The second volume is full of glory and splendor in the capital, and the spirit is full of vitality in the foggy city. Chapter 324 Major Events (VI)
This chapter's subtitle: The Great Incident That Made the People of Seres Embarrassed
23:59 Greenwich Mean Time
“Click, click, click…”
Yuan Yanshu, the mastermind of the "723 Incident" whom Gu Weijun wanted to eat raw, was eating an apple raw.
Because the broken system he was carrying consumed so much energy, he usually had to eat at least five or six big meals a day...real big meals.
Now he couldn't eat steak or drink soup in the truck, so he had to eat a few apples as a midnight snack.
Although this was a truck, the two crown princes were treated quite well. They were placed on a pile of clean and soft sacks and were not tied up.
The anesthetic's effect hadn't worn off yet, and the two of them were still soundly sleeping..
This was Master Yuan's suggestion. If they followed the method of "Duckbill Cap" Ganon Townsend, they would have to tie these two people tightly with tortoise shells, stuff them into a cramped black box, and then secretly transport them all the way to Dublin.
However, Yuan Yanshu strongly opposed this approach, believing that there was no need to treat it as a serious enemy.
These two crown princes were just two ordinary young men, apart from their identities, and were not that dangerous at all. On the contrary, only by building a good relationship with them, and even further winning their favor, could they "cooperate" better.
If what he said before the incident was of course useless, to be honest, even though the Irish were oppressed by the British and suffered from colonization, does that mean these white people look down on the yellow Seres?
Of course, things were different now. These members of the Irish Republican Army regarded him as a god. Since they were able to easily hand over the two crown princes to them, he must have a point.
So after a not-so-intense argument, they finally followed his request and provided the two crown princes with an environment that was as comfortable as possible.
"Ganon, how long will it take us to reach Dublin?"
"Dr. Yuan, we'll probably be there tomorrow morning."
Their last stop on the British mainland was Holyhead, the largest town in Anglesey, Wales, and an important port city on the Irish Sea.
Holyhead and Dublin are separated by the Irish Sea, and there is a direct ferry between the two places.
Holyhead is only over 200 kilometers away from London in a straight line, and is connected by train via Birmingham and Crewe.
In other words, if you take the "high-speed train" with a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour at the time, and then take the ferry, the journey from London to Dublin can be shortened to within six hours, or even a round trip in one day.
However, they couldn't take a bus, so they had to take a slow truck. Adding the time it took to change buses and take the boat, it would take almost a whole day.
"Um."
Yuan Yan nodded suddenly. This was pretty much what he expected. The sooner they arrived in Dublin, the sooner the Hibiscus Legion could retreat, and naturally, the safer it would be.
However, the Hibiscus Corps cannot retreat too soon, as they need to let the "723 Incident" ferment around the world. Otherwise, it will be a case of starting with a bang but ending with a whimper.
Oh, these Seres made such a big fuss, and then they ran away after a day. Doesn't this go against Comrade Tai Sui's original intention?
"ah……"
The two heard the Prince of Wales hum softly, and when they turned around, they saw that his eyelashes began to tremble, which meant he was about to wake up.
The effects of anesthetics vary from person to person due to different physical conditions. The Prince of Wales looks much stronger than Prince Di Gong, so it is normal that he woke up earlier.
"Dr. Yuan, he's about to wake up!"
"Ganon, I saw it . Remember what I just said?"
"Remember, Dr. Yuan."
"Ganon, do as I say. Any questions?"
"Dr. Yuan, no problem."
"That's good... Got a cigarette? Give me one."
People didn't mind at all that he was drinking, eating and smoking for free, and immediately handed him a cigarette.
Our Master Yuan threw the apple core aside, took the cigarette and started smoking.
The future King Edward VIII felt like he had had a ridiculous nightmare. He, the first heir to the world's largest empire, was kidnapped by a group of Chinese at a diplomatic reception in the capital London.
However, this nightmare had a happy ending. A noble, brave and highly skilled Chinese knight rescued him and put him in a safe police car...
No, that police car is not safe! .
The Prince of Wales shuddered and woke up.
Cold, shaking, noisy...
He sat up suddenly and looked around in panic. The police car in his mind and the environment in front of him were instantly confused. Even after a few seconds, he still didn't fully realize where he was.
"Yes, Your Highness, you are in good physical condition." A gentle voice came into his ears.
Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David turned his head and saw a black-haired young man staring at him with a warm smile on his face.
The young man was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, extremely handsome, with few scars on his face, and looked very amiable.
The black-haired young man held a cigarette in his hand. He took a deep puff and then looked past the Prince of Wales and behind him. The British Crown Prince then discovered that there was someone lying next to him, and it was the Crown Prince of Japan.
In addition, there are several other people who look like porters in this closed environment.
This is a moving carriage, and it doesn't seem to be moving very fast.
Cold, shaking and noisy is exactly the feeling this carriage gives people.
"Dr. Yuan!" Prince of Wales asked rapidly, "Where is this place? Who are they? Why are we here?"
The porters looked at him with playful smiles on their faces. Only the black-haired young doctor took a deep puff of his cigarette and said helplessly, "Please think about it carefully, my highness... This is very obvious!"
Think about it carefully?
The Prince of Wales certainly didn't think of "Have you figured out the meaning of life?", but blurted out: "Could it be that they are in cahoots with those Chinese?!"
Our Dr. Yuan certainly wouldn't say, "This is the first Resident Evil movie..."
"Your Highness, that's about right."
The Prince of Wales was no fool. He immediately looked at Master Yuan warily and asked, "Then, Dr. Yuan, why are you here?"
"As for this question..." Yuan Yan sighed, threw an apple over and said, "Your Highness, are you thirsty? Please moisten your throat first."
He pointed at Hirohito who was still sleeping and said, "I will explain it to you after His Royal Highness Prince Di wakes up."
Beijing time, 8:00 a.m. on July 24, 1921.
Beijing, MIDDLE EAST SEA.
The seat of the Beiyang government is a name that will be harmonized, so you all understand.
There's a funny story about Feng Gong's grandfather, Feng Guozhang, who was the president of Beijing. He had people fish out of the Jinshui River and sell them on the streets. Suddenly, the "President Fish" (likely a nickname for "President Fish") was everywhere in Beijing.
It is said that these fish were sold for 80,000 yuan, all of which went into President Feng's private pocket.
After Lao Feng passed away, someone wrote a couplet: "Where are the fish in the South China Sea? The dogs in the North Sea are gone."
The owner of this place has changed now, but he is still from the Beiyang government.
The head of the Presidential Palace was Xu Shichang, who was not very good at governing the Republic of China, President Xu.
He was born in 1855 and is now 66 years old. Old people tend to wake up easily in the morning, especially in the summer when the nights are short and the days are long.
Xu Shichang also got up early today. Just as he was taking a stroll along the Jinshui River, Foreign Minister Yan Huiqing hurried to MIDDLE EAST SEA with Gu Weijun's telegram.
Then, the President of the Republic of China saw this "disaster message"...
I would like to explain here that when the telegraph was first introduced in the Qing Dynasty, sending telegrams was very expensive and was priced by the word, so "every word was gold" and it was very important to save words.
To address this, a new method of recording days was invented, using earthly branches instead of months and rhyme numbers instead of dates. This method was used in telegraphy until the early years of the People's Republic of China, lasting for over 70 years.
It is also used in other fields, and some people even use rhyme names instead of days in their diaries. Some famous events in history are also named in this way, such as the May 30th Incident, the Gray Day Riots, the Wenxi Fire, the Yandian, and the Haodian.
So what is the final vowel of the 24th? Yes, it is the character "jiong".
The "723 Incident" occurred at 8:30 p.m. Greenwich Mean Time. At that time, it was already early morning of the 24th in Seres, East 8th District. In addition, the Beiyang government received the news in the morning of the 24th.
Therefore, this incident was called "Jingri Incident" in Seris, and some people called it "Jingri Righteous Action".”.
This "disaster" immediately made the dignified President of the Republic of China feel embarrassed.
Xu Shichang, who already looked very energetic, widened his eyes and subconsciously stroked his mustache. "Junren (Yan Huiqing's pen name), is this true? Is Gu Shaochuan kidding us?"
Chief Yan, a chubby man with a round head and round glasses, raised his glasses and said with a wry smile, "Mr. President, how could this be fake? Minister Gu is not the kind of person who likes to joke around. I have confirmed this with him again and again..."
It was really not easy for the Minister of Foreign Affairs as he was woken up by the staff on duty at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the middle of the night.
At that time, he also felt incredible and unbelievable, so he went to the telegraph room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in person, and confirmed with the British side again and again before personally delivering it to the Presidential Palace.
“…”
Xu Shichang put on his reading glasses and read "Jie Dian" again.
"Ah..." He suddenly sighed deeply, and with his hands behind his back, facing the Jinshui River, he chanted in a slow voice: "From Cao Mo to Jing Ke, these five people may have achieved their goals or not, but their intentions were clear and they lived up to their aspirations. Their names will be passed down to future generations. How could it be a lie!"
"Why……"
This time it was Yan Huiqing's turn to sigh.
A senior Seres intellectual like him certainly knew that Xu Shichang was reciting the "Records of the Grand Historian - Biographies of Assassins", in which Sima Qian praised the five famous assassins Cao Mo, Zhuan Zhu, Yu Rang, Nie Zheng and Jing Ke.
Translated into vernacular, it means: From Lao Cao to Lao Jing, some of the chivalrous deeds of these five were successful, and some were not, but their ambitions and intentions were not for personal gain, nor did they violate their consciences, and their reputations have been passed down to future generations. Could this be false?
Yes, if we look at the "Hibiscus Legion" from the perspective of the Seres people, aren't these people the same great knights as these five?
It is possible that "their meaning may or may not be achieved", but it is certain that "their intention is clear and they do not betray their ambition". Such people "will be remembered by future generations, how can it be a delusion!"
To be honest, don’t senior intellectuals and senior bureaucrats like Xu Juren and Yan Junren, who have experienced the “three thousand years of great changes” and are members of the ruling class, want to recover Shandong, revitalize the country, and achieve the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”?
It’s not that I don’t want to do it, but I really can’t.
People at the time commented that Xu Shichang was "smooth and resourceful, even more so than Feng Dao." Feng Dao was the prime minister of five dynasties and was known as the "tumbler." This was not a good evaluation.
Zhang Boju, one of the Four Great Young Masters of the late Qing Dynasty, was a cousin of President Yuan Shikai and the nephew and stepson of Henan Governor Zhang Zhenfang. He wrote a poem that said, "He is incapable of benefiting the country but only himself, a minister of two dynasties with empty reputations. People laugh at him because his medicinal properties are like licorice, yet he is called a chrysanthemum man because of his yellow flower."
But then again, Xu Shichang's political ethics were not perfect, but he also inherited the fine spirit of traditional Chinese intellectuals. He was neither an ordinary boring politician nor a warlord who controlled his own army and was greedy and brought disaster to the country and the people.
Although Outer Mongolia was lost during his reign, he at least tried.
In 1919, Xu Shichang's government officially appointed Xu Shuzheng as the Northwest Frontier Commissioner.
Later, when the Zhi-Feng War broke out in 1920, Duan Qirui recalled his small fan, which also brought the Beiyang government's operations in Outer Mongolia to an abrupt end.
A year later, that is, this year, Outer Mongolia became an independent country with the support of the Soviet Union.
The Foreign Minister raised his glasses and asked, "Mr. President, what should we do?"
Like President Xu, General Yan was known as "unbreakable," demonstrating his mastery of interpersonal relationships and his leadership. He later made significant contributions to the nation and became a prominent figure in Chinese diplomacy.
"What else can we do?" Xu Shichang said leisurely, "We can only do as the British say and issue a statement condemning the Hibiscus Corps."
"Mr. President, don't you want to discuss this with the Prime Minister?" Yan Huiqing asked hesitantly.
The Prime Minister at that time was Jin Yunpeng.
"Let's not discuss it anymore. What's the point of discussing it? Just notify him." President Xu sighed.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs nodded and said in a low voice, "Then I will go and draft it first."
"Wait a minute, Junren." Xu Shichang turned around and lowered his voice, "Find a way to leak the news."
Yan Huiqing hesitated and said, "Mr. President, is this a good idea? If the news gets out, won't the government be under tremendous pressure?"
President Xu shook his head and said, "Junren, Junren, the news will definitely get out, and there will definitely be pressure. But we're not the only one feeling the pressure. If the British continue to push their luck, a little more pressure might not be a bad thing."
"I understand, Mr. President."
"Go ahead, Junto."
The people of Seres, who are in great demand, are about to become powerful!
