20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 757 A young boy who is just a classmate

Two hours ago, Fengtian Provincial Girls’ Middle School.

The afternoon sun shines into the classroom, and floating dust slowly floats in the air.

Jiang Ya sat by the window, holding her chin with one hand, her eyes empty, her mind had already flown away to who knows where.

It wasn't just her, the whole classroom seemed lifeless and everyone seemed a little absent-minded.

The old gentleman on the podium was wearing a long gown and round glasses. He was said to be a foreign-educated man. He held an English grammar in his hand and muttered nouns, verbs, adverbs, attributives, adverbials and the like like chanting a mantra. His voice was so soft as to make one feel sleepy, as if he was talking to himself.

Jiang Ya yawned and looked out the window unconsciously.

Recently, the Municipal Administration has implemented strict control over all schools. The cheerful atmosphere on campus has long since disappeared. Only a few sparrows were left on the playground, still jumping around. Suddenly, they flew away in fright, and Jiang Ya's eyes lit up.

The old man was very observant and cleared his throat immediately.

"Student Jiang Ya, please answer this question... Jiang Ya? Jiang Ya!"

"what?"

Jiang Ya came back to her senses and was about to explain, but was interrupted by the old man in a harsh voice.

"Studying requires concentration. How can you succeed if you are so distracted?"

"No, teacher..."

"Nowadays, the world is more open-minded and women can go to school. You should cherish the opportunity to study. You should know how many women in the past could not..."

"teacher!"

Jiang Ya suddenly opened her voice, pointed out the window and said, "There are students on the playground!"

The old gentleman was stunned, and quickly put his glasses on his brow, walked quickly to the window, and looked towards the playground along with the other students.

In order to prevent students from gathering, the school had already suspended all physical education classes. There should be no people on the playground, but in the current situation, students from nearly three classes clearly rushed out from outside and were running towards the school gate.

Immediately afterwards, there was another commotion in the corridor outside the door.

The old man frowned and walked slowly back to the podium, saying several times: "It's broken, it's broken..."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a "bang" and the door suddenly opened, and three senior female students walked into the classroom.

Everyone quickly looked away and watched the three female seniors confronting the old gentleman with bright eyes.

The leading girl glanced at the blackboard and said coldly, "Teacher Yu, we think there are more important things to talk about now than attributives and adverbials. Please give up the podium."

The old man closed the book, shook his head, and said: "The classroom is a place to impart knowledge. We should stay away from current politics and don't talk about state affairs. Only by calming down can we do well in learning."

"If you don't have enough awareness, no matter how much you learn, you will only go astray!"

"How can you be enlightened without ever experiencing the world?"

"At a time when the nation is facing its own fate and when it comes to the great issues of right and wrong, as a teacher, you don't support your students and are still here relying on your seniority?"

The female student refuted on the spot, and the classmates behind her simply jumped out, pointed at the old man and asked: "Yu Donghui, do you want to be a running dog of imperialism and warlords?"

The old man was not in a hurry. He put away his books, picked up the hat on the table, waved his hand and said, "I just don't want to see you wasting your time on these useless things. That's all. It's up to you!"

After he finished speaking, he left the podium, walked to the window, and stood with his hands behind his back.

Three female students walked up to the podium and immediately delivered a short and powerful mobilization speech.

"Dear students, the Shanghai tragedy has lasted for eleven days. The British and Japanese empires have not apologized. Now most provinces and regions have sent telegrams to Shanghai to express their condolences, but Fengtian is the only one that has been reluctant to take action..."

Everyone listened attentively, and their hearts became more and more agitated as they felt angry.

Jiang Ya simply took the lead in putting away her schoolbags. Before the speech was over, the classmates were already getting excited.

Finally, the leading female senior waved her hand and announced: "Today, all the schools in the city are petitioning together. Our Provincial Girls' High School cannot fall behind. Follow us to the Municipal Office!"

As soon as his words were spoken, the sound of tables and chairs colliding could be heard all around.

But in a moment, everyone rushed out of the classroom.

Jiang Ya was very excited. She quickly put on her messenger bag and followed the crowd. She turned around and waved to two of her good friends, shouting, "Hurry up, hurry up, or you'll be late!"

At this time, all the students in the school had gathered in the playground.

Hundreds of people rushed towards the gate with all their might, the senior students bravely moved forward, and the junior students cheered.

Lao Chai outside the door was panicked. He quickly lined up with his gun at hand, pushed the crowd, and tried to stop the students from rushing out of the campus.

Another group of rioters were scattered on both sides of the gate, frequently raising their batons and beating students who tried to squeeze out from the crowd.

A shrill police whistle sounded, and Lao Chai was calling for reinforcements.

Jiang Ya fell behind the crowd, extremely anxious. She jumped up and looked outside the door, but she couldn't see the situation clearly. She could only hear Lao Chai's threats and the shouts of her classmates, so she wanted to scramble to squeeze through.

Her good friend grabbed her and asked in surprise, "Jiang Ya, where are you going?"

"I'll go help!"

"There are senior students ahead, what are you going to do?"

"They can't get out, do you want to go back to class?"

The good friend shook his head, but was a little timid, and pointed outside the door and advised: "Don't be stupid, what if they shoot?"

Jiang Ya waved his hand nonchalantly, but said: "Don't worry, there are so many people, they dare not shoot!"

"I don't think so. You'd better not go there."

"What are you afraid of? Why don't you just follow me? Come on, let's go ahead and take a look!"

Jiang Ya loves to join in the fun, so after saying this, she quietly squeezed into the crowd.

Lao Chai outside the door pushed and shoved the crowd with his baton, shouting, "Back off! Back off!"

After all, the school was full of female students. Although they had an absolute advantage in numbers, they were still in a stalemate for a long time under the threat of force from the officers and were unable to break through the defense line.

The first effort is strong, the second is weak and the third is exhausted.

Seeing the students' momentum gradually declining, Lao Chai finally showed a smug look on his face.

However, at this critical moment, a loud shout was heard not far away: "Everyone, go help the girls' middle school!"

The old men were startled and turned around to look, only to see twenty or thirty young men suddenly jumping out from the street, holding sticks and rushing towards them - they were strong guys from Fengtian Sports School!
This situation and this scene are good to be compared.

That side is the "monk temple" and this side is the "nunnery".

Although it cannot be said to be a case of dry wood meeting raging fire, it is also the time when youth is budding, and it can definitely be called a strong combination.

As soon as the female students clapped their hands, the boys rushed forward with all their might and arrived in the blink of an eye.

The group of old men were originally in a stalemate with the female students, but were suddenly attacked from the side and were unable to resist. The entire formation was immediately dispersed by the crowd.

As soon as the flaw appeared, students immediately filed out like a flood that broke through a dam, and it was impossible to resist.

Before Jiang Ya had time to see the situation clearly, she was pushed out of the campus by her classmates behind her.

As if they had just won a battle, the crowd couldn't wait to shout slogans and hand out leaflets to pedestrians on both sides of the road.

"Publish the truth about the Shanghai case, overthrow British and Japanese imperialism, recover sovereignty, and avenge our national humiliation!"

Everyone was shouting, so Jiang Ya started shouting too.

As the students gradually left, the calls for national salvation were soon echoed by other schools.

Seeing this, Lao Chai at the school gate was so angry that he beat his chest and stamped his feet. The two patrol leaders directly cursed: "Good-for-nothings, a bunch of good-for-nothings! Damn things, you can't even beat the students, what's the use of you? Where are the guns in your hands? They are guns! Not fucking ticklers!"

Everyone was a little embarrassed: "Captain... this, this is hard to do!"

"You are too soft-hearted! If you don't have this much courage, how can you be a good official in the future?" "Why don't you do it?"

"Damn it, is it your turn to shoot me?" The patrol leader waved his hand, "What are you still standing there for? Are you waiting for me to shoot? Go back to the station and report the situation!"

The office did not give a strict order, and no one dared to take the blame if they opened fire, so they could only watch the students walk away.

The petition team that Jiang Ya was in set out from the school and headed towards the inner city.

We passed many shops along the way. Some of them closed their doors to avoid the public, while others set up two square tables outside the door, filled with teapots and teacups, as well as some fruits and snacks, with a sign next to them - tea and snacks are free, students can help themselves.

When we reached Dadongguan, students from three or five schools gathered there.

The team of thousands of people was so powerful that the officials did not dare to step forward to stop them.

Moreover, there were many officials who supported the students, but they were reluctant to say so because of their jobs.

After nearly half an hour, the team finally arrived at the Municipal Government Office.

There were even more students outside the building, and it was crowded with people, with no end in sight.

Northeastern University, Fengtian Medical University, Provincial Normal School, Manchuria Medical University, Tongwen Commercial School, South Manchuria Middle School, Wenhui Middle School, Wenhua Middle School... Except for primary schools, almost all schools in the provincial capital participated in the petition.

The crowd at the rally continued to grow, with students leading merchants and residents from the provincial capital to gather there.

War drums thundered, and huge white banners slowly drifted among the crowd like sails crossing the sea.

Hundreds of students studying at Toyo School made public statements, severing ties with the school and announcing their withdrawal.

In front of the building, someone had set up a high podium, and several student representatives were reading aloud the "Tearful Letter to the Fellow Countrymen in the Three Northeastern Provinces."

The provincial capital's gendarmerie and patrol brigade were fully armed and guarding the main gate to prevent the public from trying to break into the government office building.

Jiang Ya and several other senior schoolmates took a long time to get to the podium and shouted along with the others: "Wake up our compatriots and fight to the death!"

A moment later, a civil servant walked out of the building, stood on the steps with a smile on his face, raised his hands and tried to comfort everyone.

"Classmates, classmates——"

The crowd quieted down a little.

The man smiled and said, "The Office has understood your request, but we still need to discuss it. How about this, you go back first, and we will send someone to give you a reply tomorrow?"

"Stop lying!" the boy on the stage said, "Where's Wang Tiekan? Ask him to come out and answer the questions!"

"Mr. Wang has official business to attend to, so it's not convenient for him to meet with students for the time being..."

"What's the inconvenience?" the girl next to the boy questioned, "We just asked the office to send a telegram to express condolences on the Shanghai case. Whether it is possible or not, give an immediate reply. So many people are waiting for him, why doesn't he see them?"

"It's not that I don't want to see you, it's just that it's not convenient right now. You guys go back first, and we can talk in private tomorrow, okay?"

"Bullshit, we want an answer now!"

"Yes, we need an answer now!" The students responded in unison, "Fight for sovereignty abroad and punish traitors at home! Wake up our compatriots and avenge our national humiliation!"

The official saw the crowd was furious and immediately flinched. He asked his attendants, "Why hasn't Yan Yuheng come yet?"

"No, I don't know. Maybe he was delayed on the way?"

"Yan Yuheng is the general secretary of the Youth Association and has the most prestige among the students. How can I talk to him if he doesn't come?" The official turned around and walked back, saying, "Guard the door. Wait for Yan Yuheng to come, and then call me downstairs!"

He wanted to slip away, but the students wouldn't let him.

"Stop! Go and catch him, don't let him run away!"

Immediately after that, dozens of students rushed up the stairs, frightening the officer so much that his legs went weak and he almost crawled back into the building.

The petitioning team in the distance had no idea what was going on. They only saw some students rushing towards the building. Thinking they were trying to break through, they hurriedly pushed forward, roaring and shoving.

In an instant, the crowd at the scene seemed to be rising and falling, surging and surging. Every ripple pushed a dozen students towards the steps. Whether they were willing or not, they had formed a posture of breaking through.

The officer was terrified, pointing at the students and shouting, "Military police guard the gate, patrol officers go down to arrest people, quickly arrest those ringleaders!"

Before he could finish his words, he turned around and ran up the stairs.

The military police immediately closed the gate and shouted with guns drawn: "Back off! Back off! Don't push us, or we'll shoot if you take another step forward!"

However, once the crowd started, it was difficult to stop it, and more and more students were pushed over.

The gendarmerie cursed a few words, then raised their guns and pulled the trigger towards the crowd.

"boom!"

"boom!"

After the two gunshots, everyone hurriedly fled in all directions, shouting in panic: "Murder! Murder!"

Pushing, scrambling, trampling, howling...

The petition site suddenly became chaotic.

Upon seeing this, the other old men immediately grabbed their batons, waved them left and right, and rushed into the crowd to capture the instigator.

Several students quickly jumped off the podium and fled desperately to avoid being chased by the police.

Jiang Ya was young and light, and she was surrounded by college and high school students. When the scene became chaotic, she seemed to have no control over her own actions. When others went east, she stumbled eastward; when others went west, she stumbled westward. She could only follow the crowd and bump into walls everywhere.

Gradually, my eyes became confused and I didn't know where to go.

I suddenly felt something heavy in my arms, and when I looked down, I found it was a thread-bound book.

"Put it in your schoolbag quickly!" a strange sister said to her, "You are young, they won't check you! Send it to the Youth Association when you have time!"

"Hey, don't give it to me!"

When Jiang Ya looked up again, the man had disappeared. She looked for him for a few times but to no avail. She panicked and quickly dropped her book and ran away.

Unfortunately, before she could run a few steps, a big hand clamped her shoulder tightly and twisted her body.

"Is this your book?"

The man who caught her, Lao Chai, was in his thirties, with a hideous face, cold and a hint of viciousness.

Jiang Ya's face turned pale, and she shook her head desperately, saying, "It's not mine."

"Snapped!"

Lao Chai scolded him harshly, "You little slave, I saw you holding this book with my own eyes just now, how dare you lie?"

This was the first time Jiang Ya was beaten, but she did not cry. Although tears welled up in her eyes, they never fell.

She suddenly stopped arguing, just straightened her neck and looked at the other person silently.

"Hey, you dare to glare at me?" Lao Chai raised his arm, "Do you believe I can beat your mouth to pieces?"

Just as he was about to take action, a voice suddenly came from not far away: "Chen Rui, what are you doing? Why are you so angry with a little girl? If you catch her, handcuff her and send her over here. Come and help!"

"Coming!"

Chen Rui handcuffed Jiang Ya and escorted her over. He waved the book in his hand in front of his brothers, looking quite proud: "See, buddy, I got a big job today!"

"Stop bragging!" Everyone called out to the other brothers, "Come on, take these guys back first!"

Not far away, more than a dozen students had been arrested, both male and female, from different schools.

Chen Rui brought Jiang Ya over, tied them together with ropes, and then had another team of old men escort them to the prison.

An older student saw that she was too young and whispered to her, "Don't be afraid, little sister. We will win."

Jiang Ya didn't say anything. Before she left, she just looked at Lao Chai who had grabbed her a few more times. After she was far away and sure that she was out of his sight, she wiped her tears with her sleeves. She still felt pain and grievance...

(End of this chapter)