Expedition to Europe

May 2nd, the night before the attack.

Qin Haoge was busy all day and was still working at seven o'clock in the evening.

Qin Mu brought over a bowl of late-night snacks and said in a gentle voice: "General Steven wants to see you."

"Steven? What does he want to do? What else is there to say now -" Qin Haoge replied casually without putting down the document in his hand.

Qin Haoge and Steven Strachey had met before. During the World War, Steven Strachey served in the British Fifth Army on the Eastern Front. Qin Haoge had dealt with Steven Strachey. .

However, like the impression left by other British generals on Qin Haoge, Steven Strachey left a bad impression on Qin Haoge. He was arrogant, rude, arrogant, looked down upon all people of color, and also Unabashed.

You don't need to go to Qin Haoge to know what Steven Strachey wants to do. He just wants Qin Haoge to call it quits, not to break the tacit understanding between Lan Fang and the British, and enter Iraq to attack the First Division of the National Guard that keeps causing trouble.

If it were a month ago, Qin Haoge might have agreed to this suggestion, because Qin Haoge had just arrived in Syria and didn't know enough about the situation, so he wouldn't have taken many actions. It definitely won't work now. Now that the troops have completed preparations for the attack, the so-called arrow has to be fired when it is on the string. Steven Strachey's plan will definitely fail.

"I don't know. General Steven's adjutant is here. He said that General Steven Strachey's car is nearby." Qin Mu did not speculate or mix in his own suggestions.

Qin Haoge thought for a moment, then put down the document in his hand: "Let's go and take a look."

Steven Strachey was indeed nearby. Less than ten kilometers away from the camp in the direction of Iraq, Steven Strachey's car was parked in a non-weathered and serious valley.

Qin Mu and the people from the security company got out of the car first. After a routine inspection to ensure safety, Qin Haoge got out of the car and met Steven Strachey in a tent that had been set up.

Compared with four years ago, Qin Haoge's appearance has hardly changed, and his temperament is more calm. Steven Strachey has lost a little weight, and the wrinkles around his eyes have increased. This makes Steven Strachey Reach's eyes looked increasingly cloudy.

"General Steven, long time no see." Qin Haoge acted graciously, took off his gloves, and took the initiative to extend his hand to Steven.

"Qin, nice to see you again." Steven Strachey also said hello in French.

"I really didn't expect that we would meet in this place." There was a coffee table and two deck chairs in the tent. Qin Haoge sat down on the deck chair closest to him without lying down. He was leisurely and alert.

"I didn't expect that under normal circumstances, we would meet in a cafe in Paris or London, order a cup of coffee and talk about friendship -" Steven Strachey did not sit down and helped Qin Haoge with his own hands. I made a cup of coffee: "Of course it's not bad here. The authentic 'cat poop' coffee produced in Lanfang is full of aroma and the bitterness of life."

Qin Haoge originally wanted to drink it, but after Steven Strachey finished speaking, Qin Haoge put down the cup: "If you knew where this coffee came from, then I'm afraid you wouldn't have such a good appetite."

"My appetite has never been very good. As I get older, I can't eat as much as you want. I can't compare with you." Steven Strachey said.

"Although I have a good appetite, I'm always very picky. If something doesn't suit my appetite, then I definitely won't eat it." Qin Haoge said following Steven Strachey's wishes.

"So how's your appetite now?" Steven Strachey finally got down to business.

"It's okay. Those who violate the rules must pay the price." Qin Haoge said simply.

"So if you cross the border, does it count as a violation of the rules?" Steven Strachey asked tit for tat.

"It doesn't count, because your people broke the rules first." Qin Haoge refused to give in.

Steven Strachey ignored Qin Haoge's accusations and had no intention of defending himself. Although Qin Haoge was not sensitive to the "cat poop", it did not affect Steven Strachey's appetite. Steven Strachey took a sip of the "cat poop", closed his eyes and savored the fragrance between his lips and teeth, and then sighed quietly: "In fact, whether it is Syria or Iraq, this is a relationship between barbarians. The war has little to do with us, the same The truth is, whether it is Britain or France, or you Lanfang, we are all people outside the chessboard. Civilized people should not get involved in barbarian wars. We should keep our grace and stay out of it. Let's wait until the results of the war are revealed. What will happen."

Listen, this is standard colonial thinking.

For Steven Strachey, neither the Syrians nor the Iraqis are human beings, they are just pawns manipulated by the Communist Party.

Steven Strachey did not want the war to expand. The implication of Steven Strachey was that if Qin Haoge's people crossed the Syrian-Iraqi border, it would be equivalent to breaking the tacit understanding between Lanfang and the United Kingdom. The British will also send troops for reinforcements, so this local war may evolve into a full-scale war, which is definitely something the British do not want to see.

To be honest, Lanfang people don't want to see it, now is not the time.

"I also want to stay out of the matter, but your people have been breaking through the bottom line. Can you guarantee that this kind of thing will not happen again in the future?" Qin Haoge knew that Steven Strachey was embarrassed, but he did not defend Steven Strachey. Strachey's face.

The purpose of the British establishing an army in Iraq was to harass the oil fields developed by the French in Syria, but now it seems that the situation has gotten a little out of control. The Iraqi officers headed by Karim have grown up quickly in the war, and some of them have gained control of part of the troops, so these Iraqi officers began to have other ideas. Cross-border attacks are just one of the manifestations of Steven Strachey's loss of control over the army. On this issue, Steven Strachey's response is indeed at a loss.

Qin Haoge's meaning is also very clear. If Steven Strachey can restrain the troops, then Qin Haoge will maintain tacit understanding, but if Steven Strachey is unable to restrain, Qin Haoge will never be passive.

"This kind of thing has happened before and will definitely happen in the future. No one can restrain the national hatred that has existed for thousands of years." Steven Strachey is indeed powerless.

How can I describe the Middle East? For thousands of years, the Middle East has been a land of endless fighting. Before the 20th century, there was basically no concept of government in the Middle East, at least not in the minds of the Middle Eastern people. Even in the Ottoman Empire before the 19th century, due to the poverty of the Middle East, the Ottoman Empire's rule over the Middle East was only nominal. The clan forces dominated by tribes played a leading role in the Middle East, and the concept of "family government" was very vague.

The original text is in Liu # 9 @book/bar!

Since the 19th century, European countries, led by Britain and France, have begun to divide the Ottoman Empire. After the World War, the Ottoman Empire lost control of the Middle East, and the British and French did not get the imagined market in the Middle East, so Britain and France's evaluation of the Middle East is constantly declining. If it were not for the discovery of oil fields in northern Syria, there would probably be no Syria-Iraq war at all.

"Whether it will happen in the future or not, I will not allow this to happen to my troops. My troops should not become a vent for ethnic hatred. If anyone tries to challenge the dignity of the Lan Fang army, then he must pay the price." Qin Haoge did not want to muddle through with vague words, and put on a posture of pursuing the matter to the end.

"So how far do you want to go? Wipe Iraq off the map?" Steven Strachey did not expect to make Qin Haoge stop fighting. Determining Qin Haoge's bottom line was Steven Strachey's purpose.

"Erase? How is that possible? Iraq is a protectorate of the British Empire. I don't mean to take the British Empire as an enemy, so I just want some people to pay the price. Isn't it good for you?" Qin Haoge's words were in line with Steven Strachey's wishes.

Steven Strachey must have an unshirkable responsibility for the loss of control of the army. Qin Haoge's actions can objectively help Steven Strachey get rid of some of the responsibilities and strengthen Steven Strachey's control over the army.

So Qin Haoge was not worried at all that Steven Strachey would firmly oppose it. I'm afraid Steven Strachey also wanted to use Qin Haoge as a gun in his heart.

Of course, as the saying goes, it's easier to invite a god than to send him away. Steven Strachey probably also wanted to hide his bow after the bird was killed. After Qin Haoge killed Karim, Steven Strachey still hoped that Syria and Iraq would remain in their current state.

This is equivalent to Steven Strachey "hiring" Qin Haoge to eliminate hidden dangers, and the kind of "hiring" that doesn't cost money.

"I'm afraid that has nothing to do with me anymore. There is something I must inform you, my old friend, I'm leaving." Steven Strachey changed the subject, as if with the sadness of parting.

"Leave? Where are you going?" Qin Haoge was curious.

It's not that Qin Haoge is reluctant to leave Steven Strachey emotionally, but Qin Haoge is reluctant to leave Steven Strachey, a "soft persimmon".

"Leave Iraq and return to my home in Wales." Steven Strachey's tone was not reluctant. In this hellhole of Iraq, Steven Strachey was also tired of it: "I have submitted my resignation to the Ministry of Defense and it has been approved. The new governor will arrive in Iraq in three days, and then Iraq will have nothing to do with me anymore."

Yeah, that's right. Some time ago, because of the intervention of the Lan Fang army, the Iraqi army suffered repeated defeats on the battlefield, and the British government also needed a scapegoat.