Sun Dacang returned to China from Yueben immediately after the incident, held a meeting in Shanghai, and advocated the use of force to defeat Yuan Shikai. However, there were differences of opinion within the KMT, with some leaders (such as Huang Hsing) preferring to use peaceful means and fight by legal means without breaking the provisional treaty.

Sun Cannon secretly hated, but there was nothing he could do.

At this time, the East China Autonomous Government suddenly telegraphed the whole country and issued the "Joint Declaration of the Nine Provinces", in which the declaration denounced the brutality of the salt tax, and the nine provinces of Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, and Yunnan would reject the salt tax rectification promulgated by the central government, and at the same time announced:

"The East China Autonomous Government will provide 5 million quintals of free refined salt to the other six provinces every year, and reduce the selling price of refined salt by one-tenth from the current sales price. Thinking that 40,000 people are fighting for their personality, our Chinese nation is not a land-eating nation -- Xia Jun, Li Yuanhong, Cai Yi, Tan Yanhong, Cheng Quande, Bai Wenwei, Chen Jiongming, and the entire military and political government. Yes. Stamp. ”

As soon as the East China Autonomous Government sent a telegram, it began to increase the supply of free salt, and even mobilized 8 million tons of salt in stockpiles to implement free salt rations in the three East China Autonomous Provinces, so that each population could receive two kilograms of free salt every year, and if it was not enough, they could buy cheaper refined salt on the market.

At the same time, Xia Jun sent 500,000 tons of free refined salt to Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Hubei, Guangdong, and Yunnan provinces.

The three provinces of East China Autonomous Region made a generous move, directly sending 500,000 tons of free refined salt, which immediately made the governors of all provinces participating in the joint declaration happy.

Selling these 500,000 tons of free refined salt is a lot of money.

Xia Jun did not expect this refined salt to be distributed to the people of the other six provinces for free, and his action only expressed his position and determination to oppose the salt tax.

It is also to lure other provinces into joining the anti-salt tax coalition.

…… The declaration of the political axe of East China's autonomy can be said to have stirred up the front waves with one stone, and caused violent repercussions throughout China.

First of all, school strikes occurred in Yanjing, Tianjin and other places due to the "Joint Declaration of the Nine Provinces", which led to strikes and strikes by traders and workers.

At the same time, demonstrations broke out in the provincial capitals of the provinces that had not joined the Joint Declaration, and teachers, students, and citizens demanded to join the Joint Declaration.

At this time, the East China Commercial Hall also approached the overseers, promising that as long as they joined the Nine Provinces Anti-Salt Tax Alliance, they could get 5 million quintals of refined salt every year in the future, and at the same time, they would also assist the provinces with 1 million quintals of grain every year.

One quintal is 100 kilograms, and 10 quintals is equal to one ton, which is 500,000 tons of refined salt and 100,000 tons of grain per year.

Xia Jun has a lot of salt in his hands, and there is no shortage of food, but the provincial overseers don't have it! If they can get this assistance, it will undoubtedly be a big income for them.

Under the guidance of interests and the public opinion of various demonstrations, within five days, the five provinces of Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi also announced that they would join the anti-salt tax alliance, forming the 14 provincial anti-salt tax alliance.

These fourteen provinces are all lineups at the time of the Xinhai Revolution. The four regions of Henan, Hebei, Shandong, and Northeast China are Yuan Shikai's forces, and they are alliances that support the salt tax.

Yan Xishan, the overseer of Shanxi, was the last province to join the alliance, and Yan Xishan was too close to Yuan Shikai's Beiyang political axe, so he didn't dare to easily make a move against the Beiyang political axe, but Yan Xishan soon got a promise from the East China Commercial Hall that as long as he joined the anti-salt tax alliance, the East China Autonomous Political Axe would protect Shanxi, and if the Beiyang Political Axe attacked Shanxi, the East China Autonomous Political Axe would not sit idly by.

Yan Xishan was a militarist, and although he paid more attention to his own interests, he was the highest among the provincial warlords in terms of cultivation and vision. During the period of secession of Shanxi, he built railways, developed education, and worked hard to maintain law and order in Shanxi, which Xia Jun allowed to tolerate.

After all, Yan Xishan will not mess around if he occupies Shanxi, so Xia Jun can provide armed protection to Shanxi.

Yan Xishan was very happy after receiving the promise, this is equivalent to signing an alliance with the East China Autonomous Political Axe, with this thigh to hold, he doesn't need to look at the face of the Beiyang Political Axe.

Yuan Shikai never expected that just levying a salt tax would suddenly evolve into such a huge rebound, and it would form a pattern similar to that of the Xinhai Revolution.

The blatant disobedience of the overseers of the fourteen provinces also further exposed Yuan Shikai's low ability to control China.

As the first force to successfully oppose the Qing Dynasty and achieve autonomy at the end of the Qing Dynasty, it was the pillar force in the Xinhai Revolution.

In the eyes of the provinces, the military strength of the East China Autonomous Political Axe is much stronger than that of the Beiyang Political Axe, and as long as the East China Autonomous Political Axe takes the lead, there is no risk of failure.

In Yanjing, Tianjin, and other places, strikes, strikes, and strikes intensified, hundreds of people took to the streets, and their actions strongly expressed public opinion.

This is the people's struggle to abolish the salt tax!

Yuan Shikai was very angry, but there was no way, if he dared to act rashly at this time, then he would no longer face the Civil War of the previous Xinhai Revolution, but a direct war with the East China Army.

At this time, the East China Commercial Hall sent the other half of the arms they ordered to the Beiyang Army, half of the arms ordered by Yuan Shikai before, and half of them had not arrived, and this time the East China Commercial Hall delivered the other half of the arms order.

The East China Autonomous Political Axe sent a batch of arms at this moment, which immediately made Yuan Shikai smell the mystery, and it was obvious that the East China Autonomous Political Axe still intended to solve the problem of salt tax by non-military means.

If the East China Autonomous Political Axe wanted to overthrow him by force, then obviously he would not hand over the arms, and the Beiyang Political Axe also borrowed a loan of 22 million from the East China Autonomous Political Axe.

Yuan Shikai then sent Tang Shaoyi to Hangzhou to negotiate with the East China Autonomous Government, and the salt tax must be negotiated.

After some negotiations with indirect surnames, Xia Jun's East China Autonomous Axe and Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Axe began negotiations on the salt tax issue in Hangzhou on April 8.

Xia Jun sent Zhu Xiaocheng to talk to Tang Shaoyi, the bottom line of East China's autonomous political axe is very clear, the salt tax cannot be collected, and there is no possibility of concession.

Tang Shaoyi, who came to Hangzhou, wanted to reach some kind of compromise with the East China Autonomous Political Axe, but Yuan Shikai was still undetermined about collecting salt taxes.

However, the situation in the whole country has become very unfavorable for the Beiyang political axe, although there has been no armed conflict, but the demonstrations and strikes have intensified.

Some people have made remarks in the newspapers saying that the chairman of the NPC Standing Committee should be the chairman, and that only the chairman of the NPC Standing Committee is the most suitable person to be the president in China today.

For this kind of remarks, Xia Jun immediately asked the press to ban it.

The thankless position of the president, he doesn't want to touch. And the most important thing is that he can't cook it at present, and if Xia Jun wants to be a reader, he can't be stared at all day long.

Now if people want to cook openly, most of them are staring at the Beiyang political axe, and he is a local political axe, which is just an internal problem. If Xia Jun becomes president, then there is nothing wrong with him internally, but the provinces will inevitably attack him.

All in all, the president is too stylish and too eye-catching.

Xia Jun further lowered the price of salt in the three autonomous provinces, and distributed free salt to each household every year according to the capitation, so that Xia Jun's popular value has further increased.

At this time, the people's sentiment index has risen to 5.9, with more than 300 million points of income every month, and by April, Xia Jun has accumulated 900 million points in his hands.

During the negotiations, Tang Shaoyi obviously felt that the East China Autonomous Political Axe just didn't want the political axe to collect salt taxes, but had no other meaning, and he was not very willing to see a civil war in China.

After Tang Shaoyi reported to Yuan Shikai, Yuan Shikai saw that it was too slow to talk like this, so he directly sent a telegram to the East China Autonomous Political Axe.

The content of Yuan Shikai's telegram said that he wanted to meet Xia Jun in person, and the meeting place was set in Xuzhou.

After reading this telegram, Xia Jun sent a telegram back to Yuan Shikai, telling him that Xuzhou would not go, and that if he wanted to talk, he would talk in Huai'an, and at the same time asked the president to come to Huai'an to visit the well salt mining, and allowed Yuan Shikai to bring a division of guards into Huai'an.

Yuan Shikai smiled after receiving the telegram, it seems that this kid doesn't trust him too much. Immediately sent a telegram to agree, but Yuan Shikai did not plan to bring a division over, just bring a regiment.

If the East China Autonomous Political Axe really wants to overthrow him, there are many opportunities, and the current situation is an excellent opportunity. Obviously, the East China Autonomous Political Axe will not do anything to him, and Yuan Shikai naturally does not need to bring a division over.

Several more telegrams were exchanged between the two sides, all of which were ciphered and not public. These telegrams are mainly about the agreed time, and a few other things.

Soon, Xia Jun and Yuan Shikai agreed to meet in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province on April 15 to discuss the central financial issues.

After Yuan Shikai agreed, he began to prepare how to convince this impulsive young man during the meeting, and Yuan Shikai was full of confidence.

In his opinion, Xia Jun is a little too stupid, as long as he takes out something that suits his intentions and fools him twice, it will definitely make him lose his liver.

Xia Jun was thinking, let him go to Xuzhou? No way!

Xuzhou is still occupied by Zhang Xun, although he has confidence in his subordinates, but Xuzhou is still too dangerous, it is safer in Huai'an, although Huai'an is also in Jiangsu, but Xia Jun has a foundation there after all.

…… Sun Cannon was in Nanjing, and the second meeting was held.

At the meeting, Sun Dacang said excitedly: "Ladies and gentlemen, at present, the whole country is opposing the harsh salt tax, and it is a good opportunity for us to overthrow Yuan Shikai. ”

"Sun Wen, let's not do this, we can solve the problem through legal means." Huang Xing objected on the spot, he stood up and said, "And don't you think that Dunchu (Song Jiaoren) died a little strangely?" If it was Zhao Bingjun who assassinated Song Jiaoren, why would he be stupid enough to leave so much evidence? ”

The Kuomintang people at the meeting couldn't help but nod their heads when they heard Huang Xing's words, with Zhao Bingjun's means, even if he carried out assassination, it was impossible to leave such obvious evidence.

Sun Dacang's expression suddenly became extremely sad, he clutched his fists and knocked on the table excitedly, and said sadly: "Dun Chu died so miserably, and the evidence is conclusive, what else is there to doubt, it must be Yuan Shikai who instructed Zhao Bingjun, and Zhao Bingjun will find a murderer to kill Dun Chu." We must avenge the beginning of our life, and now that the situation is very good for our party, as long as we raise our arms, the whole world will inevitably respond to the second revolution we launched. ”

"Think about it! When we overthrow Yuan Shikai, we will be able to display our ambitions, how happy is it? ......" Sun Cannon waved his arms incessantly.

(To be continued)