George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 316

George W. Bush’s Great America – Episode 315 (316/377)

< Episode 315 >

“Division, you say? The proud nation of China, divided! And to think, the same person is leading both the beginning and the end of this division. Truly a goddamn mess!”

Thanks to the flow of the times, the forced pain and pressure, and the unwanted infamy piled upon him, Li Keqiang, now thoroughly eccentric, was spewing out curses too vile to utter from his office.

He had so desperately wanted the position of President, but now that he had it, nothing was going his way. What he wanted was to paint the rushing river of the world with his own colors, to create a waterway unique to Li Keqiang, but the unyielding era did not allow it, and he was being dragged along like a prisoner tied to a horse.

It had always been this way, but now it was far worse. What moved everything was not Li Keqiang, but his unreliable subordinates, whom he constantly suspected of not carrying out his orders properly. And instigating all of this was the American president he loathed.

But now, he couldn’t afford to cast America aside. The collaboration through the secret pact with America was not just a means to maintain power in the future; it was a matter of life and death for the massive nation of China.

In any case, he would calm down after uttering a few curses. The real problem was the officials who had to witness it. It wasn’t that they feared purges. Given Li Keqiang’s personality, he would likely be dismissed rather than suffer some sham ‘shadow purge’ [a discreet removal from power].

Whenever Li Keqiang erupted in a fit of rage, the sturdy lifeline they thought they had grasped for certain victory looked like a moldy rope in those moments.

“Still, it’s not as if there are no positive aspects at all.”

“That’s right. If we can overcome this crisis, China will be stable for at least half a century.”

When they said ‘stable,’ they meant the perfection of the system. But Li Keqiang couldn’t agree with their opinion at all. The integrity of the system they spoke of was only meaningful when it could construct a closed world.

Before China became such a mess, the Golden Shield Project [China’s internet censorship and surveillance project], a system of internet censorship disguised as a security system, the Great Firewall [China’s internet censorship system], a modern-day Great Wall of China contained within it, and the unique Chinese policy of public ignorance that had been steadily maintained for 4,000 years were all political tools to realize that closed world.

Its name in ancient times was Zhonghua [ancient name for China, meaning “Central Flower”], and in modern times, it is called China. The problem was that the current Communist Party did not have the capacity to create that closed world.

‘Still, a positive aspect, you say.’

Of course, it wasn’t as if there were no positive aspects. Even if the world were to end, if you looked hard enough, you could find one or two positive aspects, so how could there be none when a country was collapsing?

‘A civil war, even if only nominally, has broken out in China, the largest labor and logistics market in Asia. There’s no way other countries are going to be unscathed.’

That’s right. There was no way they would be unscathed. Stock prices fluctuated, and the cries of companies that couldn’t receive their goods on time plagued their governments. However, it was fortunate that the logistics ports in China, though half-brain-dead, had not been completely shut down under the control of the warlords.

And the situation was similar in the United States. Both the United States and China were economically intertwined in various ways. This was the positive aspect that Li Keqiang was thinking of.

‘Dragging on and on, we’ve finally come this far. I hope it goes the way I want it to.’

What Li Keqiang wanted, needless to say, was a China led by the ‘Communist Party.’

It was truly a funny thing. He remembered himself as a passionate man with the will to change China somehow, but at some point, he realized he had become the most privileged and second-in-command of the Communist Party. Now, he wasn’t even second-in-command, but the foremost leader.

Although his power had weakened, he was still the foremost leader since there was no one with higher authority than Li Keqiang. Most of the old guard who would hinder his progress had disappeared to various places just before the division occurred.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t find them if he tried, but he didn’t particularly want to.

In any case, if Li Keqiang were to define his political life from the beginning to the present in one sentence, it would be that he had done enough.

“I’ve done enough. Perhaps even those who were just testing the waters while watching our state have now done their best to the point of exhaustion because they see that we are truly collapsing. So, I think anyone involved in this situation must have thought at least once, ‘I’ve done enough.'”

It was somewhat gratifying to think that Bush, the culprit who caused this situation, was probably thinking something similar.

Although he didn’t voice it, Li Keqiang’s only consolation was that even if the Communist Party failed, China itself would not disappear.

The reason why the current division is subtle and ambiguous is that it is a division that has occurred, knowingly or unknowingly, due to external pressure. Although it was the Chinese people who delivered the final blow to the division, it was ultimately the heads of the military regions, who had now become warlords, and those who exerted influence over them who were coordinating the division.

Who would exert the most influence over those in charge of the military regions? Wouldn’t it be the Communist Party? They were figures in the military, and having risen to that position, they might have the ambition to swallow China, whether they liked it or not, but there were few who thought radically, ‘It’s war! I must wage war and seize China into my hands and rule it dictatorially for three generations!’

So, the reason why they claimed independence, or something similar, and separated from the central government was that the high-ranking officials had been betrayed by those they trusted and had been fragged [killed by their own side]. In other words, they had been killed by their superiors. Thus, the current warlords were being led by ambitious young officers.

As things worsened, young officers with weak connections were thoroughly ignored. Their already meager salaries were cut by more than half, and in a situation where supplies weren’t being properly distributed, those who were supposed to be their comrades were reduced to beggars overnight, wandering the streets without even having time to prepare properly under the name of political maneuvering and military reduction.

The situation was similar for the enlisted men.

If things were this bad at the officer level, it meant that enlisted men were being treated as less than human. Their salaries had already become difficult to live on, and by the time even the common mantou [steamed bun] was no longer being properly distributed due to budget problems, let alone dim sum [a variety of small, steamed or fried dishes], rebellion was already a foregone conclusion. It was an environment where rebellion was bound to happen.

There was only so much they could endure with patriotism. It was one thing for them to endure and make do with some moldy, dark, and slimy vegetable for their meals, but seeing their families starving while they endured, there was no reason not to have their eyes turn over [to become enraged and rebellious].

So, they said:

“We can’t take it anymore! While we and our families are starving, those bastards are eating their fill and not sharing with us!”

There was little change for the civilians. Only the vested interests had changed slightly. Each military region had a general shortage of food, so to solve this, they had to bring it in from somewhere. This was also the case with the vast amount of food monopolized by the warlords.

Usually, they solved this through trade, but it was difficult now. This was due to India’s checks and the United States’ trade war. The former was because India was threatening all countries that contacted China in order to secure Tibet, and the latter was because the United States simply supported the current Communist Party and cut off trade with other warlords, though it wasn’t quite a war.

It was a rebellion started with the simple ideology of wanting to eat well and live well because they were about to starve to death. There were no proper future plans or countermeasures. It was an impulsive act that occurred at slightly different times.

“We will no longer suffer! Now we will be the masters of China!”

The people were still suffering, but the people were, as always, just tax revenue and a conscriptable number to them. But what was certain was that now, at least they and their families were no longer starving.

***

Bush glared at the Chinese land engraved on the small globe. The silver globe had been changing frequently recently.

“From ancient times, China has been a country led by warlords. The boundaries of the land have been divided and merged according to their interests, and in the process, countless commoners and numerous heroes have died countless times to produce one monarch.”

And it was similar today.

“But these are of poor quality. They are not the kind that can be called warlords.”

It was just that the degree was different. Exhausted by hunger and acting on instinct, they were not the kind that could be called warlords. It was an environment where they were easily tempted because they had guns and swords in their hands, but if so, they should have at least gained proper support from the people.

However, only the top of the warlords had changed, and their lives had not changed at all.

“It’s become difficult. If this happens, they will fight to the death no matter what.”

The Chief of Staff also seemed worried about this situation. An uncertain factor had entered an already unstable gambling game. There was no way not to worry.

“I don’t know, but they would be willing to surrender as long as their current position is guaranteed. There’s no big problem right now. The problem is that the Communist Party would never acknowledge that.”

“Who would recognize the status of the rebels? They’ll die together.”

“Li Keqiang is the kind of person who would hand over his power to someone else as long as he could restore China right away. Of course, that was if he was the person I originally knew, but it seems that’s not the case anymore.”

It was truly unfortunate. The world had made him that way. It was quite bitter for Bush personally, as he had highly valued him. And since Bush had created that world, the bitterness was doubled.

“That’s beside the point, but this is unexpected. Although their perspectives are different, all the military regions have become independent in the same way. It seems that another force is intervening.”

‘It’s not strange at all. China is vast, and there are plenty of opportunities to intervene. The problem is who is intervening.’

Perhaps because he rushed the work, there was no information about this at all. That’s why Bush decided to move an organization that he didn’t want to touch if possible.

“I’ll have to get the CIA moving.”