Dear Comrade

Chapter 16. new relationship (4)

Chapter 16. new relationship (4)

To Zhao Ziyang, who asked seriously, Jeonghwan made a serious expression on purpose and even sighed.

“Once the fire has been extinguished. Those vicious Soviets also swore allegiance and followed my instructions, as they thought I was useful in producing rice in a large country. You probably don’t have to worry about the stability of the Joseon regime for the time being.”

“Heh heh, that’s really lucky. I was worried when I first heard from the ambassador of Onupdam, but at such a young age, he is very resourceful. From now on, our China will always stand by the side of General Secretary and Comrade Jang Sung-taek to protect the friendship of the blood alliance. It was truly Hongbok that Joseon had a comrade like the general secretary as its leader.”

‘Then, not Hongbok.’

Zhao Ziyang, who knew nothing, went ahead and got into the car.

To tell the truth, the supreme power of the republic was already Jeong-hwan, not Kim Il-sung.

At first, Jeonghwan was able to confirm that fact through documents and with his own eyes a while ago, thanks to the fact that his loyalty competition strategy worked quickly and reliably.

After the last Politburo meeting, the party cadres, realizing that a new era had begun, made various regulations under their authority, eager to reduce the freedom and position of the military, the old power.

After being under Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, who gave priority to the powerful military above all else, they finally met an intellectual-type leader who respected them, and they pressured the army like a fish in the water.

The People’s Army officers, just like the military officers, struggled to keep the party cadres from getting caught, and at the same time swore allegiance to Jeong-hwan in order not to let go of the power they had already held.

And one of those movements was a new song of conversion, ‘Steps of the General Secretary’, composed by the Chosun People’s Army Concerto, a music troupe directly under the Supreme Command of the Korean People’s Army, which was announced at the Lunar New Year event not long ago, with the theme of General Secretary Jeong Hwan. was ‘according to

Jeonghwan hated excessive loyalty that went beyond instructions, but especially when it comes to the lyrics, even Junghwan, who is proud of his thick face, was blushing.

– The immortal leader of the nation who descended on the clouds from Baekdu, his name is overflowing in my chest and I am thirsty… Ah~ Ah~ How dare I put that name on my lips, the great general secretary, Comrade Kim Jeong-hwan… .!! Jump over the Taedong River in one step, and soak your feet in the heavens and earth of Mt. Baekdu in two steps! For half a million years, the Korean people all kept pace with the general secretary…

‘It was a song that tested patience in a very different way. ……… I don’t want to hear it again.’

Jeonghwan truly (cannot laugh or cry) had a complex and subtle expression on his hymn played by a concerto orchestra of 300 or so members to leave. He had a cynical sneer that meant that.

In any case, through these incidents, Jeong Hwan was definitely strengthening the control of both the party and the military.

While both sides of the party forces kept each other in check, they sometimes sided with this side and sometimes that side so that excessive loyalty or inefficiency did not occur.

It was a task that required an exquisite sense of balance, but Junghwan has done well so far, and now, out of his initial precarious position, no one hesitates to point to him as the undisputed supreme power of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Of course, Zhao Ziyang, who is looking at him with the eyes of a grandfather who is concerned about his grandchildren, and people outside the Republic, it is still difficult to guess.

And for the time being, Jeong-hwan, who intends to maintain his current evaluation of himself (though he is the general secretary by his position, is far short of the absolute power enjoyed by his father Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il), had no intention of revealing it at all.

Soon, they sat side by side in the backseats of the same vehicle to be inspected by the People’s Army, the next event, and started moving.

As the car door closed and the black tinted car window went up, Zhao Ziyang asked Jeonghwan in a more serious voice than before.

“Then, now that the official event is over, let’s take turns asking questions that can’t be asked in public. In fact, the general secretary must have already guessed that the reason I came to this place in a hurry from Beijing to Chosun was not just to observe farm self-management, even though I had to change my schedule.”

“You must have come to ask about improving diplomatic relations with the UK. I understand that it will not be comfortable to plant it as a large country.”

When Jeonghwan hit the player first, Zhao Ziyang also nodded.

However, contrary to Junghwan’s expectations, he didn’t look very unpleasant.

“Of course, Joseon is an independent sovereign state, and it is the independent will of the general secretary and the Korean people to establish diplomatic relations with any country. However, I also did not come here to play, and I am in a position to eat the rust of the country, so I have to tell you something.”

“Speak at ease, I will listen.”

“In Beijing, and Comrade Deng Xiaoping, the general secretary recently expressed his friendship with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and is not comfortable with Korea and Britain getting closer. And he sent me to express this intention clearly.”

“……!”

“As you can see, we, the People’s Republic of China, have a long-standing salvation with Britain. It is said that revenge of a gentleman is not too late even after 10 years, but personally, I think that the revenge of a nation is not too late even after 100 years. Above all, we have not yet received a definitive return of Hong Kong from Britain.”

Zhao Ziyang, who has spoken up to this point, made a firm declaration with a little strength in his voice.

“We, the People’s Republic of China, will seek the territory lost in the past until the last point. And I will never back down no matter what sacrifices I make in the process. I believe the general secretary will understand this.”

‘As expected.’

Anyway, it was the reaction I had expected when I first decided to improve relations with the UK.

Although North Korea, a sovereign country, did not establish diplomatic ties with other countries and only started academic exchanges, it was bittersweet to see such a response as a national leader, but Jeong Hwan was a cold-hearted realist.

It was essential to manage relations with China in order to maintain the republic and stabilize the regime.

At least, as he envisioned, it had to be, until he made a soft landing with the United States and incorporated it into the international capitalist system, and for quite some time after that.

Therefore, Junghwan put the prepared answer in his mouth according to Zhao Ziyang’s mood as gently as possible.

“of course. The DPRK-China friendly relationship is the basis of all diplomatic relations with Korea. This exchange with the UK is only a stepping stone for reform and opening up, and under the banner of People’s Socialism, Korea will always be with the great powers.

“Thank you for saying that, I don’t know what you think, but I personally like the general secretary. So, I came here and heard what you wanted to hear, so now I want to leave a public position and give advice as a general secretary. Don’t think it’s the old man’s vain nagging, and I hope you keep it in your heart.”

‘……Look at this?’

When the goal was achieved, Zhao Ziyang, who approached him in a humane manner with a gentle smile, felt both wariness and curiosity at the same time.

Come to think of it, from the time I met Zhao Ziyang, who was the first to convey Beijing’s diplomatic stance, I could read firmness, but I did not see any rudeness or arrogance (consistently seen in diplomatic papers and Chinese diplomats).

However, the moment Junghwan repeated to himself that he should not be vigilant, Zhao Ziyang betrayed his expectations in a good way.

“It has been more than 10 years since China adopted the reform and opening-up policy. There have been many achievements so far, but the side effects are not formidable. And the damage of that side effect is mostly passed on to the poorest and most powerless people in China.”

“…………”

“Cities are expanding day by day, but in the countryside, young people are disappearing. The gap between the rich and the poor has widened, and money has become the new religion of the continent. But the most embarrassing thing about it is that even party cadres who are supposed to be honest are no exceptions to this trend. No, I’m rather at the forefront.”

“…………”

Seeing Zhao Ziyang swallowing a bitter smile and revealing his own secrets, Jeonghwan forgot what to say for a moment and stared blankly at him.

The calculations that were trying to dig out Zhao Ziyang’s inner thoughts in his head had to be paused for a moment.

Even though they are the only two of them in a dedicated vehicle with little visibility, this place is definitely a place for diplomacy between the heads of state.

In such a place, no bureaucrat would ever want to confess that his country was being stained with corruption, especially to the heads of other countries.

Considering these points, one thing is certain: Zhao Ziyang was speaking his truth without any calculations.

Whether it was for a moment of appreciation, or the words that were kept in their hearts in their own country suddenly lost control and came out of their mouths when they came to another country.

“Do you know what jobs in the fortress Beijing university district are most desired by young Chinese talent? That’s the ‘exploration duck’. If you become a party cadre, you can become very wealthy by making good use of your conversations with entrepreneurs. Although it is said to be an unavoidable side effect in a market economy, the fruits of reform and opening up belong only to the rich and party leaders. ….at least in China today. haha…”

“……Thank you for your words, but I don’t know why you are telling me these things. Comrade Zhao Ziyang.”

“No particular reason, I really wanted to say this because the general secretary was determined to reform and open up… I wanted to advise you to listen carefully to me and to learn from these Chinese errors in Joseon and reduce the side effects as much as possible. ”

At Zhao Ziyang’s candid confession, Jeonghwan kept his mouth shut.

Then, inside the car, only the voice of the security guard saying that he had almost arrived at the screening ceremony, the destination, rang through the intercom and fell into silence again.

And it was Zhao Ziyang who broke that silence again this time.

“We, China, have decided on a collective leadership system. The idea of the founding of the nation was that the country would be ruined if the majority of the billions of people who did not even go to elementary school did democracy, so well-educated party members should take the lead and lead the country to China, where everyone is prosperous. But these days, I think I’m getting more and more skeptical of that idea.”

“I cannot agree with that statement. In any society, a small number of well-educated elites will lead the country and society. Even if the system is different, there is such a saying in the United States, the capital of capitalism. ‘A minority of 20% feeds 80%.’ From Comrade Mao Zedong to Comrade Deng Xiaoping, I think the line of the collective leadership system has always been the right one.”

Judging that the story is gradually moving in a dangerous direction, Jeonghwan cut Zhao Ziyang’s words, citing “Peter’s Law.”

But Zhao Ziyang seemed to be trying to do everything he wanted to say.

“Comrade Deng Xiaoping said the same thing. ‘Was it the theory of good luck?’, ‘Those who have the ability to become rich should first become rich, and then the rich should lead those who have fallen behind.’ To be honest, I only doubt how many people will lead the others who have fallen behind among the people of today.”

“…………”

“I am not the only one who thinks that way, and reports continue to come in through the Ministry of National Security that already organized movements against this trend are being observed, mainly in Beijing. At the center are young college students like the general secretary. This trend is going to cause a major disturbance in the near future. When that time comes, I don’t know if our Communist Party will be able to appease the people and deal with it well…”

His last words almost sounded like a rant.

Meanwhile, Junghwan, who heard Zhao Ziyang’s words, deliberately turned his gaze to the floor and lowered his head.

Because he already knew better than anyone that the worries of such an old man would soon become a reality.

And because he has already devised his own strategy against China based on such predictions…

“We have arrived, let’s get off, general secretary. I had a lot of trouble listening to the old man’s ghosts. I want you to forget the stories you heard in this car.”

“…Comrade General Secretary!”

“…………?”

When the car door opened and Zhao Ziyang woke up first, Jeonghwan felt a huge conflict in a short moment.

I wanted to stop him.

I wanted to stop him, because I already knew what he was going to face when he returned and what he would see and face along the way.

Even though I met him for the first time today, the old man who showed his sincerity after a long time, whether by chance or sincerity.

However, Junghwan already knew miserably what kind of decision he would make.

Jeong Hwan is now the national leader and the leader.

He could not spoil a strategy that would bring national benefit by putting his own personal feelings ahead.

Although he was ruthless and cold-hearted, for this moment, he was only cursed at what was going to happen in Tiananmen, China, and the fact that he had no choice but to let Zhao Ziyang go.

After a moment of silence, only one word came out of Jeonghwan’s mouth.

“…………..Take care of yourself.”

“…Thank you.”

And that was the end of the private conversation between them that day.

After the day’s event, Zhao Ziyang flew back to Beijing that evening to resume his busy schedule.

Jung-hwan, who sent off his plane with a dark face, didn’t say anything all day that day, embarrassing the staff of the secretary’s office, who wondered the reason for the sudden depression of the general secretary.

And meanwhile, fate was slowly but surely taking its steps, preparing to plunge East Asia, or even the whole world, into a storm of blood and astonishment .