Regarding his son's performance, Yuan Shikai was rarely really angry. He had no other idea than that his son was stupid and breathless. Is that a good way for ministers to get along? These people said that they supported Yuan Shikai to become emperor, and that was for more benefits. Who will be full of food and have nothing to do to help others become emperors.

Yuan Shikai suddenly remembered his meeting with Chen Ke, and Chen Ke said this matter straight to the point, as long as Yuan Shikai is not the emperor, Chen Ke will support Yuan Shikai to be president for life. His stupid son is two years older than Chen Ke, and compared with Chen Ke in terms of ability, Yuan Keding is only twenty years younger than Chen Ke.

Seeing that his father didn't get angry immediately, Yuan Keding thought that the news he brought back moved his father, and he immediately said excitedly: "Dad, the situation is very good today. Ministers from various countries have said that as long as we in Beiyang can defeat the People's Party, they will absolutely support you alone. Yesterday the British minister came to see me, and he talked a lot of nonsense, and finally he talked about the unification of military orders. They said that they were willing to give the government a loan of 5% per annum, all of which were actually paid. The French minister said that if it needed arms, France would be willing to lend a batch of arms first......"

"Bastard, shut up!" Yuan Shikai couldn't listen to it anymore. It's really a thief who doesn't recruit himself for three years, Yuan Keding said at the beginning that the ministers of various countries just firmly supported Yuan Shikai as the emperor, and now Yuan Keding has completely lost his breath and showed his hole cards. Yuan Shikai's anger is twofold, on the one hand, Yuan Keding did not find the key to the matter at all, where is this to support Yuan Shikai to become emperor, this is simply to incite the war between Yuan Shikai and the People's Party. On the other hand, Yuan Keding is really disappointing, he can't do the right thing, and he can't even do a bad thing like telling a nonsense. This can't help but make Yuan Shikai feel extremely disappointed. They are all young people, why is Yuan Keding so different from Chen Ke?

But Yuan Shikai's anger only lasted for a moment, and after thinking of Chen Ke, Yuan Shikai suddenly had a kind of dissatisfaction in his heart, no matter how much Yuan Keding was a bastard, but after all, he still considered Yuan Shikai. No matter how smart and capable Chen Ke is, Chen Ke will never start from Yuan Shikai's interests. In order for outsiders to punish his son, Yuan Shikai couldn't swallow this breath no matter what.

"Someone!" Yuan Shikai shouted, and when the soldiers outside the door came in, Yuan Shikai ordered, "Send him back to his house for me to reflect, no one is allowed to let him out of the house without my order!" ”

"Daddy?!" Yuan Keding was puzzled by this.

Yuan Shikai held back his anger, "Take him away for me now!" ”

Seeing that the soldiers were a little hesitant, Yuan Shikai shouted angrily: "Let you take him away, didn't you hear?" ”

Of course, the pro-soldiers would not listen to Yuan Keding, seeing that Yuan Shikai was really angry, the two pro-soldiers grabbed Yuan Keding from left to right, and took him out with coaxing. After going out, he was very smart to close the door.

Yuan Shikai was still angry, pacing back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back. In fact, the news that Yuan Keding brought back is really important, the legation has already made its position clear, and they are extremely afraid of the People's Party now. It's just that the military defeat of the Germans has only passed for a long time, and if the countries also attack the People's Party with arms, with their current strength, I am afraid that not long after the news spreads, the People's Party's army will already approach Dongjiaomin Lane in Beijing. The Qingdao fortress could not stop the People's Party, and even Beijing's defense system could not stop the People's Party army at all.

"President, we think we might as well sing a double reed. If we, the People's Party, use this military victory as a bargaining chip, it will only exacerbate the contradictions. So I think the president might as well take advantage of this victory of our BJP. What the great powers wanted most was to find a spokesperson for their interests in China, which is why I did not want to let the provinces of China become chaotic and warlords were everywhere. It is also impossible for these people not to find a spokesperson for their interests. Therefore, the president might as well make full use of this situation, give these foreign devils some hope, and reap more benefits if he can. Yuan Shikai can recall very clearly, Chen Ke looked at the three splashes bubbling out of Baotu Spring, and said lightly.

At that time, it was raining loudly outside, and the tight raindrops made water marks on the water surface, but they couldn't suppress the three beautiful splashes of Baotu Spring. From time to time, a few rain stars flew into the pavilion and hit Yuan Shikai's skin. If it weren't for the fact that the topic was so unexpected, it would have been very comfortable.

"Isn't Wen Qing afraid?" Yuan Shikai asked.

"Afraid of what? Everyone is about profit. As long as China is not divided and warlords are everywhere, this is the interest of our People's Party. And since the president is already in this situation, wouldn't it be too much if Beiyang, which is under the leadership of the president, doesn't it also get a benefit? Chen Ke said with a smile, stretching his gaze as he spoke.

Yuan Shikai didn't rush to answer, he noticed that Chen Ke's gaze was looking in a certain direction many times. Yuan Shikai digressed the topic and asked, "What's there?" ”

"Nothing now. But the last time I visited, there were seals somewhere. Chen Ke said nostalgically. Why the staff who manage Baotu Spring have kept two seals in Baotu Spring since the beginning of 21 is something that Chen Ke has never understood. Since having a daughter, Chen Ke actually really wants to take his daughter around when he is free. It's also nice to be able to take a cute little angel to watch the round seals swimming in the water easily and happily here in Baotu Spring. At least in the 21st century, Chen Ke saw a lot of cute little ones trying to feed the round seals with all kinds of snacks. Or rather, throw at the seal with a variety of treats. Parents reprimanded the little ones, "It's not right to feed the seals indiscriminately." ”

Yuan Shikai didn't understand what "seal" meant. This kind of person with status will naturally not ask, if Chen Ke wants to explain, he will naturally explain. Chen didn't want to explain, no matter how he asked, it was useless. So Yuan Shikai smiled: "Not this time, I'm afraid I will meet it next time." ”

"Yes." Chen Ke liked this very much, he turned his head, "President, I have always thought that you are very responsible, and the things that your subordinates do, whether it is your intention or not, you can carry these black pots." In this regard, Vice Minister Duan Qirui looks like your protégé. Since the foreign devils must find a spokesperson, then I also hope that these benefits can fall into the hands of the president. As the saying goes, Hades is easy to see little ghosts, and you can make sense with the president. ”

At that time, Yuan Shikai still thought that Chen Ke was a bit of a deception, but now it has been proved that Chen Ke did not tell nonsense. The reaction of the foreign devils is not at all as calm as it seems, and they have begun to try to find thugs who can stifle the BJP. Chen Ke not only has speculations about the domestic situation, but also has his own speculations internationally.

"Don't worry, President, we're going to have some misunderstandings. Foreign devils will not only look for spokespersons in China, they are afraid that they will also prepare in many ways. Japan is now a poor ghost, as long as they are given money, they dare to do anything. In the Russo-Japanese War, Britain and the United States supported Japan behind it. So the so-called white unity of foreign devils is nonsense, since the Roman era, European whites have been fighting each other for thousands of years, where can there be any real white unity. If they are united, what will Britain do when it supports Japan, these yellow people, to fight Russia? They are also at odds with each other. Even when trying to suppress China, they are torn apart. As long as the concept of economic development zone is thrown, especially Qingdao is turned into an economic development zone, and all countries are welcome to invest in building factories, then these foreign devils will definitely not be huddled together. So even if it is a war, foreign devils will let Japan come forward. If they are defeated, Britain and France will reap the benefits, and if they are defeated, at most Japan will lose its rights and interests in China, and Britain and France will still be able to make a big profit. If there is no victory, the stalemate continues. Britain, France, and other countries can also make a big profit through international mediation. ”

It would be nice if his son could be like Chen Ke! Yuan Shikai couldn't help but let out a long sigh. With such a son, even if Yuan Shikai is the emperor, what is he afraid of? Even if Yuan Shikai himself is not the emperor, with this kind of son, Yuan Shikai feels that he no longer has the slightest regret. It's just that in reality, although Chen Ke also fully considers Yuan Shikai's interests, in essence, Chen Ke is also Yuan Shikai's biggest opponent. Or even an opponent who is simply invincible.

The more he thought about it, the more irritable he became, Yuan Shikai couldn't stay at home anymore, he ordered someone to prepare a car to go to the office, and at the same time called Xu Shichang, Wang Shizhen, and Duan Qirui.

After the four met in Yuan Shikai's office, Yuan Shikai told the three hardcores about the foreign devil's search for a spokesperson. Finally, I have to talk about the cooperation with Chen Ke.

The three Beiyang cadres didn't speak for a while, and after a pause, Xu Shichang said: "President, does Chen Ke really agree?" ”

"At least he swore to me in person that it was okay." Yuan Shikai described Chen Ke's attitude at the time.

"I think Chen Ke is clever in his calculations." Duan Qirui replied.

The eyes of the other three were focused on Duan Qirui's face, and Duan Qirui said with a normal expression: "No matter which aspect, the entanglement between our central government and foreign devils will buy enough time for the People's Party." This is where Chen Ke's interests lie. The BJP is growing rapidly, and what they need now is to take the time to make a steady move. Once they were fully prepared, the BJP no longer needed to be polite to anyone. ”

The explanation was simple and straightforward, and the other three agreed with it. But then the question is how to deal with it.

Yuan Shikai knew that the British and French representatives had lobbied Yuan Keding here, and they thought that they hoped that Yuan Keding would come to pass the word. According to the discussion between Chen Ke and Yuan Shikai, Yuan Shikai can pit foreign devils by expanding the army in the name, and the benefits of this thing are not in vain. Yuan Shikai knew if Chen Ke had said anything, and Beiyang would have a false sense of security after the expansion of the army. Through the expansion of the army, Yuan Shikai was also able to strengthen his control over Beiyang. The expansion of the army is a double-edged sword, the expansion of the army has certainly enhanced the strength of the Beiyang center, but it also has great side effects, feeding these troops is extremely expensive, the purpose of British and French support is to finally make Beiyang and the People's Party merge, so the support cannot be gratuitous, let alone given every year.

If Yuan Shikai puts this money into the production field, it is impossible for foreign devils not to know. Moreover, if the Beiyang army does not fight with the People's Party after the expansion of the army, the foreign devils will also abandon Yuan Shikai and look for other chess pieces in the Beiyang government, or simply incite Japan to attack China, as Chen Ke predicted.

If you want to defeat the People's Party, you must rely on force, and the central government in Beiyang does not now have the military strength to defeat the People's Party. If you want to expand the army, you have to rely on the support of foreigners, if you can't win the war, "colluding with foreigners" is the big crime of the Beiyang central government led by Yuan Shikai. Chen Ke can justifiably play this card and nail the Beiyang government to the pillar of shame that will never recover.

If Beiyang doesn't take this money, when the People's Party is ready, it can also eliminate Beiyang by force. Anyway, now the BJP is still a fan government organization at all, and they are by no means betraying the republic, but simply starting anew. From any point of view, the BJP can occupy the position of righteousness. This puts Beiyang in an extremely disadvantageous position.

All the contradictions are on one point, and the BJP is simply too strong.

"President, I think it's better to invite Chen Ke to Beijing as an official. I am still the Deputy Prime Minister of the Cabinet, and Prince Kyung insists on resigning from the post of Prime Minister. It is better to hand over the position of prime minister to Chen Kelai. Xu Shichang made a suggestion.

What if Chen Ke insists on not accepting it? Let's make it clear that Chen Ke will enter Beijing as a hostage, Chen Ke is so cunning, he will not agree. Wang Shizhen said.

"Whether he comes or not, we have to have a statement. Otherwise, the world thinks that we Beiyang have no faith in the People's Party. Xu Shichang replied. This proposal is really very helpless, because under the system, the president, as the supreme power, can appoint the prime minister. However, the Prime Minister submits the Cabinet Secretary to the President for approval. Although the president has enormous powers, he can decide on the ultimate personnel power. However, the president does not have the power to appoint cabinet members. Theoretically, Chen Ke could appoint all the positions to the BJP. Then began a protracted personnel struggle between the president and the prime minister.

This proposal is too bureaucratic, Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui are both from military backgrounds, and they are extremely unsupportive of such things.

Yuan Shikai didn't express his position immediately, and Xu Shichang's suggestion made him feel that he had some new ideas. After pondering for a moment, Yuan Shikai said, "What if I appoint Yan Fu as the prime minister?" ”

The other three were all shocked, the name Yan Fu had not appeared in the Beiyang talks for a long time. Everyone was surprised at first, but when they thought about it, they couldn't help but admire.

Yan Fu is a veteran cadre of Beiyang, and since the Beiyang era before Li Hongzhang, Yan Fu has been very famous as the chief teacher of the Beiyang Naval Academy. After the Gengzi Incident, the Beiyang Naval Academy and the Tianjin Machinery Bureau were destroyed by the war, but Yan Fu became famous as a translator and thinker. In "The Theory of Heavenly Evolution", "natural selection of the fittest survives", which is widely sung by readers.

Now Yan Fu is Chen Ke's teacher, a general of the People's Party, if Chen Kelai is invited to be the prime minister of the cabinet, it is still too "explicit", Yan Fulai is an excellent candidate for politics to be the prime minister of the cabinet. This is an excellent candidate for a collection of famous soldiers, famous literati, famous educators, and has dual connections between Beiyang and the People's Party.

For the Beiyang government, with Yan Fu's Beiyang qualifications, even if he does not have the background of the People's Party, Yuan Shikai forcibly arranged for Yan Fu to be the prime minister of the cabinet, and everyone can only pinch their noses and admit it. The current background of the People's Party has certainly brought a lot of inconvenience to Yan Fu. However, this background made Yan Fu's defect that he did not have his own troops and actual forces no longer existed.

"Great President, this is very good! But will Yan Jidao agree? Xu Shichang asked. Originally, he just proposed an unreliable plan, but he didn't expect Yuan Shikai to arrange an extremely reliable choice for this unreliable plan. Xu Shichang felt sour in his heart again, if Yan Fu was the prime minister of the cabinet, Xu Shichang himself would not be able to find any fault.

Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui nodded slightly, and Yuan Shikai's cleverness made the two of them feel quite admired. And although they never said it in their mouths, the two of them also hoped that the prime minister of the cabinet would be a soldier. After all, Li Hongzhang's former Beiyang and Yuan Shikai's later Beiyang Group are, in a sense, both military groups. Literati rule is not a tradition of the Beiyang clique.

"Whether Yan Jidao is willing to become the prime minister of this cabinet depends on what the People's Party has planned. If they don't have peace in mind at all, they won't agree. If Yan Fuken is willing to take up the post of premier, it means that the People's Party will not be ready to fight in five years. Wang Shizhen said.

Yuan Shikai nodded slightly, Wang Shizhen's judgment was very reasonable. The most important thing is that Yan Fu is a cadre of the old Beiyang after all, and he is willing to be the prime minister, so he can say a lot of things more openly and honestly. Chen Ke spoke frankly enough, but Yuan Shikai really didn't want to talk to Chen Ke so "frankly". This kind of conversation really hurts his self-esteem, and in the face of a smart and capable young man, Yuan Shikai's biggest feeling is that he is really old.

When Yuan Shikai was discussing national affairs, Yuan Keding was locked in the courtyard and sulked. He really didn't expect his father to treat him like this. After a lot of recent things, Yuan Keding's thinking about the problem has gradually begun to take shape, for him, if he wants to seek the status of the prince, he must let his father Yuan Shikai be the emperor. The external problems encountered by the emperor, that is to say, the problems of recognition and support by various countries have been "solved by Yuan Keding himself". All that remains is how to bring down the biggest enemy, the People's Party.

The representative figure of the People's Party is Chen Ke, just as Yuan Shikai represents Beiyang, if Yuan Shikai dies, Beiyang will be finished, if Chen Ke dies, the people will be finished that night.

Therefore, a direct logic appeared in Yuan Keding's thinking, "kill Chen Ke" - "I can be the prince myself".