Genius Grandson of the Loan Shark King

Get ready to turn the car around

Hu Jintao looked at Zeng Qinghong without saying anything.

"It's been a long time since I've met the Vice Chairman alone like this."

"That's right. We used to meet often."

"That's the thing about power. There are no eternal allies or eternal enemies."

Hu Jintao and Zeng Qinghong originally had a good relationship. In fact, they were very good.

We were active in the public hearing group at around the same time and were of similar age, so we talked a lot about the future of China over drinks.

Despite the stark difference in age and status, the two continued their friendship.

But that time became blurred as time passed, and he became static, blocking his path.

"Your Majesty, I will go in."

There was a knock on the door, and the secretary came in carrying two teacups. He placed the teacups in front of the two men and left.

Hu Jintao lifted the teacup, sniffed the aroma, and then opened his mouth.

"I almost died this time. I never expected you to try to kill me."

"I heard the story."

"The Vice Chairman could not have just listened to the story. Didn't he take the initiative in formulating and implementing the plan? The Vice Chairman is Jiang Zemin's Zhang Zifang."

Hu Jintao took a sip of tea and laughed.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, if you investigate, you'll find out. After experiencing a near-death experience, I wonder why I lived like this. Why I kept my guard up and watched Chairman Jang's face."

"······."

"If I'm going to die anyway, shouldn't I at least struggle?"

Hu Jintao regretted overcoming the crisis of death and continuing to endure and humble himself.

Jiang Zemin's aura still lingered and the Shanghai faction had considerable influence, but who would have thought that they would immediately attempt to assassinate him just because they had inherited some of the power they had because of SARS?

Hu Jintao, who had emptied half of his cup of Pu'er tea, put down his glass and asked.

"Don't you want some tea? Are you afraid I've been poisoned? I wouldn't do something like that."

Then Zeng Qinghong picked up the teacup, drank the hot Pu-erh tea in one gulp, and then put the cup down.

Although he drank hot tea, Zeng Qinghong said without showing any expression.

"I understand that you don't trust me."

"I'm glad you know. So what do you want to talk about when you meet me? Something that's good for me, too."

Hu Jintao secretly resented Zeng Qinghong for drinking hot tea in one gulp, calling him a poisonous man.

"President Kim Moo-hyuk and I have decided to join hands."

"What?"

Hu Jintao asked with great surprise.

"Vice Chairman and Kim Moo-hyuk are holding hands? How can that be possible? That man can never hold hands with Jiang Zemin."

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"I think you misunderstood. I said that I joined hands with him, not Jiang Zemin."

"That's not the same thing."

"It's completely different. I'm on the same boat as Chairman Zhang, but I can switch to the next boat at any time. I'm not stupid enough to stay on a sinking ship."

"······."

Hu Jintao was speechless.

Although it was likened to being able to switch ships, in reality it was no different from Zeng Qinghong declaring that he would betray Jiang Zemin.

The person Jiang Zemin brought with him when he came to the center was Zeng Qinghong.

Jiang Zemin's personal abilities were outstanding, but it was Zeng Qinghong's behind-the-scenes schemes that allowed him to consolidate his power.

In other words, Zeng Qinghong was no different from Jiang Zemin's right-hand man. The better Jiang Zemin did, the more he would benefit.

But you suddenly want to change ships?

"I can't understand it even if I try. Please explain it in more detail, Vice Chairman."

"I met President Kim Moo-hyeok in Pyongyang."

Zeng Qinghong explained in detail the contents of his conversation with Kim Mu-hyeok.

"So you're saying you're going to betray the Shanghai faction? You're going to attack Jiang Zemin and the Shanghai faction, and the Vice Chairman is going to take the lead?"

"It's hard to come out and say it. But I can help you behind the scenes. President Kim Moo-hyuk wants that too."

"Hmm······."

It was a proposal that Hu Jintao had no reason to refuse.

Zeng Qinghong is Jiang Zemin's right-hand man, so he knows the internal affairs of the Shanghai faction well.

Even if he doesn't step forward, that inside information alone could be of great help to Hu Jintao.

It was an attractive offer, but there was one thing that bothered him. Could he really trust Zeng Qinghong?

Zeng Qinghong smiled as he met Hu Jintao's suspicious gaze.

"It's a look of disbelief in me."

"We have been at odds for too long to simply trust the Vice Chairman."

"Yes, but I know nothing about this attempted assassination. If it was my plan, I wouldn't have done it so sloppily. Your Majesty, you know that very well."

Hu Jintao nodded.

It was a bad relationship that had been going on for more than 10 years.

Hu Jintao, who was humbled by Jiang Zemin's influence and bowed down before them, knew that Zeng Qinghong's influence was involved in important matters.

This attempted assassination was too sloppy to be the result of Zeng Qinghong's planning.

Thanks to that, I was able to return without any injuries, but it was still questionable.

"I find that odd, too. But that doesn't prove the Vice Chairman's innocence."

"How can I get you to trust me?"

"Tell me what the Vice Chairman gains by betraying Chairman Zhang. I cannot be convinced unless I know that."

Politicians don't change lines without any benefit.

"Please hand over the next supreme leader to one of our princelings."

"······."

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"I belong to the princeling party. I joined hands with Chairman Jiang because it helped the princeling party grow. However, the Shanghai faction has always kept me in check. Although I enjoyed Jiang Zemin's favor and shared some power, they have always kept me in check."

"It can't be helped······."

Even if Jiang Zemin was not known, none of the Shanghai faction that succeeded him had greater political weight than Zeng Qinghong.

Although Wu Bangguo and Jia Qinglin are higher in the hierarchy, their political power is far inferior to that of Zeng Qinghong.

So they had no choice but to restrain Zeng Qinghong.

"So you want me to hand over the next supreme leader to the Crown Prince's Party? What do I get out of it? I can just use this opportunity to drive them all out and pick the next successor myself."

"It will be difficult. No matter how much justification you have, the Shanghai faction will not simply collapse. The elders will not sit idly by and watch the Chairman monopolize power."

Zeng Qinghong's point was something that Hu Jintao had been struggling with.

"But if you give us a definite answer that you will hand it over to our princeling party, the elders will support the chairman more than anyone else. Then, the top leader can be handed over to the public hearing group again. We can share it out once each. The only thing that has changed is the opponent from the Shanghai faction to the princeling party."

Hu Jintao's support base was too weak to monopolize power.

But if you join hands with Zeng Qinghong, that weakness won't be a problem at all.

The princelings who have enemies in politics are all people who have gone through the public hearing at least once.

"Do you understand why I want to change ships? President Kim Moo-hyuk agreed with this idea and decided to support me. And he doesn't trust you very much."

"What do you mean? That person doesn't trust me."

"Didn't you actively defend against our attack this time, Your Majesty? It wouldn't be strange if your trust was broken."

"that······."

Hu Jintao tried to make an excuse, but Zeng Qinghong shook his head.

"Even if you understand it in your head, you said it doesn't feel good. In order to stop it, the Chairman had to give up a lot of things. All of that was just a means to attack the Chairman."

Hu Jintao glared at Zeng Qinghong with a slightly angry expression.

But Zeng Qinghong did not come to submit to Hu Jintao. He did not avoid his gaze but looked straight into it.

"In the end, the plan all fell through. I tried to attack the Chairman through Yoo Seong-jin, but Yoo Seong-jin kept his mouth shut, and President Kim Moo-hyeok kept his loyalty to the Chairman."

"······."

"President Kim Moo-hyeok kept his loyalty to the Chairman and the Prime Minister. However, he received nothing in return. However, he said that he did not intend to fight with the Chairman."

"You're saying you'll help me? Isn't that right?"

"Yes. I will join hands with you and help you, my lord. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Hu Jintao nodded, his face relaxed.

"We'll talk about the rest later. It's still too early to discuss. First, let's sort out the chief secretary, and then······."

Although Hu Jintao showed his intention to join hands, he did not give a definitive answer until the end.

"I'll be satisfied with that for now."

Zeng Qinghong nodded and smiled deeply.

"Aren't you thinking of replacing the Shanghai Party Secretary?"

"······I expected that."

The list given to Luo Gan did not include the name of the Shanghai Party Secretary.

Jiang Zemin intended to make the Shanghai faction's successor after Hu Jintao.

So I gave him power, so in order to hit him, I had to find a way to definitely get rid of him.

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"If we take control of Shanghai, it will be a humiliation for the Shanghai faction, as Shanghai is their political stronghold."

"······."

"I can help you with that."

"What do you mean, I'll help you?"

"Among the standing committee members, the only ones who can be clearly called Shanghai faction members are Jia Qinglin and Huang Ju."

"······What about Wu Bangguo and Li Changchun? And what about Luo Gan?"

"I will make sure that everyone remains neutral."

"Is that true?"

"Yes. Luo Gan can switch sides at any time, and Wu Bangguo and Li Changchun also share the same views as the Shanghai faction, but they won't go down together."

If things go as Zeng Qinghong said, things will become easier.

Among the nine members of the Standing Committee, six were classified as Shanghai faction, and Wu Guanzheng, the Secretary of the Central Discipline Inspection Commission, remained neutral.

Fortunately, this assassination attempt led to Wu Guanzheng's inclination toward Hu Jintao, but the only person who could be said to be completely on Hu Jintao's side was Wen Jiabao.

"If you dismiss and arrest the Shanghai Party Secretary, they will immediately remain neutral."

If the rest went neutral, Shanghai's power would almost disappear.

"How is it? Now, don't you regret joining hands with me?"

Hu Jintao was satisfied. It was an ability that allowed him to understand why Jiang Zemin cherished Zeng Qinghong.

So, Hu Jintao and Zeng Qinghong began discussing a plan to weaken Jiang Zemin's power.

"And Chairman Jiang is trying to restore Kim Jong Il to power by moving the pro-China faction in North Korea."

"what?!"

Hu Jintao screamed in surprise.

* * *

I ran towards Kaesong to meet Kim Jong-il and return to South Korea.

Unlike before, the roads were well maintained, so I was able to drive comfortably at a fast speed without any major bumps.

"That's strange."

There wasn't a single vehicle in sight on the highway.

I asked my subordinate who was assisting me instead of Director Ma.

"Manager Kim. How much is left?"

"We will arrive at Gaeseong soon."

"I don't feel good. Let's go faster."

The highway between Kaesong and Pyongyang can never be this quiet.

"Yes, I will do that."

As the vehicle I was riding in picked up speed, the soldiers Jang Song-taek had sent to protect me also picked up speed.

How far did I run? I saw a checkpoint I had never seen before. The number of soldiers guarding the checkpoint was quite large compared to what you might call a normal checkpoint.

I stopped the car not in front of the checkpoint, but in a location where the checkpoint was barely visible.

"Find out what's going on."

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Manager Kim got out of the passenger seat and moved toward the military vehicle that was providing security.

"Just in case, be prepared to turn the car around."

"Yes, boss."

After giving instructions to my subordinate who was driving, I became lost in thought.

'Did Kim Jong-il ignore my warning?'

After meeting Kim Jong-il, I returned to Pyongyang and spent another half day before leaving.

Manager Kim, who is organizing his thoughts, has returned.

"They told me to wait a moment. They said they didn't know anything about it."

I nodded. If Jang Song-taek had intended to stop me, he wouldn't have used this method.

A military vehicle passed our vehicle and headed toward the checkpoint.

I looked at it and gave instructions.

"Turn the car around first."

The moment I was about to turn the car around, I suddenly heard a gunshot.

< Get ready to turn the car > End

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