Xu Xuzhi

Chapter 81 The Great War in the Central Plains
The photo of Feng Jiu and Ning Zheng was published in the newspaper for the first time.

In addition to the most influential "Fengtian Times" in Northeast China, even the "Shuntian Times", "North China Morning Post", "Peking Morning Post" in Beiping and "Shenbao" in Shanghai all published the couple's attendance at the opening ceremony of the North China Games Photo.

The person in charge of photography was Lin Yanlai—the eldest son of the Lin family finally wanted to do something serious, and his father was so touched that he supported him no matter what he did.

His main job is to run a newspaper—"Northern Times", so Ning Zheng, who was born as a child, happily assigned him the task of taking pictures of the couple.

This was a good start for him to run a newspaper: after the sports meeting, the circulation of "Northern Times" increased sharply; Ning Zheng also agreed that any exclusive news and photos of the couple in the future could be published in his newspaper starter.

Once, people sent by Lin Yanlai arrived at the military headquarters, left behind a large, tightly sealed brown paper bag in a well-mannered manner, and left.

The guard immediately sent the paper bag to the commander-in-chief's office. Ning Zheng happened to be free, so he opened it unhurriedly, and the tea in his mouth was sprayed out...

Inside were a few photos of Feng Jiu accompanying him to attend the inauguration dinner held for the new ministers stationed in Peiping in Peking last week. In fact, one of them was published in the newspaper the next day.As for which one to publish, Ning Zheng and Feng Jiu never asked, and Lin Yan, the editor-in-chief, made his own decision.

In the past, Lin Yanlai would enlarge some of the particularly good photos and send them, and destroy the other negatives. This is not surprising.The strange thing is that the top one that Ning Zheng saw at a glance - Ning Zheng vaguely remembered that the couple were taking pictures in the smoking room next to the banquet hall, and Lin Yanlai quickly took several pictures of them. open.

Behind them is a huge floor-to-ceiling mirror with a gilded frame and carved shell scroll patterns, and beside it is a long table covered with a snow-white embroidered longevity rattan lace tablecloth. The lapis lazuli blue vases are filled with seasonal bouquets, and the whole environment shows a luxurious and noble social atmosphere.

Ning Zheng was wearing a rather formal black tuxedo with a silver bow tie; Feng Jiu was holding his arm, wearing a cornflower blue mermaid skirt-style evening gown with a silver starry sky embroidered on it. shoulder.

Ning Zheng was quite dissatisfied with the evening dress Feng Jiu chose, but he didn't come back until he was leaving the house, so there was no time to change it.Ning Zheng felt that he had neglected his wife's wardrobe in Beiping's apartment for a while, and made up his mind to check it carefully after returning home.

The two look as usual, calm and composed, just like the previous photos, they still look so matching and eye-catching.Especially Feng Jiu, with a light smile, elegant and noble demeanor, can be selected as the most beautiful and dignified lady in the contemporary era.

But the most eye-catching thing in this photo is Ning Zheng's hand. Because of the huge mirror behind it, although it is only a black and white photo, you can also see his right hand very clearly in the mirror, which is very solidly stuck to his wife's hand. The fingers are straight up, and the five fingers are stretched out, and even from the bent knuckles, it can be seen that they are exerting a little force.

The small actions and small lawsuits that the couple thought they were cheating were faithfully captured in this way. The indescribable intimacy and stickiness made people who saw the photos smile knowingly.

It is estimated that Lin Yanlai, who was devoted to ideological work at the time, did not look so carefully.

Naturally, such a photo cannot be published, but after it was washed, it was sent to me... Yan Lai, this guy, is actually a narrow-minded ghost.

Ning Zheng's memory flashed back: he couldn't help pinching his wife's buttocks purely because they felt so good to the touch.

Ning Zheng took out from his breast pocket a white and blue fine-grained silk handkerchief that his wife stuffed in before going out every day, slowly wiped off the tea stains around his mouth, rested his hand on his head, looked at the photos again and again, and finally "Puchi" " A laugh came out.

The outside of the pass is so peaceful, but the factional struggles inside the pass in the Nanjing government have reached a fever pitch—this has always been a government that struggles endlessly for power.

Mr. Jiang, the head of the government who has nominally unified China, took advantage of the resolution of the National Organization Conference held on New Year's Day last year to recruit local warlord forces to strengthen his rule.

During this process, the contradictions between the Nanjing government and the other three local warlords who have grown in strength have become increasingly intensified, and a scuffle of unprecedented scale is imminent.

On March 26, Jiang issued the "Decree to Crusade", ordering all armies to point directly at Wuhan. Since the main theater of operations was in the Central Plains, a new round of civil war known in history as the "Central Plains War" officially began.

The Nanjing Central Army was furious and took the lead in taking down the mighty Gui clique warlords.

The leader of the Jin army, Yan Baichuan, who had always been dissatisfied with Jiang and was even more unconvinced, felt bitter, and vowed that he was the heir to the mantle of the father of the country, Mr. Sun. On the same day, 57 generals from almost all local forces except the Feng faction were united to issue a "power against Jiang" and unanimously supported Yan Baichuan as "Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Navy and Air Force of the Republic of China". At the same time, Ning Zheng, who was not present, and Feng Huanzhang and Li Delin from Guizhou were appointed as deputy commander-in-chief. Zhirang had been neutral since March [-], but Ning Zheng, who was still dragged into a pool of muddy water, yelled helplessly.

Some scholars asserted that this was "the bloodiest internal massacre that the Nanjing government has faced in ten years."

The main battlefield at the beginning of the war was Henan, and both sides suffered heavy casualties: Yan and Feng suffered nearly 15 casualties, and the Central Army 9.With a force of 40 and advanced military equipment, the Fengjun has long been the only force that determines where the precarious balance between the two opposing sides will fall in this cruel civil war. Therefore, from the beginning of March in Yangchun, both sides have sent people to actively lobby for peace. Zheng's help.

In fact, Ning Zheng clearly stated his position in the "Persuasion and Enlightenment" issued in early March, saying that the two "commanders-in-chief" are "pillars of the country" and suggested that "differences in political opinions are welcome to discuss, and it should not be a dispute of sentiments. Sometimes force must be It should not be used as a tool for frying beans together."

However, this kind of earnest statement of persuasion and peace is not at all painful to the red-eyed people on both sides. People from both sides went to Fengtian to lobby in turn. Fifteen representatives; after thinking about it, I know that after the Nanjing side is willing to fall to the enemy, for a while, the Fengtian Army Headquarters is almost busier than the most noisy Daguan Tea Garden.

By June, the battle situation had become stalemate, and it became more urgent to win the support of the Ning army: Yan Baichuan categorically included Ning Zheng among the seven-member government officials, and Jiang then unilaterally declared Ning Zheng as "the Central Army of the Republic of China". Deputy Commander of the Navy and Air Force".

When Fengjiu heard that her husband suddenly became the deputy commander-in-chief of two hostile camps at the same time, he really "stepped on two boats", couldn't help crying and laughing, shook his head repeatedly, and became more and more worried about him.

At this time, Nanjing sent a heavyweight Zhang Yuejun. This person was a classmate and friend of many generals of the Ning Army when they were studying in the Japanese military academy. It means to gradually lean towards Nanjing.

But Fengfang was not in a hurry to make a choice. In order to avoid the noisy lobby representatives, Ning Zheng simply took his wife and daughter to Beidaihe to escape the summer heat in July.

Unexpectedly, the representatives of both parties came with great dedication, and still had no leisure. Later, Ning Zheng even had to order the closure of the private beach of the Ning family, and sent many guards to guard against it. Only then was he able to steal life with his wife and daughter. half day free.

At ninety o'clock in the morning in Beidaihe, the temperature of the sea water is just right.

Ning Zheng hugged Ya Ya, Feng Jiu followed beside him, the family of three were not in the waist-deep sea water of Qi Feng Jiu.Ning Zheng let go gently, and then sank into the water. Yaya, who was wearing a bright red two-piece children's swimsuit, sank with her father fearlessly. The chubby arms and legs, which were like flopping lotus root joints, floated up freely after a while, trying not to sink to the bottom or choke on the water.

Ning Zheng and Feng Jiu Dale, the little one was very courageous, the couple took turns holding Yaya, let her swim with her fat belly upside down for a while, and taught her to swim with her hands and feet separately, and taught her in a mess a meal.

Yaya got impatient, broke free from his father's hand with a sullen chubby face, and plunged into the sea, the couple hurriedly followed down, but saw Yaya pursed his mouth in joy, with bubbling bubbles around his mouth They climbed straight up one after another, so the couple also suppressed their smiles, one on each side, holding her little hand in the blue pure crystal-like sea water, and swam leisurely for a long time before they emerged.

However, it was Feng Jiu instead of Ya Ya who couldn't hold back the first one, which made Ning Zheng very proud-look, you can't accept it, the sports genes from his father are so powerful.

Such a leisurely and beautiful time is always short-lived, and it is not what people want.

On August 19nd of the Gregorian calendar in the [-]th year of the Republic of China, a sudden torrential rain fell in the west of Fengtian Province, which lasted for four days and four nights, causing floods in western Liaoning that had not been seen in a century.

The terrain in western Liaoning is low-lying, and the rain caused flash floods, rivers overflowed, and embankments burst.

According to statistics from the Fengtian Flood Emergency Relief Association, in less than ten days, more than 45 victims were flooded, and more than 600 people were drowned.In the fields washed by the torrential rain, major crops such as sorghum and grain beans failed to be harvested.

To make matters worse, after the flood, tens of thousands of acres of fertile land were covered by thick sand and could not be cultivated for a few years, leaving the victims with little means of survival.

The heavy rain also washed away the railway tracks, and the Beijing-Fengfang Railway was broken. Many senior Fengfang officials were stranded in other places and could not come back to preside over the disaster relief work.

Just before the rainstorm started, Fengjiu had to bring Yaya back to Fengjiu to celebrate his father's 67th birthday - Ning Zheng couldn't just go back casually, as soon as he moved now, dozens of representatives from both sides behind him followed suit. Can't stand it.

Originally, Fengjiu wanted to return to Beidaihe immediately after celebrating his father's birthday, but who would have thought of "retaining guests on rainy days", of course Fengjiu is not a guest, but at this time he is in Fengtian and can preside over the overall situation. She's alone.

Therefore, after discussing with Ning Zheng on the phone, Feng Jiu decided to stay at home. The husband called the heads of various agencies, business and financial circles, and celebrities to set up the "Liaoxi Flood Disaster Association Relief Association". Fengtian's Ning Cheng was the general director, Zhu Xiuqing, Zou Xigu, etc. were the officers, drafted the brochures, set up general affairs, communication, and clerical departments, and hired 11 people including Wu Youquan and Lin Yanlai as executive officers.

To attract so many people to join the association, of course, there is a consideration of "more people are more powerful, and more people are easier to work".

As the initiator of the Relief Association, Feng Jiu took the lead in expressing a donation of [-], and undertook all the expenses of the organization.

In addition to supervising and directing the routine disaster relief work of government staff, Fengjiu began to use various means to raise funds. The active and extensive publicity activities of the "Cooperative Relief Association" made the general public fully understand the disastrous consequences of the flood, so they began to donate money and materials spontaneously to help the victims.

After Feng Jiu was busy with the establishment of the association, she thought again. At the end of last year, she went to Nanjing once with Ning Zheng, and Mrs. Jiang invited her to her mother's house—that is, the famous "Three Song Sisters" "The Song family.

Mrs. Song liked Feng Jiu very much when she saw the elegant, young and beautiful Feng Jiu. After all, Feng Jiu was embarrassed, so she had to make an exception and recognized Mrs. Song as her godmother.

Mrs. Jiang also became Feng Jiu's god-sister. By the way, Mrs. Jiang's eldest sister - the wife of Mr. Kong, the Minister of Finance who is known as China's number one God of Wealth, and her second sister - the widow of Mr. Sun, the father of the country, also have a good impression of her As a result, Fengjiu's popularity in the country has further expanded.During that trip to Nanjing, I really made friends with many powerful wives.

Feng Jiu wondered, these wives are capable and influential, can we also try to ask them to help donate money?So she began to send electricity to various places to beg for money.

The rich and powerful wives from all over the country received calls from Mrs. Ning in the three eastern provinces, so naturally they could not be neglected, and they generously donated to the Liaoxi Flood Disaster Relief Association: In addition to Mrs. Jiang, Mrs. Kong and Mrs. Sun, there were also Mrs. He Cheng, Mrs. Sun Ke, and Liang Weijun. Madam...all donated a lot of money for disaster relief.

Not only that, she didn't even tell Ning Zheng, she took a bumpy car all the way to Liaoxi on her own initiative, and when there was no way to go, she simply changed her mount—riding a donkey to inspect the disaster situation in the villages below .

This act greatly affected the people in the three northeastern provinces. When Lin Yanlai's "Northern Times" published a photo of Feng Jiu in plain clothes standing next to a donkey and holding the hand of an old lady who was a disaster victim, countless people were moved. Yes, the number of donations once again ushered in a peak.

Feng Jiu came back from Liaoxi, remembered the inspiration he received on the way, and decided to hold a national treasure exhibition: Shuaifu has always had no shortage of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing calligraphy and paintings representing the highest level of ancient culture, plus the many Kesi works in his collection, to hold a complete category. Cultural exhibitions should not be difficult.Firstly, people in Fengtian can appreciate these rare and excellent works, and secondly, they can use tickets to provide disaster relief, which kills two birds with one stone.

After a few days of careful planning, Feng Jiuxuan organized the "Ning's Family Collection of Song, Ming and Qing Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition and Ming and Qing Kesi Exhibition" in his alma mater - the basketball hall of Tongze Girls' High School.

This disaster relief exhibition was a sensation before it was held: there were few museums in China at that time, and all the calligraphy and paintings of celebrities were basically private collections. To have such an opportunity to see so many cultural treasures at one time—even though ordinary tickets One yuan, the price of [-] cents for student and military tickets is not low-but seeing the posters saying that there are "Wang Daling She Nei Tie" collected by Commander Ning, Teng Changyou's "Picture of Flowers, Butterflies, Birds and Fish" and Song engraved "Mencius", Only these three rare and rare treasures have attracted people of insight to be excited.

As soon as the disaster relief exhibition was launched, it attracted thousands of people every day and caused a sensation. It can be said that it was an unprecedented event during the Republic of China, so the expected goal of "selling [-] tickets and raising [-] gold" was quickly achieved.

After hearing that many people didn't see enough, Feng Jiu started to change exhibitions every day, making sure to let the audience see more fine paintings and calligraphy.

Later, Fengjiu learned that not only western Liaoning had been flooded, but according to statistics, a total of [-] provinces in Jianghuai were affected.Feng Jiu already had rich experience in raising funds for disaster relief in western Liaoning, so he simply modified the previous measures and promoted them to the whole country, and the rich and powerful wives all over the country followed suit.

Feng Jiu also planned to invite famous troupes to perform in Tianjin nearby, and donate the ticket money to several provinces for disaster relief.

Those who agreed to perform were all top famous Peking opera actors in China, including Mei Lanfang, Yang Xiaolou, and Yu Shuyan. The return of love is also a main reason.

In fact, when Feng Jiu first started preparing for the performance, it was not smooth: after she called Mr. Mei and was rejected, she told Ning Zheng with the idea of ​​giving it a try, and Ning Zheng, who was entangled in Beidaihe and couldn't get out, immediately called Mr. Mei. .

Contrary to his previous stance, Mr. Mei happily accepted the invitation, and assured him that he would make appointments with a few more colleagues.From this, Feng Jiu realized how wide and diverse her husband's social circle was.

Because Yangmei and Yangmei seldom cooperated, a large number of people from Beijing and Jinmen were attracted to watch the performance, and the ticket price quickly reached ten thousand gold.

As for Fengjiu's initiatives such as holding entertainment fairs and dancing parties, and issuing lottery tickets with the words "Jianghuai Disaster Relief Association hosted by Ningtang Fengjiu", with a face value of one yuan, and a total of [-] tickets issued, there are countless.

Ning Hongsi, who was far away in Tsinghua University, couldn't help laughing when his fellow Fengtian classmates talked about Mrs. Ning's actions in disaster relief activities in an admiring tone-he had worked with Feng Jiu for two years in middle school and planned two The various activities jointly organized by the school, still don't know the endless and strange ideas in her head?

This time, his smile was finally relieved.

Ning Zheng, who lives in Beidaihe, more than 400 kilometers away from Fengtian, listens to reports from his subordinates every day. There is no end in sight.

But there are more important things on his side: neutrality cannot last long, and one has to choose sides after all.

After several rounds of consultations with representatives of both parties and gathering the opinions of the main generals of the Ning army, and even though there were many disagreements with Jiang's behavior, he always regarded the Nanjing government as the orthodox in his heart. On September 19th, on behalf of Fengfang, he issued a "Reconciliation and Power-on", although he did not explicitly state it, but one of the sentences, "Everything I wear should wait for the central government to deal with it", has already shown Fengfang's support for the Nanjing government.

The "September [-]th" electrification shocked the whole country. Mr. Jiang was ecstatic, and Yan Feng lamented that the situation was over.

After that, Ning Zheng personally led [-] Northeast troops to go out to help, and took back Pingjin and Hebei from the Jin army in just ten days.

On November [-]th, as Feng Huanzhang and Yan Baichuan went to the field one after another, the Central Plains War ended with a complete victory for the Nanjing Nationalist Government.

Ning Zheng looked at the two telegrams, but what he was thinking about was the night before he just returned to Fengtian from Beidaihe but was about to set off again. The two were lying on the bed hugging each other. With sorrow, "Do I have to go in person?"

Ning Zheng pinched two fingers and stretched her delicate brows, jokingly said: "Why, don't you want me to go?" But he was quite pleasantly surprised in his heart, this was really the first time, Feng Jiu expressed his gratitude to him for leaving Reluctant.

With rippling eyes, Feng Jiu lowered his head and stabbed him into his arms without saying a word, but wrapped his arms around him even tighter.

"Okay, okay, I'm going to be a mother now..."

Ning Zheng was about to stretch out his hand to gently stroke her long hair, when he suddenly felt a tingle in his chest, Fengjiu was angry that he was laughing at himself, so he nibbled on one side of his cornel.

Ning Zheng was caught off guard, couldn't help feeling numb all over his body, and couldn't help moaning, "You little monster, your courage is getting bigger and bigger..."

Suddenly remembered something, he forcefully raised her chin, "Look at you now, you're busy all day and it's all Ya Ya's business, do you still have time to talk to me?" Occasionally during the day, he is free, even if he wants to be intimate with his wife, Feng Jiu will only take him to play with Ya Ya, of course he also wants to accompany his daughter, and enjoys the time when the family of three play, but, occasionally Yes, he still wanted to be alone with her.

Feng Jiuzao saw that Ning Zheng would be jealous of his daughter from time to time, but he didn't expect to be able to say it out loud, so he couldn't help laughing, "It's so embarrassing for you to compete with your daughter for favor."

Ning Zheng had nothing to be embarrassed about, and bowed his head to kiss her, "If you have to fight, you have to fight, 'Children who can make trouble have milk'." Speaking of this, he still didn't forget to change his mouth maliciously, kissing to a better place , said vaguely: "This business trip is long, I just took the opportunity to see if the little villain can know if she misses her father... If you are still breastfeeding, what will you do without me?"

Feng Jiu was thinking about how domineering Ya Ya's father actually called leading troops to the battlefield as a "business trip", and said unsteadily, "Don't you have milk pumps? But, it's not as easy to use as you..." Feng Jiu While riding a donkey alone to the west of Liaoning for disaster relief, he suffered from mastitis twice because he was anxious and got angry.

There was a smug chuckle, and the night wind blew through the trees in the courtyard, and there was a non-stop "crawling" sound, which was also mixed with intermittent whispers between husband and wife, interweaving a beautiful autumn night picture.

(End of this chapter)