Chapter 38 Chapter VII

When you think about it later, everything that happened actually made sense.Although Wang Mingquan, a Trotskyist, was found instead of a party organization that winter, fundamentally speaking, it still made sense.Gao Ming believed that the contact with Wang Mingquan provided him with an experience, which made him neither surprised nor unfamiliar when he saw his old acquaintance Ji Boshun in the Shanghai Kuomintang prison and heard Ji Boshun talk about Trotsky up. Gao Ming didn't expect to see Ji Boshun in prison, nor did he expect Ji Boshun to degenerate into a Trotskyist.He was very excited to meet an old friend and comrade in that dark and narrow world.He and Ji Boshun talked about the past, Qingpu, and the morning of his escape in 1925. Time seemed to go back ten years, and he returned to the living room at No. 125 William Street in Qingpu in a daze.The world seemed so beautiful at that moment—even though he was imprisoned, Gao Ming still felt that the world was very beautiful.

In the year of his arrest, Gao Ming had already connected with the party organization, and Ling Feng also joined the party.The couple participated in and led the student anti-Japanese and national salvation movement in Beiping and suburban counties. Later, their identities were exposed and they were ordered to evacuate to Shanghai.He was arrested three months after arriving in Shanghai on charges of organizing a red book club.The reactionary Kuomintang authorities sentenced him to three years in prison at first because they did not know his true identity.Three years in prison was nothing to him.Had he been arrested on that morning in 1925 or that night in 1931, he would have lost his head.He is not afraid of losing his head, let alone three years in prison.As soon as he walked into prison after the verdict, he regarded the next three years as an unexpected vacation in his life journey.He didn't expect that Ji Boshun's interest in vacation would be ruined.

In the conversation we met the first day, the cunning Ji Boshun didn't reveal his reactionary Trotskyist identity. This despicable and shameless guy kept trying to get close to him and talked about revolution as if he was more revolutionary than anyone else.The counter-revolutionary Trotskyist also seemed to ask him unintentionally, what are you doing now, and why were you arrested?Fortunately, he didn't say anything. If he did, I'm afraid that the sentence would not be changed to life imprisonment, but shot to death. Ji Boshun's Trotskyite identity was revealed by a political prisoner in the same prison.The political prisoner was Qian Fenqi, who was the traffic secretary of a district committee in Shanghai before his arrest and was sentenced to life imprisonment.This is a very kind, very strong comrade.On the second day when the wind was released, Qian Fenqi told him to pay attention when talking to Ji Boshun.Gao Ming asked him why?Qian Fenqi said that Ji Boshun was a devoted Trotskyist.After Gao Ming heard this, he couldn't help being surprised, and immediately woke up: Ji Boshun had been to the Soviet Union, so it is not impossible to become a Trotskyist.He and Ji Boshun haven't seen each other for ten years, a long ten years is enough to change a person's political face.An Zhongliang was also a revolutionary ten years ago, but now he is a reactionary.Ten years ago, Zheng Shaobai, a worker party member, was also very revolutionary. Where is the cat now? !People change too much in a cruel political environment, and it would be too naive for him not to face up to this change.

Gao Ming decided to have a good talk with Ji Boshun. Before the conversation, he asked Qian Fenqi to stand guard at the door and asked him not to participate in the conversation—until that moment, he regarded this essentially life-and-death struggle as a frank exchange between two friends. However, when the conversation started, Ji Boshun's expression was not right.Ji Boshun obviously noticed the tacit agreement between him and Qian Fenqi.When Qian Fenqi moved towards the door with his shackles in his hands, Ji Boshun instinctively sensed something. The corner of his mouth nudged towards the place where Qian Fenqi was, and said, "Old Gao, why did you get involved with him?"

Gao Ming tried his best to smile: "What? Is this person unreliable?" Ji Boshun murmured in a low voice: "I'm not sure! I just... just feel that this person is too dark." Gao Ming patted Ji Boshun's shoulder: "Don't talk about him, old Ji, let's talk about you!" Ji Boshun was startled: "Talk about me? What can I talk about?" "Someone told me that you are a liquidator!" Ji Boshun's face turned pale all of a sudden: "Who! Who said that?" Gao Ming said indifferently: "Don't ask me, I just want you to answer, is it true?"

Ji Boshun snorted: "So what if it's true?" Gao Ming didn't expect Ji Boshun to admit it so easily, and was stunned.He really didn't know what to do.This was not in the free days of Peiping, he couldn't use the method he used to deal with Wang Mingquan in Peiping, and they broke up.He and Ji Boshun had to serve their sentence in the same cell and get along day and night.Besides, they used to be such a close friend and comrade.So, he shook his head and said: "This is not good! Very bad! Old Ji, you are an old comrade, and you have stayed with the Soviet Union. Why don't you know who Trotsky is? How could you join the Trotskyites?" What? I think, have you been influenced by them and had contact with them at one time? Isn’t it?!”

Ji Boshun categorically denied it, and admitted frankly: "To be honest, Lao Gao, I didn't have contact with them once, but I have been in contact with them all the time! You don't need to tell me your identity, but I can tell you my identity." : I have participated in the National Unification Congress of the Left Opposition, and my opposition stand is firm." Gao Ming asked displeasedly: "Then, when we met yesterday, why didn't you explain this to me?" Ji Boshun smiled wryly and said, "I don't want to hurt our past feelings and friendship as soon as we meet!"

Gao Ming sighed for a long time: "I'm afraid this kind of relationship and friendship will never exist!" Ji Boshun looked a little sad: "Yes, I know, because our factions have different positions!" Gao Ming said, "It's good that you know that the Trotskyists are the enemy of the party, and I can't possibly have Trotskyite friends!" Ji Boshun was silent for a long time, looked up at the ceiling of the cell, and murmured: "This...is it worth it?" Gao Ming answered clearly: "Of course it's worth it, it's a matter of principle!"

Ji Boshun sneered: "Principles? Do you have principles? If you really had principles, the great revolution would not have failed! We won't be in other people's prisons talking about revolution today!" Gao Ming retorted: "The failure of the Great Revolution was due to the implementation of Chen Duxiu's rightist capitulationist line!" Ji Boshun sneered: "Does Chen Duxiu have such great influence? Can the old man be the leader of the Chinese Communist Party?" "Hey, what do you mean by that?" "The meaning is very clear: Chen Duxiu is a scapegoat. It was Stalin and the Communist International manipulated by Stalin who really ruined the Chinese revolution! Trotskyist camp! Today's Chinese Trotskyists undoubtedly represent the correct direction of the Chinese revolution!"

"Old Ji, you...you are talking nonsense! The party has a resolution on Chen Duxiu's rightist surrender!" "You don't use your brain, you just believe whatever is decided by the above! Lao Gao, you may not be clear about some situations. On the issue of the Great Revolution, the only one who is correct is Comrade Trotsky! Trotsky pointed out many times... ..." "Stop talking, Lao Ji, you and you Trotskyists have been expelled from the party long ago!" "Yes, this is exactly what I want to say: From the day we were expelled from the party, the reactionary forces in the Chinese party have been formed! This party is getting farther and farther away from Lenin's party principles ..."

Gao Ming couldn't take it anymore, and ended the political conversation in prison with a slap in the face. Gao Ming didn't realize what he was doing when he raised his palm.The palm fell, making a clear trembling sound, and he realized his rudeness. He was stunned for a long time, and the circles of his eyes turned red for some reason. Gao Ming's eyes were red, and he said in pain: "Old Ji, don't...don't talk anymore! I see, everything is over, it should be over..." Gao Ming blamed himself for the slap in the face for several days. He repeatedly asked himself: Why did this happen?It was only later that I realized that the reason he hated him deeply was because of the depth of his love at the beginning.If Ji Boshun hadn't had the fighting friendship from before, if Ji Boshun was just a stranger like Wang Mingquan, he would never have slapped him like this. Ji Boshun obviously didn't know his mood, so he couldn't forgive his rudeness. Not only couldn't he forgive him, maybe it was this rough slap that contributed to Ji Boshun's further degeneration, which made Ji Boshun shamelessly betray his own personality and put his true The identity was exposed to the enemy in prison.Gao Ming believes that Ji Boshun's actions are most likely not to seek credit and reward from the reactionary authorities, but to use the hands of the enemy to eliminate dissidents in faith.But since he did it, he was irrefutably a traitor, and he should be punished as a matter of course. Making the decision to punish, Gao Ming was extremely distressed, no less painful than when he decided to throw a bomb at An Zhongliang's apartment at No. 125 William Street.The severe and cruel revolution and the clear-cut beliefs have turned former comrades and friends into terrible enemies one by one.If he doesn't get rid of them, he will be sorry for the party and the revolutionary cause, and maybe other comrades will suffer in the future.Gao Ming thought about it for a few days, and finally made a move. As soon as he started, Gao Ming discovered his weakness.When he and several party members and fellow prisoners in the prison tied Ji Boshun's neck with shackles, and were about to throw Ji Boshun into the cesspool, his hands trembled.When throwing Ji Boshun into the cesspit, he prematurely removed the shackles on Ji Boshun's neck, which caused Ji Boshun to scream at the last moment, which led to the failure of this punishment.Gao Ming regretted it for a long time. Looking back on the past after many years, the regret disappeared little by little.From today's point of view, it is a good thing to save Ji Boshun's life.If Ji Boshun was executed at that time, Ji Boshun would not be able to see the correct conclusion drawn by history for the Chinese revolution, and Gao Ming would have lost the opportunity to ridicule Ji Boshun in the prison of the dictatorship of the proletariat and destroy Ji Boshun spiritually. Later, someone reversed Ji Boshun's case, saying that Ji Boshun was not a traitor and had never betrayed him in prison. Gao Ming didn't believe him and ordered the relevant parties to investigate thoroughly.The results of a thorough investigation proved that it was Ji Boshun who betrayed him.It was precisely because Ji Boshun betrayed him that he was released early, and the director of the caretaker at that time wrote evidence in a realistic manner.