took them over, looked at them, and said coldly:
"No, just the signature of the military doctor and yours won't do. I don't approve it."
Mo Er looked at his fiery eyes and originally wanted to sarcastically say, "So what if you don't agree with me", but when the words came to his lips, he still said it:
"Then whose signature do you want?"
Xiang Xiaoqiang reached out and made a circle:
"All of you officials present must sign and bear witness. Otherwise, I won't leave today."
Moore was startled and didn't know what he meant. But he looked at the subordinates around him and saw that his signature was already on it. It was not impossible to ask his subordinates to sign their signatures. Anyway, this matter
It was the emperor's order, so he had nothing to worry about. Perhaps Xiang Xiaoqiang did this to make it easier to explain when he returns?
He tilted his head and ordered:
"You all should also sign."
The top officer gave the order, and the officers below also took paper and pen, and signed their names under the two documents one after another. Then, Xiang Xiaoqiang asked the civilian officials to also sign. The civilian officials hesitated, but looked at the officers
They all signed. Although More couldn't control himself, they all signed.
Xiang Xiaoqiang took two certificates and counted them. There were sixteen signatures in total, which matched the number of Beiqing officials present.
Without saying anything, he folded the two pieces of paper and put them into his pocket. Then, very slowly and sinisterly, he scanned the faces of the sixteen Beiqing officials one by one.
"Walk."
he said.
…
The first batch of 1,500 prisoners of war from the Ming army were captured by the Northern Qing Dynasty and after eight months of hell, they finally set foot on the road back to their hometown.
At six o'clock in the evening, the prisoner-of-war train pulled into Tianjin's Dagukou Pier Station.
At half past seven, 1,500 prisoners of war, Xiang Xiaoqiang, and Zheng Yucong boarded a Beiqing cargo ship, pulled anchor and set sail.