The BJP's military victory immediately electrified the whole country. "After five days of fierce fighting, the People's Party not only held Lianyungang, but also conquered the fortress of Qingdao, which was occupied by Germany." In addition to the telegram, the news also appeared in newspapers in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and other places. The reaction of the whole country to this was "silence".

No one believes that this will be true, and even those who believe have a great sense of unreality. Beginning with the First Tobacco War in 1840, he fought against foreign devils in China. China is repeatedly defeated. Suddenly, a force won, and Chen Ke's People's Party does seem to be very different from ordinary Chinese.

Beiyang had the best chance of getting first-hand information, and in fact, after the People's Party seized Qingdao, the local government of Beiyang in Qingdao had already sent the news back to Jinan and then to Beijing as quickly as possible.

The People's Party broke through Qingdao in one day and captured the entire Qingdao fortress, so that the Beiyang Cabinet did not even have the strength to evaluate. And the German fleet, having received this news, did not try to reoccupy Qingdao, but temporarily moved south to the port of Shanghai. Although Admiral Sa Zhenbing explained his opinion from a naval point of view, "The German fleet attacked Lianyungang under the cover of naval guns, and the fleet ran out of shells in a few days. For the time being, they were unable to retake Qingdao. ”

The members of the cabinet all looked suddenly enlightened, and they sincerely hoped that it was true. However, because they did not understand military affairs, they thought in their hearts that the German fleet did not have the courage to attack Qingdao was the key. Being able to beat the Germans to the point that they did not dare to retaliate, these central officials all had a feeling in their hearts that could not be expressed in words.

Yuan Shikai wanted to see what good strategies the Beiyang Central Committee would come up with, and the ministers were silent, silent, and there was no sign of eruption from the silence. Everyone refused to speak, and Yuan Shikai didn't force them. Leaving Xu Shichang, Wang Shizhen, Duan Qirui and Sa Zhenbing, Yuan Shikai let everyone else go out, what should he do.

The five people in the room are all military experts, and it can even be said that before the rise of the People's Party, they were the five people in China who knew the most about military affairs. After the other cabinet ministers went out, the five men were silent again.

More than 10,000 troops of the People's Party marched for four days and immediately entered the battle after arriving in Qingdao, and conquered the Qingdao fortress in one night. The Beiyang Army started with training troops at small stations, and if the Beiyang Army was allowed to send troops from small stations and mobilize troops to Beijing for defense, it might not be able to complete it in four days. If Beiyang goes to war with the People's Party, it seems that the best way for Beiyang to pile up all its troops in Beijing for its own safety is to fight wherever the People's Party wants to fight on other territories. From a military point of view, none of the five men saw the slightest possibility of victory for the Beiyang Army in the face of the People's Party. The Manchu Yin Jian is not far away, and the usurped ruling power is less than a year! The People's Party started as a rebel and has not nominally joined the Republic of China. The People's Party raised its banner and resolutely overthrew the Beiyang central government, which is understandable.

Seo Shichang now exercises the responsibilities of prime minister in the name of acting prime minister, and he holds the highest position in the cabinet. It's not a way to always don't speak, "Pingqing, how is Jinan now?" Xu Shichang found a very boring topic.

"The Jinan garrison still hasn't left the camp." Wang Shizhen still maintained his usual calmness.

This order was originally Yuan Shikai's meaning, but now it sounds extremely frustrating. A group of hairy children who have just started for only 5 years have already crisscrossed China and can even conquer the powerful Qingdao Fortress. And Beiyang, which has been famous for decades, can only hide in the barracks. After listening to Wang Shizhen's words, Xu Shichang's face became even more difficult to look at.

Seeing that the other four people were silent again, Yuan Shikai was unwilling to force them, "Pingqing, you are familiar with Shandong, I want you to go to Shandong for a while." ”

"Yes." Wang Shizhen didn't ask the reason, just replied simply.

"Dingming, you take care of the navy. The Germans suffered such a big loss, the People's Party did not have a navy, and the outlet to the sea was just such a Lianyungang. If you can't keep the Germans, you dare to make trouble with us. ”

"......, yes." Although Sa Zhenbing wanted to say something, he only replied simply.

"Zhiquan, if you go to Shandong, you will be in charge of the War Department. At this juncture, take care of the army and don't make any trouble for me. ”

"Yes." Duan Qirui also responded simply.

"Chrysanthemum stay for a while, and you guys will get busy first." Yuan Shikai said.

After the three of them went out, Xu Shichang asked, "Listen to the meaning of the president, are you going to meet Chen Ke?" ”

Yuan Shikai shook his head helplessly, "Chen Ke made such a big fuss, and he will definitely not come to Beijing again for a while." When the secretary arrives in Jinan to settle down, I will contact Chen Ke to meet in Jinan. I'd like to see how he's going to end the show. ”

"President, isn't it the right time to meet with Chen Ke at this time?" Xu Shichang asked with some hesitation.

"Kikuto, I am the President of the Republic of China. Now that such a thing has happened, if I don't say a word and become a turtle with a shrunken head, can I still be the president again? I know what some people in the cabinet think, they think that Chen Ke is in big trouble, and the foreigners will definitely not let him go. But they didn't think about it, if the foreigners still couldn't do anything about Chen Ke in the end this time, we, the central government, would have to do it! As long as Chen Ke can carry this matter on his own, we will wait for death in this Beijing city! Speaking of which, Yuan Shikai's anger finally broke out.

"Brother Xiangcheng, don't be angry with yourself." Xu Shichang couldn't help but say. On the surface, the People's Party's action this time looks extremely risky, but Xu Shichang is a person who understands, and what Yuan Shikai just said has pointed out the problem. If the BJP can survive this time, then the BJP will occupy the moral high ground. A local government in China that dares to fight against foreigners, a local government that can defeat the armies of foreign powers, undoubtedly automatically has the reputation of patriotism. This military victory has given the People's Party a great foundation for its future development. On the other hand, the central government of Beiyang has put heavy pressure on it. Now that the Beiyang government dares to have any conflict with the People's Party, and does not say whether it can win, the People's Party will be labeled a "traitor" and the Beiyang government will have nothing to say.

Militarily, it is now clear that the BJP has the upper hand, and morally it is the BJP that is one step ahead. Beiyang can no longer immediately come up with effective countermeasures, so it can only sit in Beijing and wait for the destruction to come.

"President, why don't you let me go and meet Chen Ke." Xu Shichang said.

"There is no reason for the prime minister to go to the local government to meet Chen Ke." Yuan Shikai said a little depressed. It was frustrating enough to have to ask to meet Chen Ke in Jinan, but even so, Chen Ke might not be willing to go to Jinan. Now Chen Ke is also the target of public criticism, and it is still a question whether he is willing to take the risk of going to Jinan. In the current situation, if Yuan Shikai booby-trapped Chen Ke, and then the foreigners, Beiyang, and the southern provinces, which had long been very hostile to Chen Ke, joined forces, no matter how bad it was, it would be a situation where they would all end up together.

In the past, Chen Ke took the lead in dominating the situation, but the current situation gave Yuan Shikai a chance, although Beiyang was militarily disadvantaged, but Beiyang was the central government after all, and Yuan Shikai was the president elected by the Congress after all. As long as Chen Keken nominally bows his head, against foreign devils and the southern provinces, Yuan Shikai has Chen Ke in his hand to use. For Chen Ke, once he nominally bowed his head, it determined the relationship between the local government and the central government. If it is relatively unfavorable to Beiyang, it will be saddled with a reputation for treason. Yuan Shikai is still willing to cooperate with Chen Ke in the situation of clarifying the relationship between superiors and subordinates.

Of course, all this must be under the situation that Chen Ke is willing to go to Jinan to bow his head to Yuan Shikai and recognize Yuan Shikai's central government.

"President, if we make peace with Chen Ke now, the foreigners will target us in Beiyang. Shall we wait? Xu Shichang finally couldn't hold back and said what was in his heart.

"Kikuto! Chrysanthemum! Hearing this, Yuan Shikai was really angry, "When we were young, we all had the idea of making contributions to the country. I went to North Korea, and you sat on the cold bench in Hanlin for ten years. Now Chen Ke dares to fight the Qingdao fortress and dare to fight the Germans. Even if we are useless, we can't beat foreigners anymore, we don't have the courage to pretend to dare to beat foreigners, and we don't have the courage to pretend to be not afraid of foreigners?! ”

Yuan Shikai's invitation was agreed by Chen Ke, and both of them knew that the current situation had no time to drag on at all. On July 17, it was raining, and the leaders of China's two largest political forces sat in a pavilion next to Baotu Spring and began chatting.

"Didn't Wen Qing's subordinates persuade you here?" Yuan Shikai said with a smile.

"Comrades don't trust Beiyang very much, but I don't think it's time to turn around." Chen Ke also smiled.

"How?" Yuan Shikai didn't hate such a solid conversation at all.

"We in the People's Party are against exploitation, but now the domestic political forces do not understand this issue of class contradictions. So it's far from being incompatible. As for the current benefits, I still believe in the saying that to suffer a loss is to take advantage. Chen Ke's answer was simple.

"Is taking advantage of a loss?" Yuan Shikai had never had this kind of discussion with Chen Ke about life, and at his age, he had never seen anything, and it was no longer the kind of period when he was interested in human nature. However, for Chen Ke, a strange junior, Yuan Shikai still wanted to ask, "Wen Qing looks at this sentence like this. ”

"Most people just want something in return, and if you work together, you can do more and do less, that's the best. Therefore, this kind of person cannot afford to lose a little. But President, you're not an ordinary person, you're talking about doing things. When things are done, your interests can be maximized. Therefore, you are not afraid of losses, nor are you afraid of carrying the blame. I admire that. ”

Yuan Shikai wanted to hold his face, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but tilt slightly, and after a while, because there were no outsiders around, Yuan Shikai suddenly laughed out loud. After laughing for a while, Yuan Shikai pointed at Chen Kezan and said, "Wen Qing's words are very good, and if you really suffer a loss, you are taking advantage. ”

"If you say this kind of thing to the president, I am not afraid of being misinterpreted, the president is really a hero." Chen Ke also praised.

"Needless to say, since Wen Qing is here this time, is he ready to suffer a loss or is he ready to take advantage?"

"Yuan Gong, do you want to be the emperor?" Chen Ke asked bluntly.

Hearing this, Yuan Shikai's eyes couldn't help but widen, and this sudden sentence directly hit Yuan Shikai's vital point. Of course he wanted to be the emperor, and after seeing that kind of unparalleled status and respect, and when he was only half a step away from the emperor, Yuan Shikai certainly hoped that he could take the last step.

It's just that Yuan Shikai's biggest obstacle to becoming emperor is sitting in front of him now, if Yuan Shikai becomes emperor, Chen Ke will never agree. The People's Party started as an anti-imperialist party and overthrew the Manchus with great difficulty, how could it accept a new emperor?

"Does Wen Qing want to go to the persuasion table?" Yuan Shikai said jokingly.

"It's not my turn to do such things, and if the president wants to be emperor now, there will be more people who persuade him to enter the table. Not only Beiyang will support the president, but the southern provinces will also support it. ”

"Then if I become emperor, what will happen to Wenqing?" Yuan Shikai continued to ask.

"We'll talk about that then. However, as long as the president does not claim the title of emperor, I absolutely only support Yuan Gong as the president. Chen Ke made his attitude clear.

Yuan Shikai has already heard and understood that Chen Ke does not support Yuan Shikai as emperor, but supports Yuan Shikai as president. Although he was quite disappointed in his heart, Yuan Shikai smiled and said: "I have also read some history books, and all the founding masters were less than fifty years old when they ascended the throne. I'm old, and if I had such ambition when I was young, I don't have the will to fight for this position anymore. It's Wen Qing, you are so young now, and you have a bright future. ”

"Bright future, huh? Now the whole world is waiting to see the jokes of our People's Party, and the president can see the situation clearly at this time and dare to come out and take on the responsibility of the world, this is really courageous. In this regard, the president deserves to sit in this position. Chen Ke replied frankly. He didn't think that Yuan Shikai would have such courage, but many times reality and imagination are very different.

"What does Wen Qing think about dealing with foreigners?" Yuan Shikai also turned the topic to the topic.

"I hit Germany this time, and it seems to shake the world, but in fact, it is not. The shock to the foreigners is that China has the power to strike at them, and it can defeat them. It's just a matter of face, sugar cane can't be sweet at both ends. If our People's Party feels invincible in the world from now on, that is the way to die. We in the BJP do not think we can do that. Chen Ke replied very clearly.

Yuan Shikai felt a lot more relaxed in his heart, what he was most afraid of was that Chen Ke would get carried away from now on and rely on his own strength to act arbitrarily, which was a completely uncontrollable situation. At this meeting, what Yuan Shikai wanted to be sure of was Chen Ke's attitude.

"President, I know too well what other people think, and for me personally, I don't think that foreign devils can't make money by doing legitimate business in China. If foreign devils invest in the industrial fields we need, I would even welcome them. One of the reasons why the British have not helped Germany until now is that we are at war with Germany, and we are only fighting a war so far. It didn't make the British think we were going to lift the table. The British still see the quota trade agreement that they talked about earlier. I'm not going to make myself embarrassed at that. How to talk about it, how to talk about it. In this matter, it is necessary to rely on the president to come forward. ”

Yuan Shikai was already attracted by Chen Ke's words, and he couldn't help but ask: "Then how is Wenqing going to deal with Germany?" ”

"War is war, and right business is right business. These are two different things......"

The meeting between the two leaders lasted from the 17th to the 19th, and then Yuan Shikai returned to Beijing, and Chen Ke went to Qingdao to express his condolences to the troops.

As soon as Yuan Shikai returned to Beijing, the German minister came to the door, and I don't know if it was a psychological reason, Yuan Shikai saw that the German minister's momentum at this time was completely bluffing.

"We are ready to organize a coalition crusade against the BJP! I don't know which side the president is going to be on. ”

After the German minister's words were translated, Yuan Shikai almost wanted to laugh. It will not be Germany's turn to organize a coalition. Britain hasn't said anything yet, who are the Germans scaring about?

"Inform me when the coalition is organized, now that the eight characters have not been skimmed, what is the hurry?" Yuan Shikai said with a smile.

These words are quite similar to washing and sleeping, and after listening to the translation, the German minister's face was already flushed. He was able to announce the military punishment of the People's Party on the grounds of "insulting diplomats", but this reason was completely inappropriate for Yuan Shikai. Moreover, Britain, France and other countries now have a completely joke-watching attitude, and Yuan Shikai's words completely hit the key point of the German minister.

After settling down, the German minister said sharply: "President Yuan seems to support the People's Party?" ”

"I have never supported the People's Party, but as the president of China, I have an obligation to protect China's interests. That's where I stand. Your war with the BJP is your business, and I don't want to get involved in this kind of kid fighting. Yuan Shikai gave a tough reply.

The German minister was already under great mental pressure, and when Yuan Shikai said this, he was so angry that he almost burst into smoke, "Then when we attack Qingdao, we ask the Chinese central government to send troops to cooperate." ”

"Why? Is there any legal basis? Yuan Shikai asked.

The German minister of "......" had never been questioned in this way in China. Naturally, there is no legal basis, and there is no convention on such a question in European custom. Unless the German Emperor was ready to declare war on the whole of China this time, he really had no legal or other reason to force Yuan Shikai. However, by the time the German Emperor declared war on the whole of China, the minister had reached his own end.

"Qingdao must be handed back to us! Since the Republic of China inherited the Manchu government, it had to accept this treaty. The German minister came up with a more "reliable" legal basis.

"There is no clause in the treaty that we will send troops to help you seize Qingdao, right?" Yuan Shikai asked rhetorically.

"Qingdao is our German territory! Never allow it to be lost. "The minister was also almost overwhelmed, and the loss of the most important German stronghold in the Far East by his efforts was an unacceptable loss. The minister actually hoped that Yuan Shikai would make a diplomatic act of extreme rudeness, so that he could call for war. Although his fate will not suffer any changes because of this, it is not easy for the Chinese.

"When did the "Lend-Lease Treaty between Jiao and Macao" say that Qingdao is your German territory. You, as a minister, are so ignorant, go back and read the treaty carefully before you speak. Yuan Shikai took this opportunity to send off the guest straightforwardly.

After "sending away" the German minister, Yuan Shikai received a notice that "the British minister was invited to visit."