Episode 67 Dead lips and cold teeth

After having lunch with Zhu Yourong, Xiang Xiaoqiang discussed it with her again, and the two decided to take a "surprise attack", so that Zhu Yourong publicly announced for the first time in a radio speech this evening that he would be within a year after the end of the war.

Whether it is Zhu Yourong or Xiang Xiaoqiang, they all think that this will bring great benefits. First of all, at least in the traditional Daming region south of the Yangtze River, people have always been eager to continue to promote constitutional reform and achieve universal suffrage as in Europe and the United States as soon as possible. Not to mention the long-term benefits, even in the immediate future, there will be many social problems that can be solved immediately. This is tantamount to the empress personally giving the people a promise to further reform after the defeat of the Soviet Union. This is very conducive to uniting the hearts and minds of the whole country.

The second benefit is that it immediately improves the international image of Daming, makes the surrounding environment of Daming more friendly, and greatly enhances Daming's influence and voice in the international community and in the League of Nations. At least the Ming Navy continued to develop the South Seas, and when the South Seas increased their military strength, the vigilance of Britain, the United States, France, and the Netherlands would be much lower. Because once the universal suffrage is reached, the power to wage war is divided from the hands of the monarch to the hands of the parliament. And the members of Congress are responsible to the voters, which means that whether or not to fight a war is no longer a matter of one person. The lower house (House of Representatives) is responsible for considering the wishes of the people, and the upper house (Senate) is responsible for considering the interests of the country. Such a country would be much less belligerent, and its neighbors would have a much stronger sense of security.

And the most immediate benefit is that this will directly increase the "ammunition" for the US president and the US consortium, so that they can greatly increase their chances of winning when it comes to convincing Congress. - Now the Soviet Union is on the offensive as a democracy. It's a real democracy like Britain, France, and the United States.

Zhu Yourong also knew that such a major decision should have been discussed and decided at the Imperial Cabinet meeting. If it is other major events, Zhu Yourong will also hold a pre-imperial meeting. But she and Xiang Xiaoqiang both know that this matter is related to the vital interests of the current cabinet, and the stakes involved are too great. The previous Ming cabinet had an indefinite term of office, and if a cabinet did a good job, it was possible to continue indefinitely. Now, if we want to change to a term system, it is tantamount to saying that every four years, the cabinet will have to pass the "ghost gate", and the past will pass, and if it can't pass, it will step down.

This kind of thing, even if Zhu Yourong is naïve, he knows that he can't discuss it with the cabinet. She had to make her own decision and then let the cabinet accept it. And at this time, she was glad to have Xiang Xiaoqiang standing by her side. At this time, such a force as the People's Guard Force could not be more suitable for maintaining national stability and supervising the normal operation of the government.

However, Xiang Xiaoqiang felt that there would be no accidents. Since many years ago, all walks of life in the Ming Dynasty, including officials, have shouted for universal suffrage. Zhu Yourong's father was ready to carry it out, but he suddenly fell ill and soon passed away. Then Zhu Yourong ascended the throne, and the threat of the Manchu Qing in the north became bigger and bigger, and it was put on hold for a while. After Zhu Yourong came to power and the new monarch was familiar with everything, he was about to implement it, but there was a coup d'état in Guangwu and the Qing army invaded the south, so it was put on hold again. As for the later war, it was naturally the Northern Expedition, and it has not been able to be implemented for a stable period of time until now.

This time and again the preparations for universal suffrage, and the postponement again and again, have long made everyone mentally prepared. Including the previous Cabinet and the current Cabinet. This time, it was just the Empress herself who said the timetable. And it was after the end of the war. No one will find it too sudden.

……

Zhu Yourong's speech is scheduled for 8 p.m. It's eight o'clock in the evening Nanjing time, which is exactly eight o'clock in the morning Washington time. Dawn time is 13 hours ahead of Eastern Time, and it's Daylight Saving Time, which is 12 hours earlier. Twelve hours after Zhu Yourong's speech, Roosevelt also had to have a "fireside chat" with the American people in the evening, and there were exactly 12 hours in between for Roosevelt and his White House team to respond. After receiving the signal from Zhu Yourong, he should know how to change his speech.

Xiang Xiaoqiang and Zhu Yourong buried their heads in studying the speech together, while Wei Zijin and Wu Yanbin waited outside. Of course, saying that it is "waiting" is actually giving the two of them a chance to be alone. Xiang Xiaoqiang was happy to have Wu Yanbin hooking Wei Zijin outside, and he could be alone with Zhu Yourong, and I didn't always feel that someone was watching when I was young, so uncomfortable.

"You see if this sentence will work," Zhu Yourong bowed his head and added, and then read to Xiaoqiang, "'In the 20 years after the establishment of the Soviet Union, more people were executed and exiled in Russia than in the hundreds of years of the Tsarist era combined. 'How's that?' It's easy to make a comparison. ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded:

"Well, it's impactful. Belch...... Is it true? ”

Zhu Yourong nodded solemnly:

"It's true."

Xiang Xiaoqiang nodded again:

"Well, that must be added. …… The next paragraph is the one that appeals to the American people...... I remembered a sentence, you listen:

"—I stood idly by while they attacked the nobility, for I was not a nobleman; When they went after the bankers, I stood by because I wasn't a banker; When they go after entrepreneurs, I stand by because I'm not an entrepreneur; When they went down to the peasants, I stood by because I was not a peasant; When they lay hands on Orthodoxy, I stand by because I am not an Orthodox Christian, and when they do against Muslims, I stand by because I am not a Muslim; I stood by while they attacked all the Russians, because I was not Russian; When they went down to Asia, I stood by because I wasn't Asian either......"

Zhu Yourong held his chin in his right hand and looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang, waiting for his next words with great interest.

Xiang Xiaoqiang paused and said solemnly:

“…… Finally, when the whole of Eurasia went dark and they were going to attack me—I looked around and found myself alone—there was no one to fight with me anymore. ”

Zhu Yourong was stunned for a moment, then recited it silently, and immediately praised:

"Good! Very good! That's how it feels! Dead lips and cold teeth...... The biggest problem now is that Americans feel that the affairs of other countries have nothing to do with them. This sentence really beats right on the drum. It's pretty good...... Is this what you think of yourself? ”

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and nodded. This sentence on the tombstone of the famous victim of Nazi Germany was plagiarized and modified by him, and it turned out to be so appropriate. And now that nothing has happened in Nazi Germany, there is naturally no tombstone, and this passage can be used for oneself with peace of mind.

……

That night, at 8 o'clock in the evening of Daming time and 8 o'clock in the morning of Eastern Time, Zhu Yourong summoned the technicians of the Jinling Broadcasting Company to the palace and began to give radio speeches to the whole country and the world according to the plan.

At the same time, the two divisions of the People's Guard in Nanjing raised their alert, and the security team also kept a close eye on Dongchang. Several important cabinet ministers have sent people to keep an eye on them. The Ministry of Internal Affairs police were also targeted by the People's Guard.

Although the chances of a coup d'état by the Cabinet are slim, these basic measures are still to be met.