Chapter 277 Rush to Kill (The Third Month Pass)

Xiǎo Gushan Banshan Hall set up a banquet, the wine banquet is very rich, although it is not a boiled phoenix and a dragon, but it is also a treasure of a hundred flavors "water and land miscellaneous." There were more than a dozen pots of charcoal around the pavilion, and although the river breeze was blowing, he didn't feel cold at all. In winter, the water dries up, and the river water, which is covered by the sky into blue and black, gently laps the embankment, splashing the white sè lànghuā.

Chai Dongliang sat at the top, Gao Chuguan accompanied by the prime minister, and the guests were two, a blonde and blue-eyed American old man Goodnow, and the other was Yang Shiqi, a famous man from Sizhou.

Goodnow is a consultant hired by Chai Dongliang with a high salary, and he comes to China every winter and summer during holidays, and if Chai Dongliang has anything to ask for advice on weekdays, he can consult by telegram and letter. After Yang Shiqi was disappointed in Yuan Shikai, he returned to his hometown of Sizhou, Anhui. Chai Dongliang has sent people many times, and he wants to hire him to go out of the mountain to assist him, but he just doesn't obey.

Unexpectedly, this time the two of them ran to Anqing together, which made Chai Dongliang a little unexpected.

Goodnow has been very disappointed lately, the Republican Party originally wanted him to be a presidential candidate, participate in the presidential election, and compete with Wilson of the Democratic Party, I don't know who turned over his role as an adviser to Yuan Shikai during his time in China. Originally, there was nothing, but Yuan Shikai went against the grain, and many things were done by Yang Du and other staff under the banner of Goodeno, and it seemed that Yuan Shikai was instigated by Goodeno. The American press criticized Goodnow for accepting bribes from Yuan Shikai and questioned Goodnow's conduct.

The Republican Party immediately made a mess and hurriedly put former President Theodore Brown. Roosevelt and the incumbent President Taft pushed it out again, but it was too late, the competition between Roosevelt and Taft divided the Republican vote, Wilson easily won and became the twenty-eighth president in the history of the United States, and Goodnow was discredited and his future in politics was bleak.

The syrup of the axe brand three-star brandy is in the crystal cup, like a blood-like face, exuding the aroma of mi, but Goodnow feels as tasteless as cold water, Yang Shiqi is light and light, and the corners of his mouth always have an unfathomable smile.

"Doctor, is there anything affecting your mood?" Chai Dongliang asked.

Goodnow said hatefully: "Wilson, this cowardly fellow, the damned Holt in Mexico, confiscated all the American property in Mexico, and killed seventy Americans, but this weak Wilson, except for not recognizing the Mexican government, there is no other action damned, when can even Mexico bully the United States of America"

Chai Dongliang said with a smile: "We have an old saying in China, if you are not in your position, you will not seek your own government, and these things are things that the US government and Congress consider. ”

Goodnow retorted: "Your Excellency, General, I have also heard a famous saying in your country, the rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of the husband."

Listening to this blonde old man, speaking Chinese idioms in a ridiculous voice, Chai Dongliang couldn't help but be a little funny.

Goodnow's anger is definitely justified, he owns a large amount of shares of the United American Fruit Company, and the property of the Mexican branch of the United American Fruit Company was also confiscated by the ** Holt, the company was hit by a huge blow, the stock price plummeted, Goodnow's family property shrank by more than half, and the distressed old man wanted to hit his head against the wall.

Chai Dongliang had a good impression of Wilson, after the Mexican ** Holt confiscated all the American property, the big business group asked the government to recognize Holt's legitimacy, only to keep their property in Mexico, Wilson was unmoved, but did not send troops to intervene, Brazil, Chile, Argentina immediately followed, making the Holt regime extremely isolated.

Japan, Russia, and Britain originally put forward a lot of additional political conditions, but they had to give up because of the opposition of Wilson, who had just become president of the United States.

Goodnow was angry when he mentioned Wilson: "This guy actually called in Congress to pay a huge sum of 25 million dollars to Colombia to compensate for the use of the Panama Canal in the past ten years, this canal was built at the expense of the Americans, and it has not yet been fully navigable, and I have never seen a strong country pay reparations to a weak country, and he actually has to apologize to Colombia."

Chai Dongliang secretly said that it was a fluke, Goodnow fortunately did not become the president of the United States, otherwise with the deep-rooted Republican conservative way of thinking in his bones, it would definitely not be good for China.

By contrast, it would be more in China's interest for the moderate Wilson to become president. If Goodnow becomes president, he will not help China because of his sijiāo with Yuan Shikai and Chai Dongliang, but on the contrary, he is likely to pursue a hard-line colonial policy, thus pushing the United States to the opposite side of China.

However, Goodnow's career is unquestionable, and his current status as an adviser to Chai Dongliang, not the president of the United States, is that he will do his best to plan for the interests of his employers, which is the work ethic of Westerners and the most recognized code of conduct for conservative Americans.

"Your Excellency General, after I landed in Shanghai, I found that in the areas under your control, Jiangsu and Anhui, there are recruiting troops everywhere, and countless young people are receiving regular military training, are you preparing for war?" Goodnow asked.

Chai Dongliang smiled: "China is a big country, it is very normal to have a strong army, besides, the area under my jurisdiction now, there are only ten regular army divisions, and the number of more than 100,000 troops should not be too much, right?" ”

The corners of Goodnow's mouth picked out a playful smile: "China remains moderately strong, which is very much in the interests of the United States, you don't have to hide anything from me, I am your SI adviser As far as I know, your army is far more than a hundred thousand"

Chai Dongliang was stunned: "Oh? How much is my own army, I will not be clear? ”

Goodno laughed and said, "Your Excellency, on the surface, it seems that you really only have ten army divisions, but now the four divisions of Tang Hualong, the governor of Hubei, don't you obey your command?" Aren't the two divisions of Lei Zhenchun, the governor of Guangdong, and the two divisions of Feng Guozhang, the governor of Hunan, also under your command? ”

Chai Dongliang said with a smile: "The four divisions of the Hubei army urgently need to be reorganized, and after the training is over, at most two divisions can be retained, as for Guangdong and Hunan, I am afraid it will be difficult for me to mobilize the forces of Feng Guozhang and Lei Zhenchun." ”

Goodnow smiled: "I'm afraid you don't care about the three military forces of Hubei, Hunan, and Guangdong, right?" Your real reserves of strength are in the civilian population, which is very close to our America, and if I guess correctly, you can raise a million troops in two months."

Chai Dongliang was a little stunned, this old guy knows that there are a large number of shè, aviation, and equestrian clubs in Jiangxi and Anhui provinces, with hundreds of thousands of registered members, these people have received formal military training, and with a little training, they are qualified soldiers, if you add the workers and students who have received military training, one million people can really come out, not including Fengtian and Méng Gu

China may lack capital, technology, and management experience, but it has never lacked manpower Anhui, Jiangxi, plus recently controlled Jiangsu and Hubei, Chai Dongliang's ruling areas are the most densely populated and economically developed areas of the Chinese, and the combined population of the four provinces exceeds 130 million, and if you add Méng Gu and Mukden, it is 150 million people, which is already one-third of the total population of the country

"Impossible, a million people? Where did I raise an army of more than 100,000 now, and my finances are already very struggling," Chai Dongliang shook his head again and again.

Goodnow smiled: "I believe that in another two or three years, the number of people who can fight with guns in your ruling area will exceed three million, this is your greatest wealth, you have such a large amount of wealth, do you still need to pay for your own soldiers?" ”

Chai Dongliang asked rhetorically: "If I don't pay, who will pay for me?" ”

Goodnow said in a deep voice: "When the king of terror descends on the world, the old continent becomes a sea of fire, and the blood of Europe is about to be drained, a million yellow-skinned Chinese people will become the only hope to save the free world."

Chai Dongliang couldn't help but shudder, this sentence was said at Wu Jintang's house in Wuhu when he debuted, and it was said to the French consul Glenn at that time, but he didn't expect that his casual words, Goodnow already knew

The Americans did not ignore the East, they would not be stupid enough to spend huge sums of money to help China build a full industrial system, and turn a blind eye to the intentions of their allies Perhaps, at that time, the Americans had already noticed themselves

Chai Dongliang picked up the wine glass and said haha: "Joking, joking" But the cold sweat has already wet the underwear.

Goodnow's heart was sour, the war on the European continent had reached the point of breaking out, the Austro-Hungarian army was conducting military exercises outside Belgrade, the cannon rumbled and the sound of killing shook the sky, which made the Russian tsar, who claimed to be the protector of the Slavs, furious, Italy and France were tense in North Africa, the French openly and secretly supported Ethiopia in their attempt to drive the Italians out of Africa, Britain and Germany launched a shipbuilding competition, and the two sides fought fiercely all over the world? A war of unprecedented scale is bound to break out in Europe, and this is the common view of all military and political figures, and Goodnow naturally understands this

The more he felt the crisis, the more dissatisfied Goodnow became with the national policy of the United States, if it were not for Wilson, a weak guy, to become president, and change his own words, he would have used a million American men to save the world, as Chai Dongliang said, so that the United States could replace Britain and become the master of the world.

Goodnow could even imagine that one day, when the European continent would lose both sides, China, with its unlimited human resources, would inevitably become the object of competition between the two sides of the war.

Chai Dongliang has a million or more young people with military training, and where this heavy bargaining chip is pressed, the winning side is likely to be which.

When it becomes the last straw that can crush the camel, does Chai Dongliang still need to bear the military expenses himself? And when these millions of young people who have experienced cruel wars and have been tempered by iron and blood return to China, is China still a weak country that can be slaughtered by others?

If this opportunity is given to the United States, then the United States will become the number one power in the world, and although China is limited to the economic and industrial level, it is impossible to replace the position of Britain and the United States, but it is very reasonable to become the hegemon of Asia in the ranks of the great powers.

Thinking of this, Goodnow secretly made up his mind that he must find a way to regain the trust of Republican voters, wash away his image as a lackey of Yuan Shikai, and thus obtain the identity of the Republican presidential candidate in the 1916 election

Damn the Democratic Party, damn Wilson is still Yuan Shikai the most

"Brother Guanghua, do you remember this place two years ago?" After three rounds of drinking, Yang Shiqi suddenly said.

Chai Dongliang said with a smile: "Of course I remember, Jiang Shui was also like this at that time."

The relationship between Yang Shiqi and Chai Dongliang is very strange, Yang Shiqi wanted to recruit Chai Dongliang for Yuan Shikai, but after he was unsuccessful, he reminded Chai Dongliang of the problem of standing in line.

A sentence woke up Chai Dongliang, he found that his position at that time was very embarrassing, neither belonging to the Beiyang system, nor to Sun Wen's ** party system, if he did not choose to stand in line immediately, he would inevitably be regarded as an enemy by both the north and the south.

Yang Shiqi was in Yuan Shikai's shogunate for twenty years, and the first ten years have not been reused, and he was thrown into idleness, and later his brother Yang Shixiang died inexplicably, and it was rumored that he was assassinated because he offended Yuan Shikai, but he was reused by Yuan Shikai, and he was also loyal to Yuan Shikai. Lao Yuan was sent by the Qing court to go fishing in Huanshui, and when he was at the lowest point in his life, it was Yang Shiqi who contacted the generals of Beiyang for him, which gave him the opportunity to turn over.

Chai Dongliang always felt that Yang Shiqi's face was very vague, and he couldn't understand what he was thinking, but he admired his talent very much, but Yang Shiqi would rather be idle at home than accept his courtesy.

Yang Shiqi had been drinking, and seeing that he didn't talk about the topic, Chai Dongliang had no choice but to hold back his strong curiosity, accompany him to drink, and wait for him to say the right thing himself.

Yang Shiqi suddenly sighed and said, "Brother Guanghua, if you win the world, let Xiangcheng have a way to live."

Chai Dongliang was shocked, but he didn't expect Yang Shiqi to open his mouth to say this. For a while, the sharp-toothed Chai Dongliang didn't know what to say, he looked Yang Shiqi up and down, trying to see some clues from Yang Shiqi's expression.

What exactly does he mean by that?

...

The third shift, there is a fourth shift before zero o'clock, ask for a few monthly passes