During Yang Shuoming's tenure, he went through many presidents, some of whom relied on him, and some of whom did not dare to fire him. Zhang Shikang, a Chinese writer who spent years collecting various materials, interviewing many people who worked and knew Yang Shuoming, and finally wrote a biography of Yang Shuoming, once analyzed in his book: "Because no president knows what Yang Shuoming knows. For presidents, this is a threat worse than guns. ”

Yang Shuoming retired voluntarily when he was old, and after his death, the Chinese political axe sent people to check the files stored by the FBI, but did not find any secret files. Legend has it that Yang Shuoming began to collect all kinds of secrets about China's political axe leaders from the moment he took office, and established a secret file, but he never revealed any information to the outside world, but he would let the relevant people know, he knew a lot of things. This situation existed before he took office, as when he visited Yang Zengxin, the "king of Xinjiang Province", he used similar means to force Yang Zengxin to agree to cooperate with him in opening up Xinjiang Province.

But because the Chinese government has not been able to find these archives, scholars once thought that there were no such files, and it was not until 1996 that these secret archives were finally discovered and sealed. Because of the presidents' scruples about him, Yang Shuoming himself has become quite arbitrary, and even in the eyes of some, he is a little capricious. He doesn't seem to trust anyone around him, including his many wives and children. And anyone who makes him feel threatened, or who he believes is a threat to national security, will be subject to rigorous investigation.

No one knows whether Yang Shuoming did this out of a kind of self-satisfied power**, to let himself stay in this position that is almost under one person and above ten thousand people, or because of the kind of worry about the country and the people that he has always expressed. He first came to prominence in the early years of the Republic of China, when the social wind was in turmoil, good people stood by, and crime continued to spread. He has always believed that the country needs him. For the sake of the country's security, he must take some extraordinary measures, even at the expense of a small number of people (even his own). From his appointment to his death, he never doubted this.

For this reason, some people say that Yang Shuoming sacrificed his emotional life. He married many wives in his life and had many lovers. And this does not prove that he is a man of money, because his wife and lovers have different identities, from all walks of life in China, as well as from the surrounding countries, and they have brought great help to his career, so his union with them seems to be more for profit reasons. There have been many claims and controversies about his private life, with mixed reviews and no conclusions.

History is like this, no matter how powerful a person is, when he dies, he always has to pay for what he has done, because there are many things that no one knows, so people can only guess or interpret according to their own preferences. But Yang Shuoming is lucky. He was admired by the people of the country both during his life and after his death, because it is known that it was because of him that China's thousands of years of feudal rule could truly end and embark on the road of Ming Cook Constitutionalism. And it is also because of his great achievements in the field of economics and science that China has finally become the "engine of the world economy" on a par with the United States.

June 2, 1922, Yanjing, Guang'an Street.

Rockefeller, who was sitting in a luxurious "Ford" brand car, looked out of the window, and at this time, American-style cars drove by on the street, pedestrians came and went on the street, and several young students laughed and rode bicycles in a flash. Such a scene is actually very common for Rockefeller, because such a scene can be seen everywhere in the United States, but what makes him sigh at this time is that he is now in the ancient Yanjing.

That's right, it's Yanjing.

Rockefeller raised his head and looked at the blue sky, at this time, a huge airship with a winged black "human" logo on the tail was slowly flying through the sky, its figure and the ancient city gatehouse towering below it formed a sharp contrast, giving Rockefeller a sense of overlapping time and space.

The ancient Yanjing is now full of the atmosphere of a modern city.

"I've only seen Yanjing in newspapers before." Rockefeller said to his daughter Babs with emotion, "The old walls and palaces, the dirty streets, the black, thin, glazed people with long pigtails, the carriages, the wooden boats...... But now, Yanjing seems to be no different from New York and Chicago. ”

"Yes, Dad." Babs said with some excitement, "When I first came to Yanjing, I was worried that it would be very dirty and messy, but when I really came here, I realized that it was not what I originally thought, the streets here are clean and tidy, trees are planted everywhere, the air is fresh, the people are hospitable, and the Chinese regard the United States as the best country for China." I can even see a statue of President Wilson here. Even though it was my first time here, I didn't feel any inconvenience, as if I was in the United States. ”

"I'm already feeling the influence of the United States on this ancient country." Rockefeller nodded, "This influence is still deepening, but there are still people in Congress who think that too close to China will harm the interests of the United States, which is really ridiculous." ”

"China is our ally, and I have never felt a friendlier country in Asia than China to the United States." "Here, even the most radical young students have a better opinion of President Wilson than Lenin," Babs said. Those congressmen in Congress have always ignored the most basic facts and wanted the United States to follow the traditional line of isolation. And President Harding seems to be acquiescing in their nonsense......"

"Don't mention the idiot who has ten grammatical errors in one sentence." Rockefeller sneered, "That guy, being able to be president, is simply an American joke." ”

"Haha, don't say that, Dad." Babs said with a smile, "He just doesn't understand the important surnames in China enough." ”

"More than 10 years ago, the United States had plans to form an alliance with China, but unfortunately due to various reasons, it was not successful." Rockefeller said, "The benefits of an alliance with China, which people have realized since the Taft era, now that the 'Ohio Gang' don't understand, it really makes people wonder if their minds are normal." ”

"Is it true? Father? Hearing her father say this, Babs couldn't help but cry out in surprise.

"Of course." Rockefeller said with a straight face, telling his daughter about the origin of the Sino-US alliance.

Rockefeller's statement that China and the United States almost formed an alliance more than a decade ago is not out of nowhere.

After the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, China suffered a crushing defeat and the Westernization Movement, which had been carried out for more than 30 years, was declared a failure. Qing officials took advantage of the contradictions between the Western powers competing for interests in China and actively maneuvered to do their best to protect China's fragile rights and interests. At the same time, in order to safeguard and expand their interests in China, the Western powers concluded agreements with each other, and also lured and wooed the Qing political axe. Thus, in the last years of the Qing Dynasty, the diplomatic struggle around China was extremely fierce. Among them, the secret alliance diplomacy between China, the United States and Germany is the most eye-catching.

This is due to the deepening of the contradictions between the Western powers. For example, the formation of the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria and Italy had an obvious intention of targeting Britain, and Britain naturally refused to sit idly by, and with the signing of the British-French, Anglo-Russian agreements, the Entente with Britain as the core was formed. The smell of gunpowder in Europe is getting stronger and stronger, and it is natural that all parties want to pull more help in order to gain the upper hand in future wars. In 1902, Britain formed an alliance with Yuben and found a "little brother" in the Far East.

In 1907, with the change in the situation of the great powers competing for China, the United States and Germany lost their advantageous position in the competition for China due to the rapid expansion of the forces of Britain, France, Russia, and other countries, especially the invasion of China. In this context, Germany took the lead in proposing a trilateral alliance with China, the United States and Germany. At that time, the Qing government was also very worried about the conclusion of an agreement between Britain and France, and Russia to intensify the plundering of China. Yuan Shikai, who served as the Minister of Military Aircraft, believed that promoting an alliance between China, the United States and Germany could resist Britain and France, prevent Russia from containing, and protect the Northeast. Yuan Shikai ordered his most effective assistant in foreign affairs, Tang Shaoyi, to hold talks with the US Consul General in Mukden, Si Daide, in an attempt to use the power of the United States to contain Russia's forces in Northeast China, and to draw up a plan for US capital to enter Northeast China. The Qing Dynasty also sent the imperial family to visit Germany in the name of visiting Germany, and had a 45-minute secret alliance with the German Emperor Wilhelm II. Wilhelm II spoke of the importance of the United States to the alliance and suggested that China first send a goodwill envoy to the United States to make some preliminary contacts and preparations for the alliance of the three countries. At the same time, Wilhelm II instructed the ambassador to the United States to test US President Theodore? Roosevelt's attitude. Because Britain, France, and Russia concluded an agreement, which not only isolated Germany, but also set aside the "open door" policy of the United States, and because relations between the United States and the United States were tense at that time, Wilhelm II believed that the United States should not reject the Triple Alliance between China, the United States and Germany. Sure enough, on November 19, 1907, Roosevelt told the Kaiser through the U.S. ambassador to Germany that he fully agreed with the Kaiser's position on the China question and was quite interested in the trilateral alliance between China, the United States and Germany. The U.S. political axe has also taken some practical actions: U.S. Secretary of the Army Taft reiterated the importance of "open door" and China's "reading power" to the United States during his visit to China; On December 3, Roosevelt asked Congress to authorize him to return the Gengzi indemnity to China; The United States sent the "Great White Fleet" to tour the world and demonstrate to Yuben; Roosevelt also secretly ordered the U.S. forces in the Philippines to prepare for the surprise attack. Thanks to the active actions of China, the United States and Germany, by the end of 1907, the conclusion of an alliance agreement between the three countries was within reach.

The news of the alliance between China, the United States and Germany reached the book through officials of the pro-Chinese faction, and he himself was greatly frightened, so he quickly formulated an insidious plan to disrupt the alliance between China, the United States and Germany. On September 17, 1908, Tang Shaoyi, China's special envoy to the United States, arrived in Tokyo to prepare for the transfer to the United States. In accordance with the prior arrangement, he used various official meetings and social activities to contain Tang Shaoyi, so that Tang Shaoyi was overwhelmed and stayed in Yueben for more than a month. He himself took advantage of this time to desperately hold secret peace talks with the United States and made major concessions to the United States on many issues in exchange for the United States' recognition of its vested interests in China, and then dealt a blow to the Sino-US and German alliance that was brewing. As a result of the early disruption of the situation, the United States has basically abandoned the proposal of an alliance, and Roosevelt's term of office has expired and he has stepped down. When the new US President Taft met with Tang Shaoyi, he said: "It is not impossible to continue talks on the Sino-US-German Triple Alliance, but now is not the time. Taft also told Tang Shaoyi that China's handling of diplomacy "should pay extreme attention to secrecy in the future." Tang Shaoyi's words made Tang Shaoyi embarrassed, announcing that the alliance between China, the United States and Germany had come to naught.

More than a decade later, the United States has once again picked up the plan of the Triple Alliance between China, the United States and Germany.

Due to the betrayal of Britain and France to the United States at the Paris Peace Conference, the United States did not get any substantial benefits from the peace conference, and Wilson was also criticized by the domestic opposition as a result, and the United States was unwilling to be bullied by the old powers, so it also launched positive actions; in order to contain Britain and France in Europe, the United States actively advocated relaxing the sanctions against the defeated Germany, which not only obstructed the investigation of the war responsibility of the German royal family, but also won the leading power in the handling of Germany's war debts with its strong economic strength. In order not to turn the bonds of Western countries in its hands into waste paper, the United States strongly advocates restoring the German economy so that Germany will have the ability to pay reparations. The attitude of the Americans has won the favor of Germany, and pro-American forces in Germany have risen, and Germany has become an important bargaining chip for the United States to balance Europe.

During World War I, the United States was alerted by its wanton occupation of territory in the Pacific and its aggression against China, and the United States vigorously supported China in its confrontation with China. In order to help China recover its economy as soon as possible after the war, a large amount of American capital entered China, and the economic ties between China and the United States reached an unprecedented height. In the eyes of some, the history of the Triple Alliance between China, the United States and Germany has now reappeared.

"I see." After listening to her father's story, Babs's eyes couldn't help but widen.

"So, we can't make the same mistake as Harding." Rockefeller said, "This General Young has established strong ties with the DuPont family, and we can't afford to be left behind." ”

"Don't worry! Father. "I have become good friends with Madame Yang, and General Yang is very interested in working with us. You're going to have a successful trip to China this time, Dad. ”

"Friendships built on business are far better than business businesses built on friendships." Rockefeller smiled and said, "You have to remember that, my dear. ”

Babs smiled and nodded, and Rockefeller collapsed in satisfaction in the back seat, stretching comfortably.

Under the leadership of the answering personnel, Rockefeller and his party soon came to Yang Shuoming's mansion, and when the convoy stopped in front of Yang's mansion, Rockefeller noticed that a group of people were taking off the hanging plaque at the gate of the mansion, and a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Dad, you don't know yet, do you?" Babs Seed noticed her father's gaze and said with a smile, "General Yang has been appointed China's Minister of Finance, and his temporary positions such as Frontier Inspectorate, National Railway Supervisor, and National Industrial Supervisor have all been abolished. Therefore, the governor's office does not exist, and of course these signs must be removed. ”

"I see." Rockefeller said, "So, who will take over the affairs that he was in charge of?" ”

For example, the railway construction affairs that General Yang was previously responsible for were in charge of the newly established Ministry of Railways, and the Minister of Railways was concurrently served by General Yang, and the affairs supervised by the National Industry were assigned to the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and the supervisors of these ministries were all personnel of the former Supervision Office. Babs Seed said like a treasure, indicating that her activities in China were fruitful, "The ministers of these ministries are basically nominated by General Yang, approved by Congress, and appointed by the President. ”

"A clever solution." Rockefeller listened to his daughter's words and nodded, "Although his position has changed greatly, as if he has been demoted by one level, his power has not only not been reduced, but expanded. ”

Rockefeller got out of the car, and the reception staff of the Yang Mansion were already waiting there, welcomed Rockefeller and his party into the living room, and served exquisite and delicious refreshments, and soon after Rockefeller sat down, Yang Shuoming appeared in the living room.

Yang Shuoming stepped forward with a smile on his face, like an old friend who had known each other for a long time, Rockefeller got up and shook hands with him, as if the two had not seen each other for many years, showing extraordinary cordiality.

Seeing a beautiful woman wearing a Chinese cheongsam standing next to Yang Shuoming, Rockefeller thought it was Yang Shuoming's wife, and just wanted to speak, perhaps realizing his father's misunderstanding, Babs and Babs preemptively opened her mouth to introduce them.

"This is Miss Zhang Yating, General Yang's translator."

Rockefeller suddenly understood, he smiled, looked at the woman in front of him with a casual but very sharp gaze, he recognized her Western blood, and nodded as if he had realized something.

"Yating and I have become good friends." Babs said with a smile, "Actually, General Yang speaks English very well, and there is no need for an interpreter at all." ”

"Miss Babs has won the prize." Yang Shuoming glanced at Zhang Yating beside him, smiled and said in fluent English, "After all, I have lived in the United States for a relatively short time, but I am not as confident as you say. Because our conversation may involve some professional languages, we need a special translator, and Ms. Zhang's father is British and has lived in the United States, so having her present will avoid many unnecessary misunderstandings. ”

(To be continued)