Xiao Zhenlei sent troops into Guangdong to threaten the Dutch authorities in Macao, and Hu Hanmin, the governor of the Guangdong military government, was extremely dissatisfied with this, saying that Zhejiang's troops could not enter Guangdong, and at a meeting held the next day, he strongly demanded that Xiao Zhenlei order the withdrawal of troops.

Xiao Zhenlei said that the military order had been issued and could not be changed, and he also asked the Guangdong military government to solve the problem of grain and grass.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible, you just want to drive the army into my Guangdong, and you still want my Guangdong military government to solve the grain and grass problem for you, don't think about it!"

Xiao Zhenlei smoked a cigarette and said with a smile: "Okay, since you don't want me to send troops into Guangdong, then your Guangdong military government will send troops to coerce Macao and force the Dutch authorities to agree to our conditions!" ”

Where did Hu Hanmin have the courage to send troops against the Dutch? He was forced into a dead end by Xiao Zhenlei's words, and he couldn't advance or retreat, so he could only wait for Xiao Zhenlei angrily, but he was helpless.

Sun Wen was so angry, ashamed and angry with Hu Hanmin, but it was not easy to reprimand him in person, after all, he was his follower, after thinking about it, now only Xiao Zhenlei had the courage to confront the foreigners, so he waved his hand and said: "Okay, this matter will be solved by Xiao Huanyu, and all departments must cooperate closely and cannot be delayed." In addition, the British Minister to China, Zhu Erdian, sent an envoy to us to ask the Provisional Government of Nanking not to interfere in the Surabaya incident. ”

When someone heard this, he immediately said, "Ah, the British intervened? How good is that? ”

Xiao Zhenlei saw that many people were a little cringed after hearing that Zhu Erdian had sent someone to make such a request, and he was immediately extremely annoyed by the uncompetitive appearance of these people, who stayed at the top of the provisional government. It is strange that China is not bullied by foreigners. He said in a loud voice: "Okay, since the president has handed over the Surabaya incident to me, Xiao is fully responsible. I'll handle it, President. If the messenger of Jurdian comes to you again, you ask him to come directly to me, and I will deal with him!" ”

On February 28, Xiao Zhenlei was reviewing the plan for the repatriation of troops from various provinces, when the secretary Xiao Gao knocked on the door and walked in to report: "Mr. Wilson, the representative of Zhu Erdian, the president, is here, do you want to see him?" ”

Xiao Zhenlei put down the pen and asked; "Do you know what he came from?"

"He said he came for the Surabaya incident!"

Xiao Zhenlei said: "You go and sue him, he wants to negotiate with me on this matter is not qualified enough, I am now the deputy chief of the army and chief of staff of the provisional government of the Republic of China." The person directly responsible for the Surabaya incident is not a small representative who can be seen if he wants to, his identity is too unequal to mine, Zhu Erdian himself is the British representative, what is the matter with him sending another representative? Don't you take us seriously? If they want to talk, let Zhu Erdian come in person, otherwise we won't serve! ”

Xiao Gao straightened up: "Yes, President!" ”

Zhu Erdian's representative was so angry after listening to Xiao Gao's reply outside, even though he was only a representative sent by Zhu Erdian. But for so many years, he has been flattered by Chinese officials wherever he goes in China, those Qing Dynasty officials, Beiyang officials, even Yuan Shikai had to be polite when he saw him, but he didn't expect to be treated like this in Nanjing. Wilson tilted his nose and walked away.

When he returned to his lodgings, Wilson became angrier the more he thought about it, and he went from his lodgings to the telegraph office to send a telegram to Juerdian in the capital. He tried his best to show how arrogant the Nanjing Provisional Government was and how disdainful he was, and also said that Xiao Zhenlei slandered Zhu Erdian in extremely vicious language. The success caused Zhu Erdian's anger against Xiao Zhenlei. Early the next morning, Zhu Erdian couldn't help but pack his luggage and take his entourage to embark on the train to Nanjing.

In the past two days, Xiao Zhenlei met an acquaintance -- Zhang Xiaozhun -- in dealing with the affairs of the troops stationed in various provinces. It was Jiang Baili who brought Zhang Xiaohuai to meet him, and it turned out that Zhang Xiaohuai had been appointed by Huang Xing as the director of the Military Affairs Department of the War Department to assist Xiao Zhenlei and Jiang Baili in dismissing the provincial armies in Nanjing.

The three of them chatted for a while drinking tea in Xiao Zhenlei's office, Xiao Zhenlei asked: "The matter of disbanding the troops of the provinces has almost been planned in detail, and it can be carried out within these two days, if it goes well, I estimate that it can be completed within a week at most, and I heard that for whether Yuan Shikai wants to go south to Nanjing to take office, most of the people in the provisional government and the Provisional Senate no longer forcibly ask Yuan Shikai to go south, it seems that there is a compromise, if the Provisional Senate goes north to the capital, And if Yuan Shikai takes office in the capital, I estimate that the provisional government will be abolished soon, and then the departments and offices of the Ministry of War will also be revoked, and I will also have the title of deputy governor of Jiangsu and minister of military affairs, and Brother Baili will also stay and continue to be my chief of staff. ”

Zhang Xiaozhun couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard this, he returned to China before the Wuchang Uprising, and it was not until now that he finally found a position in the provisional government, but he didn't expect that the provisional government would be abolished again, and when the provisional government was abolished, he became an unemployed person again, and he wanted to continue the revolution but had no way, which cannot but be an irony.

At this time, Jiang Baili said: "Now there are more than a dozen divisions under Huanyu, the team is huge, and talents are urgently needed, it is better to be like this, Yunnong, you stay as the chief of staff of Huanyu, I will be the deputy chief of staff, I will be detailed As long as we work hard to manage these dozen divisions, even if Yuan Shikai has any dissenting intentions, we also have the power to counteract" said and gave Xiao Zhenlei a look.

Xiao Zhenlei didn't understand what Jiang Baili meant, although Zhang Xiaozhun was a member of the Alliance, but the relationship with the people in the Alliance was not very good, don't worry about his heart to the Alliance, Xiao Zhenlei immediately said: "If Brother Yunnong can join us, it will be great, I have Jiang Baili on the left and Zhang Xiaozhun on the right, it is like a tiger with wings, he Yuan Shikai is honest as his president and implements the republic, if he wants to be the emperor in misdeeds, we will never agree!" Besides, now is the provisional government, and a general election has to be officially held, who said that his old Yuan will definitely be able to be elected president? Maybe we will also have the opportunity to form a cabinet, and when the time comes, we will do something together to build China into a strong country, wouldn't it be happy? ”

Zhang Xiaozhun is not easy to refuse, and it is not easy to agree. It's hard to agree because he is a member of the League, and he is also a fellow of Huang Xing, and he has a great relationship with Huang Xing, and this time he came to the Military Affairs Department of the War Department as the director of Huang Xing's support, and now the provisional government has not been abolished, if Huang Xing knows that he is starting to find a home now, Huang Xing will definitely be very unhappy.

The reason why it is not easy to refuse is that he also wants to stay and do things from the bottom of his heart, after all, compared to Yuan Shikai, he is more familiar with Xiao Zhenlei, everyone's age is not much different, there are many ideas that can be said bluntly, and Xiao Zhenlei is revolutionary, and Yuan Shikai is a person he can't figure out, another very important aspect, Xiao Zhenlei has more than a dozen divisions under him, he wants to lead the troops, exercise his ability to lead the troops, Xiao Zhenlei can just meet his requirements, although his position is now the director of the Military Affairs Department, The rank is relatively high, but this department is only a department that deals with miscellaneous affairs, and cannot give full play to his military command talents.

Just when he was hesitating, the secretary Xiao Gao knocked on the door and came in from outside to report: "President, Mr. Zhu Erdian, the British Minister to China, has arrived!" ”

Zhu Erdian originally went to see Sun Wen first, he thought that this kind of matter could be solved directly with the supreme leader of the southern revolutionaries, and after coming to China for so many years, he had always negotiated directly with the emperor or the empress dowager, and others were not qualified in his eyes.

Sun Wen received him very warmly, but what he didn't expect was that Sun Wen said that the provisional government had handed over this matter to Xiao Zhenlei to take full responsibility, and asked him to go to Xiao Zhenlei to discuss, which was the first time Zhu Erdian had encountered this situation in China. Although he was a little angry, Zhu Erdian still endured his anger and came to the War Department to find Xiao Zhenlei.

Xiao Zhenlei listened to the report of the secretary Xiao Gao and told Xiao Gao to invite Zhu Erdian in, Zhu Erdian waited for a long time, but did not see Xiao Zhenlei come out to greet him, but Xiao Zhenlei's secretary came out, he heard Xiao Gao say that Xiao Zhenlei asked him to invite him, and his face suddenly turned black, and his assistant Wilson was still fanning the flames on the side, which made Zhu Erdian even more annoyed.

Jurdian is a typical tall, thin Englishman with deep-set eyes, a high nose, and a thick beard on his lips. Seeing Zhu Erdian appear at the door, Xiao Zhenlei got up with a smile and walked a few steps forward, stretched out his hand and said with a smile: "Mr. Zhu Erdian, welcome to Nanjing!" ”

Zhu Erdian said with a dark face: "Xiao Cichang, your shelf is too big, right?" Guests come from such a big and far place, don't you even have a top hat to greet you at the door? ”

Xiao Zhenlei frowned when he heard this, "May I ask if you are here this time in a private capacity or on behalf of the United Kingdom?" ”

Zhu Erdian looked up at the ceiling, his nostrils facing the sky: "Of course, it represents the British Empire, and I have no friendship with Vice Minister Xiao!" ”

Xiao Zhenlei slapped his palms and smiled: "That's no problem, with Mr. Zhu Erdian's level, it's already very face-saving for me to get up and walk so far to greet you, if you are the Prime Minister of your country or His Majesty King George V, I can go to the door to greet you, it's a pity, you're not!" ”

Xiao Zhenlei is not wrong at all, according to normal diplomatic relations, Zhu Erdian is just a minister to China, although he can represent the British government in many cases, but his rank is not high, if it is not for the weak and incompetent Qing court, how can Zhu Erdian be able to talk directly to the emperor and Cixi every time? Indirectly elevated the status of this bureaucrat? It was enough to send a petty official to receive Jurdian.

Xiao Zhenlei's words made Zhu Erdian so angry that he almost suffocated internal injuries, but these words also indirectly reminded Zhu Erdian to pay attention to his identity. (To be continued......) R1292