Just as Wang Youhong had expected, three days after he made a speech to the Jiangsu Assembly requesting the People's Party to issue a formal document for the extradition of criminals, the People's Party's Jiangsu Office formally submitted an official document from the Zhejiang Provincial Procuratorate to Wang Youhong, requesting Jiangsu Governor Wang Youhong to provide a list of Zhejiang personnel who had fled to Jiangsu.

Wang Youhong didn't care who had leaked the news. He carefully looked at the line "To Mr. Wang Youhong, Governor of Jiangsu and Speaker of the Jiangsu Assembly" on the letterhead of the official document; at least on the surface, the People's Party fully recognized Wang Youhong's official status. Handing the letter to Jiangsu Garrison Commander Yu Chen, Wang Youhong lifted his cup and sipped his tea.

After reading the letter, Yu Chen frowned deeply. He tentatively asked, "Governor Wang, are you planning to hand the people over to them?"

"At a time like this, we definitely have to hand people over, but we can't hand them all over," Wang Youhong said unhurriedly.

Yu Chen couldn't understand Wang Youhong's thinking at all. He pondered for a good while before continuing to ask, "Governor Wang, please speak clearly."

"There are two possibilities for the People's Party asking for people this time. First, they want to annex us. No matter who we hand over, they will definitely find fault and say we are shielding criminals of the people, using this as an excuse to attack us. If so, then we can only wait for death with our hands tied." Wang Youhong didn't want to say any foolish words about fighting back. Yuan Shikai was much more powerful than Wang Youhong, and what end did he come to after fighting back? Jiangsu had been able to continue existing until now by relying on thick-skinned survival.

As the Garrison Commander, Yu Chen controlled the entire military force of Jiangsu. He naturally understood the outcome of Jiangsu expecting to maintain independence by force. So he asked with a hopeful mood, "What if the People's Party doesn't want to annex us?"

"If they don't want to annex us, they must want to use our Jiangsu as a negative example. Chen Ke is insidious and vicious, yet he wants to teach all his life's learning to those people in the People's Party. The People's Party also stresses seeking truth from facts. Some things, if Chen Ke just says them with his mouth, will definitely cause trouble, and his subordinates might not be willing to believe him. So Chen Ke would rather temporarily not expand his territory and let other provinces do stupid things, using actual events to prove that what Chen Ke said was correct." Speaking of this, Wang Youhong also got excited and cursed, "Chen Ke is truly devoid of conscience!"

Yu Chen couldn't help but nod repeatedly. If Chen Ke used schemes and intrigues to deceive other provinces, at least that would be treating opponents as equal human beings, and one might even praise Chen Ke for being smart enough. But to prove that the path he pointed out was correct, he sat back and watched other provinces do stupid things to prove his predictions right. That was clearly treating others as existences lower than Chen Ke. This condescending attitude could only be evaluated as devoid of conscience. "If this can be tolerated, what cannot be tolerated?" probably referred to this attitude of Chen Ke.

After cursing Chen Ke, Wang Youhong calmed his emotions before continuing, "Currently, the People's Party is sweeping through like splitting bamboo. Taking our Jiangsu would be as easy as lifting a hand. Even if Chen Ke wants to make an example of our Jiangsu, he might not be able to get his subordinates to agree. So when handing people over, we can't hand them all over. The People's Party is clamoring to settle blood debts; whose blood debts are they settling? Isn't it the blood debts of that bunch from Western Zhejiang! Cai Yuanpei purged the Guangfu Society's party in Zhejiang, and Feng Guozhang and Zhang Renjun killed both the Tongmenghui and the Guangfu Society together in Fujian and Guangdong. After these people are killed off, Chen Ke is probably secretly happy in his heart. If Feng Guozhang and Zhang Renjun hadn't started killing like this in Fujian and Guangdong, Chen Ke would still have to kill them all over again after taking Fujian and Guangdong. So whatever people the People's Party wants to kill, we'll give them those people."

Yu Chen supported Wang Youhong's analysis very much, but he still had doubts. "Governor Wang, what does doing this have to do with the People's Party not attacking our Jiangsu?"

"My doing this is to tell the People's Party that we know what they want to do. To tell them we are willing to serve the People's Party. I've also read some books these years; the sorrow of a small country is that it must serve a big country. If the People's Party feels we are useful, we still have to let the People's Party understand that we know how to serve a big country. Only then can we survive. Otherwise, there is only a dead end." After saying this, Wang Youhong couldn't help but unbutton the collar of his military uniform. The weather was already hot, and Wang Youhong's heart was also anxious as if boiling. Principles were easy to say, but really realizing one's own incompetence and helplessness, this pain was more unbearable than physical pain.

Yu Chen could also understand Wang Youhong's mood. Rushing forward to be killed by the enemy after a long howl at the sky—this decision was sometimes easy to make. But to endure humiliation and bear burdens, sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall, was an extremely difficult thing.

Before Yu Chen could offer words of comfort, Wang Youhong was already gasping for breath and said, "The Manchu Qing fell, and Yuan Shikai was so formidable, yet he fell too. I don't believe that with the People's Party achieving such a situation in just ten years, he can really stand firm. As long as our Jiangsu can hold on, sooner or later there will be a day when we see the People's Party in trouble. No matter what, I want to see that day, to see the day when that little bastard Chen Ke is deserted by his followers and dies an unnatural death." Speaking of this, Wang Youhong's pitch involuntarily raised almost an octave, shouting with a howling momentum, "When that time comes, I also want to write an article 'This Life of Chen Ke' and burn it for Chen Ke to see!"

Yu Chen was naturally extremely unwilling in his heart too, but Wang Youhong's words had a bit of a taste of acting out of pique. Although his heart was still very depressed, a trace of a smile couldn't help but appear on Yu Chen's face.

Zhejiang Governor Wang Ziming was theoretically a big shot on the same level as Jiangsu Governor Wang Youhong. In the Beiyang government, Wang Ziming was of the direct line, while Wang Youhong was of the collateral line, so Wang Ziming's actual status should be slightly higher than Wang Youhong. Half-dreaming and half-awake, Wang Ziming suddenly felt he was attending the Beiyang National Assembly. The vast banquet hall was full of high officials from various places. He was standing behind Feng Guozhang clapping along with others, and the spirited Yuan Shikai walked to the main seat and sat down amidst everyone's applause. And Wang Youhong was standing quietly three or four steps behind Wang Ziming, with no one paying attention to him. A sense of self-satisfaction instantly filled Wang Ziming's whole body, making him excited and joyful...

With his head jerking down, Wang Ziming shivered and woke up from his dream. Not far in front of Wang Ziming were wooden bars as thick as an arm. A large iron chain passed through the wooden door on the bars and was tightly locked by an iron lock. Wang Ziming and his personal guards were locked in the same cell. The cell only had three floor pallets made of straw mats. Wang Ziming leaned against the wall alone, half-lying on one pallet. Three personal guards were sleeping squeezed together on the large pallet formed by the other two straw mats.

The Workers and Peasants Revolutionary Army had fought to the city walls of Hangzhou. After escaping from Hangzhou, Wang Ziming did not flee to Fujian but headed straight for Nanjing. Anyone could see the current situation clearly; the three southeastern provinces were finished. The Beiyang defense lines couldn't stop the People's Party's army, and in field battles, they were even less likely to be opponents of the People's Party. Wang Ziming didn't want to see Feng Guozhang at all. Seeing Feng Guozhang would have no meaning other than getting a furious scolding or even being dragged out and killed as a warning to others.

The best way in the current situation was to first flee to the Shanghai concessions to hide for a while. After the situation stabilized, Wang Ziming could also choose to run to other places, or simply go abroad. In these days of turmoil of war, traveling along the road carried too much risk. There were steamships from Nanjing to Shanghai, which was the fastest route.

Wang Ziming had thought of all kinds of problems; the only thing he didn't expect was that Jiangsu looked loose on the outside but was tight on the inside. No different situation from the past was seen at the border of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and Wang Ziming was also very smooth when he went to buy boat tickets. But when he was led into a "waiting hall" by the port guide, he found that quite a few soldiers were standing outside the main door on the other side. As soon as the door of the "waiting hall" closed, these soldiers came in to interrogate the passengers one by one. Anyone suspicious was taken away.

After discovering something was wrong, Wang Ziming immediately revealed his identity as the Governor of Zhejiang. The soldiers not only did not treat Wang Ziming respectfully because of this, but the leading officer also cursed and shouted, "With your appearance of a little rascal, you still pretend to be the Governor of Zhejiang? Are you looking to die?" While cursing, the soldiers tied up Wang Ziming and the others and took them away. After being thrown into the cell, no one interrogated them, and no one paid attention to them. Except for someone delivering prisoner's food and collecting the wooden bucket for excrement and urine on time, Wang Ziming and the others seemed to be forgotten by the world.

The days in the prison passed quickly yet not quickly. Every day was spent with thousands of thoughts in his mind, feeling like years. But when calculating the time occasionally, he found that Wang Ziming had actually been detained for more than a month.

"Wang Ziming! You guys come out!" someone shouted outside.

A surge of excitement immediately rose in Wang Ziming's heart. The other party calling him by name indicated that Jiangsu had already recognized Wang Ziming's identity. The days of detention were too hard to bear; Wang Ziming was not afraid of what Wang Youhong would do to him at all. Even if he were killed, it would be more comfortable than rotting day by day in prison.

The jailers put handcuffs and shackles on Wang Ziming and the others, making a clear posture of bringing them to trial. Wang Ziming let the jailers manipulate him, having an air of regarding death as returning home. With the background music of clanking sounds, Wang Ziming and the others followed the Jiangsu jailers out of the large prison. There was already a group of people similarly wearing handcuffs and shackles in the open space outside the prison. Their clothes were mostly tattered, and their bodies emitted a strong smell of sweat and urine. Most of them were actually Wang Ziming's acquaintances in Zhejiang: civil officials, military officers, assembly members, leading figures of the Guangfu Society. Even though these people were standard accessories of prisoners from head to toe, Wang Ziming couldn't help but have the illusion that this was Zhejiang territory.

Everyone had fled Zhejiang privately. When running away, they all thought they were letting others attract the People's Party's attention. They didn't expect to meet such old friends in this situation. Before wanting to speak, they felt a bit embarrassed. They just nodded in greeting; in such a large open space, no one took the initiative to utter a sound.

Just then, a group of Jiangsu soldiers wearing Beiyang military uniforms brought a large team of soldiers wearing People's Party military uniforms walking over. The People's Party soldiers held a roster and began to receive this batch of Zhejiang high officials. This group of people immediately understood that Jiangsu Governor Wang Youhong had made preparations long ago. Heaven knows what agreement Wang Youhong had reached with the People's Party during the period he detained this group of people. Anyway, the facts before their eyes proved without ambiguity that Wang Youhong completely treated the Zhejiang high officials as a gift to give to the People's Party.

Wang Ziming's original air of regarding death as returning home vanished without a trace. He had tried every possible way to flee the People's Party's devilish claws, but he didn't expect that after suffering so much pain, he still failed to escape with his life. Wang Ziming's lips and legs were trembling; fear and despair made his throat extremely thirsty. However, Wang Ziming suddenly felt that these fears of his were not that shameful. Because some of the "former leading figures" of Zhejiang around him had already started weeping; fear and despair made them cry like little girls.

PS: There will be another chapter before 12 o'clock.