A mid-level military officer is recuperating alone in a foreign country. This is not to say that it is impossible, but it certainly cannot be taken lightly, especially since Chai Guoyi's incident happened not long ago.
The military attachés in the embassy had a heated discussion about this - this group of intelligence officers were obviously more attentive.
"How can we let him recuperate alone?"
"Indeed, if something goes wrong, who will bear the responsibility? You and me? What a joke."
Everyone was arguing about this, causing Wei Jinyun, who happened to be passing by this room, to stop.
After he traveled from China to Geneva to attend the League of Nations Conference, he came to Paris to take over the post of Ming Dynasty's minister to France.
After hearing about this, he said with dissatisfaction: "You are also surprised that a lot of military information from European countries has not yet been collected and sorted out. Instead of worrying about your own duties, you have become suspicious of others."
A famous lieutenant colonel hesitated and said: "But he is alone outside. If he is bribed..."
Wei Jinyun laughed angrily and replied angrily:
"Buy? Will a promising young man like him be bribed? Let's not care about the justice of the country. What can foreigners give him to tempt him? Money? Beauty? If he wants it, will he lack it? How ridiculous."
"You guys, I have been dissatisfied with you since I took office. You are not doing your job well. Out of ten days, you spend three days wandering around the Champs Elysées with a foreign girl in your arms, and two days of resting. The real work How many days are there?”
"Be wary of others, where can you use this thought? You are suspicious of this and that. Resources are limited and should be used wisely. The data of the new fighter plane of Devatina Company has not yet been found out. On the contrary, You are suspicious of one of your own. If you keep eating like this, I should impeach you."
His words hit the weak points of several military attachés present, and everyone suddenly fell silent and could only say yes again and again.
Many people indeed regard going overseas to serve as a disguised vacation. The sky is high and the emperor is far away, and there is no supervision by the imperial censors and science and technology officials in the Ming Dynasty. It can be said that there are many situations where people are just trying to get by.
Since the Minister has said so, what's the point of arguing? Why bother asking for trouble?
Thinking about it, Mr. Zhou made so much noise in Batavia. If someone came to solicit bribes, he would probably feel that he was humiliating himself and kill him on the spot in anger.
In the evening of the same day, Zhou Changfeng returned to the embassy to prepare for the next trip.
Wei Jinyun also came here specially. He asked, "Xiao Zhou, I heard that you were attacked over there?"
Zhou Changfeng took two steps back to keep the distance, and then said helplessly: "Yes, I accidentally fell into the trap of the Italian intervention force during the frontline inspection."
He has never mentioned this, so it must be what Chen Guangyun reported after returning to Barcelona.
Wei Jingyun, who was thoughtful, thought for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Is there any difficulty for you?"
"There were words of humiliation, and we threatened the captured local people to reveal military information to them. I didn't say anything, and they shot and killed me in front of me." Zhou Changfeng replied.
"It has not harmed the national character." Wei Jingyun nodded, and then said disdainfully: "As for Italy, it is just a country that bullies the weak and fears the strong. It uses the strong to attack the weak and makes fools one after another. It is just a laughing stock."
Because there were still official matters to be dealt with, he did not talk much with Zhou Changfeng. He just warned before leaving, "The situation in Spain is that the civil strife will not subside in a year and a half. You can rest in peace and return to your original post after you recover. There is no need to worry." .”
Yes, it will indeed take several years of back and forth, and by the time it is over, the war will have devastated the Iberian Peninsula.
It is inevitable that Spain will fall into this situation. The numerous backlogged contradictions are irreversible and overwhelming.
Although his actions were objectively wrong, Zhou Changfeng believed that he still stood for his country's position.
The internal affairs of other countries have nothing to do with him. Sympathy for the civilians affected by the war is only one aspect; the other aspect is that he feels that this is a training opportunity that will be difficult to find again if he misses it.
He felt a little guilty about his experience in commanding troops in combat. In his previous life, he was just a lieutenant. After traveling through time and briefly adapting, commanding a battalion-level unit was not considered beyond the scope of his duties.
But he is already the commander of a regiment. If he goes according to what Zhu Lingjing said, he might have to take charge of a brigade before the war starts in the future.
It's not that he belittles himself or feels that he is incompetent, but his lack of experience makes Zhou Changfeng feel guilty, and he may make mistakes on the battlefield in the future.
He had made a mistake as the military commander of a campaign-level combat unit, and he found it difficult to accept this.
Therefore, in order to avoid it as much as possible, the temptation of hard-to-find practical experience is too great for him.
Moreover, if it is more explicit, he will not feel too bad about paying the price when he accumulates practical experience in Spain. However, Zhou Changfeng was sure that he would never admit this factor.
"But in the end, my selfishness is also a good thing for the country..." Before boarding the train to Toulouse, he stood on the platform and breathed a sigh of relief.
Three days later.
After transferring from Toulouse, Zhou Changfeng and three volunteers arrived at Erne, a small border town in southeastern France.
Because of his status, mid-level officers like him received special care, and because of their small number, it was easier to "package" them and cross the border.
Ordinary volunteers are not so relaxed. Because the border has been blocked, they have to quietly go to the border, overcome various difficulties, and cross the Pyrenees Mountains so that they can enter Spain from France.
The three volunteers traveling with Zhou Changfeng are Briton Brett, Frenchman Chretien, and Norwegian Roald. All three are middle-aged men in their thirties. Zhou Changfeng, who is young but is a lieutenant colonel, is there. Some of them seemed out of place.
Brett is a retired British Army captain. His left eye was injured during the European War. Although he can't see anything wrong now, he actually has almost no vision in that eye. He has the unique arrogance of the British, a gentleman's manner, and he is extremely opposed to public trends.
Chretien is also a retired military officer who once served in the French artillery unit. He retired with the rank of captain. He is a fashionable person and is quite kind-hearted. He is often seen wearing a beret and holding a cigar while talking.
Roald is a major in the Norwegian reserve army. He is a dentist by profession. He has blond hair and blue eyes. He is taciturn and has no political stance. This time he left Norway for Spain specifically for the purpose of traveling abroad.
Because anti-ism has a strong appeal and broad scope, the International Brigade is worthy of the word "international". It brings all kinds of people who are hostile to each other under the same banner, abandoning their prejudices and sharing the same hatred.
This is unprecedented.
For example, Brett and Chretien were arguing about politics before and almost got into a fight. However, when Zhou Changfeng brought up the topic of "how to deal with the enemy," the two started discussing it enthusiastically again, as if The previous unhappiness no longer existed.
When passing through the Erne border checkpoint, the border prosecutor routinely asked: "Why are you going to this dangerous place?"
Roald took out the certificate from the Red Cross and answered word for word: "Because we are going to save people, save many, many people."
(End of chapter)
