This return to Baoding is an important opportunity for Zhao Dongyun to really gain a foothold in Beiyang, but how can he completely grasp this opportunity?

How can Yuan Shikai really value himself?

In addition to handling the machine gun matter well and satisfying Yuan Shikai, Zhao Dongyun also had to face many other problems when he returned to Baoding this time, such as the inevitable factional struggle.

If Zhao Dongyun was just a small commander before, it was insignificant, but now Zhao Dongyun's status is different from the past, he is no longer the unknown person who needs to go through the path of Duan Qirui, Wang Yingkai and others to get promoted, since last year's winter exercises, especially since Yuan Shikai personally named and supervised the new machine gun battalion, Zhao Dongyun's reputation in the Beiyang system has gradually emerged, and he is regarded by many people as the leader of the young generation in Beiyang.

At that time, Zhao Dongyun had vaguely surpassed Xu Bangjie and other ordinary leaders in terms of status, and it also attracted Wang Yingkai to win over.

Fortunately, not long after the beginning of the year, Zhao Dongyun led the army south to Guangzong, which can be regarded as avoiding many troubles in Baoding, but taking a step back, the reason why he was able to go to Guangzong also has a great relationship with Duan Qirui.

Although Duan Qirui didn't say it, and no one else said it, but Zhao Dongyun was able to lead the army south to quell the rebellion and make meritorious contributions, Duan Qirui made a lot of effort in the middle, otherwise there were forty or fifty thousand troops up and down the Beiyang, dozens of commanders and pipes, and he was the first to lead the army south, and as soon as he went south, he went to the core Guangzong area.

In a certain way, Zhao Dongyun went to Guangzong to quell the rebellion, which was an opportunity for meritorious service given to him by Duan Qirui, of course, there are also factors deliberately cultivated by Yuan Shikai, if it weren't for Yuan Shikai taking a fancy to him and wanting to make his resume better, no matter how much Duan Qirui pushed, it would be difficult for Zhao Dongyun to lead the army to Guangzong.

With these factors, it is not difficult to understand that the princes of Beiyang regard him as a member of Duan Qirui's faction, and even because during the suppression of the Guangzong Civil Rebellion, Zhao Dongyun took the lead under Duan Qirui and directly inserted himself into the Guangzong Great Rebellion Army, attracting people with good deeds to call him the number one general under Duan Qirui.

Although from beginning to end, Duan Qirui and Zhao Dongyun's personal friendship is not too deep, Zhao Dongyun has never expressed anything like contribution to Duan Qirui, and Duan Qirui has not exerted obvious means of wooing him, but some things do not need to look at the appearance, and even what Duan Qirui and Zhao Dongyun think is not important.

The important thing is that in the eyes of others, he Zhao Dongyun is Duan Qirui's person, and in fact, he can indeed think so.

When I return to Baoding with such an identity, what will others think? Especially Wang Yingkai, Feng Guozhang, Wang Shizhen, Liu Yongqing and others, how will they view themselves? Will he be suppressed because he has Duan Qirui's background?

The above problems can be said to have been plaguing Zhao Dongyun since Guangzong's return to the north, and the reality and urgency of these problems made him have to spend a lot of energy to analyze many connections and try to find the best way.

In the dining car of the northbound train, Fang Ruolian did not wear the gray nun's robe in the past, but changed into a light blue dress, and there was no turban on her head, and her silky hair was shawled, and she looked completely free of the traces of a nun at this time.

Wearing a nun's robe before, she looked much older when she knocked on it, and if she was not careful, she would be mistaken for something in her twenties, but now she showed her true colors, no matter how you look at it, you can know that this is just a girl about twenty-eight years old.

The trees and clouds outside the window kept moving backwards, and the setting sun also passed through the gaps between the trees on both sides of the railway, and penetrated into the carriage through the glass windows.

And Fang Ruolian, who was bathed in the sunset, looked exceptionally beautiful, the tip of her nose seemed to be more upright than usual, she was very unladylike at this time to support her chin with her hands, and she was not shy and lowered her head as usual, but cast her eyes naked on Zhao Dongyun.

Zhao Dongyun in her sight was sitting, holding a glass in his hand, the blood red wine in the cup was already half empty, although his body was sitting very upright, but his gaze was obviously shifted to the left, his gaze passed through the glass window on the left, and those fields, mountains, forests, and rivers that swept backwards quickly appeared in his pupils.

He looked out the window at the scenery, and she looked at the scenery in his eyes!

It is said that the eyes are the window of a person's soul, why can't you see anything in his eyes?

How did he look at it for so long? Is the scenery from the window nice? But I don't think ah, the wilderness outside is like those over and over again, don't you get tired of watching it for a long time?

Are you thinking about things? Well, yes, he must be thinking about things, but what is he thinking? Are you thinking about those national events? Are you thinking about your family?

Also, did he think of me?

While the girl watched, countless thoughts flashed through her mind, and slowly she was like Zhao Dongyun, thinking about many messy things.

Just when she thought, "I went to Baoding to stay there, if Zhao Dongyun asked her to live with him, should I agree, or should I refuse first and then agree?" Suddenly, it was dark, as if something was covering her eyes, and she came back to her senses in shock.

The body instinctively leaned back, avoiding the thing in front of her that blocked her vision, and when she opened her eyes again, she saw Zhao Dongyun dangling in front of her eyes with his hand at this time

I also heard him say, "What do you think, so obsessed! ”

Hearing the question, the honest girl subconsciously replied that I was thinking of going to live at your house, but when the words came to her mouth, she felt that this was inappropriate, so the little nun once again lied in her heart silently saying "God will forgive me": "No, I don't think anything!" ”

Zhao Dongyun naturally didn't break the hobby of asking the end of the casserole, and when he saw that she came back to her senses, he withdrew his hand, poured himself a glass of wine, and then refilled Fang Ruolian's cup with half a cup, and then had nothing to do: "I've known you for a long time, and I still don't know where you are from?" ”

Fang Ruolian muttered in her heart: That's because you never asked, except that you like to take advantage of me, you have never asked anything else.

This is actually a habit brought by Zhao Dongyun in his previous life, relatively speaking, he prefers to discuss all kinds of ethereal topics with women, such as movies, novels and even national events or the advantages and disadvantages of various postures, the difference between cheating and cheating, and so on. However, I rarely ask all kinds of real-life questions, such as family, work, etc.

In fact, there is another point that can clearly reflect his handling and attitude towards men and women.

That is, he prefers to bring women to the hotel rather than to the home!

Although it has been more than a year since he came to this era, due to the many things he has experienced, his personality and behavior have changed greatly, but he has not changed much in treating women.

So he often talked to Fang Ruolian about various topics in a daze, but he never asked her where she was from, and he didn't even know how old she was.

However, today, he unconsciously broke the habit of talking in the past and took the initiative to ask her where she was from!

Fang Ruolian was also a little surprised when she heard his question today, but she quickly replied: "I'm from Xiangzhou!" ”

Zhao Dongyun said: "Oh, Xiangzhou, but why did you come to Zhili, there are also many churches in the south of the nun to be a nun!" ”

"Although I am from Xiangzhou, when I decided to dedicate my life to God, I went there when God needed to educate the people, so last year I went to Guangzong with Father Henry to preach!" When Fang Ruolian talked about religion, she inexplicably incarnated as a nun, looking extremely sacred.

And her demeanor is the most attractive to Zhao Dongyun, whenever he sees her chanting the word God with a look of adoration, he can't wait to tear her clothes on the spot, and then pounce on her and 'whip' her fiercely!

It's a pity that it's hateful, it's a public place like a dining car now, otherwise Zhao Dongyun would definitely lose his temper.

Hurriedly changed the topic and talked about other things, which was too much, and there was no unreal topic like the past, which made Zhao Dongyun understand her more deeply.

This girl was born in a comprador family, her father worked in a French-run foreign firm, and was seduced by those priests to join Catholicism, and then married a woman who also believed in religion, so Fang Ruolian became one of the few children in China in this era whose parents were both Catholics.

Since her parents were Catholics, she began to contact Catholicism since she was a child and became a Catholic naturally, and then at the age of fourteen, she was bewitched by several priests and nuns, and then she entered the church as a nun without further ado.

So at that time, this delicate girl was determined to dedicate her life to the old man Jesus who had been dead for an unknown number of years.

When she said this, Zhao Dongyun wished that she was Jesus, how many young and beautiful nuns would take the initiative to send her to the door every year!

But even if he is not Jesus, he has to deceive this Fang Ruolian no matter what!

Shijiazhuang to Baoding is not a few hundred miles away, the train is twilight, and when the sunset completely sets, the train also stops at Baoding Railway Station.

Next, Zhao Dongyun didn't care about falling in love with Fang Ruolian, there were still hundreds of big-headed soldiers waiting for him here.

The soldiers of the machine gun battalion got off the train one after another, and then lined up and began to leave the railway station with more than 20 machine guns and various equipment and baggage.

"You take people back to the camp first, and along the way, you must not cause trouble and do not disturb the people!" Zhao Dongyun cautiously instructed Lin Yongquan to bring the troops back to the barracks first.

And Zhao Dongyun himself is not going back to the barracks, he has to meet Yuan Shikai in Baoding City, and then go to the Military and Political Department to take office, of course, to see Yuan Shikai and go to work, that is already tomorrow, tonight he has to go home first, and by the way, bring Fang Ruolian, the girl, home!