Chapter 35 struggle with embassy

The Nanjing government has a legation in Switzerland.At that time, the most senior representative agencies overseas seemed to be legations.Because Switzerland is located in the center of Europe and has not been involved in the world war, the legation here has become a diplomatic representative of Europe.The Nanjing government strives for overseas students to return to China, and it uses Switzerland as a centralized location.The level of diplomatic personnel they sent here also seems to be particularly high.The military attache of the Swiss embassy was once one of the so-called "Thirteen Taibao" under Chiang Kai-shek, and later became a prominent figure in the commander-in-chief of the Taiwan Navy.

It is this legation that we deal with in Switzerland. We arrived in Switzerland on October 9th and took the train to Friborg that night.The next day, I went back to Bern and attended the so-called "Double Ten" banquet held by the embassy in the evening. There were quite a lot of international students who came from many countries in Europe.I have been in hunger hell for many years, and I am ready to gobble it up and fuck it up after eating such exquisite Chinese food.However, a German doctor told me that people have been hungry for a long time, and once they get enough food, they will lose the feeling of fullness.After the First World War in Germany, many people died in this way.I remembered these words, and I was always on guard, not daring to eat whatever I wanted.However, it has relieved a lot.

Since then, I have lived in Fribourg and have not often been to the embassy.However, I gradually learned about the internal situation of the embassy from the mouths of old international students.There are conflicts among the internal personnel.This is completely unavoidable given the complex factions within the Kuomintang.However, the embassy has conflicts with international students.I don't know the details, but I heard that once some international students went to the embassy to make a fuss, probably because of economic problems.It must have been so violent that even the telephone lines were cut.A secretary or something in the embassy ran downstairs with a pistol, and even the Swiss police were called.Due to international practice, the Chinese embassy belongs to China, and Swiss people cannot enter it casually.Therefore, the invited police could only stay outside the museum and watch from the sidelines, just like the situation often mentioned in old Chinese novels.I am not interested in inquiring about the outcome of this fight.But it has an effect on us: why don't we emulate it when necessary?

The time has come.The cause is also economic.One of the counselors in the embassy was originally a student studying in Germany, and he was particularly fond of our students who had just arrived from Germany.He probably had some conflicts with the envoy, fearing that the world would not be chaotic, and always wanted to see the envoy's jokes.One day he secretly told us that the Nanjing government had remitted hundreds of thousands of dollars for the relief of students studying in Europe, and urged us to hurry up and ask for the money.We were young and energetic, and the dollar would never prick our hands, so we went to the embassy.At first we were very polite and paid attention to the wording of our speech.But once it comes to the main purpose of our visit: asking for money.There were many monsters on the face of the envoy, and he hesitated and ambiguously.I wrote my impression of him in my diary on November 17, 1945: "This envoy is a glazed egg, no problem, I am afraid he has grown legs. Huwen said that he speaks without brains. I said he is rare. Confused." This should be said to be a bad impression.When he said a word, we became angry.We told him bluntly that US dollars had been remitted from China. We knew this and we couldn't hide it.At this time, his face suddenly changed color, and he seemed to be sweating a little. He subconsciously opened the drawer and looked inside with squinted eyes.I guess, there are either hidden dollar bills or hidden ledgers in the drawer.Whatever he was looking at could not save him from his plight.Finally, he promised us dollars.But there is a request, I hope we don't tell other international students, don't make it public.We nodded in agreement, took the dollar bills, and talked to everyone we met as soon as we walked out of the embassy.What kind of psychology is this? There was no careful analysis at the time.It is a bit too much to say that we are afraid that the world will not be chaotic.I'm afraid it was just a little mischief to keep the envoy from getting too comfortable, that's all.

During my stay in Switzerland, I heard many stories or legends about the embassy.Someone told me that at a meeting held by a Swiss, the Chinese envoy was invited to attend and speak.According to diplomatic practice, he should speak in Chinese and ask an interpreter to translate into German or French, both of which are the national language of Switzerland.But our Minister, probably wishing to show off, speaks in German himself.If you speak well and properly, there is nothing wrong with it.But he had no prepared speeches, and his German was broken.This is bound to make a fool of myself.Especially when he always says "das, das, das" in his speech.The Swiss were baffled and taken aback.The Chinese people were also puzzled by Monk Zhang Er at first, but then they suddenly realized: our Minister was translating China's speech into German when he couldn't think of what to say for a while and had to say "this, this, this..." repeatedly.Such an epiphany, no one in the West will ever have.Chinese people are blessed.

I also heard people say that at a reception at the embassy, ​​there was an official in the embassy who, like us, had a low nose bridge, but liked to imitate Western people with high nose bridges. That's how you have style.Helplessly, God created the Chinese people with a low bridge of nose, and it is difficult to get stuck in the nose glasses.So the diplomat had to frown to keep his glasses on the bridge of his nose.A moment of negligence, as soon as a smile appeared on his face, the glasses immediately slipped off the bridge of his nose.In this way, throughout the evening, this self-proclaimed diplomat, frowning, dealt with men in crisp tuxedos and ladies covered in jewels.It’s really hard for him! Coincidentally, at the same reception, our military attache, probably some kind of major general, pinned a medal he got on the chest of his military uniform to show his prestige.However, this little medal is not obedient, it just wants to make trouble, and it always turns the back forward.This will of course reduce the weight of prestige, which our military attache will never allow.So all evening he kept his eye on the medal, turning it over whenever it showed its back.Personally, I don't have this blessing, I didn't see this wonderful performance with my own eyes.You try to close your eyes and think about it: at a solemn and grand diplomatic reception, as the host official and military attache, one frowns tightly, and the other keeps flipping the medal, what kind of scene is this, can you not Are you dumbfounded?

There are many other rumors, and I will not tell them any more. It is such an embassy that we are dealing with.I really opened my eyes and increased my knowledge.The most important thing is that we gained a very valuable experience: in dealing with the diplomats sent by Nanjing, hard is more effective than soft.We applied this experience and succeeded when we negotiated the fare and transportation from Switzerland to France.