After learning that the Chinese had finally agreed to resume the second round of formal negotiations, the negotiators of the Confederate States of America were very happy, after all, as long as there were talks, they could play a role, and they did not have to wait here as before.

However, perhaps the previous lesson was learned, so this second round of negotiations did not involve as many people as before, but only sent Gao Junjie to negotiate, and as a reciprocal, the Eastern Expeditionary Force also asked the alliance to send only one person.

In other words, this second round of negotiations is only a negotiation between two people, which avoids the disadvantage that the Chinese representatives are mostly pig teammates, and can also avoid major mistakes in the negotiation process, and can have more buffer room.

The representatives of the Confederate States of America were well aware of this, so they were strongly opposed at first, believing that it was rather informal and disrespectful to them, and strongly demanded that the large-scale negotiations in formalization should continue as they had done for the first time.

Unfortunately, although it is New Orleans, it is under the control of the Chinese after all, and belongs to the territory of the Chinese, so the rules must be done according to the Chinese.

Therefore, regardless of whether the other side protests or not, the Eastern Expeditionary Force has the same attitude, that is, either send a plenipotentiary to talk to them, or don't talk at all.

As the so-called people are under the roof, they have to bow their heads, and in the case of their own hard power is insufficient, and the bigwigs behind them cannot give strong support, the representatives of the United States in the south can only give in, and finally decided to let the head of the delegation, Alexander. Stephens came as plenipotentiary to engage in a second round of confrontation with Chinese negotiators.

With other people's expectations, Alexander in a tuxedo. Stephens went to a room designated by the Chinese side and met the opponent he was about to confront him, and it was no surprise that this person was Gao Junjie, a white Chinese national.

Gao Junjie wore a modern version of the iron gray suit, a modern burgundy tie, and a white shirt. Black leather shoes, meticulous combing of hair, plus younger age than Alexander, the whole person looks so radiant, it seems to be more temperamental than Alexander in a tuxedo.

Although the suit is a product of the West and has begun to become popular in the sixties of the nineteenth century, strictly speaking, it is two completely different types of clothing from the modern suit. Because modern suits have undergone a lot of evolutions and have changed a lot in many details, strictly speaking, they are completely different from nineteenth-century suits, and at most you can see some shadows of inheritance.

As for the tie. In the sixties of the nineteenth century, the tie was not yet the standard for suits, and the tie of this period was not as structured as the modern tie of later generations, but should be a scarf, which was completely different from the style of the modern tie.

To put it simply, modern clothing is more minimalist, focusing on details and fabrics, so although it looks simple, it accentuates the lines of the human body. It gives a smart and stylish feel.

On the other hand, although the tuxedo worn by Alexander is a traditional formal attire, the fabric is not comparable to modern fabrics, even if it has just been ironed. It's still not structured enough, and the style is cumbersome, once paired with a modern suit, it will give people a very rustic feeling.

So. After this meeting, if nothing else, the two sides are dressed differently. Judge the superior, let Alexander. Stephens subconsciously felt a little ashamed, as if he felt that his clothes were dirty.

Of course, this feeling of shame is only fleeting, after all, Alexander is not a woman, nor is he a particularly sensitive person to popular fashion, so after the initial surprise, he quickly stopped paying attention to the other party's dress, but felt that the other party's clothes were a little exaggerated.

That's right, it's pompous, after all, Alexander. Stephens is a very conservative person, and has always believed that the tuxedo is the real formal attire, and it is also a civilized attire in formal occasions, so he was curious at first about the other party's familiar, but it was full of strange suits, but he soon felt a little disgusted, and felt that the other party did not value him in doing so.

But isn't it, the last time I negotiated, this Gao Junjie was also wearing a tuxedo, but now when the two of them are talking, he actually wears a strange outfit, and it's no wonder that Alexander. Stephens was dissatisfied.

However, this dissatisfaction was only for a moment, and Alexander quickly regained his composure after frowning slightly, after all, the clothes were just a trail, and the conversation between the two sides was the main purpose of his visit.

After greeting and shaking hands, the two sides smiled and sat down on the sofas on both sides of the coffee table, Gao Junjie still adhered to the previous straightforward style, and came up to tell the Pemberton Army about the attack on the Eastern Expeditionary Force, and then blamed it, accusing the other party of destroying the friendship between the two sides, provoking the Eastern Expeditionary Force and the Eastern Bloc, and demanding that the other party immediately give himself an explanation.

After such a crackling accusation, Alexander. Stephens, on the contrary, was blinded, because he was completely unclear about what the other party said.

According to Alexander's thoughts, shouldn't this negotiation be about how to return New Orleans? Why don't you talk about this, but talk about something that doesn't matter?

The coalition army took the initiative to attack the Chinese? To spoil the friendship between the Eastern Bloc and the governments of the Allied States? What does this mean? He's not talking nonsense to tease me, is he?

In fact, think about it, the battlefield where the Pemberton Army fell was far away in Memphis, and the Confederates did not have radio transmission, and the telegraph line along the way from Memphis to New Orleans was not in the hands of the Confederates, so the speed of transmission of news was far inferior to that of the Chinese.

So while three days had passed since the demise of Pemberton's legion, Alexander. Stephens didn't get the slightest bit of news, and even the Davis government in Richmond had only just received a little text now, and the details were not clear.

Since there was no news, it is no wonder that Alexander was taken aback when he heard the news.

Sure enough, after hearing what the other party meant, Alexander. Stephens immediately asked for the details of the matter, and Gao Junjie slowly retold the story, of course, the story that had been processed by his own side.

According to Gao Junjie, the Pemberton Legion led by Hood and Pemberton suddenly attacked Memphis without authorization. With Joseph. Johnston's troops fought. You guys should fight if they fight, but you shouldn't have hit the local Chinese barracks, and you should not have killed many Chinese, causing things to get out of control.

In this regard, the Chinese soldiers who lost their comrades were angry and demanded an explanation from the Pemberton side of the Alliance Army, but they were unreasonably rejected and ridiculed, and finally they could not bear it anymore, and the Chinese garrison fought back on its own. The provocation of the Union forces gave a strong response.

However, regardless of the effect of the counterattack, purely in this matter, it has a rather bad impact, because this is the initiative of the Alliance Army to attack the Eastern Expeditionary Force, which is a serious provocation to the Eastern Expeditionary Force and the Eastern Bloc behind it, and even a provocation to the Chinese Empire.

Therefore, the fact that the Coalition forces took the initiative to attack the Chinese garrison in Memphis was a rather serious political incident. A bad one would cause immeasurable consequences, so the Eastern Expeditionary Force quickly sent someone to talk to him, asking the Allied government to give them a reasonable explanation to avoid further deterioration of the situation. Resulting in poor cleanup.

According to Gao Junjie, if it weren't for the long-term friendship between the two sides, just this one thing would have caused a war between the Chinese Empire and the Confederate States of America. It's like the previous declaration of war by the Chinese Empire against the United States of America.

After some intimidation, Gao Junjie changed his words and said again. Although this is the case, the Eastern Bloc does not want to easily provoke a war between the two countries, and hopes that this matter can be brought under control as soon as possible and will not make a big deal out of it, considering that it has always had friendly exchanges with the governments of the allied countries, especially because they have many interests related to each other.

Then, since we want to reduce the big things to the small ones and the small things to nothing, then we need to show sincerity on both sides, especially the coalition government must show enough sincerity and must pay some price to persuade the Chinese government to avoid allowing the situation to continue to deteriorate, so that no one can please in the end.

After such a flicker, Alexander. Stephens was also dizzy, but after all, he hadn't heard of this matter, he had learned it from the mouth of the person in front of him, and he didn't know whether it was true or not, so he simply asked to give him some time, he needed to send a telegram to Richmond to confirm the authenticity of the matter, and then he could give a correct answer to the Eastern Expeditionary Force.

For Alexander. Stephens's delaying policy, Gao Junjie expressed full understanding and gave enough time to understand the situation, just hoping that the other party could act faster and not delay for a long time.

According to Gao Junjie, because of this sudden situation, the content of the previous negotiations is no longer important, or in other words, before the matter of actively attacking the Chinese and provoking the Chinese government is resolved, everything else is no longer important, and I hope that Mr. Alexander will resolve this matter as soon as possible with his own side in a pragmatic and responsible attitude to avoid further deterioration of the situation.

"Mr. Stephens." At the end of the conversation, Gao Junjie said to Alexander with emotion. Stephens said, "Although I am now Chinese and a representative of the Eastern Expeditionary Force, I am also a peace-loving white man and have feelings for the American people, so I very little want to see China and the Confederate States of America go to war because of this matter, I hope you can understand the details of the matter as soon as possible, communicate effectively with us as soon as possible, and avoid the worst outcome as soon as possible." ”

"I will, Mr. Gao." Alexander. Stephens frowned and shook hands with him, "Don't worry, I will definitely find out the truth of the matter as soon as possible, and I will definitely come back to Mr. when I figure out what happened." ”

After that, the second round of negotiations initiated by the Chinese ended in a hurry. Stephens did not delay any longer, and immediately sent a telegram to Richmond to report the new situation here, and to inquire whether the matter was true or false.

Richmond quickly sent them a telegram saying that the matter was a bit complicated, and they were also trying to find out the news and confirm the truth of the matter. At the same time, Richmond also asked them to inquire about the news on their own by the way, and be sure to find out the ins and outs of this matter.

In this way, while anxiously waiting, another three days passed, and in these three days more detailed news was passed from Memphis, and there is no doubt that most of these news passed through the side of the Eastern Expeditionary Force and Joseph. The news that Johnston's side processed.

The news from Memphis said that Hood and Pemberton and other high-ranking generals were traitors who had been seduced by the Northern army. It is said that the Pemberton Army under their leadership has become a rebel army and joined the sequence of the Northern Army, and their attack on Memphis City this time is aimed at defeating the local rule of the Union Army, and treating Memphis as a trophy as a gift for surrendering to the Northern Army, or a surrender.

But although the Pemberton rebels were menacing and engaged in a surprise attack, the commander-in-chief of the Western Theater of Operations, Joseph Brown. Johnston under his masterful command. The Mississippi River Army finally annihilated the Pemberton Army under Memphis, eliminated the rebel army, thwarted the Union Army's conspiracy, and ensured the Union government's dominance in the lower Mississippi River.

In this battle, Johnston's Mississippi Army was the absolute main force, but the Chinese troops stationed in the port of Memphis also played a significant role, actively cooperating with the Mississippi Army of the Union Army. Fight the rebels and inflict no less casualties on the rebels.

As for why the Chinese in the port of Memphis were so active, it was because in the previous war, the Pemberton regiment side took the initiative to shell the port of Memphis. Many Chinese soldiers stationed in the area were killed and wounded, causing considerable confusion.

Later, the Chinese sent envoys to negotiate with the rebels, but unfortunately the rebels who surrendered to the northern government were too unsightly. And it seems that he hates the Chinese army very much, so he refuses the Chinese side to make representations, and instead attacks the Chinese army further. Provocations have been intensified.

This stupid move finally angered the local Chinese garrison, so the Chinese soldiers in the port of Memphis joined the glorious Confederate army sequence, along with the Mississippi River Corps, in the wise Joseph. Johnston, under the unified command of John. Bel. The rebels led by Hood launched a relentless and swift assault and finally won the victory by annihilating the rebels under the city of Memphis.

After the battle, John. Bel. Hood, Pemberton and other high-ranking generals were unfortunately killed in the battle, but from the mouths of the captives, Joseph. Johnston and the others learned that the soldiers of the Pemberton Regiment did not know that they were rebels, but thought that Joseph was a rebel. Johnston's army was a rebel, and they were acting in a counterinsurgency, and they had a counterinsurgency mandate from President Davis.

Of course, this is absurd, and it must be a deception by Hood and others, but anyway, since everyone thinks so, Joseph. Johnston questioned President Davis of Richmond whether he had done so, whether he had given orders to Hood and Pemberton's regiment to attack the faithful Joseph. Johnston, and the Mississippi River Legion, which was equally loyal to the Union.

Sure enough, after getting the detailed information, Davis denied that he had given the Pemberton Regiment an order to attack Memphis, and also denied that Joseph had been dismissed. The order of the commander-in-chief of the Johnston Western Theater only said that the previous statement was concerned about Joseph's health, and it was not mandatory.

In a word, Davis considered Hood and others to be traitors who surrendered to the Northern Army, and praised Joseph Bush in the middle of the situation. Johnston's actions praised him as one of the pillars of the Confederate Army and an indispensable and great figure for the Confederate government. Johnston's.

After making these statements, Davis returned the message to Alexander in New Orleans. Stephens made a telegram instruction, telling him that everything before was a misunderstanding, and that it was definitely not the Union army that attacked the Chinese, but the rebels who secretly surrendered to the northern junta, so everyone should exercise restraint and not be deceived by rumors.

Obviously, Davis's remarks are just to deceive outsiders, not to mention the parties, just Alexander. Stephens and these people also know that things are not so simple, but since everyone says so now, they all use the same rhetoric, then Alexander. Stephens also took advantage of the trend and recognized this official statement.

Thinking of this, Alexander. Stephens smiled softly to herself: "At least, our President Davis doesn't have to worry about whether to go to war with the Chinese." (To be continued......)