Dear Comrade Leader, Episode 323
Chapter 111. with applause
Here, for a moment, let’s take a look at the circumstances in which Bo Ji-rai, the supreme leader of the People’s Republic of China, was overthrown and Hu Jintao, who was treated as a barge boss, took his place. It was surprisingly similar.
As soon as he heard the news that the Shenyang County District had been defeated by the Korean People’s Army in Ando County, Bo Bo Shilai decided to send additional troops without any hesitation. It was an opportunity.
If he had to stand still anyway, Bo Bo Lai would have been purged at some point, and Hu Jintao, who became a judge of this judge, enlisted the generals of the People’s Liberation Army in Beijing’s military district who sympathized with him.
And now, just like Xi Jinping, whom he had purged, Bo Boi Lai followed in the footsteps of his predecessor and was imprisoned in Beijing’s Qincheng Prison, awaiting prosecution.
(Because he has done something) Boi Lai always kept the military district defending the capital Beijing immobile and kept an eye on it, but due to the conflict in Yanbian, monitoring and restrictions on military action and movement in the military district in Beijing are loose. He lost, and Hu Jintao did not miss that opportunity.
In other words, in a way, the victory of Kim Jeong-hwan and the Korean People’s Army was the number one contribution that now made Hu Jintao overthrow Bo Ji-rai and place him as president.
Of course, nevertheless, it was not without opposition within the Standing Committee against the de facto declaration of defeat, which was the first decision of the new president, Hu Jintao, to recognize the existence of the Yanbian Autonomous Republic, in a word, to give Yanbian to North Korea.
In fact, it wasn’t that there was a backlash, but almost half of the members of the Standing Committee of the Central Politburo came up with an attitude that ‘it’s impossible, no matter what,’ and the other half who agreed with Hu Jintao’s argument strongly opposed it.
But in the fall of 2014, one day when the civil war was in a lull for a while, Hu said at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Politburo held in Beidaihe in the fall of 2014.
“Comrades, think about it. I mean objectively look back at what kind of difficulties we, the People’s Republic of China, are facing now.”
“… … !!!”
“There have been protests in Hong Kong in the south, extremists in the west in Afghanistan, and wars in the east Yanbian. I mean, fires are rising almost all over the east, west, north and south. Exactly these signs appeared when the ancient tyranny of the past fell. Isn’t it?”
At Hu Jintao’s slow but clear sense of crisis, some of the standing committee members frowned as if they had an allergic reaction.
For all Chinese people, especially the leadership, the barbarians who crossed the Central Plains continent were proof that they were almost historically traumatized.
However, the reaction that stemmed from that trauma, the hysterical response to the secession and independence of the ethnic minority and the ensuing (or at least conceivable) weakening of the nation was not so easily convincing.
Of course, Hu Jintao knew that too.
“There are comrades who were opposed to this war from the beginning, and as you can see, a country that expands its front lines to multiple fronts, no matter how powerful it is, will soon perish. At least in that state, I can’t even dream of a fight for supremacy. Besides, I believe everyone already knows about the post-war reports from the Battle of Ando-hyeon. Defeat is second to none.
“Uhhh… … Hmm… … !!”
“No matter how urgent the situation, it is even said that there are more soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army who dropped missiles on our allies’ heads and died from the missile strikes that President Bo ordered than those who died in the North Korean attack! It’s a shame that the media was controlled so quickly, no, the current era is not the 89th year of the Tiananmen Square incident. Even at that time, even though I worked hard to keep the people’s mouths shut, eventually the knowledge spread and everyone who knew it came to know… … .”
“Hu, comrade Hu comrade. Please refrain from commenting on the case… … .”
“… … Even more so, now, in 2014, all comrades here will know that complete media control over the people is impossible even in China, no matter how much power is put in by the General Bureau of Photoelectricity. Moreover, if it is known that the members of the Party Army and People’s Liberation Army, who are not ordinary people, and who are supposed to protect our Party, have been killed by firing in the camp under the direct orders of the former president and commanders, distrust and anger toward the leadership and the Party will rise in the military. Have you thought about the aftermath of
“… … .”
“Even the president should be held accountable for this situation. So that’s why I made a big deal. President Bo Bo Lai will have to spend at least 10 years in Qinqing Prison.”
In short, it was an unspoken declaration that he would hand over all responsibility for the defeat in the Yanbian Civil War and its aftermath to Bo Si Lai.
At the same time, it also meant ending all interrogations on the Boshi-Lai line, and some of the standing members who had once sympathized with Bo-Lai’s decision sighed in relief.
And their reaction was also what Hu Jintao intended.
“Of course, I am well aware of the concerns of some comrades about the independence of Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture. But think about it this way. Now, if we continue to hold Yanbian in our territory without making it independent, we always have 3 million potential dissidents who are dissatisfied with the leadership of our Party and the People’s Republic of China. It’s a real time bomb.”
“… … uh… … !!!!”
“Due to this situation, the 3.2 million Korean-Chinese in Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture and our Central Party have already crossed the river of no return. How many Korean-Chinese civilians died while clearing out the city streets ordered by President Jeon, and how many other Korean-Chinese civilians died while laying mines under the ‘request for cooperation’ of our military? The case is different with Tibet and Uyghurs. Because they did not have a reliable supporter of North Korea behind their backs. And now, behind that sponsor country is the Pacific Intelligence Community and the United States.”
When the word America came out, there was a faint ray of anger among the standing members who had only been hearing about it.
Hu Jintao fully sympathized with Hu Jintao’s feelings for the United States, which slapped North Korea and South Korea as puppets, but what he now discovered in the eyes of the standing members was other emotions except anger.
Fear, and resignation.
“Comrades… … As the days go by, the international public opinion is getting worse and worse for us. In Taiwan, after witnessing this situation, the argument for returning the cross-strait relationship that has been advanced so far and bringing US bases into the country is gaining strength. … … If you don’t negotiate now, you’ll have to negotiate on worse terms later on.”
And with that, the CCP’s policy toward Yanbian Korean-Chinese Autonomous Prefecture, or Yanbian Autonomous Republic, was established.
At the armistice talks held in Geneva, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Prime Minister Kim Yong-geon and the Premier Li Keqiang of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, under the mediation of US President Condoleezza Rice, respectively, on behalf of the heads of state who were not present, signed the following cease-fire agreement: signed
-China and North Korea both immediately cease military and hostile actions against each other.
-China recognizes the independence of the government of the Yanbian Autonomous Republic, which was established based on the consensus of 3.2 million residents of the Yanbian Korean-Chinese Autonomous Prefecture.
– The interim prime minister of the Yanbian Autonomous Republic is appointed as Prime Minister Lee Seop-gi, the current head of the interim government, and the independent constitutional enactment or incorporation into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is decided through elections.
The establishment of the border between the Yanbian Autonomous Republic and the Yanbian Republic was the most acute conflict between the two countries and the United States in charge of mediation.
The area currently occupied and controlled by the Korean People’s Volunteer Army was as far as Ando-hyeon in the autonomous prefecture, and among the remaining densely populated areas in Yanbian, the only place where Chinese troops were stationed was Donhwa, where the proportion of Han Chinese exceeded 95%.
The Yanbian transitional government strongly insisted that the entire current autonomous province registered with the Chinese authorities, including its head, Lee Seop-gi, should be taken over as territory, but Hu Jintao and the moderates within the Communist Party of China were not willing to make any further concessions here. position was.
It was Kim Yong-geon who suggested a compromise at the moment when the two diplomats were again pointed and yelled, and the written agreement almost became useless.
-There is a distance of several tens of kilometers between Ando-hyeon and Donhwa City, which are currently occupied by volunteers, and the reason for Prime Minister Lee Seop-gi’s residence in the first place was the independence of Korean compatriots. I think it’s a little difficult.
-After making Donhua a border city like Dandong now, how about assert that Yanbian Republic will occupy the east side of the tributary of the Mudanjiang River, which passes through the middle of the city, and China will claim its possession as it is now in the west?
-I think that’s a good idea.
-However, in terms of area, it is certain that the Republic of Yanbian will suffer more than the original administrative district, so I would like to put up one condition.
– What is it?
-I want to receive a portion of the territory outside the administrative district of Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture. Currently, China and Korea… … So, please hand over the entire Changbai Mountain, or Baekdu Mountain, to the Republic of Yanbian, where the territories of the Republic of Yanbian, China, and Joseon will overlap in the future.
In this regard, too, after several months of long debates, pros and cons, studies, concessions, and discussions, in the end, the two countries, or officially the three countries, succeeded in reaching an agreement.
China needed a justification for conceding even an inch of territory to its own people, who were, in fact, frustrated by the defeat, territorial loss, and distrust of the Party.
For the Yanbian Autonomous Republic and its head, Seop-gi Lee, it was an attempt for secession and independence that started as a nationalist movement in the first place.
And instead of accepting Kim Yong-geon’s conditions, President Hu Jintao added a clause that can be seen as a form of honor and stability of the regime.
– Regarding the border line of Yanbian Autonomous Republic as stated in the agreement, the People’s Republic of China ‘does not oppose’ it.
It’s not ‘accept’, it’s ‘not against’.
The use of such ambiguous expressions is the Chinese side’s statement that the Chinese Communist Party, which is supposed to lead a vast continent and a multi-ethnic people of 1.4 billion people, cannot set an unfavorable precedent that, in effect, seized territory through war and at least tolerated the segregation and independence of minorities. It was an unofficial request.
Kim Yong-geon sneered inwardly that the really big guys sometimes look like seven-year-old children with strong self-esteem, but he didn’t even know that international diplomacy was like that.
Moreover, from the North Korean perspective, there was nothing wrong with building domestic face for the Hu Jintao regime, which tolerated the independence of the Yanbian republic.
In any case, after this defeat and independence, China will be much more desperate than before, and after concentrating on handling internal chaos for the time being, it is inevitable that they will turn their eyes abroad again.
It would have been foolish to rekindle the wrath of a dinosaur by arguing that it had succeeded in cutting off one of its legs with a single stinger on a dinosaur.
“I hope that this will bring peace between the three kingdoms again. Let’s shake hands and wish each other a bright future.”
Signs were written under each representative’s name, and handshakes were exchanged with camera flashes.
And three months after the establishment of the armistice agreement, the Yanbian Autonomous Republic held a general election with the agenda of ‘incorporation into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea while maintaining a high degree of autonomy’.
The result was, of course, ‘in favor of incorporation’, and within three months of the establishment of the state, the Yanbian Autonomous Republic was incorporated into the ‘DPRK Yanbian Special Self-Governing Province’ and ended its short lifespan.
And in January 2015, when Yanbian was embraced by North Korea and North Korea was reorganized into a new territory of eight provinces and one state, the Workers’ Party of Korea declared that day a new national day and held military parades and festivals hosted by the Korean People’s Army. did it
Although the official name of this national holiday was decided as ‘Returning Day (歸鄕節)’, which means ‘comrades have returned to their hometown’ in consideration of public relations, the first Homecoming Day of the year was celebrated by almost all of the people, regardless of the people of the Party. and called by the following unofficial names:
Unlike vain anniversaries such as Kim Il-sung’s birthday, Sun’s Day, and his son’s birthday, Gwangmyeongseongjeol, which are anniversaries that secretly disappeared into history even before the arrival of the 21st century, the unofficial name of this national holiday, celebrated by all the people of that year as one, is, It was a ‘victory anniversary’.
* * *
“congratulations. It’s my second victory in my comrade’s term.”
“Strictly speaking, this is the first one, Lieutenant Yu. In fact, our military did very little during the Persian Gulf War. These days, most people just can’t speak out, but it seems like they know everything.”
It was still noisy outside the office.
Artificial flags were installed in every house, every house, regardless of the Pyongyang region.
The city parade of the Korean People’s Volunteer Army led by former Kyongsoo Ryu 105th Tank Division, now honorably renamed the ‘North Manchurian 105th Division,’ and confetti flying in the sky, shouting long live Korea, long live the Republic, and long live Comrade Kim Jeong-hwan on every street. People’s excitement didn’t go away so easily.
Even though the day of the festival passed and night came, the noise of various events, including fireworks, could be heard through the thick curtains on the window of the secretary’s office and even to Jeonghwan’s ears.
“Regardless of that, the name of the comrade will be forever engraved in the history of the Workers’ Party of Korea and this land. Of course, in the hearts of the people.”
“… … .”
Jeonghwan did not respond to those words and looked at the person in front of him, Yoo Hyerim.
The office where they were sitting was dark with the lights turned off, but Jeonghwan suddenly found traces of the years on the face of Hyerim Yoo who said that.
Although the beauty of her youth was still sparsely left, fine wrinkles around her old eyes and a little gray hair in her hair were visible.
And even if he did not recognize it, he realized that many years had passed, thinking that Junghwan’s face would not be much different.
When the thought reached that point, Jeonghwan was finally able to gather up his courage.
It was the courage to say what I should have said a long time ago, and the courage to face the things I had been putting off for a long time.
“There was always something I wanted to tell you… … . I’ve already said it many times… … .”
“… … .”
“thank you. always. And I’m sorry.”
“I always knew. But I am not the one you are talking about today.”
“… … I know.”
After saying those words, Hyerim Yoo quietly got up from her seat and went out the door.
Jeonghwan also sat on a chair and fixed his gaze only on the fireworks outside the window that sparsely illuminate the secretary’s office.
As soon as Yoo Hye-rim left, someone came in, and even after recognizing that the person was standing in the middle of the dark clerk’s room and staring at him, Jung-hwan did not turn his gaze away.
After a brief moment of silence, the person spoke first.
“… … Meantime… … There were so many questions I wanted to ask. But when I see you in front of me like this, there is only one thing left in my head.”
“Tell me.”
“… … Did you really have to be so harsh on me and my mother? Were there really no other options? just… … .”
After being choked for a moment, the man paused for a moment and shut his mouth.
But as soon as he had the courage, he opened his mouth again and continued to ask questions.
“… … You could have just left me here at home and raised me. It’s okay to hide my existence from the party, and I don’t want to hand over the position of general secretary. Couldn’t the really dear Comrade General Secretary, the leader revered by all the people of the Republic, have done just that?”
“… … .”
At that, Jeonghwan took his eyes off the window and turned to the person.
In the center of the dark secretary’s room, a woman who looked exactly like Yoo Hye-rim, but much younger, in her early twenties, was looking at Jeonghwan with her fists clenched tightly.
It was his daughter, Yoo Hye-in.