Expedition to Europe

(ps: Please collect, recommend, and comment. No money or effort. Your support is the greatest encouragement to the writer.)

(Thanks to Gu Qinfei and Po Po Ling Kong for their rewards. The support of friends is the greatest motivation for Yu Tou.)

To deal with traditional soldiers like Nivelle, Qin Zhiyuan prepared a variety of means.

Thomson and Andre represent the image of the government, Lance and Philip represent public opinion, and Qin Zhiyuan represents the military. This is the strongest lineup that Qin Zhiyuan can gather now.

It is the duty of Thomson and Andre to investigate this matter, and Lance and Philip were found by Qin Zhiyuan using certain public relations methods.

In France in 1916, or in Europe in the early 20th century, fairness and justice were just a concept, and media people were not used to wearing a coat of "independence and fairness". Compared with the 21st century, although it is the same darkness, in the 21st century, everyone still does superficial work, while in the early 20th century, they simply do not cover up.

After preparations were completed, Qin Zhiyuan led a group of people straight to Verdun.

Verdun is a small city in northeastern France. It has a strong fortress built on the Meuse Plateau. It is the main transportation route from Germany to Paris and is known as the "Key to Paris". The Battle of Verdun, which took place here in 1916, was a turning point in the First World War, and the German Empire gradually moved towards its final defeat.

The French commander in the Verdun area was Henri Philippe Pétain, a man with mixed reputations. In another time and space, in the First World War, Pétain won a reputation. Twenty years later, in the Second World War, Pétain lost everything as the head of Vichy France and was sentenced to death by the Allies, which was later commuted to life imprisonment.

Pétain was not in the Verdun area at this time. He had been promoted to commander-in-chief of the Central Army Group and was currently in Bordeaux.

Joffre's resignation was irreversible. As one of the candidates for the next commander-in-chief of the French army, Pétain was currently active in Bordeaux, the seat of the French government. The Verdun front was in charge of Nivelle, who succeeded Pétain as commander of the Second Army.

Qin Zhiyuan didn't want to clash with Nivelle or Mangin right away, so he went directly to the 45th Division.

The Battle of Verdun commanded by Pétain implemented a "rotational battle" method, which was similar to the "Laoshan rotation battle" in another time and space. The purpose was to allow the troops to take turns to rest so as not to cause vicious incidents due to war weariness.

Before Pétain arrived at Verdun, the French troops in the Verdun area had a general war-weariness. The soldiers were exhausted by the protracted war. They were unwilling to attack or defend, and they were even unwilling to shoot in the trenches. The soldiers' reason for this was: If we don't shoot at the Germans, then the Germans won't shoot at us.

Pétain's "rotational battle" method changed this situation. Therefore, when Nivelle replaced Pétain as the commander of the Second Army, Nivelle continued Pétain's method.

The 45th Division is a rotational battle unit, and now it has been driven to the front line. Their base is in Fort Douaumont. Fort Douaumont is an important fulcrum of the Verdun line. About a week ago, Nivelle organized troops to capture it, and the 45th Division is now responsible for defending it.

After rushing to Fort Douaumont, as expected, Qin Zhiyuan couldn't even get into the gate of the barracks. After waiting for a long time, Woodson, who had dealt with Andre, came out to receive Qin Zhiyuan and his party.

"We will investigate this matter. After reaching a conclusion, we will report the investigation report to the Army Department, and the military court will handle this matter." Woodson spoke in a good official tone.

As a soldier, Woodson also hates "shooting soldiers' families". But as a soldier of the 45th Division, Woodson can't hand the suspect over to Qin Zhiyuan. Woodson has countless ways to deal with this matter, such as sending the company where the two soldiers are to attack the German positions early tomorrow morning. In this way, if they die, it is considered a deserved crime. If they are lucky, it doesn't matter, the Germans have countless positions waiting for them to conquer.

"How can an internal investigation yield results? You didn't even take a look at the on-site reconnaissance report, how can you determine who the suspect is? How can you determine how many suspects there are?" Qin Zhiyuan was unwilling to smooth things over. The guilty must pay the price, and they must pay the price as criminals. They cannot be listed on the list of dead with the noble feeling of sacrificing for the country.

Woodson was only a major, and there was a huge gap between him and Qin Zhiyuan's major general rank, so Qin Zhiyuan didn't hold back much politeness.

"General, please calm down. This is not the Far East, nor the Northern Military Region, nor the Foreign Legion. We have our own way of dealing with it." Woodson was not impressed by Qin Zhiyuan, a general of the Foreign Legion, and there was not much respect in his words.

"Your own way of dealing with it? What do you mean by way of dealing with it? Is it to wait for the results of the investigation? If so, then I have a copy here for your reference." Qin Zhiyuan gestured, and Gao Hongshi handed over a folder.

Qin Zhiyuan did a lot of work, and this document was more detailed than the previous one. In this folder, there is Judy's testimony, the whole story of the feud between Mary and the two French soldiers, as well as a testimony from Mary's neighbor, which proves that at the time of the incident, two French soldiers came out of Mary's house in a panic.

"We will refer to it appropriately. Please believe me, I am also a soldier. I also hate the vicious incidents of harming military orphans." Woodson couldn't turn a blind eye after all. He glanced through it and then promised.

"I don't want them to go to the military court. I want them to plead guilty and then let them be punished and pay the price for their mistakes. So, you must hand these two people over to me." Qin Zhiyuan was relentless.

Woodson pondered for a while, but still insisted on his own opinion: "General, please forgive me. I can't give you an answer on this matter now. I don't have the right."

"Okay, I will wait for the right person to appear. By the way, I will live in **** Manor these days. If there is any progress, please notify me in time." Qin Zhiyuan smiled meaningfully, then turned and left.

This work is organized and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~

Woodson looked at the two folders in his hand, shook his head and sighed slightly. In this matter, he was not the decision maker.

"General, I feel like we are doing useless work." On the way back, Lance suggested to Qin Zhiyuan: "We should use the power of public opinion to put pressure on them. This is a cover-up, and it is also a crime, a disrespect for life, and a blasphemy against the law."

As a media person, to be honest, Lance doesn't care about justice. He cares about attracting attention. As long as he can attract attention, Lance doesn't care what kind of impact it will cause.

"Of course, this is why we are here." Qin Zhiyuan had already made up his mind.

What happened to Mary was a tragedy, but also an opportunity. If you use this matter to do something, it may affect the selection of the next commander-in-chief of the French army on the Western Front.

Using Mary's affairs to benefit Foch is Qin Zhiyuan's ultimate goal. In this process, seeking justice for Mary is just a side thing. As an agent walking in the dark, Qin Zhiyuan does not have any psychological pressure to do so.