Gu Weijun stood in front of three large blackboards filled with content, talking eloquently. The young diplomat had already taken off his crisp suit, neat shirt, and meticulously tied tie, which was fastened to his chest with a collar clip. Really.

A personable diplomat.

He Rui looked at the content on the blackboard again. They were all prepared diplomatic attacks and defenses. How the Japanese would ask questions, and how China would answer in accordance with international law.

One of the items made He Rui couldn't help but smile. Gu Weijun predicted that Japan would propose, 'Germany will first hand over Shandong privileges to Japan, and then Japan will hand it over to China.'

This involves the issue of 'ownership' in international law. He Rui's understanding of international law is more about its connotation, which is the principle of strength. The answer written by Gu Weijun is an effective explanation of the provisions of international law, except that there is no strength as a support

In addition, Gu Weijun has done everything he can to explain by citing scriptures.

Even He Rui had to admire Gu Weijun's legal prowess.

Seeing this, He Rui was ready to get up and leave.

Regarding Gu Weijun's performance at the Paris Peace Conference, He Rui saw two opinions. One was that Gu Weijun gave a scholarly speech, "China's loss of Shandong is equivalent to the West's loss of Jerusalem."

According to another theory, Gu Weijun refuted the Japanese representative's request point by point in accordance with international law.

He Rui originally believed the second theory, and now he is even more convinced that Gu Weijun did not react like an incompetent scholar.

Outside the conference room, someone from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs came in and handed a document to the Foreign Minister of the Republic of China, Lu Zhengxiang. Lu Zhengxiang, who was also in a neat suit, took one look at it, stood up and left, and He Rui happened to follow him out.

Lu Zhengxiang was talking in a low voice with people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When he saw He Rui coming out, he thought He Rui was going to say something. He quickly stopped the conversation and came over.

He Rui said in passing: "Minister Lu, there will definitely be a war between China and Japan. I hope that when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dispatches military attaches to foreign countries, it will consider the candidates we recommend."

Lu Zhengxiang was stunned for a moment, with a troubled look on his face. He Rui smiled and said, "Why are you so embarrassed?"

Lu Zhengxiang could only reply: "The personnel of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are arranged by the central government, and General He must be very aware of this."

"Haha, it's interesting to say that. I think the brothers in the central government may have some misunderstandings about me, but they don't want to explain. For the sake of the country, I no longer care about being criticized. I thought Minister Lu would be willing to take the blame for the sake of the country.

Blame the blame, so that the brothers in the capital can have room to smooth things over. But by saying this, Minister Lu, isn't it just to make sure that those brothers are unhappy."

When the staff member of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs heard what He Rui said, he was so shocked that he opened his mouth unconsciously, his face full of astonishment.

Lu Zhengxiang has been a diplomat for more than 20 years and has seen many storms. Although he was surprised by He Rui's frankness and arrogance, he didn't think He Rui said anything wrong. Because Lu Zhengxiang was called out at this time precisely because of Duan Qirui's

I received a telegram asking Lu Zhengxiang to return to Beijing as soon as possible.

Naturally, the reason was not given in the telegram. Lu Zhengxiang knew very well that Duan Qirui now probably thought that He Rui still wanted to use this meeting to cause trouble. In Beiyang, in the whole of China, it was He Rui who had the largest territory and the greatest power. And it was He Rui.

He Rui himself was a well-established and well-established figure of the new Beiyang school. He was fully qualified to compete for the presidency. Duan Qirui was very unhappy before Lu Zhengxiang came this time.

After all, the current president is Xu Shichang. Although Xu Shichang himself does not have an army, he has a high reputation. Moreover, the Shandong issue is related to the diplomatic field, so he has to reluctantly not oppose it.

Duan Qirui urged Lu Zhengxiang to go back at this time, most likely because Duan Qirui thought He Rui was going to take the opportunity to do something. Now He Rui's words also proved how contemptuous He Rui, the leader of the clique, was towards the central government.

Lu Zhengxiang originally thought that He Rui would coerce and lure him like other marshals. Unexpectedly, when He Rui saw that Lu Zhengxiang did not say a word, he just smiled and strode away. This reaction indeed gave Lu Zhengxiang temporary freedom, and at the same time, it also made Lu Zhengxiang feel more

Strong uneasiness. At first, Lu Zhengxiang was not sure whether to leave immediately, but now he felt that it was better to leave.

Without hesitation, Lu Zhengxiang ordered the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Call back to Director General Duan and we will set off immediately."

After sending people out, Lu Zhengxiang turned around and returned to the conference room, where he saw that the speaker had been replaced by Zhao Tianlin, a PhD from Harvard University on He Rui's side. Dr. Zhao was wearing the uniform of a Northeastern civil servant and was adjusting the response plan proposed by Gu Weijun.

Even though he had decided to leave as soon as possible, Lu Zhengxiang still listened carefully to the speech of Zhao Tianlin, a doctor of law. Unlike Gu Weijun, who did not involve the 'strength principle' of international law, Zhao Tianlin agreed with most of Gu Weijun's views, but clearly stated his views,

"In response to Japan's actions, we cannot adopt an attitude of recognition. Instead, we must aim to expose Japan's intention to provoke military conflicts!"

Just this sentence made Lu Zhengxiang feel a little nervous. There were still some talents in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China. Some people had proposed what Zhao Tianlin said, but Lu Zhengxiang rejected it.

The purpose of denying Japan's attempt to provoke a military conflict is not because this view is wrong, but precisely because it is correct. Lu Zhengxiang will never accept the continued expansion of Japan's military actions. If diplomatic actions lead to Japan's attack on China

Declaring war will only lead to a loss of lives and a catastrophe for the country!

Zhao Tianlin is not from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and is not even under the jurisdiction of the Beiyang central government. It is not because Zhao Tianlin himself is very capable, but because He Rui he follows is a semi-independent regime. So Zhao Tianlin continued to talk according to his own ideas,

"If you want to take advantage of the contradictions between the great powers to gain benefits for China when you participate in the Paris Peace Conference, I do not recommend using vague rhetoric. Have you ever considered who will lead the future international order?"

When the diplomats of the Republic of China heard this, they were either stunned or refreshed. Gu Weijun had already asked: "Does Brother Zhao think it's not Britain, France and the United States?"

Zhao Tianlin replied calmly: "Of course there is Britain and France. As for whether there is the United States, my opinion is different from that of Brother Gu."

Hearing this, Lu Zhengxiang had put the thought of going back out of his mind and was concentrating on waiting for Zhao Tianlin to continue.

Zhao Tianlin did not hesitate at all, "The British and French lost millions of troops and paid such a huge price. They are absolutely unwilling to give up their dominance in the future world. Brother Gu, what does the United States mean to Britain and France?"

Gu Weijun frowned slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he replied: "Isn't it an ally of the Allied Powers?"

"The war is over, where are the allies? Now the United States is a challenger to the international order of Britain and France, and a potential enemy of Britain and France." After Zhao Tianlin finished speaking, he began to write a few country names on the blackboard, and then connected to the line.

, write the relationship on both sides of the line.

"Britain and France have fierce conflicts, but they have to cooperate when facing Germany. Now Germany is no longer able to challenge Britain and France, and their conflicts have returned to the main position again. But Britain and France both know that they cannot fight each other and can only fight each other.

What are the consequences of cooperation in the global order? What do you think, Brother Gu?"

Hearing Zhao Tianlin's question, Gu Weijun frowned. After thinking for a while, he could only shake his head.

Zhao Tianlin gave his answer calmly, "The world order established by Britain and France will suppress all challengers. I wonder if Brother Gu agrees?"

Gu Weijun quickly nodded in agreement. Zhao Tianlin then continued following this logic, "Since Britain and France want to maintain their own world order, can they accept Japan's monopoly on Northeast Asia? If Japan defeats China again, it means that Japan will monopolize Northeast Asia.

Everyone, if we want to provoke conflicts among the great powers, we must tell the truth. Only Britain believes that Japan will defeat China, occupy Shandong, and monopolize Northeast Asia. Britain will choose to reject such a possibility!"

As soon as this statement came out, people in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were dumbfounded. They could not understand why Zhao Tianlin would admit so frankly that China would lose in the Sino-Japanese war. They could not understand that Zhao Tianlin actually used this matter as a diplomatic means frankly.
Chapter completed!