Song Meiling handed out cigarettes to the three guests present, and she also lit one to smoke, which made Chang Kaishen frown slightly. But she didn't care, and asked, "What do Americans think about China's resistance to Japan?" ”

Mike Cowles: "Thanks to Mr. Zhou and Mr. Hu Shih's propaganda in the United States, the American people have a sympathetic and supportive attitude towards China's War of Resistance. ”

"I'm asking U.S. officials and businessmen, what do they think?" Song Meiling said.

Wilkie laughed: "Businessmen only care about profits, and officials serve the votes. ”

Song Meiling said: "In other words, American officials and businessmen don't care about China's war of resistance, only whether their interests are damaged? ”

"Yes, most U.S. officials and businessmen don't care about the war in Asia, their focus is on Europe," Wilkie said with a laugh, "and how Madame Chiang wants to change that, I think you should go to the United States and speak to Congress as the first lady of China." ”

"May I?" Song Meiling didn't have a score in her heart.

Wilkie said, "Of course, I think President Roosevelt would have supported it." ”

That's how Soong's trip to the United States was made, and when she speaks to the U.S. Congress next year, she immediately gains enormous international fame. Of course, there was also the scandal between her and Wilkie, which made the United States a household name, so angry that Song Meiling took a bunch of newspapers to court, and the lawsuit was settled out of court for many years.

In the eyes of American politicians, Soong Meiling is charming, intelligent, and fascinating, with all the advantages of an Oriental woman.

However, Roosevelt's wife did not have a good impression of Soong Meiling, according to her recollection: "Lewis (the union leader) was making trouble at the time, and Franklin (Roosevelt) asked Madame Chiang: In China, what would you do with people like Lewis?" Madame Chiang did not speak, but quietly ran her throat with her beautiful little hand. ”

This made Roosevelt's wife feel cruel, even creepy.

After chatting with Wilkie about visiting the United States for a while, Song Meiling relayed it to Chang Kaishen in Chinese and asked her husband's opinion.

Chang Kaishen thought about it for a while, then nodded and agreed: "This is a good thing, you can go there." ”

Soong Meiling immediately said to Wilkie: "I am willing to visit the United States and ask Mr. Wilkie to help contact President Roosevelt." ”

"Of course, I'll take care of it." Wilkie said.

Everyone chatted until the evening, and Song Meiling stayed with everyone for dinner, and ran to the air-raid shelter in the middle.

At about nine o'clock in the evening, the two Yankees said goodbye and left, and Chang Kaishen called Zhou Hexuan to the study and asked, "What's the matter with Mingcheng looking for me?" ”

Zhou Hexuan put more than 20 photos of the disaster on his desk: "About the disaster and famine in Henan." ”

Chang Kaishen said with a smile: "The famine in Henan is purely a rumor, Mingcheng should not be deceived by some people with ulterior motives." ”

Zhou Hexuan said: "Ta Kung Pao has reporters in Henan, and there is more than one reporter, and those reporters all say that there is a major disaster in Henan, and the disaster is still very serious!" ”

"Journalists inevitably exaggerate in order to gain fame," Chang Kaishen said, "I know that there is a disaster in Henan, but it is only a minor disaster." Last month, I ordered Li Peiji to provide disaster relief, set up a Henan Disaster Relief Committee, and the central authorities also reduced Henan's military ration quota, and at this moment disaster relief grain has begun to be transported from Shaanxi to Henan. ”

Historically, the Great Famine in Henan in 1942 did begin relief in September. However, local officials were afraid of food and disappointment, and all kinds of concealment of the disaster situation caused the central government to not pay enough attention to it.

Until the end of October, Guo Zhongkui, who asked Zhou Hexuan for help in the previous chapter, completely broke out, took out elm bark, Guanyin soil, goose dung and other food eaten by the victims at the National Political Participation Conference, crying, scolding and begging, and finally made a big fuss.

Lao Jiang allocated disaster relief funds to Henan three times in a row, but the phenomenon of greed and deduction was too serious, and local officials still did not report the disaster, and the disaster situation continued and expanded.

In 1943, the Henan disaster appeared in Time magazine, which made Song Meiling, who was visiting the United States, embarrassed and angry, and Henan's disaster relief operation was really on the right track.

Zhou Hexuan sighed and said, "Chairman of the Committee, you were deceived by Li Peiji. ”

"He doesn't have the guts yet!" Chang Kaishen said.

Zhou Hexuan said: "It's because he is timid that he will lie to you, can you recall under what circumstances he reported the disaster to you?" ”

Chang Kaishen immediately fell into memory, and his expression was a little gloomy.

From the summer of 1942, Chang Kaishen ordered to fight local tyrants and levy grain. He also hated those big landlords, believing that whether it was conscription or food conscription, most of them were still poor and poor. On the contrary, the wealthy gentry landlords tried to evade, and the chief of the tandem armor refused to apply.

Therefore, at the Xi'an military conference, Lao Chiang constantly stressed the need to intensify control over the rich gentry and landlords, and at the same time listed the issue of Henan's military rations as an important topic for discussion, and incidentally scolded Li Peiji, chairman of Henan Province, who was unfavorable for grain requisition.

Li Peiji is timid and afraid of being taken off his black gauze hat. He originally wanted to report the disaster, but after being reprimanded by Lao Jiang, he immediately flatly denied that there was a major disaster in Henan, and promised to complete Henan's grain collection task in full.

Because of this, although Henan's military generals and wealthy gentry continued to report disasters, they were all considered by Chang Kaishen to be making a big fuss, and even suspected of taking the opportunity to evade grain requisition. After all, China has been plagued by disasters every year in these years, and it is a rare thing that there is no one year.

Then a number of newspapers began to report on the disaster, and Chang Kaishen also realized that there might be a disaster, but did not think it was a catastrophe. He also asked He Yingqin to inquire about the situation, and He Yingqin contacted Li Peiji, the provincial chairman, who denied it from beginning to end, and continued to guarantee the completion of the grain collection task.

Here we must wash Chang Kaishen, later generations said that the government does not provide disaster relief and collects grain, most of them are quoted from Feng Yuxiang's memoirs: "Henan shouted that countless people died of starvation, and under such misery, Chang Kaishen also called Henan to levy grain." The chairman of Henan had no choice but to say to Chang Kaishen: "The drought is too bad. Chang Kaishen slapped the table and scolded: "There is no shame at all, there is no personality at all, it is just making rumors." I know that the whole province of Henan has a good harvest, and you say that there is a drought! ”

Feng Yuxiang's remarks are pure nonsense, and they were said after the founding of New China, which is politically correct.

Henan Provincial Chairman Li Peiji not only did not say that "the drought is too severe," but on the contrary, he was the most active in concealing the disaster and the most active in requisitioning grain, all just to complete the tasks assigned by Lao Chiang.

Lao Jiang was really deceived by the local officials this time, or he preferred to believe that the harvest in Henan was good, and selectively ignored the disaster reported by the generals and gentry.

Zhou Hexuan said: "The detailed disaster situation sent back by the Ta Kung Pao reporter from Henan has been sent back to Chongqing soon. Judging from the content of their telegram, this year's famine in Henan may be no less than the Sichuan disaster in 36, and the damage is more serious than the Sichuan disaster due to the impact of the war. Henan's grain requisition task must be stopped immediately, otherwise it may also affect the war situation in the Central Plains. ”

"If you summarize the news sent back by the reporter from Henan as soon as possible, Ta Kung Pao can resume publication tomorrow, but it is not allowed to report on the disaster for the time being."

After Chang Kaishen finished speaking, he sent Zhou Hexuan away, and then immediately called He Yingqin, scolded him and said: "Send a commissioner to Henan to investigate immediately, and there must be no delay or concealment!" ”