Chapter 561 The speech that got to see the light of day once more!
Pui?
He actually said pui? He really said pui?
Where’s the academic speech that you were going to give? Damn, it was supposed to be an academic speech, no? What is this? What was this? What the heck are you saying!?
The first thought that came to the minds of many of the Peking University teachers was: Game over! This nationalistic youth who cannot keep quiet for more than a second…has gone crazy again!
Matsumoto stood up in shock!
The other Japanese political delegates also stood up staring!
But Zhang Ye looked back at them fearlessly and even raised his hand to point at them, asking the students of Peking University loudly, “Let me ask all of you! On the anniversary of the massacre that has just passed, did any high-ranking official of Japan express an apology for China? Did any Japanese express a tinge of regret regarding that incident? While we’re here talking about how China and Japan should form a good friendship, the last of the Chinese comfort women are still seeking justice from the Japanese government. They have yet to receive a cent, an apology, or even a trace of remorse from them! While we keep saying that we should turn the page on the history between China and Japan, the last Chinese laborers are still seeking for compensation from the Japanese government and enterprises. But they are being mocked by their government, enterprises, and law! How about those Japanese enterprises that have disgraced their government? They are currently earning truckloads of money in China!”
Su Na drew in a deep breath!
Professor Zeng also looked shaken!
After that malicious pui, the burden and gloom that had been weighing on their chest was suddenly relieved, while leaving them in shock!
The Peking University students could only look blankly at Zhang Ye!
The host was also dumbfounded, not knowing if he should stop Teacher Zhang!
Zhang Ye said passionately, “While we speak of getting on familiar terms with Japan and learning from them, our homes in the northeast are still polluted with millions of Japanese bio-warfare and viral warfare weapons, none of which they have taken responsibility for! While we bring up that we should adopt a new perception about Japan, the past few Japanese Prime Ministers have freely gone around and publicly urged the European Union to not lift the arms embargo against China. Yet they continue forging closer military ties with the United States to deter China! While we keep emphasizing the fact that our lands are only separated by a strip of water, Japan explicitly and implicitly supports or encourages the incitement of opposition to our Cross-Straits relations! When we reach agreements with our neighboring countries on the borders, Japan continually uses tricks on its occupied islands to extend its territory to the East China Sea, attempting to seize our resources and seal us off! When we were willing to forget the past to focus on friendly relations with Japan, their authoritative agency released a survey stating that 60% of Japanese people patronize us, hate us, distrust us, and have deep contempt for us! In the postwar decades, we’d continued the pursual of the absconded Nazi war criminals. Then, in order to be recognized as the sole government of China, we even gave up war reparations. We did not even intend to go after those Japanese war criminals who had their hands stained with the blood of our citizens!”
Every word was a stab in the heart!
The Peking University students were enraged!
Many people were already clenching their teeth and fists tightly!
Zhang Ye put up his hand and said, “Alright! That’s enough! Japan is still that Japan! Japan will forever be that Japan! We don’t have a reason or a need to beg them to treat us with kindness and friendliness. But as Chinese citizens, we are hurting because of our soft, confused, and pretentious comrades!”
Yao Mi and the other students stared at Bai Yi!
There were also many students who looked over at Professor Yan!
But Zhang Ye continued, “Back then, Japan’s China Expeditionary Army totaled 1 million soldiers. But the ones who did the dirty work for them, the Collaborationist Chinese Army, numbered more than 2 million soldiers! Back then, Japan’s China Expeditionary Army killed 30 million of our comrades in the 14 years of war1! Yet 1.8 million traitors served them loyally by continuing the invasion and abetting the enemy! Back then, the countries and citizens who had been harmed by the German occupation received considerable reparations from them. The Germans also sincerely expressed their apologies and their will to reflect upon themselves. But for us, we signed away Japan’s responsibility for their war crimes even though Japan had never sincerely expressed any regrets nor apologized to us. Back then, the German Chancellor genuflected in front of the memorial, expressing deep remorse and the resolve to never go to war again! We did not get anything out of it, yet we initiated closer ties! We did exactly what we called a ‘new perspective’ here today, to improve our ‘friendship’!”
Every word was going against Bai Yi and Yan Jiantao!
Bai Yi’s expression had a great change!
Professor Yan was about to blow his top as well!
In a short span, the way the Peking University students saw them had totally changed. They became looks of disgust and indignation. The two of them had suddenly become the targets of the crowd!
That’s right!
Friendship, my ass!
New perspective, my ass!
They purposely arrived late and made all of us at Peking University wait for them for nearly three hours, while you two, Bai Yi and Yan Jiantao, did not even make a sound, but instead attempted to educate our Peking University students? Criticize our Peking University students? Even wanting us to be friends? Make us forgive them? Does that even make any damn sense? What the f**k was this kind of logic!?
Zhang Ye slammed his hands on the rostrum again, “What friendship? What forgiveness? A devil never needs to apologize or be forgiven! Don’t blindly promote the so-called superior systems. As a democratic country, if their citizens of the past had not existed, then there would have been no past wars. If the citizens of the present do not exist, then there won’t be the current government! Do not be sucked into the so-called cultured and civilized side of Japan. Culture and civilization are the foundations of humans. In the last century, the Japan which had committed such hideous deeds actually had an ugly and hypocritical culture and civilization! Don’t expect Japan to want to repent at some point in the future. A country that adopts the law of the jungle for their own country will never have a future!”
The Japanese translator kept translating and conveying the meaning of the speech to the delegates. He was already sweating all over. As a professional translator of Chinese, he had been by the side of many high-ranking Japanese officials through multiple occasions and had a wealth of experience, but at this moment, he was finding it difficult. There were also some words that could not be translated. Being such an experienced and excellent translator, how could he be facing such problems? Because the other party was using very unconventional words! There were many curse words which the translator had never needed to use before! This made his task of translating ten times more difficult! Beads of sweat were already forming on his temples!
Matsumoto could no longer listen any further!
The other officials in the political delegation were so furious that even their lips were trembling with anger! They were sincere in visiting China, hoping to come over to express their friendship. But who knew that today, at this very moment, they were being scolded right to their faces by a simple Peking University teacher!? Even scolding their country?
Just what kind of a situation was this?
This was a situation that none of them would have ever expected to be caught in!
And yet, this was exactly what was happening! They’ve just met someone who dared to grab them by the necks and scold them to their faces…a teacher of the people!
Zhang Ye laughed coldly. “We will never forgive Japan. What are we forgiving them for? If we are forced to pretend like we’re magnanimous and gracious, disregarding all prior issues and only looking towards the future, waiting for them to drop the hostilities and gain enlightenment, then why can’t we use those same reasons to forgive our fellow comrades who are deeply remorseful for the murders they committed? Why can’t we give them a chance to turn over a new leaf!?”
Zhang Ye asked with every sentence.
“Let me ask you all. If a person murdered your mother, would you forgive them?”
No one spoke.
“Let me ask you all again. If a person killed your classmate’s father, would you respect the murderer?”
Still no one spoke.
Zhang Ye angrily slammed his hands onto the rostrum for the third time, speaking louder and louder, “Then tell me! Japan! What should we respect you for!” With a change of tone, he shouted and pointed at those people upstairs, “Then tell me! Japan! Why should I forgive you?”
Yao Mi stood up!
Senior Song stood up!
Li Li and Li Ying stood up as well!
At this point, Zhang Ye’s speech had been interrupted!
—By the sound of applause!
Bba! Bba! Bba! Bba! Endless applause that had been stifled for so long was now finally able to appear in the hall! It resounded resolutely throughout the hall!
“Too awesome!”
“Well scolded! That felt so good!”
“That’s the Zhang Ye I know!”
“How satisfying! I don’t want to listen to Zhang Ye’s speech on academics! This, this is what you call a true speech! This is the real Zhang Ye!”
“When Teacher Zhang scolds people, he always looks so handsome!”
“That’s right! Every time Teacher Zhang does something like that, he always looks like he’s glowing! That was extremely well said! Japan! Why should we forgive you!”
“I was so badly affected by Professor Yan’s and Teacher Bai’s speeches that I didn’t know what to say. I felt like something was wrong but couldn’t pinpoint what. Now I finally understand! It was exactly as Teacher Zhang said! Teacher Zhang has totally shouted out everything I felt inside!”
The countless Peking University students seated downstairs were now gradually rising up excitedly!
A few Peking University Teachers like Su Na and Professor Zeng secretly cheered! What a teacher! That was so beautifully said!
Some of those who felt that Yan Jiantao and Bai Yi had given good speeches earlier suddenly seemed to be deep in thought while others lowered their heads silently!
…….
…….
No one knew that this impromptu speech had possibly come from a newspaper article from Zhang Ye’s previous world. Why “possibly”? Because even Zhang Ye did not know for sure. The article was too inconspicuous, so obscure that it was difficult to trace its source. Zhang Ye could still remember the first time he saw this essay on the internet. It was titled “Why Should I Forgive You, Japan!” 2 It wasn’t very well-known, or perhaps it should be said that this article did not gain much attention, so much so that almost no one knew about it.
However, some essays’ charms and strength lay in just that. It could be hidden in a dark corner somewhere covered in dust. But on the day the dust is blown away and the light of day shines upon it once more, the strength of its words still haven’t faded! They still glow as bright as gold!
Today, Zhang Ye had taken this speech out!
Through Zhang Ye’s modification to fit the situation, it had become his work and was given a chance to see the light of day again!
1. In January 2017, the Chinese Government extended their official definition of the Second Sino-Japanese War back to September 18, 1931 – the Invasion of Manchuria by Japan – as opposed to the traditional 1937 start date, defined by the Marco Polo Bridge Incident.
Generally speaking, this earlier date was mostly agreed on by the Chinese, therefore putting the war duration at 14 years.
2. I found the earliest version of this newspaper article/reader letter here. It wasn’t very well known, until someone saw it and put it into the discussion forums in China where it widely discussed by the netizens, which is why this chapter’s name is called “The speech that got to see the light of day once more!”