Rise From Eight Hundred

Chapter 80 Under the Sky of China (Part 2)

 According to later official records.

In just two hours after the donation point was set up, people in the concession donated 300,000 French currency, 200,000 silver dollars, more than 53,000 copper yuan, 30,000 pieces of clothing, and more than 1,000 pieces of bread. .

Fat currency and Yin Yang were mainly pledged by Chinese plutocrats located in the concessions. There were also some Western embassy officials and family members who were sympathetic to China like reporter Edward, as well as some businessmen who had been doing business in China for many years.

Although they are not Chinese, they have lived in this land for several years and have become friends with many local Chinese people.

Over the past few months, they have seen the tragic situation of countless Chinese refugees starving to death on the streets, and they are deeply disgusted by the suffering caused to civilians by the war.

However, most of the copper coins and clothes that were small change came from the civilians living in the concession, and they were the few possessions they could afford.

After all, this is not the first time that donations have been raised. The hundreds of thousands of refugees who have poured into the concession have no means of living and cannot find jobs. Relying on a few charitable organizations to distribute porridge and water relief is only a drop in the bucket.

More than a thousand noodles are the lowest value among this round of donations, but they made Tantai Mingyue burst into tears when she went for the interview.

She wrote this in the battlefield diary she carried with her on the street in the sunset:

“During this day, I experienced too many emotions.

 I was moved by the tenacious fighting of the warehouse defenders. They were bathed in Japanese pirate artillery fire and repelled the enemy's attacks time and time again. They created brilliant victories. They are the most heroic group of people in this era.

 Perhaps not every one of their names is well known to us, but I know that they are destined to become the light, the light that can still illuminate our way forward in the darkness for our Chinese people.

I was also moved by the people on the south bank of the Suzhou River. They risked being involved in the war and stood on the edge of hell, cheering for victory. They were still fighting.

I was also moved by the two ladies who played the drums and sang for our soldiers. It was their fearlessness in facing the bullets that the Japanese invaders might shoot at any time, and they dispelled people's panic.

 The war is in full swing, the drums are beating like thunder, the dancing is like flowers, and the singing is soaring into the sky. It is really the most beautiful picture Ming Yue has ever seen in her life.

Ming Yue asked Ying to stay alone in Songhu, thinking that her temperament was quite strong, but the above had made Ming Yue shed tears on her clothes, but they were not the ones who made Ming Yue burst into tears and couldn't control herself.

At the donation point, I saw the wealthy people who came to donate money with their money boxes. The bright moon bowed from afar to thank our soldiers. I saw the citizens carrying large and small bags of clothes, and I also thanked them. I also took out some money that I had saved for I don’t know how long. Children with pocket money. Please forgive me for not being able to write down their names one by one, because there are too many.

But when I saw an old lady with gray hair and shabby clothes, she put a piece of bread at the donation point with some shame, then turned around and left, it was really difficult for Mingyue to stay calm.

Her face was haggard, and Mingyue could not tell her age at all, but the only thing Mingyue could be sure of was that she was not from the concession who had no worries about food and clothing. She should be one of the hundreds of thousands of people who had taken refuge in the concession in March.

　That piece of dough had already been cold and hard, at least a day or two old. It must have been the food she refused to eat even when she was hungry.

　　It can be imagined that in ordinary days, she is a good housewife who manages the house. Even in extremely difficult days, she will leave the last hope for herself and her family.

 However, at this time, she put out her own hope or that of the whole family.

 I am extremely sad and sad about why my people are suffering so much, but I am also extremely proud and proud of my people for facing the disaster together.

 This is my country, my tribe. Although it is suffering now, I am extremely convinced at this moment that we will win this defense war. ”    Of course, what Tantai Mingyue saw at this time was just the tip of the iceberg.

There are not just one loaf of bread, but as many as a thousand loaves, which means that thousands of refugees donated their last possessions. For this reason, they may be hungry for two or three days and may not even be able to survive the next free food distribution.

 But they still chose to do it.

　　For no other reason than that, the soldiers did not even risk their lives. They were afraid of starvation. At worst, they risked their lives.

 In addition to charitable organizations with official background taking action, several organizations with great influence in Songhu are also taking action.

 It’s just that they are more targeted. The donations they target are the defenders in the warehouse.

 Food and medicine are the focus of their preparations. It is not difficult to obtain such materials during wartime with their methods. The most difficult thing is how to contact the defenders in the warehouse and send them in.

This is only in the concession on the edge of the battlefield, and the eyes of the outside world are actually beginning to focus here.

Major Chinese newspapers have frequently reported on the small battlefield of Sihang Warehouse. The Central Daily News even published an article titled "One Inch of Mountains and Rivers, One Inch of Blood" personally named by a certain boss, calling on passionate young people across the country to join the army. , went to the national disaster together.

 Thousands of miles away in the west, the "News Chronicle" of the Empire where the sun never sets also published an article saying: The achievements of the Chinese army in resisting the Japanese army in Shanghai are actually one of the most heroic pages in any country's historical records!

The "Asahi Shimbun" on the main island of Japan rarely exaggerated the Songhu War on this day. It only introduced the day's war by saying that the Imperial Army had occupied the entire territory of Songhu and was about to send troops directly to the southeast of China.

 At this battle during the day on October 27, China was inspired, Japan was frustrated, and the West was surprised. I don’t know how many pairs of eyes were focused on this battlefield with a radius of less than one square kilometer.

 But for the defenders of Sihang Warehouse, they could not think so much because they needed to deal with the next wave of Japanese attacks.

The Japanese suspended their offensive in the afternoon, but it does not mean that they have stopped. The night may be more difficult than the day.

As night fell, the people gathered on the south bank of the Suzhou River refused to leave for a long time. It was not until it was completely dark that the tens of thousands of people who poured in here gradually dispersed, leaving only about a thousand people at the corners of the buildings. In the alley.

The only field radio in the building actually received a message from outside the division headquarters. The content of the telegram made the Army Lieutenant Colonel think for a long time and finally chose to believe it, because the password was newly set before coming to Sihang Warehouse, and no one outside the theater headquarters could get it. You know, even if the Japanese army wanted to crack it, it would not be possible in just one day.

The reason why the Army Lieutenant Colonel chose to believe it was not only the high level of confidentiality, but also the famous name in Songhu. Not only was he capable of doing what he said, but he was also the one who had the right to do what he said in Songhu five years ago. He also did this during the war.

Of course, the real reason why the Army Lieutenant Colonel was willing to take the risk and make this choice is that if the Sihang Warehouse wants to be defended for a longer period of time, it can not only rely on the bravery of officers and soldiers who are not afraid of sacrifice, but also needs help from the outside world.

 The warehouse needs more medicine, ammunition and food, and two seriously injured people are also in urgent need of medical treatment.

It’s just that the Japanese troops outside the warehouse are definitely watching. It’s easy to get in touch, but it’s extremely difficult to get substantive contact.

However, the night is very long, and the surface of the Suzhou River is only a few dozen meters, not very wide.

 (End of this chapter)