Gu Weijun still has to remember the scene when he led the Chinese delegation to Paris to attend the peace conference.

On the day of the trip, although it was already late, the Yanjing Zhengyangmen Railway Station was brightly lit and lively, and the ceremony to see off the Chinese delegation to the Paris Peace Conference was held here. Despite the freezing weather and the bitter cold wind, more and more people came to see them off. In addition to all the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and some cabinet members, celebrities from all walks of life also rushed to see off the delegates, and even the envoys of Britain, France, the United States, the Netherlands, Belgium, and other countries in China braved the cold wind to see off the delegates. People talked happily about the Paris Peace Conference, and from time to time burst into laughter.

The send-off people were looking forward to it, looking forward to Foreign Minister Gu Weijun being able to reveal the mission of the peace talks. However, the members of the delegation were not seen for a long time, and half an hour before the train was about to leave, Gu Weijun and his party hurriedly appeared at the station. Surprisingly, Gu Weijun did not say anything about the mission, and only greeted his colleagues and old friends, and behaved quite low-key. When asked why he was late, his answer was that he had been delayed for some time in the Border Governor's Office.

Gu Weijun's low profile is not only because of his mild and subtle surname, but because he does not dare to have high expectations for the outcome of the Paris Peace Conference. The so-called "the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment", Gu Weijun has been engaged in diplomacy for many years, and his feelings about this are very understandable. On the one hand, although China received a formal invitation to the Paris Peace Conference, the United States was the only Western power that was truly friendly to China, and it is not yet known to what extent the United States would support China. On the other hand, the victory in the First World War brought about a strong contrast between the unprecedented optimism of "right triumphing over power" and the pragmatic foreign policy of Yanjing's political axe, which made him feel like he was walking on thin ice, so he had to be cautious in his words.

At that time, people didn't know the real reason why Gu Weijun stayed in the Border Supervision Office for so long.

Another question that puzzled the send-off people was why Gu Weijun did not take a direct ship to Europe through the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea to France, but made a detour to cross the Pacific Ocean and cross the Atlantic Ocean from the United States. The Foreign Ministry's explanation to the outside world is that a spokesman said that "liners on the Eurasian route are scarce and hard to find." And the elated people at that time did not notice the hidden secret.

The train roared forward in the night, and Gu Weijun recalled the moment when the news of the "victory in the European war" reached China some time ago. In those days, the whole country of China was jubilant, from the political leaders to the common people, all of whom were immersed in the joy of "victory". In the past year, the "axioms" advocated by US President Wilson have been widely spread around the world, and in the eyes of the Chinese, the abolition of all the privileges of the Western powers in China and the abolition of all unequal treaties is the greatest axiom. Therefore, whether or not the treaty can be "abrogated" has naturally become the primary criterion for the Chinese people to judge the success or failure of this peace talks.

However, Gu Weijun, who has not been the foreign minister for a long time, knows very well that there is no so-called axiom in the diplomatic arena, only power and interests. As a matter of fact, Gu Weijun, who once played an important role in the "21 Articles" incident, was more eager than any other citizen to "triumph over power." On more than one occasion, he seriously imagined the scenario of "completing the battle with all the merits" in the post-war peace talks and abolishing all the unequal treaties signed by the great powers with China, and made a great deal of preparatory work for this.

Gu Weijun, who fought hard for the "21st Article" in those years, once told him, "In the future, after the war is over, there will be a conference, and from a historical point of view, when the Berlin Conference and the Vienna Conference are called, all countries with indirect relations can join." It is not known whether the war will affect the whole of Europe or the countries indirectly involved. At that time, China had not yet declared war on Germany, and this remark was ridiculed by the minister to China as "non-belligerent countries cannot attend the meeting". However, China then declared war on Germany after Yuan Shikai became emperor, became a direct relative, and was eligible to participate in the post-war peace conference, and with China's massive dispatch of naval and army forces to Europe to fight and win many victories, the dream of abolishing all unequal treaties became real little by little for Gu Weijun, and even made him feel that it was within reach.

However, when the dream is about to become a reality, Gu Weijun still has to face the reality soberly. After the victory of the First World War, the Yenching Cabinet decided to have a three-day national holiday to celebrate, and at the same time made a decision not to propose to Britain to return British privileges in Hong Kong; As the foreign minister of the Republic of China, Gu Weijun could not but consider the attitude of Britain, France and other major Western powers. Although the situation is "very good", after all, we should not be in a hurry. According to the previous agreement between China and the UK, Britain will resume negotiations with China on Hong Kong after the war. This is also the real reason why Gu Weijun is silent.

Both Yan Jing Zhengax and Gu Weijun know very well that the key to the success or failure of the peace talks is not in China, but in the United States. He must first seek the attitude of the United States and reach a tacit understanding with the United States on the issue of abrogating the treaty, so that it is possible to complete the mission of peace talks in accordance with the wishes of the Yanjing government and the people. After figuring out this layer, it is not difficult to understand Gu Weijun's good intentions in making a detour to the United States first.

Gu Weijun knows that the road to negotiation is destined to be full of unexpected difficulties and twists and turns. However, no one expected that as soon as the delegation set out, it would receive a kind invitation from this side. Fearing that the peace talks would be complicated, Gu Weijun sent a special telegram to Yanjing to request that the plan to meet with Emperor Samoto and the foreign minister be cancelled. However, Yanjing Zhengaxe was worried that it would offend Yueben too much and restart the war and affect the peace talks, so he asked Gu Weijun to "go to Beijing for a meeting as scheduled to find out the true meaning of the political axe." In case it cannot be supported, the remuneration can be reduced, and the urgent reception can not be ignored, and it is an international matter, so it is necessary to be cautious and not responsible for the appointment. Therefore, Gu Weijun had to go to Tokyo first to hold talks with Foreign Minister Yasuyu Uchida and member of the Peace Committee Nobuaki Makino, but he refused to be entertained by the Japanese side and received by the emperor. When Gu Weijun called on Yasuya Uchida, he specifically talked about the Taiwan issue in order to test his own attitude. Yasuya Uchida said: "After the General Assembly has made clear representations with Germany, it should be returned to China in accordance with the previous proposal, and do not listen to the provocation of Westerners or other parties, which may cause disagreement." Gu Weijun was a little surprised by Uchida's answer (the military resolutely opposed the secret Sino-Chinese talks presided over by Yuan Jing and the return of Taiwan to China), and at this time he did not understand the struggle between the various factions in his own country, so he replied: "The original agreement between the two countries should be handled in accordance with the plan: in the future, the representatives of the two countries can contact each other on specific matters." The implication of this side is that it will first negotiate with Germany, and then transfer Taiwan to China in accordance with the agreement concluded between China and China during the truce. Gu Weijun did not object to this. Moreover, during the talks, Gu Weijun did not discuss whether the Taiwan issue should be submitted to the Paris Peace Conference, thus laying the groundwork for the disputes between China and China at the peace conference.

After leaving Tokyo, Gu Weijun and his entourage arrived in San Francisco, and took a train across the North American continent to Washington, the capital of the United States, where they met with US President Wilson many times, and the two reached consensus on many issues.

Wilson was an idealistic politician, and his political philosophy can be grouped into four points: First, personal surnames can be transformed. Wilson's view of the roots of the people who make up the "social system" can be transformed, is similar to the ancient Chinese "surname good theory". He believed that human beings could overcome their inherent shortcomings through education and learning, and that human society would also move towards civilization. Second, war can be avoided. Wilson believed that "the people, who are part of the state, can reach an understanding, look at their contradictions with a peaceful eye, and resolve their contradictions in a friendly atmosphere," and that the political officials, who are the indwellers of state power, can reconcile these wishes and resolve them. Third, interests can be reconciled. In other words, cooperation and coordination can be used as a means to resolve contradictions between countries, avoid conflicts and wars, and thus achieve "collective security". Fourth, establish an international organization to safeguard world peace. Wilson advocated the resolution of contradictions through cooperation between countries, but the way and channel to achieve this cooperation was to unite international organizations, replacing the earlier balance of power between major powers with "collective security".

For the first time in human history, Wilson denied the rationale for military expansion among the great powers, and strongly criticized the distrust caused by military expansion between the great powers. His views have a great impact on the world pattern, but his doctrine also has fatal flaws: first, the power between countries is unbalanced, and the transformation of the surname he proposes is also unbalanced, and the complex factors such as religion, ethnicity, region, and blood will cause deviations in people's understanding of cultivation, so that there is no way to talk about absolute trust between people; In addition, the role of international organizations is too idealistic, because the alliance and cooperation between states are based on interests, and this basic friction is not constrained by an organization, and the relevant international law cannot be implemented. Disagreement will inevitably arise between countries, and the international organization he advocates (i.e., the League of Nations) will certainly not have enough power to suppress such differences, and such an international organization will inevitably lead to division.

Due to the tremendous influence of the "isolationist" policy in the United States in both houses of Congress, the members of the two houses vetoed Wilson's proposal by an absolute majority, including the United States' accession to the League of Nations, which made the United States step into the ranks of the world's dominant powers, and ignorantly compared the League of Nations with the old and backward "Holy Alliance" in Europe. It has also been deeply questioned within the political axe. At the same time, in the international arena, the "14-point principle" he put forward has also been questioned by many politicians. But China's strong support still gave him hope for the Paris Peace Conference.

After concluding their talks with Wilson, the Chinese and US delegations set off together, and after a long journey of more than 40 days, Gu Weijun and his entourage arrived in Paris together with the US delegation. At this time, there were only six days left before the opening of the peace conference.

Gu Weijun and others hoped that the goal of completely abolishing the unequal treaties would be achieved at the peace conference, that the shackles would be lifted for China's development, and that China would become rich and strong, while Wilson hoped to realize his political ideals, put the United States on the cusp of the times, and enable the United States to shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding "collective security" and world peace. But after arriving in Paris, Wilson and Gu Weijun were surprised to find that many things had changed.

On the way to Paris, Gu Weijun was informed that China would have five delegates. But after arriving in Paris, he was notified that there were only 3 places, which made Gu Weijun angry.

According to the promises made by Britain, France, and other countries when China entered the war, China was a great power alongside Britain, France, the United States, Israel, and Italy, which led the Paris Peace Conference. The first category is "belligerents enjoying the interests of the whole", with 5 seats per state; The second category is "belligerents with partial interests", which refers to countries that have provided effective assistance in war, with 3 seats per country; The third group is the countries in the Entente camp that have severed diplomatic relations with Germany, with 2 seats per country. According to this principle, China, which has provided millions of troops and laborers to Europe and made a significant contribution to the war effort, should be included in the first category of countries, with five seats, how can it suddenly become three seats?

Originally, it was hoped that Britain, France, and other countries would fulfill the promises made when China entered the war, and together with US President Wilson's support for China, the goal of "abolishing the treaty" would be achieved. But now there is a problem in the number of seats related to China's international status, and Gu Weijun's disappointment and shock can be imagined.

All this is caused by Britain and France, two old European powers.

As a result of the First World War, Germany was completely defeated, Britain and France were severely weakened, while the United States and China became stronger, and this situation aroused the concern of Britain and France, and in order to weaken China's position at the Paris Peace Conference, its representatives actively and secretly lobbied other powers to slander and slander them to the fullest. His proposal was supported by French Prime Minister Clemenceau, who was disgusted with China. At a tea party attended by representatives of Western countries, Clemenceau made the proposal as the host, which was agreed to by other European countries, and the number of Chinese delegates was changed from five to three.

In terms of the number of delegates, the European powers' blatant trampling on China's legitimate rights and interests has revealed the true surname of bullying the weak at this peace conference. However, Gu Weijun still has great hopes for the "world axioms" preached by US President Wilson. In order to increase the number of Chinese representatives, Gu Weijun and his colleagues have launched active diplomatic efforts. Gu Weijun first expressed his determination to increase the number of seats to the US delegation, which was supported by Wilson. Gu Weijun then personally visited French Foreign Minister Bixon and French Prime Minister Clemenceau. Due to Clemenceau's bad attitude, the conversation broke up unhappily. Enraged, Gu Weijun canceled the original award of the Chinese political axe to Clemenceau, and then sent a written statement to Britain, France, the United States, and Italy, saying that it would never make concessions on the issue of seats, and that if it did not agree to increase the number of seats, China would withdraw from the Paris Peace Conference.

Gu Weijun sent a telegram to Yanjing Zhengaxe, who had high expectations for the peace talks and did not agree to withdraw from the conference, and called back to instruct him to make concessions on the issue of seats and strive to achieve the goal of abolishing the treaty. However, Gu Weijun and others believe that the reduction of seats is a contempt for China's international status, which is extremely harmful and must not be compromised. In the absence of a reply two days after the official letter was issued, Gu Weijun and other Chinese representatives were ready to leave for China.

After Wilson learned that China was preparing to withdraw from the peace conference, he earnestly retained the Chinese delegation. Wilson understood that Britain and France were planning to isolate the United States by weakening China's position, and that China's withdrawal from the peace conference would make it difficult to realize its political ideals and threaten its own interests. Wilson then personally went to talk to British Prime Minister Lloyd-George and French Prime Minister Clemenceau, expressing the United States' sympathetic position for China, and pointing out that if China withdrew from the peace conference because of this seat issue, it was likely that the peace conference would eventually be aborted. Because China was one of the Entente countries that had made a great contribution to the war, what happened to China would have an extremely negative impact on the other Allied members. Under Wilson's mediation, Lloyd-George and Clemenceau, two old foxes, eventually reluctantly changed their minds, and the Chinese delegation's efforts to increase the number of seats were successful.

After the Paris Peace Conference was officially convened, Gu Weijun and others proposed at the meeting that China completely abolish the unequal treaties with Western countries and directly withdraw Taiwan (he already knew that the seat issue was in it). After learning of this, this delegation went so far as to inform the meeting that China and China had secretly signed an exchange of letters on the "Taiwan issue" in order to prevent Gu Weijun and others from taking the initiative to put forward their demands on the Taiwan issue. By this time, Gu Weijun had completely seen Yu Ben's intention to muddy the waters at the peace meeting.

On December 28, 1921, Gu Weijun delivered a polite, courteous and loud speech at the conference, expounding China's great sacrifices in the war and its contribution to world peace, calling for the direct abolition of all the privileges of Western countries in China, and at the same time expressing sincere gratitude to Britain, France, the United States and other allies for their economic assistance to China during the war. Gu Weijun's speech was an unprecedented success, and the media in Europe and the United States rushed to report on the appeal of the Chinese delegation, which won widespread international sympathy for China. The support of international public opinion has suddenly put China in a very advantageous position in the peace talks.

(To be continued)