Tianjin, Tianjin Customs Road Yamen.

Yuan Shikai took a wooden box from the staff, opened the lock on the wooden box with a key he carried, and took out the customs defense from it, which was his "plenipotentiary regent" Guan Fang Great Seal, sent by the imperial court, and from the day he received the customs defense, his identity as the regent was officially recognized by the imperial court, and some official affairs that were originally difficult to do became easy to handle, such as appointing and dismissing officials, or borrowing money from foreign banks.

Yuan Shikai used this side of the customs defense to solemnly stamp a big seal on a draft English contract, and then quickly put the customs defense back into the wooden box and locked it, and while he locked it, the three golden-eyed foreigners had also signed the flower charge on the contract.

These three foreigners are not ordinary businessmen, they are the general representatives of HSBC Bank of the United Kingdom, Dousheng Bank of Russia, and Crédit Agricole CIB in France, and now they have a common identity: directors of the three banks.

One of its main businesses was to provide commercial loans to Yuan Shikai's Beiyang Group in order to stabilize the situation in the north and use the loans to further control China's finance and railways.

Now, another new loan intention has been established, this time it is a large amount, a full three million pounds, nearly 26 million taels of silver in the treasury, but this time it requires collateral, in addition to tariffs, there is also a salt tax in Jiangsu, the annual interest rate of the loan is seven and a half percent, and the discount is ninety-five, the main purpose of this loan is to build the railway from Tianjin to Pukou, in fact, the Jinpu Road has been started last year, but it has been suffering from a shortage of funds, coupled with the right of way dispute and the trend of protecting the road, the railway only built a section from Tianjin to Shandong, and now the revolutionary situation in the south is risingTo this end, the bank group of the three countries took the initiative to make a proposal and provided Yuan Shikai with this loan, and the railway will be built in three sections at the same time, which will be contracted by Britain, France, and Russia, and will be contracted by the bank group of the three countries, from the hiring of technical personnel to the procurement of railway equipment, all of which will be mastered by the bank group of the three countries; in order to avoid stimulating the nerves of the Chinese people, this railway is still nominally controlled by the Chinese government, and the current accounts are managed by the Bank of Communications, which was just established last year.

In addition to the construction of the railway, the loan had a balance of 500,000 pounds, which was the first installment of funds for the expansion of the Beiyang Army. The Beiyang New Army has a total of six towns, more than 70,000 people, now Yuan Shikai can master only five towns, the first town is in the hands of the Qing court, garrisoned in the capital, the soldiers are mostly bannermen, Yuan Shikai can not command, and the second town in Wuhan lost Wang Zhanyuan, Lu Yongxiang two standards, the strength is weakened, the fifth town is in the south to crusade against the governor of Liangjiang Chang Gung, the third town is still in the northeast to maintain the ground, so, now there are only three towns in the Zhili area of the Beiyang New Army, less than 40,000 people, with such a small number of troops to maintain the order of the entire north, Basically, it is impossible, as for those patrol battalions, they can't be counted on, and they are very unreliable, Yuan Shikai intends to expand the Beiyang Army to fifteen towns in a short period of time, nearly 200,000 people, this plan has been fully supported by the British Minister Zhu Erdiandi, and the expansion of the army requires funds, so the Three Kingdoms Bank Regiment came in handy.

After the draft was signed, Yuan Shikai took the contract in his hand with a smile, and Zhu Erdian on the side took the lead in applauding, walked up to Yuan Shikai, and said: "Congratulations, Lord Yuan, as long as the peace talks between the north and the south reach an agreement and determine the national system, then this international loan can be established immediately, and your Excellency will have the most powerful army in China at that time." ”

Yuan Shikai said: "It's all up to your envoy to run, the contemptible people are grateful, the luncheon has been prepared, and please be sure to appreciate your face to the banquet." ”

"I'm very interested in Lord Yuan's family banquet.

But. I hope to be able to attend the banquet with the Japanese Minister, Mr. Hikoyoshi Ijiin. At the banquet. Perhaps we can further enhance friendship and trust among nations. and discuss the situation in the south. In fact. The Japanese consortium would also like to join the international banking syndicate. However, there is no domestic consensus at present. ”

Zhu Erdiandi's words are half-truths and half-truths. In fact, the reason why Japan has not been able to join the international banking syndicate for a long time. The real reason is not disagreement. Rather, it is because of Japan's financial constraints. A few years ago, the Russo-Japanese War almost wiped out Japan's treasury. Not a single ruble war reparation was also received after the war. In addition, it has been burdened with foreign debts from Britain and the United States. The annual interest on the land of debt repayment alone is a large number. Where is the idle funds to lend to Yuan Shikai at this time?

But. In order to consolidate the Anglo-Japanese alliance. Zhu Erdian still wants to draw Japan into the international banking group. He even suggested that Japan borrow from France. and then lent it to Yuan Shikai. Of course. I am afraid that the difference in interest rates will fall on China.

"Welcome. When the contemptible person arrives, he must be waiting for the two ministers in front of the palace. Yuan Shikai laughed with a red face.

Now the local court is an empty bag. The center of rights has been transferred from Beijing to Tianjin. Countries have come to see Yuan Shikai as the spokesperson for China. Ministers from various countries have also upgraded the Tianjin Consulate to a temporary legation in China. The reason why it is "temporary

Because there is no Dongjiaomin Lane here. There is no embassy area. In the future, Yuan Shikai will be after Beijing. The envoys still had to rush back to the capital of the Qing Dynasty.

"Lord Yuan doesn't have to be polite."

Zhu Erdian smiled politely, changed his words, and said: "I heard that the German minister visited Lord Yuan yesterday, and it seems that there is also a local counselor of the American legation who accompanied Mr. Minister. As far as I know, the German minister was also a friend of Zhang Zhidongdi, the minister of your plane, but after Zhang Zhongtang was assassinated, the German minister did not go to hang him in person, which is really strange. ”

Yuan Shikai was slightly stunned, figuring out Zhu Erdian's true intentions.

Last year, the Qing court summoned Zhang Zhidong to Beijing, and in addition to ordering him to enter the military machinery and auxiliary government, it also appointed him as the "Minister of Supervision of the Guangdong-Hanzhou and Sichuan-Han Railways", responsible for raising funds for road construction. The Guangdong-Hanzhou Railway communicates Wuhan and Guangzhou, runs through Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong provinces, once completed, its huge commercial value and political value is immeasurable, the right of way of the railway was originally held by the American company, but due to the slow progress of the project, and the wave of Chinese exclusion in the United States, the Chinese gentry demanded that the right of way be reclaimed The voice is getting higher and higher, forced by public opinion, in 1905, the Qing court signaled Zhang Zhidong to redeem the railway with a huge amount of money, handed over to the businessmen to raise shares to build themselves, because the ransom money is borrowed from the British consortium, Zhang Zhidong promised to the British consul in HankowIf you borrow foreign money to build the Yuehan Road in the future, you should first borrow money from the British consortium.

Last year, the Qing court issued an edict, under the pretext that the provinces were building their own railways slowly, and ordered the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to send personnel to inspect the provinces, which was actually a signal of "the imperial court of the main railway line", but the construction of the road required a huge amount of money, and the Qing court did not have so much silver, so it could only borrow from foreigners. Soon after the issuance of the edict, Zhang Zhidong took office as the Minister of Railway Supervision and officially began the loan negotiations with foreign consortia, but before the loan was established, the "Xushen Revolution" had exploded, and the construction of the railway was put on hold, but the loan negotiations were intensified, the Qing court was empty, and the strangulation revolution was inseparable from military spending, and borrowing from foreigners was also a way to raise military spending.

Zhang Zhidong was ordered to negotiate with the British and German consortiums, because the British negotiators asked for a sky-high price, failed to sign a contract with the British consortium, in contrast, the Germans were much "easier to talk", therefore, Zhang Zhidong finally reached an intention with the German consortium, but just when the two sides were eyebrows, the Beiyang Army rebelled, and the ministers of various countries expressed their support for Yuan Shikai, and the dilapidated house of the Qing Kingdom was about to collapse, although the Germans were rigid, but they were not fools, and then borrowed from the Qing court at this time, In the future, it will definitely be a bamboo basket for water, so the Qing court has not even borrowed a mark.

In the struggle for the right of way in the Han and Sichuan Han dynasties, Britain and Germany have long been opponents, although they did not tear their faces on the surface, but secretly they did not do anything less to make stumbling blocks, after the revolution broke out, Britain supported Yuan Shikai to move the "military advice", and suddenly pulled Yuan Shikai to his side, Germany suffered a dumb loss, and was naturally unwilling.

After Britain, France, and Russia formed the "Three Banks Consortium," Germany also expressed its intention to join the Banks, but because of Germany's tough support for Austria-Hungary in the Balkan "Bosnian Crisis," it offended Tsarist Russia, and as a result, the Russian envoy strongly opposed drawing Germany into the Banks.

The German business community was absolutely unwilling to watch this huge Far Eastern market being monopolized by the Entente bloc, so they pulled in the American mobs, who were also left out in the cold by the three countries, and sought to jointly fight against the bank groups of the three countries.

The American consortium has long coveted China's railways, and as the world's first industrial power in the new rise, since 1906, under the effect of economic laws, the United States has fallen into a small-scale economic recession, the factory is under-operated, the domestic market is weak, the financial is sluggish, and a large number of hot capital is eagerly seeking a way out, so China's railways have once again entered the field of vision of American businessmen, and Germany's initiative to woo just gave American businessmen an opportunity to intervene.

Just yesterday, Rex, the German minister to China, and Fletcher, counselor of the US legation, called on Yuan Shikai and negotiated with Yuan Shikai on the issue of the Guangdong-Hankou and Sichuan-Han railways.

Yuan Shikai couldn't make up his mind for a while, and did not agree on the spot, only promised to consider it.

But before he could think about it clearly, Zhu Erdian had already gotten the news, obviously, the British had been paying close attention to Yuan Shikai's every move, and maybe Yuan Shikai had the eyeliner planted by the British around him.

"Mr. Minister, yesterday the German Minister did have a meeting with the American Counsellor with the contemptible people=:, also for the Guangdong-Hanzhou and Sichuan-Han railways." Yuan Shikai hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth.

Zhu Erdian narrowed his eyes and said, "I would like to know how Your Excellency replied to him."

"The stakes are very high, and the contemptible person can't be the master alone, and he still needs to discuss and discuss with his staff, and even more importantly, he needs to inform the imperial court."

"Your court has had a tacit understanding with the British government that the Yangtze River valley is the British sphere of influence, and no other country is allowed to seek a dominant position within this range, whether it is the Yuehan Road or the Sichuan-Han Road, it is within this range. I think Your Excellency should be clear on that point. ”

Yuan Shikai was silent, Zhu Erdian's meaning was already very clear, the Han and Sichuan-Han railways must not be handed over to countries other than Britain.

Railways are not only a transport issue, but also a political issue, through which Britain can spread its influence to a wider area, not only to build railways to seek a market for its own steel mills, but also to obtain commercial monopoly along the railway, if the railway is controlled by British merchants, as long as the British are willing, they can at any time by raising freight rates to keep enemy goods out.

Therefore, the Guangdong-Hankou and Sichuan-Han railways, the British are determined to win, there is no room for negotiation, even if the British can't get it, they must not let Germany pick up the cheap.

Seeing that Yuan Shikai was silent, Zhu Erdian struck while the iron was hot and said: "The British government believes that if Your Excellency's new government can provide British merchants with the convenience of railway construction, then the British government can give your Excellency another batch of the latest arms free of charge, which is better than German goods. ”

Hearing this, Yuan Shikai's heart was shocked, the German minister said something similar yesterday, and now it seems that there must be British eyeliner around him, otherwise, how could the British know about such a secret matter?

Yuan Shikai didn't have time to think about it, and hurriedly said: "I understand the kindness of Mr. Minister, as for the railway matter, it is indeed a very important matter, and I need to discuss it carefully with my staff." ”

Zhu Erdian accepted it when he saw it, and said, "I hope Lord Yuan will give me a clear answer as soon as possible." As far as I know, the people of the Alliance have been in contact with the British consortium and are also talking about borrowing, although I am a confidant with Lord Yuan, but the businessmen are only interested in profit, and no one can guarantee that the British consortium will always support Lord Yuan. ”

Yuan Shikai heard the threat in Zhu Erdian's words, and was a little distracted for a while, but when he came back to his senses, he nodded and said: "Please rest assured, Mr. Minister, as long as the court speaks, Yuan will definitely do his best for the industrial and commercial community of your country." ”

Sending Zhu Erdian and others out of the Yamen of Tianjin Customs, Yuan Shikai got into the carriage and rushed back to the Yamen of the Governor of Zhili, and his eldest son Yuan Keding also rode in the same car, and when the carriage started, he submitted a telegram to Yuan Shikai.

"Yang Huizi called back." Yuan Keding didn't dare to talk nonsense.

Yesterday, Yuan Shikai learned that Yang Du had taken the initiative to go to Wuchang as a lobbyist, and he was very angry about it. Yuan Shikai's idea was that the southern revolutionaries insisted on the "republic", and he took the opportunity to use this to try to win the Qing court, while forcing the Qing court to cede the country, while bargaining with the south, in any case, he had to sit in the position of "great commander", to grab the maximum benefits from the Qing court and the revolutionary party, only one Zhao Bei supported him was not enough, the leaders of the League and the Guangfu Society must clearly express their support for him, only in this way, the Qing court can concede the country, and only by doing so, Only then can we convey such a message to the world: The Manchu Qing Dynasty was destroyed by the hands of our Yuan Shikai, not by the hands of the revolutionary party!

But Yang Du's unauthorized actions disrupted his deployment, because Yang Du went to Wuchang, that is, to persuade Zhao Bei to give up the "republican" proposition, in favor of a constitutional monarchy, if he really said that Zhao Bei was moved, then the most important force of the southern revolutionary faction softened and announced that he was in favor of the "monarchy constitution", then Yuan Shikai's wishful thinking would be in vain, although the Qing court would definitely not be able to retain power, but at least it could implement the hypocrisy of the monarchy, and no matter how domineering Yuan Shikai was, he would always have an emperor on his head, which he did not want to see, and he was a slave for a lifetime, he doesn't want to continue to be a slave again, even if it's a very powerful minion.

Yuan Shikai glanced at the transcript of the telegram a few times, was quite surprised, and muttered: "Look at the meaning of this telegram, then Zhao Bei seems to be a little shaken, 'republic' or 'Junxian' is still between the two, but what does he mean by that?" 'Even if it is a constitutional monarchy, we have to find a Han man to be the emperor, and the banner people have stepped on us for more than 200 years, so we can't tell them to step on it anymore? ’”

Yuan Keding was late for a while, and said in a low voice: "My son thinks that the meaning of this Commander-in-Chief Zhao is very straightforward, that is: it is no problem for him to approve of a constitutional monarchy, but this emperor must be a Han Chinese." The revolutionaries have been preaching the 'racial revolution', and it has not been a day or two since they shouted the slogan of 'lining up the Han Dynasty'. ”

Yuan Shikai put aside the transcript of the telegram, closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, and said half-to himself: "This Zhao Bei, is he really willing to support Jun Xian?" ”

Yuan Keding opened his mouth, but he didn't dare to speak after all. Yes, what Commander-in-Chief Zhao, who is a "republican", has in his heart, I'm afraid no one knows except himself.