Han Jialang asked sternly: "Second lieutenant, is it true that the tradition of your British army is not to pay attention to military etiquette, and you don't salute when you see your commander?" ”

This sentence suddenly pushed against the lungs of Davis, who felt superior to others, and was despised by the backward and barbaric Chinese in the eyes of the entire civilized world, which made the young second lieutenant unacceptable. "Military etiquette is an excellent tradition that only Western, modern, and civilized armies have, and where is there any military etiquette in a barbaric medieval country that only uses insulting etiquette?" Davis was surprisingly angry and glared at Han Jialang, but his weapon had already been taken away, so he could only use words to fight back against the latter.

"Second lieutenant, how much do you know about our Guangfu Army, so you dare to put us in the same category as the Manchu court?" Ma Angelica's English level is average, but Davis still understands the general meaning of his words. "We have no subordinate relationship with the Manchu court and army, and if there is anything to do with it, it is that we are in a hostile relationship with the Manchu court, and the decaying and declining feudal dynasty will be overthrown by us. In addition, our Liberation Army is not only more civilized than the Manchu army, but also more civilized than your British army and all the Western countries and armies. It's just that his speaking level is also very limited, and Zhang Haotian can only translate his words into English.

"I doubt it." Davis took out the style of a superior person and looked at the group of Chinese in front of him with arrogant eyes. In his eyes, these Chinese are no different from other Chinese except that they are taller and have similar clothes and hairstyles to Westerners. It is presumptuous to dare to ask the officers of the British Army to salute them, to dare to say that they are more civilized than Westerners.

"Military etiquette or something shouldn't be a topic of discussion for us, these can't be explained in three or two sentences. Let's discuss how we can deal with the aftermath of the conflict! "It's just a waste of time to fight over some subsections, and to get the conversation to the point.

A table and a few benches from the walled village were placed in a nearby open space, and the two sides sat on either side for the first informal contact. Because Davis was just a small second lieutenant, everyone didn't want to surrender their status, so they let Zhang Haotian be responsible for negotiating with him. In any case, the two sides are only going to make contacts, and it is impossible to reach any agreement. Ma Angelica and Shen Xingshi went together to comfort the villagers, Zhang Pan went to supervise the reinforcement of defensive positions, and Han Jialong continued to monitor the movements of the British troops on Hong Kong Island.

After the two sides were seated, a soldier brought a drink, and two white porcelain tea bowls were steaming. Davis was startled by the smell of coffee, and he couldn't contain his curiosity and hurriedly opened the lid of his cup. The black liquid in the tea bowl confirmed his judgment, which also puzzled the second lieutenant. In just such a short period of time, how did these Chinese conjure up coffee? The rich aroma stimulated his sense of smell, and he took a sip like Chinese drinking tea, and his doubts deepened, this coffee tasted very strange, different from any kind of coffee he had ever drunk.

Davis's sometimes puzzled and sometimes happy expressions all fell in Zhang Haotian's eyes. He secretly laughed in his heart, a child who has never drunk Nescafe can't afford to hurt it! Seeing the other party put down the tea bowl, he cleared his throat and said, "Mr. Ensign, everyone's time is precious, so let's start immediately!" First of all, I would like to introduce myself, I am Zhang Haotian, Commissioner of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Guangdong Revolutionary Government of the Republic of China, and I have been authorized by the Guangdong Revolutionary Government to take full responsibility for the negotiation of this conflict. ”

The "Republican Revolutionary Government of Guangdong" was a temporary expedient measure of the Management Committee, because after all, without a political entity, there could be no dialogue with the British government in Hong Kong on an equal footing. The Foreign Affairs Committee is a new body, and there is currently a full-time staff member for Zhang Haotian, referred to as the Commissioner. Davis didn't know about these things, and he wouldn't care. The news of the occupation of Xin'an County by a group of rebels had already been heard by the British on the island from the Chinese merchants who had come to sell vegetables. I thought it was just a group of guys who were the same as the Heaven and Earth Society a few years ago, even if it was rumored that they were dressed and hairstyled similar to Westerners, they didn't attract attention, but I didn't expect to meet so soon. Davis was stunned by Zhang Haotian's title, and he didn't want to lose his momentum, so he temporarily thought of a bluffing title. "Second Lieutenant Davis, Commander-in-Chief and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom Army in Hong Kong." The representative is real, and this carte blanche is bragging. After a pause, he decided to strike first. "At the outset, on behalf of the Government of the United Kingdom, I would like to announce the following request. First, you should immediately and unconditionally release our abductees and return the bodies of our fallen officers and soldiers; second, to compensate for the loss of our personnel and property; thirdly, to hand over the murderers of our personnel and to bring them to trial by us; Fourth, your government representative must make a formal apology to us and give a pledge not to harm our personnel in the future. ”

Because he had already understood the arrogance of the British in advance, Zhang Haotian kept his expression calm and kept smiling as he listened to Davis's account of the conditions. When Davis had finished speaking, he said in a mocking tone: "I have to say, Mr. Ensign, that there is no more arrogant nation in this world than you Englishmen. If anyone who does not know what happened to you hears about it, they will think that you are the one who is the victor in the conflict. ”

"You're just winning by luck with a dastardly sneak attack!" After the news was transmitted back to Hong Kong Island, the British army refused to believe that a company of British Army would be defeated by the Chinese from the front. They gave themselves all sorts of reasons, and Davis was just one of them.

"Facts speak louder than words! You can go and check the bodies of your fallen officers and soldiers, they were all shot and killed in the front, and the sneak attack you mentioned is just your imagination. However, most of our innocent villagers were shot in the back, which shows that it was you who attacked them. "For arrogant people, Zhang Haotian is very willing to slap them in the face." As for your request, I can only think that it is a fantasy. For humanitarian reasons, we can unconditionally return the remains of your fallen officers and soldiers. We will not respond to your other conditions. He raised his hand to stop Mr. Ensign, who was about to speak, "You have put forward your own conditions, please listen to our conditions now!" First, you will compensate our civilians who have been victims of this conflict; Second, we will try the perpetrators of our civilians in this conflict, and you can send a lawyer to defend them. The rest of the captives will be repatriated after the two sides sign an agreement; Thirdly, your Chief Executive in Hong Kong must make a formal apology to us and ensure that your military personnel will not carry weapons into areas under our control. ”

After listening to this, Davis realized that the other party's conditions were the same as his own, but the positions of the two sides were reversed. This made him furious, "Ridiculous! It is an insult to the United Kingdom for you barbarians to dare to put forward such arrogant conditions, and we will never agree to it! ”

Zhang Haotian's face was straight, "Second Lieutenant Davis, please pay attention to your words and deeds!" Although we are currently in a state of hostility, we have always maintained due courtesy, and you, as an educated and civilized person, have been using insulting words that are incompatible with your status as a diplomatic negotiator. If you do not pay any more attention to your words, I will declare the negotiations broken down and expel you. ”

Zhang Haotian has always behaved amiably, which made Davis's arrogant mentality begin to swell, so that he seems to speak unscrupulously. However, after being reprimanded, he immediately became honest, because he understood that it was impossible for someone of his level to reach any agreement with the Chinese, and now it was only the first confrontation between the two sides to test each other. The differences between the two sides were so great that there was no possibility of further talks, so he had no choice but to put forward some demands that could be realized. "I'd like to see our captives first!"

His request was quickly met, and ten minutes later he saw the captured British soldiers. More than 30 British prisoners of war sat in a dejected open space outside the village, the traces of the battle were still clearly visible, with bullet holes and blood stains everywhere, and five or six Chinese soldiers scattered around. He quickly found the person he was looking for, "Winters, God forbid, you're still alive!" ”

Hearing a familiar voice, the hapless Mr. Lieutenant raised his head and immediately saw an eager face. "Oh! Oh, God! Davis, why are you here? ”

"Your Excellency the General has sent me to negotiate and try to rescue you." David stepped forward and grabbed the other's hand. "What about any of you else?"

"The living are here." Winters was depressed, "Except for a few who were seriously wounded, everyone else died. ”

"Hiss——!" Davis gasped, unable to believe his ears. More than half of an infantry company was killed or wounded, and the combat effectiveness of this group of Chinese should not be underestimated! "How many of you are at war? What about combat effectiveness? "Knowing oneself and knowing one's opponent is the minimum military literacy, and Mr. Ensign wants to find out the first-hand information, and he will have an explanation when he goes back.

"There were very few of them at the time of the firefight, it should have been around thirty. But their firepower was very fierce, and the firepower of more than 10 people in the front exceeded that of more than 100 of us, and more than 30 of us were killed in a single shot. Winters was still haunted by the battle that had ended so long.

"Impossible!" If he did not know the character of Lieutenant Winters, Davis would have thought that he was exaggerating the combat effectiveness of the Chinese in order to cover up his responsibility for the defeat. "How is it possible for ten people to have more than a hundred firepower? Did each of them carry ten guns? ”

"It's true, Mr. Ensign." Davis's arrival brought hope to everyone, and the captives slowly gathered around. "The Chinese's guns can be fired continuously, and the most powerful one fires hundreds of times in a minute."

"Yes! Yes! The bullets swept in like rain, and the brothers who had walked in front were knocked down in the blink of an eye. ”

If it weren't for the unanimous word, Davis would have thought he was hearing science fiction. After all, the power of automatic weapons was beyond his imagination, and it would be a few years before the first real machine gun in modern times, the Gatling gun, was invented.

"Ahem-ahem-" Seeing that Davis had learned what the traversers needed him to know, Zhang Haotian quickly coughed twice and interrupted their conversation. "Mr. Ensign, you have already met the person you want to meet, so please go back and report to your superiors as soon as possible!"

"I demand that you and our prisoners be treated humanely, and that they be provided with adequate food, clothing and medicine! If you cause death or injury to our personnel, we will hold you responsible. "Davis didn't forget to fight for the rights of his compatriots before leaving.

"Joke!" Before Zhang Haotian could answer, someone next to him quit. "You think you're here for a vacation? To be a captive is to have the consciousness of a captive, and although we have a lot of food, we do not feed the idlers. Otherwise, if we can't reach an agreement in a year, we will have to support you for a year? ”

Davis looked back at the person who spoke, a young man holding a strange little box, who was pointing the camera on the box at him. At this time, the camera had not been invented for a long time, and it was even more rare in East Asia, and Davis's ability to recognize the lens could already be regarded as well-informed, but the Chinese camera was too small. "I solemnly warn you that if our personnel are treated inhumanely, I guarantee that you will be in great trouble, and the wrath of the United Kingdom is not something you can bear!"

"Our only trouble is that the captive camps are too small, and more need to be built to fit you all in." It was Durary who was holding the DV, and when he heard the British Yankees' false words and intimidation, he couldn't help but ridicule him.

"Second Lieutenant Davis," Zhang Haotian intervened in time to end the dispute between the two sides, "please go back now and prepare to receive the bodies of your fallen soldiers, we will place the bodies on the beach on the shore, and in half an hour you can send fifty unarmed soldiers to carry the bodies." Please note two points, first, the number of people must not exceed fifty; Second, you must not carry any weapons. If you violate these two points, we will deem you to be acting hostile against us and we will retaliate. ”

Davis felt that the purpose of his trip had been achieved and that he could not strive for any more benefits, so he comforted the British prisoners and left. Before leaving, he solemnly gave a military salute, and he now regarded the traverser as a civilized person equal to himself.