African Nationhood

(Thanks to book friend Meng Zhihai for the tip, thank you puppet!)
The weather in France was cold and gray in January 1919, and the depression caused by the war was still not over in the country.

Seeing that the Spring Festival is approaching, Ouyang Geng plans to meet his compatriots.

These compatriots were the 14 Chinese workers dispatched by the Beiyang government. Because they were wartime laborers, and because their occupations were different, they were assigned to different working locations in France.

There is a gathering point for Chinese workers near Paris, but it is 190 kilometers away.

After Ouyang Geng finished his breakfast, he got into the Crown Car accompanied by the staff and left Paris heading north.

Behind the crown car was a large truck, which was full of condolences shipped from the mainland.

Ouyang Geng's intention was obviously to bring these Chinese workers back to Nanhua. These Chinese workers were young, in their prime between 20 and 35 years old.

Many of these people are fellow villagers of Chairman Shi in Ludi, and the rest are mostly from the surrounding provinces of Ludi. These people are all farmers without exception.

Of course, there are some differences, and some people are still private school teachers.

When Ouyang Geng arrived in Paris last month, he received news about these Chinese workers.

One of them, Ma Chunling, wrote to him, and another worker, Bi Cuide, also wrote to Ouyang Geng.

The two of them have different demands. Ma Chunling hopes to immigrate to South China, while Bi Cuide wants Ouyang Geng to give them some help.

Ouyang Geng had no objections to any of them. Today he mainly expressed his condolences first and then talked about solving the problem.

……

After nearly three hours of driving, Ouyang Geng and his party arrived at the town of Noyelle-sur-Mer in Amiens, where there are two gathering points for Chinese workers.

Administrative secretary Zhou Meng got out of the car first, then quickly ran over and helped Ouyang Geng open the door.

There were several white officials in tweed trench coats waiting outside the Crown Car. They were the mayor of Amiens and the mayor of Noyelle-sur-Mer.

When they saw Ouyang Geng, they came over one after another and shook hands with the Prime Minister of Nanhua with a smile.

Ouyang Geng greeted them coldly, looked around, and asked softly: "Where are our Chinese compatriots?"

Upon hearing Ouyang Geng's inquiry, a short, fat French man bowed slightly and said, "They are in a village not far from here."

Zhou Meng showed displeasure, "We came here today and you didn't notify them?"

The pudgy Frenchman continued to smile and replied, "I've informed you, but they don't speak French, and the local residents don't want them to come out."

Ouyang Geng knew as soon as he heard that these guys were lying. These officials did not want Chinese workers to roam around. First, they were afraid that they would collude with local residents. Second, they tried their best to downplay the existence of workers.

Seeing the British and French allied forces continuously gaining victory on the battlefield, the French painted a giant oil painting "The Temple of War" in which Chinese workers were included.

But in order to give the Americans who joined the battle group a place, the French specially painted out the figures of the Chinese workers.

Moreover, after the war, Britain and France also tried their best to erase the traces of the existence of Chinese workers. After the war, blacks and Indians could receive silver medals, while Chinese workers could only receive bronze medals.

These blatant discriminations made Ouyang Geng a little angry.

If South China had not defeated Austria-Hungary and won, I am afraid that the French would not have painted the image of South China in oil paintings.

After Zhou Mengzhong snorted, he asked loudly: "How far is that place?"

The pudgy Frenchman saw that the other party was angry, and he also stopped smiling, "It's not far, just a few hundred meters away."

"lead the way!"

Ouyang Geng said coldly.

A short and fat Frenchman named Jean Cézanne Demarais was the mayor of this place. He walked hurriedly on his short legs and walked in front of Ouyang Geng to lead the way.

The mayor of Amiens was left behind. He also knew that the other party was a big shot. He did not dare to offend and could only stay at the back of the team.

……

A few hundred meters away is actually not accurate, it should be more than a thousand meters away. After walking for almost 20 minutes, the short and fat Demarais was almost out of breath.

But he couldn't stop, because Ouyang Geng was in his fifties and walked calmly without any signs of breathlessness or fatigue.

"It's just ahead."

Following Demarai's guidance, a small town located in the dark sky appeared before everyone's eyes. The town was small, but the entrance to the village was full of people.

They were all Chinese faces. Although they were shivering from the cold as they stood together, their faces still looked excited and expectant.

After seeing the faces of Ouyang Geng and others clearly, they burst into cheers from a distance. They even took the initiative to break through the French obstruction at the entrance of the village and rushed over.

"Mr. Ouyang~Prime Minister Ouyang~"

When Ouyang Geng saw these innocent compatriots, his face also showed a joyful smile.

He gently smiled and waved to the Chinese workers who were coming. When the Chinese workers gathered around him, he ignored the dirty robes of these Chinese workers, touched their clothes, and asked them if the clothes they wore were too thin.

He also pinched the young man's arm and asked how they were doing.

Many Chinese workers were moved by this affable Chinese compatriot's approachable behavior, and some even shed tears.

Ouyang Geng interacted with everyone for a while before pressing down his hands. When everyone calmed down, he showed an apology on his face.

"Sorry everyone, I'm late."

This sentence caused the Chinese workers present to shake their heads and wave their hands, "Mr. Ouyang, no, just come."

"Prime Minister Ouyang, it would be great if you came."

"It's not too late, it's just the right time."

……

The words of so many people quickly drowned Ouyang Geng's voice. He did not wait for everyone's voices to subside before he continued to speak.

“I am here on behalf of Nanhua, and on behalf of Chairman Shi, to visit you, and at the same time, I am here to help you.

If you have any grievances, tell me and I will definitely seek justice for you! "

This sentence made the Chinese workers present even more excited. With someone supporting them, their demands would be fulfilled.

"Thank you, Prime Minister Ouyang!"

After hearing Hua Gong's words, Ouyang Geng smiled and waved his hands, "Don't be polite, I'm older than you, so you can call me Uncle Ouyang or Uncle.

We are all of Chinese descent, so it’s better to get closer. "

Hearing what Ouyang Geng said, the Chinese workers present became even more excited, and everyone immediately shouted "Uncle Ouyang, uncle."

Ouyang Geng responded with a smile, and then he pressed his hand, "I heard it, the weather is cold today, please don't freeze outside and find a warmer place so we can talk.

I, an old man, am not as cold-resistant as you young men. "

When Ouyang Geng said this, the Chinese workers laughed loudly, and then surrounded him and walked towards the village.

Zhou Meng and his entourage followed behind. When they entered the village entrance, they saw two small stone lions at the entrance.

This distinctive oriental feature makes people know at a glance that there are traces of Chinese presence here.

After entering the village, everyone led Ouyang Geng into a large work shed.

The smell in this work shed made Ouyang Geng sneeze several times when he just came in.

"Ah sneeze~~"

Looking at the facilities in the work shed, he immediately frowned. (End of chapter)