At 9:50 a.m. on May 9, in the Fengtian Hall of the Forbidden City in Nanjing, under the illumination of mercury lamps, nearly a hundred Chinese and foreign reporters were crowded. Among a large number of hats, multiple spotlight tripods were erected high, aiming at the podium in front of the Jinluan throne. .
Everyone seemed quite excited. Reporters from the same newspaper and those who were familiar with each other were whispering to each other, discussing and asking questions. If it were on other occasions, it would have been crowded at this moment. But this is the most popular place in the Ming Palace. This is an important palace, where the Golden Throne of the Emperor is located. Everyone is unconsciously infected by the solemn and sacred atmosphere here. Maybe after a while they will throw out one after another sharp and even gunpowder-smelling political issues, but Nowadays, most people still focus their interest on two royal women:
Will the legendary Princess of Liaoyang appear in public?
Also, will Her Majesty the Queen come?
Of course, the most important person to appear today is, of course, Shen Rongxuan, the first minister of the Ming Empire. He is the political leader of a country. The second most eye-catching person is Xiang Xiaoqiang, the commander of the People's Guard, Count Jiang Xinzhou. However, although these two figures are big, But after all, she has appeared in front of the media many times before. On the contrary, if the legendary Princess of Liaoyang really comes today, it will be her first public appearance since coming to Daimyo, and she will definitely steal the limelight from Mr. Shen Ge and General Xiang. Go to most of them.
It is rare to hold a press conference in the Forbidden City. It is usually only held when members of the royal family are present. The reporters are guessing that if His Majesty is not here today, the Fengtian Palace will be opened for Princess Liaoyang. Then This means that the Ming royal family really regarded Princess Liaoyang as the Ming princess and a member of their own royal family.
At ten o'clock sharp, the crowd in the hall became restless, and noises came from the door. Then hundreds of reporters stepped out of the way, and the spotlights began to flash "bang bang".
Chief Minister Shen Rongxuan was the first to walk in.
Following closely behind was Foreign Minister He Ziguang.
Then there is Fan Yaochen, Minister of the Navy.
Next came three commanders: Naval Aviation Commander Wei Dongxin, Army Aviation Commander Li Guoliang, and People's Guard Commander Xiang Xiaoqiang.
The last person to walk in was the Queen's Chief Secretary: Miss Wei Zijin.
Under the flashing spotlight, the group of people took their seats behind the podium in order of status.
At this time, a palace maid walked into the hall and said in a clear voice:
"Her Royal Highness the Princess of Liaoyang of the Ming Dynasty has arrived."
Then he stood at the door and bowed slightly.
Suddenly, there was a "coax" in the hall, all the cameras were pointed at the entrance of the hall, and all the reporters stood on tiptoes, even climbing on other people's shoulders, hoping to catch a glimpse of Princess Liaoyang.
"Bang!" "Bang bang!" "Bang!"...
The bright spotlights flashed non-stop, and large clouds of white smoke rushed to the top of the hall. Almost surrounded by a large group of reporters, a slender figure in the middle raised his right hand, trying hard to block the dazzling power. Light squeezed in with difficulty.
This figure is wearing a noble and exquisite dress, with her head lowered and her hands covered with white gloves raised to cover her eyes. The diamond tiara on her head shines brightly under the strong light, marking her status as a princess.
Dozens of cameras flashed near and far, flashing one after another. Nearly ten camera lenses came over unceremoniously, almost stabbing her in the face. At this time, several palace maids ran in from outside and apologized. While forcefully separating the reporters on both sides, Princess Liaoyang was allowed to pass.
Fourteen Gege lowered her head and walked quickly through the "reporter's forest". Dozens of shots and hundreds of looks were like countless thorns, making her feel uneasy and extremely uncomfortable.
When Fourteen Gege came over, all the big shots behind the podium, including Shen Rongxuan, stood up, bowed slightly, and whispered:
"I have met Her Royal Highness the Princess."
Shi Shi Gege bit her lip, nodded, then straightened her skirt and sat down. After she sat down, these few people sat down again.
Although Shen Rongxuan is the chief minister, one person is inferior to ten thousand people, but he is still a minister. In this kind of formal occasion, the status of Princess Liaoyang is the most noble.
On the podium, Fourteen Gege sat in the middle. On her right were Chief Minister Shen Rongxuan, Minister of Foreign Affairs He Ziguang, and Minister of Navy Fan Yaochen; on her left were Commander Xiang Xiaoqiang of the People's Guard, Commander Li Guoliang of the Army Aviation Force, and Commander of the Naval Aviation Force. Wei Dongxin.
Wei Zijin, the Queen's Chief Secretary, was obviously present on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen. At this moment, she was sitting on Xiang Xiaoqiang's side, that is, on the far left, next to the HNA Commander.
In the middle is the royal family, with military and political dignitaries on both sides. The seats are arranged in a very learned manner.
Moreover, many reporters have noticed that Xiang Xiaoqiang is sitting in a seat opposite to Shen Rongxuan, as the top figure in the military and political circles respectively. Of course, the top figure in the military is not Xiang Xiaoqiang, he is just present. But this This is a subtle meaning that many people can see.
As a close minister of the emperor, Xiang Xiaoqiang can now be called "one person is inferior to ten thousand people", and his status can vaguely compete with Shen Rongxuan.
…
A few people sat down, Shen Rongxuan smiled and nodded to both sides, then faced the reporters and said with a smile:
"Okay, let's get started. I believe you all have learned more or less about what happened in the Bohai Sea and North China in the past day. In order to give you a more complete impression, I will first describe this incident to you. The whole story."
Then, Shen Rongxuan did not read the manuscript, but rested his elbows on the podium, smiling and talking, from the workers' uprising at the Baoding Arsenal, to the fleet's advance into the Bohai Sea yesterday, to the plane's airdrop into the Taihang Mountains, to the big air battle on the way back, and then to The fleet sailed out of the Bohai Strait and returned home the next day... A series of experiences were explained in just ten minutes, both concisely and comprehensively.
Xiang Xiaoqiang noticed that Shen Rongxuan's eloquence was really extraordinary. He told this story vividly and without any subjective evaluation. This was very important. Xiang Xiaoqiang felt that if he were to speak for himself, he would inevitably have a lot of personal opinions mixed in. Precisely this is quite taboo in front of journalists.
After Shen Rongxuan finished speaking, the reporters were still lowering their heads, rustling their records. Then, many people raised their hands.
"Okay, let's go into question time," Shen Rongxuan smiled and gestured, "Mr. in the middle of the second row, please."
A reporter stood up and said:
"I am a reporter from "Jiangnan Observer". May I ask Mr. Shen Ge, not long after the armistice between the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Ming army organized such a large-scale operation this time and took the initiative to attack. Also, what is the strategic purpose of the Ming government? Can you imagine? What result?"
This first question is also a question for all reporters present, and it can also be said to be a question for the whole world. This first question at the beginning can be said to be the most important question that may be raised in the entire press conference.
Shen Rongxuan nodded and said solemnly:
"It can be said that this military operation is not the result of long-term planning, but a temporary decision we made after the Baoding Uprising and arranged and implemented within a few days. It can be said that there is no strategic purpose. It is purely to support Baoding. The rebel army. Legally speaking, they are all the people of our Ming Dynasty. The people of the Ming Dynasty resisted the invaders, and the Ming government will of course provide strong support. Emotionally speaking, the workers of the Baoding Arsenal cannot bear the long-term dark rule of the pseudo-Qing government. It's very exciting to stand up and fight back.
"Everyone knows how dark the Puppet Qing's rule was. People's uprisings occurred frequently under the Puppet Qing's rule, and everyone knows this. But there are some figures that everyone doesn't know. How many uprisings occurred under the Puppet Qing's rule last year? According to We have a total of 206 uprisings, with an average of one every 1.8 days. But among these 206 uprisings, how many times did the number of people exceed 500? There were only 5 times. Among the 206 uprising teams, those who persisted for more than a month without being exterminated, How many are there?...Only 4.
"But in the uprising in Baoding, the number of people participating in the uprising reached 6,000. This is unprecedented. They have weapons, but no food or other things. We cannot let them fend for themselves. We must do everything we can. It can help them survive and develop. This will bring hope to the suffering people in that dark land and let them see that even if they rise up to resist, they are not destined to fail. The people of the free world will see their struggle, People all over the world who are resisting oppression and striving for liberation will also see their struggle. If we have a strategic purpose, it is this."
After Shen Rongxuan finished speaking, there was a burst of whispers mixed with admiration in the hall.
Xiang Xiaoqiang lowered his head and thought about Shen Rongxuan's words. He knew that Shen Rongxuan had no need to say these words at this moment. He could completely guide reporters to question himself about the specific plan and commander. This operation, it was Xiang Xiaoqiang. It was implemented directly through Zhu Yourong's approval, completely bypassing Shen Rongxuan, without even telling him. Xiang Xiaoqiang thought, if it were changed, he was the chief minister and Shen Rongxuan was the commander of the People's Guard, and he would bypass himself. I will definitely not be able to stand it when this happens, and I will definitely use this press conference to direct questions on the other party and take the opportunity to suppress political opponents.
If this was a very brilliant victory, it would be okay for Shen Rongxuan to rush to take it, but now this is obviously a must-try action. A large fleet and more than a hundred fighter planes were dispatched, and so many were lost. , just to airdrop supplies to a 6,000-strong riot force in the Northern Qing Dynasty. The money spent was the taxpayers of the Ming Dynasty. Although it is said that the people in the north are also the people of the Ming Dynasty, few people really think so. .
Although what Xiaoqiang did was intentional and was to prepare for the future Northern Expedition to the Manchu Qing Dynasty, in the eyes of the general generals and the people of the Ming Dynasty, it was completely worth the loss.
However, Shen Rongxuan completely recognized it and tried his best to reconcile it with some serious words, without giving the outside world a chance to see through.
Xiang Xiaoqiang had a complicated feeling in his heart that he couldn't explain. On the one hand, he felt that Shen Rongxuan should not fight internally when he should be unanimous in dealing with the outside world, and truly had the magnanimity of being the prime minister of a country; on the other hand, he was also vaguely worried about what such a politician would do. Political opponents, they really have no idea.