Chapter 1068
The Underworld of Yuhuatai: Digging a Pit to Bury Anping
The year holds special significance for the Chinese people.
However, since 1937, people have not had a single good year. During those eight years of full-scale war of resistance against Japan, everyone was gritting their teeth and holding on, desperately trying to drive out the Japanese and waiting for better days to come.
Finally, in August 1945, the Chinese people, who had endured eight long years of hardship, finally saw this day arrive.
The revelry, and even the atmosphere of revelry, lasted for several days and continued throughout that year's Lunar New Year celebrations.
That year was the most enjoyable year in many years.
Even when families had no surplus food, people still filled that "New Year" with laughter and joy.
Because they saw hope.
They thought things would get better.
But what happened next?
The Double Ten Agreement was torn up, and the flames of war reignited on this land filled with devastation and hope. As taxes and levies skyrocketed, the legal tender depreciated wildly, and prices soared at lightning speed, the people realized that the so-called hope was just a... deception!
In the following two "years," with the collapse of the legal tender and the emergence of the gold yuan, the function of currency was almost "annihilated," and each year was more distressing than the last.
And what about this year?
On the street, an innocent little child sighed inexplicably:
"Once you finish the third day of the Lunar New Year, the holiday is over."
The adult, his brow furrowed, stared blankly at the child's innocence and uttered a few words:
"That year..."
Oh well.
"Year" is something to look forward to, a carrier of hope, but right now, where is there any hope?
There is no hope!
The innocent little child couldn't understand why it was better not to celebrate the New Year, which was such a good thing.
Just then, a convoy of trucks appeared on the desolate street. The adults, seeing no hope, quickly pulled their babies aside and, together with the adorable little ones, curiously watched the convoy with its enclosed cargo beds.
The little boy, with sharp eyes, peered through the tarpaulin billowing in the wind and exclaimed in surprise to his father, "Dad, I see people tied up in the truck bed!"
The adult's expression changed, and while hurriedly pulling the child away, she sternly reprimanded him:
"Nonsense!"
"I'm not lying—" the little boy argued, tilting his head back. "I saw it! And that uncle even smiled at me!"
The adult, his expression twisted, snapped, "Stop talking!"
The little child was frightened, not understanding why his father was so angry, while the adults stared blankly in the direction where the convoy had disappeared.
There, the road leads to Yuhuatai.
And everyone knows that in Yuhuatai, there is a... Yama's Palace.
After a long pause, the adult said something the little child couldn't understand:
"The people who told us there was hope for the future, they..."
"They were all sent to Yuhuatai."
This...is truly a messed-up world.
A convoy speeding towards Yuhuatai.
Qiu Ning sat in the passenger seat of a truck, calmly observing the scenery rushing past outside.
But beneath this calm, he secretly hoped for a miracle:
The convoy was suddenly ambushed, and brave guerrilla fighters suddenly charged out...
Obviously, this is impossible—because this is Nanjing, the capital of the Nationalist government. Even if there are active guerrillas outside the city, how could they possibly infiltrate Nanjing?
But when people are in despair, they always hope for a miracle. For Qiu Ning now, he believes the greatest miracle is that the guerrillas will appear out of nowhere.
He couldn't think of any other possibility.
But how could such a miracle happen?!
Inside the tarpaulin-sealed truck bed.
Yuan Nong peered through the gaps created by the wind, gazing at the scenery measured in inches with a hint of longing.
In one scene, a spirited little boy flashed by, making him involuntarily smile.
The future is always promising—compared to those comrades who fell under the early White Terror, I am fortunate, because I can already see a red China.
When their comrades fell, all they had was unwavering faith.
They firmly believed that a red China would emerge, but when they fell, from their perspective, that red China was far, far away.
The escorting officer kept observing the expressions of these underground party members—in the past two years, he had escorted traitors who had been tried for justice, as well as typical cases in the fight against corruption, and also underground party members.
Facing the end of their lives at Yuhuatai, the traitors and those notorious corrupt officials wept bitterly and lost control of their bladders and bowels—resulting in their truck beds being washed by water time and time again.
But these underground party members were the only exception!
He had seen fear in them, and he had seen some people lose control of their bladder and bowels, but the vast majority of them were resolutely facing the impending end.
At this moment, seeing the smile still lingering on Yuan Nong's lips, he finally couldn't help but ask the question that had been troubling him:
"Sir, aren't you afraid?"
"Aren't you all afraid?"
Yuan Nong glanced at the other person with some surprise. Faced with the other person's sincere gaze, he paused for a moment before giving his answer:
"Of course I'm scared! Everyone only has one life. Now that I'm about to die, how can I not be scared?"
The officer was puzzled: "But I don't see fear on your faces!"
Yuan Nong laughed:
"Death is inevitable for everyone, but it can be as light as a feather or as heavy as Mount Tai. We cannot say that our death is as heavy as Mount Tai, but the land stained with our blood is already blooming with the flowers of hope."
"Compared to fear, we are more..."
"affim!"
"Haven't we now found the answer to the cause we've fought for all our lives?"
These words made the underground party members inside the truck bed burst into laughter.
Generally speaking, prisons are closed places where prisoners are kept in the dark about information.
Fortunately, their comrades kept working hard—so the closed prison environment did not cut them off from the outside world.
In 141 days, through three major campaigns, more than one million enemy soldiers were annihilated. The death knell of the Kuomintang has been tolled!
This is the answer given by the cause they have fought for!
Our People's Liberation Army has already given the answer with facts!
This is an affirmation of their lives!
Death is merely the end of their lives, but their legacy will be carried on by more and more people.
So, is there any need to be afraid?
The officer seemed to understand the underground party members' relief, yet also seemed not to, but he still made an impulsive order:
“Loosen their ropes.”
……
The Zhang family's study.
Zhang Anping stood quietly by the window, but his gaze transcended the spatial barrier and landed in the direction of Yuhuatai.
When a corrupt regime collapses, madness, a final madness, is inevitable.
In the original timeline, from February 1949 until the liberation of the entire mainland, the Kuomintang's final act of madness was to turn its butcher's knife against those martyrs who, though imprisoned, still gazed at the sunlight.
Conservative estimates suggest that during this period, approximately two thousand patriots perished before dawn.
There are nearly four hundred people in Chongqing and Chengdu alone!
And this is just a conservative estimate—there are green hills everywhere that bury loyal bones, but very few are fortunate enough to be recorded.
Zhang Anping's gaze gradually deepened.
The Kuomintang's final frenzy in the original timeline was too cruel for those patriots who were about to see the light of day.
"Your prime years shouldn't be wasted on this land we love so deeply..."
"The light is right before our eyes, let me take it..."
"Open this path to survival!"
Zhang Anping looked at the telephone on his desk, waiting for it to ring.
……
Yuhuatai.
The convoy stopped, and as the tarpaulin at the rear of the truck bed was lifted, underground party members got off the trucks under the escort of soldiers.
Qiu Ning looked at the scene through the rearview mirror. After a brief adjustment, her breathing returned to normal. She then pinched the inside of her thigh hard before she could completely control her emotions. Only then did she push open the car door and jump out of the car.
A secret agent supervising the executions ran over quickly, and Qiu Ning casually tossed the roster over to him:
"Here, the roster—check it out."
"Yes!"
The agent took the roster and began to verify the identities of each car according to their serial numbers.
Qiu Ning casually pulled a pair of sunglasses from his pocket, wiped them for a while before putting them on, and then slowly walked forward, passing by one underground party member after another. He wanted to etch each and every one of these unwavering faces into his heart.
If time could stop, he would rather all of time freeze right now.
Can……
There's no such thing as "what if"!
Before he could finish "examining" her, the special agent in charge of the inspection rushed over:
"Director Qiu, the inspection is complete, we can proceed with the execution!"
Qiu Ning glanced at the other man, his sunglasses concealing the terrifying murderous intent in his eyes. After a pause, he said unhappily:
"A perfunctory job!"
The agent smiled obsequiously: "Director Qiu, the people you personally selected, how could there be any problems? Today is the third day of the Lunar New Year, the holiday isn't over yet."
"Yes, the New Year... isn't over yet."
Qiu Ning spoke casually, but her heart ached terribly. The New Year wasn't even over yet, and her comrades...
"Check it again!"
Qiu Ning's expression turned serious. Although his eyes were not visible, the icy coldness at the corner of his mouth was clearly discernible:
"The more critical the moment, the more we must not be careless—the inspection process must be standardized!"
"Yes!"
The agent couldn't help but show a look of displeasure as he turned around; he was in a hurry to play mahjong.
But since Qiu Ning had given such an order, he naturally dared not be perfunctory anymore and could only carefully check each one. When he passed Zhao Weiheng, he couldn't help but take a second look and clicked his tongue twice at the already limp Zhao Weiheng.
After the thorough inspection was completed, the agent quickly approached:
"Director Qiu, inspection complete! Here is the roster."
Qiu Ning took the document and flipped through it. Finding the gloves cumbersome, he took them off again. After carefully examining the markings, he nodded.
"Can……"
"He was executed by firing squad."
The agent immediately turned around and shouted:
"Bring up the first batch of prisoners!"
"Firing squad! Step forward!"
Qiu Ning's gaze, through his dark glasses, watched as the first batch of thirty-three people were led to the execution site. When the sound of a bullet being chambered rang out, the glove he was holding involuntarily fell to the ground.
Upon seeing this, the agent picked up the gloves:
"Director Qiu."
Qiu Ning said indifferently, "No, thank you—it's bad luck."
The agent slightly pursed his lips, then continued to shout out the commands:
"preparation!"
Just then, the roar of a car engine sounded from afar, growing louder as it approached.
It's a convoy!
Qiu Ning's eyes widened, and she involuntarily exclaimed, "Wait!"
The agent turned around and looked at Qiu Ning with a puzzled expression.
Qiu Ning waved his hand, signaling to stop, and then looked towards the end of the road.
As trucks loaded with soldiers appeared one after another, an indescribable joy began to surge within him like a giant wave.
He ordered the prison guard in front of him, "Go and take a look!"
After the convoy came to an abrupt stop, soldiers jumped off the trucks one by one. The agents rushed over, but their expressions changed drastically when they saw the British-style steel helmets the soldiers were wearing.
Were they soldiers from the Guangxi clique?
Heaven, they are not only soldiers of the Guangxi clique, but also the guard battalion of Li Dai's chief attendant!
At this moment, the adjutant got out of the car and, seeing that the execution was already prepared for firing squad, immediately shouted:
"By order of Chief Attendant Li! Halt the execution immediately!"
The prison guard turned and ran, rushing towards Qiu Ning like lightning:
"Director Qiu, what should we do?!"
Qiu Ning remained calm: "Go call Director Mao right now—I'll hold them off!"
He then strode towards his adjutant, who was leading troops with a menacing aura, and shouted before they even met:
"This is the execution ground of the Security Bureau! Chief Li's orders have no jurisdiction over the Security Bureau!"
……
The Mao family.
Mao Renfeng was listening to music leisurely when he seemed to hear the crackling of gunfire in his ears—his head swayed even more violently because of the hallucinatory gunfire.
The plan Zhang Anping offered ended up becoming a meritorious deed for Mao!
Just thinking about it makes me feel comfortable.
But the phone rang at an inopportune moment.
"It's me, Mao Renfeng."
"Director Mao, something's happened—Li Dai's bodyguard battalion has arrived at the Yuhuatai execution ground, and they're trying to stop the execution!"
The voice coming from the phone made Mao Renfeng's expression change drastically, and he couldn't help but rebuke:
"How did they keep it a secret? What is Qiu Ning doing?!"
The agent on the other end of the phone was too frightened to speak.
Realizing her lapse in composure, Mao Renfeng quickly tried to salvage the situation:
"Tell Qiu Ning to stall for time, and absolutely not let the guard battalion take these prisoners away!"
After hanging up the phone, Mao Renfeng's first thought was to call the section chief, but he didn't dial the number after picking up the phone.
He's no fool for being able to turn the tide in so many desperate situations.
The section chief was unwilling to get his hands dirty, nor did he want Zhang Anping to get his hands dirty. He understood this very clearly—if this call were made to the section chief, the section chief would definitely not come forward directly, and would hate Mao Renfeng to death.
I'm already disliked by the section chief, and if this makes him hold a grudge...
You can't make this call!
But if we don't call for help, are we supposed to face off against Chief Li's guards alone?
joke!
He's not that stupid!
But if the guards rescue the person, it means things have gone wrong, and then the blame will fall on them...
Mao Renfeng was pacing anxiously, when suddenly a brilliant idea flashed into his mind:
Zhang Anping!!!
Zhang Anping is ruthless towards the Communists. Now that this has happened, others would avoid him like the plague, but Zhang Anping's nature means he will definitely jump into the trap even if he knows it's a trap!
Let Zhang Anping jump into this pit!
If he jumps in, he'll be taking the blame. If things go wrong, he and Zhang Anping will share the responsibility.
This is better than carrying it all alone.
Thinking of this, Mao Renfeng immediately picked up the phone again.
Mao Renfeng initially intended to contact Zhang Anping directly, but upon further reflection, she abandoned the idea.
He personally stepped forward; it was too obvious, too blatant!
We still have to take a roundabout approach!
……
The Zhang family's study.
Jingle Bell
The phone finally rang.
Zhang Anping appeared in front of the phone almost instantly, but he patiently waited before answering it.
"It's me, Zhang Anping."
"Deputy Director Zhang, this is the duty room at headquarters. Something has just happened—Li Dai's bodyguard battalion has appeared at Yuhuatai and is trying to stop our execution."
"Ok?"
Zhang Anping was clearly surprised and suspicious, then his voice turned icy: "Who told you to make this call to me?"
The agent who delivered the message on the other end of the phone was stunned; this wasn't mentioned when the instructions came down from above.
Zhang Anping asked in an icy voice, "Who's on duty today?"
A moment later, a Secret Service officer reluctantly took the phone:
"Deputy Director Zhang, this is Lu..."
Zhang Anping interrupted him directly: "Who told you to call me!"
There was a long pause on the other end of the phone before someone finally spoke: "It's Director Mao."
"Bastard!"
Zhang Anping slammed the phone down, but a few minutes later, he called back:
"Duty room? This is Zhang Anping!"
"Gather all personnel at headquarters immediately and head to Yuhuatai. I'll be there shortly! Also, call the Detective Brigade and assemble at Yuhuatai immediately!"
"Also, call the city defense command and have them send troops to Yuhuatai!" (End of Chapter)