Yuan Shikai thought about the before and after, and disagreed with Xu Shichang's analysis.

"Brother Shichang, look! If I had taken the two pieces of silver from him at the beginning and walked away, wouldn't they have lost them for nothing? It's not much, but it's worth the loss.

"When I won, he advised me twice to stop when I saw it, but unfortunately I didn't listen. If, I mean if, I listen to people's advice and eat well, wouldn't they lose more? ”

Xu Shichang shook his head, "No, you can't take it." ”

"Why?" Yuan Shikai didn't believe it.

"Don't look at him shouting for a long time, that money bag has no owner, as soon as you get it, the owner will definitely come out. As for the last two, you can't go, so what are their options? ”

Yuan Shikai thought about it, but shook his head.

"Brother Shikai, don't you believe it?"

Yuan Shikai still shook his head. Thinking of the words and deeds of that loyal old man, how could he not believe that he was lying, such a rustic person, with such high acting skills?

Xu Shichang asked, "Brother Shikai, which casino did you go to?" ”

"Good luck." Yuan Shikai replied.

"Isn't it far from here?"

Xu Shichang said, pulling Yuan Shikai and leaving.

"What are you going to do?" asked Yuan Shikai.

Xu Shichang said: "If you don't see the coffin, you won't cry, and if you don't see the Yellow River, you won't die, I'll let you see it with your own eyes." ”

The two of them came to the gate of the Good Luck Casino, found an unnoticed corner, and waited quietly.

Yuan Shikai couldn't be unconvinced. really made Xu Shichang right, the kung fu was not big, the same actor, the same play, performed again. It's just that the supporting role is not Yuan Shikai, but someone else.

Yuan Shikai's blood surged upward, he stood up with a breath, and was about to rush out, but was pulled by Xu Shichang.

"Why are you going?" Xu Shichang asked.

"Settle accounts with him!" Yuan Shikai replied.

Xu Shichang shook his head, "What's the account?" Are people forcing you to gamble, but they don't, right? Not only did he not force you, but he also advised you to accept it when you saw it. Isn't it? ”

Yuan Shikai was speechless, "Is it just that, why eat this dumb loss?" ”

"No, what else?" Xu Shichang sighed.

Yuan Shikai's face flushed, "I can't swallow this breath." ”

"Brother Shikai, if you can't swallow it, you have to swallow it. Do you know that you can open such a big gambling house in the capital, and the backstage and backers are so small? Ming tells you, we can't afford to mess with it. Spend money on a lesson! ”

On the way back, in front of his good friend, Yuan Shikai swore to the sky: he will never enter the casino again in this life, not only himself, but also his children and grandchildren will not touch the side of the casino.

Yuan Shikai really did it, not only himself, but even his children didn't dare to let him know when they entered the casino, of course, this is a later story.

Xu Shichang was in the capital, did not bring his family, and rented a small house by himself. built a bed for Yuan Shikai, and Yuan Shikai moved to him.

Xu Shichang went to Yamen every day on business, and Yuan Shikai was idle all day, and he didn't stay for a few days, and told Xu Shichang that he planned to return to Henan earlier.

Xu Shichang originally wanted to stay as a friend for a while, but seeing that Yuan Shikai had made up his mind, he didn't insist on stopping him anymore.

When he left, he brought enough entanglement for Yuan Shikai. Compared with Yuan Shikai, who sponsored him at the beginning, it was only a lot more. There is no banquet in the world that will not be dispersed, not to mention that Xu Shichang sent Yuan Shikai on the road, and the two of them said goodbye in tears.

After Yuan Shikai walked back for a while, he lost the courage to go home.

What's going on with you? The two mothers took out all their savings and went back like this, how could they tell them? Do you have the face to see them?

If the official doesn't buy it and the money is gone, how uncomfortable will they be? No, can't go back.

What can I do if I don't go back?

That night, while staying at the hotel, he met a merchant from Nanjing. The two talked about Nanjing, and Yuan Shikai talked about his days in Nanjing.

Speaking of Nanjing, Yuan Shikai remembered a person, Wu Changqing, the life and death brother of his father Yuan Baoqing.

I heard my father say that he was fighting against the Taiping Army and the Twist Army and worshiped Wu Changqing.

Wu Changqing, a native of Lujiang, Anhui Province, followed his father Wu Tingxiang to run a group practice in his hometown in his early years. In September 1854, the Taiping army captured most of Anhui.

Wu Tingxiang recruited 3,000 village warriors, and took advantage of the surprise of the Taiping army to raid the city of Lujiang.

But in that area, the Taiping army was very powerful, and Lujiang City soon fell into the encirclement of the Taiping army.

Lujiang grain and grass is scarce, there is no natural danger to defend, the situation is critical, Wu Changqing was ordered by his father to go to Yuan Jia's third military camp to ask for help.

At that time, Yuan Jiasanbu was also playing against a strong enemy, and Yuan Jiasan asked everyone's opinions.

Yuan Baoheng said that the enemy is ahead, the outcome is unpredictable, and the matter is clear. If you divide your troops to rescue Lujiang, not only will you not be able to relieve the siege of Lujiang, but your side will also be defeated.

Yuan Baoqing thought that everyone hated the same enemy, and his lips were cold, so he advocated sending troops to rescue.

Yuan Jiasan analyzed the entire battle situation and believed that the gains and losses of one place and one time should not be taken into account, and the preservation of strength should be the first priority; It was proposed that the Ngo Dinh Huong Department abandon the city and break through.

Wu Changqing felt that what Yuan Jiasan's uncle said was a wise move, and promised to go back to the camp and try his best to persuade his father.

Yuan Jiasan then sent a small but elite army to meet Wu Tingxiang's troops.

Yuan Baoqing volunteered to lead the troops and got Yuan Jiasan's approval.

But when Wu Changqing accompanied Yuan Baoqing to Lujiang City, before he arrived, Lujiang City had been breached, and Wu Tingxiang had already died in battle.

Afterwards, Wu Changqing deeply felt Yuan Baoqing's love and chivalrous mind for saving the whole thing, so he became brothers with Yuan Baoqing.

Later, both of them worked in Nanjing, and their contacts became closer.

When he was in Nanjing, Yuan Shikai was also very familiar with Wu Changqing.

Getting along together, I can feel that my father's sworn brother likes him very much.

Why don't you go to Uncle Wu? Maybe you can find something to do. So, Yuan Shikai came to Nanjing.

However, unfortunately, whether it was to Wu Changqing's place of residence or the yamen where he worked, no one was found.

Let's inquire about Uncle Wu's whereabouts! No one knows. The flame of hope that had just been ignited was extinguished by a basin of cold water, and Yuan Shikai's mood was terrible.

It was getting late, and he wanted to find a place to stay. When passing by the door of a brothel, he was carelessly stopped by several girls soliciting business in front of the brothel.

By the time Yuan Shikai understood what was going on, he had already been surrounded by girls and entered the door of the brothel.

The bustard graciously asked him to choose, and he was about to refuse, but soon changed his mind.

Yuan Shikai is a person with strong self-esteem, and one day, he had a few words with his wife Yu. The so-called scolding has no good words, and when they quarrel, people are angry, and they all pick up the harsh words and say what hurts people.

Yu Shi sarcastically said to him, saying that she herself was not like Yuan Shikai, she was from a famous and authentic family. Not like Yuan Shikai? It's out.

Isn't Yuan Shikai's biological mother Liu a partial house? This concubine is Yuan Shikai's eternal pain, although he passed on to his uncle, his identity should have changed, but in front of his brother Yuan Shidun, he is still very inferior.

The more inferior a person is, the stronger and more sensitive his self-esteem becomes.

What are you really afraid of? Where the pot is not opened, where is the pot. How can Yuan Shikai stand this?