"Negotiation? ”

After receiving the report from the soldiers, the concession sent someone out to negotiate with him, Qin Yuhai was also a little surprised, and said: "If you want to fight, you can fight, if you don't want to fight, surrender, it's as simple as that, what is there to talk about." ”

Zhang Liyong, the battalion instructor, said with a smile: "We still have to talk about it, we sent a letter of persuasion to surrender to the Eight-Nation Alliance, so it is normal for them to send someone over to talk to us." ”

Liu Lianfu, the deputy battalion commander, also said: "Yes, we should meet with them and see what they have to say, anyway, there is nothing to lose to us." ”

Zhang Liyong said: "And this De Xuanlin, his background is not small." ”

Qin Yuhai said: "Oh, what is his origin?"

Zhang Liyong obviously did a lot of homework, and said: "This guy has lived in China for nearly 40 years, and has served as the director of the Tianjin Customs and Excise Department for more than 20 years. Moreover, although this guy has no children, he has five daughters, each of whom is not simple: the eldest son-in-law, Hannagan, a German, served as an engineer and instructor at the Lushun Naval Base of the Beiyang Naval Division; the second son-in-law, the American Lac, is the manager of the Meifeng Bank; the third son-in-law, Bauer, who was the Austrian consul in Tianjin; the fourth son-in-law, the Briton Nathan, is the general manager of the Kailuan Mining Bureau; and the fifth son-in-law is the military attache of the British Embassy in China. Because of his family's prominent status, his family became the social center of Tianjin for an entire generation. In addition, he had a very close relationship with Li Hongzhang, in the Sino-French War and the First Sino-Japanese War, he helped Li Hongzhang to run activities, mediated between China and France, China and Japan, and later Li Hongzhang went to Europe and the United States, and he also helped Li Hongzhang to fight in the United States and Germany. ”

Qin Yuhai said: "I have a good relationship with that big traitor, it will definitely not be a good thing, I am afraid it is to help Li Hongzhang sell a lot of countries." ”

Liu Lianfu said: "Li Hongzhang shouldn't be considered a traitor, right?"

Qin Yuhai said: "After signing so many traitorous treaties, what is it that is not a traitor?"

Zhang Liyong smiled, he knew that Qin Yuhai was not very interested in Chinese history, so his understanding of Li Hongzhang still adhered to a label evaluation, but about Li Hongzhang's evaluation, it is indeed not a sentence or two that can be explained clearly, and now is not the time to explain in detail, so he said: "No matter what friendship he has with Li Hongzhang, but even if he is a representative sent by the concession to negotiate, then we naturally want to meet and see what they say, anyway, it is not yet time, so let's pass the time." ”

In fact, Qin Yuhai didn't understand this truth, after all, he was promoted to the rank of battalion commander and major, of course, he couldn't be a big boss, at least he still had diplomatic common sense, he was just complaining just now, so he nodded and said, "Okay, let them come over." ”

At this time, De Xuanlin and Fukushima An were waiting for news outside the position of the crossing army, and De Xuanlin's heart was also a little uneasy, although he had served in China for many years, he could indeed be regarded as a China expert, but the people he had to face this time were not Qing officials who had dealt with before, but a group of overseas Chinese of unknown origin, and De Xuanlin didn't know what kind of temperament they were, and whether they would be so good to talk to the officials of Chunguo.

Fukushima Yasumasa was looking around, observing everything about this army up close, their behavior, weapon assembly, and the mental temperament of the soldiers. Through observation, although these soldiers are indeed standard East Asian yellow people, they are indeed completely different from the Qing army, but all their weapons are incomprehensible to Fukushima Yasumasa, the rifle is not only short, the style is also ancient, and there is no bayonet, and the body is full of small things that I don't know what to do with, and no one wears sunglasses, this thing is a rare thing even in Europe, not something that ordinary people can afford. However, the mass production of this kind of sunglasses shows that the level of precision glass manufacturing of this group of overseas Chinese is very high, and the level of precision glass determines the level of optics.

Just when the two of them were thinking about their own affairs, a soldier came over, led them into the position, turned a forest, De Xuanlin's face changed, and murmured, "This is ...... Is this true?"

Fukushima Yasumasa was stunned for a moment and said, "Mr. Director, what's the matter?"

De Xuanlin shook her head and said, "Nothing, nothing?"

It turned out that what De Xuanlin saw were two fierce cars, De Xuanlin was a British-German, although he had lived in China for nearly 40 years and had never returned to China, but the major things that happened in Europe, De Xuanlin still knew, this was a car.

In October 1883, the German engineer Karl 61 Benz (Karl Benz), founded the "Benz Company and Rheinland Gas Engine Factory", which was later known as the Mercedes-Benz Automobile Company, in 1885 to manufacture the first motor three-wheeled car, in November 1886, Carl 61 Benz made a three-wheeled motor vehicle obtained the German patent (patent number: 37435a). This is what is recognized as the world's first modern car.

Another German engineer, Wilhelm Daimler, invented the gasoline engine in 1883 with an automatic ignition device for igniting the engine with an electric spark, and the following year began to be assembled on two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and four-wheelers, making gasoline-powered cars. In particular, in 1886 a four-wheeled cargo car with a gasoline engine was built. And in the same year, the British engineer Butler also invented the car with a gasoline engine. In addition, Bernard of Italy also invented the automobile, and Puchlov and Vlopov of Russia invented the automobile with an internal combustion engine. Therefore, in the old time and space, 1886 was generally regarded as the first year of the automobile.

Although at this time, the automobile was still only a technological invention and had not yet become an official commodity, it still caused quite a stir in Europe, and there were actually two cars in this army, which made De Xuanlin feel very surprised at the time, and Fukushima Yasumasa had never heard of automobiles, so there was no reaction.

After the two sides met, they first introduced themselves to each other, and Qin Yuhai also introduced his origins, of course, it was the set of overseas Chinese, don't look at Qin Yuhai didn't want to meet them at first, but after the two sides met, the necessary etiquette was still understood, and Qin Yuhai also understood English, so it was not a problem to communicate.

De Xuanlin first said: "Battalion Commander Qin, although I am British, the officials of the Qing State are now entrusted by the concession authorities to negotiate with you about the affairs of the concession. Your letter to the concession authorities has already read it, but the concession authorities cannot accept the conditions you have put forward, because the establishment of the concession area was demarcated by an agreement signed between various countries and the Qing government, and they have absolute autonomy, so your proposal to recover the sovereignty of the concession and demand that the concession authorities surrender has no legal basis, and it also infringes on the rights and interests of all countries, and the concession authorities absolutely cannot accept it. ”

Zhang Liyong spoke first: "Mr. De Xuanlin, you are an official of the Qing Dynasty, and you should know that the concession is an unequal treaty imposed on China by the imperialist countries, so we will never recognize the existence and rights and interests of the concession, and we must take back the concession." It is only out of humanitarian principles that we do not want innocent civilians to be harmed, so we persuade the concession authorities to surrender. ”

"Since you don't want civilians to be harmed, then why start a war for no reason, as long as you stop military operations, then nothing will happen." ”

Qin Yuhai snorted and said: "Mr. De Xuanlin, please pay attention to your words, since you are an official of the Qing State, don't speak from the standpoint of the imperialist countries, it was these imperialist countries that started the war first, if it weren't for them forming an eight-nation alliance to attack China, there would be no other things." ”

De Xuanlin's face also turned a little red, and said, "Battalion Commander Qin, please also know that it was the Qing State that first declared war on all countries. ”

Qin Yuhai said: "Okay, since war has been declared, then now is the time of war, no treaty, no rights and interests exist, if Mr. De Xuanlin wants to show us the determination of the concession authorities that they are unwilling to surrender, then your goal has been achieved, you can go back and tell the concession authorities, prepare to fight, and we will immediately launch an attack on the concession." ”

De Xuanlin suddenly stopped, and now the concession still has the ability to fight this battle, and hurriedly said: "No, no, no, no, I didn't mean that, and the concession authorities don't want to fight and hurt innocent civilians." ”

Qin Yuhai sneered, the foreigners were bullying the weak and afraid of the hard, and as soon as they frightened them, they immediately retreated, and said, "Isn't that simple? As long as we surrender, there will be no casualties, our letter has made it very clear." ”

De Xuanlin smiled bitterly and said, "But the concession is only a residential area, not a military area, and your conditions are too harsh, I suggest that you and the concession authorities each take a step back." ”

Zhang Liyong said: "How can each of them take a step back." ”

De Xuanlin said: "As long as your army does not enter the concession, then the concession authorities can guarantee to remain neutral in this war, and will never participate in the war, and after the war is over, the Qing State and other countries will negotiate together, and then decide whether the concession will stay or not, of course, if you are not at ease, you can station troops outside the concession and monitor the movements of the concession." Of course, if you are really not at ease, you can send a small number of troops to the concession, but the number must not exceed 50, this is the final bottom line of the concession authorities. In addition, if you need materials or funds, the concession can consider paying a part. ”

Qin Yuhai's heart was a little funny, he couldn't imagine that this foreign ghost would still play this hand for himself, he shook his head and said: "I'm sorry, Mr. De Xuanlin, if this is the bottom line of the concession, then it can only be solved by war." Because we have received an order that we must recover the concession, we must either surrender the concession and we recover the concession peacefully, or we will use war to settle the problem, and we will use force to recover the concession, and there is no third option. In short, the concession must be recovered, and it is by no means a symbolic one. ”

De Xuanlin paused for a while before saying, "Then I would like to be able to meet your boss, and I will have an interview with him." ”

Qin Yuhai nodded and said, "Of course you can, but our headquarters is on Dagu, if the two of you want to go to Dagukou, we can send someone to send you over." ”

De Xuanlin said: "That's good, but until I talk to your boss and reach the result, you must stop military operations and not attack the concession." ”

Qin Yuhai said: "This is not good, we can send you to Dagukou, but at eight o'clock, we will launch an attack on time, and this will not change anything, unless we receive an order from our superiors to let us stop fighting." ”

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