Chapter 1960: Slaughter

"Let our scientists accompany them as well, and let them get a good understanding of how Longyan's technology came to be!"

Louis XV issued the order immediately, and soon the Longyan scientists were facing interrogation by Long France.

These engineers and scientists from Longyan were sent by Liu Zheng to assist Australia.

But now, having been captured by the French and brought from Australia to Europe, the journey left them feeling extremely terrified.

These were people who had devoted themselves entirely to science and manufacturing, and they had never seen such a situation before.

"What are we going to do? I never expected that bastard Xie Fang would just abandon us like this!"

"Don't panic. Now that Lord Liu knows we've been captured by the French, he will definitely come to save us!"

"As long as we hold out and say nothing, once our people arrive, we will definitely be able to get out!"

"Yes, let's do that!"

Just at this moment, a voice came from the corner.

"If you want to die, you can say nothing, but those Frenchmen might not necessarily treat you that way."

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned and looked toward the corner at Zhang Mang, who was sprawled on the bed.

He was an engineer, but his background was that of a Longyan soldier.

"Zhang Mang, what do you mean by that?"

"Are you trying to reveal Longyan's secrets and tell them to the French!"

"We are Longyan people; we would absolutely never commit such an act of betrayal!"

Zhang Mang rolled his eyes at him and said, "It seems you still haven't recognized the current situation."

"How long have we been fighting the French troops in Australia?"

"Has Longyan sent any reinforcements?"

"Although there is a very long distance between Australia and Longyan, you all know that with our Yinzhou ships, even at their slowest, it only takes fifteen days to reach Australia from Longyan."

"But the war has lasted so long, and Longyan has not sent any reinforcements."

"This can only mean that the French came prepared this time."

When the others heard these words, although they were very reluctant to admit it, what Zhang Mang said was the truth.

"Even so, we will not reveal Longyan's technology just to save our own skins!"

"I would rather choose to die!"

"Yes, that's right."

Zhang Mang looked at the emotions of this group of bookworms and was simply speechless; they did not understand the situation at all.

The current situation was not at all what these people imagined, where they could keep the secrets just by holding out.

Zhang Mang looked at them and said in a low voice, "Have you read too many books, or do you not know that we are now in the enemy's lair?"

"Or do you not know why they have locked us here? Does this place look like a place where prisoners are kept?"

"Do you think you can get away with it by stubbornly refusing to speak?"

After Zhang Mang's harsh criticism, everyone looked at him, feeling annoyed and ashamed at being spoken to this way, and said quite rudely.

"You, Zhang Mang, are supposed to be a Longyan soldier, yet now you are telling us to betray our country's information to the French. Are you even human!"

Zhang Mang sneered: "I am saving you, do you understand!"

"Do you think that if you don't speak, the French won't get this information from someone else?"

"Do you think that if you hold out, you can last until the Longyan army arrives!"

"Instead of waiting for our people to come, we should think about how to ensure our own safety during this time. After all, only if we are safe ourselves can we have a chance to return to Longyan alive."

Hearing this, everyone fell into a long silence.

In the dark and deep room, the initial silence turned into low sobbing, and many female scientists and engineers could not bear it and cried out.

Who wouldn't want to return to Longyan alive and see their parents, children, wives, sons, husbands...

But now they were in France, far too distant from Longyan.

No one knew if they could hold out until that day before being killed by the French.

Zhang Mang spoke up, breaking the silence: "Hand over some unimportant information, or even fabricate some false parts; at the very least, don't let the French see through it."

"What they need is our knowledge. As long as they continue to need our knowledge, we will be safe for the time being."

"Lord Liu Zheng's ships may have already set sail, or perhaps they haven't, but there is no need for too much suspicion. If he knows the situation in Australia, he will definitely come to save us."

Everyone nodded one after another; only now did they truly agree with what Zhang Mang had said.

They wanted to live.

They wanted to return to Longyan alive.

Zhang Mang looked at these scientists and engineers, each of them with a gloomy face, and he revealed a smile, saying: "At least those of us from the distillery are all still alive."

Just at this moment, the cell where they were being held opened. Zhang Mang instantly changed his expression, hiding in the crowd to observe the French who had entered.

Several people dressed as prison guards brought in a group of people who had the air of academic researchers.

The person in charge of the questioning exchanged a few words in a low voice with those researchers, then pointed to one of them and said: "Come with us."

That person's face turned pale instantly; the terror they had felt since being captured was released in this moment.

They were researchers who had never seen such a scene before and could not help but tremble.

Their legs could not even walk, and in the end, it was those prison guards who dragged them away.

As they left, they glanced at the crowd, but Zhang Mang lowered his head and did not meet their eyes.

However, judging from the situation just now, as long as the person taken away did as he said, there was a high probability that nothing would happen to them.

After all, what the French wanted to obtain was Longyan's technology. If they told them, but concealed or changed some parts.

Then the other side would definitely come to find the next person to ask.

They would interrogate a dozen more people to verify the accuracy of the information!

Not much time passed, and just as Zhang Mang had predicted, the French came over and took away another person.

And the person who had been taken away before was not sent back either.

This made them mutter to themselves, and they were even more panicked.

"Zhang Mang, what do you think the situation is now? Both of them are gone, and they haven't returned yet."

"Do you think the French might have already..."

This person made a throat-slitting gesture, and everyone looked toward Zhang Mang.

He was from the Dragon Flame Army, even though he was an engineer now.

His previous experience was still there, and he should have seen more of these things than they had; Zhang Mang had vaguely become their backbone.

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Mang said: "If the first one who left had met with trouble, it wouldn't be this calm right now."

"Right now, we would definitely be encountering control by the French, being interrogated one by one."

"But since neither of these two has returned, it can only mean they haven't encountered any accidents, which means our plan succeeded."

"As for what comes next, the French should be coming to find a third person very soon."

Sure enough, the French came again, and this time they also took away one person.

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