Author's words: Thanks to the book friend Xiaoliang for his generous reward, and thanks to the book friend Crispy Fat Classmate's unremitting reward, Tangyuan will redouble his efforts to repay the love of the book friend!

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On August 25, 1913 in the Western calendar, Yuan Shikai was in a very good mood recently, and everything was pleasing to the eye, and there were many fewer scolding voices in the presidential palace, replaced by ridicule and scolding.

"The president, Xiong Kewu of Sichuan, announced the cancellation of reading power. The bloodless blades of Sichuan have been recovered. ”

"Good!"

"President, Zhang Xun called, saying that the city of Nanjing has been surrounded by water, but the city wall is too thick for the army's 75 mountain artillery to penetrate, and he asked the naval guns of the Second Fleet to bombard Nanjing."

"Call him back, I'll give the Admiralty an order to let them help in the war, Nanjing is just a lonely city, I think these bandits can resist stubbornly!"

Xu Shichang wore reading glasses and kept reading the battle report to Yuan Shikai, and Yuan Shikai was in a happy mood when he heard it. Since the beginning of the Republic of China, the governors of all provinces have controlled the taxation of taxes, and the central finances have been penniless, and they have all relied on borrowing to survive, and this time they have taken Hubei, Hunan, and Guangdong provinces in one fell swoop, and Jiangsu is left with the isolated city of Nanjing. Beiyang's military might silenced the governors of all provinces, and they sent telegrams saying that they would be loyal to the central government and Yuan Shikai himself, and the financial problems that had been plaguing Yuan Shikai seemed to be alleviated immediately.

In the support of the whole country, Yuan Shikai's prestige has also been rapidly improved, and the originally scattered Beiyang has also been reunited, Duan Qirui, Cao Kun, Feng Guozhang, Duan Zhigui and other Beiyang generals are also impressed by the old man, and no longer dare to regard him as an old and faint old man.

Xu Shichang said with a smile: "Comfort Pavilion, this Hu Hanmin of Guangdong, Tan Yanmin of Hunan, and Chai Dongliang of Anhui are like the three feudatories, and now the three feudatories have gone to the second, congratulations!" ”

Yuan Shikai touched his shiny bald head and smiled: "Chai Dongliang is just a guardian dog, don't worry!" This time, he exterminated Chen Yingshi, the leader of the rebellious party, in Shanghai, which can be regarded as meritorious, reward him with a Wenhu Medal and award him a medal for two to collect his heart! As long as this Wu Sangui doesn't fit in with Sun Wen's third prince Zhu, we might as well slowly restrain it. ”

Yuan Keding, who was on the side, did not dare to agree, Yang Shiqi once commented on him as a hero in the world, he once said that Chai Dongliang had the ambition to annex the universe, and he also had the means to win the hearts of the people, and he would be a big trouble for Beiyang in the future.

Although Yang Shiqi was reminding Yuan Keding to take precautions as soon as possible, he admired Chai Dongliang quite a lot between his words, which made Yuan Keding's heart sour. However, Yuan Keding couldn't believe Yang Shiqi's words, and it was Yang Shiqi's strategy to get Li Yuanhong to Yanjing this time.

Yuan Keding also took Hubei without spending a single soldier and incorporated the four army divisions that Li Yuanhong had painstakingly managed, and Yuan Shikai was deeply appreciated, and the position of the heir was unprecedentedly stable.

"Father, Chai Dongliang's strength is better than Wu Sangui's, first of all, his Yangtze River fleet isolating the north and south is a big trouble, once he cuts off the Yangtze River ferry on Jinghan Road, then the grain route of our Beiyang Army will be cut off by him, and my father has to guard against it!" Yuan Shikai reminded in a low voice.

Yuan Shikai was in a good mood, and he didn't think he was angry: "Keding, you don't know one thing but you don't know the other, it's true that Chai Dongliang has this strength, but does he have the guts?" If he had the ambition to compete for the world, he should have joined Sun Wen in rebellion this time, but not only did he not rebel, but instead sent troops to rebel! Besides, even if he really cuts off the Jinghan Road, we have already placed more than 20,000 people south of the Yangtze River, Duan Qirui has incorporated 50,000 troops in Hubei, Chai Dongliang is only 40,000 and 18,000 are far away in Manmeng, if you really want to fight, Jiangxi and Anhui are only more than 20,000 troops, and his old nest Anqing, Wuhu, and Nanchang don't want anyone to guard it? How many soldiers can he send to fight us? Even if the 50,000 people in Hubei are tofu scum, they will kill him, an old sow, not to mention that we still have 20,000 elites under the city of Nanjing??? Keding, you still have a lot to learn! ”

Yuan Keding saw that the old man had already set the tone, so he had to echo casually: "What the father said is that the son has been taught. ”

Xu Shichang laughed and said: "The president teaches by word and deed, the eldest prince is humble and studious, Weiting, you are so blessed!" ”

Yuan Shikai smiled even more, looking at this lame son more and more he liked it. The soldiers took a province in Hubei without bloodshed, kidnapped Li Yuanhong from his lair to Yanjing, and took four divisions of 50,000 troops.

"He has the demeanor of a father, like my son of Yuan Shikai!" Lao Yuan's heart was as beautiful as eating bee droppings.

"Weiting, you, the temporary president, should also be regularized, what kind of thing is it to be so temporary?" Xu Shichang said with a smile.

Yuan Shikai stretched out his hand to grab a cigar, Yuan Keding limped over and wrapped him in tin foil and roasted it on the cigarette lamp, then cut it with a cigar, and lit it with his own hands before handing it to Yuan Shikai.

Yuan Shikai smiled with satisfaction, took two hard puffs, and then said: "Now in the Congress, the members of the Kuomintang advocate the constitution first, and then the election, while Liang Zhuoru and the Progressive Party advocate the election of the president first, and then slowly formulate the constitution. The Kuomintang people said, "There are chickens and eggs first, and if there is no formal constitution, where is there a formal president?" Liang Zhuoru said that this constitution is a century-old plan, and it must not be sloppy, but at present, there must be a strong political axe, so the official president must be elected first??? Congress is boiling over every day, and I don't think there will be a result in the quarrel for three or five months. ”

Xu Shichang smiled bitterly: "It is now the second year of the Republic of China, but the political axe of the Republic of China has not yet been recognized by the Western powers??? The foreigners are also right, your president is temporary, how can people recognize you as a political axe? I think what Zhuo Ru said makes sense, first implement you, the big president, and then slowly engage in some bullshit constitution. ”

Yuan Keding said in a low voice: "Father, my son has an idea, I don't know if to talk about it?" ”

Yuan Shikai was rarely in a good mood, and scolded with a smile: "Rabbit cub, you have sold a guanzi with Lao Tzu, if you have a fart, let it go!" ”

Yuan Keding said with a grin: "This constitution contains this "Presidential Election Law", it is better to formulate this case first, the president might as well be elected first, and then slowly develop the constitution, wouldn't it kill two birds with one stone?" ”

Xu Shichang patted his thigh and said, "What a good idea!" The eldest prince is considered to have been trained, Weiting, you have a successor! ”

Yuan Shikai also smiled, and after laughing, he said slowly: "Now the Kuomintang has the greatest influence in the Congress, once they are determined to sing against me, although I am not afraid, I will eventually have some trouble." ”

In order to elect the official president, Yuan Shikai also took great pains. Liang Qichao supported Yuan Shikai to centralize power and implement a presidential system, which made Yuan Shikai very satisfied, and then allocated a special fund of 1.6 million yuan from the large loan for the aftermath of the disaster, so that Liang Qichao could plan the merger of several other political parties in the parliament to jointly fight against the Kuomintang. After Liang Qichao arrived in Yanjing, he actively negotiated with the Republican Party, the Ming Cooking Party, and the United Party, preparing to merge into a big political party to oppose the Kuomintang. At that time, the political parties did not have a principled position, they heard that Liang Qichao had taken more than one million activity funds, and Yuan Shikai supported him, plus Liang Qichao was such a big celebrity, why not do it?

After obtaining the initial intention, Liang Qichao held a meeting in the name of Li Yuanhong, chairman of the Republican Party who was under house arrest in Yingtai, and invited members of the three parties in the National Assembly to a banquet to exchange feelings. At the three-party earnest meeting, Liang Qichao gave a very wonderful speech, in which he pointed out in person: "At present, the three parties of the Republic, Mingzhuo, and Reunification are united and cannot occupy a majority in the Congress, and this phenomenon is extremely worrying. Whether it is for the sake of the three parties or for the opposition parties, the three parties should be merged so that China can gradually synchronize the situation of confrontation between the two major parties, so that party politics can gradually get on the right track." With regard to Liang Qichao's political concept of "competition between the two parties," Tang Hualong, the elder brother of Tang Xiangming, commander of the Yangtze River Fleet, who is the speaker of the Senate, and Sun Yaoqing, the first meritorious figure of Wuchang, expressed their support one after another, and the merger of the four parties also went very smoothly.

The three parties held a joint meeting in Yanjing, and more than 1,000 party members attended the meeting, and the scene was quite spectacular. At the meeting, the representatives of the three parties announced the formal merger into the "Progressive Party", elected Li Yuanhong as the chairman, Liang Qichao, Zhang Jian, Wu Tingfang, Sun Wu, Na Yantu, Tang Hualong, Wang Geng, Pu Dianjun, Wang Yinchuan and other nine people as directors, and the honorary directors include Feng Guozhang, Zhou Ziqi, Xiong Xiling, Zhang Shaozeng, Yan Xishan, Hu Jingyi, Yin Changheng, Cai Yi, Tang Jiyao, Lu Rongting, Zhang Zhenfang, Yang Zengxin, Cheng Dequan, Zhu Rui, Zhuang Yunkuan and other more than 20 celebrities, and more than 100 senators, the lineup can be described as strong.

After the merger, the leadership and backbone of the Progressive Party were in fact constitutionalists from the late Qing Dynasty. Under the influence of Liang Qichao, the political stance of the Progressive Party tended to support Yuan Shikai's political axe, and its main role was to oppose the Kuomintang in the National Assembly and support Yuan Shikai's centralization.

Even so, Yuan Shikai was not at ease, and in addition, he instructed Liang Shiyi, secretary general of the Presidential Office, to bribe some other members of the National Assembly, such as Li Qingfang, Mei Guangyuan, Kang Jiachen, Lu Mengxiong, and others, at the price of a monthly allowance of 200 silver dollars. The Civic Party does not do anything else, and its only purpose is to put Yuan Shikai on the throne of the president.

"President, the Jianghuai tour made Anhui Governor Chai Dongliang call back." The Counselor of the Presidential Office handed Yuan Shikai a telegram.

Yuan Shikai opened it and saw that it was Chai Dongliang's reply to the commercial police corps's bombardment of Sumitomo Trading Company.

Chai Dongliang said in the telegram that Chen Yingshi's 61st Regiment of the Shanghai Army was a rebel army, and that the rebels' attack on the Guanghua Group, which belonged to a private industry, was an injury to the property rights of friendly people at home and abroad, and that the Commercial Police Corps, as a private armed force, naturally had the right to defend legitimate property. Sumitomo Trading Co., Ltd., which is adjacent to the concession, said that he allowed the rebels to use their territory, which was an attempt to introduce troubles into the concession and was a shameless violation of the rights of citizens of various countries to their lives and property.

Only then did Yuan Shikai remember that Shanghai Guanghua Group is not only Chai Dongliang's industry, but more than 40% of its shares belong to the major foreign banks in the concession, especially the shares of the American Bethlehem Iron and Steel Company have reached 20%.

Chai Dongliang downplayed a battle between countries into an attempt to invade the concession even though the rebels were instigating the invasion of private property.

Yuan Shikai clapped his hands and applauded: "Wonderful, wonderful, this rabbit cub has a set!" Foreigners pay the most attention to commercial protection??? Chai Dongliang is right, Xiao Yueben protested? We have to protest! Order the secretariat to draw up a protest document and hand it to Lao Tzu to the embassy, so that Minister Lin Quan will have a headache for a few days! ”

Before he could finish speaking, another secretary of the presidential palace handed over an official letter.

"Great President, the American political axe strongly protests ???"

Yuan Shikai was puzzled: "What are the Yankees protesting for? ”

"The U.S. political axe protests against the ineffective protection of private property by the political axe of the Republic of China, the Shanghai Guanghua Group was attacked by the rebels, and the legitimate private property of American citizens has been seriously infringed.

Yuan Shikai frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "Damn, Yankee is singing a duet with Chai Dongliang?" It's obviously a protest for us, but it's actually for Xiao Yueben to watch??? I sent a letter back to the American political axe, saying that the rebels were sheltered by the Japanese trading company, and the political axe of the Republic of China did not know about it in advance, so they could not provide protection, and this loss made them ask Sumitomo trading company for ??? Hehe, let the American Minister Jia Leheng and Minister Lin Quan help the dog eat the dog. ”

Xu Shichang and Yuan Shikai also laughed, Yuan Shikai laughed for a while, suddenly looked serious, looked at Yuan Keding and said: "Keding, do you know why Lao Tzu can be the president?" ”

Without waiting to answer, Yuan Shikai asked and replied to himself: "Liu Bang is just a scoundrel, but he can create a four-hundred-year foundation of the Han Dynasty, relying on Xiao He, Han Xin, and Zhang Liang. You can be the president, and you are also assisted by talented people like Brother Juren, Yang Xingcheng, and Wang Shizhen, and now even Duan Qirui has a small fan by his side Xu Shuzheng, what about you? There are a lot of minions, but there is no one who can govern the country and secure the country??? Brother Juren and I are old, the future world is yours, I wanted Yang Xingcheng to help you, but he didn't say goodbye to Shanghai to be a bullshit director of China Merchants! ”

Speaking of this, Yuan Shikai's expression couldn't help but be a little gloomy.

Xu Shichang comforted: "Comfort Pavilion, it's not that you don't know Xingcheng. He is learning from Zhang Liang, and he retired after success, and it is not bad if he did not go to the deep mountains to cultivate the Tao and swim from Chi Songzi. ”

Yuan Keding said respectfully: "What my father said is that my son has been studying with Mr. Liang Zhuoru and Mr. Yang Huizi recently, and he has benefited a lot. ”

Yuan Shikai shook his head and said: "Zhuo Ru and Huizi are both great talents, and they are both good ministers in the peaceful and prosperous era, but now it is a troubled time." The royal way, domineering, and sophistry must be parallel to be at ease, Zhuo Ru and Hui Ziyang have more than enough conspiracies, and it is not enough to use them to defend the more than used, and the rest such as Zhao Bingjun and Xu Shuzheng are more than conspiratorial but narrow-minded, and it is not enough to create a grand plan and hegemony??? Keding, you really have to think about it and choose a horse for your use! ”

Yuan Shikai was surprised and delighted when he heard it, and from his words, the old man seemed to have the intention of entrusting the country, and he hurriedly said: "What my father said is extremely true, my son must be a corporal of Lixian to choose a few talents well." ”

Yuan Shikai smiled indifferently and said, "Why bother to seek the near and far? He picked up the telegram: "This person is your Zhang Zifang and Zhou Gongjin, if you can take him back to use, I will close my eyes even if I die." ”

Xu Shichang interjected: "Chai Dongliang is a tiger in the Jianghuai, tens of thousands of soldiers, and the Yangtze River Fleet and the Manchurian and Mongolian advance army are its wings, and there are Americans behind him to support him, and it may not be easy to subdue him." ”

After that, Xu Shichang sneered twice.

Yuan Shikai laughed and said: "I understand what Brother Juren means, are you saying that this son is unruly and difficult to control, so it is better to kill him to prevent future troubles?" Brother Juren, I understand what you said, the problem is that if Keding can't even subdue this fierce horse, how dare I hand over such a big family business to him in the future? ”

Hearing him say this, Yuan Keding had no choice but to nod yes. In his heart, although he felt that Chai Dongliang was a threat, he always felt that it was not as exaggerated as Yang Shiqi said.

Now that Beiyang occupies the righteous name of the central political axe, and the whole country is at peace, even if Chai Dongliang can jump again, what can he do?

Li Yuanhong has an army of 50,000 in his hands, and he has the reputation of the first righteous father, and he is still the vice president of the Republic of China, isn't he also obediently tied up? Sun Wen is even more famous, and he was not beaten away to Tokyo, but he said that his snort lingered. Just a Chai Dongliang, can you still turn the sky?

The biggest thing at the moment is to make the old man smoothly become the official president, gain the recognition of the foreign powers, and then formulate the most favorable constitution to get rid of the constraints of the Senate and the House of Representatives. If Yuan Shikai loses the election, the joke will be bigger. This is the really important thing, Chai Dongliang is just a local powerhouse in a remote corner, and he is just a figure comparable to Hu Hanmin, Tan Yanmin, Xiong Kewu and others who were beaten away??? The disease of ringworm and scabies is not worth putting too much thought into it. Dealing with the Kuomintang members in the National Assembly is the most important thing to worry about.

When the old man became the official president, he took the medicine according to the prescription, arranged a title of army chief or premier for Chai Dongliang, and got it to Yanjing to raise, if he was willing to be obedient, then he would use it as a staff member. If you dare to have bad intentions or refuse to come to Yanjing, then simply raise a large army to fight.

Yuan Keding made up his mind, and couldn't help but feel a little complacent.

"Father, it's better to take advantage of Sun Wen's rebellion and the indignation of the whole country, simply dissolve the Kuomintang, and make trouble during the election." Yuan Shikai took advantage of the old man's good mood and offered advice.

Yuan Shikai's face sank and said, "Don't come nonsense!" As soon as I praised you, I was fluttering, and there was no city government at all! ”

was poured a scoop of cold water on his head, and Yuan Keding took two steps back and sat on the chair.

Yuan Shikai saw that he was still a little unconvinced, and said earnestly: "Keding, you must not be reckless in doing great things, and you must endure it when you should endure it." You don't want to think about it, the National Assembly is about to be convened, if the Kuomintang is dissolved, will this Congress still be able to be held? Can this president still be elected? Aren't you causing trouble for Lao Tzu? ”

Yuan Keding hurriedly said: "What my father taught me is that my son is a little anxious. ”

The two were acting in a drama about the filial piety of father and son, when they suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside. Yuan Shikai didn't need to look to know that it was Lu Jianzhang, the director of the Military and Political Law Enforcement Department nicknamed "The Butcher". Yuan Shikai did a lot of shady things by him, Zhang Zhenwu in the Shouyi Three Martial Arts died in his hands, and he was mostly responsible for Beiyang's intelligence work.

"Lang Zhai, is there anything you are in a hurry about?" Yuan Shikai asked.

Lu Jianzhang walked in in with a panicked face, and said in a low voice: "President, it's not good, the Jianghuai Army is attacking Nanjing and fighting with Zhang Xun!" ”

(To be continued)