Pu Guanshui hadn't seen Chen Ke for nearly half a year. The two met again in Anqing in early 1906, after their separation in Beijing in 1905. On that occasion, Chen Ke took the backbone of the insurance regiment to Anqing for military training. In March, Chen Ke left Anqing with the troops of the insurance regiment. It wasn't long before there was a big flood. Chen Ke sent someone to come and asked Pu Guanshui to open an official document for him, to the effect that the insurance group was an organization affiliated with Anqing and was responsible for disaster relief and transportation. Local governments are not allowed to intercept them. Then the contact between the two sides was basically broken. A month ago, Pu Guanshui finally received a liaison sent by Chen Ke. The liaison officer brought a letter, and Chen Ke asked Pu Guanshui to bring all the surveyors of the Anhui New Army to Fengtai County.

In China in 1906, as long as there were young people who had seen the world abroad, even if they would not personally participate in the revolution, they would support the revolution. Pu Guanshui knew half a year ago that Chen Ke was a revolutionary party. As the third-in-command of the new army in Anhui and above, he is actually the fourth-in-command. Pu Guanshui not only did not mean to denounce Chen Ke, but also gave Chen Ke enough support.

I have seen the power of foreign countries, and I have seen the decay of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. The vast majority of these young students whom the Manchu dynasty tried to train themselves were on the side of overthrowing the Manchus. Puguan Water is no exception.

Although he wants to fully support Chen Ke, Pu Guanshui is the leader of the Anhui New Army after all, and he can't just go. I waited for almost a month before I finally found an excuse. Anhui floods, Anhui officialdom knows that it is impossible to rely on Anhui's own ability to provide disaster relief, and these officials also know that the imperial court itself is not reliable at all. But the effort of the scene could not be left undone, and when the flood ended, Anhui Governor Enming finally proposed to find someone to inspect the disaster area.

This is a chore, and when the local officials meet the officials of the provincial government, they must vomit their bitterness and ask for things. Although Anqing is the capital of Anhui Province, it is actually a semi-military stronghold on the Yangtze River, located in the southernmost part of Anhui. It is simply unrealistic to mobilize supplies from Anqing to the north. This tour is just a formality. Moreover, these officials are pampered on weekdays, and when they arrive in the disaster area, they must "share joys and sorrows" no matter what. This food, clothing, shelter and transportation must be very inconvenient. Moreover, these people can be regarded as having a little conscience at least, and they think that they have a little uneasy conscience when they go to the disaster area to eat and drink. So no one volunteered at all.

Pu Guanshui saw this opportunity and made a statement to Enming. The priority now is not to allow civil unrest to take place everywhere. Relief can be done calmly when the relief supplies arrive. However, Pu Guanshui believed that officers should be sent to inspect the disaster area. Assist local governments to prevent civil unrest.

In the officialdom at the end of the Qing Dynasty, everyone had no intention of doing things at all, only seeking no fault, not meritorious. As soon as Pu Guanshui's suggestion came out, everyone felt that it was very right. But which officer to send whom? Yu Dahong, the co-commander of the Anhui New Army, definitely can't go. The other vice-presidents were also unwilling. Pu Guanshui, who had just arrived, was suddenly found to be loyal and reliable, and then he was "entrusted with a heavy responsibility". Such a result was in Puguan's water's arms, and he took the opportunity to select Anhui's technical arms and his own trusted soldiers. A total of 100 people were gathered to go out to inspect and assist in defense.

It was still a few days to prepare, and Pu Guanshui sent two waves of messengers to Fengtai County. Let Chen Kepai send a fleet to come over to greet him. Since it was a disaster, Pu Guanshui planned to secretly transport more weapons and equipment to Fengtai County in the name of transporting disaster relief materials. Chen Ke's insurance regiment could not make weapons and ammunition. This time, in the name of inspecting the people's changes in various places, Pu Guanshui applied for a batch of weapons and ammunition. He was going to give more than half to Chen Ke.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, officialdom was a formality, and after Pu Guanshui came out with his troops, he only used formality wherever he went. The group of people in Anqing didn't care what Pu Guanshui was doing outside. Puguan Water has no plans to go anywhere else. The destination of the troops this time was Fengtai County. Chen Ke's letter was very polite. He said that the People's Party now has more than 1,000 people in Fengtai County, and it urgently needs training in technical arms. In particular, there is an urgent need for surveying and mapping arms.

If you are a bureaucrat who does not understand technology, even if you have a good relationship with Chen Ke, I am afraid that I will not be happy when I see such a letter. After Pu Guanshui saw this letter, not only was he not unhappy, but he felt like a confidant. After studying in Germany, Pu Guanshui deeply understood the significance of surveying and mapping for a modern army. Chen Ke's professional attitude made Pu Guanshui very satisfied. However, there are less than 20 people in the Anhui New Army who know how to survey, and the other 80 are artillerymen, communications troops, and grassroots officers. Pu Guanshui hopes to use these people as the backbone to conduct comprehensive training for the insurance group in Fengtai County.

After setting off from Anqing, Pu Guanshui was full of thoughts about how to build an army according to his ideals, and as the deputy co-ordinator, Pu Guanshui's official authority still existed. Like European armies, Pu Guanshui advocated strict management of the army. The soldiers who followed him did not dare to speak loudly. Although he didn't dare to speak, the strange entry and exit of the soldiers still proved that something was going on outside. Because the soldiers were standing on the side of the ship, the ship was tilted a little.

Pu Guanshui glanced at the soldiers outside the small window and said to the guards beside him, "Go out and see what's going on." ”

The guards went out, and soon returned to the cabin with a worried face, "Pu Xietong, someone outside committed suicide by throwing himself into the water." ”

"Oh?" Pu Guanshui was a little surprised, if there were dead bodies in the river, there was nothing abnormal. But he survived the flood tenaciously, but committed suicide by throwing himself into the water after the disaster. Such a thing was unexpected. No wonder the soldiers ran outside. He stood up and walked out of the cabin. As soon as I got out of the hatch, I saw the soldiers standing on the side of the ship, all with gloomy faces. Pu Guanshui pushed away the soldiers who were densely blocking in front of him, and then he saw it.

I saw a few people in ragged clothes on the edge of the river, and at this time they had been left behind by the boat, and the distance was relatively far, and their faces full of dirt could no longer be seen clearly. From the body and hairstyle, it can be roughly distinguished that there is an adult couple here, and the others are children. The clothes on this family were ragged, probably not changed after the flood, and the clothes were completely dirty and rotten. Holes and tears made the clothes flutter in the river breeze. The family was tied to the same long rope around their waists, and the man and woman held the child and wept bitterly, while shaking their bodies and walking into the middle of the river without stopping. The water gradually swept over their legs, their waists, and their chests. The child didn't know the purpose of his parents' actions, and Pu Guanshui saw that the child who was being held by his mother even wiped his mother's tears. The older children, on the other hand, watched with some panic as the water got closer and closer to them.

Suddenly, the child let out a scream, "Daddy, Mommy, I don't want it." I don't want to die! While shouting, he began to struggle, Pu Guanshui saw that the parents paused, and the man let out an inhuman howl, holding the child who was constantly struggling, and plunged into the river that had already raised his chest. Then the family disappeared into the murky waters.

This was the first time Pu Guanshui had seen someone commit suicide by throwing himself into the river, and he watched it all in amazement. I didn't even understand what was going on. Seeing the family sinking into the water, there was a low sigh among the soldiers.

"Quick, quick, go and save them." Pu Guanshui finally stammered.

"My lord, what should I do after I save them?" The pipe belt in charge of the artillery asked, "We don't have much food to bring, save them for a while, and then what should we do?" Take them with you? How long can we take them? ”

These words came into Pu Guanshui's ears, and the plain and shrewd and capable Pu Guanshui didn't even understand what these words meant and what was going on.

Seeing that Pu Guanshui was just stunned and looked at the place where the family threw water, the forty-year-old artillery pipe and Ba Yougong couldn't help but persuade: "My lord, there are already three families throwing water on this road." There are more than a dozen of them. Since the whole family is forced to throw themselves into the water, it must be cornered. Now that we have saved them, what are we going to give them to eat? Our ship can accommodate 100 people. When we came out, we didn't bring much food. It's only enough for us to eat for less than two months. Rescue them, we don't have enough food for them, they will still die after eating the food. If we want them to live until next year, we will give our food to these dozen people, and we will have nothing to eat. This is a disaster area, and it is not easy for us to raise food. Your Excellency, you are kind-hearted, but we really can't save them. ”

After hearing this, Pu Guanshui barely understood. Ba Yougong is right, but such a tragic situation is something that Pu Guanshui has never seen. The great ambition that had been in my chest a few minutes ago vanished in an instant.

"Save them! Go and save them now! Although Pu Guanshui tried to roar, something indescribable pressed against his chest, making his voice low and trembling a little.

The relationship between Ba Yougong and Pu Guanshui is not bad, seeing that the young Pu Guanshui is so excited, if it is normal, he will obey the order, but this time he can't help but persuade again: "My lord, those people have lost so much weight that they are not human, in addition to taking them on the boat, we will die if we leave them in place." But we really don't have any place on the ship. Before I came out this time, I was in charge of loading the ship, and wherever I could load grain, I loaded it. There really is no place left. Your Excellency, you are doing this out of compassion, but only to make them suffer more before they die. ”

In all fairness, this is already from the bottom of my heart. The victims of despair and committed suicide by throwing themselves into the river, which was only a temporary pain. But if we save them, we can't save them to the end, and that is just to prolong the suffering of these victims for a longer time. Rather, it is better to let them die now and suffer less sin. But Pu Guanshui didn't mean to appreciate it at all, he raised his arm and pointed to Ba Yougong's nose, "Order to save people!" Pu Guanshui finally roared angrily.

Ba Yougong sighed and shouted to the boat behind: "Pu Xietong has an order to save the family who threw it into the water." ”

Not only was the boat where Pu Guanshui was standing full of soldiers watching the excitement, but the boats behind were also full of soldiers watching the excitement. After Ba Yougong finished shouting, the boat behind had already passed the place where the family had thrown into the water, so they continued to shout back, and in the next few boats, there were already soldiers who took out their hooks and fished them out in the water, and finally rescued the family.

After a while, the boat behind shouted to come over, and the family was rescued from drowning. There are no dead people. Pu Guanshui listened to the news with a pale face, exhaled a long breath, and prepared to return to the cabin. But suddenly he remembered something, he turned his head and said to Ba Yougong: "If you see someone throwing water again, save it." Take it with you. ”

When Ba Yougong heard this order, his face changed a little, "My lord, where are we going to take them?" If you really want to save them, you have to take them back to Anqing. If you place them in place, the local government will not take them seriously. You walk on the front foot, but you are afraid that the local government will throw them out on the back foot. These people are still dead. You saved people all the way, but you didn't really save their lives. And the local government will complain about you. Why bother? ”

Pu Guanshui didn't answer immediately, he closed his eyes, and opened them again a moment later. He knew that what Ba Yougong said was right, such a simple life-saving was really saved for a while, but it couldn't be saved for a lifetime.

The young man's chest heaved and his face was as gloomy as the heavy clouds before a thunderstorm. "Take them to Fengtai County. Fengtai County has already said that it will send a boat to pick us up. Let's squeeze in, and when the boat over there joins us, we'll put the people on the boat over there. ”

"Fengtai County? This time, Fengtai County is in the center. This is still the case around the flood, so why are they okay? Ba Yougong was already angry with Pu Guanshui's "nonsense", and he was already very dissatisfied with his words.

"I have a friend in Fengtai County, and I believe him. He said Fengtai County was fine. Pu Guanshui replied.

Hearing this, Ba Yougong was also angry. After Pu Guanshui arrived in the Anhui New Army, he vigorously supported the technical arms, artillery, and surveying and mapping troops were all the key objects of Pu Guanshui's support. However, these arms could not enter the eyes of other commanders of the Anhui New Army, so Ba Yougong threw himself into Puguan Water Gate. Seeing that the young co-president was talking "nonsense", Ba Yougong was not angry. He said loudly: "Master Pu, we will save at least two or three hundred people along the way. Not to mention whether the ship can carry these people. How much food does your friend's family have? It can make two or three hundred people eat until next summer's harvest! And your friend asked you to come over, and I am afraid that you will have to help him. He, he is only afraid that he is also a mud bodhisattva crossing the river, and it is difficult to protect himself! ”

Pu Guanshui was not angry, he looked at Ba Yougong calmly, "Ba Guan belt, my friend said, tens of thousands of people in Fengtai County are fine......

"He's talking nonsense!" Ba Yougong was completely impatient and directly interrupted Pu Guanshui's words.

"My friend is in charge of Fengtai County, since he said it's okay. Then it's going to be fine. As I said, when you see someone throwing into the water, save me. Pu Guanshui didn't want to say anything more, and after saying this, he went back to the cabin directly.

Sitting in his seat, Pu Guanshui only felt that his mind was in chaos. He rested his left elbow on the table and pressed his left hand on his forehead. A warm snort gently blows the edge of the palm. Fang Caiba's words echoed in Pu Guanshui's mind.

"My lord, you can save them for a while, but you can't save them for a lifetime."

"My lord, your friend is only afraid that the mud bodhisattva will cross the river, and it will be difficult to protect himself."

"Fengtai County is in the center of the flood, and they will be fine if the spleen function is anything!"

These words are by no means prevaricating with Ba Yougong, Pu Guanshui knows this very well. He rubbed his palm on his face irritably. Yes, the fringe areas of the flood are already so terrifying, how can Fengtai County, which is located in the center, be safe and sound. Although Pu Guanshui admires Chen Ke very much, Chen Ke is just a mortal, how can he make the whole county of Fengtai County safe and sound? Could it be that Chen Ke is lying to himself?

Before seeing the whole family throw themselves into the river this time, Pu Guan Shui actually had no understanding of the severity of the flood. Actually, he didn't care about it in the first place. It's not far from Anqing, and it's already bad to this extent. Chen Ke's words did not reveal the disaster situation in Fengtai County at all, but he was afraid that the real situation was far from what Chen Ke said. Pu Guanshui knew that Chen Ke had also prepared for disaster relief this time, and he also asked for an official document. But Pu Guanshui didn't believe that Chen Ke could really do anything too big. If that's the case, I'm afraid that what Ba Yougong said is really very possible.

Doubting Chen Ke's thoughts, all kinds of ideas came out one after another. But in the midst of these many doubts, the memories of Chen Ke and Pu Guanshui intersecting also kept emerging. The Chen Ke who could talk deeply about military development with Pu Guanshui, the Chen Ke who wrote the song "The Beiyang New Army is Forward" in a flash, and the Chen Ke who led the backbone of the insurance regiment to Anqing for military training. In dealing with Chen Ke, Chen Ke is always cautious, modest, and responsible. He is not a fanatic who talks big and deceives. And the book "Chinese Cultural Inheritance and the Rise of Materialism" written by Chen Ke, Pu Guanshui is amazed every time he reads it. If such a Chen Ke really encountered difficulties, how could he not tell the truth. Why should he deceive himself?

On the one hand, it is the trust in Chen Ke's past, and on the other hand, it is worried about the reality. Pu Guanshui's mood was extremely chaotic, and he could no longer think of the idea of how to build a new-style army.

Sure enough, as Ba Yougong said, in five days, more than 300 people threw their families into the river. Pu Guanshui didn't care about Ba Yougong's advice at all, and insisted on saving them all. And when he saw that the government fleet was saving people, he knelt on the ground and begged for food. Even more people threw themselves into the river with the intention of being saved. Pu Guanshui encountered such a situation, but he did not dare to mention the matter of docking. The flotilla marched day and night. Fortunately, the victims were generally not in good health and could not keep up with the speed of the boats, so at least no one deliberately threw themselves into the water in front of them in the hope of being rescued. But the flotilla, which was supposed to transport a hundred people, suddenly cram in with three hundred. There wasn't enough space at all, and Pu Guan Shui had to live with other people. But since the request to save people was put forward by himself, Pu Guanshui also admitted it.

Pu Guanshui no longer thought about building an army, and he asked about the victims who had been rescued from all over the place. These backbone victims who committed suicide by throwing themselves into the river are not bad people. The prolonged hunger had left these people skinny and dying. After eating a few meals of gruel, I regained some strength a little. In the face of the life-saving benefactor and the official of the imperial court, the victims of the disaster kowtowed again and again to thank them, and wept about the disaster situation with tears in their eyes. Since the heavy rain for 60 consecutive days, the disaster area in Anhui is really miserable. The water depth of the flat ground is several feet. There is nowhere for the people to run. These victims have survived until now, but seeing that they can no longer live, they have to choose to commit suicide by throwing themselves into the river.

Listening to the terrible human tragedies in the flood, the young Pu Guanshui couldn't help but burst into tears. There were quite a few people who could not help but cry bitterly among the soldiers and officers of the New Army who had gathered next to the company. Most of them are natives of Anhui Province, and many of their family members are also in the disaster area. Thinking of my loved ones also experiencing such terrible things. One by one, they were heartbroken. Those who spoke wept, and among those who listened, they also wept loudly when they remembered what happened to them. And the officers and men of the New Army could not help but cry loudly. The whole ship burst into tears. Many of the soldiers of the New Army even plucked up the courage to cry and beg to go home to see.

If it was before, Pu Guanshui would not only verbally reprimand the soldiers who asked to go home, but he was afraid that he would still have to physically punish them. But now, listening to the crying pleas of these soldiers. Pu Guanshui said with a pale face: "I haven't arrived in Fengtai County yet." I'll talk about it after I saw it in Fengtai County. ”

At noon on the sixth day, Puguanshui's fleet finally met the fleet of the insurance group. Looking at the red sickle and axe flags fluttering on the bows of the four big Upong boats, Pu Guanshui's heart was filled with hope and worry at the same time. After each flag was raised, the two fleets converged.