I knew it in advance
Director Ma went out to make a phone call, and I focused on Myeongsu's words again.
― Once the fact-checking is completed to some extent, President Yoon Chang-ho is said to be giving a speech to the nation.
You're even thinking about giving a national address. The atmosphere seems to be more serious than I expected.
Well, it makes sense that a shooting occurred in the middle of Seoul.
"Aren't you rushing too much?"
― It happened in the middle of Gangnam, the center of Seoul, and not anywhere else. If it had been a simple fight, it wouldn't have gone that far, but a gun was used. Our country isn't a country where guns are easy to obtain. And it wasn't even the year of the 1980s. Has there ever been a large-scale clash like this between gangsters in recent times?
Since the war on crime, large-scale wars between gangsters have disappeared in Korea.
It's not that the gangsters disappeared, it's that times have changed and they have naturally become more protective.
As citizens without immunity were anxious, it seemed that Yoon Chang-ho was also planning to inflict some damage.
- President Yoon Chang-ho asked if it had anything to do with you. So I said I didn't know.
You immediately thought of me. President Yoon Chang-ho is not completely clueless.
"Even though the tail was cut off, it was all because of me."
- I didn't hear that. I have to go to the Blue House now, so let's talk later.
"Okay. Good luck."
As I put down the phone after the call ended, Director Ma came back in as if he had been waiting.
"Boss, I can talk to you in the evening."
"Okay. Let's wait."
* * *
Premier Wen Jiabao received a message from his secretary that Kim Moo-hyuk wanted to talk.
"Hmm."
Is this incident also related to that friend, Kim Mu-hyeok?
Wen Jiabao, who had been thinking for a moment, opened his mouth.
"Tell him I'll talk to you in the evening."
"Yes. I will convey that."
"Don't contact me again."
"I will do that."
Wen Jiabao, who had given the order, opened the large door and went in.
In the large meeting hall decorated entirely in red, there was a large round table, and several people were already sitting around the round table.
"Sorry I'm late."
Wen Jiabao bowed his head toward Hu Jintao.
"Haha, no. Come on, sit down. We can start now."
When Hu Jintao laughed loudly, the rest of the people laughed along.
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Wen Jiabao naturally sat to the left of Hu Jintao, his seat.
"Now that everyone is here, let's begin the meeting."
The meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China began under the chairmanship of Hu Jintao.
The meeting, which started with domestic issues, continued for quite a while.
And finally, the bloodshed that occurred in Korea came up for discussion at the round table.
It was Vice Chairman Zeng Qinghong who brought up the subject.
"I need to talk about the recent bloodshed involving the Chinese people in Seoul."
Everyone's eyes turned to Zeng Qinghong.
"What does it have to do with us if a few ethnic Koreans cause an accident? But I think it would be good to take this opportunity to tame Korea."
"Taming Korea?"
Hu Jintao asked with an interested expression, and Zeng Qinghong nodded and said.
"Yes. I need to press it this time."
"We have received reports that our people have used guns on Korean soil. So how do we pressure Korea?"
"I have already instructed the ambassador to send a letter of protest to the Blue House, citing the fact that our people have been seriously injured."
"hmm······."
You're moving before the agenda is even on the table.
Hu Jintao stroked his chin in vain to hide his distorted face.
Vice Chairman Zeng Qinghong, a close associate of Jiang Zemin, was said to want to blow up this matter.
What he meant was that all of this was Jiang Zemin's idea.
Hu Jintao checked the faces of the people sitting at the round table.
Among the nine people, including himself, three were pro-Hu Jintao.
Five of them were either pro-Jiang Zemin or pro-Shanghai faction, and the remaining one had ties to both the Shanghai faction and the princeling faction.
"If we make a big deal out of this, it might not be good for us either."
At that time, Wen Jiabao stepped forward to refute Zeng Qinghong's statement.
"Our people fought a big fight in Korea. It's not clear yet, but I heard they even used guns. What's the justification? On the contrary, they could give that justification to Korea."
It was something that Kim Moo-hyuk might have been involved in.
Wen Jiabao thought that there was no need to scratch and create trouble for no reason.
The one who heard Wen Jiabao's words was Luo Gan, the secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission.
"According to reports from our agents in Korea, he was hired to enter Korea as part of an internal fight within a religion called the Church of Heaven. And······."
Luo Gan unraveled the information he had received, and the expressions of everyone sitting there changed with each passing moment as he told his story.
After Luo Gan finished speaking, an odd silence fell.
"ha ha ha!"
The one who broke the silence was Hu Jintao. Hu Jintao laughed loudly.
"Things are going interestingly. So, what do you want to say, Luogan?"
"First, we need to repatriate all the people involved in this incident back to the country. Then, we can handle the case the way we want."
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"Will Korea accept it?"
"We have to accept it. We have to accept it regardless of the means and methods. And although they are our people, they are ultimately Joseonjok. Depending on how we handle the incident, we can see this as an issue that will greatly benefit us."
Hu Jintao looked around and asked.
"What do you all think? Do you want to do as Luogan said? Or do you have any other ideas?"
Except for the pro-Hu Jintao faction, everyone raised their hands, indicating that they agreed with Luo Gan's opinion.
"Hmm······."
Hu Jintao looked at them again and shook his head.
It may be possible to stop it if we want to, but it seems like it would require a huge political burden.
It was because they moved as one body that it seemed as if they had been kissing from the beginning.
Jiang Zemin's shadow was still very dark.
"······Don't do that."
"Your Majesty."
Wen Jiabao cautiously opened his mouth, but Hu Jintao raised his hand to stop him.
"No matter what the means, pressure the Korean government and get what you want. I'll leave this job to you, Luogan. Can you do it?"
"If you leave it to me, I will bring what the people want."
"Okay. Do whatever you want with this agenda. Trust me."
"thank you."
Luo Gan stood up from his seat and bowed his head.
"Then let's move on to the next agenda."
The Standing Committee continued to function after that.
After the meeting, Wen Jiabao and Hu Jintao sat across from each other with teacups in front of them.
"These guys are determined to pressure me."
Hu Jintao did not hide his discomfort.
"It must be President Jiang Zemin's instructions."
"sorry."
"No. What's wrong with you? Luogan, I didn't expect that guy to move on his own."
Luo Gan was the oldest member of the Politburo Standing Committee.
Also, as the Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, he was the man who sat in the position of supervising all judicial organs.
Although he was officially ranked 9th, his influence was comparable to his own.
So Hu Jintao had no choice but to treat Luo Gan appropriately in official settings.
"But you know, why did you oppose that idea? No matter how much I think about it, I can't see any reason for you to oppose it."
Hu Jintao asked, bringing the teacup to his lips.
The cold gaze was scanning Wen Zibao like a snake.
Even though Hu Jintao was called a puppet under Jiang Zemin's power, he was the leader of China.
Wen Jiabao opened his mouth hurriedly as the pressure weighed down his body.
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"in fact······."
Won Ji-bao confessed that he had contacted Kim Mu-hyeok and that they would talk in the evening.
"The timing is a bit odd. As soon as the embassy protested, Kim Moo-hyuk contacted me."
Hu Jintao put down his glass, tapped the armrest, and closed his eyes.
After a while, Hu Jintao gathered his thoughts and said:
"Tell me everything you talked about."
"Yes, I will do that."
"This is getting bigger and bigger. The Korean government is not the problem. But if Kim Moo-hyuk is involved, then there must be something we don't know about this."
"I think so too. But can we just let Luogan do whatever he wants?"
Hu Jintao responded to the words that seemed to be filled with concern as if it were nothing serious.
"Let it be. Just tell that guy Kim Moo-hyuk that it wasn't our idea, but Jiang Zemin's. We can't attack him directly, but if it's that guy, he'll do whatever it takes."
Hu Jintao recalled Kim Moo-hyuk, who could say whatever he wanted to say even in front of Jiang Zemin.
If it's Kim Moo-hyuk, he won't be afraid of Jiang Zemin or anyone else.
"I wonder how this will turn out."
A smile appeared on Hu Jintao's face at the thought that if he did well, he could solve the problem without even trying.
* * *
I kept an eye on the news from Korea and waited for Wen Jiabao to contact me.
After some time, Director Ma handed me his cell phone.
"Boss, this is Premier Wen Jiabao."
I nodded and took the phone.
"Premier Wen Jiabao. This is Kim Moo-hyuk."
― Haha. President Kim Mu-hyeok. It's been a while.
A leisurely voice came over the phone.
"That's right. I was a little careless."
― I know how busy you are, Mr. Kim Moo-hyeok. Well, I understand. But please visit China sometime. It's disappointing that you always go to Russia or the US. I heard you're in Japan now?
"Yes. I am staying because I have work to do."
He already knew where I was.
You also know we're going to talk about the shooting incident in Korea.
But Wen Jiabao was the first to bring up a different story.
― It is regrettable that the 7th mine area is in question. Our China is also very interested in the 7th mine area. Don't you know that? It is not Korean territory or Japanese territory, but our Chinese territory.
"This is an area that has already been recognized as Korean territorial waters under international law."
- Things have changed a lot since then.
"It's already over. Can you change it now? It's a business that involves not only Korea and Japan, but also Russia and the United States. It's hard to change."
― I know that if President Kim Mu-hyeok wants to do it, he can do it.
Wen Jiabao already knew that I was leading all the negotiations.
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He responded firmly to words that seemed to put pressure on him.
"There is no justification. And the Korean or Japanese governments would not even try to do it. I can't do everything as I please."
- Hmm······.
But even if he knew about the negotiations, Wen Jiabao would not think that China would be able to interfere in the development of Block 7.
It's just political rhetoric to gain the upper hand in the conversation.
"Let's stop talking about that. The reason I contacted you today was because of the bloodshed caused by the Chinese in Korea."
I deliberately changed the subject directly so as not to let Wen Jiabao take the initiative in the conversation.
- I received the report. Was President Kim Mu-hyeok involved in this incident?
"You could say it was related, or you could say it wasn't. I knew about it in advance. But I didn't expect it to get this big. But I heard that the Chinese ambassador to Korea protested to the Blue House. No matter how you look at it, the victim is the Korean government."
When pressed subtly, Wen Jiabao surprisingly readily admitted it.
― He also received the report. But that was not my or President Hu Jintao's idea. Jiang Zemin's side unilaterally reported after taking the preemptive measure. But for us, it's not bad. The Korean government is rejecting us.
"Jiang Zemin is stepping in? For something like this?"
- I don't know why, but yes.
If Jiang Zemin's influence is at work, the pressure on Yun Chang-ho may be even greater.
"How to stop it?"
― It's difficult. Don't you know? President Hu Jintao is the leader, but China has a collective leadership system. If the Standing Committee members agree, President Hu Jintao has no reason to block it. The Shanghai faction and the pro-Jiang Zemin faction have already expressed the same opinion in the Standing Committee. They are outnumbered.
"Who is leading this effort?"
― The vice chairman brought up the agenda, but the one leading the work is the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee. If he moves, the Korean government could be in quite a difficult position.
Is the current Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee Luo Gan? If so, it seems like Jiang Zemin really made up his mind.
"Is it Luogan?"
- Yes, that's right. They say the man himself moves it.
"That means Jiang Zemin is planning to make a big deal out of this."
Even though they were ethnic Koreans, the incident was caused by Chinese people.
However, the Chinese government's behavior of trying to exploit this without any regard for others was absurd.
I suppressed the sigh rising inside me and asked again.
"Is there really no way to stop it?"
― If President Hu Jintao were to take political risks and forcefully block it, he could do so. But there would be no reason to do so, right?
It's a roundabout way of saying that if it's beneficial, they'll stop it.
I deliberately kept silent for a long time.
When Wen Jiabao, tired of waiting, called me, only then did I open my mouth.
"Premier Wen Jiabao and I thought it was Xiongdi, but it seems I was the only one who thought so."
< I knew it in advance > End
< I accept your apology >