After Governor Wang Youhong and Zhang Jian got off the boat, they looked left and right, and then they were very disappointed to find that there was no waiting sedan chair on the dock. At a casual glance, not only did the person who received them have no sedan chair beside them, but there was also no trace of a sedan chair on the entire lively wharf.

Wang Youhong and Zhang Jian glanced at each other, and they were both suspicious in their hearts, "Is this a deliberate disappointment by the People's Party?" ”

In those days, only the poor could walk, and those with status traveled in sedan chairs, horse-drawn carriages, or at least had to get an animal to sit on. However, on the territory of the People's Party, the former governor of Anhui Enming was still beheaded. Jiangsu Governor Wang Youhong and Jiangsu Parliament Speaker Zhang Jian are even more nothing. Mo said the BJP let the two men and their entourage walk. Even if they were arrested and executed as "Manchu counter-revolutionaries", they would have to admit it.

Fortunately, the BJP is not really prepared to do this, and all kinds of vehicle capacity are in the passenger area outside the dock. There is a clear separation between the cargo area and the passenger area. The brisk rickshaws are parked separately from the flatbed. The passenger area is noisy but not crowded.

Zhang Jian and Wang Youhong are both bright-eyed, Nanjing and other cities are commercial and trade distribution centers, the management area is not only crowded, but various forces often make trouble in order to grab the territory, Anqing This management model is really quite advanced. Since the outbreak of the war, Anqing trade was once extremely depressed, and now the market has completely recovered its old outlook. It's not just ordinary business travelers who are keen on business, but some foreigners are also busy. If it weren't for the fact that it was clear that it was a war period, just looking at the situation in front of him, Anqing City would be completely peaceful and prosperous.

The streets are full of uniformed and vested men. The uniformed municipal urban management is responsible for maintaining order, and the vest-wearing is the municipal sanitation and logistics. The people are very accustomed to these people, and they are completely strange. Seeing this, Wang Youhong and Zhang Jian wanted to take a walk and see with their own eyes how the People's Party managed this Anqing City.

"Guys, get in the car." The BJP staff in charge of the guidance has already arranged the car. Glancing at the orderly appearance of the surroundings again, Wang Youhong and the others got into the car.

The negotiation took place at the former governor's yamen, and the group was brought into the conference room. A tall, square-faced young man was already waiting there with several other people.

"This is Chairman Chen Ke." The staff member who led the lead introduced in a proud tone that could not be resisted. Needless to introduce, Wang Youhong's attention has been attracted by Chen Ke. It was a young man without pretenses, and the unrestrained vitality of young people was undoubtedly displayed in the bright eyes, from the smooth skin, from the strong physique, and the brisk and powerful movement of getting up. But this exuberant vitality does not flow as wantonly as other young people. Including the Empress Dowager Cixi, Wang Youhong has seen many people in high positions, and their long-term experience has made them behave solemnly and be full of style. Chen Ke undoubtedly had these things in him, but Chen Ke had a quiet and cautious attitude that those in high positions did not have, he was more like a scholar, a young man who was ready to listen to others.

Chen Ke, who naturally blended experience and characteristics, made Wang Youhong feel a heartfelt tremor. The purpose of Wang Youhong's visit to Anqing was to negotiate with Chen Ke, and Wang Youhong had no bottom about the outcome of the negotiations. And Chen Ke on the other side undoubtedly has his own plans, and Chen Ke is ready.

Chen Ke was also looking at Wang Youhong. After Governor Wang Youhong's speech at the Jiangsu Assembly was sent to the Central Committee of the People's Party a month ago, Chen Ke burst out laughing after reading it, "Wang copied it." ”

The first time Chen Ke said the term "copying" on the Internet in later generations, and the comrades did not know the meaning of the word at all. But Wang Youhong's speech was so familiar that some people were already staring at Qi Huishen and asked, "Member Qi, what's going on?" ”

Before Qi Huishen could speak, Chen Ke had already taken over the conversation, "Our People's Party doesn't talk nonsense, this document is not a confidential document. Even if everyone in the world sees it, what can it do? Don't worry so much. Since Governor Wang can see the situation clearly, then we have to surprise him. ”

In Chen Ke's imagination, a person who can grasp the core content of his speech must at least have some scholarly demeanor. The reality also surprised Chen Ke. Wang Youhong is in his forties, quite tall, and has thick bones. Like other middle-aged officials of this era, Wang Youhong's belly was already bulging because it was full of fat. In the 21st century, this is a very unhealthy posture. In 1908, it was an enviable "rich state".

And Wang Youhong's face is weathered, with subtle potholes on his skin, his eyes are big and bright, and he subconsciously opens them wide. Although he has a beard, Wang Youhong is a cheerful and rough martial artist no matter how he looks at it. The slightly narrowed eyes and restrained look that are characteristic of people who often think are completely inaccessible to Wang Youhong.

However, Zhang Jian behind Wang Youhong has all the characteristics of a scholar in this era. Posstry, a certain degree of pretentiousness, arrogance in the eyes of no one, self-centered strength. Anyway, Zhang Jian is also the first champion of Enke. If this attitude is so, it is incomprehensible.

After the two sides sat down, neither of them spoke first. Chen Ke has decided to study hard to listen to other people's conversations, and this meeting was also proposed by Wang Youhong. Chen Ke quietly waited for the other party to speak.

Wang Youhonglu didn't want to come to Anhui, and he had no choice but to do so. More than half a month ago, the People's Party first seized all parts of northern Jiangsu with heavy troops. When Jiangsu did not know what was happening, the Jiangnan troops of the People's Party suddenly attacked and completely annihilated the Jiangnan New Army stationed in Wuhu. Bing Feng arrived at the junction of Anhui and Zhejiang. After Yuan Shikai's seizure of power in Beijing shook the world, the People's Party plunged Jiangsu into a full-blown panic.

The Jiangsu Parliament immediately convened a meeting to discuss how to deal with this terrible situation. The People's Party did not exist within the Manchu system, so any war was not unusual. Tens of thousands of troops could not win against hundreds of people's parties, and Wuhu was so close to Nanjing, and tens of thousands of people's party troops were killed, and Nanjing was not spared at all.

There was a panic in Nanjing, and the rich were ready to flee to Shanghai. Governor Wang Youhong gave an order, the whole city was sealed off, and the escapees confiscated the whole family. This vigorous and resolute method directly deterred the wealthy people in Nanjing. On the one hand, the city of Nanjing was blocked, and Wang Youhong participated in the parliament on the other. In the face of panicked parliamentarians, Governor Wang said that he would personally negotiate with the People's Party with Speaker Zhang Jian to find out what the People's Party meant.

Yuan Shikai's government has appointed Zhang Jian as the Minister of Agriculture and Industry and Commerce, but Zhang Jian has not taken up his post for the time being because of the Jiangsu incident. Hearing that Wang Youhong actually wanted to go to the Anhui bandits to negotiate in person, Zhang Jian was extremely moved. immediately expressed his willingness to go with Wang Youhong.

Wang Youhong originally thought that the People's Party would be complacent and threaten at this meeting, or put on a big show. He had already discussed with Zhang Jian and others how to deal with such a situation. Unexpectedly, the People's Party held an ordinary meeting, and the People's Party headed by Chen Ke politely waited for Wang Youhong to speak. Wang Youhong waited for a while, and could only speak first, "Mr. Chen, we came this time to find out a few things. Why did your ministry attack Jiangsu and coerce Nanjing? ”

Chen Ke replied in a completely materialistic tone: "The reason for attacking northern Jiangsu is that we want to establish Huaihai Province in northern Jiangsu and southern Lunan, the old Chu land of the Western Han Dynasty. As for not necessarily Nanjing, our aim is to recover the Wuhu region, which originally belonged to Anhui. It's just that you think we're threatening Nanjing. From our side, Nanjing has nearly 50,000 soldiers and horses, but we feel that Nanjing is threatening Wuhu. ”

After listening to Chen Ke's words, all the Jiangsu deputies had many alpacas in their hearts. Everyone scolded in their hearts: "Chen Ke, you little fart kid still beat a palladium!" ”

Originally, Chen Ke's serious face and serious attitude of being willing to listen made these people Chen Ke quite respectful of young people. And when Chen Ke explained the facts with such a respectful attitude. This respectful junior attitude immediately turned into a domineering and arrogant feeling. What is the meaning of "but I feel that Nanjing is coercing Wuhu?" What do you mean by "to re-establish Huaihai Province in northern Jiangsu and southern Lunan, the old Chu land of the Western Han Dynasty?" ”

In the eyes of the Jiangsu deputies, Chen Ke seemed to mean that he hoped to convince the Jiangsu deputies, "Mr. Chen Ke, I'm sorry, we didn't understand your original intention. It was us who was wrong. ”

Zhang Jian's face was already extremely ugly, they all knew in advance that the People's Party would be extremely arrogant, he never expected Chen Ke to be arrogant to such an extent. Several other representatives were even more furious.

"Chen Ke, you have to have a limit to bullying!" Zhang Jian couldn't hold back anymore and scolded angrily.

"Bullying?" Chen Ke was a little puzzled.

The People's Party has been preparing to use troops against northern Jiangsu, and its military preparations are basically nearing completion. Wang Youhong plagiarized the documents of the People's Party, and Chen Ke called it "Wang plagiarized", which was a joke. Even if Wang Youhong does not plagiarize, the People's Party will send troops to seize northern Jiangsu.

Jiangsu has always been divided into northern Jiangsu and southern Jiangsu. Northern Jiangsu includes Xuzhou, Lianyungang, Suqian, Huai'an, and Yancheng. In the 21st century, Chen Ke had some friends in Xuzhou, and he went to Xuzhou to visit his friends. The brothers of northern Jiangsu unanimously agreed that northern Jiangsu and southern Jiangsu are simply two worlds. It would be good if "Huaihai Province" could be rebuilt on the 36 counties of Xue County, Pengcheng County, Donghai County, Chen County, and Huiji County, which are the old Chu land in northern Jiangsu. This was the initial impetus for Chen Ke to establish Huaihai Province. If the regional differences within a province can persist into the 21st century, it means that there are indeed problems in these places.

The folk customs of northern Jiangsu and Shandong are more traditional, Chen Ke went to Jinan to play in the 21st century, and after 9 o'clock in the evening, the provincial capital city was dark. There are only a handful of nightlife spots. Such simple folk customs made Chen Ke dumbfounded. Xuzhou is not too much, the people are simple and well-behaved.

Xuzhou Heavy Industry, the leading enterprise in Xuzhou, an important town in East China, was almost acquired after bankruptcy and then became one of the world's leading large-scale machinery and equipment manufacturers under the massive demand for heavy equipment in China. It shows that people really help people, and they are serious about their work in good times and bad times. As a native of Henan, Chen Ke does not want to see regional discrimination. However, history proves that this place in northern Jiangsu is indeed more suitable for eating state-run meals.

"Huaihai Province", Jiangxi, Anhui, these regions are not traditionally very trendy areas. Chen Ke circled these provinces and tried to avoid trouble based on their historical performance. As for Hubei, even if it is called the "nine-headed bird", Hubei's state-owned enterprises are still strong. Moreover, since Chen Ke has made up his mind to seize the Hanyang Iron and Steel Base. This kind of thing as folk customs can no longer be used as a consideration.

The military operation went extremely smoothly. Only the Central Guard Regiment was left in the central seat of Fengtai County, and the soldiers of the 106th Division of the Workers' and Peasants' Revolutionary Army in the base area left northern Jiangsu. At the same time, the Shandong base area dispatched troops to cooperate. In a very short time, the northern Jiangsu region was captured.

At a time when the people in Jiangsu were terrified, the troops of the Southern Anhui Military Region, under the command of Zhang Yu, seized the last Anhui region "Wuhu" that the People's Party had not yet mastered. Wuhu is a treaty port, and foreigners have concessions here. The BJP has always avoided dealing with foreigners, so it has always refused to touch the concession. Since the Wuhan consular corps came to contact the People's Party, the People's Party has made it clear that it "wishes to maintain the status quo in the absence of hostilities". The news has spread from Wuhan to the consular and embassy delegations in various places. There is no longer any need for the BJP to avoid foreigners.

Wang Youhong personally came to negotiate this matter, which was very unexpected by the People's Party. Negotiation is such a thing as an attempt by two forces to resolve a dispute through political consultation. But the People's Party and the Jiangsu gang do not have any common political benchmarks. One is a thief, and the other is a courtier under the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Leaving aside the Manchus' separate negotiations with the People's Party, the People's Party was not sure what Jiangsu wanted to do. That's why Chen Ke went to Anqing to negotiate with Jiangsu representatives.

"Chen Ke, what about you as the imperial court? Do whatever you want? Now that Jiangsu has a parliament, it is impossible for Jiangsu to accept other people's arrangements. A Jiangsu parliamentarian shouted next to him.

Such loud shouts aroused the glaring of the BJP cadres, but Chen Ke was not moved at all, and he smiled: "Parliament." We will build a people's congress in Huaihai province. Representatives of the BJP are elected from among the people and exercise the power of the people. We also have legal stands. Moreover, northern Jiangsu and southern Jiangsu are not the same thing, if you are worried that we will attack southern Jiangsu, it is too much to worry. We don't have any plans to get involved in southern Jiangsu. ”

Hearing this, some of the Jiangsu deputies were almost mad, and some showed other expressions. For example, the governor of Jiangsu, Wang Youhong. In fact, Wang Youhong did not think that the People's Party really wanted to attack Nanjing. The governors are all human spirits, and no matter what others think, Wang Youhong has already decided that Yuan Shikai has reached a secret agreement with the People's Party. Otherwise, why didn't the People's Party fight to the death with Yuan Shikai. As long as Yuan Shikai in Henan can be killed, who else in the Qing Dynasty can stop Chen Ke?

But Yuan Shikai did not go south to attack Anhui, and the People's Party did not go north to attack Henan. The final result was that the People's Party soldiers left Hubei, and Yuan Shikai returned to Beijing leisurely to seize power.

The People's Party seized northern Jiangsu and recovered Wuhu. No matter what the Jiangsu Council thinks in its heart, these actions have not touched Wang Youhong's bottom line. The New Army's Ninth Town Command and other forces had long been driven to Wuhu by Wang Youhong. They were wiped out by the People's Party, but Wang Youhong was less troubled. Wang Youhong is not worried that the People's Party has reached an agreement with Yuan Shikai, he is worried that the People's Party has not reached an agreement with Yuan Shikai.

If the People's Party and Yuan Shikai reach an agreement, the People's Party will definitely not annex the whole of Jiangsu. If the People's Party annexes Jiangsu, Yuan Shikai will be responsible for the matter. As soon as he seized the power of the central government, he immediately lost Jiangsu. It was an extremely heavy blow to Yuan Shikai's prestige of the central government. The local forces looked at Yuan Shikai highly, not because Yuan Shikai had the Beiyang New Army in his hands. If Yuan Shikai cannot prove that his Beiyang New Army and the Beiyang Cabinet have the ability to control the whole country, especially the armed forces outside the People's Party system. In the eyes of the governor, Beiyang is another Manchu center, and it is not even as good as the Manchu center.

Moreover, southern Jiangsu has always been rich, and if the People's Party really wants to seize Jiangsu, it will definitely attack the wealthy southern Jiangsu. As long as it can ensure that the People's Party does not seize the whole of Jiangsu, and with the consistent non-confrontation of southern Jiangsu and northern Jiangsu, Jiangnan will not be affected without northern Jiangsu.

But these are Wang Youhong's speculations, and if he can't negotiate with Chen Ke in person, Wang Youhong can't be sure whether his ideas are really correct. The power in his hand now was obtained by Wang Youhong after a lot of hardship, and the current opportunity was seized by Wang Youhong by gambling everything. Wang Youhong would rather die than lose everything in front of him.

Listening to Chen Kefangcai's words, Wang Youhong couldn't help but show a relieved look on his face. The secret agreement between the People's Party and Yuan Shikai seems to be certain.

Chen Ke looked at the completely different expressions of these negotiators with interest, Wang Youhong's relief, Zhang Jian's annoyance, or the madness of several other parliamentarians. This is not far from what was expected.

Preparations must be made before doing anything, for example, before this meeting, Chen Ke asked Jiangsu to provide a list of the members of the meeting and basic personal information. Wang Youhong and Zhang Jian's information is available to the People's Party itself, and these parliamentarians are not complete. Judging from the information provided by the Jiangsu side, these parliamentarians are all from northern Jiangsu, and between the Manchu Qing and the People's Party, the northern Jiangsu parliamentarians will definitely choose the Manchu Qing dynasty. Zhang Jian was going to Beijing to take office, but he was hit so hard before taking office, and the dissatisfaction in his heart can be imagined.

It's Wang Youhong, and Chen Ke is paying more and more attention to it. The more clearly a person knows where his interests come from, the easier it is to understand his thoughts. Regardless of the question, it can be seen that Wang Youhong is determined to obtain his own interests in the "inter-provincial autonomy." As long as Wang Youhong's personal interests can be guaranteed, the People's Party will not have any unforeseen conflicts with Jiangsu.

Thinking of this, Chen Ke looked at the comrades around him. The war to seize northern Jiangsu was so easy that many comrades proposed to take advantage of the victory to seize the whole of Jiangsu. Southern Jiangsu has always been rich, and Nanjing, Suzhou, and Yangzhou, the land of Qinhuai, have always been rich. The salt merchants of Lianghuai are very rich, if they can completely keep this money for themselves......

Some comrades simply asked bluntly: "Do you really want to fulfill the agreement with Yuan Shikai?" ”

"A promise is a promise. Don't play smart. Do things reasonably and responsibly, Yuan Shikai's treachery is one thing, we will give him a corresponding response because of his treachery. But that's not a reason to be unreasonable. "Chen Ke has loved to be smart since he was a child, and he has eaten too much of this kind of loss.

Looking back at these comrades now, Chen Ke saw that most of the comrades were thoughtful and seemed to have some of their own feelings.

Unlike the Jiangsu deputies, who shared a bed and had different dreams, the People's Party negotiating team was indeed of one heart and one mind. In order to let everyone see more clearly, Chen Ke threw out the latest news. "Ladies and gentlemen in Jiangsu, Yuan Shikai's cabinet sent a telegram to the world the day before yesterday. The idea of implementing inter-provincial autonomy was formally proposed. Moreover, Yuan Shikai's cabinet is ready to establish a new constitution, which will ensure the unwavering line of the reform in the form of law. ”

Hearing this big news, the Jiangsu deputies were stunned for a while, and they didn't know whether to believe Chen Ke or not.

The first to react was Wang Youhong, who asked eagerly: "What do the princes of the People's Party think about this matter?" ”

Chen Ke replied indifferently: "We? We are not opposed to the Restoration. But we firmly believe that the Manchus were the greatest enemy of the Restoration. The Restoration can be carried out, but the Manchus must be defeated! We have telegraphed this point of view to the world, and we have published a statement in many newspapers. ”

Listening to Chen Ke's words, Wang Youhong's expression suddenly became solemn. Zhang Jian's mouth tightened, and he felt a little abrupt. As for the other legislators, they did not understand what the chairman of the People's Party, Chen Ke, was talking about. They didn't even know what Wang Youhong, the governor of Jiangsu, was talking about.