Detachments of troops drove north along official roads and field paths. The villagers, who were busy in the fields, raised their eyes and saw groups of soldiers running over, leaving behind a piece of dust that had been rolled up, and the dust raised by the large army kept falling on the leaves. The trunk was also covered with dust. The warriors walked farther and farther away, and after a while, the road in the field was silent again.

After a rain in the afternoon, the river was foggy, and the distant mountains and nearby farmland were also shrouded in clouds and mist. The army convoy splattered mud spots and struggled along the muddy road, while mules and horses carrying ammunition boxes in the fields were struggling to move forward. The troops also marched in the mud, the rain drenched their rubberized rain cloaks, and their rifles and guns were [***] on their shoulders. Under the cape, two rows of bulging bullet pouches make them look bulky and bloated, like a pregnant woman who is months pregnant.

"I have a gun, on my shoulder, the bullet is loaded, and the bayonet is shining......"

The marching ranks sang loudly, and although it was raining, the singing still looked majestic.

"Impassioned, rushing to the battlefield, who dares to stop the charge! Vow to restore the rivers and mountains, sing triumphant songs and return to his hometown......"

Following the soldiers humming the military song, Zhao Sheng wiped a handful of muddy water thrown on his face, squeezed out some wry smiles on his face full of muddy water, the military boots hanging with mud weighed several pounds, and after a few days of marching, the leg was like being filled with lead.

“…… Get on the bayonet, get on the bayonet, move forward, move forward! Even if the mountain is high and the road is in the way, even if the river is deep and crossed, get on the bayonet, get on the bayonet, and move forward......"

The singing will be more heroic, but Zhao Sheng, who sang along, couldn't shout heroic, until the last sentence "Chong!" Kill! "It's time to get some spirit back.

trotting beside Zhao Sheng, Liu Daye, who was carrying a gun, squeezed to the platoon commander and asked.

"Sir, when do you think we can go to Zheng County?"

Liu Daye is a guy in the Zhao family's grain number, and when he was a soldier, he never thought that his platoon commander would be the eldest young master, wasn't the eldest young master in the provincial capital Shangyang Academy? Although he had doubts in his heart, he didn't dare to ask in detail.

"Tomorrow!"

Zhao Sheng replied and continued to walk forward with heavy steps.

If you don't triumph, you will die!

It seems that Zhao Sheng has seen the day of triumph, as long as he "walks" like now, it is estimated that he will not last until the end of the year, and the whole of China will be restored and the nation will be liberated, but the premise is that it must go on.

"Sir, you say, when we go to Zheng County, will we fight with the Beiyang Army?"

", the Beiyang Army is also a friendly army!"

The soldier next to him answered, but Zhao Sheng glared at him, his words were a little out of place. In Zhao Sheng's view, Yuan Shikai's ambition had already been revealed from Yuan Shikai's refusal to go to Nanjing to serve as vice chairman of the Military Commission and his unauthorized order to attack the troops in the direction of the capital.

"Sir, if we get to Zheng County, then the Beiyang Army is unwilling, what should we do!"

"It is the duty of a soldier to obey orders!"

When he said this, Zhao Sheng pulled the rubberized satchel on his waist backwards and obeyed the order, the Beiyang Army refused to obey the military order, it was a rebel, and it would not tolerate the rebels.

"I hope ...... Master's gun doesn't want to be stained with the blood of the Han people! ”

With a calm heart, Zhao Sheng shouted, "Brothers, hurry up, don't let the third row overtake us!" He shouted and quickened his pace.

When most of the soldiers marched on the field roads, in addition to the "Mustang" wagons that hauled artillery, there were also some transport trucks, and gray-green cars often flew by.

There is often an officer and driver sitting in the front seat of the car. In the back row were a number of other officers. As the convoy passed, more mud would splash on the soldiers marching on the side of the road, but the soldiers would just bury their heads in the front, and occasionally when the transporter passed, some soldiers who could not walk would be pushed into the car to rest for a while.

By this time it was already dark. The troops that had lined up in a neat line at the time of departure are now gone. Every soldier was covered in mud and sweat, and the expressions on his face were close to collapse, and after ten days of marching for nearly a thousand miles, all of them were already on the verge of the limit.

The Mustang car, struggling in the mud, came to a halt on the side of the road, and a young general jumped out of the car, followed by several more staff officers with a smile on his face.

Looking at the officers and soldiers who were on the verge of the limit, Xiao Xinren, who was standing on the side of the road after getting out of the car, was flashing with some pride in his eyebrows, the three divisions of the First Army were divided into five routes, advancing from the two directions of northern Anhui and northern Jiangsu, except for the occasional firefight, the whole process was as simple as a march, and all the prefectures and counties along the way were changed banners to protect their official positions.

"Sir, there is a deputy platoon commander of the Ninth Division who escaped with two soldiers!"

A motorcycle was parked next to the car, and the report of Staff Officer Shao, who received a report from the herald, made Xiao Xinren's face fade a little, and he sneered.

"Order the gendarmerie troops, regardless of life or death, at any cost, to capture them for me!"

Deserters will inevitably appear during long-distance marches, and from the time they leave Fuyang City, there are constantly soldiers fleeing, and there are even grassroots officers.

"Sir, the gendarmerie battalion of the 6th Division caught three deserters yesterday ,......"

"Order the Sixth Division to set up a court-martialed while resting today!"

Leng agreed, Xiao Xinren did not continue, with a large number of Qing army troops into the Liberation Army, the initial kind of chief officer in charge of life and death has been replaced by a temporary military court, this is to avoid the "anyway officer" to use military law to eliminate Huangpu officers.

Standing on the side of the road, staring at the sweaty prostration face, Xiao Xinren did not show much emotion, now the First Army is competing with the Beiyang Army for time, and it must be before them to complete the control of Shandong and Henan.

Beheaded and cut off his body, thinking that he could cross the Yellow River tomorrow, Xiao Xinren showed a sneer on his face, as long as the Guangfu Army crossed the Yellow River, this first move would be considered a good move, and the rest would depend on the actions in the north.

With anger suppressed on his face, Yuan Shikai returned to the Governor's Mansion in a gloomy manner, so that he was a little afraid of seeing people. There are those who get the news in the hall, and they inevitably discuss it in private, one to two, two to four, and they all know that Vice Chairman Yuan has planted a big heel. Sun Baoqi and Yang Shiqi, the two vice chairmen of the NPC Standing Committee, originally thought that after Yuan Shikai and the representatives of the Guangfu Army met, they would immediately go to them for discussion, but who knew that there was no movement, Sun Baoqi could still bear it, but Yang Shiqi thought that he could not listen to nature.

"Mu Han," Yang Shiqi said with tightness in his eyes.

"We have to go, find the big ...... The vice chairman is going to ask, right? What's going on? ”

"It's not very clear that the Liberation Army seized Shandong and Henan in order to break our foundation, without Shandong and Henan, even if we conquer the capital, in the end, the commander still has to hand over the military power and go to Nanjing to take office."

"But if you let them force it like this, there's nothing you can do, go!"

Yang Shiqi pulled him and said.

"Let's take a look!"

"Slow, slow! If you go, you have to find a way to take it out, and you have to stop talking about it first. ”

Yang Shiqi thought for a while and said.

"This matter is indispensable, his role is very important, and now he is in an important position in Nanjing. Gotta send him a telegram quickly. I have a way, and I'll talk about it after seeing Xiang Cheng first. ”

"Bu Wu" refers to Xu Shichang, whose identity and status can be said to be the most prominent among the Beiyang people in Nanjing. Sun Baoqi also thought that this matter had to be discussed with Xu Shichang, and immediately sent someone to send a telegram, and then went to the courtyard where Yuan Shikai lived with Yang Shiqi.

"Uh-huh!" Yang Shiqi deliberately made a fake cough.

Yuan Shikai turned around when he heard the sound, looked at it for a while, didn't speak, turned around and went inside, and Sun and Yang followed silently.

"You all know that, right?"

"I heard."

Sun Baoqi's voice did not carry any emotion, and the lieutenant colonel representative sent by the Guangfu Army had already made it clear when he came that the Beiyang Army must accept the reorganization.

"Nothing!"

Yang Shiqi has a very indifferent attitude.

"Nothing?"

Yuan Shikai said and stared at Yang Shiqi.

"We need to keep the army in front of us. First of all, I can't think of how I can not go to Nanjing to take up my post, and how to phrase this excerpt. ”

"No!" Yang Shiqi hurriedly said.

"We must not invite ourselves to Nanjing to perform our duties. You have to think of a high-sounding reason, you have to think of a way to keep the vice chairman here. ”

"Ahh

Yuan Shikai was in good spirits.

"What's the reason?"

"The most important thing now is to make the ruling party believe in the vice chairman, and the reason why he did not go to Nanjing is not because the vice chairman does not believe in the ruling power."

When Yang Shiqi said the vice chairman, he always seemed a little unaccustomed to it, but he had to get used to it if he was not used to it, the big marshal was the title of the Guangfu Army for the ruling party, and it was obviously no longer appropriate to call Yuan Shikai the big marshal.

"The problem is in this place, Zhang Nanpi first invited the Guangfu Army to enter Wuchang, and the ruling Shang went to Wuchang to greet him personally, and took him to Nanjing to serve as the ruling axe adviser, which shows that although the ruling has not touched the county officials, it is very vigilant against the governors and governors of various places, not to mention that the vice chairman is still holding the army of the three towns."

"That's right!" Yuan Shikai nodded deeply, his eyebrows full of sadness.

"Nanjing's meaning is very clear, the military has its own staff department, and I, Yuan Shikai, am not a soldier, so how can I interfere with the military orders of the Liberation Army, so I want to go to Nanjing to perform my duties, and the three towns of the Beiyang Army have not been reorganized to the Liberation Army......

The meaning of Lieutenant Colonel Lu Guozheng's words is very clear, Yuan Shikai must go to Nanjing, and the Beiyang Army must be reorganized, which is Nanjing's bottom line.

"Change the military system!"

"The change must be changed, I'm afraid they definitely don't want us to change the flag and change the name as simple as that, the army is the foundation, although the ruling started in the commercial sea, but it is in the military, how can they not know this reason."

"This is still secondary, but the most critical problem is that I didn't go to Nanjing at the beginning, for fear that I would already arouse the suspicion of the ruling party."

Yuan Shikai sighed, and then shook his head again.

"Once I have suspicions, I am afraid that if I go to Nanjing, I am afraid that it will be more auspicious and less auspicious, and my personal safety is secondary, but I am afraid that I will suffer all the friends and subordinates who have a lot of followers."

said this, but in fact, Yuan Shikai was reminding them that he Yuan Shikai and Beiyang had already shared the glory of Xiu.

Yang Shiqi nodded and said again.

Although the ruling words must be said to be the construction of advisory bureaus in various places at that time, and invite local elites and gentry to discuss politics, but this is only a discussion of politics rather than a decision, and the power of governing to cut the local government has been inevitable, please Zhang Nanpi in Nanjing, and send officials in various places, these are for him to centralize power in the central government! If we continue like this, even if we are solidified......"

"As long as the capital is captured, the vice chairman will be the first hero of the recovery of this world, and at that time, even if the vice chairman goes to Nanjing alone, if the ruling is relative to the vice chairman, I am afraid that he will have to take care of the people of the world."

"Capture the capital division, except for the Manchu Qing Dynasty, is something that we have agreed on!"

This will make Yuan Shikai feel a little more comfortable, and he thought about it for a while and said.

"In your opinion, how can I not go to Nanjing? If I go to Nanjing, I am afraid that I will win the name of Jingshi and return to ...... Ruling! And how can you protect the army but the Yellow River! ”

When he said the last few words, Yuan Shikai lowered his voice, now the first army of the Guangfu Army is coming from the south, but the thorn in his heart, Henan and Shandong provinces will definitely not be able to keep it, but he doesn't want to lose even Zhili, if that is the case, even if the Beiyang Army captures the capital, it will be rootless at that time.

"It's a bit tricky, and the most important thing is the reason!"

Yang Shiqi pondered for a while before speaking.

"If there is no suitable reason, I am afraid that it will be difficult to reassure the heart of governance."

"I wonder if the vice chairman can remember that the countries of the Xinchou Treaty agreed to garrison troops in Beijing and Tianjin?"

At this time, Yang Shiqi lowered his eyes and pondered for a while before he spoke.

"Huh?"

Yuan Shikai was suspicious in his heart, and looked at Sun Baoqi with some surprise.

"The Beiyang Army wants to seize the Beijing division and dedicate it to the government, and this exhibition of troops in the Beijing and Tianjin areas will naturally lead to the vigilance of all countries! Naturally, it is necessary for an archon to consult with various countries! Although the ruling party wants to invite the vice chairman to take up his post in Nanjing, the ruling party also knows that the great powers of the various countries are beyond his power to provoke, and if there is no senior official who is familiar with the ministers of the various countries to consult with the countries and consult with the countries, there will be any trouble in the north at that time...... Isn't this what the ruling government wants? ”

Listening to Yang Shiqi's plan to get out, Yuan Shikai finally showed a smile on his face, the reason why the first and second towns of Beiyang stopped advancing when they arrived in Baoding, on the one hand, was because of the Guangfu Army advancing from the south, and on the other hand, they did not understand the attitude of various countries.

"This escape plan may be useful! Not only is it magnificent, but it can be expressed. However, "

Yang Shiqi lowered his voice again and said.

"Vice chairman, there was a story about the general the year before last, and you have always heard of it?"

"There are a lot of stories about Nian Qianyao, I don't know which one my brother is referring to?"

"The story of his class returning to Beijing."

Yuan Shikai thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "I haven't heard of it." ”

It is said that after Yongzheng ascended the throne, he summoned Nian Qianyao from Qinghai to the class, Yongzheng personally greeted the suburbs, and witnessed the military appearance in full swing, extremely spectacular, and his heart was already vigilant. At that time, it was the height of summer, Yongzheng showed compassion and ordered the soldiers to unload their armor and rest, but who knew that Nian Qianyao's subordinates turned a deaf ear. Later, Nian Qianyao himself knew, and after thanking him, he took out a small flag from his arms, shook it a few times, and suddenly thundered with joy, and unloaded his armor like a mountain. Yongzheng thought to himself, the holy decree is not as good as the military order, if Nian Qianyao has the intention of usurping the throne at this time, his surname will be lost, so from this moment on, he made up his mind to kill Nian Qianyao.

After listening to Yang Shiqi tell this story, Yuan Shikai knew that in the end, it was still the place where he was most reluctant to let go.

"You mean the right to surrender?"

"Yes!"

Yang Shiqi nodded and replied.

"Suspicion is the reason why the ruling wants to relieve the military power of the vice chairman, we don't have the capital and the ruling call now, just the first army of the five-way march can compete with Beiyang, so we have to drag it out, but even if we want to drag it out, we have to show some sincerity!"

Hearing this, Yuan Shikai's heart can be described as a mixed bag, his Beiyang Army can become the ruling concern, which is gratifying, but at the same time, he understands that his problems are all on the Beiyang Army.

"I, the Beiyang New Army of the Three Towns, am confident that I am invincible at home, no wonder the ruling club is suspicious, but Weiting's loyalty can be demonstrated!"

"Loyalty can be demonstrated, and it must be manifested! If you don't show it, you can't see it! ”

"What a statement!"

"Except for the Qianwu Patrol Police Battalion, the third town is all newly recruited soldiers, stationed in Shandong and Henan, and the vice chairman may wish to hand over the third town for reorganization when he calls to explain the strength of northern diplomacy, and as for the first and second towns, ......."

"Wait until the Jingshi is restored and then adapt!"

Yuan Shikai immediately understood Yang Shiqi's method, and handed over the third town that had not been trained and unequipped, and the first and second towns were still attacking the Beijing division to the north, and after the Beijing division was occupied, his reputation for Yuan Shikai was probably ...... Thinking about him, he called someone to invite Zhang Yilin.

"This method is good, that is, it expresses its mentality, but also hinders the idea of governing, and hands over the third town, in order to win the hearts of the people in the world, it is bound not to force the vice chairman, and the vice chairman can live in the north to negotiate, and wait for the recovery of the capital division, and then ......"

Sun Baoqi praised it profusely, this idea seems to be in power, but in fact, what the vice chairman handed over is just a chicken rib.

"And you can let the officials of the first and second towns see how this Liberation Army is adapted!"

"Please send a telegram to Zhiquan and tell him that he must not stop the friendly troops of the Liberation Army, and that he is ready to reorganize."

Zhang Yilin was just stunned, and agreed without saying anything.

At this time, Yuan Shikai asked again and said to Sun Baoqi.

"You help me write a telegram pleading guilty, you must know that it is powerful, and ...... else."

"Vice chairman, this matter is urgent! The vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee took the liberty of sending this telegram, for fear that it would arouse the suspicion of the ruling government again! ”

Yang Shiqi shook his head and dissuaded, and only continued when Yuan Shikai cast a puzzled look.

"Vice chairman, if we want to do this, someone must be in Nanjing to help the vice chairman speak......

"Bu Wu?"

Sun Baoqi then remembered the Xu Shichang mentioned by Yang Shiqi when he came.

"Bu Wu, although he is in power, he can't do it yet, and he has to rely on others to do things! However, he is still relying on Bu Wu to maneuver in the middle of Nanjing! ”

(To be continued)