Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 43, Fang Shouxin's Past, Ceasefire Conference
The car drove into Hangzhou and stopped outside the municipal government building in the city center.

Yue Jinping looked at the city government gate: "I need to go back to report. You guys go to the West Lake Hotel to stay first. I'll come find you when I'm done."

Fang Wen nodded, and after Yue Jinping left, he looked at the father and son in the back seat: "Manager Fang, do you know where the West Lake Hotel is?"

Fang Shouxin had been a shopkeeper for over ten years and frequently visited Hangzhou. Without hesitation, he replied:

"The West Lake Hotel is located on the shore of West Lake, next to Broken Bridge and Willows in the Snow. There are many foreigners there. If you don't know how to get there, I can give you directions."

Fang Shouxin then sat in the passenger seat.

Because Yue Jinping was there, they didn't have much interaction along the way. Now, Fang Wen drove slowly and took the opportunity to communicate with the father and son.

"Manager Fang, I've given you the items. You can change your name back to your original name from now on."

Fang Shouxin nodded: "Young Master, before I take Shunzi back to Hebei to acknowledge my ancestors, I am still Fang Shouxin."

Shunzi asked in surprise from behind, "Dad, what was your original name?"

Shopkeeper Fang glanced back at his son, then looked at Fang Wen, and made his decision.

“Young master returned my documents, so I won’t hide this matter anymore. My original name was Huang Zhanwu. I’ve always loved fighting and being brave since I was a child. When I was a teenager, I took two steamed buns and ran off to Cangzhou to learn martial arts. After two years of martial arts training, my master led a few of us fellow disciples north to join the Boxer Rebellion. At first, everyone said it was to sweep away the foreigners, but later, for some reason, it turned into supporting the Qing and destroying the foreigners, and even the name was changed to Tiger God Camp.”

Shunzi interjected in surprise, "Dad, you're still a Boxer? Can't you be invulnerable to swords and spears?"

Shopkeeper Fang glared at his son.

Fang Wen replied, "Yes, is it true that they are invulnerable to swords and spears?"

Manager Fang recalled:

"You can call it true or false. It's all just a bunch of tricks from the martial arts world. To outsiders it looks amazing. Add in the burning of talismans and drinking of blood wine, and everyone who's seen it believes it."

"Then how did you commit a crime and flee to the south? Didn't the Qing government collapse?" Fang Wen asked, voicing his doubts.

"The problem was that a few of us brothers had evil intentions. Seeing that we couldn't stay in the Boxer Rebellion any longer, we conspired to rob the county government's treasury. In the end, we didn't get much silver, and two of our brothers died. The rest of us were also wanted by the government and had no choice but to flee south."

Shopkeeper Fang paused, then turned to look at his son:

“At first, I was thinking that I would go back after the storm had died down. But who knew that the warehouse manager we injured during our operation would later become a local warlord with a smooth career. He held a grudge about what happened back then and has been offering a reward for the capture of us brothers. So I had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​going back and settle down in your Fang family.”

The matter is not complicated; he simply offended a local powerful figure and fled south.

In chaotic times, this kind of thing happens a lot.

Fang Wen didn't have any opinion about Fang Shouxin revealing those past events. At least it showed that the other party had completely opened up to him, which was perhaps a way for the Republic of China to express loyalty.

The car then arrived at the West Lake Hotel.

After parking the car, Fang Wen led the father and son inside.

The interior was lavishly decorated, with gleaming marble floors and Western oil paintings.

There were many guests, including locals in Chinese robes, women in cheongsams, and Chinese and foreigners in Western suits.

Fang Wen walked straight to the front desk.

Fang Shouxin followed closely behind, his expression calm.

Fang Shun, carrying his suitcase, looked around.

Upon arriving at the front desk, he casually asked, "Hello, I'd like to book two rooms."

"Sir, we have double rooms and single rooms available. Which type do you need?"

"Two double rooms."

"Okay, 10 silver dollars a day for a double room, 20 silver dollars in total."

"That's expensive!" Fang Wen turned to Shunzi and said, "Give her 20 silver dollars."

"Huh?!" Shunzi was bewildered, not knowing what to do. Fang Shouxin took the suitcase from his son and opened it.

There were two envelopes of silver dollars in the right compartment. He took one out, broke it in half, and counted out 20 dollars, placing them on the front desk.

The waiter counted the silver dollars, handed Fang Wen a piece of paper with both hands, and said, "This is your receipt. Xiao Zhang, go get the keys to 301 and 302 and take them upstairs."

The waiter took two keys from a keypad hanging on the wall at the front desk and smiled, "Gentlemen, please follow me."

Following the waiter upstairs, Fang Wen was handed the key after the door was opened. "Sir, we wish you a pleasant stay. Please feel free to contact us at the front desk if you need anything."

Fang Wen smiled and nodded. After the waiter left, he handed the key to room 302 to Fang Shouxin and went inside.

Shunzi's joyful shouts came from outside the door, along with Fang Shouxin's scolding voice.

I took a hot shower in the hotel room and rested comfortably for the afternoon until there was a knock on the door.

Fang Wen got out of bed, put on his coat, and opened the door.

It was Yue Jinping, her face beaming with joy.

"We're going out to eat; there's something very happy happening."

Fang Wen nodded, knocked on the door of room 302 next door, and invited Fang Shouxin and his son to come out as well.

At a food stall by West Lake, we ordered several Hangzhou dishes. While waiting for the food, Yue Jinping said impatiently:
"There's been progress in Shanghai."

Yue Jinping spoke eloquently, recounting what she had learned that afternoon.

The situation in Shanghai was already critical because the Japanese army occupied the city and the 19th Route Army was forced to retreat to the second front.

In this situation, the United States and Britain mediated, trying to bring the two sides to a ceasefire, but Japan has yet to respond.

Therefore, the Nationalist government appointed Chen Mingshu as the commander-in-chief of the left-wing army for the defense of the Beijing-Shanghai Railway, and Jiang Dingwen as the commander-in-chief of the right-wing army.

The left-wing army was far from the war zone and had the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. Its main task was to guard the railway and prevent the disruption of logistics and supplies.

The Second and Fourteenth Armies of the Right Wing Army moved from Jiangxi to Shanghai and Hangzhou, where they built the first line of defense in Chuansha, Fengjing, and Wujiang, and the second line of defense in Jiashan, Pinghu, and Zhapu, actively deploying their forces to support the 19th Route Army's resistance against Japan.

This was a conservative strategic posture intended to defend against the Japanese army's continued southward advance.

But the turning point came during the air raid in which Fang Wen participated.

Although the 19th Army withdrew from the city of SH, it remained concerned about the resistance within the city.

At that time, patriotic people in Shanghai and Wang Yaqiao, the leader of the Axe Gang, suggested blowing up the Izumo. With the strong support of the 19th Route Army, the suggestion was reported to higher authorities.

This led to the situation where air raids were coordinated with operations.

But the result was very good; they actually sank the Izumo.

The sinking of the Izumo had the greatest impact on Japan.

Originally, the situation in Northeast China was good, and the momentum of militarism in Japan was rising. However, the sinking of the Izumo, a ship that is well-known in Japan, caused different voices to emerge throughout the country, which also led to the resurgence of the anti-war faction.

Coupled with the internal struggle between the Japanese army on land and sea, a decision was ultimately made to stop the fighting in Shanghai and sign a ceasefire agreement.

Currently, negotiators from both sides have gone to the British Consulate in the British Concession to hold a formal ceasefire meeting and are discussing the specific details of the agreement.

Fang Wen outwardly expressed surprise at Yue Jinping's words, but inwardly he was not optimistic about the outcome of the negotiations.

Fang Shouxin and Shunzi were very happy, as the war had finally ended and they no longer had to worry about the situation.

Even the restaurant owner, who overheard some of the conversation, was happy to give them their meal for free.

And this news also began to spread in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas.

(End of this chapter)