The Rash Intruder

  The area around Xiaonanmen has many teahouses and inns, and the main customers of these teahouses are students or people related to students. At that time, young people were not fond of bars but rather fond of teahouses. Bars moved their bodies, while teahouses moved their minds; it's hard to say who was more brilliant. In an era without bars and discos, teahouses were the most important places for young people to exchange ideas and promote emotions. This place not only produced talented men and women but also became the best venue for various organizations to find targets, develop members, and publicize their views. Guangzhou was a revolutionary center with a strong atmosphere of revolution; almost every day there were revolutionary activities, and famous people gave speeches from time to time. Teahouses naturally became the best places for young people to express their opinions and discuss current events, and their remarks inevitably fell under the eyes of various "talent scouts".

  Apart from a group of fellow Zhejiang natives, Hu Zongnan also brought along several examinees who came from Hunan on the same boat. After signing up, everyone seemed somewhat excited, and soon after sitting down, the conversation turned to revolution and the Whampoa Military Academy. Everyone was very enthusiastic and engaged, except for Zhuang Jihua.

  Zhuang Jihua spoke very little, he began to absorb the "lessons" and did not dare to say much, fearing that he would reveal the "heavenly secrets". He only occasionally inserted a few sentences that were neither painful nor itchy. Among these people, he valued Yu Jizhi and He Zonghan from Hunan the most, there was no other reason, just because he had heard of these two men in later generations, while others left no impression, they should be nameless.

  He Xiangnan had the appearance of a white-faced scholar, forming a sharp contrast with the short and dark Hu Zongnan; Yu Jishi was dignified in appearance but slightly regrettable for having hare lips, however when speaking and handling matters he was very direct, not hiding his likes and dislikes at all.

  Zhuang Jihua paid more attention to these two people for another reason. Including Hu Zongnan, others were all out of admiration and enthusiasm for Sun Yat-sen's students to take the exam in Huangpu, but they didn't have any clear views on revolution. However, these two people were obviously different, especially He Zhenhuan, who not only had a good understanding of the Three Principles of the People but also of communism. When Hu Zongnan said he had been to Moscow, Zhuang Jihua was even more surprised. He Zhenhuan actually paid attention to this new classmate as well because Zhuang Jihua's words were few but all hit the point. Others might not have noticed anything, but He Zhenhuan did. Only those present didn't know about Zhuang Jihua's background, and Hu Zongnan only knew that he was a fellow townsman who took the exam in Huangpu.

  Jian saw Zhuang Jihua's surprise, and He Zonghan felt a little satisfaction in his heart, so he said with a smile: "That was when I went to Moscow as a representative of Wuhan students to attend the National Liberation Organization Conference." At that time, because Mr. Sun Yat-sen advocated for alliance with Russia and toleration of communism, the Soviet Union openly supported the Guangzhou Revolutionary Government, so the Soviet Union had a great market in Guangzhou, and the people were full of curiosity and admiration for the Soviet Union, and experiences of going to the Soviet Union could often be used to show off.

  He Zhonghan then talked about the leaders he had met in the Soviet Union, and what surprised Zhuang Jihua even more was that He Zhonghan actually held Trotsky in high esteem, believing him to be a passionate and knowledgeable leader.

  Zhuang Jihua interrupted and asked: "I wonder if Brother He has met Stalin?"

  He Zhenhuan was taken aback, to be sure that at that time Stalin was the general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union but his reputation was not so great, the Comintern was mainly led by people like Zinoviev and Bukharin, and Trotsky's influence was also very great.

  "He spoke once at the meeting, but he was quite dull and uninspiring, far from Trotsky's passionate and stirring speeches." He Zhenhan said, turning to another topic: "Now many people talk about learning from Russia, but I think the Russian-style revolution cannot be replicated in China." He paused here, looking around at everyone, seeing that most people were puzzled, except for Zhuang Jihua who nodded in agreement.

  "Why? Didn't even Mr. Sun Yat-sen advocate learning from the Russian Revolution?" someone asked.

  "I spent seven months investigating in Russia, the Russian-style revolution caused massive destruction, people's lives were extremely poor, including Moscow, many large cities in Russia were short of food, and lacked fuel for heating in winter. This is related to the excessive violence of the Russian-style revolution. The Russian government carried out a purge of factory owners, landlords, and rich peasants with the purpose of killing, which destroyed social production. The cost of such a revolution is too high." He Zhonghan said seriously, then deliberately glanced at Zhuang Jihua, making him feel inexplicably strange.

  Yu Jizi immediately responded: "He brother, in my opinion, the Russian-style revolution has made workers and peasants masters of their own homes, which is unprecedented in world history. Since the Communist Party of Russia came to power, it successfully broke free from imperialist control. If we want to break free from imperialist aggression, the Russian path is worth learning from."

  "Right," Hu Zongnan interjected, "the failure of the Hundred Days' Reform and the success of Japan's Meiji Restoration allowed it to quickly catch up with Western powers. Countless revolutionary pioneers went to Japan to study, laying the foundation for the formation of the Tongmenghui, which ultimately led to the success of the Xinhai Revolution in overthrowing the Qing government and establishing the Republic."

  If he hadn't heard it with his own ears, Zhuang Jihua wouldn't have dared to believe it. If he didn't know the final outcome, how could he look at these people now and not think they were all supporters of the Communist Party? He couldn't help but stare at Hu Zongnan. Hu Zongnan saw him staring and was a bit puzzled, thinking there was something on his face, and couldn't help but touch his own face, but didn't find anything. With some displeasure, he asked: "Brother Zhuang, what's your view? Tell us."

  When he met Hu Zongnan, Zhuang Jihua was a bit embarrassed and also found it difficult to say anything. If he spoke, he would probably leak the "heavenly secret", but if he didn't speak, it seemed like he couldn't get past it either. He gritted his teeth and said vaguely: "I haven't been to Russia, but I believe what Comrade He said must be true. As for whether we should take the Russian revolutionary road, I think we need to see if the Russian revolution is in line with China's actual situation before we can determine it."

  "Otherwise, the Russian-style revolution is a proletarian revolution. The proletarian revolution applies to all countries, why can't China follow the path of the Russian-style revolution?" At this time, two people came in from outside, one of whom heard his words and looked very dissatisfied, speaking loudly while walking quickly towards him. Another person hastily pulled him back, smiling and bowing to everyone: "Sorry, sorry, I'm Jiang Xianyun, this is my friend Li Zhilong, he's just hot-tempered, please forgive us."

  "Jiang Xianyun! You're Jiang Xianyun!", He Zonghan was the first to react, "I heard your name when I was in Hunan, but never had the chance to meet you. I didn't expect to see you here. Zhao Hengyi was wanted in Hunan, but I didn't know you'd already escaped to Guangzhou." Jiang Xianyun smiled and said, "My name is He Zonghan, from Yueyang, Hunan." Jiang Fusheng, who came with He Zonghan, was also very excited. Hu Zongnan and Yu Jishi had also heard of this person, and Hu Zongnan quietly introduced him to Zhuang Jihua.

  "He is a well-known Communist, having organized strikes in Anyuan and Changning, Hunan. Zhao Hengti, the Hunan warlord, is now searching for him, but unexpectedly he has also come to Guangzhou."

  After hearing Hu Zongnan's words, Zhuang Jihua's heart skipped a beat. He didn't know what the Changning strike was about, but he did know about the Anyuan coal mine strike, which was Mao's debut. Anyone who had worked in Anyuan must have had a connection with Mao. His own history wasn't good, but that didn't matter; as long as he had a connection with Mao, he would definitely be treated seriously from now on.

  There is no such person in history books because Zong Jihua only read brief histories. Those who have some knowledge of the Whampoa Military Academy know that the first of the three heroes of Whampoa is Jiang Xianyun, both Mao and Chiang considered him a proud disciple, this alone shows his excellence.

  Li Zhilong behind him knew that when he was in school, he had even memorized the Zhongshan Warship Incident and still hadn't returned it to the teacher.

  Zhuang Jihua was about to make friends with the two celebrities, but then Jiang Xianyun said: "You are He Zonghan. I have read your article 'The Truth of the Huang Pang Case', it is really sharp and hits the weakness of Zhao Hengti's warlord government, it is a rare good article." Jiang Xianyun sighed again, "With that Director Zhao's temperament, you must have suffered a lot."

  He Xiangning was overjoyed when he heard this, and suddenly felt a sense of camaraderie. At first, he had taken great risks to write this article, causing a huge stir in society and infuriating the Hunan warlord, almost dying in prison. His family had begged for help from all sides before he was finally released on bail. Thinking of these things, his eyes flashed with hatred, and he snorted contemptuously: "A warlord like Zhao Hengti should have been overthrown long ago. If such warlords are not overthrown, China has no hope."

  "Right, only by overthrowing the warlords does China have hope. Learning from Russia and following the path of the Russian Revolution is the only way to save China. I don't know why this classmate says the Russian Revolution doesn't suit China?" Li Zhi Long, with his robust build and loud voice, strode directly towards Zhuang Ji Hua.