German Red Prince

Page 70

"I, I, my name is Ding Zhen."

"Hello, Ding Zhen, how far is this from where you live?"

"It's not far, it's just ahead."

Ding Zhen, who had been nervous just moments before, calmed down and stopped stammering. "Where did you come from? What are you doing here?"

"We come from Hunan, Hunan Province. We're here to fight bad guys and bullies."

"What is Hunan Province? What kind of place is that?" Ding Zhen was a little confused. He had never left this area, had not studied for many years, and had no idea how big the world was.

"Hunan Province, it's right next to Sichuan. Don't you know which province you're from?"

"Of course I know," Ding Zhen said, somewhat unconvinced. "I was born of my mother."

Shang Yunxia felt a little dizzy, unsure whether there was something wrong with her statement or if he had misunderstood her, wondering why they weren't on the same wavelength.

“I have to come here to herd sheep every day. My mother wakes me up at six or seven o’clock every day to come and herd sheep.”

"So what do you want to do next?" Shang Yunxia asked, continuing his question.

“I’ve been herding sheep to make money, and after I’ve made money, I’ll get married, have a child, and then continue herding sheep. These are all things my mother taught me.”

It seems that political education in these remote areas must be strengthened, otherwise they will remain like the shepherd boy, never able to leave. Shang Yunxia secretly noted this down and decided to write a report to report on it later.

“This is my pony. Because it is white, I call it Pearl. My mother said that Pearl is very precious, and my pony is also very precious. It runs very fast, even faster than my friend’s horse.”

As Ding Zhen was introducing Xiao Ma, a roar suddenly came from not far away. Shang Yunxia looked over and saw a white snow leopard.

Why would such a wild animal come here? Isn't it afraid of so many people? Is it here to eat the sheep? Zheng Jiawang became even more nervous after seeing the snow leopard and pulled out his pistol, pointing it forward.

"Don't be afraid, these are my animal friends."

Ding Zhen quickly stopped Zheng Jiawang, who was about to fire, saying, "Cheese Snow Leopard is my good friend, please don't hurt it."

"An animal friend?" Shang Yunxia couldn't understand for a moment. "Won't it come and eat the sheep?"

"No, it's a good friend, it only drinks goat's milk."

Ding Zhen took the bag off his horse and waved to the snow leopard in the distance.

"Shut up, snow leopard. These are friends. Don't worry."

The snow leopard seemed to understand, stopped howling, and turned to leave.

"Tashi Delek, I'm going to feed the snow leopards." Ding Zhen waved to them and was about to leave.

"Tashi Delek?" At first, no one could react.

"Sorry, I spoke Tibetan." He covered his mouth. "I meant welcome to Litang."

Chapter 109 Ice Axe God of War

Mexico has been mired in chaos for more than two decades, with all sorts of forces fighting on the land. Each time there is a brief period of peace, chaos immediately follows.

Mexico's modern history is chaotic. First, in 1908, President Porfirio Díaz, who had ruled the country for 35 years, said that he would not seek re-election and would step down. However, he later changed his mind and launched a series of political campaigns against his rivals.

In 1910, the wealthy landowner and reformer Francisco Madero announced his intention to challenge Díaz for the presidency and campaign for an open, fair and free election, while also trying to improve his image by writing a commentary entitled "The 1910 Presidential Succession".

Díaz imprisoned Madero to secure his victory, but Madero escaped and fled to San Antonio, Texas, where he drafted the San Luis Potosí Declaration, declaring Díaz's presidency illegitimate and calling for an uprising against him. Following the success of the insurgents, Díaz was driven out of Mexico, and he died shortly after his escape.

After a brief stint as interim president by Francisco León de la Barra, Madero easily won the 1911 presidential election and took office on November 9. Lacking sufficient political experience, Madero immediately faced massive protests as he demanded that the partisans who had helped him seize power disarm and instead support the old federal army.

Several guerrilla groups that had previously supported Marod declared uprisings against his rule. Rebels led by former president's nephew, General Felix Diaz, and General Bernardo Reyes broke out of prison, gathered troops, overthrew Madero, and restored the old political order.

General Vitória Huerta, who was officially in charge of protecting Madero's government, defected to the rebels in exchange for the presidency, forcing Madero and his vice president to resign on February 19. They were subsequently murdered in custody on February 22. However, Huerta faced immediate and intense opposition upon assuming the presidency, and within a month, the rebellion spread throughout Mexico.

Most notably, Coahuila Governor Benustiano Carranza rejected the legitimacy of the Huerta government and called on all revolutionaries to arm themselves. A large number of revolutionaries, including future key figures such as Pancho Villa, Pablo González, and Álvaro Obregon, responded to this call and created a new army.

The Huerta regime was initially supported by domestic and foreign business interest groups, land elites, the Roman Catholic Church, and the German and British governments.

Therefore, US President Woodrow Wilson did not recognize the Huerta government. They could not tolerate foreign powers interfering in the Americas. Despite the US ambassador's help in his rise to power, the US opposed Huerta, which ultimately led to the US Marines and sailors seizing and occupying the port of Veracruz.

In the south, Zapata captured Chilpansingo in Guerrero state in mid-March, and subsequently seized several ports along the Pacific coast.

After federal troops in Morelos defected to him with weapons, Zapata sent his men to Mexico to take action against the capital.

In the northwest, Union forces put up fierce resistance and managed to halt Pablo González's advance, but in the north, the rebels made significant progress as Pancho Villa launched an effective offensive against Union forces near the Chihuahua border town of Oginaga, forcing the Union troops to flee to Fort Bliss, New Mexico.

Villa's forces subsequently captured Torreón after fierce fighting. Meanwhile, Obregon moved south from Sonora along the Pacific coast and defeated federal troops in Orendan, Jalisco, in early July, threatening Mexico City. Huerta, besieged from all sides, was forced to resign on July 15th, subsequently going into exile and dying a year later.

The victorious revolutionaries met at the Conference of Aguascalientes in October 1914 to redistribute state power and reconcile the forces of the various factions in the war of resistance.

Carranza had hoped to be appointed president of Mexico at the congress, but this was opposed by revolutionary generals Vera and Zapata.

The National Convention elected a new president who supported Casalanism and appointed Vila as the leader of the National Army, but the army subsequently took up arms against the constitutionalists of Casalanza.

After Carranza and Obregon withdrew to Veracruz, the forces of Vera and Zapata occupied Mexico City in December, where they received ammunition aid from the United States.

From April 6 to 15, Villa and Obregun fought the decisive Battle of Celaya. Villa's army still used the outdated frontal cavalry charge, which was immediately met with Obregun's shrewd modern military tactics and resulted in a crushing defeat.

Vera was wounded in the ensuing battle. After recovering from his injuries, he retreated north and was defeated when he attempted to move northeast from the border town of Aguaprieta.

Vera was forced to lead his remaining 200 loyal followers to retreat to the mountains of Chihuahua, where they turned to guerrilla tactics in order to survive.

On March 9, after the United States recognized the Carranza government, Vera ordered an attack on Columbus, New Mexico. In response, President Wilson authorized General John J. Pershing to lead an expeditionary force into Chihuahua to find and capture Vera.

The expedition was unsuccessful. Villa successfully organized the American army, which enhanced his prestige, but while he was revitalizing the troops, relations between the United States and Mexico deteriorated severely.

In November 1916, Carranza was persuaded to convene a congress in Queretaro to amend the 1857 Constitution of Liberty.

Carranza's initial draft constitution was rejected by the delegates on the grounds that it was too conservative. The delegates incorporated radical reforms such as labor rights, land reform, anti-clericalism, and economic nationalization into the final document.

After the constitution was approved in February 1917, Carranza was subsequently elected president, but he still placed many opponents in Congress and local government who supported him, which led to serious opposition from more radical elements.

Meanwhile, in the south, Zapata continued his resistance against Casalan, just as he had done since the beginning of the 1910 revolution.

After Pablo González's constitutionalist forces failed to eliminate Zapata's army, Carranza commissioned Colonel Jesus Guajardo to kill Zapata.

However, Casaran's compromises with traditional forces after taking power gave Zapata sufficient motivation to persuade Colonel Guajardo.

In the infamous Chinameca deception, Guajardo defected to Zapata, taking with him weapons, supplies, and personnel, allowing Zapata and its ideology to maintain considerable power within the Casalán government, which greatly undermined the legitimacy of the Casalán government.

Because of the Casalan government's series of unprincipled actions, which aroused dissatisfaction among many people, General Álvaro Obregon decided to use his enormous prestige to run for president in 1920 in early 1919.

Carranza announced that he would not run for election but would instead support an obscure diplomat, Ignacio Bonillas, whom he planned to use as a puppet.

As election day approached, Carranza attempted to arrest Obregon, but he escaped to Guerrero. Together with Governor Sonoro Adolfo de la Huerta and General Plutacco Elias Calles, they drafted a new Agua Prieta plan.

The plan aimed to form an alliance of military and labor supporters to depose Carranza, and it quickly succeeded, with more than three-quarters of the Mexican army rejecting Carranza and joining Obregon's forces. Carranza attempted to escape to Veracruz, but was betrayed and assassinated on May 21, 1920, in the northern mountains of Puebla.

To safeguard the hard-won peace, despite the superior forces of Obregun and De la Huerta compared to Sapata, they agreed to form a national government to prevent further bloodshed.

Obregon became Mexico's new president, Zapata was appointed Minister of Agriculture and Development to implement his planned land reform projects, while Vera was left to develop his ranch in Chihuahua.

Upon taking office, President Aubrégon offered his old rival Villa the position of ambassador to the newly formed French Commune, where he came into contact with several socialist leaders in Europe and was gradually influenced by them.

Obregón launched a major reconstruction plan aimed at rebuilding damaged infrastructure, drafted new labor laws, and supported the Mexican Regional Workers' Union, which, despite its conflict with the General Confederation of Workers, supported Obregón's industrialization efforts and eventually united with him after communication.

Following the stock market crash of 1925 and the subsequent Great Depression, the government adopted the Magon brothers' anarchist economic plan to pull Mexico out of economic danger.

Obregun was re-elected due to his outstanding economic achievements and national recovery, and during his second term, he continued to focus primarily on economic recovery.

However, Mexican society has not become stable. Although it is much better than before, long-term violence has allowed many crimes to continue to thrive.

Countless eyes are still watching this place, especially the United States. Its own socialist elements are already making it very unhappy, and Mexico's socialist tendencies are even more intolerable to it.

The pub was as busy as ever, with many people coming and going. Carlton, as usual, ordered a tortilla and tequila and sat down to eat.

However, his purpose in coming to this tavern was not so simple. In this chaotic world, there are always some shady things to do, but those people are afraid of getting their hands dirty, so they need a "knife". Carlton is that knife, taking money to do things, helping others with things that need to be done, and getting rid of some "damned people".

"Haha, hello Carlton."

The man who came over patted Carlton on the shoulder and ordered a drink. Carlton didn't stand on ceremony and took a tortilla from Carlton's plate and started chewing it in big bites.

"Let me tell you something," he said, slurring his words as he stuffed a biscuit into his mouth.

"Business has been damn tough these days. All my old customers have been killed by the National Guard. I have no business and can't make any money. I've been without food for days. Order me some more food, or I'll starve to death."

"Come on," Carlton snatched the plate away. "You think you're short of money for food? You've earned enough over the years to go to America. You'd better quit now, or you'll regret it."

“And besides…” Carlton glanced at him, “Igrey, you still haven’t paid back the money you owed us the last few times. I’ve been waiting for quite a while. If you keep dragging this out, I won’t give you any advance notice when someone wants to buy your life.”

Carlton is an assassin, but as a local assassin, his business isn't very extensive. To expand his market, the position of "middleman" emerged on the black market. These people are incredibly resourceful and can connect with people from abroad.

Because deals involving connections with foreigners are typically large and much more lucrative than regular deals, these "intermediaries" who can connect with foreigners are highly sought after, which is why Carlton and Iglesias have maintained contact.

However, these people are walking on a knife's edge. The National Guard has been cracking down harder and harder lately, and many people will inevitably be killed in some corner.

“I will definitely pay back the money I owed before this time.” Igre was very excited, his hands were trembling uncontrollably. He wiped the drool from his beard. “Let me tell you, I got a big order this time. I only came to you because I trust you.”

He leaned closer and whispered, "Let me tell you, an American contacted me and offered me a large sum of money. After you finish the job, you can just go to them to collect the money. This is a big deal. After I finish this job, I'm going to America. I've already bought my ticket."

Igle showed Carlton his ticket, then took out the things the people on board had given him.

"This is the guy, he's almost fifty. I don't believe you can't close this deal. Here's the money, take it. Don't say I owe you money and won't pay it back. That American is really generous."

Carlton looked at the photo and address Iglesias handed him. "A Russian? Foreigners killing foreigners, how come Mexico is full of this kind of mess?"

He tucked the documents into his pocket and was about to leave when the tavern door suddenly opened, and a group of heavily armed patrolling militiamen walked in.

Mexico has a very bad security situation, and the local police are already overwhelmed. So the army trains a large number of armed militias to patrol the area. These people are much fiercer than the police, and they are actually armed with guns.

As these people passed Carlton, he clearly felt a chill. It seemed that someone was going to die here today. Sure enough, those people walked up to Igrez, who was about to leave, and blocked his way.

They compared the photo to Iglesias, and without even asking his name, they handcuffed him, causing Iglesias to scream in panic.

"Shut up!" The leader of the armed militia slapped him. "You must be Igre, right? We're here to arrest you."

"You've arrested the wrong person!" Igrey still yelled, refusing to admit it. Then, taking advantage of a moment, he quickly ran towards the door. The armed militiamen quickly chased after him. But a man can't outrun a bullet. Amid the gasps of the crowd outside, Igrey was knocked to the ground.

"Damn it, hang him up, hang him for days!" the leader shouted. This was their method of punishing these criminal gangs; only by being more ruthless than them could they be kept in check.

Looking at Greer hanging upside down, Carlton hesitated about whether to continue with the job. But when he saw the price on the note, he accepted it anyway. Such a large sum of money must be very attractive to the Americans. Even if he didn't do it, someone else would.

He hates the current turmoil in Mexico, yet he is also one of the causes of this turmoil, a situation that leaves one speechless.

The address provided by the Americans was very detailed, so Carlton found it quickly. It seemed that the government was providing relatively strict protection for this person, as there were soldiers standing guard downstairs.

However, this difficulty was no match for Carlton. He had been in this business for so long that if he couldn't solve this, it would be a huge underestimation of him.

Nighttime was the easiest time to make a move. Taking advantage of the guards changing shifts, he quietly slipped into the house. It was the early hours of the morning, when people were most tired. He figured the people inside were asleep, making it the easiest time to strike. By the time his men noticed, he didn't know how much time had passed.

Although it was already past midnight, Trotsky was wide awake. After the failure of the Russian Revolution, he was unwilling to stay in France and wait any longer. He wanted to take action, so he chose to come to Mexico. He had once guided the founding of the Red Army, and in Mexico, he also helped to establish the Mexican army, so he was highly trusted by President Aubregun.

The road to Mexican revolution was still long. Trotsky had spent a considerable amount of time investigating in the military and local areas. There were still many issues to be resolved in Mexico, and many areas that needed reform. As a result, he couldn't sleep at all. After all, Mexico was a major capitalist country, and he didn't want Mexico to follow the same path as Russia.

After experiencing failure, Trotsky's thinking underwent a significant transformation. He continued to improve himself and his theories. As he pondered this, he got out of bed and sat on a chair on the balcony. He liked to think in the dark.

While there are still many areas in Mexico that need to change, it cannot be denied that it is doing a good job at this stage. A series of recovery policies have brought peace to this chaotic country. Although some of the methods are a bit extreme, in times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary, and there's not much to say about it.

Mexico's development has attracted the attention of many countries, and recently it has attracted a large amount of investment. However, what surprised him was a fried chicken company called KFC. Why does the old man on the logo of this company that came to invest look so much like him?

Just then, he suddenly heard a noise. There were footsteps outside, very light, but he could still hear them in the quiet night.

With the keen senses of an old revolutionary, he quickly grabbed a flowerpot from the balcony and hid in a corner, secretly observing the outside. Sure enough, a figure quietly slipped into the house.

Carlton sneaked into the house based on the information. In the past, he would observe for several days before taking action, but this time, in order to get the huge sum of money as soon as possible, he did not conduct any reconnaissance, which became his biggest mistake this time.

After Carlton went upstairs, he pried open the door and slowly approached the bed. Trotsky didn't know who this person was, but he was certain that this person was there to kill him. It was too late to call for help now; by the time the person came up, he would be dead. So he had to save himself.

Carlton, holding a pre-prepared ice axe, decided to give the person in bed a wild idea, but when he pulled back the covers, he found the ice axe empty.

His heart sank. What was going on? Had he been discovered?! He quickly touched the blanket; it was still warm, meaning he hadn't gone far. The person was still here. He had to act fast; the person must be in Yang...

Before Carlton could even head to the balcony, Trotsky was already behind him, smashing a flowerpot at him hard. Even the experienced Carlton couldn't withstand such a sudden blow; he fell to the side, dropping his ice axe.

In the darkness, Carlton didn't care about anything else. He grabbed Trotsky, who was trying to run away, and covered his face with a blanket, trying to suffocate him. He used all his strength to cover Trotsky's face and choked him hard, wanting to get him out of this beautiful world as soon as possible.

But in the struggle, Trotsky's hand suddenly touched the ice axe that had fallen to the ground. Ignoring everything else, instinctively, Trotsky slammed the ice axe down on Carlton—once, twice, three times…

Carlton, who had been hit hard on the head, could no longer muster the strength to do so. He clutched his head and collapsed to the ground, stumbling to his feet as he tried to leave the house. But Trotsky, who had obtained the ice axe, was not about to give up. After regaining his senses, he held the ice axe as if possessed by a god of war.

Trotsky stepped forward and smashed Carlton's head with a pickaxe. Severely injured, Carlton was unable to stand up and collapsed to the ground. He never expected to fall on an old man. Fearing that he wasn't quite dead, Trotsky knocked him a few more times before running downstairs for help.

The incident was immediately reported to Obregun, and the president was furious. Trotsky was his most important advisor, so he immediately sent people to pick him up overnight and take him to the presidential palace where he was staying.

Of course, the United States soon learned of the situation, and President Coolidge gave John Edgar Hoover, the director of the Bureau of Investigation (the predecessor of the Federal Bureau of Investigation), a severe dressing down. This was his so-called "flawless" assassination plan, which was a disgrace to the American intelligence community.

This failure led to a significant increase in security around Trotsky, making it much more difficult to carry out an attack.

Hoover, the bureau chief, was also sidelined for a while due to the president's transfer order, but that's another story. Now, all the people in Mexico know is that the Russian advisor is no ordinary person; he's an ice axe warrior.

Chapter 110 Where there is oppression, there is resistance