Chapter Twenty-Four: Borrowing a Personal Head

  "Swallow suddenly became furious: 'How dare you, do you really want to punish her? She is now my beloved! I'm telling you, if you want to kill me first, Bai Xue can't let you touch a single hair of hers!'"

  "I said: 'Bai Xue, I won't move a single hair, but Bai Dang must be used as an example to educate all the soldiers! Let the soldiers know that iron discipline is the guarantee of victory, it's necessary to defeat the foreign devils, and it's necessary to defeat all enemies!'"

  Bai Xue stepped forward and said: "Principal Lin, don't bother about it anymore. I have broken the rules, and there's nothing you can do to save the school now. I am willing to accept your punishment, beheading or shooting, I won't complain! Now that I've avenged my parents' great injustice, even if I die, I'll have no regrets!"

  I said solemnly: "Do you think this revenge of yours is good?"

  Bai Xue proudly said: "Of course it's good! The enemy is killed, the corrupt official is killed, and we even got back so much silver for our military school. Isn't this great? Principal Long, I'm not a useless person!"

  I pulled out a piece of paper and slammed it on the table, saying angrily: "You still recognize a few characters, don't you? Take a look at what's written here! How many people did you kill in total?"

  Bai Xue held the paper in one hand and proudly said: "The evil tyrant's family killed thirteen people, twenty-one people were killed on the precious platform of Baoding Hall, a total of thirty-three people! It was worth it, I died and it was worth it!"

  "I said: 'Don't talk about it being worth it yet, take a look first!'"

  Bai Xue picked up the paper and slowly looked at it. I knew that she was a talented woman, who had become a platoon leader in military school with her all-around abilities in both literature and martial arts.

  Bai Xue's face became increasingly unsightly, after finishing, tears flowed down, and he excitedly grabbed the gun and said: "Principal Long, give me some more bullets, I'll go kill those sons of bitches again!"

  I shook my head: "Even if I gave you a whole truckload of bullets, how many evil landlords could you kill by yourself? How many corrupt officials could you kill? You kill one, and they'll kill ten or a hundred times more ordinary people. With just a blink of an eye, they can regenerate ten, a hundred, even thousands or tens of thousands of evil landlords and corrupt officials. Can you finish them off? All of China has so many corrupt officials, so many evil landlords - do you think one person could wipe them all out? If that's the case, why bother setting up a military school? Wouldn't just having you be enough?"

  "Must they be allowed to arrest and kill people at random? You are the Emperor, can't you control them?"

  I bitterly smiled and said: "Don't you know that this emperor of mine is just a nominal title? Even if I were an emperor with real power, those who support me in the Golden Hall are all evil tyrants and corrupt officials. Would they let me kill them easily? What great power can one person have? If I killed one, a hundred, or ten thousand, wouldn't new corrupt officials and evil tyrants still emerge to kill people and arrest people? Before I could even start killing them, I'm afraid I would already be killed by them!"

  "Are you saying we should just let them get away with it?"

  I said: "Of course not, so we set up a military school and established our own new army. With everyone's strength and collective power, we will overthrow this corrupt government, the reactionary dynasty, and establish a people's republic where everyone has food to eat, clothes to wear, work to do, and equality, mutual respect and love. We will eradicate the soil that breeds evil tyrants and corrupt officials, and eliminate the system that protects them!"

  Bai Xue looked at him with bright, shining eyes and said: "I still don't quite understand, but I know that I alone can't do it, we need to rely on everyone's strength! Right?"

  I exclaimed with joy: "Right, right, that's exactly it!"

  Bai Xue stepped forward, staring at me with her big, fiery eyes and said: "Principal Long, I'll listen to you. Go ahead and tie me up, kill me however you want! But before I die, I have a request, I hope you can fulfill it for me! It's just a tiny little request!" Her eyes were full of expectation, but her face was flushed with redness.

  "I said: 'You say it, I'll promise you!'"

  She took off her hat, pulled out her braids, shook her long hair, stretched out her hands, and with a face full of affection and spring-like tenderness said: "Principal Long, I want you to hug me and kiss me!"

  I was stunned and didn't know what to do anymore.

  Tears streamed down her face: "I know, you look down on me, I'm a worthless poor girl, you're the emperor! But I didn't want you to marry me, just hold me, kiss me, let me taste what it's like to be held by a man I love, kissed by a man I love! Let me be a woman for once, a woman who is loved!"

  The swallow had cried herself hoarse, she pushed me into Baixue's arms and said: "Hurry up, hug, kiss, add some passion!"

  The white snow is retreating, step by step, moving backward.

  I gazed at the tears on her beautiful face, my heart aching, I didn't care about anything else, and rushed over to tightly hug her, pressing my large mouth against her small delicate lips.

  The girl suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, pressing me tightly against her body, opening her small mouth, taking my large tongue into her mouth, and clumsily sucking.

  I stretched one hand towards her small buttocks, and the other hand somehow unconsciously touched the girl's soft chest.

  When I touched the soft peak through her clothes, the girl suddenly stiffened there.

  I looked around the house and found that the swallow had slipped away unnoticed. I knew she was afraid of embarrassing me.

  The girl was stiff for half a day, suddenly stretched out her hand and ripped open the buttons on her clothes, grabbed my big hand and pulled it into her clothes, pressing my hand against her chest.

  I was drunk, completely intoxicated, and didn't know how much time had passed when I suddenly sobered up: "What am I doing? Isn't this taking advantage of someone? She's a helpless woman!"

  I hastily pulled out my hand and patted her shoulder: "Don't worry, everything will be alright!"

  After finishing, I tidied up her clothes and shouted: "Li Xianglin!"

  My new deputy headmaster Li Xianglin rushed in and saluted: "Principal, you called me?"

  "I shouted loudly: 'Tie up Ba Da and take him to the execution ground for beheading!'"

  Li Xianglin was stunned, reluctantly glanced at Bai Da, then looked at me. I pulled him to one side and gave him a few low-voiced orders. He shouted: "Yes, take them away for beheading!"

  He immediately shouted for several guards to come in and tie up the girl with five flowers.

  Bai Xue smiled brightly at me and said: "Hurray, this life hasn't been in vain, I've avenged my enemies, fulfilled my wish, it was all worth it!"

  Tears came into my eyes: "What a good girl! I really shouldn't cheat her again!"

  But I steeled myself and helped put the hood on her, letting the warrior drag him onto the playground.

  I convened a school-wide military assembly on the playground, and I recounted the process of White's violation of military discipline. Then I said: "I know that each of us now has a belly full of bitter water, some with family hatred, some with national grievances. But we should all see that there are many injustices in this world today. If we rely solely on individual strength to take action, you kill one Zhang the bully today, and tomorrow another Li the bully will emerge; you kill one corrupt official Wang today, and another corrupt official Liu will appear tomorrow. Can you finish them off? Don't these bullies and corrupt officials exist because of this corrupt government and the backward bureaucratic system that supports them? Can one person overthrow this corrupt government? Can one person change this backward political system? No, this government and this system can only be overthrown by us, millions and millions of people, working together to push it down, smash it, and build a new regime where the people are in charge. Only then can we truly solve the problem.

  Just now I received a secret report that because of White's revenge, the authorities have arrested over 300 suspects, killed over 50 people, and his revenge has been avenged. But he has also implicated many more people! Although White is a good student, a good soldier, and a good squad leader, he has committed such a serious error, and we cannot help but execute military justice!

  So I have decided to sentence White to death, effective immediately!" As I spoke, I shed a few tears.

  Zhang Zhidong heard me say that, and hastily walked over to say: "Principal, Bai Dang shouldn't die, those bastards should have been killed long ago, he is a righteous hero who punishes evil and promotes good, we can't kill him!"

  "I said, 'We are an army of iron, a military school with iron discipline. We can't just let someone who breaks the rules go unpunished. If we do, others will follow suit! Everyone has their own grievances, but if we let personal vendettas dictate our actions, how can we fight? How can we kill the enemy? I don't want to kill such a good officer either, but discipline doesn't allow it!' With a wave of my hand, Li Xianglin led several men in dragging Bai Da away and throwing him onto a horse-drawn carriage. The carriage sped out of the military school's gates."

  More than 10,000 people were shocked, with tears in their eyes, but no one said a word. I made them understand the severity of discipline by using someone else's head as an example!

  Then I said, "This time the unexpected event occurred, and I also have a certain responsibility. I decided to demote myself one level, down to vice principal, and punish me to participate in training with the soldiers for a month. After a month, let all students evaluate whether I am qualified to be principal again, and then decide whether to restore my principal qualification.

  I am the ruler of a country, although I have not yet taken power, but my every move, every word and deed, may also affect the lives, happiness, and well-being of millions of people. Here, I swear to everyone that once I take power, I will definitely implement policies that benefit the masses, are close to the people, strengthen the country, resist foreign enemies, create laws that open up new frontiers, build a harmonious family for all citizens, make China rich and strong, with a powerful army and horses, and thoroughly wash away the shame of recent years in China.

  I must inherit the spirit of Qin Shi Huang and Han Wu Di, glorify China, and recreate the soul of the Chinese nation. Let our Chinese nation forever stand at the top of the world. If this will is not fulfilled, I will be punished by heaven and earth!