Reborn Bao Guowei, I really didn’t want to be a great writer!

Chapter 521: Even though I am in a low position, I still worry about my country? The red blood on the yellow land!

Bao Guowei brought limited tents, so the charity troupe did not stay overnight at the villagers' temporary residence.

Of course, on the other hand, the safety of many women in the group is also taken into consideration.

The others stayed in the car for the night.

Bao Guowei gathered several drivers who could drive, and they took turns driving towards Xinghua County overnight.

No one had any objection to such a hasty schedule, and Hong Shen even expressed his emotion.

"I don't know what's going on in Xinghua County."

Bao Guowei nodded: "I hope we can see a different situation over there."

The journey was not that difficult. Xinghua County was low-lying, which meant that the former Wujia Village was on a hillside, and the rest of the road was basically flat.

The only thing you need to pay attention to is the numerous lakes and mudflats around.

Compared to the neglected Wujia Village, important counties and cities like Xinghua County still received attention from the national government.

Many lakes have been surrounded by mud and sand dams to prevent them from bursting, which temporarily alleviates the risk of bursting even in heavy rains.

Following the official road, the convoy finally arrived outside Xinghua County late at night.

During the Republic of China period, many county towns already had low city walls, which were mainly used to prevent invasions by robbers and bandits.

So the convoy simply found an open space to stop and rest, and then sent someone to Xinghua County to report at dawn.

Early in the morning, Bao Guowei got up early and asked the gatekeeper to inform the county magistrate. He followed Mei Lanfang and Hong Shen to the top of the Xinghua County Tower to observe the disaster relief situation in the county.

Originally, when one was outside the city, the disaster did not seem that serious. Bao Guowei even suspected that the county had deliberately exaggerated the disaster in order to provide assistance.

But after following Hong Shen and the other two up to the city wall, they discovered that the situation was far more complicated than what they saw from the outside.

"All the low-lying areas in the south of the city were flooded. It seems that it occupies almost half of the entire county. Xinghua County is a large county. It seems that 400,000 people were affected by the disaster. It is true."

While looking at the situation in the county town, Hong Shen sighed, his words filled with sadness.

Four hundred thousand people were affected by the disaster. How many more were displaced, missing, or even lost their lives?
Mei Lanfang said: "The disaster relief situation is good, much better than we originally thought."

He pointed to the other half of the county.

Everyone looked in the direction he pointed, and saw that a number of shacks had been built on a piece of high ground, as well as some special donation points.

It seems that this is an effort made by the national government.

Bao Guowei shook his head and said, "So much money has been donated by all walks of life. Xinghua County is still under the feet of the emperor, so it is only right to do this."

Their purpose of coming here this time was to investigate the disaster relief situation on behalf of all sectors of society and to play a supervisory role.

Charity performances must be held, but supervision is more important.

The situation in Wujia Village is the most important proof.

Bao Guowei called Xu Zhimo and asked him to write a report with detailed information, and then send it to major newspapers in Shanghai for publication in real time so that people from all walks of life could see the specific situation in the disaster area.

This was also one of the plans before the Hua Xia Ji Min Hui came.

Xu Zhimo had previously said that he came here to teach, but in the end Bao Guowei still left the task of writing the report to him.

Xu Zhimo was a good poet, but he also worked as a journalist and was quite professional in writing reports.

As soon as the three men came down from the city wall, the county magistrate Zhu Ziwen came hurriedly to greet them.

This was a middle-aged scholar wearing a long gown. He had very fair skin and it was obvious that he had never suffered any hardship in his daily life. He came from a wealthy family.

The government was full of nepotism. Before the disaster, Xinghua was considered a wealthy place in the Jianghuai region. It must have taken a lot of effort to become a "local emperor" in this wealthy place not far from Nanjing.

I don’t know if it was because he was afraid of Bao Guowei, but Zhu Ziwen seemed very obedient. He bent over and bowed while speaking.

"Meet Mr. Bingwen, Mr. Qianzhai, and Mr. Wanhua."

Zhu Ziwen had already inquired about the three people in front of him. Although they did not hold any positions, they were important figures that Zhu Ziwen knew on a daily basis, and he did not dare to offend any of them.

When the three "imperial envoys" came, Zhu Ziwen naturally had to treat them well.

Knowing that the charity performance group camped outside the city last night, Zhu Ziwen immediately frowned and said, "Why didn't you send someone into the city to inform us so that I could arrange for you to rest at the county post station."

Zhu Ziwen was still a little surprised. In his opinion, these actors and stars, who usually lived a life of luxury, could actually come to the disaster area to express their condolences.

He even found it a little hard to understand why these people had to come down to experience "suffering" instead of having a good life?
Are you bored because you have nothing better to do?

Or is it just for show?

In the opinion of an old hand like Zhu Ziwen, the reason is more inclined to the latter.

So, he continued with great enthusiasm.

"The posthouse in Xinghua County has not been affected. If I had known you were coming, I would have prepared the rooms.

Gentlemen, you have worked hard on the journey. The county has prepared breakfast. You can have a rest after dinner and perform for the people in the evening. There is still time!"

Zhu Ziwen was still very much looking forward to it, whether it was the female stars Hu Die and Ruan Lingyu, or the famous actor Mei Lanfang, these were all big stars that he couldn't see on weekdays!
In Shanghai, if you want to meet these stars, you don’t know how much money it will cost. Now you can watch them for free, how can you not be excited.

But Bao Guowei's next words almost choked Zhu Ziwen to death.

"The post station in the county? Wasn't Xinghua County severely affected by the disaster? Why is the post station still empty? We are staying at the post station, so where are the victims staying?"

"This"

Caught off guard, Zhu Ziwen's face instantly turned red and he cursed wildly in his heart.

Damn it, aren't you guys here for a charity performance? Why do you sound like you're here to monitor?
He stumbled over his explanation, "There are so many disaster victims. How can we make the same arrangements for the common people as for you gentlemen?"

Chu Huiseng stayed in Shanghai during this period, assisting various sectors of society in fundraising and coordinating communication between social organizations and the national government.

Chu Huiseng had a good reputation as an official, so compared to those notorious officials in the national government, people from all walks of life trusted him.

Because of Bao Guowei's relationship, he often went to the office of the Hua Xia Ji Min Hui.

"Chang Kaishen gave me full responsibility for disaster relief work in the Jianghuai region."

Inside the office, Chu Huiseng dragged his tired body and talked to Lin Yutang who was sitting opposite him.

Lin Yutang was a little surprised: "Sir, aren't you in charge of the civil affairs of Zhijiang? If you need to rescue the disaster, you should rescue Zhijiang, right? How can you handle Jianghuai? It's really against the rules."

From ancient times to the present, it has never been heard of that officials would go to neighboring non-jurisdictional areas to assist in disaster relief.

But under Chiang Kai-shek's rule, it didn't seem so strange for him, who was proficient in all kinds of micro-management.

Chu Huiseng explained with a wry smile: "There is no other way. Last year, I got the flood control method given by Bingwen and tried it out in the areas of Zhijiang that have suffered from severe floods in previous years. The areas of Zhijiang that should have been affected by the flood this time are much better than those in Jianghuai.

He, Chang Kai-shen, thought I was good at water management, so he made it his own will to let me take charge of the Jianghuai region as well.

"This is simply nonsense!" Lin Yutang said angrily. "Sir, you should refuse. The disaster in Jianghuai is so serious. If there is any problem in the future, won't you be held responsible?"

Officials have always tried to avoid such things, but Chu Huiseng seemed to "face the challenge head on."

"I know what Chiang Kai-shek is planning," Chu Huiseng said. "But to be honest, even if he doesn't hand over the disaster relief work in Jianghuai to me, I want to come over. The people in Jianghuai have already suffered a lot from the disaster. If those corrupt officials take advantage of it, how many more people will die?"

He then smiled again, seemingly jokingly.

"Didn't Zhang Qun accept Bao Guowei's plan and was asked to help Jianghuai with flood control?"

Lin Yutang was speechless for a moment, and finally he sighed and said, "It's really hard for you, sir."

"I am not suffering." Chu Huiseng said with emotion. "It is the displaced people who are suffering."

Lin Yutang was speechless when he saw Chu Huiseng becoming increasingly older.

Chu Huiseng suddenly thought of something and changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, Bingwen has been in the flood-affected area for some time, right? How come there is no news? Is there any news about Mr. Lin?"

"Sir, you don't know yet?" Lin Yutang was a little surprised. He immediately took out the newspaper, spread it out and said to Chu Huiseng.

"Bingwen brought the charity performance troupe to the flood-affected areas. It was not only a charity performance, but also a way to investigate the flood control situation in various places to prevent anyone from misleading us."

“So wonderful!”

Chu Huiseng's eyes suddenly lit up. Bao Guowei had never mentioned this to him before, but after hearing it, he immediately thought it was wonderful.

Compared with the self-examination and protection within the National Government, Bao Guowei, the "young literary giant" who gave no face to anyone, could obviously play a better supervisory role.

"Hurry up and bring me the news."

Before Chu Huiseng had even had time to read today's newspaper, he immediately became interested.

"Sir, please look."

Lin Yutang pushed the newspaper in front of the other party. It was the well-known newspaper owned by Bao Guowei, "The Times".

"Floods ravage the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, is this a forgotten village?"

Within a few days, news reports with this title were all over the major newspapers in Shanghai.

This has caused people from all walks of life who were originally busy raising donations to turn their attention back.

This report was written by Xu Zhimo and revised with the assistance of Bao Guowei. It records the experiences of the charity performance troupe on their way to the disaster area for a charity performance.

The masters and students who usually lead a comfortable life saw scenes in this report that they could not see in the city.

There were many difficulties in getting to the disaster area, such as cars often breaking down, heavy rains leaving the members' clothes almost dry, and because of the distance they traveled, they often had to sleep in the open as they could not reach the county town.

Descriptions of difficulties like these made many gentlemen who originally wanted to go to the disaster area feel fortunate.

So I have to suffer all this? Fortunately, I didn't go.

But after seeing what happened next, they couldn't laugh anymore.

They saw the Wujia Village that suffered a devastating disaster as described by Xu Zhimo.

Xu Zhimo's writing style is very delicate, and coupled with his personal experience, he expressed everything he saw in Wujia Village in words.

Whether it is Wu Cuiyu who lost her husband, or ordinary villagers who lost their loved ones and homes, their despair and their pain are all vividly portrayed on paper.

However, what is infuriating is that the government’s aid completely ignored this place, and all the aid was concentrated in the visible county towns!

How many scholars and students who were originally feeling fortunate now beat their chests and stamped their feet when they saw this, regretting that they did not go forward to help these poor people.

Fortunately, a charity troupe rescued them and left them food.

Bao Guowei wrote a special letter and placed it on the desks of Chu Huiseng and Zhang Qun, directly asking the two "heavenly officials" to help the villagers.

Of course, there is more than one documentary article like this.

As the charity performance group gradually moved forward, related reports also appeared in Shanghai newspapers in real time.

For example, the county magistrate of Xinghua County did not distribute all the supplies to the victims during the flood control process. He intercepted 20% of the 100 supplies for himself.

Under normal circumstances, this was considered clean among government officials, and the county magistrate Zhu Ziwen didn't even feel that he was corrupt.

Because many people in Xinghua County under his rule had already been helped. But corruption is corruption, and in order to maintain his base, Chiang Kai-shek took extremely tough measures, and happened to take action against Zhu Ziwen.

We went to several places in a row. Many areas were originally looking forward to the charity performance troupe, but after hearing about this, they immediately became silent.

Moreover, the experiences of the charity troupe in various places were reported in newspapers in real time, which can be said to have set a precedent for disaster relief.

There was an immediate and enthusiastic response from all walks of life in Shanghai. When the citizens learned about the situation, their doubts about disaster relief were eliminated and they donated generously. In a short period of time, the number of donors increased several times!
Many people from all walks of life have commented on this matter.

Xun Ge'er was the first to post a message saying: "The flood in the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers today should have been a horrific disaster, but fortunately there was a charity performance group that went deep into the disaster area to provide disaster relief, perform charity shows for the affected people, distribute supplies, and monitor the disaster relief work of officials in various regions. Wherever the charity performance group went, it was like a pair of eyes that saw through everything from all walks of life, uncovering the veil of corruption covering up the government. Many irregularities were cleared up, giving hope to the people in the disaster area."

Xun Ge'er did not change his nature as a troll, and criticized the article mercilessly in the background.

"It is really sad and lamentable that the corruption in the government can only be eradicated by the cultural community through the charity performance troupe!"

With Xun Ge'er taking the lead, writers such as Ding Ling, Ba Jin, Dai Wangshu and others also spoke out on this matter and urged the national government to do a good job in disaster relief.

Of course, there were people who came out to act as rationalists, such as Cai Yuanpei and other intellectuals within the National Government, who wrote articles to express their opinions.

"It's human nature."

"The government's administration cannot be all-encompassing."

“It’s much better than before.”

Such arguments are endless.

Fortunately, the overall situation is that the deeds of the charity troupe not only brought spiritual comfort to the people in the flood-stricken areas, but also made many government officials in the flood-stricken areas dare not act rashly for fear of being reported in the newspapers. It also inspired donations from people from all walks of life.

"

I was so scared that I broke out in a sweat.
It has been fifteen years since he told the truth.

It turned out that the Yang family changed their names.
He misses his hometown and his family, so he can't be reunited

"

Fengtai County.

On the makeshift stage, Mei Lanfang wore the costume of Princess Tiejing, and his every move portrayed Princess Tiejing vividly.

This is the song "Silang Visits His Mother". The reason for choosing this drama is mainly because of the family affection and patriotism contained in it.

Compared with other pieces of music, "Silang Visits His Mother" is also very popular and can be understood by ordinary people.

As expected, under Mei Lanfang's wonderful performance, the people of Fengtai below the stage cheered with joy.

Sometimes they cheered for Mei Lanfang's wonderful performance, and sometimes they were moved by the family love in the play and sobbed silently when they thought of their own relatives who were affected by the disaster.

But generally speaking, being able to cry is better than holding it in.

Seeing the lively scene in the venue, Hong Shen couldn't help but sigh.

"We have done our best. It is good that we can provide some spiritual comfort to the people in the face of natural disasters."

The supplies that the charity troupe can bring are limited. With so many counties and so many people, it is impossible for them to meet the relief needs of everyone.

During these days, Hong Shen often felt powerless when he saw many ordinary people affected by the disaster begging for help, but Hong Shen was unable to help them.

Human power is ultimately limited.

No matter how hard the charity group tries, it can't help everyone.

Next, the show on stage kept changing.

There were dramas performed by Jin Yan, the lead actor of "The Godfather", song and dance performances by actresses, and poetry recitations by literati such as Xu Zhimo.

There was no poetry recitation originally, but it was still included at the strong request of Xu Zhimo and others.

Many people didn't understand, but they would still bring their children to learn.

The last program moved Hong Shen.

That is "Chi Ling" sung by Hu Die and Ruan Lingyu.

Bao Guowei had long said that he would help the two of you create a song. He wrote this song when he was traveling from Xinghua County to Fengtai County, and it was not until the end of his trip that he finished writing it.

He thought about it for a long time and felt that nothing was more appropriate than this song.

"I dare not forget my country even though I am in a low position~"

As the music started, the audience gradually quieted down.

When he heard this line of lyrics, Hong Shen's body stiffened involuntarily, and he looked at Bao Guowei in surprise.

He cared more about the lyrics than the song itself.

But it was truly written into his heart!
"Bingwen!" As soon as Hong Shen opened his mouth, tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.

Bao Guowei smiled, patted the other person on the shoulder and said.

"This is what I really think, and it's what everyone else really thinks."

"I dare not forget to worry about my country despite my humble position."

Mei Lanfang in the backstage had a look of surprise on his face. He had not yet taken off his makeup, but he was unable to extricate himself from the singing for a long time, as if there was a fire in his chest that was about to burst out!
"It's wonderful! It's wonderful!" Xu Zhimo exclaimed in admiration. "It's not just the actors, isn't it the same for us writers?

Although we cannot fight on the battlefield, although we cannot carry a gun and fight, although our status is low, no one can forget the rise and fall of the country! "

Ruan Lingyu and Hu Die on the stage experienced too many difficulties and overcame too many things that they could not have done in the past during this disaster relief effort.

At this moment, they seem to have a more concrete understanding of patriotism.

patriotic?

Who hasn't said these two words yet?

As actors, the two have said similar things in public countless times.

But it is only a concept after all, constructed like a castle in the air.

It's elusive.

But now, things are different.

Ruan Lingyu and Hu Die, along with Bao Guowei, went deep into the flood-stricken areas and saw too many ups and downs, too many families broken up, and too much helplessness.

Now that I have arrived in Fengtai County, even though I am physically and mentally exhausted, I have a clearer understanding of "patriotism".

What is patriotism?

It should not just be lip service, but we should follow Bao Guowei and truly go to ordinary people and face the difficulties they are facing.

Even if no one remembers me in the end, even if I have a humble status.

But so what?

At least I did it, I tried, and I was here!

"Even if no one knows me~"

When this line of lyrics was sung, Ruan Lingyu and Hu Die looked at each other and could no longer suppress their emotions, and tears flowed out like springs.

Then, they looked at Bao Guowei who was smiling in the audience again.

There has never been a time when they admired this "young literary giant" more than now.

Rather than the brilliance of the lyrics, the actions of this "young literary giant" are the best proof, right?
Hearing the sighs of the stars, actors, and writers around him, and feeling the burning gazes of the two actresses on the stage, Bao Guowei turned a deaf ear.

It's not that he was unmoved, nor was he trying to pretend to be rational in order to appear superior when everyone else was moved.

But the lyrics the two had just sung reminded him of something he didn't want to think about these days.

north!

Two months later!
September 18th!
Bao Guowei felt as if his heart was being cut by a knife. At this moment, he wanted to know very much what Zhang Xueliang's preparations were, whether the North could be defended, and whether his efforts were of any use.

Although I am in a low position, I dare not forget to worry about the country. However, without weapons to fight, I am ultimately powerless.

"I will write a letter to Zhang Xueliang tomorrow and ask about the situation. I will also communicate with the envoys of various countries, especially the United Kingdom and the United States. Both countries need my help, so maybe I can try to win them over."

Just as Bao Guowei was thinking about it, he suddenly noticed something unusual happening on the stage.

Ruan Lingyu and Hu Die, who were originally immersed in the song, stopped before the song was over?

Bao Guowei frowned and was about to lean forward to see what was going on.

But Hu Die on the stage opened her mouth wide and shouted suddenly.

"Bingwen! Watch out behind you!"

Bao Guowei was suddenly startled, and felt a chill on the back of his head, sensing the approaching danger.

He didn't turn his head, but rolled forward to avoid it out of habit.

A violent and resentful voice came from behind.

"Bao Guowei, you deserve to die!"

There was a loud bang, which was the sound of an explosion caused by a pistol.

"Bah~"

"Bah~"

The three consecutive gunshots were like the death knell of hell, shaking the hearts of everyone present.

Hong Shen, who was sitting next to Bao Guowei, had reacted long ago. He rushed towards Bao Guowei, as if wanting to help him block the gunshot.

For a moment, the venue was in chaos.

Cao Yanhai, who was originally immersed in the performance on the stage, now widened his eyes, distorted his face and let out an angry roar.

"Master!"

His movements came before his voice. He took a few quick steps forward and punched the attacker hard on the temple!
It happened almost in an instant, and others had no time to react.

Only after the gunshots, smoke filled the air around the stage, and the sound gradually subsided, did everything seem to be frozen.

"No!"

Hu Die on the stage covered her mouth and screamed.

With this scream, red blood spurted out and spread all over the ground.

On the yellow soil, the bright red blood is very eye-catching.

Finally, everything seemed to fall silent.

(Unfinished)
(End of this chapter)