George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 330

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“Do you have anything to say?”

Bo Xilai had been dragged out in the middle of the night without any warning. Even if the sky were falling, a politician’s basic instinct was to stubbornly deny any wrongdoing until the very end, but the atmosphere suggested that no one would believe him if he claimed to be innocent.

However, that wasn’t a reason for Bo Xilai to give up. It was human nature to seek a way out until the very last moment, and Bo Xilai was no exception.

So, even as he was being apprehended, he didn’t say the obvious things like, ‘Do you know who I am?’ or ‘Who ordered this?’ It was a conspiracy he had started knowing the risks. Being dragged away in the middle of the night—wasn’t it obvious whether the plot had been discovered or not?

Therefore, Bo Xilai kept his mouth shut the entire time he was being taken. As soon as he was forced to kneel before Li Keqiang, like a package being delivered, he uttered the first words he had prepared all along.

“You know better than anyone that I am not the ringleader, so why me of all people?”

Perhaps because he had lived by his guts, his behavior itself was remarkably audacious. But if you were to ask whether that had a positive effect on Li Keqiang’s mood, the answer would be no. It only served to provoke Li Keqiang further.

“Does that mean I shouldn’t have arrested you?”

Of course, it wasn’t. In fact, even if he were innocent, it would have been more than enough reason to be purged simply because he ‘displeased the Chairman.’ In normal times, one might have been cautious, but now it was wartime. And the military power was in the hands of the Chairman [Xi Jinping].

In other words, unless he was planning to purge dozens of people at once, the sudden disappearance of Bo Xilai and the appointment of someone else in his place wouldn’t change anything.

It was just that Li Keqiang had never purged anyone without a reason before.

“I don’t know what you heard from my confidants, but I have everything that Chairman Xi wants.”

Bo Xilai maintained a brazen and confident attitude.

“If Chairman Xi grants me asylum, I will hand over not only the list of everyone involved in this matter but also all the weaknesses of others so that all power can be concentrated on Chairman Xi with minimal damage.”

The list was already available, but the more detailed, the better. However, what attracted Li Keqiang’s attention more than that was the weaknesses Bo Xilai mentioned.

“What makes you think I’ll believe you?”

“Chairman Xi has the power to bring me back even if I’m in the Arctic. Isn’t that right?”

Indeed, it was. It even seemed reasonable at first glance. They were already short on administrative power and budget. If they could reduce the effort spent on investigation, nothing could be better.

However, humans are not very rational creatures, and excited humans prioritize emotions over reason. Moreover, if there is a plausible emotional reason rather than a rational one, wouldn’t they distance themselves even further from reason?

And unfortunately for Bo Xilai, Li Keqiang had that ‘plausible reason.’

“You’ve been eating quite well all this time.”

A heavy file fell in front of Bo Xilai. It was thrown by Li Keqiang, and it contained every single detail of the corruption Bo Xilai had committed.

Bo Xilai, with trembling hands, calmly read the documents and immediately realized whose cooperation had made this possible. It was so detailed that it could only have come from Wang Lijun.

He also realized that unless he offered something as valuable as this file, negotiations would not be easy, and even if a deal was struck, he would not be able to leave unscathed.

“Wang Lijun?”

He was caught off guard and his body trembled with anger. Wang Lijun of all people! How well had he treated him all this time? His most cherished confidant and the core of this conspiracy!

‘If this bastard ratted me out, it’s safe to say he told them everything I know.’

There might be one or two truly trivial things that Wang Lijun didn’t know, but it was safe to assume that Li Keqiang knew everything related to this conspiracy.

‘I’m screwed! Unless I do something truly outrageous, I won’t even get their attention and I’ll be executed on the spot!’

“Bo Xilai, I already knew you were colluding with the rebels. But Russia? That’s crossing the line. You know that, right?”

Bo Xilai felt as if a lifeline had been cut off. He had expected it, but it shouldn’t have been revealed like this. He was supposed to overthrow Li Keqiang and then, at the very end, re-establish relations with Russia.

From now on, Bo Xilai was not facing a disadvantageous negotiation. He was simply offering everything he had to an absolute being and begging for mercy.

However, there was something he couldn’t proceed without asking. Even when his life was hanging by a thread, human curiosity never stopped.

“Then why did you bother arresting me instead of the ringleader?”

That’s right. Bo Xilai was just an action leader under the ringleader. That’s why Bo Xilai thought Li Keqiang wanted information from him, but it turned out that Li Keqiang already had all the information he wanted.

He hadn’t done anything particularly offensive to Li Keqiang. There might have been one or two things that were displeasing, but that wasn’t enough reason to arrest him and make him kneel here. It would have been more rational to put the ringleader in this place and execute Bo Xilai on the spot or put him in a re-education camp.

So, Li Keqiang clearly wanted something from Bo Xilai. But he didn’t know what it was, which was driving him crazy. No, he wished he could go crazy. That way, Li Keqiang wouldn’t be able to get what he wanted, and at least he would have a chance to survive while he regained his sanity.

However, Bo Xilai, cornered as he was, could only guess at one thing that Li Keqiang wanted. That was this situation itself. Toying with Bo Xilai before killing him. He desperately hoped that wasn’t the case.

“Could it be that you simply want to mock a traitor who rebelled against you but didn’t even attempt a revolt?”

Bo Xilai waited for an answer, his heart pounding. Li Keqiang stared at Bo Xilai silently, then finally opened his mouth.

“A capable American bastard told me to keep an eye on you. To be honest, I was skeptical, but I didn’t think you’d be such a big rat.”

‘An American bastard?’

Bo Xilai questioned the words ‘capable bastard,’ but he couldn’t voice his doubts.

“You know, I’m a man who has always cherished the ambition to turn China into a country where the people can live well. Although it wasn’t just a simple peaceful world but a golden age, I can still proudly say that I have lived honorably.”

However, that became impossible. During Li Keqiang’s reign, China entered a civil war, and Li Keqiang had to end the civil war by sacrificing the lives of the very people he wanted to protect.

And what do you call someone who interferes with that grand plan? A son of a bitch who deserves to die, right?

Then, what do you call someone who interferes while he’s already stressed to the point of losing his hair due to this insane situation, and he’s desperately trying to save it? What do you call them?

“The reason why you, a man who deserves to be torn apart and ground into powder, are still alive is because I need you as a living witness in this trial. Do you understand?”

Bo Xilai was confused. Trial? Witness? Does this great Chairman Xi intend to arrest and judge every single person involved in this matter?

That couldn’t be. Li Keqiang was not a man without a sense of reality, even though he was somewhat uncompromising in some aspects. So, that must be closer to a metaphor.

However, before these questions, there was something most important.

“So, you’re going to spare me?”

This had been Bo Xilai’s primary goal since the moment his betrayal was discovered. He wanted Li Keqiang to answer this question himself.

“We’ll see how you do.”

***

“Russia?”

Hearing that, Bush felt his appetite disappear. Bush pushed the unappetizing rye bread sandwich far away. His stomach roared, demanding more calories, but with the name Russia mentioned, there was no time to leisurely eat a sandwich.

“Yes, Russia was involved in this rebellion. They seem to view Li Keqiang as the biggest traitor.”

In short, the US created this civil war, so why cooperate with the US? It made so much sense that Bush felt a pang of conscience.

“So, they’d rather cooperate with Russia as a second-best option?”

“That’s right. They thought that if Russia got involved, the US would back down.”

“That’s not entirely wrong. The reason we can intervene is because the Communist Party brought in the US.”

If the Communist Party rejected the US, the US would have to leave Chinese soil at any time.

In fact, according to the plan, that would happen someday, but not in a way that they were being pushed out by Russia.

“Well, it’s a relief that we identified them now. It’s fortunate that the Chairman holds all military power. We almost started a war with Russia.”

A war with Russia, even avoided during the Cold War, was a laughable thought.

“So, is there anything else they’ve done?”

“According to the results so far, no. It seems there are other factors behind the young officers’ simultaneous coup.”

‘Was it not external intervention, but an agreement among themselves? Or was it really just a coincidence?’

It was good to have thoroughly tied up the countries bordering China, confining the civil war within China, but that was it. If there had been more time, they could have arranged more things, but there was a severe lack of time.

“Then put this aside for now and formally establish diplomatic relations with Uyghur and Tibet.”