Cai Ye was very interested in coming to Anqing this time, and the bacterial infection in his throat that had plagued him for many years was cured by the sulfaminamide sent by Chai Dongliang, which increased his good impression of Chai Dongliang a lot. He had always heard that the Jianghuai region was governed by Chai Dongliang and was quite prosperous, and his interest in Chai Dongliang was much greater.

When I first arrived in Anqing, my first impression was that the streets were very clean and the pedestrians were orderly, even children knew that the traffic lights at the intersection were not allowed to run indiscriminately. The second impression is that the children in Anqing are dark, especially middle school students, both male and female are tanned by the sun, but they feel very strong, which is completely different from the fair-skinned and weak students in other areas. The third feeling is that there are so many guns in Anqing, and the atmosphere of martial arts is extremely strong, just get off the boat from Xiaogushan Wharf, and see workers and students walking on the street with foreign guns on their backs. The most popular attire on the street is imitation camouflage uniforms, and young people don't seem to have a face if they don't have a set of high-fidelity camouflage training uniforms. Occasionally, one or two real Jianghuai soldiers walked on the street, which would attract the envy of passers-by, especially the spicy eyes of the eldest girl and the little daughter-in-law, which made these energetic soldiers subconsciously straighten their waists.

Cai Ye has a deep understanding of the relaxed political atmosphere in the Jianghuai region. In this place of Anhui, almost everyone young people can shoot guns and ride horses, no wonder the combat effectiveness of the Jianghuai Army is so amazing, if you really need to fight a big battle, almost every young person in the entire Anqing City is a qualified soldier. Cai Yi thought about it for a while, and couldn't help but gasp, if Chai Dongliang really wants to destroy Beiyang, I'm afraid it will be a matter of three days and two noons, the areas controlled by the Jianghuai Army are all places with the highest population density, if all places are like Anqing, a million troops are at your fingertips. When life and death really need to play with life, with the 200 million people in the area controlled by the Jianghuai Army, Chai Dongliang almost has the ability to recruit and transfer troops in unlimited quantities.

Moreover, almost every house of the common people has guns, and if corrupt officials want to do evil, I am afraid that they must first weigh the consequences of forcing the common people into a hurry. But when he came into contact with local officials, that thinking changed again. With the rapid development of several industrial parks such as Wuhu and Jiujiang and the Shanghai Guanghua Group, the value of stocks has increased by dozens of heels, and officials can live a luxurious life with dividend income, and there is no need to rack their brains for corruption. Large dividend income. In addition, the county council bureaus in various regions keep a close eye on officials, coupled with the elusive Independent Commission Against Corruption and the civil servant welfare system that strictly separates officials from civil servants, it may not be easy for officials to join hands in corruption.

Being an official is definitely not the first choice of Anqing scholars, and the elites in the Jianghuai region have given up their official positions and invested in the business world, where entrepreneurs are generally revered by the public, and their social status is much higher than that of officials. Making money by doing business is a very glorious thing in Anhui, and being caught and making a fortune is not only severely punished by the law, but also widely despised.

There was more than one thing that opened his eyes, when Chai Dongliang accompanied him to visit the cityscape of Anqing, a yellow school bus swaggered over, and the cars on the street, including Chai Dongliang's Rolls-Royce driving a silver ghost, had to give way to the school bus. Cai Ye suspected that this was a deliberately arranged scene, so he decided to pay a private visit and go out on the street in casual clothes. When he got on the tram, a teacher wearing the red school emblem of Anqing No. 8 Middle School also got on the bus, and the people in the car gave up their seats to the teacher, and the passengers who did not know each other showed extreme reverence for a teacher.

Respect for teachers, this is a traditional Chinese virtue, in Anqing has been exerted to the extreme, the school has become a holy place where the wind can enter the rain, the emperor Lao Tzu can not enter, and the teachers have become the most admired group of people, and the elites are willing to serve as teachers in the school. Even Cai's teacher Liang Qichao is a professor at the university, Gu Denuo, the honorary president of the Anqing School of Political Science and Management, and Ma Han, the president of the Jiujiang Army University, these famous figures in the epicenter of China and abroad, unreservedly imparted their knowledge to Chinese students. In particular, the foreign faculty members are more fond of the humility and politeness of young Chinese, and the Chinese students have the intelligence that is not inferior to the white people, and at the same time they have the diligence and diligence that foreign students lack. Foreign teachers certainly prefer this kind of studious and humble Chinese students to foreign devil students who have never known what it means to respect their teachers.

Cai Yi's mission was completed very smoothly, and what the disheartened Yuan Shikai asked for was just to find a family business for his children and grandchildren, and all he wanted was preferential conditions. Chai Dongliang took out two percent of the shares of Guanghua Group and gave it to Yuan Shikai, along with a cash check for one million silver dollars.

Guanghua Group's predecessor was Shanghai Manufacturing Bureau, which was originally China's largest enterprise, with more than 5,000 employees at that time, through more than two years of rapid expansion, more than 60,000 employees, market value of more than 500 million silver dollars, the two percent of the stock, is equivalent to tens of millions of silver dollars, and the annual dividends of the two years, reached 30% of the share capital, with these equity, Yuan Shikai's descendants can receive 3 million silver dollars in dividends every year, and the benefits brought by stock appreciation are even more immeasurable. As long as Guanghua Group does not fall, Yuan Shikai's descendants will always have money.

Although Yuan Shikai has been a high-ranking official for half his life, he really doesn't have much money. All his assets plus the land in his hometown are worth only more than 500,000 yuan, not only are they far inferior to Li Hongzhang, who is "the prime minister of Hefei and the world", and Sheng Xuanhuai, who is rich in the world, but even the family property of Yang Shiqi, a famous man in Sizhou, and his subordinates Cao Kun, Feng Guozhang and others are much richer than Yuan Shikai. Several children are not successful, Yuan Keding is a lame man with low eyes and masters, Yuan Kewen is a fake celebrity who can only spend money and will not make money, once the old Yuan retires from the throne of the president, the livelihood of his children and grandchildren will be a problem.

Chai Dongliang's approach, Cai Ye very much agreed, took out his private property to buy a safe transition, did not use the money of the political axe, and quietly got things done, which also saved Lao Yuan from embarrassment. After all, Lao Yuan is the president of the Republic of China, and he takes money from the financial revenue of the local political axe, and if this kind of thing is publicized by the newspaper, he can't afford to lose face.

At the same time, Chai Dongliang also praised Yuan Shikai's three major exploits in a high-profile manner. First, after the Gengzi Revolution, China's modern police system was created, and Tianjin was cleverly recovered from the foreigners. Second, the Qing court was forced to abdicate so that the people would not suffer from war. Third, it quickly extinguished Sun Wen's "Second Revolution" and once again saved the country from the poison of war.

Since Chai Dongliang is willing to let Yuan Shikai go home to retire with dignity, the members of the welcome group naturally did not hesitate to send a high hat of a national hero to Chai Dongliang to wear.

Chai Dongliang did not make a big deal about the welcome group to Anqing, and the scale of the reception was not high, it was just a drinking party, but the welcome group was given absolute freedom, and Anqing City opened its door, and they could visit it casually, even if it was a slum area with muddy water outside the venue.

As a result, the whole picture of Anqing is presented in Cai's eyes, not only the clean and tidy urban area, but also the ragged gathering place of the homeless, not only the luxurious mansions of the rich, but also the simple shantytowns. However, Cai Ye found an extremely interesting phenomenon, even the poorest people do not seem to have the kind of numbness in the eyes of the poor in the north, even if the adults in the family have vegetables, but the children are all red. He couldn't help but be curious, and observed for himself that as soon as it was time to go to school, the children would put on clean school uniforms and go to school majestically.

Local law in Anhui stipulates that school-age children must be enrolled in school, and schools are exempt from tuition fees and provide a free lunch, and for truly poor families, a free breakfast is subsidized. Because the poor children have the free food provided by the school, their nutrition is guaranteed, and Anqing attaches great importance to children's physical exercise, so they are all black and strong.

No matter how poor the family is, as long as the child has a book, there is hope for life, even if he lives in a nest in this life, and the child can get ahead, the parents will feel that this is not so difficult.

In the areas controlled by the Jianghuai Army, education expenses accounted for more than 30 percent of the total financial revenue, and sufficient funds ensured the vigorous development of education, and also ensured that teachers could teach with peace of mind and not worry about their livelihood.

At the same time, there are very few officials in Anqing, the dignified municipal axe, the office is just an old-fashioned Chinese-style small building, the district political axe is even more shabby, the salary of officials is quite high, and the office funds are often stretched.

Cai Ye and the members of the welcome group have seen too many places that are different from other places, and they feel that the trip is worthwhile. Since the time of the Zeng Dynasty, China began to learn from the West and embarked on the road of enriching the country and strengthening the army. bought foreign guns and cannons, and built the first and seventh most powerful Beiyang naval division in Asia, but the First Sino-Japanese War uncovered the painting skin of the Qing Empire's foreign power and middle cadres, and the navy was not bad, the quality of the ships and the Beiyang were still equal, and the most jaw-dropping was the land battle. Most of the Yueben Army, which was still using old-fashioned front-loading guns and single-shot guns, fled from the Beiyang Army, which was equipped with new-type repeating guns, and the new-style batteries built with heavy money, and the Krupp and Armstrong cannons, which were equipped with huge sums of money, were often occupied by the Yueben Army without even hearing a sound.

Seeing that this set could not be played, the Qing court began to play evil, instigating witches and gods in the countryside, counting on relying on evil magic to deal with foreign devils, Duanjun Wang Zaiyi and other Manchurian nobles went into battle shirtless, risking the world's condemnation to besiege the legations of the great powers in Beijing, and as a result, tens of thousands of people besieged the legations with only 300 guards, and they could not be conquered for more than a month. The 20,000 allied troops with incomplete equipment and chaotic command only took 57 days to crush more than 100,000 armed guards armed with the latest artillery and foreign guns.

As for the 100,000 Boxers in Yanjing City, when the foreign soldiers entered the city, they threw away their swords, spears, and halberds, took off the red shoulders and red cloth buns that symbolized their surnames, and disappeared into the crowd. The final result was that Cixi and Guangxu fled in panic, Li Hongzhang, who was five tuberculosis and seven wounded, came out to clean up the mess, and the old man instigated a three-inch tongue to sow discord among the great powers with evil intentions, and even tampered with the Qing army's behavior of besieging the legations of various countries and provoking war into a Chinese civil riot. In the "Final Agreement between China and the Eleventh Nations on Reparations for the Turmoil of 1900" (referred to as the "Xinchou Treaty"), the Eight-Nation Coalition turned from an invading army into a mercenary invited by the Qing Dynasty to quell the rebellion, and after paying 450 million taels of silver in compensation, it was finally avoided the doom of China's partition. Poor Li Hongzhang, a pasteur, worked hard for the Qing court, and when he was dying, the Russian minister still threatened him to sign the "Sino-Russian Secret Treaty" in front of his sickbed.

The Empress Dowager Cixi and the King of Duanjun and several other Manchurian nobles committed evil, exhausted the paster Li Hongzhang, and the people of the whole country lost one or two pieces of silver. Seeing that she couldn't play the trick of pretending to be a ghost, Cixi finally made up her mind to change the law, and this led to the ten-year New Deal at the end of the Qing Dynasty.

In the 10 years of the New Deal, more than 100,000 new-style army troops have been trained, the central government's fiscal revenue has also increased from 80 million taels to 300 million taels, and the local finances have also changed the deficit of more than 100 million since the middle of the Qing Dynasty, with a surplus of several million in poor provinces and more than 10 million taels of silver in rich provinces. The Qing Empire has never been so wealthy in its history.

It is said that this country is really rich, with an annual financial income of 300 million taels, Gengzi's indemnity is just a disease of ringworm, but the Qing Dynasty has come to an end.

After the establishment of the Republic of China, 400,000 people's troops in the southern provinces harassed the localities, and the achievements of the New Deal in the last ten years of the Qing Dynasty were swept away.

Seeing that the republic is a set, I can't play it anymore!

From the Westernization Movement advocated by Zeng Guofan to the current three years of the Republic of China, more than 50 years have passed, and China has tried to rise several times, but the result is only to pout its ass and let foreigners kick it casually. Even Xiao Yueben can step on the body of the boss empire and become the hegemon of Asia.

In the end, all roads became ideas, and Cai Ye was at a loss for a while, until the Jianghuai army suddenly rose up, recovered Mengjiang, captured Fengtian, and defeated the Yue army at Dagukou. It was only then that he reinvigorated himself, and he saw a glimmer of hope for the revival of the country.

But after arriving in Anqing, he really didn't feel that Chai Dongliang had any three heads and six arms, and he was not even as domineering as Yuan Shikai. The core members of the Anqing Military Advisory Office are also very inferior to the talented people in Beiyang. Gu Weijun, Gao Ming and others are outstanding, but compared to Yang Shiqi's wisdom, Tang Shaoyi's vertical and horizontal opening and closing, and Xu Shuzheng's insidious and vicious, they are not inferior to Taoism. As for the generals of the Jianghuai Army, Cai Ye felt that being a student for himself and Jiang Baili was a bit stupid.

Just a few pieces of waste can support a powerful army, make the governance of the Jiangnan region prosperous, and crush the Beiyang to death, so that Xiao Yue has nothing to do, Cai Ye can't figure it out. What made him even more puzzled was that Kuang Haishan, Gu Nanshan and others were far away in Mongolia and Mukden, and they were still dead set on Chai Dongliang, while Cao Kun and Duan Qirui were by Yuan Shikai's side, and they still had a small abacus.

Chai Dongliang's appearance is just a scholar with clear eyebrows and beautiful eyes, neither has the "eyebrows are colorful, heavy pupils are shining", nor is he a freak with "big ears and shoulders, hands longer than knees", no matter how you look at it, he is an ordinary man, but how can he make his subordinates happy and convinced, and he will not have the slightest rebellious mind when he is far away from the sky?

Why is he?

Cai Yi thought of his teacher Liang Qichao, who had been in Anqing for a while, and should be able to give him some guidance. Cai Ye did not go back to the Anqing Wanguo Hotel, where the welcome group stayed, but stayed in the apartment of the teacher Liang Qichao. This house was originally a salt merchant's private residence, Chai Dongliang bought it and gave it to Liang Qichao, and Liang Qichao accepted it honestly and unceremoniously.

The big mansion with five entrances and five exits, the garden water pavilion, the evergreen grass and trees in all seasons, the living water drawn from the river through the courtyard, and a pool of koi are colorful. Liang Qichao is also a visiting professor at three universities at the same time, and his monthly salary is more than 1,000 silver dollars, not counting the income from manuscript fees, which is more than enough to support a family with eight servants. In fact, the university teacher in Anqing, the worst monthly salary is more than 100 silver dollars, and he takes a chartered bus in and out, and the family calls a servant, and he has a very good life. In the area ruled by the Jianghuai Army, as long as the profession of teachers is glued, they are all people, not only with a good income, but also with a very high social status.

The protégé waited for advice, Liang Qichao set up a family banquet to entertain, the stone tables and stone benches in the garden were simple and elegant, and the Huaiyang cuisine was famous for its exquisiteness, coupled with the forty-year-old Shi Guogong and the thirty-year-old Gujinggong from Chai Dongliang, who were brought from the autumn breeze, and other good wines, this banquet was even more pompous than the big restaurant.

The two of them pushed the cup and changed the lamp, and after a while, Shi Guogong, who was filled with two catties of jars, bottomed out, although the degree of this medicinal wine was not too high, but the stamina was not small, and Cai Ye and Liang Qichao's words gradually increased.

When Cai Ye expressed his confusion, Liang Qichao smiled and said nothing, just poured food and wine for him, and avoided talking about Chai Dongliang's domestic and foreign affairs. Liang Qichao smiled and invited him to go to the "Anqing Institute of Political Management" the next day, because Chai Dongliang was invited to hold a lecture there, and at the same time to have a discussion with students and teachers.

Cai Ye didn't know what was going on, and he was a little skeptical that it was a performance that Chai Dongliang could arrange.

Liang Qichao told him with a smile that the students in Anqing, especially the college students, are very tricky, and if they want them to cooperate with the acting, these bastard crazy girls dare to deliberately dismantle the stage.

"Go ahead, see how those students make things difficult for Chai Dongliang, and maybe you can find out why he can govern the country well."

Liang Qichao smiled calmly, thinking of those students who gave him a headache and couldn't love enough, his heart was full of pride and a sense of achievement.

The period when he came to Anqing was the period of time when his thinking was most impacted, and it also made him really understand the reason why Chai Dongliang was so loved, and also understood the source of the Jianghuai Army's combat effectiveness.

And these can be replicated across the country, Liang Qichao firmly believes that Chai Dongliang has found a truly feasible path.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow, I'll go and see how the students in Anqing are tricky and eccentric, and how Chai Dongliang copes with them!" Cai Ye secretly made up his mind in his heart.

(To be continued)