Whether it is Tao Chengzhang, Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin, they all think that Cai Yuanpei is in charge of Zhejiang affairs in Hangzhou. In fact, Cai Yuanpei is not in Hangzhou. He first put on makeup and then left Hangzhou City in a very low-key manner and rushed towards Nanjing. Nanjing has also received news that Cai Yuanpei has contacted in advance, and Wang Youhong has arranged a meeting with Cai Yuanpei in Yuhuatai.

Cai Yuanpei and Wang Youhong are not familiar with each other, and they have met several times in recent years because of the Congress and the resolution of inter-provincial disputes. It is precisely because of this low-density meeting that Cai Yuanpei feels that every time he sees Wang Youhong, he can clearly feel the changes in Wang Youhong. It's not that Wang Youhong's appearance is any different. As a sixty-year-old man, Wang Youhong naturally has no physical development, and he doesn't even have the chance of having wisdom teeth that cause his cheeks to swell. This change is entirely due to the influence of the spirit on the demeanor and demeanor.

The first time the two met was in 1909, when Cai Yuanpei passed through Jiangsu for the matter of the Restoration Society, and Wang Youhong received Cai Yuanpei and his party very politely. Wang Youhong left the impression that Cai Yuanpei was a martial artist. A sturdy body, a loud voice, an oppressive expression, a somewhat purple-red face, and eyeballs that protrude slightly from frequent staring.

However, Wang Youhong has been changing since then, and in 1912, Wang Youhong and Cai Yuanpei both went to Beijing to attend the National Assembly, Wang Youhong still has that oppressive appearance, but the whole person is much calmer. The overall look is more like Yuan Shikai in temperament.

And this reunion with Wang Youhong, Cai Yuanpei found that the sense of oppression that was once exposed like a signboard had almost disappeared. It's not that Wang Youhong's whole person "collapsed into a mess" after he was weakened or lost his heart, the external strength has been replaced by the inner strength of fortitude. Cai Yuanpei is a university scholar, and he has seen such changes in the literati, from the sharpness of the beginning of his studies to the humility and calmness of his gestures after the completion of his studies. But Wang Youhong is a martial artist and an official, and there will be such changes. This can't help but make Cai Yuanpei feel a little surprised.

It's just that now is not the time to discuss this matter, and Cai Yuanpei decided to turn a blind eye to these details. Cai Yuanpei asked seriously: "The war is approaching, but I don't know what the royal governor is planning?" ”

Wang Youhong replied very calmly, "War is inevitable, and I am always uneasy in my heart. I really don't want to fight, and I don't know how to win. But I don't know what Speaker Cai has to say? ”

Such a frank and sincere answer did not look like the answer of a soldier, let alone the words of a powerful governor. Cai Yuanpei knows that people who can look at problems from such an impartial perspective are extremely difficult to deal with.

Since Wang Youhong is so frank, Cai Yuanpei couldn't help but speak a lot more politely, "Wang Dudu, in the current situation, it is absolutely impossible for the People's Party to let us go, and there is absolutely no way for us to live in Chen Ke's political program." If we can't eliminate Chen Ke and the People's Party, we will surely die without a place to be buried. ”

Cai Yuanpei could see that Wang Youhong did not feel any fear because of this sentence, but it was also obvious that Wang Youhong was interested in Cai Yuanpei's words. But Wang Youhong was neither in a hurry to interrupt, nor did he pretend to be a confidant. Still politely and quietly be a good listener.

Cai Yuanpei originally wanted to pull Wang Youhong to his side completely, Wang Youhong's cooperation made Cai Yuanpei feel a lot easier, if Wang Youhong was panicked at this time, it would delay time. Cai Yuanpei spoke seriously, Wang Youhong listened attentively, and it took nearly half an hour for Cai Yuanpei to explain to Wang Youhong the reasons for the deviance and lawlessness of the new system of the People's Party.

Just when Cai Yuanpei was drinking water and resting, Wang Youhong asked calmly: "Speaker Cai, I listen to your words, it seems that you don't care who can seize the world, but you must defeat the People's Party." I wonder if that's the case? ”

Cai Yuanpei's heart was shocked, everyone who knew him thought that Cai Yuanpei was firmly following Yuan Shikai, but in fact, Cai Yuanpei's attitude was very clear, that is, to resolutely eliminate the People's Party. In order to achieve this goal, Cai Yuanpei had to choose Beiyang. Until now, only Wang Youhong has noticed it and directly said Cai Yuanpei's true thoughts.

"Could it be that the governor of the king has any opinion on Beiyang?" Cai Yuanpei asked in surprise.

Wang Youhong smiled, "Speaker Cai, let's be honest, what we want in Jiangsu is inter-provincial autonomy." If the People's Party defeats Beiyang, or if Beiyang defeats the People's Party, the autonomy of the provinces will come to an end. What difference does it make to us who wins and who loses? ”

Cai Yuanpei persuaded: "If the People's Party wins, Jiangsu will definitely be crushed by the People's Party." If Beiyang wins, with Jiangsu's current force, Beiyang may not dare to fight with Wang Dudu. ”

"Haha," Wang Youhong laughed, this is a very sincere laugh, neither mockery nor malice, purely the sincere laughter that can't help but be triggered by hearing the funny words. The laughter didn't last long, Wang Youhong put away his smile and said seriously: "Speaker Cai, if Beiyang can't even take our Jiangsu, why can they defeat the People's Party?" If Beiyang cannot defeat the People's Party, what are the benefits of our Jiangsu joining the Beiyang side? Can't give them a funeral? ”

The facts of this question are clear and logical, and the starting point is pure and incomparably self-interested, Cai Yuanpei wants to criticize Wang Youhong for not being able to see the situation clearly. But when it comes to Cai Yuanpei, a university scholar of this level, there is really no way to say such strong words to a person of noble status like Wang Youhong, it is simply a humiliation.

"Then Wang Dudu, what do you think about the war?" Cai Yuanpei asked.

"I knew it would be impossible to stay out of the situation, so Jiangsu's plan was to defend the land and the people. We will never interfere with any of the beatings outside, but whoever wants to attack us in Jiangsu, we will definitely resist to the end. Wang Youhong replied very simply, not only completely determined Jiangsu's future practices, but Wang Youhong even persuaded Cai Yuanpei in turn, "Speaker Cai, when people talk about Jiangnan, they call Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and Jiangsu and Zhejiang are one." The situation in the world is already like this, why should you, as a Zhejiang, get involved in the struggle between two Henan people? Let's join forces in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, so that the People's Party can be a little jealous. If the People's Party is badly weakened after the war, we can even strive for local self-government. This is the way to seek benefits for the fathers and elders of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. ”

Cai Yuanpei was quite disdainful of Wang Youhong's view of the mouse's eyes, and after thinking for a while, he finally threw out an important card, "If we have the help of the British warships, and the allied forces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang go up the river, what does Wang Dudu think the People's Party will do?" ”

After saying this, Cai Yuanpei's face changed completely when he saw Wang Youhong for the first time, not only his expression became extremely stern, but his eyes were like sharp knives. "It turns out that Mr. Cai colluded with the British?"

The word collusion is not a kind statement, Cai Yuanpei didn't understand for a while whether Wang Youhong couldn't find the right word because he was excited, or whether he really had such a deep hostility towards the British. And Wang Youhong's next words cleared up the misunderstanding, "Since Mr. Cai is next to the big tree of the British, my Wang really can't climb it." Mr. Cai has a bright future, and I wish Mr. Cai can eliminate the People's Party as soon as possible and save the people and the country from fire and water. There are still things to do, so I can't accompany Mr. Cai. ”

was neatly ordered by Wang Youhong to expel the guest, Cai Yuanpei was surprised inexplicably. However, Wang Youhong didn't give Cai Yuanpei a chance to explain at all, he got up and sued him, and Shi Shiran left. Now Cai Yuanpei has a more unfathomable and profound feeling for Wang Youhong, as the governor of Jiangsu, he is so xenophobic, which is simply unreasonable.

It's just that chasing guests is chasing customers, and it makes no sense for Cai Yuanpei to stay in Nanjing, so he had to return to Hangzhou by boat.

The ship was a steam-powered steamship built by the People's Party, and sitting in the cabin, Cai Yuanpei couldn't understand why Wang Youhong was so hostile to the British intervention. For Cai Yuanpei, although the British intervention was very abrupt, Cai Yuanpei did not oppose it much.

At the end of September 1914, the British connected with Cai Yuanpei through merchants in Shanghai. This businessman's identity is also quite peculiar, and he is actually the cousin of Qi Huishen, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the People's Party. After being contacted, the British expressed their willingness to support Cai Yuanpei against the People's Party. If Cai Yuanpei can do well in the matter of opposing the People's Party, the British can give Cai Yuanpei great support. For example, to ensure Zhejiang's autonomous status after the war, the British could even support Cai Yuanpei to lead the Guangfu Society to gain the real right to rule Zhejiang. In other words, in addition to supporting Cai Yuanpei to continue to control the Zhejiang parliament and thoroughly control the Zhejiang government, he can also control the military power of Zhejiang.

The price is so high that Cai Yuanpei feels that there must be a ghost in it, and Qi Huishen's cousin simply "showed his hole cards", and the British hope that after Cai Yuanpei leads the Restoration Society to master Zhejiang, he can build Zhejiang into a free trade zone, at least turn the major cities into free trade cities. Even with such lobbying, Cai Yuanpei was still very skeptical of the sincerity of the British. The British bullied Cai Yuanpei, a native bun, and brought out the examples of Japan's suppression of domestic socialists and Europe's attack on the Communist Party. At least when it comes to opposing the new system implemented by the People's Party, Cai Yuanpei is iron-hearted. Seeing that Europe and Japan were so resolute, Cai Yuanpei felt that there was a basis for cooperation. The two sides held several rounds of contacts and consultations on the direction of cooperation in the eradication of the People's Party.

After Britain and Japan signed the "Memorandum on War in the Far East" with Beiyang, Cai Yuanpei no longer worried that he would become a new "traitor", and he strengthened his intention to cooperate. The British side not only provided Cai Yuanpei with a batch of weapons, but also promised that if the war began, the British fleet would also help Cai Yuanpei's Liberation Society and the Beiyang Army to carry out military strikes. Cai Yuanpei didn't expect that one day he would be able to become a leader in commanding thousands of troops and even modern warships. And Feng Guozhang, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang in Beiyang, also said that he would stand firmly with Cai Yuanpei in the battle to exterminate the Southern People's Party.

The only thing I didn't expect was that Wang Youhong, the governor of Jiangsu, had such a strong opposition to this matter. This made Cai Yuanpei feel very puzzled. Is Wang Youhong, the governor of Jiangsu, really not afraid of the British?

With this incomprehension, Cai Yuanpei returned to Hangzhou. The people who came to greet him told him that Tao Chengzhang, Xu Xilin, and Qiu Jin had been waiting for Cai Yuanpei for a day. Cai Yuanpei sighed in his heart, no matter what attitude Wang Youhong, the governor of Jiangsu, has, it is impossible for Zhejiang to change the established strategy. At present, Feng Guozhang, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, has not yet fully prepared for war, and it is not only a matter of recruiting troops, weapons and equipment, and training of recruits, but also the people's party's penetration in the south is quite strong, and although many people from the Liberation Association and the League in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian have not joined the people's party, there are quite a few people who fully support the policies of the people's party or some of the policies of the people's party.

When Chen Ke talks about the "people's revolution," one of his usual methods is to penetrate into other political forces. When he was in Shanghai in 1905, didn't Chen Ke also try to use the power of the Restoration Society? Chen Ke's generals Hua Xiongmao, You Wei, and Wang Bin were all proudly acquainted through the Restoration Society. Everywhere Chen Ke went, he tried his best to pry other forces into the wall, and Shangyuan, Pu Guanshui, and Qin Tongren in Beiyang ensured Chen Ke's base in Fengtai County, Anhui Province. As for the first Anqing Campaign, the Yue Wang Society and the Guangfu Society were even more played by Chen Ke in the palm of his hand. Yue Wanghui claimed to be a hundred thousand congregations, and was even toyed with by Chen Ke to the point of disappearing. In the final analysis, these people were either brainwashed by Chen Ke, or they had something similar to Chen Ke in their political concepts, so they were fooled.

As a result of Cai Yuanpei's discussions with Feng Guozhang and the British side, if he wanted to resist the forces of the People's Party in Jiangnan, he first had to completely dig out the "mass base" of the People's Party. All the political calls that respond to Chen Ke, or the potential chaotic parties that cooperate with Chen Ke, must be cleared of all that remains. In the continuous research, Cai Yuanpei also found his own collaborators, that is, the vast number of gentry landlords in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Fujian.

After resting for one night, Cai Yuanpei convened a meeting of the General Association of the Restoration Society. In recent years, the Liberation Council has not only completely recovered its vitality, but also won successive victories in the elections of councillors at all levels in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, winning more than half of the seats. Even the landlords and gentry who were not originally members of the Restoration Society, when they saw the Restoration Society in full swing, they also chose to join the Restoration Society. In addition to Tao Chengzhang, Xu Xilin, and Qiu Jin, the other attendees of the general meeting were all local gentry.

Tao Chengzhang still has the consciousness of his revolutionary predecessors, and when he sits in the front position, he will never be suppressed by others. Xu Xilin Qiujin has been working at the grassroots level in the past few years, and his heart is full of all kinds of tedious things, where is there still the mind to put on a score. The simple cloth robes of the two looked quite shabby in the middle of a group of leather robes and satin robes, just like the old man.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't have to hide from you about the war in the near future. As soon as the war is fought, it will be chaotic, and the Zhejiang army is going out to fight, and the local law and order is very disturbing. We don't have to cover up anything for the military discipline of the army, so after deliberation by the Zhejiang Parliament, it was decided to form their own militia groups in various places. Usually pacify the place, and transport grain and grass when it is critical. This is also much stronger than the requisition of the common people. Cai Yuanpei said his arrangements as if nothing happened.

It is said that it is the Zhejiang Parliament to deliberate, and the people sitting here are basically important members of the Zhejiang Parliament, and everyone knows what the Parliament has discussed. Many people listened casually, and their eyes kept sweeping to Xu Xilin and Qiu Jin. Qiu Jin listened carefully, and his left hand was already holding his chin unconsciously. That "luxurious" watch attracted the jealous gaze of many boring people. The gangsters of the Restoration Society basically know the origin of this watch, although they don't know the identity of Chen Ke's traverser, but the 21st century knockoffs are much more sophisticated than the technology of the early 20th century, and Qiu Jin cherishes the watch a lot, so the electroplating part is still shiny, and the artificial crystal decoration reflects all kinds of light. These bigwigs all have their own watches, even the gold-plated or silver-cased pocket watches are far from Qiu Jin's watches, not to mention the watch's dense and highly transparent watch and accurate timekeeping.

Out of feminine instinct, Qiu Jin had already noticed these gazes. She lowered her chin and clasped her arms together, but her watch was still exposed. Because of the change of angle, the original reflected jewels turned into a very soft and delicate light, which attracted a lot of attention.

After introducing the recent decision of the parliament, Cai Yuanpei continued: "In wartime, the consumption is very great, and if you can't secure tax revenue, the lack of food and pay for the soldiers will harass the locality. Zhejiang's tax affairs still have to be handled by everyone. ”

As soon as this signal was issued, a parliamentarian in a fox fur robe began to complain, "Zhexi has not paid taxes for many years, and since the situation is already like this, I think Zhexi also has to pay taxes." ”

"Sure enough!" Qiu Jin couldn't help but sneer, but this time after all, there was something to support Tao Chengzhang, so Qiu Jin didn't say a word.

Some people take the lead, and there are naturally many people who follow the trend. The gentry-born parliamentarians did not speak as bluntly as the common people, anyway, they quoted scriptures or wept their tears to demand that Zhejiang pay taxes like other regions.

After a slight pause in this round of talk, Xu Xilin said: "Speaking of which, the governor is elected every four years, and the governor of Zhejiang has been elected in 11 years, which has been 15 years, but I don't know who is going to be elected by the Restoration Association this time?" Everyone said that if you want to fight, you have to choose a commander to fight, as long as you can elect a governor who everyone is satisfied with, it is not impossible for us to pay taxes in western Zhejiang. ”

Some parliamentarians didn't expect Xu Xilin to use such a method to fight back, and they were all stunned. Some lawmakers asked stupidly: "Then Brother Xu has someone to be elected?" ”

"Of course I have someone to elect!" Xu Xilin said loudly, he stood up as he spoke, "I elected Tao Gong to be the next governor of Zhejiang." ”

As soon as these words came out, there was a buzz in the conference hall. As for the future candidates for the governor of Zhejiang, some parliamentarians have thought about it, and some parliamentarians have not thought about it. But Xu Xilin recommended Tao Chengzhang, which caught a considerable number of people off guard. Although Tao Chengzhang's status in the Restoration Society has declined in the past two years, Tao Chengzhang is still the commander-in-chief of the Liberation Army and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Restoration Society. The selection of Tao Chengzhang as the governor of Zhejiang during the war was indeed a very convincing candidate.

Seeing that the situation had changed, the councillor who was the first to jump out to ask for the tax payment in western Zhejiang saw that the situation had changed, and he hurriedly shouted: "This time, we will first talk about the tax payment in western Zhejiang, and the matter of the governor can be discussed later." ”

Qiu Jin immediately got up and said: "Then there is no need to talk about it later, Fang Cai Bosun has already said that if we elect a governor that we are satisfied with, Zhexi can also pay taxes." Moreover, Mr. Cai just said that he would set up militia groups in various places. Tao Gong led his troops to fight so many battles, and I think it is best for him to command the militia. ”

As soon as these words came out, the small-scale private discussion that had already begun continued to expand, and Tao Chengzhang sat in his position like others, but he felt that the current chaos was quite good. Cai Yuanpei's position was near Tao Chengzhang, Tao Chengzhang turned his head slightly, and saw a smile on the corner of Cai Yuanpei's mouth. This is a bit confusing to Tao Chengzhang.