The international peacekeeping plan was unexpectedly stopped, and Yuan Shikai refused to invite Britain, France, the United States, and Germany to send troops into Manchuria. The heating in the War Department was on, the minister's office was as warm as spring, Xu Shuzheng poured the leftover tea in the cup into the flower pot as fertilizer, and wiped the leaves off with a damp cloth.

Army Chief Duan Qirui took a sip of tea and shouted angrily at the guards: "You want to burn me to death? ”

After that, a blue and white glazed red bowl in the Daoguang period was shattered, and the guards didn't dare to make a noise and were at a loss there. Xu Shuzheng mouthed at him, and the guards hurriedly packed up the fragments, panicking in their hearts, and the sharp porcelain pieces cut his hand.

"Mr. Duan is angry, and he doesn't need to spread fire with them, his anger hurts his liver." Xu Shuzheng said with a smile.

Duan Qirui glared at him, and then sighed: "You Zheng, you are really heavy." The president vetoed our proposal, and you don't seem to care at all. ”

Xu Shuzheng smiled: "That's your proposal, not mine!" I said a long time ago that the old man would not agree, you just don't believe it. ”

Duan Qirui circled around him three times, and looked at Xu Shuzheng's heart.

"How can you conclude that the old man disagrees? It's only good for him, no harm! ”

Inviting the great powers to send troops to Manchuria to control the situation could enable British and American capital to enter Manchuria smoothly, and at the same time, it would also essentially abolish the unequal treaty signed between the Japanese and Russia in the Qing Dynasty, and also weaken the power of the British and Russian forces in Manchuria, which would also be beneficial and harmless to Beiyang.

Xu Shuzheng slowly rubbed the begonia leaves, and said coldly: "Don't forget, this is proposed by Anhui Chai Dongliang, if it is really done, it is equivalent to putting gold on his face, why would the old man agree?" ”

Duan Qirui pondered for a moment and said: "But this is also good for our Beiyang, with the great powers entering Manchuria, there will be some fears about doing things in Ben and Russia, more than 30,000 in Ben, more than 80,000 troops in Russia, these are all placed in Manchuria, and the threat to our Beiyang is great." ”

Xu Shuzheng seemed to have heard the funniest joke, and looked up to the sky and burst into laughter.

Duan Qirui said unhappily: "Another Zheng, if you have something to say, what is the sale?" ”

Xu Shuzheng sat down next to Duan Qirui, broke it and crumpled it and said: "The old man personally served as the head of the model regiment, and he made the establishment of two divisions at once, Jiang Baili and Cai Yi served as instructors, and invited Wang Shizhen, a big man who doesn't ask about things, back to sit in charge, why is this?" Do you think the old man still wants the current Beiyang? ”

Duan Qirui was shocked and said: "The old man wants to repeat the old trick of putting aside the Huai Army and building a small station for the new army?" ”

Xu Shuzheng sneered: "Chief Duan, you just saw it?" The old man put aside the War Department and devoted himself to the matter of organizing and training the model regiment, and transferred all the elite soldiers and strong generals of various divisions in Beiyang into the model regiment, you still can't see through the meaning of this? You wait, at most two years, he will clean up our old people in Beiyang one by one. ”

Duan Qirui's hands and feet were cold, and he said tremblingly: "The old man won't be there, right?" We've been saddle up for him for more than ten years, and even if we don't have credit, at least we're still a little hard, right? Without our collective response, would the Qing court have been able to abdicate smoothly? Can he be the president? I'm thinking about it again, it won't be like this! The president is still a nostalgic person, and now Sun Wen in the south is still ambitious, and Chai Dongliang, the land of Jianghuai, is eyeing him again, and now it is not to the point where the bird is exhausted! ”

Xu Shuzheng laughed again, and squirted out the tea in his mouth: "Let's Beiyang, who has the closest relationship with the president?" No one has surpassed Yang Shiqi, right? Do you think you know the old man better than he does? Yang Shiqi brushed his sleeves away, you still can't figure out the meaning of this? Of course, the bird can't hide the bow, the problem is that the old man is completely tired of the Beiyang bow, he can't call our War Department, and you can't also call Feng Guozhang, Cao Kun, and Duan Zhigui. The old man is ready to reopen another business, replacing you and Beiyang veterans such as Feng Guozhang and Cao Kun with a model regiment and new talents such as Jiang Baili and Cai Yi??? The old man wants to get a new bow that works well! ”

Duan Qirui has always had illusions about Yuan Shikai, and he has been accustomed to following him for many years to obey his orders, but now that Xu Shuzheng has punctured this soap bubble, he suddenly became at a loss.

"Youzheng, what do you mean, what should we do?"

Xu Shuzheng shook his head with a wry smile and said, "What should I do?" Cold! In Beiyang, the old man with the strongest appeal is you, followed by you. But you, the army commander-in-chief, have not personally taken charge of the troops for some days, and the division commanders and brigade commanders in Beiyang may not be intimate with you. If you want to learn from the old man to train a new army, you have no financial power in your hands, so you retreat to serve as the governor of a province, how can the old man rest assured? ”

Duan Qirui smiled bitterly: "Then you have to wait for death?" ”

The corners of Xu Shuzheng's mouth picked out a playful smile: "If you plan to be a loyal and filial son, of course it is a dead end, but if you don't limit your vision to a corner of the Beiyang, then the world is wide!" ”

Duan Qirui hurriedly said: "Again, let's talk about it." ”

Xu Shuzheng smiled: "Do you know where Yang Shiqi went after he retired?" ”

Duan Qirui was puzzled: "Didn't you go to China Merchants to become a director?" ”

Xu Shuzheng laughed and said: "The chief's news is too ill-informed, he went to Anqing." ”

"Wouldn't it? Yang Shiqi actually changed his court and joined Chai Dongliang? Duan Qirui gasped.

Xu Shuzheng smiled mysteriously: "The chief is really a smart person, and he can guess it!" On the surface, we Beiyang has an army of 160,000, but now it is a plate of scattered sand, and the old man can only rely on his power and prestige to envelop the division commanders of each division, and Chai Dongliang has occupied the three provinces of Anhui, Jiangxi, and Feng, plus East and West Mongolia, three divisions plus a mixed brigade, and a merchant police corps of more than 3,000 people, and the strength has reached 40,000! Other people's 40,000 are like fingers, and our 160,000 are each with a ghost. What's more, the equipment of the Jianghuai Army has now far surpassed that of the Beiyang Army, and Chai Dongliang still has the Americans behind him who spare no effort to support him??? Have you ever heard of the "Bethlehem Contract" signed between the Manchu government and the Americans? ”

Duan Qirui's eyes almost widened: "You mean the Sino-US secret agreement signed between Zaixun and Sa Zhenbing back then?" Could it be that this contract has already been executed? It was Chai Dongliang who succeeded the former Qing and the United States in cooperation? ”

Xu Shuzheng nodded and said, "That's it, think about it, chief!" In Anhui's land reform, land was bought from landlords with bonds and industrial stocks. This has to cost money, free education in Anhui and Jiangxi provinces, this is a huge amount of money, right? Chai Dongliang engaged in currency reform, issued banknotes and silver dollars, and could exchange them at any time, whether it was for silver or dollars, they were exchanged at any time! He built two industrial parks in Wuhu and Jiujiang, and the investment was also huge, and he acquired the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau to transform it into Shanghai Guanghua Group, which still needed to spend a huge amount of money. Not to mention his three newly formed army divisions armed to the teeth, as well as the Yangtze River fleet he raised, which is even more of a gold-swallowing beast???? But Chai Dongliang not only did not scrape the land in Anhui and Jiangxi, but gave him a light and thin endowment, and his power swelled to this extent in just one year, what did he rely on? Does he Chai Dongliang have a cornucopia at home? ”

"He's so strong? It's still so hidden! This son really doesn't look like a twenty-five-year-old man! Duan Qirui was dumbfounded, he had heard that the Manchu Qing Dynasty had such a secret agreement with the United States, but he always didn't believe it, but thinking of Chai Dongliang's power development within a year, and the projects he engaged, it seemed to be very close to the legendary "Bethlehem Contract".

With the support of a strong country that spares no effort behind it, the strength will naturally be very strong, and the momentum of development will naturally be extremely fast. Although there is the support of the British behind Beiyang, it is only symbolic, and the all-round support of the legendary "Bethlehem Contract" is nothing less than a world of difference.

Xu Shuzheng shook his head with a smile and said: "Fei Ye, Fei Ye, he has potential, but potential may not be able to develop into strength, after the first battle of Fengtian, he has become the target of public criticism, and it is impossible to bury his head and accumulate strength!" Chai Dongliang has financial resources and troops, and now he has prestige, but he still lacks one of the most important conditions. ”

"What?"

"Connections and qualifications are not possible in China just by working hard. Sun Wen said that Yan Yan is not practical, but he is still strong, what is the basis? Qualifications! The first qualification to provoke the banner of anti-Qing is Sun Wen's strength! Chai Dongliang rose too fast, his connections are not extensive, and in addition to a few fierce generals, there is a lack of talents in both domestic and foreign affairs! Therefore, it is enough for him to divide one side and claim hegemony, but it is still far from being able to dominate the country??? Since the old man wants to kick us away, why doesn't the chief tie Chai Dongliang as an Olympic aid? This time, the old man was arrogant and refused to accept Chai Dongliang's motion, isn't this your chance? As long as Chai Dongliang's hatred for the old man is provoked, then the old man will not dare to attack us too early, he is not afraid of forcing the old Beiyang generals to rebel? Similarly, Chai Dongliang also needs our network resources, and with our old man restraining him, he can also rest assured that he can encroach on the southern provinces. Xu Shuzheng talked eloquently, a bookish spirit that pointed out the country.

Duan Qirui was puzzled: "Why does Chai Dongliang want to cooperate with us?" ”

Xu Shuzheng laughed and said, "Do you think in Chai Dongliang's eyes, Yuan Shikai or Sun Wen, which one is more threatening to him?" ”

Duan Qirui clapped his hands and applauded: "Wonderful, it's really a clever plan!" If Chai Dongliang wants to compete in the Central Plains, he must first unify Jiangnan, and he will inevitably have a major conflict with Sun Wen! Use Chai Dongliang to balance the old man, and then use the old man to threaten Chai Dongliang, let's take advantage of the fisherman! ”

"That's right, whether it's Sun Wen or Chai Dongliang, whoever swallows whom, it will become a big trouble for Beiyang, think about it, if the enemy is current, will the old man still dare to touch you? When the time comes, whether you want money or military power, the old man will have to rely on you! In the old man's heart, you are still more reliable than Feng Guozhang, Cao Kun and others??? His model regiment is still early to become an army! ”

The two looked at each other and smiled, each with a smug look of affection.

In today's China, there are three major groups. The greatest strength was undoubtedly Yuan Shikai's Beiyang, followed by Sun Wen's Kuomintang, and then Chai Dongliang's Jianghuai Army. Beiyang is already a plate of scattered sand, and the strength on paper does not represent the real combat effectiveness. The Kuomintang was even more complicated, and the governors of the southern provinces ostensibly obeyed Sun Wen's command, but once the war started, God knows what the situation would be?

Only Chai Dongliang's Jianghuai army can be like an arm, and its combat effectiveness is extremely strong. In the Mukden Incident, the Jianghuai Army, with a force of 2,000 men, first annihilated the Fujimoto squadron, then disabled the Kawamoto Brigade, and even more than half of the Morita Brigade of the invincible Fifth Division was wiped out in Mukden. And the Jianghuai Army commanded by Gu Nanshan suffered less than 500 casualties! The ratio of casualties on both sides was one to four. When the news reached Yanjing, Duan Qirui thought that he had misunderstood, he felt that the Jianghuai army was four, and it was reasonable to say that the army was one.

One to four, the Jianghuai army is one, and the army is four, the result is true! This result not only shocked the governors of Beiyang and the southern provinces, but also shocked the international investigation team in Mukden, who knew for the first time that China still had such a powerful army.

The British were the first to react, and they found that the junior officers of the Jianghuai Army were all educated in primary military academies, and the chief instructor Barnes and more than a dozen foreign instructors were all British instructors who were transferred out of the Weihai Weihua Yong Battalion that year. And Chai Dongliang also has a guard corps composed entirely of retired Gurkha soldiers. The combat effectiveness of the Huayong battalion and the Gurkha soldiers, the British knew too well. In addition to being shocked, they are also very willing to accept the results of this survey. This shows that the British [***] officers are indeed unique in training illiterate and semi-literate soldiers. Moreover, in the minds of the British, the Chinese ruled Manchuria much better than the Yue himself and the Russians. At least the Chinese are easier to control, and the Yue himself is too unruly, and the Russians are even more arrogant.

The Americans, of course, hope that the Jianghuai Army will win, thus opening the door to Manchuria-Mongolia for them, so that the surplus American capital can have another destination for export. And the stronger the combat effectiveness of the JAC army, the more confident they will be in the Bethlehem Contract. The United States urgently needs someone who can balance the British alliance in the Far East, especially to contain the British alliance, so as to ensure the security of the Philippines.

The military department expressed extreme indignation at the fact that the instigators of the incident, Saburo Kuroda and Captain Matsui, had died, and that the commanders of the Fifth Division, Kitazo Otani and Daisa Morita, had become the targets of public criticism, and that the Mukden Incident was purely an act of deviance by the Fifth Division and the Second and Fourth Railway Garrison Brigades stationed in Kanto Prefecture. At the same time, the military department expressed deep concern about the growth of China's [***] power and demanded that Congress increase the military budget for the following year. Prime Minister Saionji Gongwang remained silent, but after returning home, he opened a bottle of French Bordeaux wine that had been treasured for more than ten years, and invited a few old friends to get drunk. Several veteran ministers said that they had not seen him so happy for many years. Several important figures of Mitsui & Co. disappeared inexplicably, and the Tokyo head office and many semicolons were bombed by mysterious figures, and afterwards the Marquis Inoue personally rushed to Shanghai and brought a blank check with the amount not filled in to meet the spiritual leader of the Black Dragon Society, Toyamamitsu.

Just when the eyes of all parties were focused on Anqing, Chai Dongliang was wearing civilian clothes and standing at the gate of the Anqing Army Non-commissioned Officer School with a smile, paying attention to the enrollment activities of the second phase of the school.

The registration office was crowded, and young students from all over the country traveled to Anqing in order to enter the Anqing Army Non-commissioned Officer School and become a member of the glorious Jianghuai Army.

Looking at the crowded registration site and those heroic young students, Chai Dongliang's smiling eyes were invisible, and he couldn't help shouting in his heart: I am among the heroes of the world!

(To be continued)