Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Turkish Empire, plus a Bulgaria that was implicated. After the defeat of these four countries, many nobles or former celebrities became embarrassed because of the defeat.

It should be noted that Bulgaria followed Germany in both the First and Second World Wars, and of course because of this, Bulgaria became a defeated country in both wars.

Throughout modern history, apart from Germany, the initiator of World Wars I and II, Bulgaria is probably the only country that has experienced two defeats―――――― of course, if we consider that on the eve of World War II, Austria was annexed by Germany, making this former majority of the Austro-Hungarian Empire a part of Germany, perhaps Austria-Hungary can also be counted.

It's just that the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time had an extremely vast territory. It can even be said that if the overseas colonies are excluded, only the territories directly under the jurisdiction of Europe are counted. The territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was the largest of all the countries on the European continent except for Russia, and the so-called Austria was only a part of it.

In any case, the defeat of the war still had a great impact on many people.

Ordinary civilians, life naturally became more embarrassing, and many even lost their jobs. And even those prominent celebrities and even nobles may not live much better than these commoners, especially those nobles with their own estates, because of the defeat. The factory was shut down, and it was almost in a desperate situation.

This is definitely the best time to trade in antiques and art.

In fact, it is not only these defeated countries. Even those victorious. Except for Britain, which did not suffer much direct losses in the war, other countries, such as France, which were directly caught in the war, or Russia, which simply did not have the whole country and had to flee, and their lives became embarrassed...

Also for this reason, on a global scale. There are quite a few collectors who are starting to take advantage of this opportunity to participate in this feast.

It's just that in this feast, Yan Shao or Yushi Group. is undoubtedly one of the most conspicuous protagonists.

After all, those large consortia may not have such a nature, and those private collectors do not have such a large financial ―――――― action as Yan Shao.

Several years of war time. Let the branches of Yushi Group spread all over the world. From Asia to Europe, from Africa to the Americas, with the exception of the icy Antarctica, there are branches of the Rainstone Group on almost every continent.

With this as a barrier, Yan Shao's acquisition work naturally went a lot smoother.

As for Yan Shao's purpose in doing this, it was also very simple, in the later years, many times if you wanted to see domestic treasures, you had to go to foreign museums to watch them. Why? Because in those war-torn years. Even in the era when the political situation was already stable, a large number of cultural relics and artworks belonging to China were stolen or robbed by foreigners. I used all kinds of means to get abroad.

As a result, many Chinese people want to see the treasures of their country with their own eyes, and they need to go to foreign museums.

This is undoubtedly a very regrettable thing for Yan Shao. Especially when he traveled to this era, a long time has passed since the Gengzi Incident, and many treasures belonging to China have been plundered abroad...

Not being able to make up for this regret in his own way is Yan Shao's biggest regret.

Fortunately, after the establishment of the Guoshe government, Yan Shao tried his best to protect his country's treasures. Even when he was in charge of Anhui, he began to legislate to prohibit the sale of cultural relics abroad, and almost all of those tomb robbers were arrested and executed!

However, it is useless to protect it alone, after all, many treasures have been taken abroad.

In this era, it is undoubtedly very difficult to get these treasures back into the country. Fortunately, it is not impossible, and on the other hand, for Yan Shao from later generations, when facing the situation that if he wants to see the treasures of his country, he must go abroad, another regret also appears in his heart―――――― "If we want to see the cultural relics of our country, we must go to foreign museums, and why can't we let foreigners do the same!" ”

I believe that many Chinese people in Yan Shao's era had similar thoughts.

Of course, it can also be explained more simply, that is, why can others rob us of our things, but we can't rob them? This will also allow foreigners to understand our feelings!

However, it is a pity that China at this time does not have such strong national strength, so it is probably impossible to grab it hard.

――――――――――――――――――――――――――

Of course, in addition to the above regret, Yan Shao also has some other reasons.

For example, Elano and Caterina are more interested in this kind of art.

Unlike Yan Shao, Yan Shao's poor learning in later generations can be described as a mess. If it weren't for the blessing of crossing, it is estimated that he would be an ordinary ordinary person in the future life, living an ordinary life, marrying an ordinary wife, giving birth to an ordinary son―――――― well, whether he can marry a daughter-in-law is really not likely, after all, in addition to his height, Yan Shao is really ordinary to the point that he can no longer be ordinary.

And if you can't even marry a daughter-in-law, then it seems that you don't have to think about your son or something―――――― of course, it may also be a daughter. I don't care much about this, after all, can women hold up half the sky.

But it's also because of this that Yan Shao really doesn't have much interest in things like art.

Although Yan Shao can barely be regarded as an artist because of the plagiarism of many classic novels of later generations, Yan Shao himself has never been so self-proclaimed.

But Elano and Caterina are different, different from Yan Shao. Both of them were born in prestigious universities in their respective countries―――――― well, although both of them ran to China with Yan Shao without graduating, but anyway. This kind of experience still makes them have a strong interest in art.

Although they can't try to be an artist because of their current life, being a collector of art doesn't seem to be too much of a problem, and their financial resources now allow them to do so.

And Yan Shao is undoubtedly a man who dotes on his wife very much, and he is already a rich country, so there is no need to care about such a little financial expenditure. Plus the regret that I said earlier. Naturally, Yan Shao supported Elaino's actions.

Even warships were mobilized specifically to protect this trade―――――― of course, this was definitely not for private use. Wrong! It is a public ship for private use.

Because Yan Shao was using the things of these warships, he also gave the government a promise, that is, the art purchased from Europe, except for a small part. The rest will be stored in the Palace Museum. It is exhibited as an exhibit.

Of course, this is not to say that Yan Shao wants to donate all these artworks to the museum, but only to temporarily place them there, and at the same time allow the museum to exhibit them.

――――――――――――――――――――――――

Put the artwork in the museum, let the museum exhibit it, and the artwork itself still belongs to the owner? Such examples are not unfounded. At least the vase that Yan Shao bought from abroad back then was such an example.

The owner of the vase placed the vase in the British Museum, but it still belongs to the owner. Historically, this vase was eventually bought by the British Museum. But now it was taken by Yan Shao first and bought it from the owner. As a result, it has become a treasure exhibited in the European Pavilion of the Palace Museum.

Although the European Pavilion was only in its infancy at that time, and there were not many exhibits inside, just such an exhibit had already graced the entire European Pavilion.

The same is true for now, although Yan Shao keeps these works of art in museums and even allows them to exhibit them. However, the ownership of these artworks is still Yan Shao's, that is to say, it is only Yan Shao who lent them to the museum for exhibition.

Having said that, this is good for the country.

It is precisely for this reason that Yan Shao has an excuse to mobilize the country's warships to help him protect these works of art―――――― don't look at these things individually, they are no longer very valuable in this era of war. But if a whole bunch of things are put together, it is still priceless, and no one can guarantee that there will not be any bold thieves coming to the door.

Therefore, it has become inevitable to send strong force to protect it.

Even on the warship, in addition to the ordinary sailors, there are some armed forces of the Yushi Group for protection.

And if Yan Shao hadn't made such a promise, even if Yan Shao was the leader of this country, he would never have used warships to do things for his family without authorization.

After all, as the leader of a country, the most taboo is that there is no distinction between public and private―――――― of course, in fact, as long as you are a person, it is difficult to distinguish between public and private, but at least you have to make these beautiful on the surface, as for private...

This is the case at the moment, although Yan Shao said that he mobilized the country's warships to transport art, but because there was a reasonable reason. So don't say it's blaming, I don't know how many people clap and praise.

――――――――――――――――――――――――

At the end of World War I, that is, after the Battle of Jutland, because large-scale naval battles were almost impossible, Yan Shaozhi also allowed some warships to go to Europe in the later period.

After all, in this way, it will appear that China will contribute more to this war, especially when compared to Japan. In fact, in many conflicts between China and Japan, Britain has always wanted to contain China and thus support Japan. However, there are many countries that are hesitant to express this, such as France, for this reason.

After all, China has always been their staunch ally in World War I. Even at the end of the war, China stabbed Russia in the back and snatched two-thirds of its territory directly from Russia, becoming one of the biggest winners of the war. But at least China's cousin on the battlefield on the Western Front is out of the question. Verdun, the Somme, and several bloody battles in which the Chinese expeditionary force performed impeccable. It can even be said that if there is no expeditionary force, the coalition does not know how much it will cost to win this victory.

And...

In the matter of Russia. Yan Shao also has a reasonable reason...

"If we don't start at this time, do we want to leave the Russian territory in Asia to the Red Gang of Soviet Russia..."

This reason alone is enough to make many countries support Yan Shao.

Just like Yan Shao said, if Yan Shao does not make a move, then almost 100% of Russia's territory in Asia will fall into the hands of Soviet Russia. In this case, it is better to fall into the hands of the Chinese, after all, both sides are capitalist. Even if the race is different, it is closer than Soviet Russia...

What about Japan in comparison?

For a Qingdao. The Chinese war led directly to the defeat of Japan in the Battle of Tsingtao, and then focused all its energy on grabbing German colonies in Asia, while indifferent to the bloody war in Europe. Not only did it not have the slightest intention of sending the army to Europe to help. Even the navy was stingy with help―――――― during World War I Britain hoped that Japan would send its navy to the war, or lend a few capital ships to Britain, such as the Kongo-class battle cruisers that Britain had built for Japan.

As a result, Japan has always been stingy in helping each other, and this kind of expression is in the eyes of the European powers.

In contrast, China's performance in Europe is impeccable. Especially after the Battle of Jutland, although Yan Shao did not know much about the naval battles in World War I, he also knew that the Battle of Jutland was the largest naval battle in World War I.

Again, after this naval battle. The Entente and the Central Powers never seemed to have fought any more major naval battles.

In this way, the navy was sent to Europe. There doesn't seem to be much danger at all. At least at the time. Moreover, sending the navy to Europe can also be a great training for the navy.

――――――――――――――――――――――――

As mentioned earlier, Yan Shao mobilized this batch of navies.

Although most of the naval vessels had returned from Europe after the end of the First World War, a small number remained in Europe, interacting with European navies or whatever.

Although the relationship between the Wehrmacht and European countries at this time is not as good as before, after all, it has not completely turned around, so it is still possible to have some exchanges between them...

Yan Shao's acquisition has been going on for a long time, starting at the end of World War I, that is, in 1918. It's just that although the situation in various countries was still very chaotic at that time, the rich people would always hold out for a while longer than the common people, and at that time, although the situation of those celebrities and nobles had become a little bad, they could still hold on.

But after the Treaty of Versailles was signed, it was completely different.

What was originally a country was dismembered into multiple countries. The impact on its own people must have been enormous, as well as on France, where the war took place in the north. Although France won the war in the end, the territory of northern France had been completely destroyed in the war, and places such as Verdun and the Somme were almost flattened by shells.

One can imagine how the lives of those who live on this land will be affected.

Even the nobles suffered heavy losses.

There were other belligerent countries, and the same was generally the case, but the worst of them were the Russian nobles, who had to flee their homeland because of the war.

These are almost all the trading targets of the Yushi Group, and of course, in addition to these, those Europeans who have 'been' China are also one of the trading targets of China...

For example, many of the national treasures plundered from China by the members of the Eight-Nation Coalition were actually in their hands. In the past 20 years, many have fallen into disarray, and many have simply hung up, on the battlefield, or in some other place...

Although Yan Shao has the desire to 'let foreigners go to China to see their own country's artworks', Yan Shao will never mind being able to recover some of his country's cultural relics from the hands of Europeans.

Although Yan Shao felt that since these things were forcibly snatched by foreigners by force, it seemed that he should also use force to recapture these cultural relics.

But in that case, it will take at least ten or even twenty years to do it, after all, what Yan Shao will have to face at that time is likely to be the vast majority of the Western world. When that time comes, you know, war will destroy a lot of things...

Even if they are not destroyed, the chaos caused by the war may make those precious cultural relics disappear...

In that case, it's better to take it back sooner...

In fact, after the end of World War I, the Nationalist government had recovered at least 3,000 precious artifacts from the Great Powers that they had taken from China. As for the cultural relics and works of art in Europe and some other regions, the number is even higher, probably reaching more than 10,000 pieces, not only in Europe itself, but also in other regions. After all, in the colonial era, the footsteps of Europeans spread all over the world, and Egypt, India, and some ancient civilizations in South America were almost all within the scope of European colonization...

These cultural relics have greatly enriched Yan Shao's private collection and the various exhibition halls of the Palace Museum. And this series of acquisitions is still going on...

Ten years later, the government purchased more than 3 million cultural relics and works of art from abroad, and recovered more than 100,000 lost cultural relics, although many of them were small objects of little value, but there were also many rare and rare treasures, which also made the Palace Museum the largest museum in the world... (To be continued......)