The Victor Hugo in front of Xiang Ying was already an old man of nearly seventy years old. This man had witnessed the rise and collapse of the entire Napoleon III empire, and had even watched the previous political turmoil in Paris with a cold eye.
This is a European literary giant with pure morals. His writings are full of pity for the weak and ruthless ridicule of the exploiters. He is even full of compassion for aliens.
For Xiao Letian, "Les Misérables" and "Notre Dame de Paris" are iconic symbols of the old man, but what remains fresh in his memory is Hugo's condemnation of the atrocities of the British and French forces burning the Old Summer Palace.
"Letter to Captain Butler Regarding the British-French Allied Forces' Expedition to China" is still very familiar to Chinese people in the 21st century. This letter was once selected as a junior high school text in textbooks. The letter is full of condemnation of the British-French Allied Forces.
One day, two robbers from Europe broke into the Old Summer Palace. One robber was looting property, while another was setting fire to the house. It seems that after victory, you can start stealing. They carried out a large-scale looting of the Old Summer Palace, and the loot was divided equally between the two victors.
What they did to the Parthenon in the past is what they did to the Old Summer Palace now. The difference is that they did it more thoroughly and more beautifully, so that nothing remains.
The treasures of all the cathedrals of Europe, perhaps, could not be equaled by this marvelous and splendid museum of the East. There are not only art treasures there, but also a large number of gold and silver products.
Great achievements! Huge gains! Of the two victors, one can see that his pockets are full, and the other’s trunks are full. They held hands and returned to Europe with smiles on their faces. This is the story of these two robbers.
We Europeans are civilized people, and the Chinese are barbarians in our eyes. This is what civilization does to barbarism.
The two robbers who will be punished by history are called France and England. However, I want to protest and thank you for giving me such an opportunity to protest. The crime of those who govern is not the fault of those who govern; governments can sometimes be robbers, but people can never be robbers.
France swallowed half of the spoils of this victory. Today, the empire naively believes that it is the real owner and displays the magnificent rags of the Old Summer Palace. I hope that one day, the liberated and clean France will return this loot to the plundered China, and that is the real owner.
Those who are familiar with the history of the Old Summer Palace will probably be familiar with these famous lines. They come from this letter written by Victor Hugo.
However, this letter was not made public at the end of the 19th century, because Britain and France also wanted to save face. This letter was only included in Mr. Hugo's collected works, and only a few people knew about it.
Xiang Ying suddenly said this today, which made the old man a little confused. "I'm sorry, sir! What did you say? Have you ever read my personal letters?"
"Or did Captain Butler make the letter public?"
Xiang Ying's face turned slightly red. He couldn't say that the CIA's European branch secretly sent someone to steal the original document from you, so he had to give it a sloppy look.
"I also overheard a professor in Berlin mentioning that he once recorded some of your famous quotes, including this letter... Thank you very much for your condemnation of the atrocities in the Old Summer Palace. You are my forever friend of the Chinese people! "
Xiang Ying quickly avoided the topic and started talking about her husband's health. "Have you just returned to China? You have been living in exile in Europe for twenty years without returning home. It must be very hard..."
"Haha... It's not as serious as you said. I have always settled in major cities in Europe. My royalties are still very generous. It's a bit sad to be homesick, but there's nothing hard to say..."
"Most of the time I lived in Brussels, where the climate is very pleasant..."
"Brussels? Then why did you come to Biarritz? This is the far south of France..."
"It's not just my damn rheumatism legs. Biarritz has the best bathing beach in France. You can try it when you have time. The sea sand and mud full of minerals, soaking the whole body, are very good for some musculoskeletal diseases. Effective……"
The old man pointed at the sea and sky: "Look at the beautiful scenery here. I dare to say that this will be the most famous tourist capital in France in the future. If you can't choose between two travel destinations in life, then just listen to me... …Choose here and you will never be disappointed!”
"If you are interested, you can buy some land here now. There will definitely be very good prospects in the future!"
Xiang Ying and Hugo walked on the beach, followed closely by the translator and accompanying officials. Xiang Ying had no problem with basic communication in French, but some unfamiliar words still required translation.
From the scenery here, the old man and the young man talked about the ancient whaling industry, the ocean climate of the Atlantic, the legendary battleship Zhiyuan, and the tidbits of Hugo's literary creation... If the topic does not touch on current affairs, you You would really think that this is the grandparents and grandchildren spending time leisurely.
It's a pity that the word leisurely has nothing to do with them. Soon the two people's greetings were directed to the situation at hand. Mr. Hugo was past the age of politeness. He said frankly and honestly, "When is the head of state going to return home? This war Is it time to end it?”
Xiang Yingdui's smiling face gradually darkened, "The decision of when we will return to China is not in our hands, but in the hands of the French government!"
"The war has not yet reached a final agreement. How can we leave?"
"Why don't you leave? You have shown your military prowess to the whole world. You have proved that you cannot be bullied. Isn't that enough? What are you waiting for? Waiting to share the flesh and blood of France with the Prussian wolves?" Wenhao was a little angry.
Xiang Ying stopped and looked at the old man calmly, "Sir, you seem to have got the order wrong! This war was never started by us, but by France!"
"From the moment Napoleon III illegally imprisoned our Chinese head of state, this has been a de facto declaration of war!"
"But just when we were exercising restraint, what did France do? While the head of state was away in Asia, they organized an expeditionary force to sneak attack on Ryukyu! This is a de facto declaration of war..."
"Since then, France has never talked to us about the armistice agreement! In fact, we have always been in a state of war. Don't you understand at all?"
"You started the war, and you refused to cease the war! How do we, the Chinese people, choose?"
"We are not the cowardly and incompetent Manchus who only know how to grovel in front of foreign adults... The Chinese will always be friends. When friends come, they have good wine, and when wolves come, they have shotguns!"
"We will not leave until we get the final official diplomatic agreement from the French government and bring this war to an end!"
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