Chapter Fifty-Four

  After dinner, I was reading the situation report sent by the Military Control Commission of various places in Sichuan Province in my office. Chas came in and reported: "Comrade leader, people from the Revolutionary Committee have arrived."

  I instructed them to let them stay in the guest house and go to the office we arranged for him tomorrow.

  "Yes."

  After Chas went out, I thought to myself: They've finally arrived. At this time the phone rang, and after answering it, I knew it was Dyer calling me to say that the Revolutionary Committee's people had arrived. I said I already knew, and told him to pay close attention. Now I'm very satisfied with Dyer's work ability, it seems that on the day when the Interior Ministry troops were formed, he should have gone to offer his congratulations.

  Wang Qiufu had just finished dinner at the reception office and was about to go out of the main gate to meet Tang Ning when two guards standing at the door blocked him with their rifles. Wang Qiufu was taken aback, shouting loudly: "What are you doing? I am from the Revolutionary Committee, what is this?" As he spoke, he looked around and saw that more than a dozen soldiers had appeared near the main gate, guarding and patrolling. The guard who blocked him glared at him and said: "Following orders from above, we have been ordered to protect you."

  Wang Qifu knew something was wrong as soon as he heard it, but still said: "What's the point of protecting you like this? This is restricting freedom."

  "What's all the shouting about?" A loud shout came from a distance, and Wang Qi's husband looked up to see an officer walking towards him, his face sternly saying: "What are you shouting about? What's there to shout about?" After that, he asked the soldier: "What's going on?"

  The warrior replied: "Company Commander, he wanted to go out and was stopped by us two."

  Lian Chang then turned to Wang Qi and said: "We have received orders from above, as the current situation here is unstable and chaotic. In order to protect the comrades of the Revolutionary Committee from harm, you are all prohibited from going out."

  Wang Qifu angrily said: "This is house arrest, I want to find your Commander Tang."

  Lian Chang retorted: "Who are you? Can our commander be seen just because you want to see him?"

  "Wang Qifu shouted: 'I am Wang Qifu, Director of the Revolutionary Committee of Xizang Province.'"

  Lian Chang said: "I don't care about your husband or director, without orders from superiors, you are not allowed to go out."

  Wang Qifu said: "You!..."

  At this time, a group of soldiers walked over. Wang Qifu didn't speak and looked at them. As they approached, he saw an officer in his forties walk over. He only saw the company commander go up to salute and say: "Deputy Commander Xing."

  Xing, the deputy commander of the army, grunted and looked at Wang Qifu, saying: "Who is this?"

  Wang Qifu said: "I am Wang Qifu, director of the newly arrived Xizang Province Revolutionary Committee. Who are you?"

  "I am Xing Kaiyuan, Deputy Commander of the 7th Army."

  "Wang Qifu asked: 'Is this how you people protect us?'"

  Xing Deputy Commander laughed and said: "Haha, Director Wang, you should know that we are also doing this with good intentions!"

  Wang Qifu sneered: "Thank you for your kindness, I think we don't need your special protection."

  Xing Deputy General glanced at him and said, "We haven't reached the point where you can give orders yet." Then, with a murderous tone, he continued, "Besides, the resistance forces in Xizhou are very fierce now. Who knows, after they find out about you, they might come and kill you all in the middle of the night, and reward each of you with a peanut?"

  Wang Qifu thought for a moment before saying: "Then I want to see Commander Tang now."

  "Commander is resting now, see him tomorrow," said Deputy Commander Xing.

  Wang Qifu said: "You, good! Good ah!" His teeth chattered with a hissing sound.

  Xing Deputy Commander said: "In order to prevent you from misunderstanding and to better coordinate with our work, hand over your weapons and radios."

  Wang Qifu said: "I will tell you, I will tell you."

  Xing Deputy Commander said: "Opinions can be raised and kept! You take Director Wang away for a rest."

  Two soldiers immediately carried him away, and Wang Qifu shouted: "You'll regret doing this!"

  Xing Deputy General sneered: "I'm not yet at the point where I need you to remind me." He then ordered: "Get in and search, if there's resistance, shoot on the spot."

  "Yes." A group of soldiers rushed into the gate of the reception room, and soon heard a burst of miserable cries from inside. 20 minutes later, the soldiers had put all the collected weapons and radios on the car, and Deputy General Xing said: "Go, you guard company look tight for me."

  "Yes."

  Wang Qifu saw the comrades who came together with a look of alternating pale and purple complexions, and sighed helplessly. At this time, Mo Zicong shouted: "TMD, is there no king's law here?" Wang Qifu looked at this young man in his twenties who was said to have some background, with a bit of disdain, thinking: You guys usually do things that follow the rules and laws, but as soon as you see someone else in trouble, you try your best to dump the chamber pot on them. Now that you've tasted the flavor, how can you think of the king's law? He said aloud: "You don't need to shout anymore, now we're looking at their faces, we should protect ourselves first."

  Mo Zicong said discontentedly: "I'll go back tomorrow, I don't believe that the higher-ups will know about it and not deal with them!"

  "Go back? How can you go back? Have you gone mad? As soon as you step out, you'll get shot. You don't even use your brain, idiot! Foolish pig!" He looked around again, shook his head and went back to his own room, leaving the others exchanging glances with each other.

  Wang Qifu returned to his room, thinking about what to do next. He deeply understood Tang Ning's meaning and thought back to everything that had just happened. He knew that whether he could survive depended on how well he cooperated with Tang Ning. He thought about how the organization had arranged for him to come over this time, clearly sacrificing him to test whether Tang Ning was obedient or not. He also thought about his own hard work and struggles over the years. With a determined heart, he said to himself: "Since you're treating me like this, I won't stand on Tang Ning's side? 'If one doesn't take care of oneself, heaven and earth will be destroyed.'" After saying that, he began thinking about how to cooperate with Tang Ning's work and make him feel at ease.

  "Haha." I burst out laughing together with Old Xing after hearing his report. I said, "Old Xing, not bad, looks like you're an old hand at this now."

  Lao Xing said: "Of course, before I joined the revolution, I was a bandit, the leader of a gang of robbers. Kidnapping and threatening people were just routine for me!"

  I joked and said: "Unexpectedly, our old Xing is a great talent, a big talent."

  "Of course."

  After joking for a while, Old Xing asked: "What's next?"

  I said: "Let's see what Wang Qi thinks tomorrow? Can he see things clearly?"

  Lao Xing listened and slowly said: "What if he doesn't?"

  I said with a murderous tone: "In order to prevent Xizang from being destroyed by these people, there's only one way... Kill!"

  Lao Xing sighed and said: "I didn't expect that we would end up like this too."

  I was just about to speak when I heard Old Xiang say, "Since I left the investigation team, I have come to understand the cruelty of political struggle. I know everything. Isn't it true that if you don't provoke others, they won't come after you? You are my army commander and my commander-in-chief; I have no reason not to listen to you."

  I said: "Old Xing."

  Old Xing said: "I know your character, Commander. You were so grieved by Old Pan's sacrifice that I knew you're a sentimental man, a patriotic and party-loving man. Following you is the right choice!" After finishing speaking, Old Xing stood up and said: "I'm leaving, Commander. I'll tell you, our 7th Army will follow you." He finished speaking, turned around and left. I don't know what my mood is now, but I feel very heavy and oppressed, until I fell asleep in a daze.