annual general meeting
On the second day, the Kuomintang Annual Conference was held.
Zhang Chenglin once again appeared at the front row of the conference along with Zhuang Yanbin, Jiang Rusu, and others, giving them absolute decision-making power over any subsequent matters requiring a vote at the conference.
Many Kuomintang members who couldn't make it back yesterday on the anniversary of Zhang Deyue's death came to greet Zhang Chenglin today.
Marshal Liu Tianhua, the most important member of the Kuomintang Presidium, was the last to enter. He bypassed everyone else present and sat down next to Zhang Chenglin.
"Uncle Tianhua."
Upon seeing Liu Tianhua, Zhang Chenglin, who had been sitting in his seat with nothing to do with him, straightened up slightly, his expression softened, and he took the initiative to greet him.
Liu Tianhua turned to look at him and said his first words since entering the room: "Don't work too hard out there, you've lost so much weight."
"Understood." Zhang Chenglin lowered his eyes and replied with a light laugh.
Shortly after Liu Tianhua entered the room, the annual party congress officially began. First, several important leaders gave reports on their work over the past year, and then Zhuang Yanbin gave a comprehensive summary report as a representative—this project had previously been Zhang Deyue's job.
"First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the leaders and colleagues in the Party for their significant contributions to the construction and development of our Party this year. 1936 was an extremely difficult year for our Party, and everyone remained true to their original aspirations and never abandoned each other under such circumstances..."
Zhuang Yanbin adopted the demeanor of someone in a superior position, perfectly embodying the word "leader," and many people present wanted to see him act the same way.
After all, the Kuomintang (KMT) has been leaderless for two years since Chang Te-yueh's death, and such a large political party cannot remain in this situation indefinitely.
Whether in the past two years or at this moment, Zhuang Yanbin has perfectly embodied the image of their supreme leader.
Many people also think that, regardless of whether Zhang Chenglin is truly uninterested in that position, even if he is, he might not perform as well as Zhuang Yanbin, nor might he be as popular as Zhuang Yanbin.
Throughout the entire process, Chang Cheng-lin kept himself out of the picture and never got involved in anything related to the Kuomintang.
After the leaders and party representatives finished speaking, the highly anticipated election of the new leadership began.
Liu Tianhua, who had not paid much attention to the conference, looked up at Zhuang Yanbin sitting next to him after Kuomintang Prime Minister Ma Zhiheng said, "The candidates for the public opinion poll will be announced next."
Zhuang Yanbin seemed to sense something and turned to look at him as well.
Liu Tianhua didn't say anything, waiting for Ma Zhiheng to read out the list.
The less-than-advanced microphone had an inescapable buzzing sound, making the originally strong voice sound somewhat weak: "Zhuang Yanbin, Zhang Chenglin, Jiang Rusu, Qiao Ruiyi, Lai Zhian."
"Next, I would like to ask all party members to vote for the five candidates based on their contributions to the party."
As soon as Ma Zhiheng finished speaking, a commotion broke out in the audience, and a few words could be faintly heard:
"Who should we vote for? Who should we vote for?"
Do you have any thoughts?
"Of course we support Zhang Chenglin, otherwise, how could we give it to an outsider?"
"Why isn't Zhang Shengmin among the candidates this time?"
“Yeah, I remember I voted for Chang Sheng-min during the public opinion election.”
"..."
The scene wasn't exactly chaotic, but amidst the commotion, Zhang Chenglin remained steadfast in his seat.
Liu Tianhua was the first to go up and vote. After he and other important party leaders finished voting and returned, the other party members below the stage took their ballots and went up to the polling station to vote.
Next came the vote counting. As the vote counter called out "Zhang Chenglin" repeatedly, Sheng Dongsheng and the General Secretary, who were sitting in the audience, finally looked up at Zhang Chenglin sitting on the stage.
"Is he so popular in the Kuomintang?" The General Secretary asked Sheng Dongsheng, tilting his head slightly in a voice only the two of them could hear.
“Yes,” Sheng Dongsheng said honestly, “After all, he is Zhang Deyue’s son. Compared to Zhang Shengmin, who doesn’t get involved in anything, he left a much better impression on the Kuomintang.”
The General Secretary nodded slightly but didn't say anything more.
Before long, the vote counting on stage was finished, and Ma Zhiheng announced the results:
"Next, we will announce the election results of this congress—"
"Zhang Chenglin, 47 votes."
"Zhuang Yanbin, 45 votes."
"Jiang Rusu, 43 votes."
"Qiao Ruiyi, 38 votes."
"Lai Zhian, 32 votes."
"There were 13 abstentions. The results are now announced. If there are no objections, please invite Chang Cheng-lin to come to the stage to speak and receive the order to become the Chairman of the Kuomintang."
“Good lad,” Liu Tianhua said with a smile as Zhang Chenglin stood up, “I knew I wouldn’t misjudge him.”
Zhang Chenglin glanced at him, a glance filled with countless emotions, but in the end, he didn't say a word. He bowed slightly to him and went up to the election speech platform.
Zhang Chenglin stood in front of the microphone and looked at everyone in the audience. This was the first time he had stood in this position and looked at everyone in the party like this.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and I'm truly lucky.
No wonder so many people would spend their entire lives just to stand here and take one last look.
"First of all, I am very grateful for your recognition. I understand that my contributions to the Party have not been as great as you all hope. Compared with the other three candidates, I am far behind in terms of contributions, experience, and ability."
"Therefore, I voluntarily relinquish the results of this election, hoping that someone truly responsible to the party can take on this important task."
After saying this, Chang Cheng-lin walked off the election platform without waiting for the reactions of the audience.
According to the rules of the National Party Congress, attendees are not allowed to leave the meeting without permission, so no matter what, he has to stay here until the meeting ends.
After Chang Cheng-lin abstained, the position was filled by Zhuang Yanbin, who officially took over as chairman of the Kuomintang.
This was followed by a two-hour-long, rather dull inaugural address before the first day of the meeting finally came to an end.
The agenda for the following days of meetings was not important, so Zhang Chenglin could choose not to attend.
Unexpectedly, after he returned home that afternoon, Liu Tianhua also came over.
Zhang Chenglin and Liu Tianhua sat opposite each other in his living room. Zhang Chenglin remained silent, waiting for Liu Tianhua to speak first.
"Have you figured it out?"
After a long while, so long that the fresh tea in the teacup in front of him had lost its warmth, Liu Tianhua finally spoke and asked Zhang Chenglin this question.
“Hmm,” Zhang Chenglin nodded, a smile appearing on his face. “Two years should be enough time to figure out any major issue.”
Liu Tianhua nodded thoughtfully: "When your father was alive, his greatest hope was that you could take over his mantle. In the two years since his death, Zhuang Yanbin's contributions are commendable, but ultimately, these are still the solid foundation laid by your father."
“Uncle Tianhua, I understand what you’re saying,” Zhang Chenglin said with a slight smile in his eyes, though it wasn’t obvious. “But the Kuomintang still needs someone who is truly dedicated to it, doesn’t it? I ask myself honestly, and I’m not that person.”
After hearing Zhang Chenglin's words, Liu Tianhua lowered his eyes and said nothing more.
“Fine, if you’re determined to do this, then I won’t say anything more,” Liu Tianhua finally sighed helplessly. “Even if you leave the Kuomintang, I’m still your elder. Since you call me uncle, I can’t help but say a few more words to you.”
"Go ahead and I'm listening." Zhang Chenglin's smile was clearer this time, looking completely like a carefree child.
“Now that your father is gone, it will be much harder for you to make your way in the world. After all, when your father said he wanted to go out and make his own way, we all witnessed how he led the Kuomintang step by step to where it is today.”
“You are just like your father in temperament. You are both people who are unwilling to bow down to others easily. But you should know that in this society, sometimes connections are more useful than ability. I won’t say that you should come to me if you need anything. I can say it a thousand times and you might not actually come to me even once.”
Hearing this, Zhang Chenglin lowered his head and smiled, neither refuting nor responding.
"Moreover, your maternal grandfather, Mr. Jiang Yuanxing, is far more powerful and wealthy than I am. If something really happens, just ask your grandfather. No matter what, he can't just stand by and watch his grandson be isolated and helpless outside."
I hope you take what I say today to heart and don't let it go in one ear and out the other.
“When your father was alive, I used to see you often. But in the last two years, I’ve only seen you three or four times. That’s how relationships are. Once the bond is broken, the connection is broken too. I’m afraid I’ll see you even less in the future. You’re all alone in Shandong, so please remember to take good care of yourself. There are always many people in this world who care about you and worry about you.”
Zhang Chenglin nodded, "I know, Uncle Tianhua. Don't worry, I will definitely not let myself be wronged outside."
Hearing this, Liu Tianhua didn't say anything more, got up and said goodbye: "Alright, I'll be going now."
"Why don't you stay for dinner before you leave? We have a meeting in Shandong for the next few days anyway, and we're not in a hurry to go back to Shanghai." Zhang Chenglin finally spoke up, wanting him to stay for dinner.
"No," Liu Tianhua said, stopping at his door. "I won't be attending the meetings for the next few days. I'll be going back to Shanghai with Ning Yi tonight."
"So eager?" Zhang Chenglin's eyes lit up with a smile again, but with a hint of reluctance and a desire to keep him. "Can your body handle such a rapid pace?"
"Whether you can handle it or not, you still have to come back. You don't know Ning Yi. If anything doesn't go his way, he'll slam his fist on the table." Liu Tianhua looked at Zhang Chenglin deeply and said helplessly, "He and I thought highly of you. He voted for you today, but you didn't take the blame. Ning Yi was so angry that his face changed on the spot. I just asked him to come over, but he didn't agree."
Zhang Chenglin chuckled softly, but ultimately remained silent.
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