1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 113

Zhao Yan's pupils contracted, and he said nervously, "What exactly do you want to do? Where do you want to go? Without my protection, you are nothing. You have no idea what you are going to face!"

"Just follow my instructions and don't do anything stupid. I won't harm you!"

Jean Sinor uttered his last respectful address: "Master, I understand you wouldn't harm us, but you can't help us now. Thank you for teaching me everything, but I've chosen my own path, and I need to walk it to the end!"

"I'm resigning. I'm going to Japan to completely overthrow and subvert that regime that should never exist!"

Jean Sinor handed over his party membership card and Ministry of Foreign Affairs credentials, submitted his resignation, and resigned from his positions as a member of the Revival Party and as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy to Europe of the Republic, thus stripping himself of all his responsibilities.

Then he turned around and resolutely left the imperial study, leaving Zhao Yan sitting there helplessly.

Zhao Yan reached out his hand towards Jean Sinor's retreating figure, forcing out two words: "Come back."

But Jean Sinor left without looking back; in the end, their paths diverged.

Jean Sinor and the large number of party members behind him were tired of the pointless factional fighting, unable to do anything but spend their days exchanging words with radical nationalists.

All their energy was wasted in this agonizing process, and when they looked back, they found they had accomplished nothing. They were full of revolutionary ideals but hadn't done a single practical revolutionary thing.

They could not accept that their most revered revolutionary leader had gradually abandoned the revolution. Zhao Yan's actions were beneficial to China, but he did not contribute much to the grand proletarian revolution.

Previously, they had been patient and waiting. To be honest, they had little interest in the power struggles within the Republic. It was just the radicals who initiated the competition. Their ideal had always been to liberate the world and realize the ideals that Zhao Yan had taught them.

It was Zhao Yan's inaction this time that completely disappointed them. Their former revolutionary leader had become a politician, and there was no point in staying and tolerating him any longer.

Zhao Yan knew why they left him, but knowing was useless, because he couldn't give them what they wanted.

Anyone can abandon everything for ideals and beliefs, but Zhao Yan is the only one who does not have that right, because he is the head of state of the Republic, and too much is entrusted to him.

Zhao Yan has no right to act arbitrarily, because the future and destiny of the country and the nation are in his hands. He cannot jeopardize the future and destiny of the country and the nation for the sake of the interests of a party.

Ideals and beliefs are important, but there are always things that are above all else.

Of course, what Zhao Yan was most grateful for at this moment was that Wu Zifu was still far away in Tibet. He had not returned, nor had he directly broken ties with him. In the end, he still stayed behind.

Jean Sinor's departure left Zhao Yan feeling extremely frustrated. He felt completely drained and had no energy left to deal with official business. He just sat there hunched over, like a lonely old man.

Recalling their initial meeting at the Songhu Beer Hall, Zhao Yan initially mistook Xinuoer for a foreigner. However, as they gradually followed and accompanied each other, Xinuoer's unreserved dedication and trust led Zhao Yan to regard this foreigner as his good apprentice. The relationship between master and apprentice was one of life and death dependence.

Zhao Yan valued the people who started their business at the Songhu Beer Hall more than anything else, but when it came time to make a choice, he found that he had no choice but to let go.

Zhao Yan thought that by creating some competition and conflict, he could divert the attention of this group and keep them by his side. But no one is a fool. They knew Zhao Yan's intentions, and it was time for them to go their separate ways.

After a long while, Zhao Yan didn't know how long he had been sitting, only that it was already dark outside, when Zhao Hao walked into the Imperial Study.

This was the first time Zhao Hao had entered this place in three or four months. During this time, he had been with the SS, busy with various military affairs, and had not been able to spare any time to come to the Imperial Study.

But once it arrives, it means something is about to happen.

"Master, my eldest brother has sent a letter and asked me to pass it on to you!" Zhao Hao remained as respectful as ever, handing the letter to Zhao Yan with both hands.

"What, Zifu knows too?" Zhao Yan was somewhat hesitant to look at the letter.

Zhao Hao nodded: "I checked. Before returning to China this time, Senior Brother Xinuoer had several exchanges with Senior Brother Zifu. They must have made some kind of decision."

Zhao Yan waved his hand, not wanting to listen anymore, and opened Wu Zifu's handwritten letter to read it.

The above content is very simple and direct, consisting of only two sentences: "Now that this matter is settled, the country will be without shame! I wonder if I can still call you Master when we meet again in the capital?"

Wu Zifu was a ruthless man of few words. He directly stated his position: he planned to see Zhao Yan again after the war in Tibet ended. He had done his duty to the country in the past few years of fighting, and the only thing he felt guilty about was his master. Since he felt guilty, it was clear what he wanted to do.

Tell Wu Zifu that I will not see him and that he should stay put. He can go wherever he wants, but he cannot go abroad. He can do whatever he wants, and I will grant his request!

For the first time, Zhao Yan felt that he had failed as a master, as he couldn't even keep his apprentice.

Zhao Hao didn't move: "Master, is that really how it has to be said? You are the head of state, not just my master!"

Zhao Yan was taken aback, realizing that he had lost his composure and his mind had wandered, so he could only remain silent.

Zhao Hao understood and pretended not to hear what had just been said.

After a moment, Zhao Hao couldn't help but say, "Master, Xinuoer went to the Party Headquarters building and then to the 1st SS Division. He took many people with him and left with their equipment. The Garrison Command has dispatched troops to surround them."

Zhao Yan asked, "How many people are leaving? Tell me, I'd like to know too."

Zhao Hao did not hide anything: "There are a total of 1,238 people in the party and the SS who want to leave with Xinuoer, and they are all key members."

"Among them, Jean-Sinore, Huang Ming, Liu Jiaquan, Qian Jingyao, and Song Kai were all founding members of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai."

"I've tried to persuade them, but no one is willing to go back. They insist on leaving. The garrison command can't make a decision right now, so they asked me to come and ask you."

Zhao Yan continued, "Did they say where they were going?"

Zhao Hao nodded: "I asked, and it's going south to Guangzhou Port. Xinuoer is going to Japan to join the Japanese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. Many key members will also go, and the rest will take passenger ships from Guangzhou Port to various parts of Europe and America."

Zhao Yan closed his eyes: "Am I really such an unpopular master? Why can't they understand my helplessness? Do they really know what kind of path they are about to embark on?"

"Master, you have already done everything you could, why blame yourself?"

Zhao Hao was completely considering things from Zhao Yan's perspective. He suddenly made a slashing motion with his hand, as if it were a knife: "Master, how about..."

Zhao Yan stood up abruptly and roared, "Shut up! Kneel down!"

Zhao Hao knelt down, not daring to utter another sound.

Zhao Yanyu was still furious: "No matter what, it shouldn't come to this. Don't have such thoughts again. As long as I live, you will all still be fellow disciples!"

Turning around, Zhao Yan sighed, "Fine, let them be. You go and see them off for me, and give this to them too."

Zhao Yan opened a suitcase, which he had carried with him since the founding of the Communist Party in Shanghai. It contained many things, including the Party flag made by Zhao Hao.

Zhao Yan took out the first party flag of the Revival Party, took out a paper cutter, cut off the bright red half, and then took out a check.

"This is half of the Party flag, and a check for 250,000 yuan. The check is part of the Party's surplus funds."

“When it comes time to divide the family property, I, as their master, cannot be stingy. I will still give them what is due, and the rest is up to them.”

"Tell them to live well. No matter what, as long as I'm alive, the door is still open!"

Zhao Hao nodded emphatically, packed up all his things, turned around, and left the Imperial Study.

Zhao Yan sat back down in his original seat, alone, not knowing why.

After thinking for a long time, he blamed all the mistakes on the damned Japanese, saying it was all their fault!

I did nothing wrong; the Japanese were the ones who were wrong!

In the dead of night, bursts of angry roars erupted from the Imperial Study, like the mournful howl of an old wolf king gazing at the moon.

Chapter 190 The Big Stick of Human Rights Values

Missing out on a beautiful woman is no big deal, but missing out on a group of men you can rely on is a great regret in life!

—People from a certain place in Sichuan

Zhao Yan was heartbroken to lose one of his most loyal and dedicated subordinates. He felt helpless.

Because at the time in his life when he was most adept at trusting, he met a group of young people who were most trustworthy, but when he finally learned to trust, he betrayed their trust in him.

If he could do it all over again, he would say three words to those young people: Don't believe me!

If this trust had to be given a time limit, Zhao Yan would hope it would be ten thousand years!

The encounter at the beer hall was still vivid in his mind. He told a lie, and a group of young people believed it. Then Zhao Yan told countless lies to cover up the initial lie.

Zhao Yan tried hard to fulfill his promises, but in the end he found it was all in vain, because some things were destined to conflict.

Just like Zhao Yan, who always lives in the present, while those young people live in the future.

Zhao Yan had witnessed too much deception. He had even been the embodiment of deception himself. When he lied, countless people believed him fervently and entrusted everything to him.

But when he truly began to be honest and keep his promises, he was surprised to find that even his closest relatives no longer believed him.

Zhao Yan couldn't understand what was wrong with this world. Why could he gain countless trusts by lying, but when he started telling the truth, no one believed him anymore?

He wanted to tell those ambitious and passionate young people that the path was one he could not predict, one he was least confident about and had no answers to, but those young people did not believe him and insisted on walking it themselves.

This is helplessness, the helplessness of life, and also the helplessness of a politician.

Fortunately, Zhao Yan wasn't a fool who would fight amongst himself, and he didn't have time to wallow in self-pity. He didn't think he was wrong; the world, especially the Japanese, was the one at fault!

It was the Japanese who caused him and his master to turn against each other and go their separate ways. All the blame lies with the Japanese; he himself has never done anything wrong!

On May 28, 1909, the twentieth day after the Imjin River Incident broke out, and another day after the news spread, it shocked the world.

Everyone is waiting for the Chinese to turn on them and take action, hoping that another war of mutual destruction will break out in the Far East.

Europe has been dragged into the arms race, while China in the Far East is shed its burdens and moving forward with a lighter load. How can this be allowed?

Countries around the world have begun to prepare to intervene in a new war in the Far East. After all, the fact that the Chinese leader could tolerate such a blatant public humiliation by the Japanese for more than half a month is beyond everyone's expectations.

But if you say to continue to endure it and pretend it never happened, then Zhao Yan and the image of the People's Republic of China will collapse, and everyone will start to see China as an easy target again, because you backed down and because you weren't tough enough.

In the two weeks following the outbreak of the crisis, significant changes began to occur within the Republic. The first was the announcement of major personnel and organizational changes by the Revival Party, with many party elders, including Wu Zifu, Jean Sinor, Huang Ming, Liu Jiaquan, Qian Jingyao, and Song Kai, no longer appearing on the list of party members.

After arriving in Singapore, veteran Communist Party member Huang Ming announced the establishment of the Communist International and its Supreme Committee. The newly established Communist International immediately had more than 1,800 members, including more than 1,500 members of Chinese descent and more than 300 members of European and American descent.

The chairman of the Supreme Council of the Communist International was Wu Zifu, and the vice-chairman was Jean Sinor.

The newly established Communist International held its first plenary congress in Singapore, at which it decided to call on oppressed peoples and enslaved and exploited classes around the world to rise up in resistance.

At the same time, the Comintern announced its support for the global communist revolutionary movement and pledged to provide it with comprehensive leadership and support!

The flag of the Comintern was a miniature version of the red flag, which looked awkward, as if it had been torn from another flag.

Then, in China, in the capital city of Beijing, Wang Dingyun, who had urgently returned to the capital, led a group of elders who supported him to announce the establishment of the Unification Party, which meant unifying the country, unifying the nation, and unifying the leaders!

The flag of the Unity Party is also awkward; it's a small black flag, or like half of a flag that has been torn off, and it's pure black.

The once-powerful Revival Party disintegrated in the fourth year of the Republic. After Wu Zifu and Wang Dingyun parted ways to pursue their respective beliefs, the Revival Party was left with only two veteran members, Zhao Hao and Liu Shangsheng, while the rest were just nobodies.

Even the party flag has been divided up, leaving the Revival Party with only a name.

Major events have broken out both domestically and internationally, and the entire world is watching Zhao Yan's reaction and the Republic's corresponding measures.

Today, Zhao Yan reacted. He didn't take any other unnecessary actions; he simply had the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hold a press conference.

"Hello everyone, I am Gao Dewu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China. On behalf of the government of the Republic of China, I would like to inform you about the events surrounding the Imjin River massacre and the government's decision in handling the incident."

At the diplomatic press conference, Gao Dewu didn't ramble on; he got straight to the point, which was aimed at Japan.

Zhao Yan was prepared to unleash all his anger on the Japanese. If the Japanese hadn't pulled this stunt, his disciples wouldn't have become dissatisfied with him so quickly.

Gao Dewu first detailed the events of the Imjin River massacre and presented numerous photos and statements from those involved as evidence to prove that it was not a fabrication or a baseless accusation, but an irrefutable fact.

"Will your country violate the provisions of the Treaty of Shanghai because of this incident, tear up the treaty, and take military action again in Northeast Asia?" British Ambassador John Jordan asked first, a sharp and direct question that went straight to the heart of the matter.

"What specific measures will your country take to respond to this incident?" The French ambassador's question was relatively mild. The French did not want the Chinese to start another war. After all, they were collecting interest quite well, and if the Chinese started another war, they might have to borrow money again. France urgently needed to collect old debts to engage in an arms race.

"The German government supports your country's just counterattack. The Imjin River massacre is an event that challenges the bottom line of human morality, and it must be punished and used as a warning!" The German ambassador was practically revealing his hand, wishing a major war would break out in the Far East immediately.

Subsequently, many ambassadors and journalists from various countries stood up to ask questions or express their opinions, with Russia surprisingly being the most vocal advocate for peace!

Russia, a nation known for its insatiable greed and fighting spirit, has surprisingly declared its strong support for maintaining peace between China and Japan and resolving the issue through diplomatic negotiations.

The Russians simply cannot afford another conflict in the Far East. If China and Japan were to go to war again, the Russians would have no way to avoid it and would be forced into the fray. However, Russia's domestic economic situation and national strength cannot withstand involvement on two fronts.

Russia needs to participate in the arms race in Europe, maintain its presence in the Far East, and lick the wounds of the Russo-Japanese War and the Far Eastern War. It simply cannot afford the drain of another major war.

Upon learning of the Imjin River massacre, the Tsar immediately dispatched a special envoy, his younger brother Grand Duke Mikhail, to Beijing to meet with Zhao Yan and mediate. Mikhail had only arrived in Beijing five days prior, but Zhao Yan refused to meet him.

At today's diplomatic press conference, Grand Prince Mikhail was the one who most prayed for peace. After all, it's common for the eldest and second eldest sons to fight and end up killing the third son!

Faced with numerous questions and statements from diplomats and reporters present, Gao Dewu did not choose to answer them one by one, but instead gave a unified response, which was the Republic's decision on how to handle this incident.

"First of all, thank you all for your concern and positive views on this incident. Our country regrets this incident and firmly opposes it, reserving all rights to handle it."

The Chinese people yearn for peace, but they have never rejected war. At present, my country has no intention of violating the provisions of the Shanghai Peace Treaty, much less becoming a destroyer of peace in the Far East.

However, Japan's actions have crossed the line of human morality, challenged the ideals of peace-loving people all over the world, and seriously deviated from the values ​​of freedom and human rights put forward by our country.

Effective immediately, our government has determined that the actions of the Japanese government have deviated from the concept of a normal and legitimate government and have crossed the line of basic human morality.

The Japanese government is a terrorist extremist regime that is against humanity and violates human freedom and human rights. This was decided by the Supreme Council of the Republic and approved by the head of state, Zhao Yan.

Effective immediately, our country will sever diplomatic relations with Japan and impose indiscriminate sanctions on Japan across all sectors!

Gao Dewu's answer left everyone present dumbfounded. The British, French, and Americans couldn't understand what he was saying, and the Germans were also stunned.

These days, it's either roll up your sleeves and fight, or you bow your head and admit defeat. What do you mean by labeling the other side as a terrorist or extremist regime? What does this string of terms mean?

And then there's severing diplomatic ties and imposing sanctions across all sectors—what kind of brand-new tactic is this? Why haven't I heard of it before?

British Ambassador John Jordan was the first to ask: "Your Excellency, what do you mean by 'terrorist extremist regime'? Has your country overstepped its bounds by so hastily labeling a country as such?"

No country in human history has ever publicly characterized the behavior of another country on the international stage. The British have never tried this approach, but they are naturally wary of it, which is a testament to the British's keen intuition.

Gao Dewu was prepared; Zhao Yan had already copied down the standard answer for him: "All organized and premeditated use of violence or threats of death against unarmed personnel, in order to achieve a certain political goal by placing a certain target in terror, is an act of terrorism."