1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 110

The provincial government has consistently promoted the policy of intermarriage between Han and Korean ethnic groups, with Korean men marrying Han women and Han men marrying Korean women, leading to continuous integration. Ultimately, the larger Han population will completely assimilate the Korean ethnic group, turning Korea into a mere geographical term rather than a symbol of ethnic culture.

Du Qingwu was very satisfied with the report. At most, it would take twenty years, or at the fastest, about fifteen years, roughly the time it takes for a generation to grow up, to completely assimilate North Korea.

Du Qingwu was very concerned about the assimilation of North Korea. He was happy to accept those North Koreans who were willing to be assimilated, but for the die-hards, he would change the assimilation to reformation, find some crime to charge them with, and send them to reformation camps.

There is a very interesting phenomenon in the northern part of North Korea, within the Chinese-controlled area: the crime rate among North Koreans who speak Chinese is five times lower than that among North Koreans who speak Korean.

For minor offenses, prosecution can be avoided by writing a written apology within the province of North Korea. The apology must be at least 500 Chinese characters long and must be read aloud publicly.

Even if what you write is utter nonsense, as long as it contains at least 500 Chinese characters, the repetition rate isn't too outrageous, and you can still read it out haltingly, the government will consider you an "advanced citizen with a positive attitude of repentance" and will be able to tolerate you.

But if you can't write anything, you'll be ruthlessly put on the list of those to be transferred; if you don't write a single word, you'll only be sent to a reformatory.

Promoting thorough and comprehensive Sinicization is the fundamental policy of Korea Province, and this must be upheld for a hundred years.

Du Qingwu's dedication and effort were driven by his own self-interest; he had now realized that it was better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond.

Du Qingwu has moved his entire family to North Korea and settled down there. His influence and fellow villagers have also come to join him.

If they can successfully assimilate Korea, the Du family will likely enjoy the same treatment as the Mu family of the Ming Dynasty, and be permanently stationed in Korea!

This doesn't mean that every future provincial governor will be a member of the Du family—no one would agree to that—but it's perfectly acceptable for the Du family to become a political family rooted in North Korea.

Du Qingwu, serving as a provincial governor at the level of a department head, could at most be transferred to the central government as a minister, or at most reach the level of a cabinet member if he were incredibly lucky. There was no possibility of him rising any higher.

Rather than that, it would be better to go all out and settle down in North Korea. The competition in the capital is too fierce; it's like gods fighting. Du Qingwu felt overwhelmed by the infighting among the three factions of the Revival Party alone, not to mention the immense power of the other elders.

The central government also saw Du Qingwu's actions and tacitly approved of his wishes. As long as North Korea could be completely assimilated, it wouldn't be impossible to have the Du family permanently stationed on the peninsula. However, the central government would definitely still need to send more political forces into North Korea to maintain a balance of power in the future.

For example, Lieutenant General Yan Bicheng was being hinted to by the Ministry of National Defense to move his family to North Korea to follow the example of Du Qingwu, but Yan Bicheng was not very willing. He still had ambitions and did not want to be suppressed in the local area so soon.

Military promotions and power are based on military achievements. There are not many conspiracies and intrigues. As long as you are good enough to fight and have enough military achievements, Du Qingwu has a good chance of becoming the top military officer in the Ministry of National Defense, which is a higher level than the cabinet.

Yan Bicheng is only forty-four years old this year, and he will have plenty of opportunities and time to take on challenges in the future. The capital may not be able to accommodate Du Qingwu, but Yan Bicheng is confident that it can accommodate him.

"General Yan, please report on the recent security situation in North Korea and the situation on the South Korean Peninsula!"

Having gained a fairly good understanding of North Korea's internal affairs, Du Qingwu began to learn about external threats. After all, as the nominal governor of North Korea Province, he was in charge of the entire peninsula. He disregarded the provisions of the Shanghai Peace Treaty, and was even more eager than Yan Bicheng to recover South Korea and restore the integrity of North Korea Province.

Chapter 185 The Situation in the Southern Dynasties

Yan Bicheng cleared his throat, grabbed a coat from beside him, and casually wiped away his sweat.

Du Qingwu frowned. This guy was wiping his face with his own coat. He really didn't treat the provincial governor like a cadre!

"Gentlemen, I will now report on the changes in the internal and external security situation of North Korea." Yan Bicheng ignored Du Qingwu's expression and began to speak.

"First, there is the suppression of rebels and civilians within the North Korean region. Since the beginning of this year, the National Defense Army and local garrison forces have mobilized 44,000 personnel to carry out seven large-scale operations and nineteen small-scale operations."

A total of 7,590 rebels were killed, and 164,000 were captured and transferred to reformatories in Northeast China.

"The social order and security situation within the territory of the North Korea have been improved to a considerable extent, and the local order has completely shaken off the effects of war and entered a state of peace."

"However, Zhan Tianyou, the leader of the Northeast Strategic Development Working Group, expressed dissatisfaction with the current level of pressure on our Qianzhen."

"I personally believe that there are still a large number of lurking saboteurs within North Korea. They are only temporarily subdued because of military power. I think the government can increase its efforts to put pressure on them."

It would be best to force all those who resist the emperor's rule out and send them all to the reformatory in the Northeast, solving the problem once and for all!

Yan Bicheng's words caused an uproar among the officials present, and Du Qingwu's face darkened. These words were indeed somewhat outrageous.

Everyone knew what Yan Bicheng was thinking; it was nothing more than those dirty tricks. Yan Bicheng would send a prisoner from the reformatory to North Korea, and Zhan Tianyou would give him a kickback. The more prisoners he sent, the more kickbacks Zhan Tianyou would give him.

All this money went into the slush fund of the 7th Army Group. In other words, the wolves and tigers under Yan Bicheng's 7th Army Group are now engaged in the heinous slave trade.

The Northeast Strategic Development Working Group under Zhan Tianyou played the role of farm owners, using the Koreans as slaves. After all, prisoners in the reform camps did not need to be paid any wages or benefits, and no matter how many died, they did not have to bear any responsibility.

Zhan Tianyou hoped that all those sent by North Korea would be prisoners serving time in reformatories, rather than legal immigrants from assimilation zones, because employing immigrants required providing them with wages and security.

Compared to the huge salary expenditure, Zhan Tianyou, a farmer who studied in North America, preferred the free inmates. The small kickback he gave Yan Bicheng was easily earned back.

"Hmph!" The vice governor sitting across the table snorted coldly in dissatisfaction, then tapped the table and said, "General Yan, everyone knows about your little affair with Minister Zhan Tianyou from the Northeast."

"Whether you're an official or a soldier, you still need to have some conscience and some bottom line."

"The development of Northeast China requires labor, and our Korean province has contributed its share, sending more than 700,000 immigrants to participate in various tasks and projects."

Minister Zhan doesn't even want to pay this little salary, does he? Han Chinese from inside the Great Wall can still acquire land in the Northeast, but we immigrants from the Korean province can only work for a fixed salary.

Now, North Korea is also part of the Republic, and North Koreans are also citizens of the Republic. How can they be treated so harshly?

"According to Minister Zhan, we might as well just turn our entire Korean province into a Korean re-education camp!"

Other officials also spoke out, criticizing Yan Bicheng's remarks as too outrageous.

All the officials present were Han Chinese, and they were all transferred from within the Great Wall. They were all of impeccable revolutionary lineage, and logically speaking, they should have stood on the side of their own people, not on the side of the Koreans.

But the North Koreans were just too perceptive and sensible!

The Koreans suffered greatly from the Far East War, were drained of their resources by the National Defense Army, and continued to be subjected to oppressive rule even after the war ended.

After plowing the land repeatedly, the indigenous population of the northern part of North Korea was reduced to just over three million, due to years of famine and war, coupled with the suppression and slaughter by the National Defense Army.

The remaining North Koreans were completely convinced and obediently spoke Chinese, learned Chinese characters, paid taxes, and did whatever the government told them to do. It was almost impossible to find any troublemakers.

At first, everyone thought that such a brutal rule would surely lead to widespread rebellion, but unexpectedly, the North Koreans became more and more docile.

If this had happened in the interior of China, the Han Chinese would have risen up in rebellion long ago. But in Korea, it was a process of natural selection that sifted out the best and most obedient citizens!

Even the Han Chinese officials felt embarrassed to continue their actions. These people were so obedient and compliant, having abandoned their own ethnic culture and traditions, and were wholeheartedly devoted to you. It was simply unacceptable to force them to rebel and send them to a reformatory.

If this continues, everyone will become a commander without troops. Without people under your jurisdiction, what kind of official are you?

Even Du Qingwu, the provincial governor who initially had the toughest policy toward North Korea, has now changed his attitude. From now on, North Korea will be everyone's base of support, the political foundation and source of power, and cannot be messed with.

Nowadays, North Koreans greet civil officials with tears in their eyes, calling them "Your Majesty, Father and Father," and when they see soldiers of the National Defense Force, they react like South Koreans would when they encounter US troops stationed in South Korea.

The provincial government has begun to change its attitude, regarding the law-abiding citizens under its jurisdiction as its valuable resource. These obedient citizens, once assimilated, will become the finest cattle and horses, and the National Defense Army soldiers can no longer be allowed to continue causing trouble.

You can't find such obedient subjects anywhere else in China. Being an official in North Korea is actually very comfortable. Du Qingwu was so comfortable that he didn't want to leave. It's just that Yan Bicheng never treated the North Koreans as his own people, nor did he consider himself a part of North Korea.

"General Yan, the way to govern a country is to use both kindness and severity. The same applies to governing a region. Simply suppressing and killing will only backfire. At this critical juncture, if we apply benevolence appropriately, we may achieve remarkable results."

"The way of the king is to educate them; first, let them know what the way of the king is, and then we must educate them."

Du Qingwu stepped forward and gave a concluding speech, which made Yan Bicheng's eyes almost pop out of their sockets.

"You betrayed me??" Yan Bicheng immediately felt isolated, and he glared at Du Qingwu with deep resentment.

When Du Qingwu first took office, he was the loudest one, shouting and killing everywhere, slaughtering anyone who disobeyed him, just like a reading pen that points to whatever it doesn't know.

Back then, Yan Bicheng wasn't as murderous as him. But now, Du Qingwu, you've suddenly reformed and become a Buddha!

So, all the murders are my fault, Yan Bicheng, and I have to take the blame all by myself?

Du Qingwu was somewhat embarrassed: "General Yan, what makes you say that? There are no traitors among us; we are all loyal ministers and generals serving the country!"

"Stop saying anything that could undermine unity!"

"As General Yan said before, North Korea's social order has now stabilized, it has shaken off the effects of war, and entered a state of peace."

Therefore, from now on, the work of maintaining social order and stability in northern North Korea will be transferred to the provincial police departments. The provinces will be governed by law, and military control will no longer be allowed.

The police chief eagerly stood up to accept the order: "Yes, Governor!"

Du Qingwu nodded and turned to Yan Bicheng, saying, "General Yan, please continue to talk about the situation in the Southern Dynasty. Recovering lost territory is the military's primary responsibility. Don't always think about sending people to the reform camp."

Yan Bicheng took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. He had no choice but to obey. When Du Qingwu took office as governor, he was given a high position but a low rank, and the central government even gave him the power to control the military and politics of North Korea. No matter how angry Yan Bicheng was, he could only obey.

Gritting his teeth, Yan Bicheng continued his report: "Alright! Let's continue!"

Yan Bicheng gritted his teeth and gave a report on the situation in the Southern Dynasty. The report was based on information gathered from the National Intelligence Agency and internal military sources.

In general terms, if the Northern Court under Chinese rule was a prison, then the Southern Court under Japanese control was a purgatory!

The republican government in the Northern Court was nothing more than repression and oppressive rule, but the Japanese in the Southern Court were completely incompetent, only knowing how to extract resources without investing anything in the country.

After suffering devastation from the Russo-Japanese War and the Far Eastern War, Japan's national strength was in a state of collapse. After the end of the Far Eastern War, the Republic quickly entered a period of development, constantly trying to fill the gaps in its economy.

However, Japan's problems worsened after the war, and the situation deteriorated further. The war ended in April 1908, and more than a year has passed since then. Japan's domestic situation remains turbulent, with economic collapse, political chaos, and widespread poverty.

The Japanese learned from a certain principal's strategy of "pacifying the country before resisting foreign aggression," completely abandoning their external expansion strategy and turning to a full-scale suppression of the Red armed forces within their own country.

Yes, the sparks planted in Japan by Jean-Claude Sinor and Wu Zifu have begun to spread. During the war, various uprisings broke out in Japan. After the war, facing the strong suppression by Japanese militarism, the insurgents in Japan gradually merged and retreated to the mountains to continue their resistance.

The extreme faction of the Revival Party also secretly dispatched several party representatives to Japan. With the mediation of the party representatives, the Japanese Red Army was officially established and began to withdraw into the mountains to continue its struggle against the Japanese army.

In order to suppress the Red Army uprising at home, the Japanese government continued to exploit the country's resources. Japanese women were systematically sent abroad to work as prostitutes, not to mention those from South Korea, which were not part of the country.

South Korea has now completely lost its order. The Japanese troops and colonial government dare not do anything wrong and only care about exploiting local resources.

Someone once said that even the darkest order is better than complete chaos.

Although the republican government in North Korea was brutal, it at least provided a basic order, and social stability and public security were good. Although the country was heavily exploited, things were beginning to change.

South Korea, on the other hand, was in complete chaos. Laws, government, and police were all useless. The only purpose of the Japanese rule in South Korea was to take away the last grain of rice, the last drop of blood and sweat, and the last piece of ore.

At the grassroots level, a tax farming system was fully implemented. The Japanese contracted out local governance to groups such as gangsters, powerful families, and landlords, setting an outrageous quota, and then sold off the grassroots government as a package.

Then the lower class is exploited without any limits, and the only way to escape being exploited is to replace those gangsters and tycoons and become the new exploiters.

A vicious cycle spread at an alarming rate in South Korea, causing the complete collapse of grassroots order. Killing people in the street became as commonplace as taking a walk or enjoying the scenery, and large-scale cannibalism even began to occur in many areas.

The concepts of economy, agriculture, and politics have disappeared in South Korea. The entire South Korea has become a poison circle, where everyone is playing a survival battle royale.

South Koreans were plunged into a hell of despair, while Japan plundered three million tons of grain, five and a half million tons of minerals, and countless other resources such as gold, silver, cloth, and timber from South Korea in just one year.

In the year following the war, the Japanese managed to survive by draining South Korea dry, managing to avoid collapse despite their apparent impending doom. This feat came at the cost of millions of South Koreans dying tragically in that year.

While draining South Korea, Japan continued to borrow money from Europe and the United States, even sacrificing its domestic market and a portion of its financial sovereignty. It can be said that Japan agreed to all conditions except for ceding territory.

During this period, Japan also received a lot of foreign aid, and the postwar situation in Japan has miraculously started to stabilize this year. Although this was achieved at the cost of greatly damaging the country's fortunes, one has to admire the ruthlessness of the Japanese people at critical moments.

At least Zhao Yan couldn't do that, and even officials of the Republic admit they couldn't be that ruthless.

Japan even announced the restart of its dreadnought construction program this year. The Republic is recovering so quickly, yet it doesn't have the money to build main warships, but the Japanese dare to do it.

After listening to the report, Du Qingwu was speechless with astonishment. He really wanted to crack open the skulls of those high-ranking Japanese officials to see what was inside.

With such an opponent, how did the Qing Dynasty ever manage to lose?

The national economy and social order haven't even recovered yet, and you still dare to spend money building dreadnoughts? You should wipe out the rebels in the mountains first.

"If we head south now and completely recover the Korean Peninsula, is there a chance?" Du Qingwu keenly sensed an opportunity and looked at Yan Bicheng with hopeful eyes.

"Theoretically, the chances are 100%, and we don't even need reinforcements from the mainland. My 7th Army can handle it, but in reality, it's impossible!"

"Without approval from the central government and orders from the Ministry of National Defense, not a single soldier of the 7th Army can move south."

Du Qingwu quickly explained, "General Yan, please don't misunderstand. I was out of my mind and misspoke. Let's stop here!"

Coming to his senses, Du Qingwu realized he had said something foolish. As a provincial governor, he had absolutely no right to use troops abroad.

Moreover, the Republic has finally managed to stabilize its post-war domestic socio-economic situation and establish diplomatic cooperation with other countries.

Zhao Yan had exhausted all his efforts to stabilize the domestic and international situation, allowing China to enter a period of stable development. To start a war again at this time would be like picking up a sesame seed while losing a watermelon. Even a hardline general like Yan Bicheng did not think it was the right time to start a war.

Once a war breaks out, it goes without saying which countries in Europe and America will support, and it might even give Japan another chance to turn the tide.

No one would rush to go all in when they could easily win.

Just let Japan rot away slowly, why rush things now?

Furthermore, conquering South Korea was easy, but what good would it do to take over that mess? South Korea is now a complete liability, with millions of starving people starving to be fed, and even the reform camps dare not take in so many people at once.

Chapter 186 Park Youtian

"You dare to claim the surname Zhao?"

"Snapped!"

A resounding slap sent Park Yoo-jeon spinning in circles. In the end, he could only stand there, covering half his face, completely bewildered.

The civil affairs bureau official rejected Park's crookedly written name change application, angrily saying, "Change it however you like, but you can't have the surname Zhao. Write the application again!"

"You've defied Heaven! We told you to change your surname to a Han one, and you actually changed yourself to 'Lord of the Imperial Surname'?! Huh!"

"I'm showing you mercy today, but if there's a next time, I'll make sure you get sent to a reformatory!"

Park Yoo-jeon was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you for sparing my life, sir. I will never dare to do it again!"

The civil affairs bureau official waved his hand and said, "Get out of here!"

Park Yoo-jeon had no choice but to waste five cents to buy another registration form and return to the village to make further plans.

He didn't know that changing his surname would get him a beating. He just saw his son learning about surnames at school these past few days, and after hearing a couple of lines like "Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zhou, Zheng, Wang," he felt that the surname Zhao was quite good, so he decided to change the Pu family name to the Zhao family name.

But unexpectedly, he wasted a penny and even got slapped in the face.