From training the model regiment to organizing the Gong Guard, it means that Yuan and his son will take control of the army by themselves.

For a long time, Yuan Shikai only inquired about the appointment of the superior officers of the Beiyang Army, and the lower-level officers were selected by Duan Qirui and the military commanders of various departments. In Yuan Shikai's opinion, this was a big mistake, because he believed that in this way, the junior officers would only have their superiors in their eyes, and there would be no Yuan Shikai for him.

If the superior commander is not in line with him, this army will naturally lose control. This point, in Duan Qirui's place, Yuan Shikai seems to have experienced it particularly profoundly.

This time, the father and son of the Yuan family learned a lesson and paid special attention to the control of lower-level officers. Whether the leader of the model regiment is promoted to platoon commander, or the platoon commander is promoted to company commander, Yuan Shikai must personally meet with him, and these people must also kowtow to Yuan Shikai to thank him.

Yuan Shikai also taught these people every time how to be loyal to their duties and how to be loyal to their superiors.

Is it useful to do this? In fact, it is difficult to say, because this shows that Yuan Shikai's distrust of the upper-level officers can easily cause his generals to deviate from him. People often say: don't use people who are suspicious, but don't doubt people. Trust is mutual, if you don't trust people, they can't trust you.

And Yuan Shikai treats his subordinates, he has always been to catch people's hearts, but he doesn't believe in people. His credo was to be mindful of everyone. Yuan Shikai is most proud of what he calls the "three sets of heads" of spy work: that is, sending A to spy on B, and C to follow A to monitor A's movements.

Ordinary people know that the most valuable thing for people is to treat others with sincerity. That is to say, people's hearts are exchanged for people's hearts, eight taels are exchanged for half a catty, and a person can only be treated the same by others if he treats others sincerely and sincerely. Of course, for this point, Yuan Shikai may not be able to figure it out for the rest of his life.

Everyone knows that Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang are Yuan Shikai's right-hand men. When rejecting Duan Qirui, Yuan Shikai paid special attention to the wooing of Feng Guozhang. And although Feng Guozhang is not as desperate for Yuan Shikai as Duan Zhigui, he is much better than Duan Qirui.

Yuan Shikai has a female tutor, a native of Yixing, named Zhou Tu (No. Daoru), who is a teacher of the women's high school attached to the Tianjin Female Teacher. He is nearly forty years old, and he has not talked about marriage. This female teacher is very popular in the Yuan family, and she gets along well with the Yuan family, and Yuan Shikai also has a very good impression of her.

Feng Guozhang often came to Yuan Shikai's house and knew this female teacher. On this day, Feng Guozhang came to Yuan Shikai's house again, just in time for Yuan Shikai and the governess to talk about the studies of his children. Zhou Di, a female teacher, saw that a high-ranking official was visiting, and hurriedly said goodbye.

Feng Guozhang didn't have anything to do, he just walked around, he didn't have anything to say, and when he saw the female teacher leaving, he casually asked a few words. Feng Guozhang was the inadvertent questioner, but Yuan Shikai was the listener's intention. Because he suddenly remembered that Feng Guozhang passed away not long ago, and he was continuing, and immediately thought of marrying Zhou Daoru with Feng Guozhang to show his encirclement.

Zhou Li was an intellectual woman, and she was a so-called foreign student in that era, with her own unique charm. In addition, Feng Guozhang has always had a good impression of him, not to mention that he is a female teacher in the president's family, the so-called seven-rank official of the prime minister's family. As soon as Yuan Shikai proposed, Feng Guozhang was of course a hundred willing.

Yuan Shikai said that this is an independent woman, an old girl, and he has to ask for his opinion. Striking while the iron was hot, Yuan Shikai asked Feng Guozhang to wait, and he would go to ask Zhou Di's opinion now.

Yuan Shikai knew that Zhou Di was a very generous person, and he didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the topic. This week, he is not a celibate, but his eyes are too high, and his family has mentioned a lot of relatives, and he has not seen each other many times, and he has dragged it back and forth until now. People are long past the age of thinking about what is wrong, and their thinking is much more practical. The family background and status of this marriage must be considered, and no matter from that aspect, Feng Guozhang must be a leader, and Zhou Li is naturally very willing. However, although Zhou Di, who is a beautiful girl, is not young, she is still a yellow flower girl, and she asks the media to marry and officially welcome her.

What's so difficult about this, Feng Guozhang agreed.

Just after New Year's Day this year, Yuan Shikai sent his third aunt to send Ms. Zhou south.

When he arrived in Nanjing, Feng Guozhang fired 20 cannons to welcome him with the most solemn etiquette, and went down to the negotiation office.

January 19 is the day of Feng Zhou's wedding. In order to fulfill the promise of "welcoming in person", Feng Guozhang moved the woman's house from the Negotiation Office to the West Garden of the Governor's Mansion in advance, adjacent to the Governor's upper room, and the words "Zhou Mansion" were marked at the beginning of the door.

On the wedding day, Feng Guozhang wore a general's uniform to greet him, and the float entered the governor's mansion from the Beiting Lane around the flower archway, and the military and police prohibited pedestrians along the way.

The bridesmaid wore a big red dress to accompany the bride, and then the two girls each held a flower basket to help the newlyweds go down to the house. The lead is the horse team, followed by the band, the bride wears a Yuan-colored embroidered jacket and a big red dress, and President Yuan Da, the representative of Han Jun, the governor of Jiangsu, is the witness. Although this wedding was not very special, it was called a "civilized marriage" at the time.

Because Zhou Li is Yuan Shikai's tutor, he is Yuan's family, and Yuan Shikai is a big matchmaker. Since then, Feng Guozhang and Yuan Shikai have had another layer of relationship. Many Beiyang people secretly call Feng Guozhang the master of the horse.

Feng Guozhang himself feels very good. It turned out that because he was only a member of one party, and Duan Qirui, who had always been with him in the past, was in charge of the whole army, although the two of them were very good on the surface, but deep down he was very jealous of Duan Qirui and unconvinced. Now Duan Qirui has fallen out of favor, and he wants the wind and the rain, and he is almost close to the president. It can be described as complacent.

As we have said, before the Sino-Japanese issue occurred, Yuan Shikai moved his old friend and famous widow Xu Shichang out as secretary of state, and all kinds of retro moves, coupled with the collapse of the National Assembly and the banning of the Kuomintang, gave people the impression that the imperial system was restored. At that time, the Beiyang soldiers were afraid of being left behind, and they also sang the tune of respecting Confucius retro and restoring the imperial system. Who knows, it didn't take long for the situation to change abruptly, and the officers and men of the Beiyang Army rushed to power again.

Then, because of the 21st Article, whether it was restoration or repeated restoration, people diluted it. After the incident of the 21st was over, everyone felt it, and the direction of the wind seemed to have changed. A very telling phenomenon is that the die-hards who advocate the restoration of the imperial system are increasingly being reused.

Soon the news came out that everyone was mistaken, and President Yuan Da was both in favor of and against the restoration of the imperial system. What is opposition to the restoration of the monarchy? For example, Song Yuren's "Returning the Government to the Qing Dynasty" and Liu Tingchen's "Restoration of the Rite System Library" made the Qing court that entered history a revival, and Yuan Shikai really resolutely opposed it. As for what is in favor of the restoration of the imperial system, what kind of imperial system is restored, and which emperor is it, it is self-evident.

Is that so? The Beiyang soldiers were skeptical. It's already ugly, and we can't make a mistake again, everyone tried their best to investigate, but they couldn't figure out what Yuan Dashuai and President Yuan Da thought.

What to do, everyone pins their hopes on Feng Guozhang, the "master of the horse", with the relationship between Feng Guozhang and Yuan Shikai, no matter what, you can get the truth from Yuan Shikai!

And Feng Guozhang is also anxious about this matter, whether it is the imperial system or the republic, Feng Guozhang doesn't care, he just needs Yuan Shikai to give him a real answer.

Soon after the wedding, Feng Guozhang and his new wife returned to Beijing from Nanjing. After all, the newlywed is a newlywed, and the relationship between the two is very good, which is really like glue. Feng Guozhang went to Beijing so he took the bride, which is inseparable on the one hand, and there is another intention for this trip, which is equivalent to going back to his parents' home to thank the big media.

When he set off from Nanjing, everyone told Feng Dashuai that when he went to Beijing this time, he must find out the president's thoughts with confidence. Feng Guozhang agreed, because even if everyone didn't say it, he had to figure it out himself.

When passing through Xuzhou, Zhang Xun went to Xuzhou Station to see off Feng Guozhang and asked him again.

Although Feng Guozhang did not stay in Beijing for a long time, he still met Yuan Shikai three times.

The first time was when the newlyweds went to Yuan Shikai's house together. It's really back to her parents' house, and as soon as she enters the door, the bride is surrounded by the whole family and asks questions. The bride became the protagonist, Feng Guozhang and Yuan Shikai were left to the side, looking at this lively family, the two of them could only laugh on the side. The noisy people didn't find a chance to talk to Yuan Shikai about it until they ate. Feng Guozhang also felt that such an occasion was really not suitable for talking about this kind of thing, it was too slight.

The second time, Feng Guozhang went by himself, and he went specifically to do this. The opportunity is also very good, only he and Yuan Shikai are two people, and it seems that the president is in a good mood.

Feng Guozhang said: "Dashuai (the Beiyang generals are willing to call Yuan Shikai like this in private), during this time, the brothers have always had a question I want to ask you, but I don't know whether to ask it or not. ……”

"Huafu, what is the relationship between us, just ask if there is anything, no matter what."

Before Feng Guozhang finished speaking, he was interrupted by Yuan Shikai with a smile.

Feng Guozhang was just about to say when the phone rang.

I don't know who called Yuan Shikai, and I don't know what the other party said, but when I saw Yuan Shikai answering the phone, he was still smiling, and his face changed when he listened.

I only heard him shout loudly: "You can figure it out, I am the dignified president of the Republic of China, what kind of emperor should I be, playing the piano indiscriminately." ”

After saying that, he put down the phone angrily.

Feng Guozhang suddenly understood what was going on, it seems that the matter is already very clear, thanks to him not asking, otherwise wouldn't it be boring to be self-deprecating?

The next day, a Beiyang soldier in Beijing went to Feng Guozhang's home in Beijing to visit him. Speaking of this, the other party shook his head.

Feng Guozhang asked what was going on? The other party asked, "Feng Dashuai, do you know who called?" ”

"How do I know?" Feng Guozhang replied.

"Don't you know that the president's heart can be said to others casually?"

After this man left, Feng Guozhang felt that his words made sense. remembered that time on the front line in Wuchang, he almost killed the Yihe letter sent by Yuan Shikai as a spy. Sent a telegram to Yuan Shikai to ask, didn't he tell the truth? Since I am entrusted by everyone, I must clarify things.

The third time Feng Guozhang saw Yuan Shikai was to have lunch with Yuan, and there were only the two of them.

During the lunch conversation, Feng Guozhang deliberately mentioned the rumors that the president was going to be the emperor. Yuan took a bite of the dish and was about to put it in his mouth, but after listening to it, he put down the chopsticks very seriously, and the dish fell on the table.

Yuan Shikai said: "Huafu, you and I are our own people, don't you know what is going on in my heart?" I don't think rumors are unfounded, during the period of Kuomintang control, there were people who said that the republic was not suitable for the country, and I verbally said that I would abdicate or return to the Qing Dynasty, and I myself would never want to be emperor. Recently, due to a provision in the New Testament that the president may bestow knighthoods, it has been annexed as a step towards changing the state structure. In fact, I think this has nothing to do with it, it's just that the people of Manchu, Mongolia, Hui and Tibet can all be crowned kings and dukes, but the Han people do not have this right, which is too unfair, so I want this knighthood right so that the Han people can also be crowned kings and dukes. ”

Feng listened to Yuan's words and was about to interject, but Yuan continued: "Huafu, I have already told you about my heart, what is the difference between the power and responsibility of the president today and the emperor? A person wants to be an emperor for the sake of his descendants, because the president cannot be hereditary, but the emperor can be passed on to his descendants. Take me as an example, the eldest has a disability, the second is a celebrity, the third son is not up to the times, and the rest are very young, how can they pay for state affairs? The end of the House of the King of God in history has never ended well, why should I do this? ”

Feng seized this opportunity to interject a sentence: "The president's heartfelt words, but when the heavens and people return, and the yellow robe is added, it can't be pushed off." ”

Yuan seemed to be very angry and said, "No, I would never do such a stupid thing." I have a son who is studying in London, and I have asked him to buy some property there, and if anyone else compels me, I will go abroad to London and never ask about state affairs again. ”