"Yang Tian said that he laughed, where am I a dragon, just an old pawn in Beiyang."

Wang Shizhen seemed to have a little cold to the word "dragon", he smiled at his beard, and glanced at Chen Eun, who didn't seem to notice the blame in his eyes, still with a gentle and polite smile on his face, and his eyes always fell on Yang Shuoming.

"Grand Prince Yuan is very gracious, and he wants to promote me to the president as the 'supervising officer of the war', my old body is really incompetent," Wang Shizhen sighed and said, "Duan Zhiquan is sick again, I can't find a helper, so I have to come to Hanzhi." ”

After listening to Wang Shizhen's words, Yang Shuoming immediately understood the intentions of Wang Shizhen and Chen Eun, and couldn't help but secretly admire Yuan Shikai's scheming and methods in his heart.

He had known about Wang Shizhen's re-emergence from the mountain, but he didn't expect that Yuan Shikai would use his talents to serve his goal in this way, without giving him military power.

"Mr. Wang is too polite, military affairs are actually not my forte, I just won a few battles by luck, and I can't afford to be so valued by Mr. Wang." Yang Shuoming knew that Chen Eun was observing him, he smiled and invited Wang Shizhen and Chen Eun to sit down, and said in the most sincere tone, "What does Elder Wang need me to do, just open your mouth, I can't do anything." ”

Chen Huan originally thought that Yang Shuoming would avoid suspicion, but he didn't expect him to answer so happily, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Hanzhidu said so, Wang Lao doesn't have to see each other anymore." Chen Yan smiled and said to Wang Shizhen, "With Hanzhi's help, this is one of the armaments of the participating army, and Wang Lao doesn't have to worry about it anymore." ”

Wang Shizhen should really have a request for Yang Shuoming, and after listening to Yang Shuoming and Chen Eun's words, his joy was beyond words.

"To tell you the truth, I am most worried about the formation and training of the army participating in the war." Wang Shizhen said.

"Didn't Britain and France promise to provide us with the weapons and equipment we need to go to war?" Yang Shuoming asked.

"The British and French promised yes, but it was difficult to implement it." Wang Shizhen sighed and said, "They said that their domestic supply of weapons and equipment is also very tight now, and they can't give us 100,000 weapons and equipment for a while, and foreign banks have also promised to lend us money, but the interest and discounts are too high, and they can't always talk about it, and now they can't count on it at all." ”

After listening to Wang Shizhen's words, Yang Shuoming understood, and couldn't help but despise the Entente Group in his heart.

As a time-traveler who is familiar with history, Yang Shuoming knows that what Wang Shizhen said should be the truth.

Since the First World War, the loss of troops and materials on both sides of the Jiāo War has been extremely staggering, and Britain and France have not been able to spare excess materials and equipment to provide China, nor can it be said that they are making excuses to want China to contribute in vain.

"What does the president mean?" Yang Shuoming looked at Wang Chen and asked, "Do we still want to join the war?" ”

"The president thinks it's better to go to war. Even if Britain and France don't pay for guns, we will go to war. Wang Shizhen said.

"Why is that?" Yang Shuoming asked a little strangely.

"The President believes that if our country can join the side with the better chance of winning and contribute, the great powers will treat each other as great powers after the war is over." Chen replied, "After the end of the European war, the vitality of the great powers has been greatly damaged, and when we can no longer take care of the East, our country can take this opportunity, as a victorious country and ally, to demand the abolition of all unequal treaties of the great powers in our country, so as to clear the way for the future development of the country." ”

"The great president is majestic and strategic, very human, and he is really a saint." Yang Shuoming let his face be full of admiration, and slapped Yuan Datou's loud sycophant, "If it can really be realized, it should be the blessing of all the people of China." ”

"It was only after abolishing all unequal treaties that Japan really embarked on the road of becoming a rich country and strengthening its military." Chen Yan heard the hidden meaning of Yang Shuoming's "Kuangdai Holy Lord", and said with a smile, "I can't wait for his position, of course I can't see the president so far." ”

"Therefore, the president intends to train 100,000 troops to fight in Europe, and the navy and army will participate in the war, regardless of whether the British give money or not." Wang Shizhen said, "The president originally planned to transfer jīng soldiers in the provinces to collect weapons and equipment and ammunition, but first, our army suffered great losses in both personnel and equipment in the war against the Japanese, and the arms in the provinces were requisitioned and transferred before, and there was not much inventory. Seeing that the following was marked as the equipment of the Gan army, I thought of Hanzhi, and invited Vice Minister Chen to come together to see if Hanzhi had any way. ”,

Wang Shizhen said, handing a thin album to Yang Shuoming.

Yang Shuoming opened the album with some curiosity, and on the first page of the album, there were several tracked twin-mounted turret ironclad chariots (double-turret tanks), which were walking through the streets and alleys, behind the chariots were Chinese soldiers with loaded guns, and at the other end of the alleys, there was a group of Japanese soldiers with frightened faces.

At the bottom of this painting, the words "Thunderbolt" are written.

Looking at the name "Thunderbolt", Yang Shuoming couldn't help laughing.

Yang Shuoming turned to the next page, and the picture depicted several Chinese gunners firing at the sea with a single mén cannon, and several warships flying Japanese flags were driving on the sea.

Judging by the detailed features of the cannons on this painting, these cannons are the 180-mm heavy howitzers equipped by the Gan army.

Yang Shuoming turned to the third page of the painting, which depicts a group of biplanes, with their machine guns in the bow spewing long tongues of fire, sweeping at the Japanese soldiers on the ground.

"The president is very appreciative of the weapons that Hanzhi has equipped for the Jiangxi army," Chen said, "The president said that these weapons show the scientific and technological strength of our country, and they are also the source of our country's strength to defeat Japan." ”

"If such an advanced weapon can appear in a foreign land, it will strengthen the prestige of our country and make the great powers dare not look down on our country." Wang Shizhen said.

"In order to let the 'war army' become an army as soon as possible, the president plans to borrow talents from Jiangxi Province and Chōu to transfer some officials and weapons and equipment of the Jiangxi army into the 'war army', but Shandong is close to the Japanese Sea, and Jiangxi is close to Fujian, in order to prevent the Japanese invasion, and the Jiangxi army cannot be weakened too much," Chen Yan stared at Yang Shuoming's eyes and said, "Now it is indeed a dilemma, is there any good way to see Hanzhi?" ”

"Although I have laid a little foundation in Ganxi, the production of xiǎo guns and airplanes is okay, and the heavy artillery and this ironclad chariot are all sent to the United States, and the drawings are ordered and assembled and shipped back from various factories in the United States." Yang Shuoming said, "The plan for the present is to integrate various domestic factories and step up the production of heavy weapons such as guns and ammunition, heavy artillery and ships, which are still ordered in the United States." ”

"Hanzhi should have a way to order this piece in the United States, but the source of this money is difficult to solve." Wang Shizhen said with some annoyance, "The money that the foreign bank group lent us last time, excluding the discount, actually didn't get much at all, and it was basically gone after the Battle of Ganning, this time they wanted us to send troops, and the loan interest was so high, it was just stuck in our throats." ”

After listening to Wang Shizhen's words, Yang Shuoming and Chen Eun were silent.

Of course, Yang Shuoming knew which time Wang Shizhen was talking about.

After Yuan Shikai became the official president of the Republic of China, due to the financial difficulties of China's government, the accumulation of foreign debts amounted to 11 million pounds, so Yuan Shikai made a "big loan for the aftermath" to a foreign bank group (the money was mainly used to pay off foreign debts and daily political expenses, not for military expenses to cut the revolutionaries), but for the purpose of strengthening their control over China, the foreign powers intended to indulge China's political situation through political borrowing, and the conditions for the "big loan for the aftermath" were harsh, and the term of this loan was particularly long, up to 47 years. For the first time, the total amount borrowed was £25 million, but the borrowing discount was very large, and the Chinese government received 21 million pounds in earnings, with an annual interest rate of up to 5%, and the cumulative interest payable amounted to 42853597 pounds. The total amount of interest is twice the amount paid, and the effective interest rate is as high as 5.95% per annum on the basis of the amount received. According to the terms of the contract, the main part of the aftermath loan was used to repay foreign debts and to compensate foreigners for their losses during the Xinhai Revolution. Counting the return of 2.87 million pounds of "Gengzi indemnity", the foreign debt that will mature soon is about 1.39 million pounds, and the reserve to compensate foreigners for the losses suffered by the revolution is 2 million pounds, totaling about 10.78 million pounds, accounting for more than half of the actual receipt. In the intervening period, the money raised by the syndicate in foreign financial markets still fell into the pockets of the foreign powers. The funds that Yuan Shikai could use for administration could only be used for six months, and they were exhausted in an instant. For the Chinese government, the "large-scale borrowing for the aftermath" is a kind of usurious exploitation, and the great powers supervise China's finances through the audit of the use of the aftermath loans and the intervention of the auditors. And by supervising and controlling China's finances, the great powers can achieve the goal of controlling China's political situation.

This time, however, the Great Powers demanded that China send troops, but at the same time they played a role in borrowing interest and discounts, with the ultimate goal of still fearing losing control of China's finances. A reporter once said indignantly in a newspaper: "The most unreasonable action of a foreign bank syndicate is to repeatedly force me to cancel loans from other countries, and after canceling them, they refuse to pay." …… This time, our country sent troops, and when it comes to military expenses, it is another máo unstoppable. A country has been bullied so far, and it is better for me to live than to die. The foreign banking syndicate is now purely a foreign bank, in short, the commission of foreign international assurances to supervise the financial affairs of China, and the aggregate exchange of the colonial banks. ”,

"Please ask Elder Wang and Vice Minister Chen to tell the president, I will find a way to deal with this money." Yang Shuoming said suddenly.

Listening to Yang Shuoming's big words, Wang Shizhen and Chen Eun were all taken aback, and the two looked at him with suspicious eyes, as if he had eaten the wrong yào.

"What are you going to do?" Wang Shizhen asked.

"It's good to borrow money from the Americans." Yang Shuoming knew that the two of them had been frightened by what he had just said, smiled slightly, and gave an answer.

"Last time, the United States was dissatisfied with Britain, France, Russia, and Japan borrowing loans to control China's finances, and it has already announced its withdrawal from foreign banking groups." Yang Shuoming said, "The Americans are also doing this to encourage domestic consortiums to invest in our country and compete with Britain, France, Russia, Japan and other countries, so we might as well take advantage of this opportunity now." ”

After listening to Yang Shuoming's suggestion, Wang Shizhen and Chen Eun glanced at each other and did not speak for a long time.

After Wilson's re-election as President of the United States. Major U.S. consortia have raised questions about U.S. policies on investment in China, and U.S. consortia subsequently issued a statement withdrawing support for U.S. consortia to participate in the "aftermath of the big loans," and the U.S. consortia announced that it would withdraw from foreign banking syndicates. On the surface, this US political statement, known as the "Wilson Declaration," was motivated by "moral" reasons, that is, the so-called "conditions of the loan are close to undermining China's own administrative independence," but in fact, it was because of the isolation of the United States in the banking syndicate and its strong dissatisfaction with the division of spheres of influence between Russia and Japan in China. So the statement said: "The present United States Government will encourage and support the legislative measures necessary to provide banking and other financial facilities to American merchants, manufacturers, contractors, and engineers, which they now lack." Without these facilities, they would be at an extreme disadvantage compared to their industrial and commercial rivals. This is the responsibility of the current government. This is the main material interest of its citizens in the development of China. ”

"When I was in the United States, I came into contact with many agents of American consortia, and the U.S. government now supports the investment of American consortia in China, and our country can bypass the banking syndicate and contact the U.S. side," Yang Shuoming said. ”

"It's also a way to give the president a try." Chen Yan nodded, "Listening to what Hanzhi meant just now, is there already a way to borrow?" ”

Yang Shuoming nodded with a smile and did not speak.

As far as Yang Shuoming is concerned, of course, he will never tell him what he proposed to borrow money from the Americans.

Yang Shuoming's answer obviously made Wang Shizhen excited, and after discussing some details, Wang Shizhen and Chen Yan took their leave.

After Yang Shuoming sent Wang Shizhen and Chen Eun away, he looked at the album given to him by Wang Shizhen on the table, and snapped his fingers lightly.

"Was that his idea?" Yuan Shikai listened to Chen Eun's report and asked in some surprise.

"Yes." Chen Yan nodded and replied, "He promised Zanxiang to participate in the military affairs of the war army, and first purchase a batch of guns and chariots for the participating army. He did not object to Chōu's transfer of officers and soldiers to the army to participate in the war. ”

"He was able to think of this, which shows that he is really familiar with this aspect of things." Yuan Shikai said, "Maybe he can really make some achievements in industry." ”

"This person has a very good way of making money, and the last time he received 4 million yuan of stolen money from the party, he went to Jiāo and didn't care about it, on the one hand, it was to win the trust of the president, and on the other hand, it may also be that he has a way to make money, and he can't look down on this mere 4 million yuan." Chen Huan said, "If he is really at ease in running the industry, I think the president might as well support him more, which can be regarded as opening up another source of wealth." ”

"Are you saying that in addition to Liang Caishen, we may have another Yang Caishen?" Yuan Shikai couldn't help but laugh when he heard Chen Yan's words.

"It's possible." Chen Yan smiled and said, "However, the God of Wealth is also divided into civil and martial arts, and in general, the God of Literature and Wealth is a little better than the God of Martial Wealth." ”

"God of Wealth, of course, the more the merrier." Yuan Shikai sat down with a smile and let out a long sigh of relief, "It doesn't matter if he is the God of Literature and Wealth, or the God of Martial Wealth, as long as he is willing to use it for me, he is a good God of Wealth." ”

"What the President said is very true." Chen Eun's face still maintained a smile, and Yuan Shikai at this time did not hear the sneer that Chen Eun let out in his heart. ,

"Have you been to Duan Zhiquan?" Yuan Shikai let go of Yang Shuoming's matter, and suddenly turned the topic to Duan Qirui, who had been saying that he was sick at home.

"I've been there twice and haven't seen him." Chen Yan said, "Mrs. Duan said that he was very sick for a while and could not see guests. ”

"If it's really sick, it doesn't matter," Yuan Shikai's brows furrowed, and his face became gloomy, "I'm afraid he's pretending to be sick." ”

"To participate in the supervision of the war army, it was originally the most appropriate for Chief Duan to come out," Chen Huan said intentionally or unintentionally, "Chief Duan is actually sick at the wrong time." ”

"He is actually resentful of me for taking away the power of his War Department," Yuan Shikai sneered, "Since the establishment of the Army and Navy Command Office, he has not given me much face. ”

Hearing Yuan Shikai say this, Chen Eun was silent.

"Wait until I call Keding to come over!" Yuan Shikai didn't say anything more about Duan Qirui's question, "I hope he won't be obsessed." ”

"It's best for the eldest prince to go," Chen Yan nodded and said, "This time Wang Pingqing can go out of the mountain, and the credit of the eldest prince is not xiǎo." ”

Yuan Shikai nodded and did not speak again, Chen Eun immediately took his leave, Yuan Shikai returned to the table, and saw the announcement in the newspaper about the establishment of the "Petition Group", and a smug smile appeared on his face.

On December 12, 1916, the Battle of Verdun ended.

On December 20, 1916, the Entente announced the lifting of the arms embargo on China.

On December 25, 1916, the British, French, Russian, and Japanese banking groups reached a secret loan agreement with the Chinese government, and China received a low-interest loan of 15 million pounds from the banking group for the training of the "war army" and the purchase of guns, guns, ships and other weapons and equipment to prepare for the war against Germany. Since the loan was made at Christmas, it was historically called "Christmas borrowing".