After the banquet was dispersed, the three brothers did not break up, but went to Cao Zhongkun's residence, Shandong Gonghe Guest House. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info This is a hotel run by the Shandong Provincial Government, with facilities and services, which is better than the hostel run by the Taixi people. Zhao Guanhou invested heavily to build a five-star hotel standard in another time and space, and in terms of service, facilities and environment, even the Six Nations Hotel is not as good as this guest house in Jinan.

In the room was Cao Zhongkun's inseparable personal attendant Li Yanqing, who was born as a worker in the Jinmen Bathhouse, but his skin was fair, his appearance was as beautiful as a woman, he walked swayingly, and his status was the same as Tang Tianxi. Except for Zhao Guanhou, who regards military law and traditional rules as nothing, ordinary people dare not bring female dependents in the army. Li Yanqing took on the responsibilities of the Cao Mansion's dependents, and his status in the Cao family was even higher than that of Cao Zhongkun's brothers.

He was very well-behaved, and after greeting a few people, he put tea and snacks on the table, and then withdrew. Meng Siyuan said at this time: "Big brother, the order for this expedition to Yunnan was not sent to you at the earliest, but to the fourth child, do you know how he responded?" ”

"It's too late to hold a wedding." Zhao Guanhou took the initiative to say the answer.

Cao Zhongkun said with a smile: "I have heard about your poor struggle for divorce and marriage, I have heard about it in Hunan. Except for my younger siblings, most of the others are separated from you and knotted, what do you say to toss. It's good that you're tossing, now many women in the local area are going to divorce their husbands, tell me how much trouble you caused. But I remember, isn't it the end of the toss, how can it be knotted again? ”

"Last time it was a Western-style wedding, this time it was a Chinese-style wedding, so you can't generalize. If the emperor still wants me to send troops, I will marry a few more. ”

Cao Zhongkun raised his big finger, "It's still bullish, this is a clear face." But the fourth, are you so tormented? Now there is Cai Feng, Your Majesty doesn't dare to do anything to you. But Cai Feng waits until it is gone, you have to be careful. ”

"Kill Cai Feng? I'm afraid it's not that easy. I'm here with my eldest brother to remind you to have a few more eyes, to attack and break the enemy, and to preserve your strength. Although it seems that Cai Feng's soldiers are only more than 3,000 people, he is studying military affairs in Fusang, and he is very strategic, so he is not a good character. The tolerance of the Yunnan soldiers to the environment is higher than that of the Beiyang soldiers. Most of our troops have no experience in fighting in mountains and jungles, and when they go to Sichuan, they live in both land and land, and the weather is getting hotter and hotter, so it is easy to get sick. The emperor prepared a lot of military salaries and military supplies this time, but this is far from enough, the terrain over there is too harsh, and our tactics are not applicable in many cases. To name one, there is no three-mile flat land over there, and our platoon guns can't pull out the formation, how do you let the brothers fight? The cannon could not be pulled up in many places, and only light artillery could be used. Many battles need to be solved by white-knuckle warfare, but the current Beiyang, not the Beiyang of the past, how many troops do you have at hand that can fight white-knuckle warfare? ”

Cao Zhongkun nodded, "It makes sense to say this." I don't care about the military anyway, and the matter of fighting is left to Ziyu, and I don't intervene. But what you say, I'll tell him. Simply, I called someone to ride a horse and call him. ”

Zhao Guanhou waved his hand: "I have nothing to say to him." You are my eldest brother, I will tell you this, I have nothing to talk about with Guan Erye. Let's talk about non-military matters, Sichuan people may not like Yunnan, but they don't like Beiyang even more. Locally, the gentry did not want another emperor on their heads, and they hated the emperor because of the dissolution of the provincial council. Now, they are more likely to be on Cai Feng's side, and when they arrive in Sichuan, we are likely to become blind. So don't trust people casually, lest you don't even know how to die. But the most important thing is to maintain discipline. When the guest army enters, he is most afraid of harming the people, and Cai Feng's Yunnan soldiers are very good at maintaining military discipline, which is his strength. If our troops are free to loot at will, then there is no need to fight this battle, and we will lose forty percent first. In addition to the guns and ammunition purchased by the War Department, I prepared a batch of canned meat and biscuits for my eldest brother, which was considered a gift. Let the brethren have food and drink, and don't always think about robbing the Tao. ”

Cao Zhongkun also knew that after the Battle of Weifang, Shandong's agriculture was still in the recovery stage, and the food supply was quite tight, and the grain eaten now relied largely on purchases and previous stocks. Although Zhao Guanhou's relationship with foreigners, as well as his contact with Nanyang merchants, will not be broken. However, food is not something that can be obtained at will, and in this case, you can prepare a military ration for yourself, and the weight of this gift is really not light.

He was very grateful and took Zhao Guanhou's hand, "Fourth, how can this be said to be good?" You know that I am stupid, and I can't pour out words in my heart. I owe you such a big favor, but I really say thank you, and I don't know how to say it. ”

"Say what. Kowtow to your brother and say that this is not too far? During the battle in Shandong, my eldest brother also sent 800 athletes to help me, and they were all good men. In addition to the dead, wounded and disabled, I still have more than 400 left, so many good soldiers, I have to thank my eldest brother. Although I will not intervene in this battle, if the eldest brother encounters any danger, Shandong is duty-bound. ”

"So, Lu Jun really won't move?"

Without waiting for Zhao Guanhou to speak, Meng Siyuan said: "I definitely won't move, even if Guanhou wants to move, the fathers and villagers in Shandong will not agree." The soldiers of Shandong are not afraid of death, and in order to defend the dignity and territorial integrity of the country, they do not hesitate to die together with the murderous Fuso people. However, the warrior is the guardian of the people, not a tool in the hands of a lone man and a thief, and it is impossible to face each other with his compatriots who are fighting for justice in order to realize one's desire for restoration. The Shandong Chamber of Commerce has clearly announced that it does not recognize the title of Emperor Hongxian, nor does it recognize the constitutional monarchy. Before Yuan Weiting abolished the imperial system, the Shandong General Chamber of Commerce did not recognize all the orders issued by him and resolutely resisted them. ”

Zhao Guanhou smiled, "Listen, how horizontal is this second brother?" You look at him, the second sister-in-law is going to be here, much more horizontal than him, if I send troops, she has to turn against me. My sister-in-law is like a mother, I don't have anything to reason with when she turns around and beats me, what is this picture about? If the fathers and villagers in Shandong want to oppose me, how can I still be a handsome. Without the support of the gods of wealth like my second brother and sister-in-law, what can I do to pay my brothers? Without military pay, what kind of war are we still fighting? ”

"That's what I said, but Your Majesty, how can you explain it."

"Easy to do. The Shandong Chamber of Commerce and civic organizations have already prepared a telegram demanding that the Lu army maintain the safety of Sangzi and stay in Shandong to suppress bandits. Of course, it is a constitutional monarchy, but the emperor also has to consider the wishes of the people, and without the support of the people, neither the emperor nor the president can stay. Besides, I really can't walk, I walked on the front foot, and the back foot made a mistake, so I still have to come back? Sun Dixiang is not only tossing in the south, but also his goal in Shandong. ”

Cao Zhongkun raised his eyes to look at Meng Siyuan, who nodded calmly, "Mr. Sun did have a letter to me, and I also forwarded it to Guanhou." From the time Mr. Sun demanded that all members must swear allegiance to him personally, I was no longer a member of the Xingzhong Society. I also have no interest in Shandong's military plan this time. Shandong is an important base for the take-off of private capital and does not allow any external force to destroy it. This is a responsibility to the Republic of China and to the entire Chinese nation. ”

Zhao Guanhou said: "Yes, whether it is governing the country or fighting a war, the first thing is that the economy is not in doctrine. No matter how strong the Beiyang soldiers are, they can't fight without money. If I leave Shandong and Sun Wei makes trouble in Shandong, how should Your Majesty deal with it? Ju Zheng and Ma Guojie, the two of them were one writer and one martial arts, and they went to Jiaodong to develop their forces, wanting to incite the people to rebel. If there is a slight negligence, it will be a catastrophe that erodes a province. If something goes wrong with Shandong's economy, I am afraid that it will be difficult to explain it to the international community at that time. ”

"It's still the fourth, you have a way, you actually think of such an idea to shirk it, I'm miserable, I have no excuse if I want not to move, of course, I don't have the guts. I've been operating in Hunan for so long, and this time I'm gone, there's nothing. But you fought the white wolf and the Fusang people before, and you were very motivated, why did you not move this time? ”

Zhao Guanhou shook his head: "Time has changed. When the white wolf was beaten, it was for the purpose of jointly suppressing bandits, and fighting the Fusang people in Shandong was the desire of the people. Fighting Cai Feng now is against the people. The most capable people in this world are neither Beiyang soldiers nor foreigners, but the people. If the common people hate us, how can we win? If you want to give an example, then fighting Cai Feng now can only beat Ge Mingdang compared to the end of Jin. The position of the eldest brother is Feng Huafu at the beginning. ”

He leaned forward and lowered his voice slightly, "Lu Ganqing and I have also changed posts, and when it comes to it, we are also sworn brothers." Some time ago, he sent a liaison officer to come to me, and he was not just talking about asking my little rabbit cub to be his hairy foot son-in-law. Mainly asked me to buy arms, you said, he bought these weapons, really to deal with Cai Feng? ”

Cao Zhongkun was stunned for a moment, "The communist army sent troops from three directions, Li Xia was like a superintendent of the army into Liangguang, and Guangxi was also threatened, and he also said that he bought weapons to protect himself." ”

"If Li Xia entered the two Guangzhou, he mainly went to Guangzhou. Cen San is Lu Ganqing's old boss, he came out this time to call on Liangguang to fight Yuan, Lu Ganqing is his old department. Moreover, the emperor named Long Qiguang as the king, and Lu Ganqing only had a marquis, how could he be happy in his heart? In addition to growing black goods, Guangxi has no decent financial resources, not counting the influence of Cen San, Lu Ganshuai himself also wants to live a comfortable life for a few days. Tell me, looking at Guangdong every day, can he not be greedy? ”

Cao Zhongkun was stunned, "Dragon King? It can't be, right? Long Jiake and Lu Shuai are in-laws. ”

"The Long family is from the Tusi of Mengzi in Yunnan, and Long Qiguang thought about killing his brother in order to seize the throne. The current environment, this family relationship, is not very reliable. This time, the Dragon King sent his brother Long Chaoguang to lead the troops to attack Yunnan, in my opinion, this army may not be able to reach the battlefield. As for Hunan...... I heard that Zhang Zongyao came out? ”

Cao Zhongkun's face was a little embarrassed, when he fought the white wolf, Zhang Zongyao was defeated in Tongguan, causing Cheng Yue's train to be attacked, and he was almost sacrificed because of it. Victory or defeat is a common thing on the battlefield, but defeat is so bad that it can't even be reported, and the troops are ambushed by the Salvation King, which is not explained by the level problem.

After Zhao Guanhou absorbed a large number of Shaanxi troops, he had already asked the situation clearly from the mouths of the surrendered generals. Because Zhao Guanhou was strict with military discipline and even killed Qi Ying's cousin, Zhang Zongyao, who also had poor military discipline, was dissatisfied. He is very capable of fighting, but he is also unable to be disciplined, and the target of entering Shaanxi is Mizhi's mother-in-law. With such a serious discipline, this idea was completely broken, and he didn't even have the courage to find a people's girl, so he lived like a year. Therefore, under Qi Ying's encouragement, he received a sum of money from the Shaanxi army, deliberately sold the battle, causing Cheng Yue to be in danger and causing the Lu army to suffer the largest loss in a single battle in the battle of Shaanxi.

After the incident, the War Department issued a wanted warrant, but it was not done. After the Fusang War, Zhang Zongyao first spent a lot of money to do it, and then at the Jiangxi National Voting Congress, he personally led the troops to suppress and supervise the national representatives to vote for the imperial system. Mobilized by bayonets, the Jiangxi national deputies unanimously agreed to support the imperial system.

Relying on his great merits, Zhang Zongyao's wanted warrant was cancelled and reinstated, Li Xiushan's command was the most capable of fighting, and Li Xiushan's energy was mainly focused on internal affairs and economy, and the army was transferred to Zhang Zongyao. From the brigade to the division, he is now the commander of the sixth division. Zhao Guanhou's dissatisfaction with Yuan's dispatch of troops this time is also related to this division commander.

Zhang Zongyao was able to survive and be promoted, and he was inseparable from Li Xiushan's protection, and when he was not there, Cao Zhongkun had to take care of him. I had to laugh and say:

"On the third child's side, Zhang Zongyao is the most profitable, if he is not used, there are few available generals under him. You also have to be considerate of the third child, his talent can't be compared with you, get on the horse to manage the army, get off the horse to manage the people, and the head of the road is the way. The third child doesn't have this ability, and it's difficult to use it for two purposes. The main mind is used in civil affairs, and in the military, the surname Zhang has to be relied upon. He also knew that he was wrong, for example, during the Battle of Shandong, he was responsible for Jiangxi's military resources, and they were all handled very well. For the sake of this credit, the third child will protect him. ”

"I don't need to explain this, I can understand the difficulties of the third brother and the third brother, but it is another matter for His Majesty to pardon this person. I put this sentence here, Zhang Zongyao, this person, must not be used. Whoever uses him, who is unlucky. The other Tang Tianxi is also a person who has never led soldiers. Let him bring a mixed brigade, and he can only help on the battlefield. Big brother, you have to be on guard, there may be problems along the way in Hunan. ”

"What do you mean I should do?"

"What His Majesty did to Dajin back then, you treated him the same way you treated him. The primary purpose is not to fight with Cai Feng, but to preserve his strength. With the barrel of a gun, you can speak hard. The third division is Wu Ziyu's descendants who helped you pull it up, but you can't just practice it in Sichuan. ”

The conversation between the two lasted until late at night, and Zhao Guanhou simply opened two rooms downstairs to live. When he was settled, Cao Zhongkun quietly picked up the phone, and after a short time, there was a knock on the door, and Wu Jingfu, who was already living in the guest house, quickly walked in from outside the door. Lowered his voice and asked:

"The matter of munitions, has it been negotiated?"

"Not only arms, but also supplies, the fourth child is really righteous enough, and the grain table prepared for me is very sufficient. He also sent a telegram to Wang Zhanyuan, the general grain station, warning him not to use his brains in material supply, otherwise he, the old superior, would definitely not agree. ”

"We also gave him 800 soldiers, all of whom I trained the elite, but none of them were returned. Don't mention it, did he say anything? ”

Cao Zhongkun recounted Zhao Guanhou's words, Wu Jingfu looked solemn, and after thinking for a long time, he said: "Even Zhao Guanhou is also separated from the monkey's head, it seems that his dragon chair will not be sitting for long, Zhong Shuai, my opinion is the same as Zhao Guanhou, we have to preserve our strength." Qin lost its deer, the world chased, when the storm is about to rise, as long as there are soldiers in hand, do not worry about not being able to open up a foundation. Wu has nothing else to ask for in his life, but to send Zhong Shuai to the position of the first person in the world. For this goal, we must first preserve our strength, and we must not work hard for Yuan Weiting! ”