Expedition to Europe

A small torpedo took away nearly 500 lives. This was the heaviest casualties of Chinese in Europe in the past six months.

Although Qin Zhiyuan was heartbroken, he could do nothing. Qin Zhiyuan had no navy and could only watch the German submarines floating up in the distance to breathe and recharge. There was nothing he could do.

That night, Qin Zhiyuan sent a telegram to old Renault, expressing his idea of ​​forming a fleet.

Old Renault did not agree with this.

Although old Renault's factory had strong production capacity, it could only produce army weapons and some aircraft engines, and was really powerless for the navy.

Qin Zhiyuan did not give up, and then sent a telegram to Foch, requesting the French Navy to send ships to escort ships passing through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean to France, which was also the main route for Chinese to go to Europe.

As a result, the request was also rejected. The reply from the Ministry of National Defense was that the French Navy did not have extra forces to escort.

Qin Zhiyuan knew that the French Navy was not without power, but they were unwilling to deploy their naval forces to the Mediterranean to escort. This is not someone's doing anything, but a strategic focus issue. Qin Zhiyuan's influence is not big enough to control the situation.

Although it seems that there is no way out, Qin Zhiyuan has not given up. He is still trying his best to find a breakthrough.

German submarines are rampant in the Mediterranean. They do not have much impact on the shipping routes between Britain and the United States, but the threat to the Chinese going to Europe is too great for Qin Zhiyuan to ignore.

On the day when the cruise ship carrying Chinese sank, Qin Zhiyuan sent a telegram to China. The telegram was sent very timely. There were three cruise ships carrying Chinese on their way to Europe, and the nearest one was about to enter the Suez Canal.

Qin Zhiyuan urgently reported the situation and asked all cruise ships to take a detour, bypass the entire African continent, and arrive in Europe via the Cape of Good Hope. Although it takes more than a month to go around, as long as safety can be guaranteed, everything is worth it.

What Qin Zhiyuan did not expect was that this decision caused dissatisfaction with Qin Yunpeng.

Qin Yunpeng currently has nearly 5,000 people under his command. He organized these 5,000 people into a brigade and is training them day and night to prepare to participate in the war as a foreign legion. Qin Zhiyuan's move will delay the arrival of Chinese workers, which will objectively affect Qin Yunpeng's military preparations, so Qin Yunpeng is very dissatisfied.

Qin Zhiyuan sent a telegram to Qin Yunpeng again, explaining in detail the reason for the detour and obtaining Qin Yunpeng's understanding.

Qin Yunpeng had no choice but to forgive him. Qin Zhiyuan made it clear in the telegram that if he did not do as Qin Zhiyuan said, Qin Zhiyuan would send people to intercept the cruise ship carrying Chinese in the Mediterranean, and Qin Yunpeng would not be able to get a single person at that time.

After solving Qin Yunpeng's problem, Qin Zhiyuan went to Rome.

The Allied Summit was being held in Rome, and Qin Zhiyuan was going to ask the Allied leaders in person to send more naval forces to the Mediterranean.

The specifications of this meeting were very high. Qin Zhiyuan was not qualified to attend with his status, so he could only wait outside the venue and wait for the opportunity to meet with the leaders of the Allied Powers.

Waiting is a painful choice.

For three consecutive days, Qin Zhiyuan did not get any chance.

On the first day, Qin Zhiyuan met Poincaré, but he only met him. When Qin Zhiyuan just raised his hand, Poincaré had already lowered his head and got into the car. Qin Zhiyuan did not even have a chance to speak.

On the second day, Qin Zhiyuan met Lloyd George, but probably because Qin Zhiyuan's head shape did not attract Lloyd George's liking, Lloyd George listened to Qin Zhiyuan's request and did not respond. Just as Qin Zhiyuan was waiting for a response, Lloyd George's secretary ruled that Qin Zhiyuan's meeting time had expired.

Qin Zhiyuan only got five minutes.

When the third day came, Qin Zhiyuan sat alone on a bench outside the venue. He looked lonely and exhausted. He had blisters on the corners of his mouth. He hadn't shaved for more than a week, hadn't changed his shirt for three consecutive days, and his boots were covered with mud. Qin Zhiyuan looked at everyone coming out of the venue with expectant eyes. As long as he knew them, Qin Zhiyuan would take the initiative to chat with them and look for every possibility.

But reality is always so cruel. The expectation in Qin Zhiyuan's eyes became stronger and weaker, and his steps became faster and slower, but he could never get in.

"Qin, you can't do this anymore. It's meaningless." Misha finally couldn't stand it.

It's sad to say that this is the first time Misha took the initiative to talk to Qin Zhiyuan after the dock incident.

"Even if it's meaningless, you have to try your best." Qin Zhiyuan didn't want to give up.

Although Qin Zhiyuan knew that the country behind him was not strong, his Chinese identity was not popular, and the strength in his hands was not outstanding, Qin Zhiyuan still wanted to do it.

Knowing what can be done but not doing it is a coward, knowing what cannot be done but doing it is a warrior.

"You look stupid like this!" Misha was still angry with Qin Zhiyuan and spoke without any courtesy.

"Like Don Quixote?" Qin Zhiyuan laughed at himself.

I still remember that just half a month ago, Qin Zhiyuan was still mocking Hubert as Don Quixote. Unexpectedly, just half a month later, Qin Zhiyuan also became Don Quixote. It's really a matter of time.

"You should change your way." Misha pitied.

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"Change? Should I bring troops to surround this place..." Qin Zhiyuan's mind is now full of paste.

"You are such an idiot. I think you are going crazy. Has your brain become full of muscles since that incident?" Misha was furious.

"Hey, don't say that. Look how worried I am. Don't make fun of me if you don't help me with ideas." Qin Zhiyuan was helpless. Facing Misha, Qin Zhiyuan always felt inexplicably guilty. He really couldn't hit or scold her.

"You should go back to sleep now and clean yourself up. The situation is changing. You should stay calm now." Misha rolled his eyes.

Go back to sleep?

Misha was right. Qin Zhiyuan's eyes slowly lit up.

In these three days, eleven more cargo ships were sunk in the Mediterranean. At this time, Qin Zhiyuan shouldn't be anxious because the sunken cargo ships were all British, and there were no Chinese on them.

Qin Zhiyuan was sure that the reason why Britain and France did not pay attention to the Mediterranean was because the situation in the Mediterranean had not yet reached the point of serious injury. If Britain and France realize the danger of the Mediterranean shipping route being cut off, the British and French will be more anxious. Only then will Qin Zhiyuan really take the initiative.

"Misha, it seems that you are my angel." Qin Zhiyuan, who has figured it out, is overjoyed.

"You are full of nonsense." Misha's eyes are rolling, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously show a smile: "Then do you know what to do next?"

"I know, go back and have a sleep, and then wait for the fortune teller to come to the door." Qin Zhiyuan is full of confidence, and it feels like his beard is dancing.

"Fortune teller" refers to Lloyd George, who is good at phrenology.

This description is not quite accurate, it should be said that Lloyd George is a fortune teller!

Anyway, it's almost the same.