For centuries, the Hôtel Lambert, located on the Île Saint-Louis in the middle of the Seine, served as a refuge for literati and artists. Chopin composed music here, George? Sang wrote here, and Voltaire and his lover lived here. A month earlier, the 17th-century hotel had welcomed a group of guests from the East, the Chinese Empire.

As a world-class power, France is naturally the focus of the Chinese Imperial delegation that has just finished its visit to Italy, and as soon as the inspection enters France, it will be divided into several batches and sent to various parts of France, after all, the delegation is responsible for military, political, economic, legal, educational, industrial and other all-round investigations, and it is undoubtedly the most suitable to inspect in batches.

When the officials headed by Minister of Justice Zhang Feng inspected France's judicial, educational, and political institutions under the warm reception of the French political axe, and were ceremoniously welcomed by the French industrial and financial circles, Sun Yat-sen, as the main member of the inspection delegation, paid more attention to the political structure of the "Third Republic." Although the chaotic "republican system" of the Third Republic was criticized by domestic public opinion as useless, this did not prevent Sun Yat-sen from learning about the French Third Republic with 100 percent enthusiasm and under the introduction of French officials.

On April 25, when Zhang Feng and others inspected the education system of the greater Paris district accompanied by the French education supervisor, in the restaurant on the first floor of the Lambert Hotel, a layer of thick and shiny brass was breaded outside the sturdy oak door, and the handmade carpets and curtains showed the taste of the hotel without making the hotel too luxurious.

It's midday, and the restaurant is bustling with people, with each table strategically placed in an undisturbed tranquillity with wooden planks and frosted glass. Surrounded by ornately carved tables with sumptuous cushioned chairs, on which sat some of the most dignitaries of Parisian business and political circles, although most of the members of the delegation were carrying out their duties, for the same procurement mission, this official delegation in China's history was considered to be the highest in size and scale, and has always been the darling of the business and financial circles of various countries.

At this time, the restaurant is not crowded, but the pace is not hurried or slow. The young commissioners chatted with the French businessmen in fluent French, and they controlled the pace of the conversation at their own pace. Often they will cooperate with each other, raise eyebrows, cough a few times, and then exchange glances knowingly, they not only bear the official order, and even every day they will receive a telegram from the "Chinese Chamber of Commerce", most of which are orders from the domestic industry, they help the domestic industry to define the purchase of machinery free of charge, and this "large-scale" procurement enables them to get the most preferential price, whether it is an individual or a country will get a huge harvest.

For these young people, this is just a rare opportunity for internships, and at the same time, the huge orders generated by official and private demand can show the economic strength of the "Chinese Empire" to other countries, so that they can attach importance to the Chinese political axe inspection group on the premise of what they want.

While the commissioners were there to negotiate orders with the businessmen and the politicians who had introduced the businessmen, the waiters in the restaurant wore crisp shirts and neat bow-ties, flickering at precise intervals. Depending on the situation, patrons are cared for and serviced, and they can chat with others or be alone. The tip the waiter receives is a reflection of how satisfied the customer is with the hotel's service.

After leaving his room, Sun Yat-sen did not go to the restaurant on the first floor to eat, but as usual, to an open-air restaurant on the banks of the Seine, after Sun Yat-sen sat down, Wang Zhaoming quickly looked at the menu, and then ordered two simple meals, according to the rules of the delegation, the members of the delegation in France daily food and beverage expenses are 5 francs, usually they will choose to eat independently, in order to save the money to buy all kinds of necessary materials.

Jiro Akaishihara, who was sitting across a table, saw that the person he was waiting for had arrived, so he moved his thin body in the chair very decently, and then took the initiative to reach out and snap his fingers, calling the waiter in stiff French.

Sure enough, just as he expected, Sun Yat-sen took the initiative to cast his eyes on the Asian, and after seeing him notice him, Jiro Akashihara took the initiative to nod to him, and at the same time nodding in greeting, he suddenly showed a look of surprise.

"Oops!"

Jiro Akaishihara, who was very surprised, took the initiative to walk up to Sun Yat-sen and Wang Zhaoming, who were waiting for a meal, and bowed respectfully.

"If I'm not mistaken, Your Excellency must be Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the revolutionary leader of China!"

"You ......"

Although Jiro Akashihara used English, Sun Yat-sen discovered that this person was Yue himself.

"The contemptible Jiro Akaishihara is a businessman in France, and his father is a close friend of Mr. Miyamoto Inzo......"

Jiro Akashihara said it truthfully and falsely, but when he said the name of Miyamoto Inzo, Sun Yat-sen suddenly showed a look of surprise.

"It's Akashi-kun!"

Although he can't remember whether there is one of his friends, Miyamoto is one of his few confidants. Sun Yat-sen got up and stretched out his hand, and while shaking hands with Jiro Akashihara, he pointed to a position next to the table and said.

"Please be seated, Akashi-kun!"

As he sat down, Jiro Akaishihara noticed the dust on his sleeves and gently patted it with his hand.

"I saw in the newspaper that Mr. Sun visited France with the Chinese delegation, and I always wanted to visit Mr., but I didn't expect to meet Mr. here, which is really a contemptible honor, and I ask Mr. to give Mr. a banquet!"

When Jiro Akashihara took the initiative to ask for a banquet for Sun Yat-sen, Wang Jingwei, who was smiling, stared at this person, a waiter would come, but Jiro Akashihara ordered a few French dishes to the waiter. Seeing Wang Zhaoming looking at him, Jiro Akaishihara hurriedly smiled.

"I don't know if this gentleman is ......"

"Wang Zhaoming, the word Jingwei, Mr.'s secretary!"

Wang Zhaoming hurriedly got up and introduced himself, when he introduced himself, he appropriately raised his voice to attract the attention of the diners, to a certain extent, he was not willing to have anything to do with himself, he believed in his heart that this Akashi would never be as simple as he introduced himself.

"Oh, it turned out to be Mr. Wang!"

Jiro Akashihara said in a loud voice, he noticed that the person in front of him raised his voice when he introduced himself, so he looked at the handsome Wang Jingwei more.

Only then did he realize that as he observed him, he was also observing himself, staring at each other for a full two seconds before looking away from each other.

"Drink something?"

"Whatever!"

Sun Yat-sen said with a smile that it is a joy to be able to meet the juniors of old friends in Paris.

The waiter came again, took the sake with Akashi written on it, and poured it full for the three of them. After a while, the three of them enjoyed the meal ordered by Jiro Akashihara while talking about interesting stories about France, which slowly changed from anecdotes to French politics.

"Sir, I noticed from the newspaper that the head of your country, Zhang, seems to be quite accusatory of the French republican form of government?"

"Well, as far as the observation of the recent period of time, the French republican form of government is indeed quite chaotic, and the parliament can be described as a mixture of fish and dragons, royalists, liberals, etc., these politicians attack each other in the parliament, and indeed have a lot of influence on France."

Although he did not want to admit it, Sun Yat-sen still truthfully stated his views on the French republican form of government, and along the way, they went to many countries and regions, and those students in India and Egypt directly experienced what a "colony" was and what a slave was.

Sun Yat-sen, who also set foot on those countries and regions for the first time, also arrived in France, and the original unwavering faith in his heart seems to have been shaken.

Of course, this kind of doubt has been suppressed and hidden in his heart, after all, there is another country in his heart as support, the United States! Maybe in the first republic of the world, I can give him an answer.

"But that doesn't stop France from being the second most powerful country in the world."

Jiro Akaishihara said softly.

"Although the free republican form of government has brought a certain amount of chaos to the French political arena, it has given France the opportunity to reflect on its mistakes, which is perhaps the greatest benefit of the republican form of government! The greatest advantage of a republican form of government is that the political axe is determined by the vote, and when a political axe makes a mistake, his rivals will immediately attack it, and the mistake will be corrected. ”

"That's true!"

"But in the East, it's just a dream. We are all accustomed to the life of the emperor, and if the emperor makes a mistake, perhaps we can only hope that one day, the emperor will awaken! ”

After Sun Yat-sen expressed his praise for the contemporary, Jiro Akashihara sighed.

"When your country was carrying out an anti-Manchu uprising, I read the news in the newspapers in Europe, and I even thought that China might establish the first republic in Asia as an example for me in Asia, but unfortunately ......"

Before he finished speaking, without waiting for Sun Yat-sen and Wang Jingwei to speak, he hurriedly added.

"However, if there is a Napoleon in China, it will also be a blessing for China."

"It is true that he could become Napoleon, but I would prefer that there will be a Washington in China!"

Sun Yat-sen did not hide his views.

"However, for now, the possibility of him becoming Napoleon is very slim, he may have been educated in the West, received a certain amount of Mingzhuo ideological influence, but in the face of supreme imperial power, he will not become a Napoleonic monarch, and never will, after all, between the supremacy of imperial power and the restriction of imperial power, those who are greedy for power often choose the former."

When Sun Yat-sen said this, Wang Jingwei glanced at him, and then sighed in his heart, as expected, the person in front of him was not good.

Thinking of this, he glanced around, could those spies from the Bureau of Investigation be nearby? Although he chose to cooperate with the agents of the Investigation Bureau, it does not mean that he has to betray Mr. ...... Their eyes are on themselves.

"Indeed."

Jiro Akaishihara nodded in response, successfully leading Sun Yat-sen to the topic he needed, he was inevitably a little proud, if he had not received a telegram from China, asking him to contact Sun Yat-sen, he would never have temporarily put down his strategy against Lucia, Lucia is the enemy of the present, and China is the enemy of life and death in the future.

However, he did not hope that his strategy would enable Sun Yat-sen to immediately set off a revolution against Chen, like Umilyanov, which had almost no chance of success, so he would have great contempt for those colleagues who had "no strategic vision", and even if they allowed themselves to come into contact with Sun Yat-sen, then they had to follow their own plans.

"When the imperial dynasty is established, there are bound to be too many interest groups, just like the book, the current version of the book has no possibility of achieving a republic at all, the chaebols, the political lords, and the military control the whole country, perhaps, in Asia, only China has the conditions to achieve a republic."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Sun Yat-sen's expression was really surprised, although at this time he had already realized that the Jiro Akashihara in front of him might have other identities, but he was curious about what he said.

"Hmmm! Although your country has reverted to the imperial system, it has undoubtedly created a precedent for the people's determination of the national system, and the most important point is that the people of your country know their power for the first time, and this is perhaps the scene that Emperor Chen is most unhappy to see, he expects imperial power, but it is one, well...... How so? ”

After hesitating for a few seconds, Jiro Akaishihara came up with a more perfect metaphor.

"Reading is not courageous, and cooking is immeasurable!"

Sun Yat-sen's words were so startled that he examined the long, thin face for a minute, and then slowly breathed a sigh of relief. And when Jiro Akashihara said this, Wang Jingwei was taken aback, and at the same time looked around the hotel, and suddenly he felt a little stupid, why didn't he leave before that?

From the very beginning, since I knew that I had a plan, why did I stay here, and stay here, it meant that maybe one day, I would face Mr. directly as a "witness", in fact, in the past few months, he has been hesitating, struggling, and persuading himself with various reasons.

I'm for the country!

Well! There is no room for chaos in the country!

Well! Yes, that's it...... But the most direct betrayal, standing in the courtroom and facing the eyes of the gentleman, he asked himself if he couldn't do it, at least not for the time being.

He glanced at the person again, what did he want? Was it Mr. Agitation to start a revolution in the country? He offered him weapons and money in order to create a civil unrest in China, and then ...... At this time, Jiro Akashihara's voice softened a little, almost comforting.

"However, this left China with an opportunity to move towards a republic when it moved towards an imperial system, and this opportunity was perhaps the last thing Emperor Chen wanted to see."

He stopped the topic and looked at Sun Yat-sen intently.

"I want to finally lead China to a republic, it is Your Excellency!"

Faced with Akaishihara Jiro's assertion, Sun Yat-sen suddenly laughed, he smiled at Akaishihara Jiro, the laughter suddenly stopped, and his expression became serious.

"Ten years ago, in Guangzhou, I asked for help from the consul of your country, during the Sino-Japanese War!"

At this time, Sun Yat-sen's expression became extremely serious.

"However, what I did was to correct the rivers and mountains of China and expel the Manchu Tartars! It is your country's letter to the heroes of the eighteen provinces, which makes me ask your country for help, Qing is not my motherland, I am just a person who has lost my country, and I will seek help from your country! Today, China has recovered its rivers and mountains, and there is a conflict with your country over the northeast issue. ”

At this point, his voice slowed slightly, but he did not change his previous righteousness.

"Yes, the republic is indeed Sun's dream, and it is also Sun's belief, if Mr. Akashi wants to use weapons and money as bait to lure Sun to rebel, please stop! Sun will not betray the country for the sake of personal beliefs! ”

Faced with this answer, Jiro Akaishihara sat on the chair and did not see a trace of surprise, he just looked at Sun Yat-sen. And Sun Yat-sen also looked at him, and they looked at each other like this. There was a smile on the corner of Jiro Akashihara's lips, who had persuaded Umiyanov to betray his country, and who had persuaded Lucia's opposition and national reading forces.

But that is Lucia, Sun Yat-sen is not Umiyanov, he cannot sell his country for his own ambitions, especially in such a time of war, but anyone who sees himself as a Chinese will not trade with the enemy in wartime, and sell his country for the difference of faith.

"I admire very much sir, your faith, will, and patriotism will all be admired by the people of Asia."

Sun Yat-sen shook his head, looked at Jiro Akaishihara in front of him, and just said lightly.

"Civil rights is not a political issue, but a moral issue, and in the same way, faith is not a reason to betray the country, and patriotism is also a moral issue!"

After saying this, Sun Yat-sen raised his hand and beckoned the waiter, he did not want to intersect with this person again.

"I think, I'll pay for this meal!"

As he spoke, Sun Yat-sen took out a few franc bills from his wallet and looked directly at Jiro Akashihara.

"I guess this should at least be a way to show yourself as a victor on the battlefield, right?"

In the face of Sun Yat-sen's answer, Jiro Akashihara had to smile, everything was as he expected, when he had not yet persuaded him, he said that he rejected himself, if it was someone else, he might give up, but he is Akashi!

When Sun Yat-sen was about to pay the bill, Jiro Akashihara loosened his tie and took a sip of wine.

"Sir, I think that one day, after the emperor of your country reneges on his original promise, perhaps, you will need our help!"

When he heard these words pop out of his mouth, Sun Yat-sen felt a slight tingling in his heart. When he said this, did he secretly think that he would definitely seek help from the enemy?

Leaning forward, Sun Yat-sen clenched his fists, his eyes staring straight into Jiro Akashihara's eyes and pressing towards him.

"I don't think you'll ever see this happen!"

(To be continued)