Xi'an Town is not a military fortress, but a dual-use trade town, after the allied warships show their identities and complete certain procedures, they can enter the port for supplies, anchor and rest, and colonial powers such as Britain, France, Spain and the Netherlands will generally give convenience to other countries' fleets.

Except, of course, hostile countries.

A few hours later, the French cruiser was allowed to berth, and the heavily armed soldiers on the shore could be seen pulling out of the cordon, setting up a checkpoint and two sandbags in improvised bunkers, which were even equipped with Maxine machine guns.

This made the faces of the French officers on the light cruisers look ugly, they had been so accustomed to the African region, they had always been on the high ground, and they had not been treated like this for a long time, although it was the norm.

After all, it was a warship and not a civilian ship, and strengthening the vigilance was originally the meaning of the topic.

As is customary

The French officers and men on the light cruisers were allowed to take turns ashore for leave, limited to a certain number, and were required to obey the laws of the land, respect the local customs, refrain from drunkenness, fighting, etc., and were required to return to the ship by 12:00 p.m.

The town of Xi'an sent a special person to contact the French light cruisers, reiterating the relevant matters once again, hoping that the French officers and men would abide by the order of the town and avoid any unpleasant incidents.

The French officers were treated much better than the sailors, and the Xi'an garrison arranged for them to be greeted by a special carriage, and was personally received by Major Friedman Kopf, the deputy leader of the expeditionary task force, and a welcome reception in the evening, which showed considerable courtesy.

Major Friedman-Kopf once served as the commander of the Leopard Cavalry Company, and followed the current post, Huo Xiaohu, deputy commander of the 1st Kalimantan Division, who participated in the "sweeping" security operation in northern Queensland.

The French officers and their entourage were arranged to stay in the "Guangxi Guild Hall", which is a Ming and Qing dynasty style mansion built of earth and stone, paved with blue bricks, and transplanted with some local flowers and plants, which looks quiet and elegant.

This mansion has just been built, it is the private property of the captain Lei Xiaopeng, and it is used to receive some high-end guests and businessmen on weekdays, and it is also the club of the resident officers, which is perfect for receiving the French.

The Arab maid served the melons and fruits that had been in the cool water town, and the French officers swept away the heat after eating, and the cool breeze of the fan in their hands was leisurely, which felt very comfortable.

Among the group of French officers, there was a middle-aged Frenchman in civilian clothes, not tall, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and looking quite rich, with curly black hair, he was a member of Mr. Fulham, the foreign commissioner of the Canal Authority, and asked casually as he put the leftover melon peels on the table;

"Mr. Major, this place is really very good, you have built it so well that I mistakenly think that this is not a desolate and primitive Africa, but a better place for human life, which is really impressive."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Fulham."

"Uh...... Let me take the liberty of asking, are you really here to build a supply base for the ocean-going trade routes? ”

"You understand correctly, sir."

Is there any other purpose? For example, continue to expand Queensland's sphere of influence and exert influence on the trade between Europe and Asia, otherwise it is difficult to explain why you chose such a desolate and primitive area, where there is nothing but the Gobi Desert and the desert, which is completely unsuitable for human life. ”

"I have nothing to say about this, the soldiers just follow the orders of the superiors, and there are not so many problems."

"Then let's look at it from another angle, I also looked up relevant information in the Suez Canal Authority, and I know that the Earl of Queensland is a nobleman divided by Her Majesty the Queen of England, and from the perspective of his history, he has a strong expansion, and he has just fought a war with the Dutch in the East Indies, and won it, and obtained a lot of post-war rights, so can we think that ...... Now he has his sights set on Africa. ”

"I have no comment on that, Mr. Commissioner."

"To be honest, the Suez Canal Authority is concerned about your military presence in Africa, and hopes that the two sides will deepen cooperation and understanding through an open and inclusive attitude, and work together to maintain regional peace, which is exactly what we are here for."

"Please forgive Mr. Diplomatic Commissioner, I am a soldier and will only act according to orders, please consult the Australian side for relevant questions."

"That'...... Will we be able to meet Lieutenant Colonel Ray at the welcome dinner? ”

"I'm sorry, I can't be sure."

"Isn't he in town?"

"I'm sorry, it's a matter of military secrets, and I have nothing to say."

"Uh......" Commissioner Fulham rolled his eyes and said helplessly; We look forward to an open and honest conversation with you at the dinner. ”

"As long as it doesn't involve military secret matters, it should be fine." Major Friedman-Kopf stood up, looked at the relaxed Frenchman with annoyance, and still raised his hand in salute; "If there is nothing else, please allow me to take my leave, there are military affairs to be taken care of."

"Thank you for your hospitality, please feel free to do so." Colonel Payette stood up, returned the salute, and said in response.

"Alright, take your leave."

Major Friedman-Kopf turned away crisply, he was a traditional Prussian character, strict and rigid, and not a very good diplomatic receptionist, and from his lips Mr. Fulham could hardly hear any useful information.

It's not a good conversation partner.

So, after Major Friedman-Kopf took his leave, the atmosphere in the living room was noticeably relaxed, and the French officers began to talk and laugh.

"My God, I really didn't expect to see the Germans here, the smell of decay in them disgusts me, and I hate the Germans the most."

"What's the use of hating? It's not like you have to be neighbors with them yet. ”

"Gentlemen, please calm down, according to my understanding, Queensland is a society of immigrants, the subject of immigration is the Chinese ethnic group in the Eastern continent, there are also British, Scottish, Germans, Italians and Americans, of course, there are also French, a bit similar to the situation in North America, the only difference is that there are a lot of Oriental people, so to be precise, it should be German Queenslanders, these are two concepts."

"Isn't that the same, I hate the Germans, I hate the Germanic beard, I hate the German beer and the Hessian prosciutto, I hate everything that has anything to do with the Germans."

"Well, actually, I hate them as much as you, they're like wooden people carved out of a mold, hahaha......"

The French officers laughed loudly, and all sorts of jokes were popular in France that ridiculed the Germans for their stupidity and stupidity, and of course the British, and they enjoyed it.

France is located in the southwest of Europe, with the warm and unrestrained elements of southern Europeans, humorous and witty, sensitive and somewhat neurotic, and is a country of outstanding artists and architects, leading the world's fashion and art trends.

The defeat of the Franco-Prussian War is a deep scar in the hearts of every Frenchman, and the optimistic, cheerful and confident French will face it with a smile, which does not mean that they do not care.

At this time, the diplomatic attaché, Mr. Fulham, and Colonel Payette went to a secluded room next to them, and exchanged views on the town of Xi'an alone.

"Mr. Colonel, from everything we have seen, I am afraid that we have to accept the reality of having one more neighbor, which is really annoying."

"Mr. Commissioner Fulham, the European Berlin Conference is about to take place, and the French have to accept the reality of Africa's increasing crowding, and our military is well prepared for this, and it looks like Queensland is a tough and interesting character, and we look forward to further contact and understanding."

"Well, it seems that the two of us have reached a consensus on this issue, and the final report needs your signature."

"I have no problem, when I entered Xi'an Town, I noticed that the town planning and construction here is quite good, not inferior to us Europeans, and the formation of such a large town in more than 8 months shows a very high management art, which has to be taken seriously."

"Indeed, Mr. Colonel is very observant."

"From a military point of view, Xi'an Town is a forward base with long-lasting logistical support capabilities, which can echo the Great Hashny Island, greatly enhancing the forward presence, and the military training of Queenslanders is quite standardized, exuding a strong German smell, I can smell it from 300 miles away."

"Well, it's a fairly powerful opponent, and the annoying Brits are everywhere." Commissioner Fulham set the tone for their private conversation, and then the conversation shifted to other topics of interest; "Mr. Colonel, when we entered here, we saw a lot of Arabs and Persians, especially quite a lot of masked Arab women, what do you think about that?"

"The Slave Trade." Colonel Payette replied almost without thinking, his gray-blue eyes blinking, and he lowered his voice; "We have more than 20,000 troops stationed along the Suez River, and the hateful Ottoman Empire strictly forbids trade with us, and the lads are in need of a good life during their service, especially the female slaves."

"Of course, I understand." Fulham nodded, pondered, and said; "We can communicate with the town of Xi'an about this and try the possibility of trade, but with the vigilance of the other side towards France, we can't expect too much."

"I have a different view on this, so let's wait and see." Colonel Payette smiled confidently and ended the private meeting.

The Ottoman Empire and Tsarist Russia were bitter rivals, and any country close to Tsarist Russia was an enemy of the Ottoman Empire, without exception.

In Europe

Due to the formation of the Triple Emperors Alliance by Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, geographically a semicircular encirclement of France, with an absolute superiority in land forces, the military situation was quite unfavorable to France.

Therefore, in order to alleviate the pressure on the military situation on the European continent, France is doing its best to win over Tsarist Russia, hoping that the two sides will form a military alliance to ease its own pressure, for which it has issued a huge loan of francs, and has carried out comprehensive technical assistance to help Tsarist Russia build warships in the Black Sea region, update its army weapons and equipment, repair roads, and establish a long-distance telegraph network, and cooperate closely with both sides.

This really angered the Ottoman Empire, which faced a huge threat from Tsarist Russia in the Black Sea and Balkans, and the two sides fought 10 large-scale Russo-Turkish wars in more than 100 years.

In doing so, the French are tantamount to handing over the knife to let Tsarist Russia slaughter the Ottoman Empire, how can this be endured?

In this case

The Ottoman Empire almost cut off all kinds of trade ties with France, including the Suez Canal Authority, but fortunately, the French have many colonies, and the Suez Canal is not far from France, so the supply of various materials is still sufficient.

The only thing missing is a female slave.

Everyone understands the reason, after all, in this era, the arrogant French do not treat Africans as equals, treating them as their own kind......