"Xiao Shuai's football skills are superb, and the students are thundering!"

"General Xiao shows a pro-people image."

"At the beginning of the bidding for the expo, the construction right of the Nanjing-Tongling railway was awarded to the United States."

…… All Chinese and foreign newspapers in China are enthusiastically reporting on the grand occasion of the Nanjing Games and the Expo, and one after another well-known Chinese and foreign commentators and political observers have set up special columns to repeatedly analyze the important events that took place in Nanjing, the political center of southern China.

The English edition of "Zilinxi Daily" published a large photo of Xiao Yimin and the football team of Yenching Union Medical College, detailing the process of Xiao Yimin and Li Banglun's bet and the wonderful game process, as well as the technical exchanges between Xiao Yimin and college athletes after the game, praising Xiao Yimin's superb football skills and great influence in the minds of Chinese students, which brought about Xiao Yimin's political image and strategy, and finally humorously hoped that Xiao Yimin would one day lead the team to England to play against the champion team of the English Football League.

Seventeen countries and more than 60 companies and consortia from Europe and the United States have launched fierce competition for 16 railway construction bids with a total length of 4,500 kilometers, and the first three bids have been won by the three major construction companies of the United States, Britain and the Netherlands, which have strong backgrounds, namely the 200-kilometer Nanjing-Tongling railway, the 270-kilometer Xiaoshan-Quzhou railway, and the 145-kilometer Nanchang-Yingtan railway. The construction period is 18 months.

After the opening ceremony, Xiao Yimin, who was in a good situation, never appeared in front of the public again, and countless reporters' requests for interviews were politely refused, and invitations from major domestic chambers of commerce, foundations, and political parties flew to Xiao Yimin's office like snowflakes, and even the requests for visits by envoys from various countries were euphemistically postponed, which was seven days.

In the past seven days, Xiao Yimin accompanied Hunan overseer Cheng Qian and Henan overseer Wu Peifu to visit the military important places inside and outside Nanjing, and the footprints of the three old friends were all over the restructured arsenal, the Nanjing Army Military Academy, which will begin recruiting students from all over the country next month, the military wharf located at the confluence of the Qinhuai River and the Yangtze River on the Xiaguan wharf, the newly built Pukou barracks across the river, and the large radio base station built on the chair hill behind the barracks, and so on.

After Wu Peifu and Cheng Qian, who had hidden whereabouts, came to Nanjing, they only appeared at the first meeting of the governors of the southern provinces and disappeared, and the two did not stay at the famous "Jinling Hotel", nor did they compete to enter the "Nanjing Hotel" on Huju Road, which is larger, more beautiful, more luxurious, and more expensive in terms of facilities, as provincial officials did.

Cheng Qian and Wu Peifu lived in Xiao Yimin's mansion.

The mansion located at the southern foot of Qingliang Mountain is a simple and elegant combination of Chinese and Western buildings, three floors high, covering an area of only one acre, in addition to the better location, more quiet and quiet, and the surrounding Yang Du, Sun Baoqi, Wang Zhengting, Gu Weijun and other major military and political officials more than 30 small buildings are no different, but there is a convenient path to the newly built pavilion on the top of Qingliang Mountain, sitting in the beautiful antique pavilion, can overlook the whole picture of Nanjing and the surging Yangtze River in the west.

Time passed day by day, and finally came the night of parting.

The back garden of Xiao's Mansion was filled with the aroma of sweet wine, and after Wu Peifu, who was full of red faces, touched a glass with Cheng Qian, he smiled at Xiao Yimin with great feeling:

"In just a few days, the presidential election has once again become uncertain, and if it is really going to be elected, I am afraid that it will be the national convention in February next year...... After Cao Zhongshan, who was kind to me, defected to Xu Buwu's camp, Duan Zhiquan was no longer able to control the Beiyang line. I've been wondering why the Brotherhood has publicly stated that it won't run for president. Whether it is the military or the people, the call for Yiming to lead the country in Yanjing is rising! Brother Yiming, you must not use your age to prevaricate us. ”

Cheng Qian also looked at Xiao Yimin with concern, and seemed to have the same question.

Xiao Yimin smiled bitterly: "Thank you two elder brothers for your attention, but even if the younger brother has the ambition to reach the top, he doesn't have the ability to match it!" Especially at this time, who dares to go to Yanjing to wade through the muddy waters? In the past few days, our brother has discussed the situation between the north and the south, and Brother Ziyu is even more discerning, predicting that there will be a fight within the various departments in Beiyang. ”

Wu Peifu sighed, lifted the wine bottle and poured it himself, no longer having the relaxed smile just now.

Cheng Qianqian was abandoned by the revolutionary party base camp before the Guangdong-Guizhou War, and was silent for more than half a year after his ideals were shattered, and when he was in Hunan, he locked himself at home and didn't go anywhere, if it weren't for Xiao Yimin's three long letters a month, I'm afraid Cheng Qian hadn't come out of the depressed state of mind of sadness and loss. It wasn't until he came to Nanjing to participate in the Overseer's Conference and followed Xiao Yimin to all the important places in the vibrant Nanjing that Cheng Qian's ambition slowly recovered, his mental state improved greatly, and he became an important member of Xiao Yimin's camp.

Seeing Cheng Qian's thoughtful appearance, Xiao Yimin smiled and turned to Wu Peifu: "Ziyu, if you don't have a good time in Henan, it's better to simply change to your hometown in Shandong." ”

"What did you say?"

Not only did Wu Peifu exclaim, but Cheng Qian was also very surprised.

Xiao Yimin took the wine bottle from Wu Peifu and filled the wine glasses in front of everyone: "Aren't you always complaining that there are many factions in Henan, warlords are rampant, and corrupt officials and people everywhere are not making a living?" According to me, I'm afraid it will be a natural disaster [***], and the grief is all over the wilderness, with your current situation in Henan, it is really difficult to change anything.

"Think about it, don't say that half of Henan is in a state of local secession out of control, just say that the Gongxian Arsenal that should belong to you directly under your jurisdiction, until now you have no way, and you are still trapped in the fierce competition like a vicious dog chasing food, how can you still implement your Henan revitalization plan?

"Think about Zhang Fang, Zhou Kui and others with the backing of Xu Shichang and others, as well as hundreds of thousands of bandits entrenched in Nanyang and western Henan, do you have any other way than to forcibly use force to conquer? But if you really want to fight this battle, let alone the harm to the people of Henan, you can't afford to spend time alone. ”

Wu Peifu pondered for a moment, shook his head helplessly and smiled bitterly: "I know that Duan Zhiquan has a request for you...... It's up to you to recommend me to be the overseer of Shandong, he doesn't dare not give this face, not to mention that I have already settled my suspicions with him, but, even if you can send me to the position of overseer of Shandong, do you think I can let go of my hands and feet? Not to mention anything else, the floods of the Yellow River, which flooded almost every year, could kill me, not to mention the warlords and bandits everywhere in Henan! ”

"Yes! The people of Henan and Shandong are suffering! If we were like this in Hunan, I don't know if I'd go crazy. Cheng Qian echoed sadly.

Xiao Yimin drank a cup of himself, and when he put down the cup, his body leaned forward slightly: "Ziyu, born in troubled times, it is difficult to do anything, but if there is no difficulty, what do you want us people to do?" Don't talk about anything else, today I just want to ask you, Shandong or Henan, which one makes you more tempted? ”

Wu Peifu replied without hesitation: "Of course it's my hometown, but it's ......"

Xiao Yimin waved his hand to stop Wu Peifu from going on: "Just have what you say, now please listen to me, why do you want to govern Shandong ......"

Wu Peifu's waist straightened up instantly, his expression was grim, and his eyes were blazing.

Cheng Qian also came to his senses, put down the wine glass that had just been handed to his lips gently, and listened to Xiao Yimin's explanation with concern.

Xiao Yimin said unhurriedly: "Let's put aside the problems that have existed for many years such as natural disasters [***]. First of all, the location of Henan today is too critical and sensitive, Shaanxi, which is constantly fighting in the west, Shanxi, which is eyeing and ready to attack, Shanxi, which is in the east, which has been ruined by the army and local warlords, and Hubei, a rich land that has surrendered to the younger brother, to the south.

"It can be said that now whether it is Xu Buwu or Duan Zhiquan, whoever controls the land of the four expeditions in Henan will have the qualifications to win the championship, at least an important foundation for unifying the entire north."

Wu Peifu and Cheng Qian nodded in agreement. At this point, they and Xiao Yimin's understanding is basically the same, but they don't know why Xiao Yimin knows this, why he still gives up Henan, a strategic place.

I only heard Xiao Yimin continue: "In such a situation, I think it is better not to fight in the past, but this does not mean that I do not attach importance to Henan, as the Art of War says: do not fight for the sake of fighting!" Since Xu Buwu and Feng Huafu, who was seriously ill, wrote several times to beg me for support, and Duan Zhiquan was also determined to win Henan, why don't I go with the flow and take advantage of this rare opportunity to secretly support my ally Duan Zhiquan in exchange for the position of Shandong Overseer?

"I think you must also know very well that there have been three overseers in Shandong this year, and no one is willing to put themselves under the direct threat of the Yueben army entrenched in Shandong, but this is a rare opportunity for us, a great opportunity to strengthen our strength and realize our life ideals!"

Seeing Wu Peifu and Cheng Qian's puzzled eyes, Xiao Yimin suddenly smiled: "Don't believe it, I dare to say that I won't stay on the front line of Qingdao Jiaodong for long, the European war has already been decided, and the United States, Britain, France, Belgium and Italy and other countries will soon free up their hands, and they will never let Yue Ben continue to damage their interests in China." ”

Wu Peifu was in high spirits, and Cheng Qian nodded thoughtfully.

Xiao Yimin lowered his voice and explained carefully:

"Secondly, Shandong, which is rich in resources, convenient transportation and close to the sea, has huge development potential, Ziyu will go to Shandong, and he will be able to give full play to his ability, whether it is military and civil affairs, he can quickly see the results, and he can quickly win fame and win the heartfelt support of the people!

"I believe you have seen this in Nanjing in the past few days, as long as I am in power in the south for one day, I can give the two brothers a day of support, whether it is foreign investment or industrial technology, whether it is the governance environment or military support, I will fully support the two brothers to make a great cause, there is no doubt about this, right?"

Wu Peifu and Cheng Qian looked at each other and smiled, and both raised their wine glasses to express their inner gratitude.

After drinking, Xiao Yimin wiped his mouth with a napkin: "I dare to say that from now on, Shandong's strategic position will be more important than Henan's, I believe the two brothers know this in their hearts, not only Britain and the United States are determined to weaken the strength of the Ben in Shandong, but the resentful Germans will also come back to regain their interests in Shandong, at least to regain the huge market and political influence they have lost, although it is unlikely to be effective soon, but it should not be underestimated."

"Finally, I just mentioned the rich resources of Shandong, whether it is land or sea, Shandong has a unique advantage, one of the largest industrial projects is the Laiwu iron mine I mentioned the day before yesterday and the surrounding rich coal mines, as long as the introduction of American capital and technology, I will wait for the opportunity to drag the British in, in Laiwu to set up a large iron and steel company, then all the troubles will be solved.

"Brother Ziyu, don't be reluctant to those pots and jars in Henan, as long as you are willing, I dare to guarantee that it will not be long before you will have an advanced arsenal five times larger than Gongxian and the factory!"

Cheng Qian was surprised after hearing this, Wu Peifu raised his eyebrows, and then tightened again: "It sounds quite tempting, but where does the development funds come from?" At least five million investment, I can't always open my mouth to borrow from you, right? ”

Xiao Yimin laughed: "Where can I borrow it?" As long as you go to Shandong, which is rich in resources and outstanding people, are you afraid that you will have no money in your hands? ”

"Stop! I will never do anything like looting the villagers and expropriating them expropriately! Wu Peifu made his attitude serious.

Cheng Qian smiled and said: "Ziyu has thought about it, with the ruling strategy of Brother Yiming, will he let you do that kind of angry thing?" ”

"Look! This is the realm! ”

Xiao Yimin smiled playfully at Wu Peifu, who rolled his eyes violently: "Okay, junior brother doesn't sell guanzi here, doesn't Ziyu always complain that most of the recruits in the 50,000 soldiers under his command are accounted for?" Simply, when I arrived in Shandong, I would have a vigorous crackdown on bandits, and the younger brother would not have enough manpower to send five recruit divisions to help, as long as the money in hundreds of bandit caves was robbed, I dare to say that there would be no 20 million and no less than 10 million! ”

Wu Peifu was overjoyed after being stunned, he couldn't help but stand up, pacing back and forth, the more he thought about it, the more excited he became, and he couldn't wait to immediately lead his troops east into Shandong, he knew the bandits in Shandong too well, but he didn't expect such a ruthless method of collecting money for a while.

Xiao Yimin and Cheng Qian all laughed out loud when they saw Wu Peifu's excited appearance, but the laughter did not stop, and Yang Du's familiar laughter came over instead:

"Haha! What is there that does not make me happy? ”

Cheng Qian and Wu Peifu hurriedly stepped forward to salute, and couldn't help but say that they wanted to press Yang Du next to the wine table. Yang Du repeatedly said forgiveness, and then whispered a few words to Xiao Yimin.

Xiao Yimin was stunned for a moment, and then said happily: "I haven't seen the old chief for almost seven years!" I'm going to please, I'm going to please, we're not going to get drunk tonight! ”

(To be continued)