Ever since President George visited Ye Ye, the scene seemed to be etched in O'Brien's mind and he couldn't get it out of his head. He fell into a mood. It was not just a bad mood, it was a very bad mood. He was the president.
As a senior advisor, what is the role of a senior advisor? He is a senior think tank. As the most trusted person of the president, this made him feel derelict in his duties and humiliated. George was already concerned about the result of Brandy going to Berlin, how could he not be concerned about this result?
Do you care? Just don't say it. After all, this is not a pleasant thing.
Finally, this emotion evolved into a decision: he wanted to do something.
On this day, he re-read Brandi's "Meeting with the Leaf Farmer in Berlin" written by Brandy in the office. The scene where the leaf farmer asked Brandi to look at the beans caught his attention. He read this paragraph over and over again.
Brandy wrote: He asked me how many letters I had added, and I said all of them. He said that whatever you added was based on evidence and was true. He drew a circle around the pile of beans and said this
It is a "field" world, and there are as many viewpoints as there are positions. He said that all living beings have positions, interests, likes and dislikes, and all living beings only believe in what they want to believe. He said that opinions that deviate from positions are in the circle of positions.
You can't stand here, because there is no "field" for you to stand...
O'Brien seemed to be touched. He thought for a while, took the car keys and went downstairs. He was going to buy beans. This area is a business district, and there are no supermarkets for residents nearby. You need to drive to areas where residential buildings are concentrated or
Downtown. Soon he found a supermarket and found an empty space in the parking lot to park his car.
This is a large supermarket with an open and orderly space. The shopping environment is comfortable and there are many customers. The elevators up and down connect the business areas on several floors. O'Brien stood in the crowd and looked around, not knowing where to go for a moment.
He could find what he needed everywhere, because his daily life was taken care of by his family, so he was not familiar with things like shopping.
A staff member wearing a supermarket uniform and a badge on his chest noticed O'Brien's expression and immediately came over and asked politely: "Sir, do you need help?"
O'Brien said: "I need to buy some beans, beans of various colors."
The staff understood and said: "What you need is in the food area, please follow me."
O'Brien followed the staff to the food area and saw a row of shelves neatly arranged with various beans, in both large and small packages. He bought a small package each of mung beans, red beans and soybeans according to Brandy's description.
, and then hurried back.
Back in the office, he also shook the beans with a water cup, shook them evenly, poured them on his desk, and looked at the pile of beans quietly. At first, he sat on a chair and looked at it, and then stood up and looked at it from different angles, meditating while looking at it.
, and occasionally smoke a cigarette. The same thing is looking at beans. What the leaf farmer looks at is: there is no "field" in the circle of "fields" for opinions that are out of position. Now that O'Brien already knows, why does he
Still want to see? What does he want to see?
O'Brien is continuing Ye Ye Nong's thinking, and this continuation has his own specific purpose. He agrees with the understanding that "all living beings have opinions, interests, likes and dislikes, and all living beings only believe what they want to believe." He
I also agree with the view that "viewpoints that deviate from the standpoint have no place in the circle of presence." Assuming that these understandings or views can be used as principles, then based on this principle, if faced with something that "deviates from the standpoint", all sentient beings
There should be as many perspectives and interpretations as there are positions and likes and dislikes, and there should be as much disgust and rejection.
What is the concept of $10,000? In O'Brien's opinion, this is a price that can turn a gentleman into a devil. Moreover, the leaf farmer is not a gentleman. If this price does not work for him, it means that there must be something better than this.
The price is more important to him. What is that? Freedom! So what is the freedom of leaf farmers? It means that you are not in the public eye, there is no public evaluation, there is no public demand, no one knows and no one cares who you are.
A line of thought was wandering in his mind, from far to near, from hazy to clear.
He took out his phone number book and found a number called "Paulson". Paulson was his friend and had worked together in the CIA for 11 years. He was an expert on Asian issues and had extensive knowledge of China's history.
Very knowledgeable about culture.
After dialing the phone, O'Brien said: "Is it Paulson? Hello."
Paulson on the other end of the phone said: "Oh, it's O'Brien, hello! Hello."
O'Brien said: "You are an expert on China and I want to ask you a question."
Paulson said: "You say."
O'Brien said: "Can the term "common people" in China be understood this way: it is a popular term for ordinary people other than soldiers and officials, and it means civilians."
Paulson said: "Yes: that's what it means. It's very accurate."
O'Brien said: "Oh, I understand then. Thank you for bothering you."
After hanging up the phone, he then called the company's public relations department: a woman answered the phone.
O'Brien said: "Please help me check which social groups the Delano Company has made more than three times a large donation to in the history. It is more than two times: large amount. Count up these lists and print out a copy right away.
Send it."
The lady replied: "Okay: Please wait a moment."
Putting down the phone, he put away the beans on the table, took out a pencil from the pen holder, and paused on the paper. Apparently he wanted to write something. After thinking about it, he wrote the following line: As long as this person is not a commoner, that's all.
As soon as he wrote this line, he immediately stuffed the paper into the shredder nearby and destroyed it.
The donation information requested by O'Brien is all in the computer of the Public Relations Department. You only need to enter the relevant instructions to retrieve it according to the specified category. The printed information was delivered quickly, with a total of 4 pages.
The list of social groups to which Nuo Company has donated more than 100 times since 1951 is listed above, involving fields such as religion, politics, education, charity, and public welfare. The time, amount, person in charge, and procedures for donations are all detailed.
After a rough look, he focused on the name of a political organization: Kuang World Democratic Alliance. This is an international organization: data show that Dilano has funded the organization 11 times in 4 years: an average of 4
There was one donation in 2016, with a total donation of more than 60,000 U.S. dollars: the most recent donation occurred just a month ago: in August this year: the donation amount was 10,000 U.S. dollars. Among the 11 donations to the World Democratic Alliance,
The timing is mostly related to the U.S. election or major international events. For example, August this year was a period of serious political turmoil in Moscow: this reflects the relationship between Dilano's political stance and economic interests from one aspect.
O'Brien knows the WLD relatively well: he has had contact with successive heads of the WLD during his decades of working in the CIA. The WLD held an annual conference at the United Nations NGO
The World Democratic Alliance has repeatedly proposed human rights proposals against China, which have been denounced by the Chinese government as anti-China human rights proposals. The Chinese government views the World League for Democracy as an anti-China political force and has repeatedly thwarted the alliance's human rights proposals against China.
O'Brien used a pencil to put a question mark after the name "!"World Democratic Alliance". After thinking for a while, he put a cross on the question mark, and then stuffed the four pages into the shredder and destroyed them.
The conditions of the alliance fit O'Brien's needs for the prescribed role: 1. There is a high degree of hostility, sensitivity and distrust between the alliance and the Chinese government. The alliance cannot refuse him to the extent that it can help.
Continuous thinking for a long time made him feel very tired, even had a headache, and his thinking became sluggish. After all, he was deducing in his mind, and various conditions and causal relationships were mixed together, and he missed it when he thought about it.
He lost that one. He attributed this phenomenon to the fact that he was old and his brain was not working properly. This reminded him of dominoes. Using dominoes to make a sand table deduction is intuitive, and the condition settings will not be confused, making it easier to sort out various causes and effects.
clear.
So he went downstairs again and went to the supermarket where he bought beans again. This time he went directly to the shopping guide service desk and asked where he could buy dominoes and stickers. The shopping guide lady told him that the dominoes were in the children's toy section.
The self-adhesive label was in the stationery area, and told him in detail the floor and location of the item. There were many types of dominoes, and he chose a high-grade pure wood and bought a box because the waiter said that the sound of this kind of wood was nice.
The self-adhesive label stickers he chose were the ones that could be written on, and the size of each sticker was a little smaller than that of a domino.
When O'Brien returned to the headquarters building, it was the company's off-duty time. Everyone was walking out, so he went in. After entering the office, he first placed a number of dominoes on the table. The dominoes were about 6 cm high, 4 cm wide, and 1
Centimeter thick, larger than the size of dominoes commonly used in international competitions, wood color, black and red, and very smooth to the touch. He gently pushed the first one down, and all the subsequent ones fell down, and the sound was really nice, which made him
He is very pleasant.
He wrote an announcement on a self-adhesive sticker, saying that Ye was taking a "high-level position in Germany!" and peeled it off and pasted it on a domino.
He analyzed: Ye Zi Nong comes from a revolutionary family, is the son of a general, and is an expert in Marxist theory. If a person with such status is announced to hold a high-level position in an anti-China organization, it will undoubtedly have an adverse political impact on China. Beijing will definitely not
Sit back and ignore it. Because when it comes to the issue that national interests may be harmed, no matter you are from the United States, China, or France, the response of any country is the same. So what response will Beijing make? The most direct and effective,
The safest way is to summon Ye Nong on suspicion of serious smuggling of labor services in Budapest, and then wait and see how the situation develops. Regardless of whether Ye Nong returns to China to answer the question, and no matter what changes occur, there should be a large room for advancement and retreat.
So O'Brien wrote on the sticker "Suspected of Extraordinary Smuggling - Criminal Summons"
The label was removed and a second domino was attached.
If the criminal summons is regarded as a node, then the changes behind the node will be complicated. Ye Ye Nong can choose to return to the country to answer the summons, or he can join the Alliance, or he can choose to be accepted by Dilano Company. Returning to the country to answer the summons may
They may be restricted from leaving the country or convicted, or they may publicly reveal the so-called "truth". Refusing to return to the country to answer questions may result in deportation from the German government due to diplomatic pressure, or they may be! "The alliance transfers positions to the New York headquarters... In each choice
There are variables, and each variable will trigger a series of variables, all of which will bring different consequences.
No matter how many variables there are, one thing cannot be changed: It is impossible for Ye Zinong to think about the days when "no one cares who you are". He will become a "well-known" figure and must choose and express his position. Since he has renounced his position
There is no place for his opinion to stand in the circle of "field", so what O'Brien has to do is to throw Ye Zongnong into the circle of "field".
Then he wrote a third one: The alliance apologized. The fourth one: Beijing’s statement. The fifth one: The media speculation version. The sixth one: Deported by the German Immigration Service. The seventh one: Dilano company provides help
...O'Brien posted a number of dominoes in total and inferred a variety of possible outcomes. Among them, what he most wanted to see was that the leaf farmers surrendered and transitioned from the World Democratic Alliance to Dilano Company. He arranged the multiple dominoes according to cause and effect.
The relationships and different directions were coded one by one, and the announcement was gently pushed down. Ye was appointed to Germany! The first one of the "high-level positions", the dominoes behind it fell from point to point, and the sound was a little duller than before because of the stickers.
But it's still crisp and sounds good. One piece, just one small piece, starts a cause-and-effect chain of social energy.
O'Brien picked up the first domino and looked at it, laughing at himself: It turns out it's so simple!
Keller, Chairman of the World Democratic Alliance, 5 years old, American.
The World Democratic Alliance was founded in 1941 in New York by anti-war activists from the Soviet Union, Germany, and Austria. It is a combination of the first English letters of the founder's name to distinguish it from other social groups with similar names.
The alliance developed rapidly and played a positive role in the world's anti-fascist movement. After the end of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union entered the Cold War period, and the alliance also splintered. The Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Democratic Germany, etc.
The country withdrew from the alliance and changed its name to "World Congress of Democracy", with its headquarters in Moscow. The branches of the World League for Democracy are located in many countries, and each branch is prefixed with the name of that country. For example, the branch located in Germany is called "Germany"
"World Democratic Alliance". The Ruler Alliance has its own newspapers, radio and television, advocates democracy and freedom, and has a certain influence in the international community.
Keller was originally scheduled to go fishing in the northern suburbs of New York on the weekend. He has an old house on the bank of the Hudson River. He usually lives in Manhattan. Whenever he has time, he goes to the old house to fish alone. Rather than saying that he likes fishing alone, he likes it.
Thinking alone. After receiving a call from O'Brien for an interview, and considering O'Brien's request for a "private conversation", Keller arranged the conversation on the weekend, at his old house in the northern suburbs. During the holidays
It is rare for Keller to receive guests in an old house. This is not only because O'Brien is a special person, but also because of O'Brien's background in Delano Company. In fact, the two of them are not familiar with each other, they just know each other.
That's it. Although Dilano Company has had contact with the "!" Alliance, and even made a large financial donation just a few months ago, these are all functional matters of Dilano Company, and O'Brien only has decision-making and
On major matters of direction, the president alone was given opinions. Unlike the Central News Agency and Saturday morning, O'Brien drove to the northern suburbs of New York as scheduled. Keller greeted him at the appointed road. The car turned into the road and arrived at the old building not far away.
House. The weather today is very good. The sun shines on the grass through the red leaves. The cold temperature has also obviously increased by a few degrees. An old house that cannot be called a villa stands in a bush.
The first few dozen meters is the slowly flowing Hudson River, which glows with a faint golden light under the sunlight.
The house was warm, the electronic thermometer on the wall showed 11, and there was a slight sound of running water from the heating pipe. The houses here are very scattered, there is no central heating facility, and each household heats its own heating. Keller invited the guests to sit down, and then
Two cups of coffee were brought from the kitchen, and that's where the conversation started.
Keller asked politely: "What can I help you with?"
O'Brien opened his briefcase, took out all the materials related to leaf farmers and handed them to Keller. He said, "Read these materials first. There is not a lot of content. It will be finished in a while. I will go fishing. After you finish reading, we will finish it."
talk."
Keller said: "Okay, wait a minute." Keller brought a bunch of fishing gear, fishing rods and nets, buckets, folding stools, fishing hats, gloves and a thickened half-sized windbreaker, and said
: "You can just fish at the door, don't go too far, it's not easy to catch fish this season."
O'Brien asked: "Is there any charcoal?"
Keller said: "Yes, there is everything."
O'Brien smiled and said, "Then just wait and eat the grilled fish. I'm an expert at fishing."
O'Brien was fully armed and went to the river, while Keller stayed in the house to read the information.
O'Brien chose a sunny and leeward water area and lowered his fishing rod, then lit a cigarette and waited leisurely for the fish to bite. After fishing for more than an hour, he actually caught two fish.
Keller came over carrying a folding stool and asked with a smile: "Did you catch it?"
O'Brien said proudly: "Two."
Keller looked at the fish in the bucket and said, "It's too small, not enough to eat."
O'Brien's mind was not on fishing. He stood up and said, "Have you finished reading? Let's go back to the house to talk." Keller put down his stool and said, "Wouldn't it be nice to talk here? Look, what a beautiful weather. Again
Fish for a while, and if you're lucky, you can eat grilled fish."
O'Brien sat back and asked, "How do you feel after reading the material?"
Keller said: "He is a talent."
O'Brien gave a general account of George's meeting with the leaf farmer.
After listening to this, Keller pondered for a while and said: "Zi Nong has already concluded that George is wrong before even asking the question. In other words, any question that deduce that Zi Nong should sign is wrong. This... I want to believe it."
Mutually"
O'Brien said: "He could have read the question first and then taken the money, but he didn't. This was very rude to George."
Keller said: "George's asking price is already very high. No one can easily convince anyone of this kind of thinking. They can only have their own opinions. I don't think I can help you much."
O'Brien said: "I want to know, what powers does the branch chairman have over the appointment and dismissal of personnel in the agency under his jurisdiction?" Keller replied: "For ministers below the vice chairman, directors can be directly appointed and dismissed, and reported to the headquarters for record." O'Brien said.
Brian nodded and said: "The secretary is a bit young, but the minister is suitable."
Keller asked: "Who do you mean? Leaf farmers?"
O'Brien said: "I have a story that I hope you'd be interested in hearing."
Keller said: "You're welcome, just say it."
O'Brien said: "One day, Keller met O'Brien on an accidental occasion. It might be a cocktail party or a birthday party. It was all accidental. During the chat, O'Brien mentioned a man named Leaf Farmer.
Keller was very interested, so he asked O'Brien for information on this person, and found out that he was indeed a talent. The German branch went to investigate, fight for it, and agreed to give him a ministerial position and asked him to consider it.
But there was a flaw at this time. The branch thought that Ye Zi Nong would definitely be willing to devote himself to the cause of democracy, so it reported it to the headquarters for registration along with other personnel appointments and dismissals, thinking it was just a matter of completing the procedures. The New York headquarters did not know that the appointment process was flawed, and immediately
Ordinary news was published in the newspapers. The Chinese Communist Party also responded immediately, issuing a criminal summons to Ye Zong on suspicion of huge labor smuggling in Budapest. It will take time for the New York headquarters to investigate the truth of the incident. During this period, Ye Zong may return to China to answer the question. The alliance arrived at Ye Zong
Beijing previously issued a public apology statement, explaining the truth of the incident, criticizing the German branch's work flaws, and apologizing to Mr. Yinong."
Keller asked: "Is it over?"
O'Brien said: "It's over, that's it. I think this is right!" The alliance does not constitute a big loss. It is normal to recruit talents, but there is a slight flaw in the work. I mean this is the truth, and in fact the outside world
You won’t see it this way, there will be many interpretations, and even real flaws will be read as beautiful.
Keller asked: "What is the purpose of this?"
O'Brien said: "I also gave him a question to see how he answered it."
Keller said: "I don't understand, what kind of question is this?"
O'Brien randomly picked up a dry branch, drew a circle on the ground, drew a line on the edge of the circle, gestured with the branch and said: "This is a boundary, and beyond this boundary is the circle of stance. I
Agree with Ye Ye Nong's point of view. All living beings have opinions, interests, likes and dislikes. All living beings only believe in what they want to believe. Views that deviate from the position have no place in the circle of positions. This incident will push him to the position.
In the circle, he must be famous and express his opinion. When fame and fortune do not work for him, it means that there must be something more important to him than fame and fortune, which is freedom. Different people have different values. No one has the same values.
Care is his freedom. He understands very well that the water of all living beings is born to drown people. Let us see, was it the truth that dominated him at that time? Or was it the freedom that Dilano prepared for him? "
Keller was thinking and said nothing.
O'Brien said: "Ye Nong likes to use the word sentient beings, and I also like this word. The person who invented this word is really amazing. He filtered out all the unflattering terms of people and people, and used the terms enlightened person and sentient beings.
Divide.”
Keller thought about it for a while and asked: "How should I understand the current conversation? Is it the Delano company? Or is it the meaning of President George? Or is it you personally? How should I understand the freedom that Delano has prepared for leaf farmers?"
O'Brien said: "This man's brain is enough, as long as he does it!" As soon as the alliance contacted him, he knew what was going to happen next. The national conditions of the United States and China are different, and the customs of the Chinese people are different.
The concept is accumulated by them having lived in that land for thousands of years, and it is almost a unified culture. The United States is a country of immigrants, with only two hundred years of history, and New York is a metropolis of immigrants, with all kinds of skin colors and beliefs gathered together.
Public figures are much more tolerant than ancient China. Furthermore, political commentaries will make him popular in the United States, while criminal summons will make him criticized in China. The wisest choice for Ye Zinong is not to let him go at all.
The incident of appointing a minister happened, and he knew who wanted to be friends with him. As for how you understand the current conversation, it depends on the future results. If it is an optimistic result, it is a company behavior now, otherwise it is my personal reliance on the company background.
Improper behavior. I am not qualified to come to you for such a reason."
Keller said: "That means George doesn't know."
O'Brien said: "The matter of meeting the leaf farmers is over for George. This is the president's propriety. I have received the salary of the president's adviser and I have to perform the duties of the president's adviser. This is my propriety."
While he was talking, the fish floated on the water. Keller lifted the fishing rod very skillfully and caught a fish weighing more than one kilogram. However, he was not happy and just put the fish into the bucket. Obviously, the conversation had an impact on his mood.
When O'Brien saw that Keller was no longer interested in fishing, he said, "Come on, let's go get something to eat." Keller realized that his mood was wrong, and immediately adjusted his state and said with a smile: "Okay, it's time to eat.
Already."
The two collected their fishing gear and returned to the house. O'Brien washed the fish while Keller prepared the charcoal, stove, seasonings, and lit a fire in the yard. The atmosphere gradually became more relaxed, not as solemn as before. Obviously there were not enough fish.
For food, Keller also prepared some cooked food such as ham sausages and slices of bread, which were piled on a round table. Keller grilled the fish and went to the house to get a bottle of red wine and two glasses, and the two of them started eating.
Standing next to the oven, grilling fish and drinking wine.
Keller asked: "Are you sure Beijing will definitely resort to criminal subpoenas?"
O'Brien said: "I'm not sure. Maybe I would talk to him first, but it would be inappropriate. If I were a Chinese Communist Party official handling this incident, I would definitely choose a criminal subpoena."
Keller asked: "Why?"
O'Brien said: "The Hongchuan police filed the case first, and they will investigate whether there is a political incident. Urgent handling and delayed handling are determined by the police force and the circumstances of the case, which is not inappropriate. According to the principle of hypothetical advantage, hypothetical leaf farmers are voluntary
It is more advantageous to add someone than to assume that he does not know. If you talk to him first, and if the conversation is ineffective, then a criminal summons will be suspected of political persecution. The summons was originally caused by his own behavior, and the summons is not an arrest, let alone a conviction.
, as long as he comes to the case and explains the facts, the police will also have the option of restricting him from leaving the country. If he refuses to return to the country to answer the question, he will have to bear the reputation of being suspected of a crime, which will also make it clear that the alliance appointed him
He is a criminal suspect in a particularly serious smuggling case, which reduces the political credibility of the incident. On this basis, seeking extradition through diplomatic channels is the safest procedure."
Keller said: "If he really committed a crime and the alliance actually appointed a criminal as a minister, how would the international community evaluate it? Although China and Germany have not signed an extradition treaty, it is entirely possible for Beijing to extradite through diplomatic channels... In short, there will be
There are many possibilities, you know, the alliance is not willing to cause trouble to the country where the branch is located."
O'Brien said: "The Berlin authorities do not need to extradite him, nor do they need to expel him immediately. They only need to stop giving him a visa. There is no need to talk about trouble. If we talk about causing trouble, the alliance's establishment of branches in various countries itself is causing trouble for the country where it is located. You
How can there be no trouble if we want to expand our political influence and even influence some votes? As for whether Ye Zong is guilty or not, judging from the information provided by Brandy, he is innocent. If he does not return to the country to answer questions, it will be an unsolved case at best.
, but these are not important, as long as!" The alliance issues an apology statement and that's it. Is it an apology? Or a rescue? When it comes to political issues, people have become accustomed to fixed thinking that is not that simple. Believe me, the people have unlimited imagination.
Yes, you will see many versions, such as the rescue theory, the political conspiracy theory, the price too low theory... The CCP says the CCP's, you say yours, the people say the people's, everyone has his own say. What are sentient beings? They are hecklers.
, the flock is the sheep. What does a pastor do? He is a sheep herder. There are religious pastors, and political pastors. Pastors don’t care whether you are a sheep or a goat, or whether you stand on the right or the left of God.”
Keller looked into O'Brien's eyes and said calmly: "O'Brien, you make me feel scary." O'Brien said: "I'm not scary, I just abide by the rules of a group society."
Keller said: "You despise democracy and you make me feel coerced. You play politics as a card. To be precise, you play my alliance as a card."
O'Brien said: "I want to correct you. I'm here to ask for help. You can refuse. As long as you don't tell others, no one will know what I talked to you. It will not affect your relationship with George or Dilla at all."
"Promise and!" Alliance's exchanges. I am not interested in doctrines. Whatever doctrine can make Americans make money will be followed. What is politics? Politics means whether you want some people to raise their left hand or their right hand, so don't talk to me about democracy.
"Whenever you have a toothache, it is not the dentist but the vote that decides which tooth to extract. Then we will talk about democracy."
Keller was silent for a long time and said: "You are so troublesome, but maybe this person has disappeared. He should have thought that the matter may not be over yet. He can go back to China to find a place to hide first, and there is no need to stay in Berlin."
O'Brien said: "1 Then it's not him. Then he is nothing more than that, and it is not worth bothering with such things. In fact, I understand him. It is not a matter of being polite, but what he thinks
The truth left him with no choice. But I still wanted him to know that he had to be polite."