Zhu Erdian's words made Yuan Shikai frown, but there was a stirring in his heart, and the original thoughts suddenly turned into ambition, like a stone thrown into a pond, causing ripples.

If the Great Powers can side with him, he has every confidence to replace the dying and declining dynasty.

Yuan Shikai desperately suppressed the excitement in his heart, and said tentatively: "I don't have a complete grasp of controlling the Beiyang New Army, you know, since I left Beiyang, I haven't been in charge of this army for almost a year, and the imperial court has also placed many bannermen and my political enemies in the army. ”

"Your Excellency doesn't have to worry at all." Jurdiane took a puff on his cigar. "I don't think the Beiyang Army can be controlled by the Manchurian aristocracy, and I also believe in your ability. In addition, there are now two cruisers of the British Empire moored in Dagu, and in Weihaiwei, there are two armored ships of the British Empire on standby, if you feel that it is necessary, these four warships are ready to serve you, I believe that it is impossible for those small warships of your country to intervene, and the British Army units stationed in Dagu to Beijing can also act if necessary to stop anyone or army who tries to interfere with the actions of Lord Yuan, and the British troops stationed in Shanhaiguan can also respond to your actions. ”

"Is this the unanimous opinion of the legation?" Yuan Shikai asked anxiously. The "principle of unanimity with China" is a tacit understanding reached between the great powers in Gengzinian, and without the unanimous consent of all countries, no one can take major actions against China, especially military action.

"The British ministers with France, the United States, and Germany have agreed to support Lord Yuan in coming forward to save order in this country, and, if necessary, the banks of these four countries may also lend to you to maintain the army. As for other countries, you don't have to worry. Jurdian pulled the window open and threw the half-smoked cigar out of the window. I am confident that as long as you explain to them the benefits of having your control over this country, they will join in the common action. ”

"I don't understand what the minister means. Isn't it up to all countries to come forward and defend the imperial court together? If the great powers form a coalition again, I believe that the imperial court will definitely agree to the coalition to participate in the action of clearing the rebels, isn't this how the Yihe Fist of Gengzi Nian was exterminated? In that case, wouldn't the order of the country be stable again? The imperial court is now presiding over the new policy, and the constitution is also being prepared, and reform is better than revolution. Yuan Shikai was a little confused, although Zhu Erdian had a good personal relationship with him, he was able to facilitate his rebellion, which was really confusing.

"The reason is very simple, our legation unanimously believes that the Manchurian court has lost the support of the people, although it is trying to save the rule with the so-called 'constitution', but in reality it cannot do this on its own, as for the 'New Deal', it is only an excuse for the bureaucracy and the aristocracy to accumulate wealth, this dynasty has no hope, in your Chinese words, it is 'mud that does not make up the wall', and it is better to support it than to support a new regime. Of course, the prerequisite for this is that this new regime must guarantee all the rights that all countries have acquired in China, and it must also guarantee that it will continue to maintain absolutely friendly relations with all countries in the future! Zhu Erdian accentuated his tone.

"The anti-British telegram sent by the rebels in Jiujiang last month shows that if the revolutionaries in the south are allowed to take full control of your country, not only Britain's rights and interests in China will be harmed, but also the rights and interests of other countries in China, and your country's friendly relations with the great powers will also be damaged. It turns out that the revolutionary army in the south is a group of fanatical nationalists, they have an instinctive hostility to the foreign powers, and now they are weak enough to resort to diplomatic protests, but once they are fully fledged, who can guarantee that they will not deprive the British Empire of all its rights in China? Therefore, the Southern Revolutionary Army is a serious threat to China's relations with foreign countries, and our legation cannot but have some concerns about this, and instead of supporting them, it is better to support a mature and steady politician who has a friendly attitude towards the foreign powers. ”

"In that case, wouldn't it be better for countries to form alliances and send troops to intervene?" Yuan Shikai wants to be captured.

"This is your internal affair, and it is not appropriate for the great powers to intervene directly, as it will have a bad impact on the international community and will cause a rift in the relations between countries. After all, the current image of the Manchurian Dynasty in the international community is extremely bad, just like the Ottoman Empire in West Asia, the Manchurian Dynasty represents all darkness and backwardness, and is a stumbling block to world civilization, while the influence of the revolutionaries abroad is becoming more and more extensive, Britain will not bear the infamy of 'revolutionary executioner' for such a declining dynasty, maybe the Russian tsar will not care, but the glorious image of Britain cannot be tarnished. "Zhu Erdian is not a fool, and he does not directly explain the difficulties of Britain.

In fact, since the "Moroccan crisis" two years ago, the situation in Europe has gradually become tense, and the reason why there has been no fighting is only because all countries are not ready for war. Not long ago, the "sick man of West Asia" Ottoman Empire also broke out a revolution, Austria-Hungary took advantage of the fire to loot, brazenly tore up the "Berlin Treaty", and officially included Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was originally controlled by the Ottoman Empire and later "managed" by Austria-Hungary, thus breaking out the "Bosnian crisis", which made the situation in Europe more tense, and the European powers had long since had no time to look eastward―――――― Russia had not yet come out of the shadow of the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, and was still licking its wounds and rearmament. France, fearing a surprise attack by Germany, was also busy building forts and quickly moving closer to Britain, whose navy was still in a shipbuilding race with the German navy, which had led to a serious lag in the construction of its army, and, since the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, there had been a view within Britain that the expansion of the empire had reached its limit, that it was already difficult to maintain existing interests, that there was no need to continue expansion, and that attention should be paid to the increasingly tense situation in Europe.

Under this guiding ideology, Britain not only allowed South Africa and Australia to achieve autonomy in exchange for the loyalty of their subjects in these regions, but also did its utmost to promote the establishment of the "Triple Entente." Last year France and Russia formally signed a military agreement, and a military alliance with Germany has been established.

All in all, although the haze of war is not yet visible in Europe, a faint smell of gunpowder has begun to fill the air, and the great powers are too busy to take care of themselves, where is the time to interfere in the Chinese revolution? If interference fails and leads to a new xenophobic movement, who can guarantee their vested interests in China? Therefore, if we want to safeguard our rights and interests in China, the best and most convenient way is to "change horses"; since the people have spurned the Manchurian Dynasty, it is better to support a person who has a friendly attitude towards the foreign powers to control this country, and at the same time continue to play the role of the "tax collector" of the foreign powers in China.

This is like the relationship between a swinger and a prostitute, venting to a face for a long time will produce aesthetic fatigue, and changing to a new prostitute may bring unexpected surprises, and the Beiyang Group is the new prostitute among the great powers.

The eastern country must not fall into chaos, which will only make the world more tense and provide an opportunity for the rise of new international powers. The Republican Army's anti-British telegram in Jiujiang not only annoyed the British Government, but also caused German politicians to gloat for a while, and the Germans were closely watching every move of the Southern Revolutionary Army, and no one knew what action they would take, so it was necessary to stabilize the situation in China as soon as possible, not to give the Germans an opportunity to take advantage of it, and still less to allow an anti-British military and political bloc to emerge in the Far East.

On the other hand, in the eyes of British politicians, if China were to be torn apart by the collapse of the Manchu dynasty, not only would Britain lose some of its rights, but it would also provide a rare opportunity for Russian power to move south, and for Japan, a small emerging power, it would be able to further expand into China and realize its continental ambitions.

The distribution of the world's territory should be fixed in this era, and there should be no major changes, otherwise, the balance of power will be upset, and for the British Empire, it will mean the rise of new powers, and it will also mean the permanent decline of the British Empire, which is not what the British want to see, nor is it what Jurdian wants to see.

Although Yuan Shikai didn't figure out Zhu Erdian's true thoughts, he finally figured out the other party's position, but as a veteran of officialdom, he would not show his heart to a foreigner so quickly, and when he was thinking about how to phrase it, he heard a few British soldiers outside cheering.

The wheels of the carriage were repaired and he was ready to continue his journey.

Yuan Shikai leaned back, hid his head in the shadows, and with an imperceptible smile on the corner of his mouth, he said to Zhu Erdian: "Mr. Minister, I can consider your suggestion, but for now, let's continue on our way." When we arrive at the concession, I will calm down and talk to you in detail. I also hope that your minister's previous promises will be valid, and that if I want to take my family to take refuge abroad, I hope that your warship will be able to free up a few cabins. ”

Zhu Erdian nodded and said, "On behalf of the British government, I assure you that even if Your Excellency's decisive actions do not work, the British Empire will be able to guarantee the safety of you and your family. However, I ask you to make up your mind as soon as possible, otherwise when the revolutionary forces of the South attack north, some countries are likely to take decisive action, and the British Empire will not be able to help it. ”