No matter how noble Hugo is and how full of humanistic sentiments he is, it cannot change the fact that he is French, and people are very protective when it comes to national issues.
Even though he had been exiled by his country for twenty years, this old man still loved his country. Of course he knew what Xiang Ying said, but he still had to defend himself.
"Isn't this the end? The empire has collapsed, and Napoleon III, who declared war on you, has been captured. What else is going on?"
"The culprit who started the war has been brought to justice. Doesn't this count as the end of the war?"
"Of course it doesn't count!" Xiang Yingyi said righteously, "Please don't change your mind. War between countries is never something that one or two people can be responsible for!"
"The dividends and consequences of the war should be borne by everyone who makes up this country!"
"I know what you want to express. What you are saying is that the people are innocent and they have no right to start a war!"
"That's right, they have no right to start a war, but they have the public opinion to promote the war! Even if the public opinion is not 100%, there are definitely many people who support the war and hope to get the dividends of the war!"
Hugo shouted loudly, "Innocent people cannot bear the guilt for nothing! It was the emperor, the nobles, and the greedy capitalists who started the war, and they were the ones who benefited in the end!"
"They are just a minority within France! The vast majority of the people are against the war, and they should not be treated like this!"
Xiang Ying is a person who is polite to you when you are polite to him. If you are tit for tat, he will fight you even if he respects you!
Even if you are a world-famous writer, "Sir! The head of state once said that there are no unjust deaths under the sun! How many truly kind people are there in this world?"
"You said that most poor people are against the war? Haha, let me say that they are not against the war, but they are so numb that they don't know how to speak out!"
"It's true that these people are trapped in their own lives and never want to look at the road. To say that they don't have greedy thoughts in their hearts? I don't believe it!"
"The fact that they didn't have a single vote in the voting ceremony to launch the war doesn't mean that they don't have the little idea of taking advantage of the war dividends!"
Xiang Ying raised his hand to stop Mr. Hugo, who wanted to grab the prize. "The dividends of the war can only be unfairly distributed, but there is no reason why they cannot be obtained!"
"You are an elder and are very familiar with the economic operations of the world. You can understand some examples as soon as you hear them!"
"Who got the wealth that France plundered from China? First the emperor, then the nobles and military officers, then the capitalists, and finally the ordinary soldiers..."
“These people are going to get the first wave of dividends, right?”
"And these spoils of war cannot be obtained by the children who shine shoes on the street, the workers who unload coal in the factory, the female workers in the spinning mill... and so on!"
"On the surface, this theory seems very confusing and difficult to argue with, but the head of state has already seen through it all!"
"Those emperors, generals, capitalists, and soldiers of the expeditionary force! They are not robots, they are natural people who need to consume and live! In the final analysis, war dividends must be spent in society!"
"Originally, there was no wealth of 100 million in French society. In the end, the 100 million obtained through plunder still had to be spent and circulated in this society, and it was circulated within France or Europe!"
"What you said is unfair is just a matter of whether the money is in first-hand circulation or second-hand or third-hand!"
"A shoe-shine kid might not guess that the franc he received was stolen from far away China!"
"The female worker in the textile factory doesn't know how much of the salary paid to her by the capitalists is war dividends!"
"Even the tips received by prostitutes on the street for receiving soldiers are stained with Chinese blood!"
"In a capitalist society, money is always in motion. After a series of laundering, the wealth plundered from the outside will become the railways and bridges built, the schools where children study, and the doctors who treat diseases. The hospital..."
"Some public constructions that originally needed to be allocated from the treasury taxes can finally be paid for with war dividends... So the people who will enjoy these public constructions in the future, how can you say that they have not enjoyed the dividends of the war!"
"Even if it's just a bridge, as long as it is built with gold coins stained with the blood of our Chinese people, then every Frenchman who walks over it in the future will be enjoying the dividends of the war of aggression!"
"What is there that you don't understand? Dear Mr. Hugo, your knowledge is as vast as the sea... you don't understand this!"
"Or are you also caught up in the nationalist plot and starting to think about issues in terms of location?"
Victor Hugo's face turned red during the conversation. If it weren't for his snow-white beard, he would have been a little embarrassed to stand here.
"Captain Xiang Ying, do you mean to extort a large sum of war reparations from France? Will you never withdraw your troops until you get the money?"
"Sir! Please clarify the situation. We did not initiate the war! As for compensation, that is a matter of course! Since it is the people of France to enjoy the dividends of the war, the punishment of the war must ultimately be borne by the people of France!"
"Napoleon III surrendered, and the score has been settled? Are you kidding? It's as if the people of this country didn't receive any war dividends!"
"Sir, please don't think of us Chinese as bumpkins in a feudal society! Our research on this capitalist world is no worse than yours!"
"Now! I can answer you clearly! War reparations are a must! Our Chinese people's decision can stand the test of history!"
"Justice is in the heart of the people, so why care about the troubles in front of you!"
Victor Hugo lowered his head and remained silent, his hair and beard fluttering in the sea breeze. "Hey... But as far as I know, General Trochu has already signed a surrender agreement with you. Isn't there compensation on it? Why? Staying..."
"No, no, no... Sir, it seems that you have just returned to China, and you don't know the specific details at all!"
"What General Trochu signed with Prussia and the Chinese was a provisional surrender draft! This is not the final treaty!"
"What's more, the compensation promised by Trochu has not been fulfilled at all. The draft clearly states that the occupying forces will not leave French territory until the compensation is fully paid!"
"Last point, General Trochu no longer has the authority to manage France. Now we are also waiting for the final results of the Bordeaux election!"
"Does the new French government recognize this draft? Does it need to be revised? If not, how long will it take to allocate the money?"
"These are real problems! If we don't solve them, do you want us to leave?"
"Haha, I'm really sorry. The Chinese are not hypocrites who only know how to suffer losses and only know how to be moral! We must pay attention to actual interests. You should stop talking about moral kidnapping!"
