Age of Rebirth

From Myitkyina in northern Myanmar to Sudian, a small border town in Yunnan, there is a narrow mountain road that passes through the sharp mountain pass and enters China. Below the mountain is a rare plain area on the Yunnan-Myanmar border. Sudian is located on the narrow plain in the middle. ^138^Reading Books^

Alexander and Ebsen, when they were temporarily resting in Sudian, saw a shocking scene. Sudian and the surrounding area of ​​Sudian almost became a large barracks. From time to time, teams of artillery vehicles and tanks rumbled past. , kicked up a cloud of dust, almost fascinated the eyes of the two Englishmen.

Army green tents covered with camouflage nets were invisible at a glance. It was in the morning, and the shouts of Chinese soldiers practicing came from all angles. The residents of Sudian Town were not disturbed at all. Leisurely busy with their own livelihood.

On the long street paved with bluestone slabs, the trading shops are open as usual. Among the people coming and going, you can see that there are mountain people, farmers, hunters, and foreign merchants. Not a single Chinese soldier in military uniform was to be seen wandering around, nor was there a Chinese army man drinking wildly in taverns or restaurants.

Ebsen is a civil servant. From the perspective of economy and people's livelihood, he looks at this ordinary and ordinary Chinese border town. In all fairness, it is much more prosperous and vibrant than any town of the same size in Myanmar under his rule. [

Especially these ordinary Chinese people, the kind of tranquility and peace that permeated their bodies and faces was fundamentally different from the dullness and sluggishness of the residents of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia that he was used to. Life attitude and mental state, this is Ebson's conclusion.

But Alexander was different. Looking at it, his face became gloomy, and his brows raised a trace of unconcealable worry. He is a professional soldier who has been doing his best to expand the overseas territories of the British Empire. From India to Southeast Asia, from Burma to the Indochina Peninsula, Alexander has never seen ordinary people living without any disturbance under the siege of a large number of troops.

Whether it is the soldiers on duty passing by on the street, or the soldiers who are buying in the car, the military uniforms on them are very harmonious with the environment. Many residents greet the soldiers familiarly. Observe, to do this, it can only show one fact, the military discipline of this army is absolutely strict, not only integrated into the life of the local people, but also won their closeness and trust.

In all fairness, Alexander thought that his subordinates and the local people could not do this. The troops with strict discipline were the most terrifying. The troops he saw alone had tens of thousands of troops. How many are there?

Before coming to Tengchong, Alexander had a lot of incomprehensions about his subordinates who frequently lost battles with the Chinese army. The quality, weapons and equipment of the soldiers and officers of the Italian British imperial army should not be fought like this. He In the impression of the Chinese army, the soldiers are still using the rifles produced by the Hanyang Armory Factory founded by Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang in the late Qing Dynasty in the [-]th century.

But what he saw today completely overturned all his knowledge about China. Suddenly, he somewhat understood the uncomfortable feeling when his subordinates were fighting in the squadron. Just because he understood, Alexander's mood became stronger and stronger. The hair is getting heavy, what kind of person is this Tang Qiuli who has stirred up a lot of wind and rain in the Indochina Peninsula?

Ebsen withdrew his distracted gaze from a young Miao woman, and suddenly saw Alexander's face, which was as ugly as a dead fish, and couldn't help but asked in amazement: "General, what happened?" Alexander came back to his senses, His complexion gradually returned to normal.

He said to Ebson: "Your Excellency, I am afraid that this negotiation will be much more difficult than expected. Our opponent has enough cards. Ebson looks at a loss. He doesn't understand. When he was in Yangon, Alexander, who was full of confidence and confidence, why did he restrain his arrogance a lot when he entered China?

For Alexander's actions and words, Ebson was very disapproving. Before he could start negotiations with the Chinese named Tang Qiuli, his partner began to feel timid. He lost his momentum before going into battle. This is a negotiation taboo.

Alexander looked at the idiot Ebson, and felt that there was no need to talk nonsense with him. However, for the benefit of the British Empire, he should remind Ebson, "Mr. Governor, the trump card for negotiation lies in the strength in your hand. , Didn’t you see everything you saw along the way?”

Ebsen is not blind, how can he not see, he is not a fool, suddenly, he seems to understand Alexander's intention, "General, what do you mean, we should lower the conditions required for negotiation and try to facilitate the signing of the agreement ?”

Alexander was very satisfied with his partner's reaction. Now that they had reached a consensus, the two reorganized their cards for the negotiation. Some harsh requirements were simply removed. They even agreed on the final bottom line. According to the original estimate, a refund was made. Big stride, this completely changed negotiating material has been released again in the hands of the two British masters who hold military and political power.

Before leaving Sudian and rushing to Tengchong, Alexander seemed to be concerned, and asked Yang Keyao, Chief of Staff of the Independent Division who was the guide, "Is all the troops in your department the same as here, with strict military discipline? Mister's elite troops?"

Yang Keyao glanced at Alexander, and replied: "I'm sorry, this is our military secret, so I can't disclose it. However, I can tell you that our independent division unit implements a unified discipline standard, which is the same everywhere. But we are the garrison of an ordinary field regiment."

Alexander rolled his blue eyes, "This young center military officer is so cunning that he doesn't even disclose the number of the unit." He didn't get the information he needed, but Alexander remembered the "corps", a kind of formation of the independent division, As for which establishment it belonged to, he couldn't figure it out.

After arriving in Tengchong, although Yang Keyao briefly introduced the basic situation of the teacher Tang Qiuli along the way, when they met, Alexander and Ebsen were still shocked by Tang Qiuli's age, which gave Alexander a headache An extremely Chinese man, even though he is so young, if it weren't for the four shining gold stars on the military uniform, reminding the master of his identity, he could easily be mistaken for a general's entourage.

The negotiation hall is located in the manor of a local gentry in Tengchong. The antique Chinese-style building is full of carved beams and painted buildings, full of strong Chinese cultural atmosphere. To be honest, Alexander and Ebsen are not very used to and like this kind of environment. environment.

The negotiators on Tang Qiuli's side, except for Mei Xue who accompanied him, were only three junior officers who were proficient in English and acted as meeting recorders. Compared with the British lineup, it was much simpler. Alexander and Ebson I didn't wake up from the Chinese cultural atmosphere, and was shocked by Mei Xue's beauty and temperament.

Mei Xue didn't wear a military uniform today, but a goose yellow cheongsam, long black hair, tied into a classic bun, beautiful face, slender yet plump body, even Tang Qiuli himself The momentary distraction was Tang Qiuli's intentional request for Mei Xue to dress up like this, not only to show off the elegant demeanor of Chinese women, but also to let British men see the beauty of Chinese women. [

Looking at the two guys with the demeanor of the British gentleman, Tang Qiuli couldn't help but feel complacent. Such a beautiful woman is his wife. Any man would be proud of having Meixue. The feeling of complacency, although boastful, is indeed refreshing.

At the beginning of the negotiations, Alexander proposed that the basis for the ceasefire agreement between the two sides was to require the Chinese troops to withdraw from the Indochina Peninsula, and he repeatedly emphasized that this is the first issue to be resolved before the negotiations, otherwise, there is no need for negotiations. Moreover, it is also vaguely mapped that this is an aggression against the overseas territories of the British Empire.

Tang Qiuli sneered, this British general is cunning enough, the troops have withdrawn from the currently occupied area, no matter what the final negotiation result is, the British have already won, and the rest are all important details The problem is that the British can make concessions, because they have achieved their goal.

To be honest, if Tang Qiuli did not intend to let the British enter to resist the initial Japanese attack, consume the strength and vigor of the Japanese army, and minimize casualties after his troops entered Southeast Asia, he would not have to grind his teeth and negotiate with the British at all. Don't even mention the matter, there is no reason and no interest.

Alexander's words somewhat angered Tang Qiuli. I can only say that the British are still worth using, at least as a shield, otherwise, just a few words from this British guy can drive them out. Just start the fight, I'm afraid the British have neither the guts nor the ability.

"Retreat? Invasion?" Tang Qiuli asked rhetorically, "Your Excellency, you should understand the fact that our squadron crossed the border to pursue the Japanese invaders who invaded our country. There is an indisputable fact that The remnants of the Japanese army who retreated to the British-controlled area used your controlled area to continuously cross the border to harass our military camps and villages, what did you British soldiers do?"

"Could it be that we can only be beaten passively, while the Japanese army is stationed abroad, receiving supplies and rest? My officer told me that the Japanese soldiers who fought against them used standard weapons of the British Army. For this, Your Excellency, do you have any explanation?"

"Also, it is an indisputable fact that the armed soldiers who fought against my troops were not only Japanese soldiers, but also the formed troops of your British Empire? How can you explain this, Your Excellency General? Don't forget Now, Japan and Germany are allies, while Britain and Germany are at war! What does your behavior mean?"

"After answering my questions, let's talk about troop withdrawal and aggression," Tang Qiuli said coldly.

(To be continued)