Travel through the Qing Dynasty and become emperor

Chapter 723 The Unfinished Portrait
Just as the President reviewed several official documents of the day, Mrs. Lucy Rutherford and artist Elizabeth Shomatov came in.Mrs. Rutherford commissioned Shomatov to paint a watercolor portrait of the President to preserve as a souvenir.So Roosevelt donned his navy cloak, as the painter had requested, and sat at a little card-playing table in the simply furnished, pine-panelled living room, dealing with a small bag of official papers brought by courier from Washington. .Roosevelt signed the bill extending the term of the Commodity Credit Corporation with a pen.Then he shouted to Laura Delano, "I'm here to sign the law!" After the messenger left, the president reviewed other documents, including his planned address for the Jefferson Day broadcast the next night. draft.

At 12:45, he noticed that it was almost time for lunch, so Roosevelt said to the painter: "We can work for another 15 minutes."

Ms. Shomatov was sketching nervously, and Mrs. Lucy Rutherford sat silently by a window, she could fully see the president, with a gentle smile on her face.Laura Delano ran around, nurse Miss Thackley guarded.

When it was almost one o'clock, the nurse suddenly noticed that the president's head was tilted forward, and his hands were fumbling on the wicker chair.She and Lucy hurried up to him, knelt on the ground, looked up at his face and asked, "Do you want to smoke?"

He said softly: "No, I have a terrible headache." So the nurse and Lucy hurried outside to call and told Dr. Brunn to come to the president's villa as soon as possible.

Suddenly Ms Shomatov screamed and ran from the house for help.Arthur Pretiman, the president's valet, and Espencilia, a waiter of Filipino descent, hurried to the living room.They lifted the unconscious Roosevelt from his chair and carried him across the polished floor, past the terrified women, into a nearby bedroom.At this time, Roosevelt felt cold all over, but sweated a lot.Dr. Brun came in about a few minutes later. He immediately diagnosed a severe cerebral hemorrhage and took first aid measures.

Time passed by every minute and every second, and Roosevelt never woke up, but his tense breathing could be heard throughout the villa.The staff member and his friends waited anxiously in the living room.Everyone was silent and prayed for him silently.

At 3:35 p.m., Roosevelt stopped breathing painfully.

Mrs. Roosevelt, who was attending the Salgrave Club's annual tea party in Washington, immediately drove back to the White House when she heard the news.Eleanor sent a telegram to his four sons who were serving overseas: "Dear children, my father will sleep in the afternoon. He has devoted himself to his duties and will continue to do his duty to the end. I also hope that you will do your duty to the end."

Heads of ministries gathered in the Cabinet Chamber to discuss emergency response measures.At 5:47 p.m., the three major news agencies in the United States sent telegrams at home and abroad to announce the death of President Roosevelt.

A black crowd gathered outside the White House.There was really nothing to see, and people didn't intend to see anything, they just stood there silently, as if they were missing something.The Americans stopped what they were doing, their minds were empty and dazed.People are not only crying for their spiritual support, but also crying for their own inability to predict and grasp the future of the United States after losing this support.

Lyndon Johnson, the president's former administrative officer, said in tears in front of Capitol Hill: "He has always treated me like a father and son. He is the most fearless person I know at any time. God, how is he Take all of our burdens on our shoulders!"

People who had opposed Roosevelt or had an old grudge with him suddenly realized how close they were to the President when everything was in the past!Even Roosevelt's tough opponent on Capitol Hill, Robert Taff, said emotionally: "Now is the time for the final conclusion. To be honest, he is a hero. He really devoted his heart and soul to the American people."

The "New York Times", which once opposed Roosevelt's political views, published an editorial saying: "At a time when powerful and brutal barbaric forces are threatening to ravage the entire Western civilization, it is fortunate that Roosevelt sits in the White House. A hundred years later, mankind will bow down and be grateful to God." "

After the body of President Roosevelt was transported back to Washington, it was not placed in the rotunda of the Capitol for people to admire, as the remains of President Lincoln and later President Kennedy had done before.He did not wish to do that during his lifetime, and his last wish was honored.

The news of Roosevelt's death quickly spread all over the world, and the people of the original anti-government alliance countries expressed their deep condolences.Stalin, Churchill and leaders of other countries sent messages of condolence one after another, commending this great statesman for his outstanding contribution to the cause of human peace.At No. 10 Downing Street, Churchill felt "taken a heavy blow", felt a deep and irreparable loss coming.Days later, he broke down in tears at a memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral.Churchill wrote in his memoirs: "Of Roosevelt, we can say: if he had not taken the action he actually took; if he had not felt in his heart the surging waves of liberty; At that moment, he did not make up his mind to help England and Europe; then mankind would be in a dire state, and within a few centuries the whole future of mankind would be sunk in humiliation and disaster."

In the Kremlin, Stalin looked gloomy. He silently held Ambassador Harriman's hand for about 30 seconds, but forgot to ask him to sit down.Afterwards, Stalin, who was extremely sad, asked dignifiedly and carefully about the situation before the president's death.The flag was lowered at half-mast on Red Square, and the flag was surrounded by a black border.Stalin said in his message of condolence: "Roosevelt is undoubtedly a great man of his time, but he was also a president who persistently pursued the real interests of the United States. The pragmatic attitude of dogmatic theory enabled Roosevelt to achieve unprecedented achievements in domestic and foreign affairs."

Thousands of people in major cities in the United States express their condolences to this outstanding politician in various ways. Someone once wrote in a poem: "Although you were born in a rich family, you are not arrogant at all; you are A strong man, a brave pioneer, the disease knocked you down, but you stood up bravely with strong perseverance. In that terrible economic crisis era, it was you who entered the White House, implemented the New Deal, and got rid of the dying of capitalism. , and saved tens of millions of people who were dying."

After receiving the news of Roosevelt's death, the Chinese emperor immediately wrote an elegiac couplet: "He is a great statesman in the world, with wisdom, benevolence and courage. It will live forever in human history."

Minister of Education Kang Youwei wrote in the elegiac couplet: "For the freedom of human beings, Lincoln will give it back, who will be the match; to interpret the unique knowledge of Datong, Zhongni and then, the intention is to use it!"

Foreign Minister Wu Tingfang wrote in the elegiac couplet: "I died for the righteous forces of the world; it is the common sorrow of all civilized human beings."

Roosevelt's old acquaintance, Feng Xianghua, the head of the Imperial Military Command, even wrote with tears: "A great wish will be made, and all parties will become one; the sudden fall of a superstar will make the whole world weep for thousands of years."

Just when the whole world was shocked and mourning the death of US President Roosevelt, the Chinese army's final general attack on India began. In the early morning of October 10th, the weather was not good, and a strong wind suddenly blew up, and the rain fell.On the 7th, the heavy rain continued and the wind continued unabated.

At this time, Commander-in-Chief Jiang Baili of the Indian Conscript Army directly issued an order: all the Dragon Army, rain or shine, will go straight into Mumbai regardless of everything. They must complete the siege of Mumbai before October 10, launch a general attack on October 20, and end all battles before October 22.

The attacking force took the Independent Brigade as the forerunner, braved the wind and rain, and overcame unimaginable difficulties. It arrived at the designated area on time on October 10 and surrounded Mumbai layer by layer. Subsequently, the troops of the 20th and 8th Brigades also arrived one after another. , the final blow to India is about to begin!
Mumbai is an ancient city in India with a wall three miles in diameter.It is more than three feet high and one foot or two feet thick.There are moats dug on three sides outside the city wall, and the river is two battles wide.There are many battles in the depth of the water.The west of the city is close to the Mangong River, and the river is constantly flowing, so it is not easy to approach.There is also a small river outside the north gate of Mumbai. The coalition forces and Indian mercenaries are heavily armed, and the firepower is tightly arranged, which has become an insurmountable barrier for the city.

About one mile from the south gate of the city, Luowa Mountain is the commanding height of the whole city.The area of ​​the top of the mountain is more than 100 square meters, and there are more than ten firepower points built.The terrain is extremely dangerous, easy to defend but difficult to attack.This is Lieutenant General Bart's last defense site and his last hope. As a veteran of five years and a proud British aristocratic blood, he decided to save the soldiers of the British Empire here. honor.

The independent brigade, which was responsible for the main offensive task, decided to use the first regiment to attack the East Gate, and the first battalion and the second battalion to break through the city and develop rapidly into the city, implementing the tactics of digging out the heart.The Second Regiment Battalion and the Third Battalion organized an attack on the city at the north gate, making it impossible for the enemy to look at each other.The first battalion and the first battalion of the second regiment detoured to the west gate, cut off the enemy's retreat, and looked for opportunities to assist.One regiment, three battalions and one battalion attacked the south gate, annihilated the enemy troops in Luowa Mountain, and then developed into the city, implementing the tactics of drawing salary from the bottom of the pot.The third regiment is the general reserve team.Chen Changjie, who was in charge of the siege, ordered the general attack to be launched at [-]:[-] pm.

At [-]:[-] a.m., the general offensive order was issued.The troops organized fierce firepower to launch a powerful offensive against Mumbai.Suddenly, the sound of bugles, guns, and machine guns resounded through the sky, shaking the battlefield.Under the cover of intensive firepower, the commandos and engineering teams composed of various units, carrying various weapons, moved close to the city wall by using favorable terrain and features.

For the enemy army, it is now at the critical moment of life and death. They are condescending, supported by a solid city wall, and have properly deployed firepower, which has caused the independent brigade troops to be blocked one after another, and casualties occur from time to time. It is difficult to approach the city wall smoothly .

(End of this chapter)