Chapter Forty-Five

  Within a week after "December 9", the party closely united the large number of activists emerging from various schools, and many patriotic young people also rushed to the battlefield of national liberation. As a result, the party's strength and the people's strength suddenly expanded and developed rapidly. In order to continue to expand the results of "December 9", in order to mobilize more masses to rush to the righteous patriotic road, in order to oppose the establishment of the Ji-Cha Political Committee that betrayed North China, on the evening of December 15, the person in charge of the party's *** led a group of people to open a room at the Chang'an Hotel, played a game of mahjong, and then all plans were made. It was decided that on the next day - December 16, the day when the pseudo "Ji-Cha Political Affairs Committee" was officially established, another call would be made to the city's middle and primary schools to come together again in an even larger scale.

  Dào Jìng was woken up by Xú Huī in the middle of the night. Xú Huī told her about the plan for the next day, and handed over all the work at Běi Dà to Dào Jìng, then hurried off to another school.

  Dào Jìng worked busily through the night. She, Hóu Ruì and other party members as well as activists divided up the tasks among themselves and managed to secretly mobilize a group of Beida students within three or four hours to participate in the next day's - or rather that morning's - *; at the same time they also arranged for the propaganda team, the inspection team, the 'communications' team etc.

  The sky was about to brighten, and all the complicated and urgent work had been basically completed. Dao Jing fell onto Zhang Lianrui's bed in the girls' dormitory, just wanting to rest for a bit, when she suddenly started coughing violently and her heart racing. After resting for a while, she felt a little better, and there were already songs and slogans on the streets. She jumped up from the bed, hastily drank two mouthfuls of cold water, and set off immediately.

  Work is heavy and arduous, although it has basically been prepared, but Dao Jing still feels uneasy in her heart. She quickly ran to the east chamber to find Hou Rui, and after finally understanding the entire arrangement, she felt slightly relieved, and began to rush towards the west chamber as a *** crowd to gather.

  "On December 16th, all middle and high school students in Beiping organized four large teams. Three were inside the city, one outside. The first team was led by Northeast University; the second team was led by China University; the third team was led by Beijing University; the team outside the city was led by Tsinghua University. The plan and route were: each school would depart at 7 am, gather separately at Tianqiao, then proceed from Tianqiao to Zhengyang Gate, head east through Dongdan to Waijiaobu Street, and finally hold a protest rally in front of the Chahar Political Council building - the place where the 'Hebei-Chahar Political Council' was established."

  The weather is still early, the morning glow has not yet emerged, but there are already small groups of people rushing to and fro on the streets. The loud singing voices also float into the cold air at this time, calling out to the fighting crowds.

  Dao Jing was walking along, when she ran into Li Huaiying at the corner of the Horse God Temple. Today she was dressed simply, her high-heeled leather shoes and leather coat were gone, a blue cotton padded jacket set off her snow-white and rosy face, making her look even more slender and elegant. As soon as they met, she grabbed Dao Jing's hand excitedly and whispered in her ear: "Lin Daojing! Today I'm going to be an ordinary warrior, no longer just letting them whip others! Hey, where's Wang Xiaoyan? Have you seen her? What's wrong, your face is so pale?"

  "Want to be an ordinary warrior? Okay!" Dao Jing didn't respond to her last question, smiling and nodding in response. "Xiao Yan has gone to the East Chamber. Are you going to the West Chamber too? Let's go together." After that, they ran towards the West Chamber together.

  Guns outwards, advance in step!

  …………

  We are an iron team, we are an iron heart.

  Maintain the Chinese nation, forever be free men!

  …………

  The singing voice drifts in the cold wind on a clear morning.

  Students from all over Peking University rushed to the Western Building of the Temple of Heaven. The singing voices also shook everywhere with a heroic yet slightly melancholic tone.

  The singing voice awakened the citizens who were still asleep, and the streets gradually surged with sleepy crowds. "What's going on? The students are being patriotic again? Good for them!"

  At 7 o'clock, some students from Peking University gathered at the West Lodge, holding a large flag and preparing to set off. Suddenly, armed military police who had been lying in ambush - gray and black people - rushed up with a loud shout, surrounding them like a storm. "Go back! All go back! Do you want ***?..." Under the intimidating voices and flashing bayonets, the students were surrounded by the encirclement of the military police, and then the two large flags of Peking University were also torn to pieces.

  "Hurrah! Hurrah!" A furious cry burst forth in the cold, indifferent winter sky. Lin Daojing led the crowd in shouting.

  "Charge! Charge bravely!" Over a hundred students formed a human iron wall and began to furiously charge at the surrounding military police.

  Police with guns and whips beat students and block their way.

  Outnumbered and outflanked, the students tried to break through the encirclement but couldn't. What to do? Time was up, how could they get to Tianqiao to assemble?...

  At this critical moment, the reinforcements arrived - a group of students who had gathered in the East Dormitory rushed over. The large team outside coordinated with the surrounded students inside, and the two forces simultaneously exerted their strength to charge forward fiercely. The surrounded students finally broke out in an instant. Immediately, the cheers and slogans scared the soldiers and police holding shining bayonets and glittering big guns, leaving them stunned and helpless. Then, the victorious students of Beida formed a neat team, four abreast, and set off.

  "December 16th" saw more students from Peking University participating in the movement than on "December 9th". Although after "December 9th", Song Zheyuan forbade newspapers in Peiping to report student movements; although they dispatched large numbers of military police to brutally surround each school; and strictly blockaded them for six or seven days, yet through the baptism of blood on "December 9th" and the timely and powerful propaganda and educational work by the Party, people came to recognize the ugly face of the rulers. As a result, young people quickly took action, and Peking University students achieved almost total mobilization after just a few hours of preparation and mobilization.

  After the students from the East and West dormitories gathered, Dao Jing was the first to see Deng Yunxuan, a fourth-year student in the Chinese Department. He was the oldest in the class and also the most diligent. Although he did not participate in the "December 9th" movement, he came today as well. He wore a gray cotton gown, a black monkey hat, and held onto his deeply nearsighted glasses with one hand, while tightly grasping the arm of a classmate beside him with the other, as if afraid of falling over. As he walked hastily, he suddenly turned around and saw Lin Daojing behind him, and immediately nodded repeatedly in surprise and delight, saying: "You're here too? Good! Good! Good! ... Please give me more guidance!"

  "How about it? Not too nervous?" Dao Jing asked with a smile, poking her head out.

  Deng Yunxuan solemnly waved his hand and shouted, "No, no, no! I've already expected it! I've long expected it!" As he spoke, he found himself two steps behind, and hastily stretched out his hand to Dao Jing, awkwardly craning his neck to catch up.

  The Peking University *** contingent had just reached the east side of Jing Mountain when it suddenly stopped. A small group of soldiers and police on the side of the road were setting up a water cannon, preparing to spray water at the advancing crowd.

  "Take down the water dragon!" Dao Jing shouted again at the head, and then bravely charged towards the water dragon.

  "Don't let him get away with it!" Hou Rui also shouted while chasing.

  Hou Rui, Han Linfu, Liu Li, Wu Yuping and Dao Jing several comrades mixed in the crowd shouting towards the military police to rush forward - snatch the water dragon.

  Comrades led by party members charged forward bravely with activists towards the water dragon.

  The classmates who were 'infuriated' also rushed towards the group of black crows like a raging fire. Those holding the water dragon saw that things were not going well, and without saying another word, they were scared off and threw down the water dragon before turning to run. The water dragon was easily snatched up by the classmates. At this time, Wang Xiaoyan and Li Shaotong, Zhang Lianrui arrived with two brand new Beijing University flags that had just been made. A wave of frenzied cheers replaced the angry slogans.

  "Peking University students! Victory is ours!"

  At this time, Dao Jing's heart felt an unprecedented joy. She stood in the crowd, her pale and thin face flushed with happiness. The tasks assigned to her by the Party were all completed one by one according to plan. Is there anything more blissful than this for a Party member?...

  However, things didn't go as smoothly as expected. From Jing Shan East Street to Tianqiao General Assembly Point, the distance wasn't far, but today's journey was getting more and more difficult with each step. The military police monitoring and blocking the students' advance were increasing in number, and the reactionary rulers had deployed armed police everywhere. Although there was no gunfire anywhere, water cannons and various fire extinguishers were lined up along the roadside. Dao Jing, Hou Rui, Liu Li, Han Linfu, Wu Yuping, and many other male and female classmates mixed together, snatching water cannons, smashing fire extinguishers, and engaging in fierce battles with the military police who were blocking and beating them. Dao Jing, Xiao Yan, Li Huaiying, and others were knocked to the ground multiple times, their hair disheveled, faces bruised, and noses bleeding, but like many other classmates who had been beaten down, they immediately got back up again, disregarding everything and continuing to charge forward.

  Professor Wang started by pulling his wife along with him in the procession, but later, his throat became hoarse and he was so excited that his body trembled with weakness, gradually falling behind. Mrs. Wang, on the other hand, supported him. Whenever there was a tense conflict, he would rush forward like a young man, but his students would block him and put him in a safe place. People's hearts were filled with high respect for this old professor, supporting him like stars surrounding the moon as he walked step by step with difficulty on that cold winter day.

  Professor Wang Hongbin was walking when he suddenly heard someone calling him: "Old Wang! Professor Wang Hongbin!"

  The voice was familiar, but who was it? He shook his head and looked around in all directions, but couldn't find the person calling him. In the end, it was Mrs. Wang next to him who pointed and said: "Look, isn't that Old Wu?"

  Professor Wang stood on tiptoe, scanning the chaotic crowd with his eyes - and finally spotted Professor Wu Fanjiu in a group passing by him. His bright, watermelon-like bald head shone brightly among the young people's black hair. At the same time, Professor Wang also saw several white-haired heads beside him. No problem, these were also professors. Because their hats had been blown off, they all stood with bare heads in the biting cold wind.

  The old professor's heart suddenly stirred with excitement. He turned his head, gazing at his wife with burning eyes and exclaimed, "Xiu! Look!..." He pointed to the white-haired heads, wanting to say something, but before he could speak, he pointed again at a group of people fighting with soldiers and police in the distance, shouting in surprise, "Xiu! Look! Those are workers! See, they... workers have joined this procession too!" As he waved his arms and shouted with joy, a long leather whip suddenly swept through the crowd surrounding him, brutally striking his head. The professor was furious. Without looking back at the source of the whip, he continued to wave his fist, holding his injured and dignified head high, shouting loudly to the workers, "Worker brothers! Welcome! All Chinese people unite!"

  "Workers' brothers unite!" As Professor Wang's hoarse shout echoed, countless young people also shouted... At this moment, Professor Wang's face changed from anger and indignation to a childlike brightness and gentleness. Look! What did he see? He saw the beaten workers and students, breaking through the enemy's swords and whips, tightly holding hands and embracing each other. His eyes were moist. He held Mrs. Wang's hand and took two quick steps forward, panting: "United! The whole of China will unite against the enemy like this."

  In the procession, it was almost all intellectuals at first - among the tens of thousands of people, students accounted for more than 90%, and the rest were a small number of teachers. However, with the enthusiastic shouting of the crowd, with the snowflake-like flyers flying in the sky, and with the brutal slaughterers' big knives and whips, this pure procession gradually changed. Workers, vendors, civil servants, rickshaw drivers, journalists, young housewives, and even retired soldiers, at some point, also poured into the procession one after another. They took over the flags handed to them by students, like soldiers going to the front line, forgetting their personal safety, and resolutely joined hands with the students.

  In the team of Beida, Dao Jing supported his weak body and walked unsteadily.

  At this time, in the constantly dispersing Northern University team, some people had already lost contact, Wang Xiaoyan and Li Huaiying were nowhere to be found. The liaison team was busy contacting, the inspection team was busy rectifying the team. So before long, the scattered teams were reorganized into neat rows. Although people moved very slowly, they were still advancing, advancing.

  When the Northern University team arrived at the front gate of the General Post Office, Lin Daojing, who was walking in the crowd, suddenly turned red with anger, bit his lip tightly and rushed towards a side as if he wanted to rush somewhere.

  "What's wrong with you?" The classmate who sat next to her asked in surprise.

  "No, nothing. Let's go!" Dao Jing calmed down a bit, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he continued on his way.

  It turned out to be the case: Dao Jing was walking on the left side of the road. When their team passed in front of the 'gate' of the post office and moved forward, a man standing on the high steps of the post office suddenly shocked her nerves. She clearly saw that it was Yu Yongze! He was standing leisurely on the steps with a well-dressed man next to him, pointing and discussing something. When Dao Jing's cold eyes met those bright small eyes, she saw that he was admiring this*** procession, admiring her swollen face and the fresh blood flowing out of her nose. So she got 'furious'! She was so angry that she almost wanted to jump over and scold him, but she quickly calmed down, replacing everything with contempt and hatred.

  After the big team passed through the front "gate" of the big fence, they met with teams from Northeast University, Beiping University, Normal University and Hongda Middle School. When they cheered and merged together to head south, not far away, they encountered teams from Qinghua and Yanjing who climbed over the city walls and ran into the city from the west gate. The students' enthusiastic cheers even moved some of the soldiers and police standing by to supervise them to put down their knives and guns. A young soldier quietly walked up to Professor Wang's side, suddenly saluted him, and said in a low voice: "We are also Chinese... orders from above, nothing we can do..." As he spoke, he wiped away tears from the corner of his eyes with his sleeve, then reluctantly turned and walked away.

  At the Tianqiao gathering point, there were about 20,000 students from various schools, forming a large and orderly procession that marched towards the densely packed crowds along the road, opening the first citizens' assembly, after which this merged force of students and citizens began to march into the city.

  But the massive crowd, when they arrived at the front gate Wupai Building, the iron gate had been tightly closed, and a burst of piercing gunfire cut through the cold air, whizzing loudly over the heads of the crowd.

  "Don't be afraid! Don't move!" Hou Rui and Dao Jing quickly received the command from the headquarters of the 'Jiao' Tong team. The order spread like electricity to every core, every group of people. And so, a crowd of tens of thousands stood still in the sound of gunfire, like a giant mountain standing upright under the winter sunset. No one moved, no one ran. People just clenched their fists and glared at the bullets flying over their heads. What was stirring in everyone's heart was not fear, but even greater anger...

  Apart from the sound of gunfire, there was no other noise. In this unusually quiet moment, a stunning scene appeared before Dao Jing's eyes like a miracle: a tall young man with an iron-like complexion suddenly appeared on top of the stopped tram outside the front door. This person was Jiang Hua. It had been several days since his news was heard, and this injured person suddenly appeared in this place? Dao Jing saw him, and his heart jumped with excitement. At this time, he stood up in front of all the blocked young students, in front of thousands of citizens who were not panicked by the sound of gunfire, raised his head, forgot about the bullets still whizzing past his ears, and stood on top of the high tram, loudly speaking to the surrounding citizens and students: "Dear fellow students! All compatriots who do not want to be slaves...!" Jiang Hua's voice, like a bronze bell, resonated through the cold front square. The hungry people who had not drunk a drop of water for a day forgot their hunger, forgot the cold, forgot the military police who were densely packed around them, and all listened to this responsible person's speech with bated breath, tiptoeing and tilting their ears.

  "Our gathering has no other purpose, we just want to express our true selves! Now some people say that the North China Autonomous Movement is based on the so-called will of the people, this is completely a rumor fabricated by the Japanese and Han traitors! It's deception! It's a ghostly trick with ulterior motives!"

  A burst of thunderous applause and cheers completely drowned out the intermittent gunfire.

  The vast masses of city dwellers, several times more numerous than the students, suddenly erupted like boiling water and burst into a frenzy of shouting: "Down with Japanese imperialism!..."

  "Down with Han traitors!..."

  The shouting had stopped, and the sound of gunfire grew fierce again. At this time, Jiang Hua was nowhere to be seen on the streetcar. A wave of worry suddenly pressed onto Daojing's heart, "How is he? Was he captured? Or was he injured again?" However, in the intense and tense struggle, everything personal seemed so small and insignificant. Daojing's concern for Jiang Hua flashed across his mind and then passed, as he joined with the thousands and millions of people to shout out the voice of the entire Chinese nation even more fervently: "Down with Japanese imperialism!"

  "Chinese people arise and save China!"

  "Against the autonomous movement of dividing territory!"

  "Oppose civil war that endangers national survival!"

  "Arise, slaves, and fight for your freedom!"

  ……

  Dao Jing's throat was hoarse, the throats of millions of young people were hoarse. Dust, tears and blood 'mixed' condensed on their faces. Not far ahead, Dao Jing saw Professor Wang Hongbin and his wife again. The old professor's glasses had been smashed, his thick cotton-padded jacket had also been torn to shreds, and the face covered with dust was stained with blood. But he still stood at the front of the crowd with his wife, supporting each other tightly and proudly.

  "On one side was the sacred work, on the other was debauchery and shame." These words suddenly echoed in Dao Jing's heart. At this moment, before her eyes - amidst the throngs of people - appeared Lu Jia-chuan, Lin Hong, Liu Dajie, "Aunt", Zhao Yu-qing, and Jiang Hua's face, which had just flashed by like a shooting star; then, for some reason, Hu Meng-an's wolf-like face, Dai Yu's puffy yellow face, and Yu Yong-ze's shining small eyes also flashed before her. The surging crowds, the distant sound of gunfire, the flowing blood, the stirring songs... all appeared before her at once, like a turbulent sea. Due to her weak body, excessive excitement, and fatigue, she suddenly felt dizzy and almost fell over. But a female student next to her tightly hugged her. Although they didn't know each other, they held each other tightly.

  The closed city gate could not stop the brave and fearless young warriors, they were like assault troops, line after line, team after team, in the howling cold wind, just like in the fierce war drums, began a tenacious attack on the enemy. The city gate was finally broken by the ocean of people - the enemy had to open the city gate in front of the furious crowd. Then the mighty and majestic troops continued to advance.

  "Down with Japanese imperialism!"

  "Men and women, organize! Arm yourselves! Chinese people, rise up and save China!"

  Endless streams of people, bright and eye-catching flags, hoarse yet majestic slogans, continue to churn on the streets and in the skies of the ancient capital, robust footsteps also continue to advance relentlessly — advancing relentlessly...