Reborn Bao Guowei, I really didn’t want to be a great writer!

Chapter 403: A reference to Nineteen Eighty-Four? Make England great again!
"Too much talk leads to mistakes! Too much talk leads to mistakes!"

Shi Zhaoji took great pains to pull Bao Guowei out and stop the dangerous discussion between the two. He stomped his feet and said.

"Bingwen, you are too careless. Is it okay to say such things?"

Originally Shi Zhaoji thought that the two were just chatting, but the more he listened, the more he felt something was wrong. As a senior diplomat, it was impossible for him to be without political sensitivity.

Shi Zhaoji understood that socialists were an excluded group in Europe today, and everything stemmed from the fear of the newly rising red superpower.

However, socialist remarks alone would not have frightened Shi Zhaoji so much.

After all, in Europe at that time, there were never a few scholars who advocated socialism, just like George Bernard Shaw. He once openly expressed his political stance in public. However, Shaw's stance on socialism was moderate and he supported gradual reforms, which was similar to most scholars.

In short, most European scholars of this era might advocate socialism, but extremists were still a minority, let alone those who directly named and threatened to overthrow a country.

And just now, from what these two people said, it seemed that they wanted to transform Britain into a socialist country?
This is what many European countries are most worried about now, that is, the social wave that has appeared in Russia will further appear in European countries.

When the Red Tsarist Russia was first established, its appeal was unprecedented, because there had never been such a country before, which was established entirely for the grassroots people and advanced entirely for an ideal and belief.

It can be said that the path of this empire later deviated, but it is undeniable that at that time, the Red Tsarist Russia was a beacon in the minds of many intellectuals.

It is precisely because of this that the European aristocracy and bourgeoisie, who have gained huge benefits from the Industrial Revolution, are so fearful.

They were afraid that one day they would be held accountable for all they had done, and that they would be tied to the gallows and judged by ordinary people like the Tsar's family.

It has been less than two hundred years since Louis XVI's head fell off.

Therefore, it is fine to discuss the academic nature of socialism as expressed by Marx and Engels, but if you name a country and want to socialize it in a certain European country, imprisonment will await you.

Even a strong figure like George Orwell was closely monitored by MI5 and the Special Branch in London because he was suspected of being a Bolshevik.

Therefore, Shi Zhaoji's sensitivity to this matter is understandable.

Bao Guowei looked innocent. He spread his hands and said, "Mr. Shi, this was not my intention. I had no intention of overthrowing the regime. In fact, I did not mention any specific country. I was just discussing literature with him."

Bao Guowei was also somewhat helpless. He did not expect George Orwell to be so extreme. This might have something to do with his experiences over the years. This literary master who later influenced the whole world experienced too many unbearable past events in the turmoil, so that he was extremely dissatisfied with the current national environment.

According to historical descriptions, George Orwell began to accept socialist ideas after 1927, which he mentioned in a later article.

“A life of poverty and a feeling of failure heightened my innate hatred of authority and made me aware for the first time of the existence of a working class.”

At this time, George Orwell's heart was like a piece of dry firewood. Bao Guowei could light a spark and it would start a raging fire.

Seeing Shi Zhaoji's suspicious eyes, Bao Guowei expressed his true thoughts.

"Actually, what I wanted to say was the persecution of Native Americans by Americans, the rise of political thought in Germany, and the control of the news media by some capitalists. Who knows."

In later times, which country did George Orwell's "1984" allude to? Which country was it based on? Was it democracy or society that was being criticized?
There is no definitive answer to this.

Even the husband has his own reasons and the wife has her own reasons.

But in Bao Guowei's opinion, this book does not accurately allude to any country. The Western world says it is a criticism of the Red Tsarist Russia, while the socialists say it is a criticism of the Western world.

After comprehensive analysis and thinking, Bao Guowei came to a conclusion.

It would be too petty to say that "Nineteen Eighty-Four" alludes to any particular country.

To be precise, this is a book that opposes the all-round and pervasive control of power over individuals under totalitarianism.

"Nineteen Eighty-Four" is not anti-national. What it opposes is hegemony, totalitarianism, and high-pressure control.

From this perspective, within the timeline of the book’s publication, any country in society at that time could be explained.

If you don't read it carefully, you will think that this book is about the Red Tsarist Russia under the Iron Curtain, where the dragon slayer eventually became the evil dragon.

But if you read the content, you will find that the protagonist of this book is located in the UK.

But the Oceania in the story is very similar to the real America.

The amazing thing about this book is that it curses all the countries in power.

Thinking of this, Bao Guowei felt a little regretful. If this book were written, it would definitely be a sharp sword that could have a significant impact internationally.

But now that the original author has awakened, he has completely erased the idea of ​​writing this book.

Finally, thinking about George Orwell's experience, Bao Guowei felt relieved. Fame and risk have always coexisted.

George Orwell's keen insight and sharp writing style brought him many excellent works and had a great influence, but it also brought him countless troubles.

First, as mentioned above, there was the British authorities' surveillance of George Orwell, and then after the Spanish Civil War, he was affected by his father's power struggle and purge and was hunted down.

It can be said that George Orwell spent his entire life fighting against totalitarianism, whether it was fascism or capitalism, or the dragon slayer who eventually became the dragon's father.

However, what Bao Guowei can be sure of is that no matter how much persecution and exploitation George Orwell suffered, he never gave up his idea, which is socialism.

The development of things has exceeded Bao Guowei's expectations. He can only take one step at a time and keep a close eye on this gentleman to prevent him from suffering unnecessary persecution.

The next people I met were a bit unremarkable. Most of them were local aristocrats or politicians in London, such as local members of parliament.

At this banquet called Cultural Salon, the number of non-cultural figures who appeared far exceeded the number of serious scholars, which is really sad.

These pampered British aristocrats often hold goblets in their hands when they speak, which are filled with a quarter of blood-red wine.

They held their heads high, lifting their goblets high, as if their arms didn't feel the soreness at all.

There was a hint of arrogance between his brows, and his tone of voice was always commanding.

After meeting Bao Guowei, many people even thought he was Shi Zhaoji's child.

"Oh, Shi, you actually brought your child here. It's not a good idea to let an underage child get in touch with this kind of situation too early."

"What? He is a famous writer from the East? Hahahaha! Shi, you have always been a person with a great sense of humor."

"If I'm not kidding, then the cultural level of the East is consistent with my perception of them."

"'The Answer'? 'The Old Man and the Sea'? 'Guns, Germs, and Steel'?" "Uh~ Honestly, I never thought that the amazing writer from the East was actually a native Chinese, and even so young."

At today's banquet, Bao Guowei encountered such remarks from time to time, which made him very annoyed.

One or two people may have personal characteristics, but almost all upper-class people in London are like this, which makes Bao Guowei think.

After finishing a round, Bao Guowei and Shi Zhaoji sat back in their seats.

When I came back, I found that Zhang Nianyue and Cao Yanhai were concentrating on eating the buffet at the banquet.

"The food here is pretty good. Steak, mashed potatoes, and fried chicken taste much better than outside. There are dishes from all over the world." Cao Yanhai said, holding his bulging belly. "The British don't have any delicious dishes in their own country, but they are still very good at hosting banquets."

This is the only thing Cao Yanhai likes about London so far.

Bao Guowei said with a smile: "London newspapers may be very stubborn about their food desert, but the gentlemen in the upper class are still very honest. People all like food."

Having just swallowed a piece of steak, Zhang Nianyue couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why did you come back so soon? Didn't you say you wanted to meet some powerful people in London?"

"Don't mention it." Bao Guowei said self-deprecatingly. "I might as well stay and enjoy the food with you guys."

Apart from George Orwell, he hardly met any valuable people, and socializing with those hypocritical politicians and aristocrats was ten thousand times more tiring than writing novels.

"I'm sorry, Bingwen." Shi Zhaoji also felt a little guilty. "After a while, you may get used to it. In Britain, Orientals, except for the Japanese, have almost no status. Even if you surpass them in some areas, they will still be arrogant. It's nothing more than the same old saying, strength speaks for itself.

Our national strength is weak now, and our people naturally have no way to hold their heads up high in foreign countries."

Bao Guowei didn't care about these. He waved his hand and said, "There is no need to adapt. Western society is used to the law of the jungle. The more you show weakness, the more arrogant they will be. Believe me, sir, sooner or later we will raise our heads.

For me, this trip to Europe is to let Westerners know how powerful the Chinese are.”

"Hi~" Shi Zhaoji sighed and couldn't deny it.

Naturally, he didn't believe it from the bottom of his heart. This was a matter involving the entire nation-state, and it was not something that Bao Guowei alone could change.

But it’s good for young people to have some drive and ambition.

Shi Zhaoji finally let out a breath and said, "In short, you should be careful about everything in a foreign country."

Bao Guowei glanced at the worried Shi Zhaoji and couldn't help complaining in his heart.

In a sense, it may be more dangerous in the country now.

Next, Bao Guowei was too lazy to get to know any British dignitaries anymore. He really didn't take the arrogance of these ordinary British dignitaries to heart, but that didn't mean he liked to find people to mock him.

There was no sign of Agatha Christie or Churchill today, which made Bao Guowei lose interest in the banquet.

While eating the buffet at the banquet, Bao Guowei sat down and observed the scene inside the cultural salon.

Unlike ordinary cultural salons, there are often only a dozen people gathering together to communicate and share with each other.

This cultural salon hosted by the British royal family obviously has more political implications.

Not only were there many nobles and politicians attending, but there were also many university professors, scholars, and artists. From time to time, someone would walk to the center of the crowd to present their latest works and opinions.

True artists may not bother to publish their works at such events, but some down-and-out aristocrats are in urgent need of such a platform to gain recognition from the academic community and make a name for themselves.

After listening carefully for a while, I realized that the topic was focused on the "Great Depression".

The economic crisis that broke out in 1929 is still affecting the British economy today. Industrial production has dropped sharply, and it has regressed to the level of thirty years ago. A large number of factories have closed down and gone bankrupt. In 1930 alone, there were nearly two million unemployed people in the UK.

It can be said that George Orwell’s previous experience represents the struggle of millions of ordinary workers at the bottom of the British society.

"Gentlemen, the economic depression has left a large number of workers unemployed, and entrepreneurs are having a hard time, but the workers don't understand this, and they only care about bread.

If this continues, dissatisfied workers will erupt in riots again and again.

The experience of the Russian royal family and entrepreneurs is a wake-up call. If you do not want to be hanged on the gallows by those dirty workers, then economic reform is urgent.

In the crowd, a woman who looked like a congressman was giving an impassioned speech.

She was wearing an exquisite dress, and the wrinkles on her face made her look a little old, but her eyes still exuded a firm look.

"This lady is Viscountess Astor, her full name is Nancy Astor. She is the first female member of the British House of Commons. She is a very outstanding lady. She mainly works on women's rights, education and prohibition. I don't know why she talked about the economy today."

"Nancy Astor?" Bao Guowei had some impression of this woman.

After thinking about it, it seemed that when George Bernard Shaw was talking to me about politics, he specifically mentioned this lady.

As we all know, George Bernard Shaw was a scholar who strongly supported women's rights, but surprisingly, he did not have a high opinion of Nancy Astor.

"She was a woman of quick thinking and good debate, and her ability in this respect surpassed that of men. Of course, Mrs. Astor's social skills were also among the best. These are all facts.

But what's the use? The English government does not need a member of parliament who is good at debate and communication, and the majority of British women do not need a leader who is good at debate.

We need a congressman who can really implement things and solve problems, and women also need a leader who can really change their rights and achieve equal rights with men."

From Shaw’s evaluation, we can know what kind of person the other person is.

Bao Guowei said with emotion: "It seems that the British economy has reached a point where it has to be dealt with."

The discussions I heard tonight were almost all about economic governance measures.

For a moment, some mature countermeasures from later generations appeared in his mind.

But after thinking it over, he didn't say it easily, but just observed the development of the situation.

With Nancy's introduction, the discussion was pushed to a deeper level, and various parliamentarians and scholars expressed their views one after another.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I want to explain my point of view here." A short young man came out. He had a slicked-back hair and a smile on his face. The mustache above his lips kept shaking up and down as he spoke.

“A vision to make England great again.”

(End of this chapter)