However, it wasn't long before everyone realized that something was wrong. News from Northeast China indicated that the Japanese had completely ignored the League of Nations' resolution and continued their military actions in Liaoning and Jilin provinces. One city after another in Northeast China fell to the Japanese army. Meanwhile, ordinary Chinese people were still waiting patiently for further explanations from the National Government. As time passed, a large number of students who had fled from Northeast China arrived, bringing with them firsthand information about the situation there. Students at Zhejiang University finally learned many things that had not been publicly disclosed by the authorities. When they found out that the Northeastern Army had hardly put up any resistance against the Japanese invasion and that some soldiers had even surrendered and become traitors, they were shocked and outraged. They couldn't help but ask themselves: Why didn't the Northeastern Army resist? Why didn't they fulfill their duty to defend their homes and country? What made students at Zhejiang University feel frustrated was that the destination of the fleeing students from Northeast China was not Ningbo, because compared with Shanghai or Nanjing, Ningbo's stage was too small in every aspect. Only a few students stayed behind to continue telling people what had happened in Northeast China, while most of them went to Shanghai, where they would tell their personal experiences to the citizens of this international metropolis.
This greatly hurt the self-esteem of Zhejiang University students, who decided to prove themselves through practical actions. Thus, a large-scale anti-Japanese demonstration began to take shape under the joint secret organization and coordination of Liu Kaifeng, Zhang Zihuan, Tang Wanyue, Xiao Yajie, and Li Hailan. The demonstration was scheduled for October 10th, the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China. It was at this time that the four women's organization emerged. As weak women, they took on all organizational work, and under their call, many Zhejiang University students who had been wavering also firmly stood up and decided to support the demonstration. To prepare for the upcoming Double Tenth Festival demonstration, students temporarily stopped all campus gatherings and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to organizing the demonstration, making slogans and flyers, designing routes, and contacting the business community.
On October 8, Japanese planes bombed Jinzhou. The news quickly spread to Zhejiang University, intensifying the students' hatred for Japan, but in preparation for the march the next day, the students suppressed their indignation and did not express it. In this way, a temporary calm relieved the school authorities. After all, student demonstrations were not a good thing for public universities, as they directly affected the future of university presidents and deans.
October 10, 1931 was the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China, so the school had a few days off before and after October 10. However, almost all students did not leave the school. The school authorities did not take it seriously because they thought that the students were preparing for the celebration activities of National Day, which was also a big day. Seeing the busy but calm students, the school authorities even felt very relieved. Anyway, the students being away from political turmoil was good news for the school.
Under the calm surface, Double Tenth Day finally arrived. When people woke up one night to find that the East Wu Garden was filled with slogans such as "Down with Japanese imperialism", "Severely punish non-resistant soldiers" and "Return my rivers and mountains", it was already too late for the school to react. The students had long since taken the slogans and leaflets, carrying giant banners with "Return my rivers and mountains" to participate in the National Day parade.
The procession quickly merged with the citizens and business community, students scattered to the crowd distributing flyers and small flags, soon, with the help of the union, most people in the procession had received flyers or small flags. Although many ordinary people were illiterate, after the patient explanation by the students, and the workers had previously received education from the union, everyone quickly understood that what was written on them was all about supporting the Northeast's resistance against Japan and protesting against the Japanese, although they still couldn't recognize the characters, but they already had an understanding of the ugliness of Little Japan, so when the students led the chanting of slogans, the crowd followed suit, and the momentum quickly rose.
Under the leadership of students and workers, the procession temporarily changed its route and rushed to the city hall. When the procession arrived at the gate of the city hall, the police who had hastily arrived were already blocking their way. Seeing that the banner reading "Zhejiang University Students' Anti-Japanese Petition Team" was at the forefront, the police were all stunned, and the police who had originally planned to take out their batons and beat people up could only put them away again, forming a human wall to block the students.
After all, most police officers are locals, and there are many students from Ningbo's prestigious families at Zhejiang University. Without clear instructions from above, no one dared to confront these students and risk losing their rice bowl or even being unable to make a living in Ningbo afterwards. However, the police also didn't dare let the students rush in, as this was the city hall after all, and if anything went wrong, it would be a matter of losing their heads! So, a peaceful "confrontation" unfolded in front of the city hall gate. The thin students couldn't break through the police cordon, but the police also didn't dare use force or disperse them, which made the usually loud and aggressive police feel quite helpless.
Liu Kaifeng, as the organizer and leader of this march, was at the forefront of the procession. He walked right up to a police officer and said, "Tell your superiors that we want to see the mayor! We're presenting our petition!" The police officer looked at Liu's bright clothes and serious expression, and his heart skipped a beat. Judging from their attire and tone, the officer didn't dare underestimate them - who knew if they were some rich family's young masters? So the officer nodded repeatedly and turned to head towards the city hall, just as he was about to enter the gate, he ran into the police chief who had just rushed over, still panting.
The police chief immediately reported to the mayor that the students wanted to see him and submit a petition. When he heard that if he hadn't arrived in time, this idiot would have really asked the mayor to come out and lecture the students, the police chief suddenly burst into a loud scolding: "Damn it! You stupid moron! They said they wanted to see the mayor and you dared to ask the mayor to come out? Are you brain-dead or something?! Do you dare say there aren't any **elements among these people?! Do you dare guarantee that if the mayor comes out, they won't take advantage of the situation and cause some kind of trouble?! Damn it, if something happens, are you responsible?! How many brains do you have?!" As he spoke, the police chief kicked the deputy police chief!
The helpless police captain turned around and secretly glanced at the students in front of the team, although he didn't believe that those spoiled young masters and ladies from Zhejiang University would be communists, but since the director mentioned the matter of his head, he naturally didn't dare to be careless. Offending the young master is a small matter, but his head, although it's still on his shoulders now, if something really happens to the mayor as the director said, he's afraid his head will have to be placed elsewhere.
The police chief saw the police supervisor not listening seriously to the training, and kicked him again. The police supervisor was caught off guard, and his ankle took two consecutive kicks, causing excruciating pain, but he didn't dare to get angry or speak up. Only then did the police chief smile in satisfaction at the police supervisor's attitude.
The students and police continued to confront each other, while the police chief looked at his own police officers and couldn't help but become self-indulgent. Gradually, in his imagination, the police chief almost became a pillar of the Republic of China that was about to collapse! Just as the police chief was feeling proud and satisfied, he suddenly saw Luo Huijian, the secretary of the Ningbo Municipal Party Committee of the Kuomintang and the first mayor of Ningbo, appearing at the gate of the city hall. The police chief hurriedly went forward to greet him. (Luo Huijian was the first mayor of Ningbo during the Nationalist period, and Ningbo became a city in 1927.)
Before he even approached Luo Hui's side, the police chief smiled obsequiously and said: "Mayor, why have you come out? Hurry up and go in, it's dangerous here, I'm afraid there are hidden **elements! But don't worry, we have our police department people here, they wouldn't dare to be presumptuous!"
