Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 586 Aurellie Apologizes

Just four hours after Ellen DeGeneres and The O'Reilly Truth aired, the related videos were uploaded to Chinese social media platforms. It was none other than Star Entertainment itself that did it.

It must have been quite a challenge for the translation teams.

These two programs are not officially authorized in China, which means that no copyright holder will pursue piracy, so their reach is actually stronger.

The Ellen Show garnered Zhang Chen a wave of fans, who were impressed by his patriotism.

For most people, the first thing to think of when they hear about the 5cm issue is probably a person, but Zhang Chen is the only one who doesn't hesitate to add that 5cm to the map.

What is this? A heart full of love and devotion!
Then, when "The Aurelius Truth" came out, it caused an uproar.

I wipe~
Awesome!
Zhang Chen's analysis was truly insightful!
Alexander's supposedly epic eastern expedition would have been utterly insignificant if it had actually come to China.
What chivalry? He was just a cavalryman, yet in Europe he was considered a nobleman!
We may not have any world-class generals, but we're not in a hurry. As long as MacArthur and Ridgway are good enough, that's sufficient.
Quiet!

Online discussions have reached unprecedented levels, especially regarding the Korean War, which has seen an exponential increase in popularity.

Many people directly tagged Zhang Chen and Xingchen Entertainment's official Weibo account, asking if they could make a movie about the history of the Korean War.

Zhang Chen also noticed this and specifically replied: "I have indeed had this plan, but it is difficult to implement. However, I guarantee that it will be brought to the big screen when the time is right. There are so many heroic teams and heroic figures who emerged in that battle, and so many touching stories."

If we don't fight this battle, our sons and grandsons will. Look at us covered in blood and mud, let's fight it ourselves.

Every time I think of what the boss said, I can't help but tear up.

Our ancestors achieved their strongest victories against the world when they were at their poorest and weakest.

The more you study the Korean War, the more you realize that our ancestors were practically gods.

Whether it's the wisdom of the leader, the command in war, or the will of the soldiers to fight and kill the enemy on the front line, they have all exceeded the limits of human beings.

Before the Korean War, the world's strongest infantry was the German soldiers of World War II, but after the Korean War, the Chinese soldiers were widely recognized as the strongest.

The strongest light infantry on the ground~
Many people don't understand the significance of 1 vs 17. Let's put it this way: it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that "a mortal can stand shoulder to shoulder with a god."

In the United States, the Korean War is called the 'Forgotten War' because it was the only war it lost.

We have never lost a single war since the founding of our nation.

After the Korean War, China could slam its fist on the table and say to everyone: I'm not targeting anyone in particular, I'm saying that everyone here is trash!
The U.S. Army's Polar Bear Regiment was completely annihilated, its commander was killed, and its regimental flag was captured and remains in a museum to this day.

The U.S. 1st Cavalry Division was known for its undefeated record for over a century.

Then, our first battle in Korea was against them. The 39th Army wiped out half of their forces. In Li Yunlong's words: "What the hell is this elite force? I don't believe in this nonsense. We're going to fight the elite force."

Britain deployed 1.4 elite troops to the battle, but 5000 were killed as soon as they entered the battlefield. Later, their tank battalion was completely wiped out. Due to the heavy losses and the damage to their reputation, they have not dared to release specific casualty figures to this day.

Turkey sent 6000 troops, but two Chinese People's Volunteer Army troops wiped out an entire brigade. Turkey suffered a complete defeat in the later stages of the battle, losing a total of more than 3200 troops.

Australia, known as the world's best in bayonet fighting, sent two infantry battalions, three destroyers, a fighter squadron, and an air transport squadron. However, 25 Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers wiped out 1000 of them, leaving them bewildered and with a total of 1591 casualties.

Canada, with 80 times the number of troops, couldn't take our positions.

Ethiopia sent an infantry battalion of 1271 men. Their main combat mission was the Battle of Shangganling, but the battalion was decimated as soon as it entered the battlefield, losing its fighting capacity and even its organizational structure was destroyed.

The worst-hit country was South Korea, with casualties reaching 98.8. They collapsed completely as soon as the war began when facing the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, and even their so-called elite White Tiger Regiment was no match for our army.

In the end, the US didn't even let him sit at the negotiating table, given this mess.

We used to have an iron will, you had advanced weapons.

Now we have advanced weaponry; you'd better have an iron will too.

After Zhang Chen finished writing, he didn't even check for typos before clicking send.

In that instant, he suddenly understood Ai Qing's poem: "Why are my eyes always filled with tears? Because I love this land so deeply..."

There are so many moving and inspiring stories from the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.

The number of heroic figures who emerged was countless, like carp crossing a river.

The American Rambo is fictional, but there really is a Rambo in China, and more than one.

Those top-tier heroes and level-one heroes, each of them alone could easily defeat Rumble.

Unfortunately, the country's current focus is on development, so it needs to keep a low profile. Movies that incite hatred, like the Korean War, cannot be made for the time being.

We must wait until our aircraft carrier is ready before we can loudly announce the rejuvenation of China!
Yes, it's a revival, not a rise!
Films about the Korean War cannot be made, but other things can be done.

For example, "Those Years, Those Rabbits, Those Things"~
Zhang Chen's idea came to him suddenly.

Chinese people always need something to boost morale.

"That Rabbit" is the best medium.

The entire international situation is explained in great detail through animation.

Unfortunately, this great animated film was reported in its original timeline.

The reason for the report was that it was an animated film that promoted militarism.

That can't be right. Isn't it said that the largest hawkish group in China is among the general public?

When it comes to hawks and doves, Zhang Chen is somewhat confused.

He always considered himself a hawk, but after reading comments on Chinese websites, he felt he wasn't.

Hawks and doves correspond to radicals and conservatives, respectively.

As is well known, there is a strange phenomenon in China: while other countries are happy about a long period of peace, some people in China are quite the opposite and are very dissatisfied with it.

While other countries are advocating for cuts to military spending in order to improve people's lives, our country takes a different approach.

What? Not enough military funds?

Who the hell has quit smoking?

Radicals and conservatives have different views on military spending.

Radicals believe that strength is the only truth that can uphold everything, that truth lies only within the range of cannons, and that dignity lies only on the edge of a sword.

In China, whether you are a rich person or an ordinary citizen, any reduction in military spending will cause dissatisfaction. If there is really no money, everyone says they can donate it in anger, and they complain that if the money is not used to strengthen national defense, is it going to be used to pay reparations?

The conservatives felt that the radicals were too conservative and should directly launch a "mushroom egg" attack on Japan to whitewash its image.

The difference between the two sides is that the radicals advocate defensive national defense, while the conservatives believe that the vast universe is the true goal of the Chinese nation.

"That Rabbit" must be made, and it has to be made, even if it doesn't make money.

Just as the Olympics awakened a sense of pride among the Chinese people, "That Rabbit" can also give them a fresh understanding of their international standing and military strength.

That's why the child later asked about nuclear weapons. A young boy visiting a Chinese warship asked a reporter, "Can this thing carry nuclear bombs?"

Listen to this, even the children are concerned about these things.

However, to be fair, his request wasn't too unreasonable, so let's grant his wish.

Let the kid wear whatever he wants. It's not like he wants the stars or the moon. Aren't we working hard our whole lives for the next generation?

Zhang Chen couldn't understand who would report "That Rabbit" (a popular children's program on a Chinese online forum). Were these parents genuinely stupid, or were they traitors working for certain powerful forces?
But whether or not to report it is someone else's business, whether or not to do it is his business. At worst, he can just stop broadcasting it on TV, he still has the PPTV platform.

Without hesitation, Zhang Chen dialed Dong Jianqiang's number: "Help me find an action studio, or maybe just acquire one!"

"what are you up to?"

"I want to create an animated series that uses animals to represent different countries. For example, we are the rabbit, the United States is the bald eagle, Russia is the bear, Japan is the chicken, and the Middle East is the camel. This animation will tell the story of China's relationship with the world."

Zhang Chen briefly summarized the story of "That Rabbit," and Dong Jianqiang gasped, "Won't this pass the censors?"

"No, but it will definitely be targeted later on. But it's okay, at worst we can just stop broadcasting it on TV and switch to our PPTV channel. That shouldn't be a problem..."

The government's censorship of the internet is currently at its most lenient; as long as it doesn't cross any red lines, it basically doesn't care.

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away."

Dong Jianqiang paused, then added, "Also, what you said on your blog was really well said!"

"Haha~, okay, I'm not saying anything more, someone's coming to find me."

Zhang Chen hung up the phone with a smile on his face.

It feels so good to be recognized.

In North America, it was David who came to find Zhang Chen.

David came specifically to find Zhang Chen. He walked closer and closer, then sat down on the sofa next to him.

"Zhang, your remarks this time were somewhat inappropriate. What you said on 'The O'Reilly Truth' could very well provoke a backlash from North American audiences."

Zhang Chen shrugged: "That bastard provoked me first."

"I know, this is our fault. We should have taken your objections seriously when you raised them earlier..."

"Hehe, it's not too much for me to show off my grandpa, is it?"

"Was your grandfather a veteran of the Korean War?"

"No, but those veterans are old enough to be my grandfathers!"

"Oh, I see. I understand what you mean; you're expressing respect for these people."

"Yes."

After a long silence, David suddenly said, "Actually, my father was a veteran of the Korean War. He was lucky, or rather, he came back."

Zhang Chen was surprised~
“My father still vividly remembers your bugle call; he said it was his lifelong nightmare.”

Zhang Chen didn't know whether he should comfort him, while David continued talking to himself: "He once said that Chinese soldiers who participated in the Korean War were all death gods, and they were the wheat under the sickle."

"Thank you for the compliment, Father!"

"It's nothing, so I know what you said wasn't just bragging. Actually, my father and I are both anti-war. After my father was discharged due to injury, he suffered from PTSD for a long time..."

"You develop PTSD because you yourselves know you are not on the side of justice. Chinese soldiers never have this problem. They know why they are fighting and they know they are doing the right thing..."

"Maybe so~"

David didn't want to delve too deeply into this issue and ended the conversation: "The real reason I came here is to tell you that we're currently in a favorable position regarding the film's promotion. Although what you said has drawn some resistance from nationalists, it has indeed garnered significant attention. In that respect, we've at least won against 'White House Down.' You continue with the promotion; Warner Bros. will handle the rest..."

Soon, Zhang Chen understood what David meant by "Warner's handling".

A day later, numerous posts appeared online alleging that O'Reilly deliberately provoked the guests' emotions, not just about this episode, but also about previous episodes.

The segments where host O'Reilly made things difficult for the guests were deliberately edited together and pieced together.

Bullying, this is the host bullying~
For a time, the condemnation of Aurelius continued throughout the night.

In the program's meeting room, O'Reilly looked terrified.

What should I do now?

The producer is furious with O'Reilly; his foolish behavior not only affects him personally but also the show itself.

There are now many people online calling for a boycott of O'Reilly and "The O'Reilly Truth".

Everyone understood that Warner Bros. must have made the move.

"Damn it, your stupidity is about to kill us all!"

"I...I know, but it's already happened. I was just out of my mind. Oh God, can anyone tell me what I should do?"

"What should I do? Damn it, I have to apologize!"

Seeing O'Reilly's blank expression, the producer was exasperated: "Go apologize right now, apologize to that Chinese guy. If he forgives you, you might still have a sliver of a chance. If he doesn't forgive you, you're pretty much finished. Warner Bros. won't let you off the hook..."

Aurelius was also terrified.

He is indeed a celebrity, but compared to Warner, he is nothing; at best, he's just a slightly stronger match.

Soon, an apology video recorded by O'Reilly appeared online.

“Mr. Zhang Chen, I am deeply sorry for my behavior in ‘O'Reilly Facts’ that day. I shouldn’t have incited your emotions, nor should I have shown that attitude towards China. I am ashamed of my ignorance and sincerely apologize to you for my inappropriate behavior…”

Aurelius backed down.
Such an event would naturally be widely reported by the media.

When Zhang Chen received the news, he was being interviewed by some media outlets. When asked if he was prepared to forgive Aurelius, Zhang Chen just chuckled.

The same report also reached China, sparking a heated discussion online.

Holy crap, Zhang Chen's gotten so powerful that he can force people to apologize!
Upstairs, you're overthinking it. The only person who could make that guy apologize is Warner, not Zhang Chen.

Even so, that's still pretty impressive!
It's really awesome.

Will Zhang Chen forgive him?

Most likely not.

I think we should forgive them; it's always good to be forgiving.
There are two opinions online: one is that Zhang Chen should forgive O'Reilly, and the other is that he should not forgive him, as adults should pay the price for their actions.

The two sides argued fiercely, but Zhang Chen's reply finally clarified his stance: I don't think he regrets his actions; he's just scared, afraid that Warner Music will blacklist him.
(The review process was so tedious it made my scalp tingle.)
(End of this chapter)