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After a year of hard work, Yuan Shikai has now secured the position of prime minister. ☆ → its territory has also been further expanded to the whole of northern China. In addition to Zhili, Henan, and Shandong, which were controlled by the governor of Zhili, Shanxi was also included in the control of Beiyang.

In addition, Shengyun, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and the Ma family, a local power in Qinghai and Gansu, also took refuge in Yuan Shikai. The governor of Sichuan, Xiliang, also expressed his submission to Yanjing. Those who continued to fight against Yuan Shikai were only Duanfang, the governor of Liangjiang, Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang, Zhou Fu, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, Cen Chunxuan, the governor of Liangguang, and Ding Zhenduo, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou.

Among them, except for Duanfang, the governor of Liangjiang, and Zhang Zhidong, the governor of Huguang, they were determined to oppose Yuan Shikai. The other three governors were nothing more than grass on the wall. If Duan Fang and Zhang Zhidong can confront Yuan Shikai, they will naturally be happy to cheer for the two of them, and they can continue to be the overlords of the soil. If Duan Fang and Zhang Zhidong were not Yuan Shikai's opponents, then they could naturally surrender to Yuan Shikai. As long as the price given by Yuan Shikai is high, there is nothing that cannot be done.

It can be said that the situation in Kannai has changed radically. At the beginning, Yuan Shikai launched a coup d'état, and everyone shouted and beat him like a rat crossing the street. But now, he has at least half of China. Of course, important fiscal and tax places such as Liangjiang and Huguang are still in the hands of old rivals. Of course, Yuan Shikai would not let the other party continue.

In the prime minister's residence, Yuan Shikai convened a group of henchmen to discuss how to further expand the power of Beiyang and truly unify the whole of China.

"Kung Pao, good news! Zhou Fu's old guy's attitude has loosened and he is willing to take refuge in us. However, he was reluctant to come to Yanjing to serve, and he did not look down on the position of cabinet minister at all, and he hoped to continue to serve as the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang. Cabinet Prime Minister, Vice Minister and Minister of the Interior Seo Se Chang had a happy face. If the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang can fall to Beiyang, then the power of Beiyang will grow further.

"Humph! Don't want to come to Yanjing? Do you still want to be a soil overlord? How can it be so easy! After solving Duanfang and Zhang Zhidong, I want to see what else he can use to fight us! A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Yuan Shikai's eyes.

As Beiyang took control of northern China, Yuan Shikai's patience with the few remaining governors who had been working against him gradually wore out. On the other hand, the size of the Beiyang Army has doubled last year, which makes Yuan Shikai think that he has enough ability to solve all problems by force. In his bones, Yuan Shikai still believes that solving problems by force is the best way.

Last year, the Beiyang Army was only six towns and more than 70,000 people. Now, the Beiyang Army has expanded to 12 towns and 150,000 people. Coupled with the weapons purchased from abroad, the combat effectiveness of the Beiyang Army is extremely strong.

In this era, it is only the guns that determine a qiē. Therefore, Yuan Datou decided to completely tear off the camouflage and directly solve the problem by force.

"Gong Bao, Zhou Fu promised that when we attack the end side, he will send the Fujian and Zhejiang Army to attack Jiangsu from Zhejiang to assist us." Xu Shichang continued.

"Lord Xu, Zhou Fu's command is just a new army in two towns, so it is nothing to our Beiyang Army. At present, the Beiyang Army has completed the reorganization of the army in 12 towns, and another six towns are in the process of being reorganized. Once we are ready, we can directly start a war to unify the whole country. Minister of War Wang Zhizhen looked proud.

It's just that Wang Shizhen didn't seem to see the bitterness on the face of Finance Minister Sheng Xuanhuai. The frenzied expansion of the army directly led to the fact that the Beiyang government's finances were about to dry up. If the Great Powers hadn't handed over Guan Yu to the Beiyang government, they wouldn't have been able to support so many troops.

"Lord Wang, we have said that eighteen towns are already the limit. If you want to expand the army again, you must take Liangjiang and Huguang before you can expand. Otherwise, the Ministry of Finance will be completely out of money. Sheng Xuanhuai hurriedly reminded. These Qiu Ba, I wish there were as many troops under his command as possible, if they were not restricted, they would directly get dozens of towns out.

"Haha! God of Wealth, you can rest assured. In this battle, we will definitely be able to take Liangjiang and Huguang. Wang Zhizhen laughed.

"Pingqing, Zhiquan, is our army in place? When can you attack? Yuan Shikai asked. Wang Zhizhen was the Minister of War, while Duan Qirui was the Chief of Staff of the Beiyang Army. The two have become the leaders of the Beiyang Army.

"My lord, there is still a month at most, and we will be able to complete the war preparations. This time, we will dispatch 10 towns and 120,000 men to attack Liangjiang and Huguang. Among them, six towns attacked the two rivers, and after solving the end side, they went up the river to completely solve the Zhangzhidong. Duan Qirui said. In a short period of time, more than 100,000 people were dispatched to attack Liangjiang and Huguang, which was already the greatest strength of the Beiyang Army. After all, Yanjing still needs to leave a town behind. In the direction of Shanhaiguan, it is also necessary to leave a town to guard the northeast.

"It seems that we have won this battle!" Yuan Shikai's fat face was full of smiles.

The patrol battalion under the command of Duanfang, the governor of Liangjiang, was also reorganized into a new army, and weapons and equipment were purchased from the British. Liangjiang has always been the richest place in China, and the abundant financial resources have allowed Duanfang to directly pull up five towns and 60,000 troops. Huguang's new army is also not to be underestimated, with a total of four towns and three mixed associations, with a total strength of more than 60,000 people, which is more than the strength of Liangjiang. In addition, the Hanyang Arsenal provided sufficient weapons and equipment for the Huguang New Army, although not as advanced as the weapons and equipment of the Beiyang New Army, but it was undoubtedly a great advantage to be able to produce its own weapons. And Yuan Shikai's Gongxian Arsenal is still nowhere to be seen.

"My lord, if there is no influence from outside forces, we will definitely be able to defeat Liangjiang and Huguang in this battle." Wang Shizhen and Duan Qirui said one after another. They also don't dare to play absolute package tickets. After all, the situation in China is too responsible.

A trace of unnaturalness flashed on Yuan Shikai's face.

"What are external forces?" This was the first time that Beiyang had used force to deal with those local forces. Therefore, Yuan Shikai hopes to win in one battle. Otherwise, this will have a strict impact on Beiyang.

"My lord, the external forces we are worried about are mainly in the following aspects. One is the intervention of foreigners. The Yangtze River valley was mainly the sphere of influence of the British. Liangjiang and Huguang are connected to the British. Duan Qirui said.

"The British will not embarrass us, and Minister Juerdian has already expressed his support for us."

Duan Qirui nodded: "The second is that other local forces will take the opportunity to attack us." ”

Yuan Shikai couldn't help but feel a little irritable, he, the prime minister, was still extremely limited in what he could control. In particular, the rich lands in the south are under the control of local powerful factions.

"If we can quickly solve Duanfang and Zhang Zhidong, there will be no problem. The biggest trouble should be the Northeast. That guy in the Northeast is all ambitious. In the past year, they have also expanded their army. According to the information we have, the total strength of several warlords in the northeast is probably more than 200,000. Wang Zhizhen continued.

"Bastard, where did they get so much money to expand their army?" Yuan Shikai was furious. His Beiyang army is now only 150,000 men. There are already 200,000 people in the Northeast Tu Overlords, isn't this more than the Beiyang Army?

"My lord, the shape of the Northeast is a bit complicated, and in addition to those few warlords, there are also foreign forces involved in it. The Japanese, Russians and even the Americans intervened. Behind Zhang Yuting was the Japanese, and behind Feng Linge was the shadow of the Russians. Wu Xingquan, on the other hand, was supported by the Americans. Foreign Minister Tang Shaoyi said.

"These foreign devils, don't you think China is chaotic enough? A chaotic China, and it won't do them any good. Xu Shichang said hatefully.

Tang Shaoyi didn't say much, on the one hand, these foreign forces supported Yuan Shikai's Beiyang government, and on the other hand, they actively supported local forces, obviously for their own interests.

"No, we have to guard against the Northeast. At least when we settle the two rivers and the lake, they can't make trouble for us. Otherwise, the situation will be out of control. Yuan Shikai said.

Yanjing is too close to the northeast, as long as it passes the Shanhaiguan, the army in the northeast will be able to drive straight into Yanjing directly. When the time comes, if the army is in the south, what will it use to resist these warlords in the northeast? Perhaps, the Beiyang government will be finished.

"My lord, we can ask the British to put pressure on Japan, the United States, and Russia. That might buy us enough time. Tang Shaoyi said.

"It's just a palliative solution." Yuan Shikai shook his head.

"My lord, there is a way to humble the post, if it succeeds, not only will the Northeast have no time to take care of Kannai, but it will also greatly weaken the strength of the Northeast, so that it will no longer pose a threat to us. After we unify the pass, we can wave our troops out of the pass in one fell swoop and get rid of them. Duan Qirui said.

"Oh? Zhiquan, what's a good way, come quickly. Yuan Shikai was immediately overjoyed.

"My lord, the Northeast is now divided into four families, among which the Ma family and the Wu family have married and formed a whole, and they can be regarded as one family. With the support of the two provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang, plus the support of the Americans, the Wu family has become the boss among the warlords of the Feng family. This will inevitably make the Feng family and the Zhang family worry that we may be able to find a way from this aspect to make the Northeast chaotic first. Duan Qirui said.