Returning to the roots is the wish of every overseas Chinese. The continuous suppression www.biquge.info of the colonial government, the repeated riots and massacres, coupled with Chen Wenqiang's clever tongue, also made more Chinese realize that they have no political rights, just like duckweed without roots, and their wealth is just a pavilion built on the beach, which will collapse at any time.

Only when the Chinese motherland regains its inherent self-confidence and becomes a powerful country will the Nanyang Chinese receive the purest and inexhaustible support of strength. Otherwise, carrying an artemisia rod across the sea to this strange land full of miasma and snakes and scorpions, he used his hard work and sweat, and even risked his life to bring civilization and vitality to the wasteland of the South Seas. Finally, because of the greed and brutality of the colonial rulers; the jealousy and arrogance of the indigenous people; The intrigues of politicians, and become nothing.

Now, the three guarantees of the Renaissance Association are about to be fulfilled, and it is time for Zhuwang Longtang to fulfill its promise, the first interest-free loan of no less than 20 million US dollars will be deposited in the Bank of China, and a total of no less than 300 million US dollars of low-interest loan support will be provided in five years.

Don't be surprised, as the overall organization of Nanyang Chinese, Zhuwang Longtang definitely has this strength. Counting the Nanyang families after the twentieth century, which one does not have a shadow of Longtang? For example, Singapore's US$90 billion Temasek National Holding Group is part of the Lee family, which spun off from Java.

The Chaoshan area is an economic area designated by the Bamboo Network Longtang, and the provisional government has basically decided that it is discussing specific policies with overseas Chinese.

Of course, most of the overseas Chinese in Nanyang have the same idea as the constitutionalists, that is, they hope that the country can settle down as soon as possible, so that they can invest in construction with peace of mind.

In preparation for the final compromise and peace talks, the provisional government intensively introduced laws and policies for the future. These laws and policies will be a condition for negotiations. No matter who is in power, there will be no major changes, let alone abolition.

……………

Peace talks have begun in the shadows, but the war shows no end in sight.

As a cooperation, the revolutionary army abandoned Wusheng Pass and retreated to Sandao Bridge; Yuan Shikai took over as the governor of Huguang and the minister of the Qin Mission. Go to the Xinyang Governor.

One retreat and one advance, Wuchang temporarily retreated, but the Northern Expeditionary Army was led by Zhao Sheng, went out of Nanjing, crossed the river from Dashengguan, and went north along the Tianjin-Pudong Railway. At that time, Cheng Dequan, the governor of Jiangsu, under the persuasion of the constitutionalists, declared independence on the condition that he would not kill the flag man. The Northern Expeditionary Army was in full swing. Arrive in Xuzhou.

In this somewhat uncertain situation, a secret guest came to the residence of Feng Guozhang, who was commanding the battle in Xiaogan.

Feng Guozhang strode into his apartment, where the people in the living room were waiting, hearing the footsteps but not looking back, still looking at the paintings on the wall with great interest.

Feng Guozhang was very unhappy with this person's trust, but in view of the fact that he was sent by the old handsome, he was unhappy. He asked, "This brother-"

"Huafu, don't come unharmed!" The visitor turned around. asked with a smile.

"Brother Zhiquan." Feng Guozhang was taken aback, and then laughed and said: "Why are you dressed like this, the guards reported to me that there was a teacher in a robe and a horse coat, wearing glasses, and holding a letter of recommendation from the old handsome, I thought-"

"You thought you were here to fight the autumn wind, right?" Duan Qirui laughed twice. Sitting on a chair, he took out a telegram from his pocket and patted it lightly on the table, "This is the old handsome's telegram, look at it!" ”

Feng Guozhang knew that Duan Qirui was more valued than himself in Yuan Shikai's eyes. Knowing that he came to Xiaogan from Wusheng Guan, it must not be as simple as sending a telegram, his face couldn't help but become solemn, and he picked up the telegram and watched it carefully.

After a while, Feng Guozhang put down the telegram, looked at Duan Qirui suspiciously, and said slowly: "Although our army is not progressing too smoothly, it will not show weakness and negotiate peace, right?" Besides, there is also Brother Zhiquan's second army stationed in Wusheng Pass, what does the old man mean? ”

Duan Qirui shook his head lightly at Feng Guozhang's sluggishness, put down the teacup, and said earnestly: "Huafu, we don't understand political things, but the old man can see farther than us, and he will not let us suffer." ”

Feng Guozhang frowned and thought for a while, then raised his head and said to Duan Qirui sincerely: "Brother Zhiquan, my brother is stupid and can't understand the old handsome's mind. You came here by train from Wushengguan, you must have understood, and I hope that my brother will give me advice, and my brother is grateful. ”

Duan Qirui was silent for a moment, nodded, and said, "You tell me about the front-line battle first, how can the strong Beiyang army be satisfied with the formation of the chaotic party and bandit army?" ”

Feng Guozhang's face was slightly red, but he knew that he couldn't hide it, and if it was perfunctory, Duan Qirui would definitely be able to judge it, and it would be difficult to know the true intentions of the old man again. So, he recounted the story in detail, and said with a wry smile: "This is what the battlefield looks like, the weapons and equipment of the chaotic party and bandit army are not weaker than our army, and it seems that the number of artillery has been greatly strengthened after retreating to the three bridges. Seeing that the reinforcements of the rebellious party were coming, I deliberately ordered Li Chun's troops to attack in a roundabout way, hoping to break the deadlock and not get entangled with the bandit army in the trench battle. ”

Duan Qirui pondered for a moment and comforted: "It's really tricky, if I am in command, it may not be as good as you!" ”

"Brother Zhiquan, don't scold me." Feng Guozhang took off his military hat, threw it aside, and said with a complaint: "Let me tell you the truth, the chaotic party is not a rabble, there are plenty of guns and ammunition, and the soldiers are brave, I heard that they are all veterans who fought in the southwest." ”

"Then stop attacking for the time being!" Duan Qirui said quietly: "Since the old man wants to talk about peace, we have to make a gesture. ”

Feng Guozhang also thought about it this way, but Liangbi disagreed, and asked Feng Guozhang to suppress the entire army of the fourth town, and personally go to the front line to supervise the battle, so he temporarily let Chen Guangyuan and Wang Zhanyuan stand in front. When he said this, he attracted several sneers from Duan Qirui.

"Liangbi is a man, how can he cherish this hard-won strong army in a few towns." Duan Qirui said disdainfully: "I thought that taking some money would make people work for them, Huafu, you are too honest." Think about it, if all the soldiers in your hands are gone, what else can the court give you besides an empty title? Don't forget, the Manchurian relatives have always been thinking about the military power in your hands and me! ”

Feng Guozhang smacked his lips, savored Duan Qirui's words, and felt that this should be what Lao Shuai meant, so he asked very modestly: "Brother Zhiquan, you know your brother." If you have anything to say, you have no choice, I'm stupid, I'm afraid that I will mistake the old handsome's meaning, but I will mess up the errand and ruin the old handsome's plan. ”

Duan Qirui smiled faintly. stared at Feng Guozhang for a long time before he said slowly: "Remember, you must listen to what the old man says, whether you understand it or not, this is one of them; Second, we must understand that our capital is these tens of thousands of strong troops, and if the army is not there, we are lost dogs; Third, isn't Liangbi going to the front-line supervisor. Just let him go, there are guns and bullets flying on the battlefield, and it is inevitable that there will be no three long and two short. Huafu, are you right? ”

Feng Guozhang was stunned for a moment, looked at the last Duan Qirui with some aggressive gaze, couldn't help but nod vigorously, and said, "That's right, it's time to rest on this stumbling block." Brother Zhiquan, please tell the old handsome. I, Feng Guozhang, obey the orders of the old handsome, and I am fighting or peace. It's all up to the old handsome. ”

Duan Qirui smiled and said in a low voice: "Huafu, the old man is thinking about our entire Beiyang system." The war is to make the southern chaotic party dare not despise us; And what about it, is to temporarily preserve our strength. The old man has a deep plan, this is not something we can see through. The chaotic party in the south is not afraid of the imperial court. I am afraid of the old commander and the tens of thousands of troops in our hands. But the court is suspicious, and has always refused to let go of the old handsome, and there is today's crisis. According to intelligence analysis, there are now no less than 50,000 people gathered in the three towns of Wuhan alone. And with the help of the navy, it is impossible to rush. Moreover, the situation in the north is also unstable, with rebellious parties in Henan, Shaanxi, and Jin, and even in Beijing and Tianjin. With such a complicated situation, you and I can see through and grasp it. Only the old handsome, with insight and wisdom, can lead us to seek the best results in this troubled world. ”

understood, Feng Guozhang nodded vigorously convincingly, the central meaning of these words is very easy to understand, first, the chaotic party is powerful, it cannot be defeated, it can only be outwitted; The second is that the imperial court does not reuse the old handsome, so we will not contribute to the work and force the imperial court to make concessions again.

Of course, the most important point is that the old man is wise and martial, represents the interests of the Beiyang Group, and is always great and correct. Therefore, we must listen to the words of the old man and firmly follow the path pointed out by the old handsome, only in this way will there be an incomparably bright future.

Duan Qirui was very pleased, he knew the old man's way of acting, Yuan Shikai could catch people's hearts when he treated his subordinates, but he didn't believe in people, and he was quite suspicious of people. His usual practice is to send A to spy on B, and C to follow A to monitor A's movements.

Yuan Shikai even had no scheming with his two most confidant generals, Duan Qirui and Feng Guozhang, and in terms of the situation again, the real goals and means of Yuan Shikai's approach were not all told to them. A few days ago, he was ordered to attack the revolutionary army, and now he suddenly wants to stop fighting and make peace, no wonder Feng Guozhang is a little inexplicable, and feels that the old man is a little wrong!

"Liangbi is here, it's very inconvenient to contact, when he is gone, the old man will send you the code book, so you don't need me to run around." Duan Qirui told Feng Guozhang the last thing, which means that only by getting rid of Liangbi can you become Yuan Shikai's real confidant and be on an equal footing with him.

Feng Guozhang smiled knowingly, and thanked him again and again: "Brother Zhiquan, thank you for your guidance, I promise to do this little thing well." ”

……………

In the British Concession of Tianjin, Yuan Shikai did not immediately leave for Xinyang, but was still planning here.

The First Army under the command of Feng Guozhang did not progress well, which had a very bad impact on Yuan Shikai's established plan. Originally, he wanted to give the revolutionary army some color first, so as to raise his own value, and through the lobbying of the people he sent in the south, the revolutionary party would accept the peace talks and obtain favorable conditions for him.

However, the plan did not change quickly, and the war in Hubei Province has now formed a confrontational situation, and the Beiyang Army has not gained the upper hand. But if it continues to fight, in the face of a steady stream of provincial aid to the Hubei Revolutionary Army and the navy anyway, the Beiyang Army is bound to have a bitter battle. Moreover, even if they tried their best to conquer Wuchang, it would not have a great impact on the future of the revolution. Faced with this situation, he had to preserve the strength of the Beiyang Army, suspend the pressure on the revolutionary army, and concentrate on seizing military and political power in the north from the Qing court.

However, rumors and public opinion always haunt him like a nightmare, hindering his actions. On the one hand, the newspapers of the revolutionary party denounced the Beiyang Army as a loyal lackey and slave of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which aroused the hatred and anger of the revolutionary party, especially the northern revolutionary party. On the other hand, some gossip was also circulated in many newspapers, and they vividly described how Yuan Shikai sent people to negotiate with the Southern Revolutionary Party, how the Southern Revolutionary Party waited for a vacant position, and how he Yuan wanted to overthrow the Manchu court as a gift to obtain high-ranking officials.

Moreover, these reports are not all fabricated out of thin air, and even the name of Liang Shiyi, whom he sent to Shanghai, has been made public, but not all of them are true. But it was this kind of effect in the clouds that made it even more difficult for him to distinguish, and made the Qing court's suspicion of him deeper and deeper. The holy decrees urging him to get up kept coming, and the Yi army of Zhili began to move towards the capital, which was a clear signal.

Revolutionary party, revolutionary party! They are pressing step by step, forcing him to either work hard for the court, or completely break with the court. But even if he wanted to be Zeng Hu Zuo Li and fight to the death with the revolutionary army, would he be able to dispel the court's doubts about him?

Not to mention that with the soldiers of the four towns, even if it has combat effectiveness, it will only shake Wuhan, and it is not easy to take Hunan, and it is like a fool's dream to sweep more than a dozen provinces in the south. Even if you really win, what can you do, this is just thinking with your feet, and you know what the result is.

The cunning rabbit died, the lackey cooked, and when the time came, he would either die or steal his life and spend the rest of his life in fear. And to completely break with the imperial court, the only people he can completely control now are the soldiers of the four towns, the imperial court and the Praetorian Guard, as well as the Yi army, and the chaotic patrol battalion. Once the fire is combined, the revolutionary party's plan to drive away the tiger and devour the wolf will succeed.

Gao, which of the revolutionary party masters designed this chain of bureaus, seemed to foresee the whole process of the development of things from the very beginning, and cleverly and meticulously blocked his way step by step, leaving him with only one.

At this point, we have to look at the results of the pressure exerted by the great powers on the imperial court and the revolutionary army, as well as the harvest of the peace envoys sent to the south.

Yuan Shikai looked up at the window, and the worry in his heart became heavier and heavier. The revolutionary party in the Pingjin area had already threatened to assassinate him, remove the obstacles to the revolution, and overthrow the Manchus in one fell swoop. He could not help but be vigilant about this, because he knew that there were many outlaws among these revolutionaries, and as long as there was a mission, there was no regret in sacrificing their lives. (To be continued.) )