Expedition to Europe

France in 1917 was teetering on the crossroads of war.

The Americans have not yet joined the war and are only focused on doing business and making money, the British are exhausted and still trying to support themselves, the Russians are in civil strife and have nothing to do, and France is close to drying up its blood.

During the winter, former Prime Minister Joseph Caillaux, who was a member of the Radical Socialist Party along with Georges Clemenceau, proposed peace with the Germans and called for an end to this war without a winner. At the same time, the newly succeeded Austro-Hungarian Emperor Karl I sent his two younger brothers to Paris to start secret peace negotiations with the Allies.

It looked as if the war was ending.

At least there is hope for closure.

Karl I was less than 30 years old. He was an idealist. He had not received any political training or management experience before succeeding to the throne. It is really worrying to let such a person serve as the emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, one of the five traditional powers.

Like their young emperor, Karl I's two younger brothers, Prince Hist and Prince Sevier, had previously worked as stretcher-bearers in the Belgian army and also had no political experience. This made the Austro-Hungarian peace negotiation seem unlikely. No sincerity.

Unlike Caillot, Clemenceau was a staunch militant. Clemenceau opposed any form of compromise and advocated fighting the Germans to the end so that the Germans would receive the punishment they deserved.

You can hear it in his tone.

"We can't get Alsace and Lorraine from negotiations. If we don't get them on the battlefield, we won't get them at the negotiating table either." When talking about this, Clemenceau became emotional. He spoke quickly, his face turned red, and the beard on his lips was constantly blowing. Along with his firm and powerful movements, he showed extremely strong tension and infection. Force: "We do have many difficulties, but at the same time we should see that the Germans have no less difficulties, even more than us. If I come to power, my domestic plan is: I will fight! My external plan The plan is: I will fight! I will fight at any time and anywhere! Until the moment my life ends, I will fight forever!”

When Clemenceau finished speaking, he couldn't help but stand up from the sofa. Although he slowed down his speech, he was more decisive, sonorous and strong.

"Whoosh whoosh..." Foch and Leotai couldn't help but applaud.

"George, I support you!" Old Leno shouted.

Qin Zhiyuan remained calm and politely applauded as Foch and Lyautey stood up.

"Qin, as a Frenchman, I don't blame you for your behavior on Corsica, but I am grateful to you because you are working hard for the interests of France. But now, the time has come for you to work hard again. Clemenceau looked serious.

Qin Zhiyuan knew that Clemenceau would become Prime Minister of France at some point in the future and then play a key role in World War I. But Qin Zhiyuan didn't know when Clemenceau came to power, let alone how Clemenceau came to power.

According to Clemenceau's status in France, Clemenceau's words now are equivalent to giving Qin Zhiyuan official recognition. This is equivalent to giving Qin Zhiyuan a death-free gold medal, which can guarantee that Qin Zhiyuan will survive the war. Not being held accountable.

Of course, according to Clemenceau, whether this death-free gold medal will be effective depends on Qin Zhiyuan's subsequent performance.

At this moment, Qin Zhiyuan could no longer hesitate.

So Qin Zhiyuan decisively promised: "If you need me to do anything, please tell me directly. As a soldier of the Foreign Legion, it is my duty to do so." Qin Zhiyuan was serious.

Qin Zhiyuan's attitude towards Clemenceau is completely different from his attitude towards Nivele. This does not mean that Qin Zhiyuan is duplicitous, but is determined by the status of Clemenceau and Nivele.

It is impossible to be tough when dealing with big figures, as that will lead to serious consequences. You cannot obey blindly, as that will also lead to serious consequences.

Qin Zhiyuan may be a bit angry, but he is definitely not a middle schooler.

"In Paris, there is now a voice that is advocating negotiations with the Germans. We must absolutely stop the emergence of this trend of public opinion and must nip them in the bud. Therefore, we need you to do something." Clemenceau was unclear. , presumably asking Qin Zhiyuan to use his subjective initiative again.

Don't think that Wai Guoren is very straightforward. They are the same. When it is related to their own interests, everyone wants to watch from the other side and benefit from it.

"How far can I go? I need authorization." Qin Zhiyuan doesn't mind being used as a weapon, as long as there are benefits to be gained.

Clemenceau and Foch and Lyoté all looked at the old Reno.

"There are four newspapers in total, including Le Figaro, which you have a good relationship with. We need them to shut up during this period. What can you do?" Old Reno came out to be the villain.

As expected, the division of labor was clear. Clemenceau and the others didn't even say a word, completely avoiding suspicion.

Perhaps it would be more appropriate for them to go out for a drink now.

Fortunately, they did not act so heartlessly, otherwise, Qin Zhiyuan would have wondered whether this was another trap.

"Can we acquire them?" Qin Zhiyuan thought of a solution fundamentally.

Acquisition is indeed an effective way to control public opinion. As long as these newspapers are acquired, ordinary people can only know the news they want to know.

"I tried." Old Renault looked gloomy, and the result spoke for itself.

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As the richest man in France, when old Renault encounters problems, his first reaction is to solve them with money. But this is not easy. There are always some things that money cannot do, especially when the other party's strength is almost the same as yours.

According to Clemenceau, it was former Prime Minister Caillot who advocated peace talks. Caillot must have supporters behind him to become prime minister, especially in the economic field. Under such circumstances, it is difficult for those newspapers to be bought by money.

"What do the Germans say about this peace talk?" Qin Zhiyuan was curious.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was a traditional land power country, and this country has always been led by the German Empire. What is incomprehensible is that although the Austro-Hungarian Empire is one of the five traditional powers in Europe, it does not have many overseas colonies.

The Austro-Hungarian Empire only began to pay attention to naval construction after the new century and wanted to expand abroad, but at a glance, the global colonies had been divided up by Britain and France, so the Austro-Hungarian Empire had the same interests as the Germans.

In Qin Zhiyuan's impression, the First World War seemed to end next year, and the Germans were not at their wits' end yet, so Qin Zhiyuan was very curious about why the Austro-Hungarian Empire sent people to Paris to negotiate peace at this time.

"There were no Germans in the peace negotiation team." Old Renault thought thoughtfully.

"Then, can we understand that the Germans were not aware of it?" Qin Zhiyuan's mind was opened.

Clemenceau and others' eyes suddenly lit up, yes, the Germans really might not have known about it.

Later realization?

Not necessarily, these people are all heroes of the time, they are just bound by fixed patterns.

I don't know the true face of Mount Lu, because I am in this mountain.