There was silence in the reception room of the Japanese Embassy, and the Japanese First Counselor, Matsudaira Kano, sat there with a calm expression, as if nothing had happened. Wang Jingwei, the representative of the alliance across from him, had his mouth tightened, but his eyes couldn't help but widen, and he subconsciously glanced left and right because of the excitement. This made Wang Jingwei's rather handsome appearance look distorted.

The message provided by Matsudaira was too shocking, and it was also too convincing. Chen's rise is no secret, at least after Chen's public debut. The revolutionaries all believed that Chen Ke had an irreversible relationship with Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin of the Guangfu Society, and in fact, Yan Fu and Yuan Shikai were the foundation for establishing a strong social relationship with Chen Ke.

If this line is deduced, the compromise that the Liberation Society has reached with Beiyang now will naturally be indispensable for Chen Ke to thread the needle in it. Thinking of this, Duan Qirui suppressed his emotions and said, "Mr. Songping, are you saying that the People's Party has long colluded with Yuan Shikai?" ”

"This is not necessarily the case for a long time when they have been colluded together. It was only from the beginning that the People's Party had a very close relationship with Beiyang. Ministers, especially British and American ministers, believed that the BJP was just a faction of the Beiyang bloc. Chen Ke received a very good education, should have lived abroad for a long time, especially in Europe and the United States, and must have studied at quite a few universities. He has been hiding his origin, probably because he is worried that his background will cause a lot of unnecessary trouble. Some people even suspect that Chen Ke was born in the Manchu royal family, or at least in a family that was very close to the Manchu imperial family. It's normal to have a lot of factions within a bloc, and it's just as normal for those factions to have deep political differences. ”

When it comes to political differences, Wang Jingwei can fully understand. The Restoration Society and the Huaxing Society have proved what kind of sharp antagonism and disagreements can be caused by political factions within the League. And what kind of results will be triggered. After all, Wang Jingwei is not a fool, and the Japanese side must have its own ideas when it says this, and he asked: "Then why is the Japanese side supporting us again now?" ”

"Both the People's Party and Beiyang are pro-British. We in Japan have always wanted to be able to build an Asian alliance to drive the white forces out of Asia. Wang Jun, the League has always been willing to cooperate with Japan to build a new Asian order. The People's Party has been trying to exclude our Japanese presence in China. We certainly want to support a party that is friendly to us. Matsudaira was blunt.

Wang Jingwei did not believe much in this, and it is not easy to say whether the People's Party rejected Japan, and Wang Jingwei believed that Beiyang would not at least reject Japan so much, and he asked: "Mr. Matsudaira, is Beiyang and the People's Party's position on this matter?" ”

Matsudaira replied cheerfully: "The People's Party and the Beiyang government are trying to reach a quota trade agreement with Britain, France, the United States and other countries, and this agreement will greatly consolidate the presence of European and American countries in Asia. This total trade would amount to 100 million pounds, or 750 million taels of silver per year. As far as we know, Japan does not get any share of this. ”

"Seven hundred and fifty million taels of silver? This is true!! Wang Jingwei's voice was almost moaning as if he was infected with a fever. It's not that this money makes him greedy, but that this amount completely angers Wang Jingwei.

"This agreement is not a secret agreement, whether it is true or false Wang Jun will know it by checking it." Matsudaira said calmly.

At this time, it is rude to leave the table, and Wang Jingwei also wants to maintain the most basic courtesy. It's just that his mood can't calm down at all, and he got too much news to think about today. A simple apology and an appointment for the next visit. Wang Jingwei staggered away from the Japanese legation, which was a temporary gaffe caused by too much anger.

Looking at Wang Jingwei's back, Matsudaira Huanxiong had no expression on his face, this was not the time to steal fun.

The best way to trap someone is to provide them with a mindset. For example, Yuan Keding's mood to become the crown prince was too urgent, and the ministers of various countries expressed their support for Yuan Shikai to become emperor. Yuan Keding naturally felt that the ministers of various countries were sincere, at least Yuan Keding himself believed that the ministers of various countries were sincere.

On the basis of this mode of thinking, there are many means of extension. For example, the Japanese envoy could already see that Yuan Keding thought that by killing Chen Ke, Yuan Shikai would become the true ruler of China. The ministers all know that Yuan Keding's train of thought is certainly not a fact. Not to mention the success of this assassination operation, if the assassination happens, regardless of success or failure, the People's Party will have to tear its face with Beiyang, and it is very likely that Yuan Shikai will be finished. Yuan Shikai is finished, and Yuan Keding will definitely be finished together.

The ministers seemed to be enthusiastic, and everything was said in Yuan Keding's heart. If the same thing is said to Yuan Shikai, ...... ministers, they all know that this is just self-inflicted humiliation. Because Yuan Keding himself is willing to believe this, Yuan Shikai will definitely not believe it.

Similarly, for the League, they at one time considered themselves to be the standard-bearers in charge of the Chinese revolution. In a sense, the League was indeed the first to shout the slogan of "overthrowing the Manchu Qing Dynasty and establishing the Republic of China" at a certain stage. It's just that shouting is useless, and it is the Beiyang and the People's Party, two political organizations with strong practical capabilities, that decide China's fate.

At this stage, the League is eager to turn its "pioneering work" into practical political interests, and against this background, it is better to incite the League to be hostile to the People's Party and Beiyang, and to make the League think that the People's Party and Beiyang are in collusion and that both are "counter-revolutionaries."

A lot of words don't need to be said directly, just need to be guided according to the other person's mentality. Everyone has a subconscious or explicit position when communicating, and when the other party's conversation touches this consciousness, they will subjectively think that the other party has the same position as themselves, and thus subjectively think that what the other party says is right.

Of course, everyone is vigilant, and they will also consider whether the Japanese side is stirring up trouble, and what is needed at this time is to tell the truth. As a result, the judgment of the League on the current situation follows the guidance of the Japanese side.

Thinking of this, Matsudaira Huan's ambition was indeed quite satisfied. He never thought that in the current situation, the League would actually be able to take de facto control of territory. Not to mention the defeat of the People's Party and Beiyang and their replacement. What the Japanese side needs is a fierce conflict between the People's Party and Beiyang, draining the forces of two of China's most powerful political organizations and confusing the situation. If Britain wants to restore order in China, the only force it can use is Japan.

Therefore, Yuan Keding's hostility to the People's Party will be the hostility of the League to the People's Party. As long as they can be used well, the two may not converge on the matter of "assassinating Chen Ke". Once the assassination of Chen Ke can begin, the moment the fact that the mastermind is Yuan Keding is revealed, Japan can sit back and wait for the good show to be staged.

Thinking of this, Matsudaira Huanxiong's face was finally difficult to look at. Remembering the British, Matsudaira Kano couldn't help but be annoyed.

As early as 1902, Britain and Japan formed a military alliance to counter Russian expansion in the Far East. On January 30, 1902, the British Foreign Secretary, H.C.K. Petty-Fitzmaurice, Marquess of Lansdownne (V), and Hayashi To, the Japanese ambassador to Britain, signed the Treaty of Alliance between Britain and Japan. The main contents are: the two States parties recognize each other's right to protect their own interests in China and Korea, and if the "special interests" of Britain in China and Japan in China and Korea are threatened by other countries, or are infringed upon by "riots" within China and North Korea, the two countries have the right to intervene; When one of the High Contracting Parties fights against a third State in order to protect such interests, the other Party shall observe strict neutrality; In the event that one of the High Contracting Parties is attacked by two or more States, the other Party shall provide military assistance and fight together. The treaty is valid for 5 years. The secret clause also stipulates that the navies of the two countries should cooperate in their actions to maintain superiority in the waters of the Far East. The Anglo-Japanese alliance was a military offensive and defensive alliance against Russia, and it was also a war tool for aggression against China and Korea.

After the alliance was concluded, Japan stepped up its arms expansion and launched the Russo-Japanese War of 1904~1905. In 1905, the two countries signed the Second Treaty of Alliance, which recognized Japan's "right to protect" Korea and reaffirmed the need to provide military assistance in the event of an attack by any third country.

Faced with a quota trade agreement that was in full swing, Britain did not care about the feelings of Japan, which had concluded an alliance. No matter how much the Japanese government pleaded, Britain openly and secretly stated that this agreement would not be open to Japan for the time being. After Britain signs this agreement, we will consider how Japan will participate in this agreement.

The attitude of the British people who want to eat alone is very obvious, and the People's Party and the Beiyang government also support the British eating alone to a certain extent. As things stand, it is highly likely that the Bank of England will provide the financial support for the trade deal. For the Great Powers, the British became the contractors and firmly grasped the initiative. The Germans danced so happily this time in order to get an extra piece of it. Britain may not be able to contain Germany's rashness, but it can contain Japan's restlessness.

Naturally, Japan did not dare to snatch interests from Britain in name, so it had no choice but to do it behind its back. Britain is a very real country, and once the situation changes so much, the British will immediately adjust their layout according to the specific situation. In this regard, the Japanese side has absolute confidence.

Wang Jingwei is far from being able to reflect on the credibility of the Japanese side's words, and a flame seems to burn in his chest. The blood of so many comrades in the League and the hard work of Mr. Sun Yat-sen have now completely become a stepping stone for the People's Party and Beiyang. This fact made Wang Jingwei unable to calm down at all.

750 million taels of silver! The number popped up out of nowhere. No wonder the People's Party and Yuan Shikai were able to reach a compromise, in the face of such an astronomical sum, can the two families not compromise? The principal of Gengzi's indemnity is only 450 million taels, and the annual quota trade between the People's Party and Beiyang far exceeds the total amount of Gengzi's indemnity principal.

Why can the People's Party and Beiyang enjoy such huge benefits, but the League, which first rose up to advocate revolution, has become an insignificant existence? Mr. Sun Yat-sen, who was the father of the revolution, is now a stateless person, and from a legal point of view, Sun Yat-sen has lost everything. The contradiction between Beiyang and the People's Party, Beiyang and the Alliance has a long history of manipulation of this law, and Wang Jingwei doesn't care. The People's Party's black hand behind the scenes is absolutely unacceptable to Wang Jingwei.

As his thoughts unfolded, the excitement in Wang Jingwei's chest had turned into extremely profound hatred. His palms opened and closed slowly, as if he were about to pinch someone's throat out of thin air.

The headquarters of the League is now located in a small alley in Wicker Hutong, which is a very ordinary house. There were seven or eight young people in the house, and as soon as they saw Wang Jingwei coming back, they greeted him, "Zhaoming, you're back!" How did you talk about it this time? ”

Seeing the comrades, Wang Jingwei's heart was sour. The Pingjin branch of the League, which used to have hundreds of comrades, now has only seven or eight people left as the backbone. Originally, the foundation of the League was the "Restorationists", and the attitude of the Restorationists was Restoration. As for whether the result of the Restoration was the "Republic of China" or "constitutional monarchy", or "constitutionalism", the number of people who pursued constitutionalism once accounted for the majority of the proportion. After arduous propaganda and agitation, Dr. Sun Yat-sen finally set the goal of the reformers on the line of "overthrowing the Manchu Qing Dynasty and establishing the Republic of China."

After the fall of the Manchu Dynasty, most of the backbone felt that they had fulfilled their responsibilities. Many officials loyal to the Manchu Qing were unwilling to work under Yuan Shikai, and Yuan Shikai also had to be replaced. was able to become an official under Yuan Shikai, and many former backbones switched to the foyer and defected to Yuan Shikai's government.

Now thinking of the secret agreement between Yuan Shikai and Chen Ke mentioned by Matsudaira Huanxiong, Wang Jingwei is even more sure that he has definitely not been deceived. Looking at the enthusiastic comrades, Wang Jingwei was angry in his heart, and he told these comrades everything he heard today according to the main line of "everything is a conspiracy between Chen Ke and Yuan Shikai".

The young comrades were strong-blooded, and when they heard half of it, they got up and scolded angrily, "It turns out that this guy Chen Ke wanted to use our alliance from the beginning!" ”

The voice of grief and indignation was followed by sobbing, and the young man was already in tears. "When he was in Anqing, the People's Party asked our alliance to give him a top cylinder, and in the end, all the comrades in Anqing were wiped out. Looking at it now, Chen Kena definitely did it on purpose. ”

Some people have already begun to use "facts" that have not been told by the Japanese side to prove Wang Jingwei's thinking.

In fact, this is not true, Yue Wanghui, who had already joined the Alliance at that time, strongly requested to occupy Anqing at that time. Of course, Chen Ke knew what happened to Yue Wanghui, and he didn't warn Yue Wanghui. It must be noted that even if Chen Ke warned, Yue Wanghui would never accept Chen Ke's suggestion.

Of course, these young people would not analyze the problem so calmly, and finally found the culprit for the predicament in front of the League, and the young people of the Pingjin branch of the League were immersed in self-pity at this time.

"Zhaoming, what should we do now?" Someone asked with a crying voice.

"Don't worry," Wang Jingwei said calmly, the excitement of the comrades in a sense exuded a part of Wang Jingwei's excitement, so that he could face the things in front of him more calmly, "I will go to the Japanese Legation to pay a visit in the next few days, you can help me inquire about a few things." Be sure to ask. ”

After a few days of intelligence gathering, Wang Jingwei had completely believed all of Matsudaira Huanxiong's words. Whether it is a quota trade agreement or Yuan Shikai's desire to invite Yan Fu to become the prime minister of the cabinet, it has been confirmed that it is not a lie. These two articles alone allowed Wang Jingwei to determine the fact that Chen Ke and Yuan Shikai were in confluence. He left Beijing in a hurry, and first rushed to Shanghai to meet Chen Qimei, the backbone of the League who now held considerable strength.

Almost at the same time, Yuan Keding was also lifted from the grounding order. Kaiser Wilhelm II asked Yuan Shikai to send a delegation to Germany to negotiate the Qingdao matter, which was a good thing that Yuan Shikai did not expect. Yuan Shikai also wanted to take advantage of this incident to let his son Yuan Keding go to Germany to see the world. It is not a way to always ground Yuan Keding. After emphasizing once again that Yuan Keding would never be allowed to have the slightest relationship with diplomats from various countries, Yuan Shikai let Yuan Keding go.

Yuan Keding is very afraid of his father, Yuan Shikai is very strict with his children, and if there is a little bit of disdain, he will be scolded at the lightest, and he will practice the family law at the worst. The ministers of various countries were also very cooperative, and did not come to Yuan Keding for the time being.

This made Yuan Keding feel relieved on the one hand, and extremely unwilling on the other. It was a great feeling to be entertained by the missions of various countries.

In addition to the missions of various countries, Yuan Keding found that after this lockdown, the cadres in Beiyang also inexplicably alienated themselves. Those uncles and uncles, Yuan Keding naturally didn't dare to disturb them. Yang Du and Jiang Baili never participated in Yuan Keding's invitation. And some of the people who originally came back to the banquet, such as Zheng Wenjie, have now begun to push back. All that Yuan Keding was able to invite were some low-level cadres who were useless at all.

Let these people come over and eat Haisai, and after going back, they boast that they once ate at the same table with "Yuan Dagongzi", how about together, these people are okay. But if these people were asked to do something, especially by using the power of the army to send out the Assassins, they would not be of any help at all.

In the past few days of the grounding, Yuan Keding was full of calculations about how to kill Chen Ke. The best way to do this was to send well-trained soldiers to carry out the assassination, but he knew very well that if Yuan Shikai knew about it beforehand, he would definitely not let him go. Of course, even after the matter was completed, Yuan Keding couldn't let Yuan Shikai know. It is necessary for Yuan Shikai to eliminate the People's Party, and at this time, Yuan Keding still needs to tell Yuan Shikai his credit at a very suitable opportunity. Because Yuan Shikai hates being led by the nose very much.

Since there is no one to be found in the army, there is only one remaining option, and that is to find civilian martial arts masters.

Yuan Keding has a few doormen, but in fact, they are all people who are not of much use. It's just that although these people are not very good, they have a wide range of paths. After listening to Yuan Keding's instructions, they also tentatively asked, who dared to offend Yuan Dagongzi like this.

"If you are asked to find someone, you will find someone, and don't ask about some things." Yuan Keding picked up his eldest son's shelf.

"Yes." Those people didn't dare to ask again.