WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 167: Alliances and Maneuvering (2)

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She smiled and lifted the bottle again. There was a certain boldness in the habit. When she asked, "Would you like more?" Gyeoul refused this time. "This, too, is just as I heard," she said, then poured herself several cups in a row. From the feel of it when he drank it, the liquor had to be somewhere around 40 percent alcohol. She had an impressive tolerance.

"Yes. I think the culture that emphasizes loyalty likely began as a means of self-help. The fence of the state was too vast, so once disorder began, it must have been too overwhelming to manage. People would have needed a smaller, sturdier fence for an honest life. School ties, regional ties, blood ties... Close bonds from person to person. Before pursuing any kind of profit, first they simply had to survive..."

It sounded plausible. Gyeoul remembered the words of a certain Chinese person, that well water did not intrude on river water. Had they called it one of their proverbs? Looking back now, it might have been one phrase that expressed their way of life. Build a solid fence of human relationships bound by loyalty, and pay no mind to what happens beyond it. Even if someone is dying in the street, it is simply someone else's business.

"In a way, could you not say it came from a lack of trust?"

The general showed interest in Gyeoul's words.

"Trust?"

"There were too many people under heaven, and since no one could know whether those people were enemies or allies, perhaps they tried to make sure they had people firmly on their side. Since they could not trust society, perhaps they tried to create people they could trust with certainty. That is the impression I had after hearing what you said."

In Chinese, refugee and thug were the same word. Gyeoul remembered the letter from the unnamed White Paper Ship. He wondered if this, too, was a fragment that showed China's past. Perhaps the anxiety and fear born from being unable to trust strangers had manifested as hostility.

"Yes. In the end, I suppose that is the same thing. That must have been life in a nation far beyond human limits."

After hesitating, she did not fill the next cup. This was as relaxed as she could allow herself to appear in front of Gyeoul. Still, perhaps some regret lingered, because she tapped the white rim of the cup with her fingertip.

The pouring was over, but she still had more to say. She glanced at Gyeoul and continued.

"It must also be because of that background that jiading always stood out whenever the country stood on the brink of ruin."

"What is jiading?"

"Oh, you do not know? A private army. Or a personal guard. Since you are overseas Chinese, those words may be the easiest way to explain it... but I do not think any other expression can truly replace the term. It was not a simple employment relationship. It was something more human and tightly bound. Bound by loyalty. That was why they were strong. Far stronger than an ordinary army."

The closer she came to the end, the more emotion seeped into her voice. Gyeoul offered what comfort he could.

"Those who died this time were brave until the final moment."

"I am sure they were."

The sense of loss that had briefly appeared retreated behind a thick mask. Perhaps she had meant to quietly hint that, regardless of rank, her relationship with the marines who died in Alameda had been one of trust built through loyalty.

"I will say it again. Become one of my people."

The general straightened her posture.

"Though we are wretched now, the history of China has always been a succession of rising against hardship. In the end, we will rise again. Even if the times are chaotic, for Chinese people, the world has always been a cauldron of chaos. This is nothing especially new. Bound by loyalty, we will build a sturdy fence. We will endure the harsh waves of the world and survive until the final moment."

She stressed that survival came before wealth and glory. Her earlier words, that loyalty had been needed to survive before pursuing profit, were being repeated in another form.

"Shall we talk about something a little more practical?"

Her tone changed.

"Li, the reason I intend to occupy Alameda Island is to prepare a new base. Of course, I do not mean I will have my subordinates settle on that island. Some fools seem to think so, but even if that is the eventual result, it will take a form quite different from their simplistic idea. Do you understand what I mean?"

After thinking it over, Gyeoul nodded.

"I did feel from the start that something was a little strange. Even if you occupy the island right away, it would be hard to use it as the base of a new China. America's operation to retake the West is going smoothly. Unless something unexpected happens, will they not recover all the lost territory before winter?"

"If you believe their propaganda exactly. It is still only in the early stages, too."

The general showed a trace of doubt, but Gyeoul, as an insider, knew that all of the propaganda was true.

"But."

Lieutenant General Xieru raised a finger.

"If they fail, there will be no future. So I am not going to assume that case. There is no point. Ha, to think the day would come when I cheered for American imperialists."

Gyeoul showed a suitable amount of surprise. The lieutenant general wore a languid expression.

"Does it surprise you to hear me say that?"

"Honestly, yes. I am surprised."

"I do not chase empty dreams. If Manifest Liberation ends in failure, I may as well kill myself."

"..."

"That was a joke. Even if I die in the end, I must struggle until the moment I die. For the subordinates who believe in me. To keep faith with them. No matter how heavy that burden is, I must not throw it away. It is the proper way of a person. I only hope the days ahead are not too painful."

"I do not want to admit it, but America is humanity's final bastion." The lieutenant general said it calmly.

"I intend to make a new China. But it will be a small fence. A place where we can live among ourselves inside the enormous fence called America. That is my ultimate goal."

"Do you have no resentment toward America?"

It was information he had to confirm. Until now, he had not had a chance to clearly grasp Lieutenant General Xieru's disposition. The same was true of the other Chinese generals, really.

"What do you mean?"

The general met Gyeoul's eyes with an unreadable gaze.

"China and America did compete over global hegemony. They also spilled each other's blood in the War to Resist America and Aid Korea, the Korean War. Are you talking about those old feelings?"

"No."

That was not what Gyeoul, no, the Intelligence Agency, and by extension America, were worried about.

"I know rumors are spreading. That America was behind China's collapse. That Corpse Plague, Morgellons, was a biochemical weapon created by America to target China."

It was not a mere rumor. At least among the Chinese in San Francisco, it was treated as obvious fact. It was hard to say other regions were much better. Gyeoul thought it was a hatred clotted together from the loss of their homeland and resentment over their present treatment.

But the general dismissed it easily.

"Ah. That nonsense rumor. It seems you have heard it too. Well, when fools speak in chorus, their voices do become rather loud."

"Do you believe it is a false rumor?"

"What else can I do? I have no choice but to think that way."

Xieru's words carried weight. She explained her position further.

"Smoke does not rise from a chimney without fire, but its credibility is low. And even if it is true, it must not be true. Whether it is a deer or a horse, what can one not say in order to live?"

It was her true feeling, laid bare through the story of calling a deer a horse.

"Are you saying you will endure it for now?"

Tan Guosheng had mentioned the story of Fuchai, who licked dung and survived. Perhaps she felt the same. The son had preserved his dignity, while the mother might be dreaming of a grander revenge.

But she denied it.

"I have no intention of ruining a great cause over petty grudges. The survival of humanity is the great cause of this age. Did I not say it? Survival comes first."

"What about loyalty to your fallen homeland?"

"If I kept that, would I not betray my loyalty to the people who survived by following me?"

Was that so? Inwardly, Gyeoul organized what he would report when he returned. At the very least, it did not seem to be a lie.

The general asked, "Do you know there is an abandoned runway on the west side of Alabmidal (Alameda) Island?"

"I have heard. They said there is a closed military airfield."

"Correct. It is on a scale comparable to an international airport, and in the past, it was one of the primary strike targets in wartime. Now not even a control tower remains, let alone a hangar... but the runway is the core function of an airport. Perhaps the Americans built it well, because it is still in good condition. Large transport aircraft should be able to take off and land without issue."

"So you were trying to use that for negotiations."

"It is good for both sides. I secure the safety of my people, and America secures a new bridgehead."

Somehow, a map of San Francisco had been hung on the wall. The countless lines and symbols drawn over it looked like a chart showing the general's long anguish over time.

"You are a soldier too, so you must have a basic eye for this. The more airports near the front, the better. But wherever they occupy, defense will not be easy. San Francisco International Airport? Do not even mention it. It is far too accessible from the city. Oakland International Airport is no better. The only airport where they can block endless mutant reinforcements is Alabmidal. If they cut the bridge, that is."

"America has already prepared bases on both banks of the Golden Gate Strait."

What Gyeoul remembered were the U.S. military bases north and south of the Golden Gate. Fort Baker, north of the Golden Gate Bridge, was not small either. The area secured by walls made from stacked containers was wide enough to fit an airport.

He had not seen the full picture, but construction was likely already underway.

The terrain was too rugged, so construction would not be easy.

The general, catching the implication, frowned.

"If what you mean is that there is no time to spare, yes. But it is still all right. I only need to be a little faster than the U.S. military. The ultimate goal of war is victory."

If they could use an airport even a month, or even a week, earlier, the U.S. military would accept any amount of additional cost.

"Alabmidal Island will become a giant forward base."

"If you want to negotiate with the U.S. government, would now not be the right time?"

"Well. I do not want to be treated the same as the Japanese dwarfs."

A twisted smile flashed across the general's firm mouth.

"I must produce results before I defect. If I do not, I may never be given another chance later. Not when I listen to the noise some of those so-called presidential candidates are making. Hate crimes against Chinese Americans seem to be increasing as well."

Last month, in early March, on Super Tuesday, the candidate who had been selling Gyeoul's name had won the Republican Party primary. Though there was no candidate who did not sell Gyeoul's name.

At any rate, that candidate's extreme words and actions were still continuing. Gyeoul suddenly wondered about the current state of the Gyeoul Alliance. It had already been more than two months since contact was cut off for security reasons.

"We will occupy the island, broadcast a signal, and announce our achievement. American public opinion will turn at least a little friendlier. The attention of the overseas Chinese community will focus on me as well. Are these not the best conditions for negotiation?"

"I hope it happens as you say."

"Do not speak as though it is someone else's business."

The general bent forward and came closer to Gyeoul.

"I want you inside the fence I will build."

Same meaning, different color. Gyeoul was certain that everything in this conversation had been intentional. From the beginning, the lieutenant general had meant to reveal her ambition and invite him again.

"Chinese people and Chinese Americans need a hero. Just as one Lieutenant Han Gyeoul is reshaping the standing of refugees, one person like you could change the treatment of everyone inside our fence."

"This feels awkward. General, you only met me for the first time yesterday."

"When heroes discuss great undertakings, do they count how long they have known each other?"

"I already have comrades."

"They will also be welcomed."

Her voice rose a little.

"I heard everything. They have become unable to live anywhere except the battlefield, yet even the military cannot accept them anymore, was it? It is fine. I will accept them all. In the overseas Chinese community I will one day lead, you and your comrades will receive the finest treatment. Wealth, honor, women. I will give you everything you want."

The general pointed to the gift she had given Gyeoul. The watch.

"I did not give that to you simply because you are my son's benefactor. It was because I saw the future through you. Maintaining a position is harder than establishing it in the first place. When that is taken into account, what does that little watch matter? I can pay far more than that."

Then she clapped her hands. It was a signal sent beyond the door.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

#Lunar New Year Holiday

This may be the last update before the holiday.

Everyone, have a good holiday.

Except those of you with lovers.

#E-book

A little while ago, I mentioned that expansion to other platforms had been delayed at Naver's request. Because of that, serialization on other platforms in a pay-per-chapter format is expected to become possible only once March begins.

However, they say the E-book volumes will be available on Ridibooks next month, in February.

I heard the physical book and E-book have the same content, but different volume lengths.

The physical book is made up of 180,000 to 210,000 characters per volume, while the ebook contains 110,000 to 130,000 characters per volume, apparently.

The problem is the price.

According to my editor-in-chief, in the ebook market, whether there is a lot of content or not, many people think anything over 3,000 won per volume is expensive, so they have no choice but to adjust the amount.

Please keep that in mind if you use it.

#Q&A

Q. kaley-nim: @I enjoyed today's chapter too~ The chemistry between Quallen-nim and the author is quite the delicacy, haha.

A. That kind of chemistry is not good...

Q. CommonKestrel-nim: @It probably means they are just pressed down by exhaustion, and still have childlike innocence left. We also talk with eu, ee, ho, and so on.

A. Eu, ee, ho? Since I am not feeling well right now, I am short on childlike innocence and do not really know what that means.

Q. Gliese581-nim: Since the question is long, I will omit it and only give the answers. A.

1. Since it is a secured loan, in principle, it would normally be less than the deposited principal. However, Grade B has recognized creditworthiness, so Gyeoul's loan is somewhat more than 1 billion won. I have not set the exact amount. I judged it unnecessary.

2. In the Days after Apocalypse world setting, the initial infection is set as having occurred in early 2015, and you can consider the current time to be April 2016.

3. New weapons are planned to appear gradually once Gyeoul leaves San Francisco.

4. Development of a Morgellons vaccine is underway. The key is how long the state system can be maintained.

5. Infection of animals and plants is possible.

6. Movement to other countries is also possible. The scope is the entire world.

7. I did not use Gyeoul and the boy officer with a clear distinction between them. What you mentioned is a little different from my intent.

8. In the April Vengeance arc, the reason the Governor immediately grasped Gyeoul and Joanna's location was because the system that can broadcast throughout the entire ship exists only on the bridge.

9. If I were to describe America's national strength in the story as a percentage compared to the real America... well... I have never thought about it that accurately... but I think it would be around 70%.

10. The government does not necessarily collapse. Corrections are applied to the development depending on the degree of Gyeoul's activity. Of course, this is a probabilistic adjustment to random event occurrence, so even if he works hard, the government can collapse if luck does not follow.

11. I will replace the ebook status answer with the Author’s Note above.

Footnotes:

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