Chinese Warlord From Joseon - Chapter 450



Only Krnovel

peacock

If it’s a day when your hair is burned white until it turns white,

Wang Jingwei always drank French cognac.

As always, he was the center of the party, and the title of political committee member always attracted flies.

“Now, drink! Drink! I’ll test you myself in a bit! I’ll make you pronounce the four characters of Zhong Hua Yong Gong (中華容共) and see if your tongue gets twisted or not!”

At the recent victory ceremony held in Zhongnanhai, Han Xin himself came forward and calmed the laughter and chatter.

But that was the only moment of silence.

Where will the tunes we always sing go?

The committee members had been keeping an eye on Han Xin while he was staying in Beijing, but as soon as he left for Shanghai to inspect the shipyard, the party began again.

“Remember! Even if your mouth is crooked, you can only go home!”

The committee members burst into laughter at Wang Jingwei’s joke that set the mood.

The wild party didn’t end until 4 a.m.

When Wang Jingwei returned home, he suddenly stood blankly at the entrance and did not move.

A full-length mirror hanging on the wall.

The vague figure standing within it was unfamiliar.

“Is this me?”

When did I get so old?

Why is it so unsightly?

The brilliant ideals I had in my youth.

The three principles of the people: ownership by the people, governance by the people, and service to the people.

Now it is nothing but a ruin, broken and disintegrated.

Wang Jingwei couldn’t stand being disgusted with himself.

He is the one who failed to uphold the legacy of Sun Yat-sen and betrayed the national government, his direct successor.

Now, they are just playing the fool in a republican government that is in fact no different from a dictatorship.

Wang Jingwei, who was a member of the Kuomintang but then switched party affiliations, was an excellent propaganda speaker.

At one time, Wang Jingwei, not Chiang Kai-shek, was Sun Yat-sen’s top successor, so the mere fact that Wang Jingwei aligned himself with the Republican regime helped promote the regime.

Wang Jingwei did not refuse.

I ran wherever they called me.

Shouting out loud the excellence of the republican system.

Write a hundred lines of praise to Hanshin.

As a result, he was guaranteed a prestigious position as a member of the political bureau of a prestigious cabinet and a luxurious mansion in central Tianjin.

The resonance of my youth has long since faded.

I thought that was enough.

I thought I was happy.

But when he returned, staggering back drunk on cognac, spewing out false words, and came face to face with his own bare face in this empty house,

Where does this disgust rising from the bottom come from?

Wang Jingwei impulsively took out his pistol.

He slowly brought the cold muzzle to his temple and placed his finger on the trigger.

If we end it here…

I can go to where Professor Sun Yat-sen is…

“What are you doing?”

“Ugh!”

Wang Jingwei was so surprised that he almost pulled the trigger.

The strength in his fingers gave out and the gun fell to the floor.

“You, who are you?”

I live alone in this house.

A figure was slowly walking out of the darkness of the room.

“Are you Commissioner Wang Jingwei? I’ve been waiting for you. Since you didn’t come for so long, I was thinking about going to the brothel to look for you.”

Inyoung turned on the lights as if it were her own home.

Only then could Wang Jingwei clearly see the intruder’s face.

Surprisingly, it is the face of a young man.

“···Identify yourself. If I call, security will arrive within 15 minutes. You will be locked up in prison and rot away for the rest of your life.”

“I believe that won’t happen.”

“Why me?”

“I am not your enemy. I came to propose a special operation to you, Commissioner.”

Wang Jingwei could tell from the young man’s speech that he spoke with a Northeastern dialect.

“Reveal your identity first.”

“I am a person sent by General Jang Joong-chang. My surname is Kim and my first name is Il-seong.”

An unimaginable name came out of the young man’s mouth.

Your name is Jang Joong-chang?

He was a loser from the warlord era that passed and fled to Joseon.

Moreover, he is a scoundrel who even robbed Empress Dowager Cixi’s tomb while on the run.

“What do you want to work on?”

Wang Jingwei was surprised at himself for asking questions without hesitation.

Maybe you’ve been waiting for this opportunity.

“The last escape route before destruction. As the world turns dark, the only lifeline that will save a falling China.”

“Are you talking about the Great War?”

“Yes, I’m talking about World War II.”

He is a bold young man.

“There is no need to worry about a major war. The Chinese army has won successive battles while simultaneously facing the Soviet Union, Britain, and France. In the Middle East, which we were worried about, we have won the Arab Federation and other small countries to China’s side, so the outlook for war is bright.”

“Hehe, you don’t know anything.”

Kim Il-sung smiled naturally.

“The wars up to now were nothing. They were nothing more than a prelude to the war. The great powers were merely testing China’s strength.”

“What?”

“This is the last year that the Chinese can make a fuss. The more China challenges the Western powers, the stronger the power to fight back will be. The Allies will completely destroy Beijing. The same goes for Shanghai, Wuhan, and Hong Kong.”

Wang Jingwei couldn’t figure out how much he should believe the words of this young man who seemed to have suddenly fallen from the sky.

“Are you saying that China will lose? Is that why Zhang Zongchang, who is worried about China’s downfall, is proposing something to me?”

“That’s correct.”

Kim Il-sung’s bright smile made Wang Jingwei anxious.

“Well then, let me tell you what you want from me.”

“General Zhang can’t stand Han Xin ruining China. From the very beginning, China has been a country that has existed completely alone since the creation of the world. Why must they fight endless, pointless wars in distant seas, deserts, and plateaus?”

Kim Il-sung’s words hit the core of the dissatisfaction that Wang Jingwei had been thinking about all along.

“···I agree.”

“If only they had recovered the territories of Uyghurs and Tibet. And their diplomacy is so incompetent that they are being dragged around by ethnic minorities who are illegally occupying China’s ancient lands. Why don’t they recover their ancestral lands?”

“···You’re right.”

“The foolish people are just happy that they are winning the war, but from the beginning, this war has no benefit for China and only causes great losses, and in the final battle, it is a war that they will even lose. That is why they must escape while there is still time.”

“So how do we escape?”

Wang Jingwei has become very close to Kim Il-sung.

Any thoughts of security guards calling or something like that are completely erased from my mind.

“What ideology do you think will rule the world in the future? Communism? Liberalism? They’re all wrong. The answer is totalitarianism.”

Kim Il-sung also stuck close to Wang Jingwei.

“In order for China to overcome its national crisis, it needs Han-centered fascism. There is no need to shed precious Han blood for the blacks in Africa over there, with whom it has never had any contact. The Axis alliances around the world have already become one and are becoming stronger. The state has a duty to provide the public with a national myth.”

Fascist revolution…

There are also parts that fit with the Three Principles of the People.

The first of the three principles is nationalism.

However, the Republican government is strangely distant from policies related to nationalism.

Wang Jingwei was disgusted by terms like “global citizen.”

What would Sun Yat-sen say if he were alive?

In a dazed state, due to staying up all night and being drunk, Wang Jingwei thought he heard Sun Yat-sen’s voice.

‘Strengthen the three pillars of the people: nation, civil rights, and livelihood… We must lay the foundation of the nation and contribute to world peace…’

That’s right, sir.

The policies of the Republican government not only cause turmoil in the world, but also endanger China’s national fortunes.

“So what is Zhang Zongchang’s proposal? Is it for China to join the Axis Alliance?”

“Yes, the world will become one under fascism anyway, but there will be differences in who goes first and who goes last.”

“Is Korea also an Axis Alliance?”

“What do you think?”

“When I see you come to me…”

If we lose the war, an unfortunate event like the one that happened in the year of the Ox may happen again.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to create a channel of communication with the Axis powers in advance.

As Kim Il-sung said, the worst can be avoided.

“Commissioner, the world is vast. When we talk about the Axis Alliance, we usually refer to the three countries of France, Italy, and Spain… but there are many comrades who walk the same path. Starting with Korea, Portugal, the Netherlands, Japan… ”

“Japan too?”

“Yes, the Tokyo clan will be overthrown soon. Hideki Tojo will unify Japan.”

“how?”

“I told you, you have many comrades.”

“You seem to be a very strong friend.”

“Yes, why would I say that China will lose for no reason? MacArthur, don’t you still realize why that ambitious man is just watching the war unfold?”

Wang Jingwei was taken aback by the name that suddenly popped up.

“America···?”

“It’s about waiting for the right time. The moment when the communist and liberal forces are weakened. Look at this moment. There have been two major wars, but the belligerents are only the liberal and communist countries. The Axis powers have preserved their forces.”

My head felt dizzy, as if I had been hit in the back of the head with a hammer.

When I think about it, it’s true.

Most of the soldiers who died in Uyghur were Soviet soldiers.

The war in the Middle East was handled by Britain.

What can we say about the attrition of the Chinese troops who fought both of them?

Only then did Wang Jingwei blame his own brain for not being able to see the vast chessboard that is the Earth as it really is.

They were so caught up in the confrontation at their own corner that they failed to maintain a grand perspective.

“What should I do···?”

“Huh? Are you accepting the offer?”

“Tell me what I can do to save China…”

“Yes, that’s why I came here. Now, listen carefully. The only way for China to survive is…”

Kim Il-sung disappeared just as he had arrived at daybreak.

Wang Jingwei lay down on the bed to cool his burning head, but he couldn’t sleep.

Instead, in his eyes as he stared at the ceiling, the desire for life that had been fading away was slowly burning.

***

A high-end sushi restaurant in Osaka.

On the table, delicious tuna sashimi is beautifully presented, tempting even the most discerning gourmet, but no one is picking up their chopsticks.

In a strange silence, the people facing each other just look at each other.

“Come on, I’m sure you’ll be busy since you’ve come from far away.”

Hideki Tojo spoke first.

“It’s okay. I have to take care of the work first before I can eat.”

Isoroku Yamamoto lightly refused.

“Okay. Is there anything lacking or questionable about the agreement we proposed?”

“There is one.”

“Only one? I guess you liked it more than expected.”

“You say it’s one, but in reality, if this problem is solved, everything else becomes secondary. So I have no choice but to mention it.”

Yamamoto took a deep breath and opened his mouth again.

“After unification, the question of the revival of the imperial system.”

Dojo didn’t even blink, as if he had expected it.

“Yamamoto, are you also anti-Emperor? Are you denying the eternal lineage of the Emperor?”

“···When was that ten thousand year cycle broken, and yet you’re still talking about such anachronistic things?”

Dojo slammed the award down.

“Watch your words! The Emperor is the soul of Japan! Can you imagine a Japan without His Majesty the Emperor?”

Yamamoto said with a frown on his face.

“I have not yet taken a position on whether I am for or against the continuation of the imperial system. You are moving ahead too quickly.”

“Then state your position.”

“···Conditional approval.”

“What conditions?”

Yamamoto made up his mind and said.

“As you said, it cannot be denied that the Emperor system is the national spirit of Japan. However, in a developing world, it is necessary to keep pace with the changing times, so I support the Emperor system as a constitutional monarchy, not an absolute monarchy.”

Originally, policy decisions in the Japanese Empire were not made by the cabinet.

It was a structure that had to be finalized through a final meeting.

Yamamoto was proposing to break that structure.

“The times are becoming increasingly highly specialized, and each department is staffed with the nation’s best experts. No matter how outstanding the Emperor’s virtues are, it is difficult for him to demonstrate his abilities in all areas, so I believe it would be better for him to serve as the spiritual leader of the Japanese people.”

Yamamoto’s speech naturally becomes longer, as he is worried that Dojo will not accept it.

But surprisingly, Dojo answered simply.

“good.”

“Huh? What did you just say?”

“As long as the essence of the imperial system is not disturbed, the system, whether it is a constitutional monarchy or an absolute monarchy, is not important.”

“That’s right.”

“So, are we done with the questions now? Do you agree to the merger?”

Yamamoto, who had come to Osaka prepared for a battle, felt like he had been deceived.

Tojo was known to have a strong belief in the imperial system.

I thought you would never give up your imperial power no matter what happened.

Since it was accepted so easily, the negotiation was concluded in an instant.

In fact, it is just an image-making that shows loyalty to the Emperor.

The thought briefly crossed Yamamoto’s mind that the only thing that Dojo really cared about was his own conquest of power.

“···I agree.”

Now that I’ve come all the way to Osaka, I can’t say I’m going to back out.

If things continue like this, it’s obvious that we’ll be defeated individually by the Tokyo Army, so we can’t just sit back and do nothing.

“Okay, now we’re on the same side.”

Hiroshima clan led by Yamamoto, the leader of the naval faction.

The Kyoto clan of Tojo, the head of the military faction.

Since the two had merged, all that remained was national unification.