Expedition to Europe

Under the strong request of the Japanese, the Sixth Division was finally transferred to Flanders and was no longer under the jurisdiction of Qin Zhiyuan.

This is just right. Out of sight, out of mind. Let the Sixth Division go to harm the British and Belgians.

Dogs can't change their nature. Qin Zhiyuan doesn't believe that a group of beasts can become saints after going to Belgium. They are still beasts there.

The British accepted the Sixth Division because they had a secret agreement with the Japanese and the British were forced to do so.

Qin Zhiyuan wanted to see if the miners of the Sixth Division violated a British nurse, would the British still be so generous.

Judging from the nature of the Japanese, this kind of thing is indeed likely to happen.

Qin Zhiyuan, who sent the Japanese away, was still worried. One night, the new ambassador to France, Lu Zhengxiang, came to visit Qin Zhiyuan.

France and the Beiyang government established diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level, which led to a sharp rise in France's status in the Beiyang government. For this reason, the Beiyang government made personnel adjustments. Lu Zhengxiang resigned as Minister of Foreign Affairs and served as the Beiyang government's ambassador to France, while Hu Weide was transferred back to China for another appointment.

The first thing Lu Zhengxiang did when he arrived in Paris was to visit Qin Zhiyuan.

Unlike Hu Weide, who did not say it on the surface but had some complaints about Qin Zhiyuan's joining the French nationality, Lu Zhengxiang had a strong sense of belonging to France, or to Europe.

Lu Zhengxiang's wife was Belgian, and the relationship between Belgium and France was like the relationship between the Republic of China and North Korea. When Belgium was invaded by Germany, the French would help, but if there was no common enemy, the French would despise the Belgians very much.

There were cooperation and differences, which was the general state between countries at this time.

Lu Zhengxiang obviously had a deeper understanding of the role Qin Zhiyuan played in Sino-French relations, so he maintained enough respect for Qin Zhiyuan and understood him meticulously.

"Congratulations, General Qin. After this battle, General Qin has become a famous general of the time. It is a blessing for our Republic of China and the Chinese people." Lu Zhengxiang did not present the big hats one by one, but wholesaled them in trucks.

"General Lu, thank you for your praise. Qin is ashamed to accept it." Qin Zhiyuan said politely.

"It's well deserved. General Qin defeated the strong with the weak in the battle of Fer-en-Tad-Noire. He also captured the enemy chieftain and more than 100,000 enemy troops. The whole country was jubilant when the news came. Lord Duan has ordered people to repair General Qin's old house, posthumously confer titles on General Qin's ancestors, build merit temples and memorial archways to show General Qin's military merits. It is really gratifying." Lu Zhengxiang had a deeper meaning.

Qin Zhiyuan joined the French nationality. It is impossible to say that the Beiyang government is not nervous at all. It is not easy to get such a "famous general". The Beiyang government certainly does not want Qin Zhiyuan to drift further and further away from the Republic of China government. It is the right thing to do to intensify the wooing of Qin Zhiyuan.

But for the governors of the Republic of China, the more famous Qin Zhiyuan is, the more nervous they are.

Just think about it and you will understand. Although Qin Zhiyuan has joined the French nationality, he still retains the nationality of the Republic of China. If Qin Zhiyuan stays in France, it will be fine. Once Qin Zhiyuan returns to the Republic of China, how should Qin Zhiyuan and the arrogant soldiers under Qin Zhiyuan be placed?

So the governors are now in danger, fearing that one day Qin Zhiyuan will return to the Republic of China and take the position of one of them.

What is certain is that if Qin Zhiyuan returns to China, he will definitely take someone's position, and it may not even be the governors below, but the positions of Xu, Duan and others, the leaders of the Beiyang government.

Everyone is in danger?

Indeed, everyone is in danger!

"Mr. Duan is thoughtful. Thank you for your help, colleagues. Qin will definitely continue to work hard to promote the prestige of our country thousands of miles away and will not let foreigners look down on us Chinese." Qin Zhiyuan is full of confidence.

This person is just a face. Qin Zhiyuan has not married yet, and has no children. It is not possible to give his wife and children a title, but it is good to bring honor to his family. Although most of the people in Qin Zhiyuan's hometown village have moved to Corsica, Qin Zhiyuan is still very happy to leave his own mark in the Republic of China.

"General Qin, I have something to say. I don't know if I should say it." Lu Zhengxiang hesitated.

"General Lu, please tell us. There is no need to go around in circles between us." Qin Zhiyuan was decisive.

Qin Zhiyuan was really impatient with red tape. If it was traditional etiquette, Qin Zhiyuan would fully agree, but Qin Zhiyuan was firmly opposed to these red tape when communicating between people.

Qin Zhiyuan always believed that communication between people should be straightforward. If you have something to say, just say it without keeping it secret. After saying it, do what you should do. It is a waste of time to go around in circles and be vague. Moreover, because the intention is not clear, there will sometimes be deviations. It is really the poison of mystification among literati.

"General Qin has made outstanding military achievements, but he must remember that gossip can melt gold and accumulated criticism can destroy a person. You must know that General Qin is thousands of miles away from the country, and it is even more necessary for General Qin to maintain good relations with the country. Give face when you should give, and make concessions when you should make concessions. Some things may be better if you change the way you deal with them." Lu Zhengxiang did not beat around the bush. It is the basic quality of a diplomat to say what you want to say to whoever you meet.

"How to change?" Qin Zhiyuan was curious.

"For example, the way General Qin dealt with the Japanese soldiers was not appropriate. The Japanese had negotiated with us before. If General Qin could release the Japanese soldiers, the Japanese would withdraw from Shandong as soon as possible as compensation to General Qin and us. However, General Qin killed them. Although those Japanese soldiers suffered the consequences, they also caused the Japanese to interrupt the negotiations with us on the Shandong issue. We are now in a passive position." Lu Zhengxiang was a little helpless.

Between countries, it is actually an exchange of interests. If you want to gain something, you must lose something. This is normal. Even the Japanese interrupting the negotiations is normal. If the Japanese still negotiate with the Beiyang government under such circumstances, it would be abnormal.

"General Lu, first of all, I want to say that there are some things that can be discussed between us and the Japanese, and some things that cannot be discussed. For example, the issue of Japanese soldiers this time, I think it is an issue that cannot be negotiated. If we have to release these Japanese soldiers in exchange for the Japanese compromise on the Shandong issue, then what kind of people will we become in the international community? We have become a country that can be unprincipled for the sake of interests, which is harmful to our national image." Qin Zhiyuan insisted.

"General Qin, between countries, there are only interests and no principles. As for our national image, when we can't even fill the stomachs of our own people, what national image can we talk about? I am not ignorant of the "national image" that General Qin mentioned, but that is not what our country needs most at present. Only when the granary is full can we know etiquette. If the country is not prosperous and strong, it is nonsense to talk about the national image." Lu Zhengxiang was also not polite when he pointed out Qin Zhiyuan's mistakes.

They were indeed in a difficult position in the Beiyang government.

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It is absolutely impossible to say that the leaders of the Beiyang government ignored the people's livelihood and the country, and only cared about harming the public and enriching themselves. At their level, personal interests are no longer very tempting. What they pursue is to leave a name in history and let the people remember them.

Xu Duan and others also want the country to be prosperous and strong, and they also want the people to stand up straight when facing outsiders. Even the warlords of the Republic of China were not all so cruel and unjust. The main problem of the Republic of China was that there was no internal synergy. Whether it was the Beiyang government or the KMT, everyone believed that only by using their own methods could the country be prosperous and the people be strong, so they would fight endlessly.

What they fought for was not only personal status, but also the opportunity to promote their own policies.

"I don't agree with this statement. It's true that we know etiquette, but we shouldn't put our hopes on foreigners. Chief Lu, you can think about how many people there are in our country and how much of the world's total population it accounts for. Foreigners will not watch our country rise, nor will they allow our country to become rich and strong, because the total resources of the world are so much. If we Chinese get more, foreigners will get less. They will never give in in this regard. So we can only rely on ourselves, not the charity of the Japanese, French, or anyone else. So don't expect any results from the negotiations. What you can't get on the battlefield, you can't get at the negotiation table either." Qin Zhiyuan said righteously.

Qin Zhiyuan couldn't say whether he hated the Beiyang government or not. Now Qin Zhiyuan didn't mind who was in power, but when Qin Zhiyuan returned to China, Qin Zhiyuan would definitely pursue power, also for the opportunity to govern.

After listening to Qin Zhiyuan's words, Lu Zhengxiang's expression became more complicated. Lu Zhengxiang also understood the truth that Qin Zhiyuan said, but this must be based on being able to defeat the enemy on the battlefield, or on not being defeated. But thinking about the Republic of China, which had already fallen into chaos, Lu Zhengxiang was confused for a while.

The establishment of the Republic of China was originally the product of compromise among all parties, not the overthrow of the "Father of the Nation" alone. Although the Republic of China has been established and Puyi has abdicated, Puyi himself still lives in the Forbidden City. The reason for this strange phenomenon is that there is no recognized leader that can be recognized by the whole country at this time.

The "Father of the Nation" served as the president for a period of time, but the "Father of the Nation" knew that he had no soldiers in his hands, so he gave power to Yuan Xiangcheng. Yuan Xiangcheng was originally a leader recognized by everyone, but because he died early, the power fell again.

So far, because there is no recognized leader, the governors of various provinces believe that the "emperor" should take turns, and we can try it, so the Republic of China began to enter the civil war stage.

It is simply wishful thinking to fight endlessly while thinking about the country's prosperity and the people's strength.

Lu Zhengxiang knows this truth, but as a diplomat, Lu Zhengxiang has no soldiers in his hands. Facing this chaotic world, Lu Zhengxiang is also helpless.

Perhaps it was for this reason that Lu Zhengxiang became disheartened and fled to Europe.

In the original history, Lu Zhengxiang did go to Belgium to live in seclusion. Almost all the documents say that Lu Zhengxiang was trapped in love and went to Belgium because he was too sad about his wife's death. In fact, it is all nonsense. If Lu Zhengxiang's wife was really so charming, Lu Zhengxiang would not have let his wife follow him across the ocean, but would have stayed in Belgium with his Belgian wife.

Disappointment with the current situation, disappointment with the country, and disappointment with the world are probably the real reasons why Lu Zhengxiang lived in seclusion in Belgium.